France to provide Tiger combat helicopters to Pak

October 7th, 2009 YANGON - Myanmar's 22,000 sq km vast Hukuang Tiger Reserve situated in the northern province of Kachin has now less than 100 tigers, a report said Wednesday. The fall in the tiger population was attributed to the killing of their preys for human consumption and trading as well as to the use of tiger bones and its other body parts for producing traditional medicines, a Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) report said.

September 23rd, 2009 LONDON - A Bengal tiger that climbed a 15ft activity tower is too afraid to come down, prompting zoo authorities to dub him "scaredy-cat". Two-year-old Tanvir easily scaled the activity tower that has been designed with branch-like platforms to test the skill and sharpness of tigers but is now too scared to come down.

September 11th, 2009 HANOI - A tiger leapt out of its enclosure and killed a gardener at a private zoo in southern Vietnam, a police officer said Friday. The tiger jumped over a two-metre-high fence and attacked three gardeners late Thursday at the Dai Nam Zoo in Binh Duong province, local police chief Thang Cuu Long said.

September 7th, 2009 BRASILIA - Brazil and France have signed a major arms pact worth billions of dollars that includes transfer of key military technologies, building of submarines and purchase of helicopters. The agreement was sealed after a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva here Monday.

July 31st, 2009 LOS ANGELES - A tiger that appeared in a Las Vegas magic act made an unscheduled disappearance and roamed the city's streets before being recaptured by its owners, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported Friday. The paper said that the feline escaped from the Fernando brothers Magic Act and ran loose through a northwest Las Vegas neighbourhood.

July 26th, 2009 SARISKA - The Union Government, has signed a tripartite agreement with the Rajasthan Government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for the conservation of tiger in the Sariska and Ranthambore tiger reserve. The pact was signed after a two day all India meet of field directors of tiger reserves in Sariska on Saturday.

July 2nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani Thursday warned against possible infiltration of Afghan militants into Pakistan in the wake of fresh offensives by the US and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan. Gilani made the remarks during a meeting at his house with Admiral Edouard Guillaud, an advisor to the French president, the Online news agency reported.

June 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a bid to save wild tigers from extinction, the Smithsonian Institution and the World Bank Group plan to link relevant institutions in India, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand and other tiger range countries with global conservation science and professional training centres. The National Zoo's Conservation and Research Centre located in the Shenandoah Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia, will serve as one of the initial launch-pads for development of the proposed conservation and development network.

June 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A Madhya Pradesh court Thursday sentenced a tiger poacher to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.10,000, officials said Thursday. Dariya (only the first name was given) was convicted Thursday by a court in Katni in Madhya Pradesh, the NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) said in a statement here.

June 5th, 2009 RIO DE JANEIRO - None of the debris recovered during a search for the wreckage of an Air France Airbus 330 that went missing off Brazil's northeast coast belonged to the aircraft, Brazil's Air Force chief said. "We confirm that the objects are not from the wreckage of the plane...

May 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - France has agreed to provide Pakistan with civilian nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, state-owned PTV reported Friday, quoting Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. According to Qureshi, France has expressed its readiness for cooperating with Pakistan in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

May 7th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan will focus on ramping up indigenous capabilities and entering joint ventures with foreign manufacturers to ensure its air force acquires the latest equipment, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Thursday. Speaking to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal Qamar Suleman, Gilani said the government would also provide the necessary resources for upgrading its professional capabilities, APP reported.

April 27th, 2009 LUXEMBOURG - Three European Union foreign ministers are planning an urgent mission to Sri Lanka amidst concerns for the safety of civilians trapped by the fighting, diplomats announced Monday as the bloc called for an immediate ceasefire. The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Sweden, David Miliband, Bernard Kouchner and Carl Bildt respectively, are to fly to the embattled country Wednesday in a bid to win safety for civilians caught between government and rebel forces.

March 14th, 2009 LUCKNOW - A man-eating tiger, which had claimed atleast five lives, creating panic in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur-Kheri district, was captured live on Friday. The tranquilised tiger was brought to a zoo in Lucknow.

January 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A tiger count is in progress in Madhya Pradesh's Panna Tiger Reserve even as officials are finalising plans to fly in two tigresses from another sanctuary next month, officials said. 'The two tigresses will be selected for relocation either from Bandhavgarh or Kanha tiger reserve,' said L.K.