Briefly World

Rwanda enters Commonwealth club

PORT OF SPAIN: The Central African nation of Rwanda on Sunday became the 54th member of the Commonwealth,a grouping of mostly former British colonies. The decision to admit the French-speaking country was taken by leaders of the Commonwealth,which is headed by Britains Queen Elizabeth,at a summit in Trinidad and Tobago. Commonwealth secretary general Kamalesh Sharma had telephoned Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Saturday to inform him of the decision.

30 Taliban die in Afghan air strike

KHOST: About 30 Taliban insurgents were killed in a NATO-led air strike in eastern Afghanistan after they attacked an Afghan police post,a police official and the alliance said on Sunday. Afghan border police commander Sayed Nabi Mullahkhil said a police checkpoint in eastern Khost province,which shares a border with Pakistan,was attacked by militants overnight. A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force ISAF in Kabul confirmed an air strike was carried out by foreign troops in Khost late on Saturday after Afghan police called for their assistance.

Charles named in 81 m lawsuit

LONDON: Prince Charles has been named in a 81 million lawsuit filed by a British property developer against the Qatari Royal Family over the collapse of its venture to build the countrys most expensive residential block in London,The Sunday Times reported. Property developers Candy brothers want to call the Prince of Wales,whose outburst against the project to Qatars rulers wrecked their scheme for Chelsea Barracks,as a witness. If summoned,he would be the first royal to appear as a witness since 1890.

Poland to ban waving of communist flags

LONDON: Nearly two decades after the collapse of the Soviet-brand of communism in Poland,the government is about to make it all but impossible to wave the red flag in the country. No symbol of communism has a right to exist in Poland because these are symbols of a genocidal system that should be compared to Nazism, said Jaroslaw Kaczynski,President Kaczynskis twin brother who heads the opposition Law and Justice party. A key amendment to the criminal code,likely next year,will impose two years jail for anyone glorifying communism.

You no longer have to drink vodka you can eat it

MOSCOW: Good news for Vodka lovers as you can consume your favourite drink just like any other solid food,without the hassle of carrying heavy glass bottles. Russian professor Evgeny Moskalev of Saint Petersburg Technological University has evolved a technique that allows turning alcohol into powder and packing it in pills. The new technique can solidify any kind of alcohol,including whisky,cognac,wine and beer. Dry vodka can be wrapped in paper and carried around in a pocket or a bag.

Obama dinner crashers eye six-figure sum for interview

NEW YORK: The couple who crashed President Barack Obamas first state dinner are peddling their story to broadcast networks for hundreds of thousands of dollars,a television executive said. The executive,who spoke on condition of anonymity to AP,said the representatives for Michaele and Tareq Salahi contacted networks to urge them to get their bids in for an interview. The executive claims the Virginia couple was looking for a payment in the mid-six figures range for the interview.

Now a perfume made from Michael Jacksons hair

LONDON: Michael Jacksons fans can now own a piece of the King of Pop,literally. A company called My DNA Fragrance has claimed that they have made a perfume using DNA samples from the late singers hair. The company engineers scents from human genetic codes and they recently teamed up with a person named John Reznikoff,who has the worlds largest collection of historical hair,including some of Jackson,Sun reported online.My DNA Fragrance is now engineering exclusive fragrances of many celebrities.