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Crop residue removal impacts environmental quality

Crop residue removal from corn, wheat and grain sorghum can adversely impact soil and environmental quality, a new study suggests. Removal of more than 50 percent of crop residue can have negative consequences for soil structure, reduce soil organic carbon sequestration, increase water erosion, and reduce nutrient cycling and crop production, particularly in erodible and sloping soils, according to the study published in the March-April issue of Agronomy Journal. Crop residues, perennial warm...

Taliban commander detained, 4 injured in N. Afghanistan

A Taliban commander was captured and four others sustained injuries in Afghanistan\'s northern peaceful Faryab province on Sunday, police said. "Police encountered militants in Shordarya village of Daulat Abad district at 2:30 p.m. today. As a result a Taliban commander Mullah Qahir was captured and four of his armed men were injured in a firefight lasting four hours," Deputy Provincial Police Chief Mohammad Afzal Imamazada told Xinhua. He also said that police later arrested two...

Former state minister latest to join band of liberal defectors in Japan

House of Councillors member Yoshitada Konoike has expressed his intentions to leave Japan\'s main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), political sources revealed Monday. Konoike, a former state minister, was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1995, is expected to be the fifth parliamentarian to join a new political party to be established as early as Thursday by former Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano, who is also set to defect from the LDP, sources said. The LDP\'s...

Polish PM to meet U.S. president in Prague

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, together with leaders of countries of the so called new Europe, will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Prague next Thursday, government spokesman Pawel Gras said on Friday.. Apart from Tusk, the meeting is also to be attended by leaders of Bulgaria, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Gras told the Polish news agency PAP that participants in the meeting are to focus on security issues. European leaders will also...

Guinea-Bissau PM resumes duty after detained by soldiers

Guinea-Bissau Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior has resumed his duty after arrested by mutineers earlier in the week, local media reported on Saturday morning. Guinea Bissau\'s Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior, pictured in March 2010, emerged from urgent talks with President Malam Bacai Sanha on Friday, saying he would not resign after an army mutiny.(Xinhua/AFP Photo) The soldiers who entered the office of the prime minister and detained him on Thursday left the building the next day....

DR Congo army regains control of Mbandaka

FARDC, the national army of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has regained control of the northwestern city of Mbandaka, hours after Enyele insurgents claimed to have snatched it in a surprise attack, according to the military. "The army controls the city and the situation is calm," the governor of Equateur, Jean-Claude Baende, declared late Sunday, adding the Enyele insurgents were routed by the government forces who were pursuing the disbanded elements. The governor, who has...

Arab League condemns Baghdad\’s blasts

The Arab League condemned on Sunday a spate of deadly blasts hitting the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and claiming the lives of dozens of people. The Arab League denounces these terrorist attacks which are a serious development that needs to be studied, said the head of the Arab League chief\'s office, Ambassador Hisham Yousef, in a statement. "We are following the situation with deep concern through our diplomatic mission in Baghdad," he said. "We urge the political leadership in...

Nepal clears half the minefields laid during conflict

Nepal has cleared half the minefields laid during its 10-year conflict, helping the country secure lasting peace, local media reported on Monday. According to The Kathmandu Post, the government with the support of United Nations (UN) and civil society actors had started demining operations two years ago as part of the commitment expressed by both the government and the then Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The agreement spells out clear...

State leaders arrive at Thailand for Mekong River Commission Summit

Leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand have already arrived at Hua Hin, in Thailand, on Sunday for the first Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit and related meetings. Hua Hin, a seaside resort town about 200 km south of the capital Bangkok, welcomed the four state leaders and delegates amid tight security, while the anti-government movement of red- shirt protesters are staging a major rally in Bangkok. Defense Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan has been at the Summit\'s venue in a...

Myanmar PM to attend 16th ASEAN summit in Vietnam

Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein will attend the 16th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Hanoi, Vietnam, an official announcement from Nay Pyi Taw said Monday. At the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung, Thein Sein is to attend the summit slated for Thursday-Friday. Vietnam stands the 2010 ASEAN chairmanship. According to Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dao Viet Trung, three major issues will be discussed at the...