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Iran touts high turnout, Ahmadinejad faction losing

Iran, under intense Western pressure over its disputed nuclear programme, on Saturday declared an initial turnout of 64 per cent in a parliamentary election shunned by most reformists as a sham. Full story

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Republicans vie for pre-Super Tuesday poll boost

The Republican race to choose the party’s White House candidate moves Saturday to Washington state in the last stop before the nation’s vote bonanza on Super Tuesday next week. Full story

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Chocolate may be good for your heart

Eating chocolate is not only a treat for the tongue — it may also have some tangible benefits for heart health, such as lowering blood pressure slightly, according to a study involving more than a thousand people. Full story

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13 wounded in Arizona nightclub shooting

Thirteen people were wounded when gunfire erupted during a rap music concert at a nightclub in Tempe in the US state of Arizona, police said early Saturday. ‘At this point, Tempe police officers and detectives have identified 13 shooting Full story

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Russia sets stage for Putin’s Kremlin return

Russia prepared Saturday to return strongman Vladimir Putin to the Kremlin for a record third term that begins under a tide of protests unseen since the Soviet era and mounting tensions with the West. Full story

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Syrian forces pounded the battered city of Homs on Saturday and blocked aid reaching civilians stranded for weeks without food and fuel in the former rebel stronghold, activists and aid workers said. Full story

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Zardari gets boost in Pakistan senate election

The ruling Pakistan People’s Party strengthened its position in senate elections, preliminary results showed Saturday, in a boost for president Asif Ali Zardari’s crisis-hit government. Full story

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Myanmar crowds greet Suu Kyi in Mandalay

Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was greeted by the largest crowds of her election campaign so far as she toured the second largest city of Mandalay on Saturday. Full story

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Chinese village gets rare taste of democracy

A Chinese village that rebelled against corrupt Communist leaders went to the polls Saturday in a contested election seen as a landmark for those seeking more democracy in the one-party state. Full story

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Thousands told to evacuate as floods hit Australia

Thousands of Australians were Saturday ordered to evacuate their homes in Sydney’s northwest and elsewhere in New South Wales state as heavy rainfall flooded rivers and waterways. Full story

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‘Gaddafi wanted to stage last stand in desert’

Long-time Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, stranded in the desert after rebels and a NATO missile strike wrecked his escape convoy last October, apparently wanted to stage a last stand as his enemies closed in, a UN report said on Friday. Full story

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Congress leader holds yajna for Rahul’s success

All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi might be slogging for the resurgence of his party in the Uttar Pradesh elections but here at Madhepura, one of his ardent followers held ‘yajna’ and ‘havan’ for success in Full story

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India rejects reports of US troops on its soil

India has denied as ‘factually incorrect’ a report that US special forces were stationed in the country as part of counter-terrorism cooperation. Media reports quoted top Pentagon commander Admiral Robert Willard as Full story

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