Silver Scorpio - International News | Spot News | Top News | Flash News | Live News
Islamabad, (ANI): Seven people were injured as four bombs went off in quick succession in Lahore”s busy Mall Road area on Friday evening.
Police and witnesses claimed the bombs went off one after another within five minutes. The injured havebeen admitted to hospital.
Two of the four bombs were planted on motorbikes and police said the bombs were of low intensity.
A suspect has been arrested from the scene of the blasts.
No group had claimed responsibility for the blasts so far. (ANI)
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh Police arrested disgraced former founder-chairman of Satyam Computers B. Ramalinga Raju and his brother and former Satyam MD B. Rama Raju on Friday night for cheating and forgery.
The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the police arrested Ramalinga Raju and Rama Raju on charges of “criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, cheating, falsification of records and forgery,” said Director General of Police S.S.P. Yadav.
The arrest was carried out after the two brothers arrived at the police headquarters accompanied by their lawyer S. Bharat Kumar.
Their move came after a criminal case was registered against them by the CID in the Rs.70 billion financial fraud in the company.
The case was registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The CID sleuths will interrogate the two to ascertain the veracity of Ramalinga Raju”s shocking admission Wednesday. They are likely to be produced before a magistrate this morning.
Meanwhile, police sources said the CID might also arrest Vadlamani Srinivas, who resigned as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on Thursday. The whereabouts of Srinivas is not known.
The Rajus were arrested hours after CID began the probe. State Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had ordered probe. (ANI)
By Anand Shrivastav
Mumbai, Jan.9 (ANI) The US assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs, Richard Boucher, on Friday said the United States of America is attempting to clear misunderstanding between India and Pakistan.
Addressing a news conference at the at the American Centre in Mumbai, Richard Boucher said: “The United States is trying to remove the misunderstanding between Pakistan and India.”
According to Richard Boucher, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is helping Indian intelligence agencies and police in probing the Mumbai terror attack, is investigating the matter.
Richard, however, said that after the strong evidence, we can blame on Pakistan for supporting to terror activities. But he added that Pakistan is also suffering from terrorism.
Richard was visiting Mumbai for first time after 26/11 terror attack here. (ANI)
Jammu, Jan.9 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir’s new chief minister Omar Abdullah, while taking charge of his office on Friday for the first time said that he wished India and Pakistan to have good relations between them.
Omar Abdullah sworn in as the youngest chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday (Jan.5).
Relations between India and Pakistan strained after the recent terror attacks in Mumbai that left 179 people dead and over 300 wounded in Maharashtra.
Abdullah said that forces, which don”t want good relations between the nuclear-armed rivals, should not be allowed to succeed.
“I only go on with the same statements that we have had from President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and others, who have time and again talked about the need for good relationship between India and Pakistan. I understand that there will be forces that will try and ensure that this doesn”t happen and I still believe that this is in our own interest to ensure that these forces do not succeed,” Abdullah said to mediapersons here.
Omar Abdullah also stated that bringing right to information act at par with the Central government”s act would be a priority of his newly-formed government.
“My government and both National Conference and Congress (party) together have committed to the people that we will bring the right to information act at par with the central government act. I believe that it is an important step in the direction that you are suggesting. There are other things that need to be done including giving more teeth to the accountability commission and the vigilance organisation,” said Omar Abdullah, who is also the chief of National Conference.
The just concluded seven-phased elections in the state witnessed a turnout of more than 60 percent despite a boycott call by separatists. (ANI)
New Delhi, Jan.9 (ANI): The outgoing U.S Ambassador to India David C Mulford on Friday said that the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks needed to be booked.
Speaking at his farewell ceremony here, Mulford said: “The US has been pressing as India has, for deeper understanding in Pakistan of the roots of this problem, learning more and more in the hope that we can bring the people who committed this heinous act to book.”
Mulford said that the U.S was determined to work “non-stop” and “as long as it takes” to ensure that the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks are brought to justice.
“It was an attack which appeared to have come from Pakistani territory. It appeared to have been managed from the Pakistani territories. It appeared to have been conducted by the Pakistani people who were trained and came from Pakistan,” Mulford said.
