Mark Thatcher pleads guilty attempting to finance an African - CAPE TOWN South Africa Sir Mark Thatcher pleaded guilty Thursday to unwittingly helping to finance a foiled coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea in exchange for a fine and a suspended jail sentence.

India, Thailand seek no debt relief - Paris: India and Thailand have not asked for any freeze on their international debt repayments due to the tsunami catastrophe.

Rescuers search landslide survivors - Hundreds of rescue workers used mechanical diggers and fibre optic cameras on Wednesday to hunt for survivors from a mudslide that fell from a California mountain side killing at least 20 people.

WMD and Beyond -New York - The decision by the administration's Iraq Survey Group to terminate its search for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction will be taken by many critics of the war, both foreign and domestic, as a vindication of America.

Palestinians' high moral - If post-election optimism and goodwill count for anything, the reality of a Palestinian state was successfully launched with the victory of Mahmoud Abbas.

Trade deficit reaches new heights - The Treasury Secretary says that  the increasing trade deficit is a sign of America's improving economy, pushing demand for imports.

Airbus takes lead in orders again - Airbus won net orders for 366 planes in 2004 compared with 272 orders at Boeing, Airbus Chief Executive Officer Noel Forgeard said at a Paris press conference yesterday.

FM rules out taxing FII inflows - Finance Minister P Chidambaram of India today ruled out taxing, capping or curbing FII inflows but said government will continue to monitor them. 

Agassi injury overshadows day two at Kooyong - An injury to Andre Agassi, which could force the American to miss next week's Australian Open, overshadowed day two of the Kooyong Classic on Thursday.

Hockey coach Rach quits - New Delhi - Indian hockey's first-ever foreign coach Gerhard Rach has quit from his post, ending days of speculation over his future following a string of poor performances by the team.

Hockey PHL opener between Hyderabad Sultans and Sher-e-Jallandar - Hyderabad Sultans will take on favourites Sher-e-Jallandar today in the augural match of the Premier Hockey League. But already there is a feeling that with the Indian Hockey Federation playing selector, the teams are not evenly balanced.

Red and Processed Meat linked to colon cancer - People who consume large quantities of red meat and processed meats are at a greater risk of developing colon cancer, according to a new study of American Cancer Society.

Eating less is healthy, exercise more - That's what experts have long been telling us: A healthy weight comes down to cutting calories and exercising. Now the government is telling us, too.

Sleepy doctors pose a hazard on road - Researchers who found that sleep-deprived medical residents can pose a danger to patients have discovered that these tired doctors also may present a hazard after they leave the hospital.

India - US to sign Aviation Pact - Washington: A historic open skies agreement liberalisating aviation between India and the US is to be signed between the two countries during talks beginning here today.

'Tsunami warning system in two years : BANGALORE: Kapil Sibal, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ocean Development said here on Wednesday, that the Government would be ready with a Tsunami disaster management system in two years at a total investment of Rs 125 crore

Prince Harry Nazi outfit - Clarence House has apologised after the Sun newspaper published a photo showing Prince Harry wearing a swastika armband at a friend's fancy dress party.

Passenger in aircraft terror alert set freed - A passenger who sparked a terror alert on a British Airways flight half way across the Atlantic has been released by police. The plane was three hours late.

Blair to affirm "New Labour" goals - Prime Minister Tony Blair will use a high-profile speech today to trumpet a modernising election policy slate -- risking a further flurry of headlines about divisions with Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks - 2004 was a challenging but lucky year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs told USA Today this week. He spoke with the popular US daily shortly after his Macworld Expo San Francisco keynote speech on Tuesday.

NASA launches 'Deep Impact' comet probe - ITHACA -- With the launch Wednesday of the spacecraft Deep Impact, NASA set out on a six-month collision course with the comet Tempel 1.

Tsunami could throw 2m people into poverty - Manila - Nearly two million people could fall into poverty as a result of the tsunami that killed more than 150,000 people around the Indian Ocean, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Thursday.

US Court rejects sentencing rules - The Supreme Court of America on Wednesday gave federal judges wide latitude in imposing punishments in an unusual, two-part decision that struck down sentencing rules used to.

Governor declares state of emergency in La Conchita - The rescue effort in La Conchita continues, as crews search for survivors of Monday's deadly mudslide. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived in La Conchita by military helicopter  landing on the still-closed Highway 101 just south of the Santa Barbara County line.  After touring the destruction in the small beachside community, the governor declared it a state of emergency, making Ventura County eligible for state government recovery funds.

FAA now requiring prompt reports of laser flashings - While local authorities continue investigating a laser beam incident involving an airliner departing from Nashville International Airport, US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta yesterday announced changes to the way pilots report being flashed by lasers.

Apple's Bold Swim Downstream - Apple Computer CEO Steven P. Jobs always has gobs of new products to unveil to the Mac faithful at the Macworld trade show each January, and this year he showed up with a more startling bag of tricks than usual.

Liam to play Lincoln in Spielberg film - Los Angeles,  Hollywood actor Liam Neeson will appear as celebrated American president Abraham Lincoln in a new film by director Steven Spielberg.