Washington, August 9
The United States and Russia must find ways to work around their sharp differences and agree on approaches to Syria and other global trouble spots, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday as the two countries launched high-level talks. US-Russia ties, deeply strained over Moscow's decision to grant asylum to former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, were "marked by both shared interests and, at times, colliding and conflicting interests," he said in Washington.

“We will discuss these differences today, for certain, but this meeting remains important above and beyond the collisions and the moments of disagreement,” said Kerry.

Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel are hosting their Russian counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu for about five hours of so-called "2+2" strategic and security talks. Kerry said it is critical that the two countries be clear about differences but also seek progress on missile defence, Afghanistan, nuclear disputes with Iran and North Korea and the two-year-old civil war in Syria.

While Washington and Moscow differ on key aspects of the Syria crisis, Kerry said, "both of us and our countries agree that to avoid institutional collapse and descent into chaos, the ultimate answer is a negotiated political solution." Lavrov's opening remarks did not mention all of the global hot spots but did echo Kerry in stressing the need to get the Syria's government and opposition talking in Geneva.

The talks at the State Department opened as the political mood between the two countries hit one of its lowest points since the end of the Cold War. President Barack Obama's cancellation this week of a summit in Moscow over President Vladimir Putin's decision to give Snowden asylum put to rest any notion that a much-vaunted "reset" of ties with Moscow sought by the United States in recent years is alive.

US officials expect no breakthroughs on Friday, but they say the very decision to go ahead with the talks despite the current frictions is significant in itself. Moscow and Washington disagree over a long list of issues, from Syria's civil war to human rights and Russia's ban on homosexual "propaganda," but there are some areas, critical to global security, where they have been able to work together.

Lavrov, citing trade as an area of cooperation, said the Russians "want (the) economy to be way more prominent in our relations." "We have laid a very solid foundation for future work," he said through an interpreter. — Reuters

Pretoria, August 9
South Africa’s anti-apartheid legend Nelson Mandela, battling for life with a recurring lung infection, completed two months of hospitalisation, even as his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela said the 95-year-old statesman was now “breathing normally”.

Doctors had managed to contain his lung infection but kept draining fluid from the lungs, Winnie said in an interview. “He is now breathing normally,” she said.

The ex-South African president remains in a “critical but stable” condition at Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria after being admitted on June 8 with the lung infection.

However, there was no official word today on the medical condition of Mandela, who turned 95 on July 18.

During the interview, Winnie spoke of the strain of his long illness on the whole family and how hurtful continued reports of his demise have been.

“It’s so cruel,” she said. “All around us we see people erecting scaffolding, preparing for a funeral. He has been pre-deceased. Do people not think of our emotions? For those of us who know him, who know his strength, it is very hard,” Winnie said.

But she said despite being critically ill, his eyes still “lit up” when his children entered the room to see him. “That is how he communicates with them,” she said.

She also denied the reports that Mandela was in a permanent vegetative state. “Why would we conceal that?” she asked.

Mandela had a long history of lung problems, dating back to the time when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island during apartheid. While in jail he contracted tuberculosis. Mandela is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in the African country and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years. — PTI

Washington, August 9
US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle chose a posh Indian restaurant frequented by the elite for an intimate dinner date to celebrate President's 52nd birthday.

The couple celebrated the President's birthday with dinner at award-winning Rasika restaurant near the White House in Washington's West End neighbourhood yesterday. "The President and First Lady are going out to dinner to celebrate his birthday," the White House said.

Leaving the White House earlier, Michelle was spotted wearing a knee-length, backless black dress. The president was dressed in his usual suit.

According to the restaurant's website, Rasika serves modern Indian cuisine, offering "small plates, a modern lounge, and a temperature controlled wine cellar." Tawa (Griddle), Sigri (open Barbeque), Tandoori and other regional dishes are the specialities of the restaurant.

The travelling press pool reported "few people seemed to notice as the motorcade drove down Pennsylvania Ave, stopping at the lights along the way." The president, who turned 52 on Sunday, spent his birthday weekend celebrating with friends and family at Camp David.

Rasika restaurant owned by Delhi-born Ashok Bajaj's Knightbridge group is a popular restaurant in Washington.

Ashok Bajaj has owned and operated award-winning restaurants in London and the United States for the last 25 plus years. — PTI 

California, August 9
A thousand Californian firefighters are battling a blaze east of Los Angeles that has injured five peorsons and forced 1,800 to flee their homes, authorities said on Thursday.

