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Telephone brings groom to his wedding receptionSINGAPORE: For a bride whose groom was unable to attend his Singapore wedding reception, h...

Telephone brings groom to his wedding reception

SINGAPORE: For a bride whose groom was unable to attend his Singapore wedding reception, his voice was presence enough. Some 300 guests and the bride were present to celebrate at a hotel ballroom on Saturday, where a telephone was mounted on a platform, the New Paper on Sunday reported. A perfectly composed bride, Sharmila Ramanujan, 27, explained the absence of her husband, American engineer Jeffrey McCauley, 38. Invitations had already been sent out when problems arose with McCauley8217;s passport, the report said.

The couple had taken their marriage vows in the United States and had planned to perform the traditional Indian ceremony here on Saturday. At one point during the dinner, the master of ceremonies announced that 8220;a call was coming in, all the way from Nebraska.8221; Despite a bad phone connection, guests heard the groom express his regrets for not being able to make it and professed his love for his bride. She is to join him in the United Statessoon, the report said. The couple met in cyberspace, at an Internet chat room, it added.

Hungary mafia8217;s begging rings go international

BUDAPEST: Mafia-operated begging rings are giving nightmares to the Budapest police which has launched an operation against 8220;beggar kings.8221; Mafia rings bring children and physically handicapped people from Hungary8217;s neighbouring countries, especially Romania, on the promise of jobs but force them to beg on streets of Budapest after they arrive, according to police.

There are at least three mafia-controlled begging rings in the city, a report quoting Budapest police superintendent Antal Kokenyesi said. Most hired beggars from abroad arrive by bus and are staying in the city illegally, the police chief said. Beggar kings control foreign employees by taking their passports and generally skim off about 80 per cent of their daily collections, he said. In return, the beggars are promised shelter and protection, according to the weekly The Budapest Sun, Hungary8217;s onlyEnglish-language newspaper. While children and handicapped are highly sought after by the mafia rings as they arouse pity in passers-by, the operators also employ alcoholics as they can be controlled easily.

African govts sign Congo peace pact without rebels

LUSAKA: Six African governments involved in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have signed a cease-fire accord but without the rebel groups fighting to oust Congolese President Laurent Kabila. 8220;All that I can say is that I am optimistic,8221; Kabila said after he and the other leaders signed the document here on Saturday. 8220;We have resolved that they the rebels will not sign the agreement tonight,8221; Zambian President and Congo mediator Frederick Chiluba said after marathon talks aimed at resolving a disagreement among the rebels. The six countries in the war in the former Zaire are Congo and its allies Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia, and rebel supporters Uganda and Rwanda. It was not clear what action the rebels, who hold largeswathes of the east of the country, might now take.

UN Population Fund begins countdown to six billion

PARIS: The United Nations Population Fund UNFPA marked World Population Day on Sunday as the start of the countdown to the day of six billion, set for October 12, when the world will be considered to have clocked up a further billion inhabitants. The world8217;s population broke through the one billion threshold in 1804, according to the best demographic estimates.

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The second billion took 123 years to accumulate, and then each succeeding billion has come at an accelerating rate. Reaching the six billion mark represents a success for humanity, the UNFPA believes, noting that people today live longer and healthier lives than any generation in history. The UN population body8217;s next annual report The State of the World Population8217; is scheduled for release on September 22. The most populous nations are China about 1,250 million, including Hong Kong and India 970 million.