He however, made it clear that the US did not want to make accusations against “certain parties” without evidence. (ANI)
New Delhi, Jan.9 (ANI): Home Minister P.Chidambaram today said that the Government has approved an ambitious proposal intended at improving road connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh linking all its 16 district headquarters, besides improving connectivity in Assam.
Proposed under Rs. 12,513-crore plan by the Department of Road Transport and Highways, the roads hold strategic importance to enable a better road communication to Anini and Anjaw districts bordering China.
The Cabinet Committee cleared the proposal which involved construction of 1,412 km Trans-Arunanchal Highway which would interlink its 11 district headquarters, besides construction of 847 km 2-lane roads, providing improved connectivity to the remaining five districts.
The proposal also included construction of 60 km missing link between National Highway (NH) 52 near Roing and NH 37 near Dhola, including a major bridge over river Lohit between Dhola and Sadia in Assam.
The 776-km stretches of Trans Arunachal Highway comprising major bridges will be built on build-operate- transfer basis. It would benefit all 16 districts of Arunachal
Pradesh and Assam’s Sibsagar and Tinsukhiya districts.
The project would also facilitate and benefit several hydro power projects across hilly terrains of the state.
Besides, the Cabinet has also approved creation of a project management unit at Guwahati, headed by Additional Director General, for a better and efficient implementation of Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in the North East. (ANI)
Islamabad, Jan.9 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday that the situation was ‘fragile’ on the border with India, and regretted the suspension of peace talks following the militant attacks in Mumbai in November.
Gilani said that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) has given India information about the Mumbai terror attacks, while denying media speculation of a rift between him and the president.
He told reporters that the ISI, ‘had given feedback and information sharing that has been passed on to India’ after studying that evidence. He gave no more information.
Media reports suggested President Asif Ali Zardari was not informed of the decision, intensifying earlier speculation of a split between the country’s top two leaders.
‘There is no misunderstanding,’ Gilani insisted to reporters Friday while denying reports that Zardari had expressed displeasure with the decision.
A spokesman for Zardari was quoted by the Dawn as saying on Thursday that the two were ‘on the same page’ and it was Gilani’s prerogative to fire the adviser, Mahmud Ali Durrani.
‘Our ISI has given their feedback,’ Gilani told reporters.
He did not elaborate but said Pakistan would cooperate if more information was required.
Gilani said he had sacked the adviser, Mahmud Ali Durrani, in the interests of the country and of governance and denied the affair had created a rift with President Zardari. (ANI)
Chennai, Jan.9 (ANI): Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) president S. Samy Vellu has severely criticised the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leader, P. Waythamoorthy, for distributing pamphlets containing severe allegations, at the ongoing Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.
“All the allegations are lies. As a lawyer, he should know that he would have to pay for it if he tells lie,” the Star quoted the MCI president Vellu, as saying.
The pamphlets distributed by the Hindraf leader here, reportedly contain a statement that asks the Indian Government to stop all investments in Malaysia and also refrain from buying palm oil. It also claims that there were 150,000 Malaysian Indians who are stateless.
Furious about the incident, Samy Vellu showed his faith in the Indian leadership, and said that the Indian Government and leaders were wise enough and would not listen to the call for stopping all investments in Malaysia.
Vellu, claimed that the statement which said that there were 150,000 Malaysian Indians who were stateless, was an outright lie.
He also claimed that there were 21,000 people without birth certificates, and the Home Affairs Ministry has been directed to attend to the problem immediately.
Vellu said that he would write to the Indian government to inform them that the allegations in the pamphlet were not true. (ANI)
Jerusalem, Jan 9 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Friday that the IDF operation in Gaza would continue despite the UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
“Israel has never agreed to an outside actor determining its right to defend its citizens,” Olmert said in a statement issued following the Security Cabinet discussion on the UNSC resolution.
“The IDF will continue to work to defend Israeli citizens and will carry out all the objectives it was given in the operation,” The Jerusalem Post quoted him, as saying.
Olmert said that the rocket fire from Gaza on Friday morning “only proves that the UN resolution is not practical and will not be honored by the murderous Palestinian organizations,” Olmert added.
Earlier on Friday, Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni convened for a preliminary consultation on the UNSC Gaza truce resolution ahead of the Security Cabinet meeting scheduled for later in the day.
