New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) Humour has been the golden lining of India's realpolitik for as long as one can remember. The early kings hired jesters; Mughal emperor Akbar had Birbal and, in the 19th century, quick-witted Indian writers picked up from the British bible of humour, Punch, to laugh like the white 'babus'.

Kolkata, May 7 (IANS) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday lauded the "incredible contribution" of Indian Americans in her country and said the people to people relationship was at the heart of the ties between the two countries.

Kolkata, May 7 (IANS) India's Look East policy was essential for the integration of the Asia Pacific region, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said here Monday.

Moga (Punjab), May 7 (IANS) At least 17 people, including five women and five children, were killed early Monday in a head-on collision between a jeep and a truck near Punjab's Moga town, 170 km from Chandigarh, police said.

Bangalore, May 7 (IANS) AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore pulled off a sensational victory against underdogs Deccan Chargers late Sunday at the Chinnaswamy stadium here to keep their hopes alive for a place in playoffs in the Indian Premier League.

Buenos Aires, May 7 (IANS/EFE) Nearly 11,000 firearms surrendered by their owners were destroyed by the government as part of a programme to reduce the number of weapons in Argentina, officials said.

Mexico City, May 7 (IANS/EFE) Mexico City has started distributing 483,000 masks to residents who might need protection from the ash being spewed by the Popocatepetl volcano.

Sao Paulo, May 7 (IANS/EFE) A spill of chemicals used to make cleaning products prompted an evacuation and the closing of the port in the Brazilian city of Salvador for 12 hours. No one was injured, officials said.

Lima, May 7 (IANS/EFE) Peruvian Foreign Minister Rafael Roncagliolo has awarded the Order of Merit for Distinguished Service to singer Tania Libertad for her 50-year artistic career.

Mexico City, May 7 (IANS/EFE) More than 100 journalists staged a protest in Mexico City to draw attention to the killings of several journalists in the eastern state of Veracruz, call for justice in the cases and demand an end to the murders of members of the media.

Malacca (Malaysia), May 6 (IANS) India played a 2-2 draw with Pakistan in their second match of the Junior Men's Asia Cup hockey tournament played at the MBM Hockey Stadium here Sunday.

Tokyo, May 6 (IANS) South Africa became the last men's field hockey team to qualify for the London Olympics after beating hosts Japan 2-1 in Sunday's final of the qualifying event.

Tokyo, May 6 (IANS) China's star hurdler Liu Xiang recorded his first win of the outdoor season, storming to top in the men's 110-meter hurdles event at the IAAF Golden Grand Prix in Kawasaki, Japan, Sunday.

Madrid, May 6 (IANS) Argentine star Lionel Messi made history as he scored four goals in his side's 4-0 win over local rivals Espanyol in the Spanish Primer Liga to take his total tally of league goals for the season to 50.

Almaty (Kazakhstan), May 6 (IANS) India's L. Devendro Singh entered the finals of 49 kg at the President's Cup boxing event here Sunday.

Jerusalem, May 7 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an early general election in four months' time, BBC reported.

Paris, May 7 (IANS) World leaders including US president Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron Sunday night congratulated Francois Hollande on his victory in the French presidential elections.

Paris, May 7 (IANS) French president-elect Francois Hollande said Sunday night he felt proud for bringing hope to France and that change will start from now.

Paris, May 7 (IANS) French President Nicolas Sarkozy conceded defeat to his Socialist Party challenger Francois Hollande in the presidential runoff Sunday, saying he had called his rival on the phone and wished him "good luck".

Paris, May 7 (IANS) Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande who defeated incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy in Sunday's decisive presidential runoff in France, has never held a government post at the national level.

Toronto, May 6 (IANS) Researchers have created a Star Trek-like human-scale 3D video conferencing pod that allows people in different locations to communicate as if they are standing in front of each other.

Toronto, May 1 (IANS) Researchers have developed a rapid test using a simple paper strip that can detect E. coli in swimming pools within minutes.

Toronto, May 1 (IANS) Lifting less weight more times is just as good at building muscle as doing it with heavy weights, says a new finding.

Toronto, April 27 (IANS) Toronto Raptors guard Ben Uzoh recorded 12 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Raptors to a 98-67 victory over the New Jersey Nets in National Basketball Association (NBA) action.

Toronto, April 27 (IANS) Analytical thinking can erode religious belief, even in devout believers, says a new study.

Kolkata, May 7 (IANS) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday lauded the "incredible contribution" of Indian Americans in her country and said the people to people relationship was at the heart of the ties between the two countries.

New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) Over 30 overseas youth of Indian origin are on a three-week visit here to know about their parents' and grandparents' homeland, and the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket has been the greatest attraction for them.

New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party Thursday said it will seek a detailed discussion in both houses of parliament on the plight of Hindu minorities in Pakistan.

Kochi, May 3 (IANS) The Indian government is promoting a new Pension and Life Insurance Fund (PILF) scheme in a bid to provide financial security to poor Indians working abroad.

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) There is demand for Indian workers of various skill sets such as housemaids and home nurses abroad, including in the Gulf countries, Malaysia, Singapore and in some European nations, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vyalar Ravi said Wednesday.

Sofia (Prague), May 6 (IANS) Prague will host the 33rd European Athletics Indoor Championships in 2005.

Maui Island (Hawaii), May 5 (IANS) Indian discus thrower Krishna Poonia produced her season's best performance to win a silver medal at the Altius Track Crew Throwdown meet here.

Lucas Street (Barbados), April 30 (IANS/CMC) Shanel Daley's spirited all-round performance fired the West Indies women's cricket team to a 45-run victory over Sri Lanka, under the Duckworth/Lewis (D/L) method, in a rain-disrupted third and final One-Day International here, securing for the hosts a 2-1 series win.

St. John's (Antigua), April 28 (IANS/CMC) Selectors have called up uncapped pacer Shannon Gabriel for the three-Test West Indies tour of England, starting next week.

Lucas Street (Barbados), April 28 (IANS/CMC) Sri Lanka held their nerve to beat the West Indies by one wicket with two balls to spare in a thrilling finish to the second One-Day International (ODI) here.

Beijing, May 6 (IANS) To tackle the rising menace of parking, the authorities in China's Shanghai city are going to ban residents from buying cars in future if they failed to secure a parking space in advance.

Colombo, May 6 (IANS) The European Union (EU) Sunday called for a fair trial for suspected Tamil Tiger rebels held in Sri Lankan prisons.

Moscow, May 6 (IANS) A report on human rights in Russia, prepared by the British Foreign Office, has been termed by Moscow as "not impartial and open minded" and that its "authenticity raises serious doubts".

Madrid, May 5 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has launched an electronic visa facility in Spain to facilitate the issuing process.

Moscow, May 5 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Moscow authorities have plans to ban smoking in restaurants and pubs by 2014, besides raising penalties for drinking alcohol in public places.