Briefly World

China to monks: Go back to monasteries

Beijing: After permitting hundreds of Buddhist monks to take part in the relief operations in quake-hit Qinghai province,China has asked them to return to their monasteries,saying specialised personnel were needed for reconstruction work. Chinas State Council,the governing body that administers the country,said in a statement that the monks should return to their monasteries to ensure the high effectiveness and order of quake relief work in the Tibetan-dominated Qinghai province,BBC reported.

Rajapaksa announces 37-member Cabinet

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday announced a 37-member cabinet and appointed one of his brothers as the Economic Development Minister,a fortnight after his Freedom Party won a near two-thirds majority in the general elections. All 37 members of the cabinet were sworn-in by Rajapaksa at at the Presidential Secretariat here,an official release said.

Belgian Bishop admits sex abuse,quits

ROME: The longest-serving Bishop in Belgium resigned on Friday after admitting to sexually abusing a young man in my close entourage many years ago,becoming the latest cleric to quit in a spreading abuse scandal. In a statement issued by the Vatican on Friday,Roger Vangheluwe,73,the Bishop of Bruges since 1984,said that the abuse had occurred when I was still a simple priest and for a while when I began as a bishop. This has marked the victim forever, the statement said. The bishop said he had on several occasions asked the victim and his family to forgive him but the wound had not healed,neither in me nor the victim. I am enormously sorry, he said.

Glamour takes top honour at US magazine awards

new york: Glamour took the top honour at the National Magazine Awards on Thursday,winning in a new category called Magazine of the Year. The annual awards,given by the American Society of Magazine Editors,are considered the central awards in the industry. New York magazine led with the highest number of awards four followed by National Geographic and The New Yorker,with three each.

Robert Pattinson denies romancing Kristen Stewart

Los Angeles: Robert Pattinson has denied romancing his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart and insists she is a professional partner who makes his every move,every sentence authentic. The 24-year-old star has dismissed reports that he proposed to Stewart on her 20th birthday,entertainmentandshowbiz.com reported. This engagement thing8230; I dont even know where it comes from, he said.

My kids are best behaved in the world: Jennifer Lopez

Los Angeles: Jennifer Lopez believes her two-year-old twins Max and Emme are the best behaved kids in the world. Lopez says her twins are yet to come down with a case of the terrible twos,Access Hollywood reported. Theyre some of the best behaved kids in the world. But you know,when they get to 2,they start getting willful8230; They just start testing the boundaries a little bit, Lopez said.