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The derailed railway in Russia\’s North Caucasus republic of Dagestan has fully resumed operation by Monday morning.

Repair work on the railway to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku was completed at 05:17 a.m. Moscow time (0117 GMT) on Monday, the Itar-Tass news agency reported citing local emergencies officials.

An explosion caused by a device equivalent to 5 kg of TNT derailed eight cars of a cargo train in Russia\’s North Caucasian republic of Dagestan early Sunday. No casualties were reported.

Another explosion caused by a device equivalent to 1 kg of TNT, which was placed a few meters away, was intended to target the investigators, according to officials from the Federal Security Service.

Preliminary investigation suggested the railway explosions were the latest of a series of terrorist attacks launched by North Caucasus rebels.

On March 29, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up in two Moscow subway stations, leaving 40 people dead. Two days later, twin blasts hit the Dagestani town of Kizlyar, killing 12 people including nine police officers.

A Chechen rebel group, led by Doku Umarov, has claimed responsibility for the Moscow metro bombings. Russian security authorities believed the recent bombings were all plotted by the same group.

Source: Xinhua

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned on Friday the Taliban ambush on German soldiers in northern Afghanistan earlier in the day, which killed three soldiers and injured at least five others.

"With great sadness, I have heard of the monstrous and coward attack on our troops in Afghanistan," Merkel said. "My sympathy is with all the families of the fallen and wounded soldiers in this very difficult time."

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle expressed his sympathy to the families of the victims. "I condemn that sneaky attack directed not only against German soldiers but also against all the Afghan people," he said in a statement.

German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said "the fighting of this scale has clearly showed how dangerous the necessary mission in Afghanistan is."

The minister has cut short his Easter holiday in South Africa, and will come back to Germany soon, a spokesman of German defense ministry said.

A spokesman of the German military operations command in Potsdam confirmed the soldiers were patrolling in district of Chahar Dara, southwest of Kunduz city when they were attacked by the ambushed Taliban militants.

The German soldiers were attacked by heavy fires including rocket-propelled grenades, he added.

The attack on Friday afternoon was the first deadly fighting for German troops in Afghanistan this year. Before the fighting, 36 German soldiers had been killed in the war-torn country since Berlin sent troops to Afghanistan in 2002.

Germany currently has some 4,500 troops in Afghanistan for the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF.

Source: Xinhua

by Xinhua Writer Li Laifang

Sunday\’s deadly car bombings in Iraqi capital have raised grave concerns about the country\’s political process and the fragility of its security situation after years of war and violence.

The three coordinated car bombs struck near the Iranian embassy, Egyptian consulate and house of German ambassador in downtown Baghdad at around 11 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Sunday, leaving at least 30 dead and more than 200 wounded.

It is another nightmarish day for innocent civilians after they have undergone strings of similar attacks in August, October, December last year and January this year, which killed more than 400.

"The al-Qaida fingerprints are clear and the goal is to attract media attention and distort the general situation after the success of democracy in Iraq," Qassim Atta, spokesman of Baghdad Operations Command, told reporters after the violence.

This year is deemed crucial for all Iraqis, as a pivotal parliamentary election held on March 7 is expected to bring new leadership and hope for the nation.

However, the latest fatal attacks have cast a shadow over this fragile political process featuring sectarianism, and the country\’ s volatile security situation.

"I believe the political struggle and disputes among Iraqi factions give militant groups a chance to further distort the deteriorated political scene by carrying out deadly attacks," Sabah al-Sheikh, a professor of politics at Baghdad University, told Xinhua.

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Thailand\’s anti-government red- shirts on Saturday started a new mass rally on Bangkok streets in a latest move to pressure the Prime Minister to dissolve the Lower House of parliament.

The mass protest started at about 10:20 a.m. as they gradually moved from their main rally site Phan Fah Bridge in the center of capital Bangkok.

They have organized their rally in two separate groups as the foot march is heading to Rathchprasong Intersection, and the car caravan is moving to Vibhavadhi Road.

The red-shirts and the government have had different views on the timeframe for the House dissolution.

The red-shirts have insisted that the House be dissolved by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva within 15 days and it will be the only solution to the country\’s ongoing political conflict.

However, Prime Minister Abhisit has proposed that it could be possible to dissolve the lower House by the end of the year.

Source: Xinhua

Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao
on Saturday exchanged congratulatory messages with his Bosnian counterpart Nikola Spiric to mark the 15th anniversary of their countries\’ diplomatic ties.

Wen and Spiric, who is chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, spoke highly of the achievements that have been made since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1995.

The two leaders also pledged efforts to boost their friendly cooperative relationship based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

On the same day, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also exchanged greetings with his Bosnian counterpart Sven Alkalaj on the anniversary of ties.

Source: Xinhua

Two patrol policemen responding to a rape call in Moscow region were shot on Saturday, news agencies reported.

A senior lieutenant aged 25 died instantly while his colleague aged 40 suffered from severe wounds, when they were shot at the stairwell of an apartment building at around 07:00 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) in the town of Dmitrov some 65 km north of Moscow.

"There is information that the police received a phone call from a rape victim. When the police entered the building, an unknown man fired shots at them, presumably using a hunting rifle, and left," said Yulia Zhukova, an official from the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General\’s Office.

