Briefly world

The leaders of Australias two major political parties began negotiating deals with independent lawmakers...

Australian PM,Oppn leader woo Independents

MELBOURNE: The leaders of Australias two major political parties began negotiating deals with independent lawmakers Sunday after the nations closest election in decades failed to deliver a clear mandate. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott,leader of the conservative Liberal Party,said they had initiated talks with three independents in the House of Representatives as well as the Greens party in a bid to secure their votes in the House of Representatives.

Suspect in Moscow bombings killed

ROSTOV-ON-DON: The man suspected of organising twin suicide bombings that killed 40 people in the Moscow subway system in March was killed in a shootout with Russian forces on Saturday,officials said. Magomedali Vagabov and four others were killed during a gunfight with special forces in Dagestan,in the Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia. Vagabov was the second in command of an Islamist insurgent network in Caucasus.

China floods: 1,27,000 have been evacuated

SHANGHAI: Over 1,27,000 people were evacuated in northeastern China over the weekend after torrential rains battered the area and led to severe flooding along the border with North Korea,according to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs. The government said that four people were killed and one was missing near the port city of Dandong in the northeastern province of Liaoning after some of the worst flooding to hit the region in decades.

Miss USA for mosque away from Ground Zero

NEW YORK: Rima Fakih,the first Muslim to win the Miss USA title,has said that though she supports the constitutional rights on the freedom of religion she doesn8217;t favour building a mosque near Ground Zero. I totally agree with President Barack Obama with the statement on the constitutional rights of freedom of religion, Fakih said in the interview with Inside Edition. However,the 24-year-old favoured an alternate location for building the mosque.

Deadlock on eve of Nepal PM election

KATHMANDU: The outcome of the fifth round of election to be held on Monday for a new Prime Minister in Nepal is all set to remain indecisive as candidates involved in the race refuse to reach a compromise. It has been 54 days since Madhav Nepal resigned from the post. The contestants Prachanda of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists UCPN-M and Ram Chandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress continued to defy pressure to withdraw from the race so as to allow parties to explore a consensus.

Faulty alarms behind van Gogh theft

CAIRO: None of the alarms and only seven out of 43 surveillance cameras were working at a Cairo museum where a Vincent van Gogh painting was stolen,Egypts Prosecutor general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud said Sunday. Thieves made off with the canvas,known as Poppy Flowers and Vase with Flowers, on Saturday from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum. The thieves used a box cutter to remove the painting from its frame.