New Delhi, July 24 : The Indian Navy is all set to strengthen its air fleet by acquiring 26 Sea King anti-submarine and troop carrying helicopters and 11 Kamov-28 choppers.

The Defence Ministry will soon issue the request for proposal (RFP) to procure these 37 anti-submarine helicopters. The contract for choppers is worth Rs. 14, 500 million

The ministry has finalised global tenders to acquire troop carrying and anti-submarine helicopters as well as to upgrade its fleet of Sea King and Kamov-28 helicopters, a senior naval officer said.

Rome  - A global trend towards abolition of the death penalty continued in 2007 with the number of countries practising capital punishment dropping to 49 from 51 in the previous year, but the number of executions worldwide increased, according to a report released Thursday.

The Rome-based anti-death penalty group, Hands Off Cain, presented its findings in the 2008 edition of its annual report which covers the first six months of the year and
2007.

At least 5,851 executions were carried out in 2007 up from the 5,635 registered in 2006 and 5,494 in 2005, the report said.

A new study has revealed that web sites of banks and financial institutions are not safe. They can be easily hacked by the hackers and important data can be stolen by them. This is a warning for security of computers and networks of industries and corporate sector. Online banking and other online practices are vulnerable to data theft and other security issues. The study was released this week from the University of Michigan.

Manila - The Philippine military plans to deploy 320 troops for UN peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Haiti, the Armed Forces chief of staff said Thursday.

General Alexander Yano said 165 Filipino soldiers would be dispatched to Liberia while 155 would be assigned to Haiti for six-month missions.

The Liberia contingent is to leave August 1 while the soldiers going to Haiti are to depart about two weeks later, Yano said.

Athens - Firefighters battled to contain a forest fire that has been burning out of control on the Greek island of Rhodes for the third straight day, forcing the evacuation of at least two villages, reports said Thursday.

Authorities declared a disaster on the island, where dozens of homes have been burned and at least 2,500 acres of forest destroyed.

At least two mountain villages in the region of Laerma have been evacuated after the fire began destroying homes.

A number of other fires which blazed throughout the night in the Varymbobi area, approximately 20 kilometres from Athens, and in Mani in the southern Peloponnese were brought under control on Thursday.

Lahore, July 24: Following intelligence reports that a female terrorist might enter the UK from Pakistan, security forces in Pakistan and Britain, have been put on high alert and are on the look out for the suspect female terrorist who may even travel to Britain along with her children.

The British authorities had declared “red alert” at Heathrow Airport on Monday and Tuesday, the sources said, adding that Pakistani security personnel checked a UK-bound flight at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport following the reports.

The security forces also searched passengers on-board the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-757, the Daily Times quoted the sources as saying.