Nairobi: At least 25 people died in western Kenya when a speeding lorry rammed into a passenger van, Xinhua reported Saturday.

The accident occurred at 9.00 p.m. Friday on the Kisumu-Kakamega highway, spokesperson for Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) Nelly Muluka said.

Passengers from both the vehicles were among those who lost their lives. It was not immediately clear how many people were travelling in the vehicles nor the cause of the crash.

London: Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, known for her impeccable sense of style, has been named the Hat Person of the Year.

The title has been given to her by the Headwear Association, reports contactmusic.com.

She beat actor-singer Justin Timberlake for the crown.

Middleton takes the title from actor Johnny Depp, who won the honour in 2011.

Athens: Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and opposition leader Antonis Samaras, who met late Sunday for talks on a future coalition government, announced early Monday that Papandreou would resign from his post and immediate elections will be held.

The two major political parties — Papandreou's PASOK party and the opposition New Democracy party — who agreed to set up a coalition government, announced that early elections could be tentatively scheduled for Feb 19, 2012, the finance ministry said.

The new prime minister's candidacy is yet to be agreed, but Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos, who is also the finance minister, will keep his post.

Greek media named three people as possible candidates to succeed Papandreou. All of them served as the country's representatives in the European Union.

The possible successors are former vice president of the European Central Bank Lukas Papademos, European Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros and former European commissioner Stavros Dimas.

The name of the new prime minister is expected to be announced later Monday.

International pressure and a looming collapse of his government last week forced Papandreou to abandon his plans to hold the referendum on the new 130-billion-euro ($179 billion) rescue package for Greece, which was approved by euro zone leaders Oct 26.

Without loans from EU and IMF lenders, which have been frozen over political uncertainty, Greece may default on its 360-billion-euro ($495 billion) debt in the coming weeks, media reports said.

Moscow: As part of a crackdown on illegal casinos, Russian authorities have closed down about 4,000 illegal casinos and over 25,000 gambling parlours, RIA Novosti reported.

It could be done since a new law on gambling came into force in 2009, a senior police official has revealed.

"As of today, 3,900 illegal casinos and more than 25,000 gambling joints, posing as lottery clubs, have been closed down," Sergei Ivanov, head of a department at Russia's Prosecutor General's Office said in an interview with the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper.

"More than 390,000 pieces of gambling equipment have been confiscated and the amount of fines has topped 91 million rubles ($3 million)," Ivanov added.

A total of 1,100 criminal cases have been launched against the suspected organisers of illegal gambling business, he said.

Underground casinos have mushroomed across Russia since the law banning gambling everywhere except in four remote zones of the country came into force in July 2009.

In a crackdown in February, illegal casino owner Ivan Nazarov, his assistants, and three high-ranking police officials who guarded the illegal business were accused of fraud and held on remanded until Aug 15 pending investigation.

The case sparked a high-profile conflict between the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General's Office.

Jakarta: Indonesia has accepted an offer from the US to buy 24 used F-16 fighter jets to improve the strength of its air force.

The Indonesian parliament Wednesday approved the government's plan to accept the US offer. But some MPs insisted on buying brand new F-16 planes instead of taking the used fighter jets, Xinhua reported.

The government's budget was equal to buying six new jets.

The MPs said if the government takes the old aircraft, it has to spend on maintaining the airworthiness of the planes.

Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the planes will be upgraded into F-16 Block 52, the latest version of that plane.

Indonesia is also expecting deliveries of Sukhoi Su-30 planes from Russia.

London: Nearly half of the total babies born in Britain nowadays are being delivered by women in their 30s as women delay starting a family, a British study has found.

Official figures for England and Wales show the number last year was 48 percent, up from 46 percent 10 years ago, the Daily Express reported.

The average age of all women giving birth is also up from 28.5 in 2000 to 29.5 and the average at which women have a first child has risen from 26.5 to 27.8 years.

The statistics indicate that the women are postponing childbearing while they concentrate on a career or try to get on the property ladder. A fifth of babies were born last year to women over 35.

"People are under economic pressure, they have heavy costs and debts, they delay having children and their biological clocks tick on. Those that have children late feel great while they are in their 30s and 40s but 15 years on they may not be so healthy," said Patricia Morgan, a sociologist.

