Briefly World

Twitter has been voted the top English word this year. The word was more popular than Obama and H1N1.

Twitter voted top English word; H1N1 also on list

London: Twitter has been voted the top English word this year. The word was more popular than Obama and H1N1. Other words to enter common currency reflect the global economic crisis such as stimulus and deficit. Of the top 15 words,a further six are linked to the downturn such as 8220;outrage8221; to denote feelings generated by bankers bonuses in bailedout companies,bonus,unemployed,and foreclosure when mortgage defaulters are evicted.

Amartya Sen,C Raja Mohan among top thinkers: US journal

Washington: Noble laureates Rajendra Kumar Pachauri and Amartya Sen,noted columnist C Raja Mohan and environmentalist Sunita Narain are four Indians to figure in the list of top 100 global thinkers for the year 2009,the prestigious US Foreign Policy magazine said on Monday. Topping the list released by the influential international affairs journal is US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for staving off a new Great Depression,followed by US President Barack Obama for reimagining Americas role in the world.

If LTTE attacks me,many more will die

Colombo: Warning the Mahinda Rajapaksa government of the consequences of any reduction in his security,ex-Sri Lankan Army Chief and presidential aspirant Sarath Fonseka has said an attack on him could also kill passers-by. Obviously,when security personnel is reduced from 600 to 25 and vehicle fleet of 25 is reduced to 3,it is not practically possible, Fonseka said. There is threat on me when I move on the road. If they the LTTE attack me,over hundreds of others will also die on the road, he said.

Accused Nazi death camp guard on trial

MUNICH: John Demjanjuk,a retired American autoworker,went on trial here on Monday,accused of helping to force 27,900 Jews to their deaths during the Holocaust. Prosecutors charge that Demjanjuk,89,listed by the Simon Wiesenthal Center as its most-wanted Nazi war criminal,worked as a guard at the Sobibor death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland in 1943. Some 64 years after the World War II,there are no witnesses to testify to Demjanjuks presence at the camp.

IAEA criticism led to new n-plans: Iran

TEHRAN: Irans nuclear chief asserted on Monday that the IAEAs critical report was pushing Tehran to develop new nuclear facilities. France,meanwhile,pressed for new sanctions against Iran,saying diplomacy was not working. Vice-President Ali Akbar Salehi told state radio that Irans decision to build 10 new uranium enrichment sites was necessary after the IAEAs resolution on Friday demanded that Iran halt enrichment activities.