Motorists stop to watch as a fire spreads up the north side of the San Jacinto Mountains near wind turbines at the Silver Fire east of Banning, California on Thursday. — Reuters

Those hurt in the fire - estimated to cover 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) - include four firefighters and a civilian, the Riverside County fire department said.

The civilian victim was wounded Wednesday and airlifted to a burn center, Fire chief John Hawkins said.

Fifteen buildings were destroyed in the city of Banning, 90 miles (150 kilometer) east of Los Angeles, officials said.

Thirteen helicopters and six planes are in use to fight the fire, which is only 10 per cent contained and has sparked the evacuation of 1,800 people in several towns near Banning.

Authorities have not determined what sparked the flames. Smoke has reached the international airport of Palm Springs, but the runways remain open, director Tom Nolan said. The effort to douse the flames is being complicated by high temperatures, very low humidity and wind gusts, weather forecasters said. — AFP

Beirut, August 9
Gunmen today abducted two Turkish Airlines pilots in Beirut, forcing them from an airport bus in the early hours of the morning and prompting Turkey to urge its citizens to leave Lebanon.

Lebanese media said a group claimed responsibility for the abduction in the name of nine Lebanese Shi'ite Muslims kidnapped near the Turkish-Syrian border last year, saying the two Turks would be freed if the Lebanese captives were released. It was not immediately possible to verify the reported claim.

Turkey's foreign ministry and the airline said they were in close contact with Lebanese authorities but had no immediate information on the condition of the two airline staff. "We announce that the Turkish captain Murat Akpinar and his co-pilot Murat Agca are our guests until our brothers ... who were abducted in Azaz are released," said a statement from the group.

A Turkish diplomat said the two Turks were seized today when the gunmen stopped a vehicle carrying the Turkish Airlines crew to their hotel in the Lebanese capital. Their plane, carrying 144 passengers from Istanbul, had arrived at 3.30 am (0030 GMT), according to sources at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri airport. Security sources said four or five gunmen were involved in the abduction. They forced all the passengers off the bus and let all but the pilot and his assistant go free. Turkey, hoping to cement its role as a power in the Middle East, has supported rebels battling to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and may have influence over fighters who captured the Lebanese Shi'ites close to the Turkish border.

"We immediately contacted the Lebanese authorities at every level ... and they are conducting a very comprehensive investigation," Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Levent Gumrukcu said. — Reuters

Lebanon kidnap
* Turkish pilots abducted on way from airport
* Group linked to Lebanese captives claim abductions
* Turkey issues travel warning for Lebanon

London, August 9
A new malaria vaccine, which is being developed in the US, has shown promising results in early stage clinical trials, scientists say. Researchers found that high doses of the vaccine protected 12 out of 15 patients from the disease.

The vaccine involves injecting live but weakened malaria-causing parasites directly into patients to trigger immunity.

“We were excited and thrilled by the result, but it is important that we repeat it, extend it and do it in larger numbers,” said lead author Dr Robert Seder, from the Vaccine Research Centre at the National Institutes of Health, in Maryland.

Previous research has found that exposure to mosquitoes treated with radiation can protect against malaria. But studies have shown that it takes more than 1,000 bites from the insects over time to build up a high level of immunity.

A US biotech company called Sanaria took lab-grown mosquitoes, irradiated them and then extracted the malaria-causing parasite (Plasmodium falciparum), all under the sterile conditions.

These living but weakened parasites are then counted and placed in vials, where they can then be injected directly into a patient’s bloodstream. This vaccine candidate is called PfSPZ.

To carry out the Phase-1 clinical trial, the researchers looked at a group of 57 volunteers, none of whom had had malaria before.

Of these, 40 received different doses of the vaccine, while 17 did not. They were then all exposed to the malaria-carrying mosquitoes, reported a news channel.

The researchers found that for the participants not given any vaccine, and those given low doses, almost all became infected with malaria.

However, for the small group given the highest dosage, only three of the 15 patients became infected after exposure to malaria.

“Based on the history, we knew dose was important because you needed 1,000 mosquito bites to get protection - this validates that,” Seder said. “It allows us in future studies to increase the dose and alter the schedule of the vaccine to further optimise it. The next critical questions will be whether the vaccine is durable over a long period of time and can the vaccine protect against other strains of malaria,” he said. — PTI