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WASHINGTON, Dec 26 : According to the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, December 31 will last this year in parts of the world west of the Greenwich Mean Time meridian not just 24 hours but 24 hours and one second. An extra second has accrued to the year because of the vagaries in Earth's rotation speed over the past seven years. — AFP
Fastest metro starts service in Guangzhou
BEIJING, Dec. 26 : The world's fastest underground train has zipped through Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, starting a service that will hopefully tackle the city's traffic problems. Consisting of three train cars and worth more than 36 million yuan (4.5 million US dollars), it is the most advanced underground train on the Chinese mainland, China Daily reported Monday. — Xinhua
Businesses lost US$1.0b during NY transit strike
NEW YORK, Dec 26: Businesses lost US$1 billion in revenue during the three-day transit strike, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a Sunday radio address.Comptroller William Thompson and other officials had estimated the city economy would lose US$400 million a day during a transit strike. — AP
Nepal to rescue job seekers from Kuwait
KATHMANDU, Dec. 26 : The Nepali government has determined to rescue Nepalese job seekers from Kuwait, Minister of State for Labour and Transport Management Rabindra Khanal said here Monday. The Nepalese citizens stranded in Kuwait on way to Iraq for employment will be returned to Nepal unharmed in a few days, Khanal told reporters. The government has been engaged in fulfilling the processes for the rest of them, he said, — Xinhua
China closes 2,400 coal mines to stem disasters
BEIJING, Dec 26 : China has closed more than 2,400 coal mines that failed to meet safety standards in its latest bid to stem a wave of deadly accidents, state media reported Monday. The mines were among a total of 12,990 pits that were ordered to suspend production this year to improve safety standards in China's notoriously dangerous coal mining industry, Xinhua news agency said. — AFP
Five found dead in related shootings in Washington
GREAT FALLS, Virginia, Dec 26 : Five people were found dead in apparent murder-suicide shootings at homes in two well-to-do suburbs of Washington, police said.Officers found the bodies of three men and one woman in a house in Great Falls when they responded to reports of gunfire at about 10:25 a.m. Sunday, Fairfax County Police said. — AFP
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