Britain unveils new medal for families of 8,000 military dead since World War II

August 14th, 2009 MUMBAI - The Central Bureau of Investigation's Western Region Joint Director Rishi Raj Singh has been awarded the President's Police Medal for distinguished service, it was announced here Friday. An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of 1985 batch of the Kerala cadre, Rishi Raj Singh was awarded the President's Medal for meritorious services in 2001.

July 31st, 2009 Michelle Obama meets with families at Va Navy baseNORFOLK, Va. — First lady Michelle Obama is calling military families "quiet heroes" and urging the public to support them.

July 27th, 2009 UK actress thanked in Nepal for helping GurkhasKATMANDU, Nepal — Nepal's prime minister on Monday thanked "Absolutely Fabulous" actress Joanna Lumley for her outspoken campaign to give thousands of Gurkha war veterans and their families the right to settle in Britain. Gurkhas have been serving as soldiers for the British for nearly 200 years, but Britain had limited their right to settle there, saying allowing in tens of thousands of veterans and their families would cost taxpayers billions.

July 23rd, 2009 Current troop levels and deaths in AfghanistanCurrent troop levels and deaths since 2001 among leading members of the NATO-led force and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan: UNITED STATES — About 59,000 soldiers, at least 675 died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department.

July 6th, 2009 German troops honored for bravery, 1st since WWIIBERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel presented medals for bravery on Monday, marking the first time since World War II that the nation has bestowed such an honor, long tainted by the Nazi military effort. Merkel honored four soldiers who rushed to aid injured soldiers and civilians after a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, saying that the Cross of Honor for Bravery is an "important innovation" in Germany's military tradition and that they were deserving of the award.

July 4th, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair Friday finally got to publicly thank the man credited with crafting his Labour party's win and putting him into power - courtesy of an Indian medal. Old pals Blair and Lord Peter Mandelson were brought together on a London stage by the Labour Friends of India, a lobby group, for Mandelson to present his former boss with the Frenner Brockway medal.

July 2nd, 2009 LONDON - As many as 8,000 cases of forced marriage were reported in England last year, according to a Government report. According to The Telegraph, the study published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families claims that the overwhelming majority of victims are teenage girls from Pakistan or Bangladesh.

June 1st, 2009 Russia's Medvedev honors big familiesMOSCOW — Russia has a long tradition of honoring it soldiers, scholars and scientists for outsized achievements. On Monday, it honored parents with outsized families with the "Order of Parental Glory" — part of a campaign to halt a dramatic population decline.

April 29th, 2009 Sarkozy unveils sweeping new vision for ParisPARIS — French President Nicolas Sarkozy has unveiled an ambitious, costly new plan to rethink the structure of Paris and its troubled suburbs. Sarkozy says a key focus of the plan should be expanding the French capital's links to the English Channel via more trade along the Seine River and a new high-speed rail line to Le Havre.

April 24th, 2009 Hero dog's medal sold at UK auction for $35,700LONDON — A medal awarded to a dog who sniffed out scores of survivors in rubble of the Blitz was sold at auction Friday for 24,250 pounds ($35,700.) Auctioneers said the buyer chose to remain anonymous. The sale price was 10,000 pounds higher than the estimate.

April 24th, 2009 Hero dog's medal sold in UK auctionLONDON — A medal awarded to a dog who sniffed out scores of survivors in rubble of the Blitz was sold at auction Friday for 24,250 pounds ($35,700.) Auctioneers said the buyer chose to remain anonymous. The sale price was 10,000 pounds higher than the estimate.

April 24th, 2009 Hero dog's World War II medal sold in UK auctionLONDON — A medal awarded to a dog who sniffed out survivors in rubble of the Blitz was sold at auction in London on Friday for 24,250 pounds ($35,700.) The buyer at the sale at Spink auctioneers chose to remain anonymous. The sale price was 10,000 pounds higher than the estimate, and beat the previous record of 23,000 pounds for the Dickin Medal awarded to Simon, the ship's cat on HMS Amethyst.

January 27th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Wednesday wanted the Padma Bhushan for Olympic bronze medal winner Vijender Kumar and others who performed well at the 2008 Beijing games since they were left out of the national honours list this year. Hooda appealed to the union government that Vijender Kumar as well as boxers Akhil Kumar and Jatinder Kumar, and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt - all of whom made it to the quarterfinal events in respective categories in the 2008 Olympics - be suitably honoured.

January 5th, 2009 LONDON - A royal medal that was rejected by the late Beatle John Lennon has been found nearly 40 years after the famous act of defiance, prompting his fans to call for it to be put on public display. Lennon's MBE medal was found in a cabinet at the Chancery Department of the Royal Household where it has lain untouched for years since being returned to the Queen Nov 25, 1969.

January 5th, 2009 LONDON - Former British premier Tony Blair is to be presented with one of America's highest civilian honours but is yet to pick up a Congressional gold medal awarded to him in 2003. Blair will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Jan 13 along with President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, and former premier John Howard of Australia.