In a strange initiative from the United Nations, it is set to appoint an obscure Malaysian astrophysicist to act as Earth's first contact for any aliens that may come visiting. Mazlan Othman, the head of the UN's little-known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa), will describe her potential new role at a scientific conference at the Royal Society's Kavli conference centre in Buckinghamshire.
'Americans will not be able to use the oil money for reconstruction or for awarding projects to their companies, except with the permission of a UN Security Council resolution,' says Chinmaya Gharekhan, former Indian envoy to the UN.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision not to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Colombo has once again put the focus on alleged cases of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.
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