One heavily drunk suspect has already been detained with no weapons found on him, said a police spokesman, adding that the other suspect who has also been identified was being sought currently.

Source:Xinhua

The second military court to try the former Army chief and the defeated presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka has been named, officials said Saturday.

Three Major Generals, Milinda Peiris, Lalith Daulugala and Mahinda Hathurusinghe, would now hear the alleged irregularities committed by Fonseka when he chaired the Sri Lanka Army Tender Board on procurements when he headed the Army.

The hearing would take place on April 6.

The members of the original second court martial which sat on March 17 said they would not sit in judgment and asked President Mahinda Rajapaksa to name a new panel instead.

Meanwhile, a group of protesters began a sit in protest Saturday in the Central Colombo\’s Fort area urging Fonseka\’s immediate release.

"This person (Fonseka) is a hero and it is a crime to keep him under custody", Venerable Attangane Ratanapala, a leading Buddhist Monk spearheading the protest said.

"It s now over 50 days since General Fonseka was arrested. He must be freed immediately", said Vijitha Herath, general secretary of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), the political alliance led by the former Army chief.

Fonseka who lost the Jan. 26 presidential election to the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa was arrested by the military police on Feb. 8.

Fonseka has petitioned the Supreme Court against the arrest.

He stands as a candidate in the April 8 election to enter parliament from the Colombo district.

Source:Xinhua

A new Times/USC poll shows California voters have a generally positive view of the massive federal healthcare reform package signed into law by President Barack Obama last month, providing a potential boost statewide to the Democrats who pushed it through Congress, the Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday.

California voters surveyed by a margin of 46 percent to 29 percent said they would be more likely to vote for a politician who had supported the health bill. Over half the voters polled said they believed the country would be better off because of the bill, according to the report.

More specifically, 35 percent of those polled said that if their senator or U.S. representative had voted for the legislation, they would be "much more likely" to support them in November. Eleven percent said they would be "somewhat more likely" to vote that way.

Republican leaders, campaigning against the bill, have warned Democrats that their votes would weigh them down in November\’s elections. Although that may be true in more conservative parts of the country, the opposite appears to be developing here in California.

On the other side, 20 percent said they would be "much less likely" and 9 percent said "somewhat less likely" to support that lawmaker. Nineteen percent said the health vote would have no effect on their support, and 5 percent said they did not know, the newspaper reported.

Californians view the healthcare package "much more favorably than what we are finding nationally," Stan Greenberg of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner was quoted as saying. "I don\’t think we will see numbers like this in other states."

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South Korea and India will hold bilateral security talks between deputy ministers in Seoul on Friday, the foreign ministry said here Monday.

South Korean vice foreign minister Shin Shin Kak-soo and his Indian counterpart Latha Leddy will discuss expanding bilateral cooperation on diplomatic and defense issues and security matters of mutual interest in the region, the ministry said in a press briefing.

The meeting comes after the two countries bolstered bilateral ties earlier this year to the strategic partnership level, following South Korean President Lee Myung-bak\’s state visit in January to New Delhi, it said.

Source: Xinhua

by Silvia Marchetti

Italians celebrated Easter on Sunday with recovered confidence in the economy, as well as concerns about higher costs of traditional food, restaurants and travel.

The mood in the country is brighter, as the recession is apparently over but the economic recovery is set to be slow and uncertain. Despite greater optimism, the general consumer attitude is pro-savings.

A shift in this year\’s trend showed that more Italians celebrated Easter compared to 2009, but chose low-cost and home- made festivities due to a general rise in prices.

"Easter is a family tradition. We feel less gloomy than last year and more willing to celebrate, but restaurants and hotels are far too expensive during holidays," 34 year-old housekeeper Angela Diamante told Xinhua.

According to a study by leading farmer association CIA, 8 in 10 people stayed at home having the traditional Sunday lunch with family and friends.

Usually Easter is an occasion to travel and visit historical cities and archeological sites. However, only 9 million Italians could afford this due to the recent hike in petrol pump prices that added 10 extra euros on average to each refill.

Prices of typical food and sweets rose considerably. Chocolate eggs registered an increase of up to 7 percent, and the Italian traditional cake called "Colomba" (a dove-shaped sugar pie) 6.5 percent. Lamb, cheese and ham were also more expensive.

According to main consumer association Codacons, this meant each family spent 210 euros for this year\’s Easter celebration, almost 20 euros more than the cost in 2009.

"Last year I bought 5 big chocolate eggs for my grandchildren, but this time just 3 and each one I paid 16 euros," said 75 year- old Paolo Ceci.

The Easter holidays will end on Monday with the so-called " Little Easter" or Easter Monday. Families, friends and couples will be spending the day out in the open, obviously depending upon the weather which is expected to be rainy in many parts of Italy.

A new trend this year is "ecological" tourism, with almost 17 percent of Italians having picnics in parks and natural reserves, according to Codacons.

For Alice Corrado, a 24 year-old university student, it\’s the best way to enjoy Easter Monday. "My boyfriend and I will be going trekking up on the Roman hills: it\’s healthy, economic and great fun," she said.

Source: Xinhua