Wednesday, June 03, 2009 WASHINGTON: A resumption of direct talks between the United States and Cuban on migration issues and a direct mail service is in both countries' interest, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.Gibbs said President Barack Obama was pleased that Cuba had agreed to the talks."Obviously, it's in the interest of both governments," he said. "Obviously, I think direct mail would increase the ability for the president's initiative to be able to reach out directly to the Cuban people."Though its interest section in Washington, Cuba on Saturday accepted the US invitation to resume talks on migratory issues, which have been suspended since 2003.Mail between the two countries currently goes through third countries.The latest move to thaw relations followed Obama's decision in April to authorize travel and money transfers to the island by US nationals of Cuban descent.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...
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