The study found that the births by single mothers had also risen from 43 percent in 2005 to 47 percent.

Seventeen girls aged 13 or younger gave birth in 2010 as did 183 14-year-olds, the British study found.

Minsk: The administration of the Belarusian capital has prohibited holding a gay parade in Minsk, scheduled for October 22.

"The municipal executive committee of Minsk banned a parade along the Krasin Street in the district of Sosny, although President Alexander Lukashenko earlier stated that he was not against a gay parade on the outskirts of the city," a statement on the website of the parade's organizers said.

Earlier in the month Lukashenko said in an interview with Russian news agencies that he would not ban gay parades in his country.

"I would not ban them. Somewhere on the outskirts of the city to marvel people with what they have," the Belarusian president said.

Last May, dozens of members of Belarusian and Russian gay organisations gathered on the Belarusian capital's main street, although the authorities gave no permission to hold the parade.

Special police forces suppressed the parade arresting 10 activists for "disorderly behaviour".

The event also attracted anti-gay protesters, who threw eggs into the crowd.

London: Many teenage girls are skipping meals to consume more alcohol, scientists have warned.

Researchers have found that the phenomenon is effecting thousands of young women, the Daily Mail reported.

A team from the University of Missouri found that 16 percent of students reported that they were reducing their calorie intake during the day to save the money for drinking.

Motivations included preventing weight gain, getting intoxicated faster and saving money that would be spent on food to buy alcohol.

New Delhi: India's telecom sector received foreign direct investment (FDI) of Rs.48,220 crore in the last 11 years – 8 percent of the total FDI the country received.

"FDI received in telecom sector in India from April 2000 to March 2011 reached to Rs.48,220 crore which amounts 8 percent share in the total FDI of Rs.580,722 crore received in the country," a telecom ministry document said Tuesday.

With 858 million wireless connections, the Indian telecom syestem has become the second largest wireless network in the world by surpassing the US and only behind China.

Over 46 percent of total wireless subscribers in India were capable of accessing wireless internet at the end of March 2011 as against 30.44 percent a year ago.

According to the telecom regulator, the broadband subscription reaches 12.50 million in July 2011 from 12.32 million in June 2011.

The telecom department targets to have 1,200 million connections by 2017 and around 320 megahertz of additional spectrum to be made available under the 12th Five Year Plan.

Earlier this month, the draft of the National Telecom Policy 2011 which will replace the existing policy was also unveiled.

The new policy is expected bring cheer to consumers with proposals such as removing roaming charges for subscribers within the country and exponentially increasing broadband availability and speed.

New Delhi: In a bid to plug gaps in its coastal security, India has signed a Rs.300 crore deal for importing 80 fast interceptor craft (FIC) for its navy's specialised infantry force from a Sri Lankan shipyard.

The contract was signed in the last week of September and it envisages delivery of the 80 boats by 2014, a naval officer told IANS here Monday.

The fleet of FICs will enable the newly-raised 1,000-man Sagar Prahari Bal (SPB) to plug gaps in patrol and interception operations that were identified following the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack, the officer said.

Sri Lankan shipyard Solas Marine was chosen for the order in June. The induction of the 80 boats will take place over 36 months from now, the officer said.

"The navy will carry out shallow water operations by day and night for seaward anti-terrorist patrols for security for naval assets, besides interception at high speeds and perform search and rescue operations," he added.

The 80 FICs will be in addition to the 15 boats that India had ordered from French firm Chantiere Navale Couach at a cost of Rs.65 crore in March last year. The 15 boats are now in the process of delivery and the order is expected to be completed by 2012. But these 15 boats are not meant for the SPB.

The fast interceptor boats have a maximum speed of 50 nautical miles per hour and would be used by the navy to intercept suspicious boats along the coast for inspection and verification. They will also be used for preventing crimes such as poaching and smuggling, apart from counter-terror operations.

India is also getting 300 fast attack craft for its navy, coast guard and marine police to strengthen their capabilities, a decision taken in the backdrop of the 26/11 terror attack.

The SPB, raised in 2010, has 98 officers and 902 sailors. They presently operate in hired boats.