Livni also released a statement on Friday morning regarding the resolution in which she stressed Israel’s independence in defining its goals.
“Israel’s past, present and future actions are based solely on its considerations, the security of Israel’s residents and its right to self-defense,” she said.
Osama Hamdan, a Hamas envoy to Lebanon, also rejected the UNSC call for a ceasefire, telling the al-Arabiya satellite channel that the group “is not interested in it because it does not meet the demands of the movement.”
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the UN failed to consider the interests of the Palestinian people. (ANI)
London, Jan 9 (ANI): Troubled football star Paul Gascoigne has saved himself from bankruptcy by selling two holiday homes.
Gascoigne was due to be declared bankrupt at a hearing in London over an unpaid 200,000 pounds tax bill, but managed to pay off the debt by selling two properties he owned in Spain and Bulgaria.
“He is delighted to put this matter behind him,” the Daily Star quoted his solicitor Craig Montgomery, as saying.
He said there was “no suggestion” Gazza did not have the funds to pay his tax bill.
But because the tormented star has no regular income and it had “taken time to work out where everything was”.
The taxman applied for bankruptcy in November after Gazza, 41, was said to have failed to file returns for the past two years.
Gazza, estimated to have earned 14million pounds during his career, was given nine weeks to find the cash. He has spent most of the time in the Stepps rehab centre in Minsterworth, Glos.
He has been having pioneering 2,000 pound-a-week treatment, which involves talking to horses. And next week he is due to enter Portsmouth manager Tony Adams’ Sporting Chance clinic.
But he had another setback when his ex-wife Sheryl and son Regan disowned him in a TV documentary screened on Monday.
A family pal said: “His tax problems have been yet another weight on his mind. But he realises they are nothing compared to his sobriety. He knows his only hope of being able to deal with life is by getting well.” (ANI)
New York, Jan 9 (ANI): A beer named after President-elect Barack Obama, which Red Hook-based Six Point Craft Ales stopped selling after Election Day, has been tucked away by some barkeepers for Inauguration Day celebrations.
The ale, which became very popular with its touch of citrus, had made its debut in March during the Democratic primaries, and it sold out in just six days.
But Six Point brought it back Hop Obama from August through Election Day, donating part of the proceeds to Project Vote.
“It was our fastest-selling beer ever,” the New York Daily News quoted Six Point spokesman Jeff Gorlechen as saying.
The Van Dyke St. microbrewery sold 504 kegs of Hop Obama, which was served at 90 bars in New York and Boston.
“It was getting out of hand,” Gorlechen said.
“We couldn”t make it fast enough. We”re a small brewery and it was actually interfering with the production of our other beers,” he stated.
But there will be places in Manhattan, and hopefully Brooklyn where Hop Obama will be poured for Inauguration Day celebrations.
The beer became so popular that barkeepers, who still have a keg or two left with them, decided to use it for the bigger occasion, Obama’s inauguration. (ANI)
Washington, Jan 9 (ANI): Video sharing website YouTube has always been seen as a recreational site, but now it has been revealed that it has helped some people earn a six-figure salary off it.
Michael Buckley, 33, is one such person who says that he has been able to earn his six-figure through the site.
“Uh, I do well,” CBS News quoted him as saying.
“I make over six figures a year,” he said.
His high-energy, two-minute show “What the Buck,” a play on his last name, is the product of a 2,000 dollars camera, a pair of work-lights and a 6 dollars backdrop. The show averages 200,000 hits an episode.
“I just wanted to create my own vehicle and I did,” he stated.
Last year, YouTube invited its most popular, most-watched contributors to partner with them by adding banner ads to the bottom of video clips.
For every one thousand hits, advertisers pay 15 to 20 dollars. It”s a fraction the cost of TV commercials, and they reach a more targeted audience.
Buckley”s show ranks number eight on the Web site, and he believes that the Internet is the only way he could have made it big.
“I do believe so,” Buckley said.
“I do believe that … the Internet was my route to any sort of success,” he added. (ANI)
London. Jan 9 (ANI): English football fans fear a mass exodus of top football stars amid claims that the Premier League is facing a cash crisis.
Sports experts reckon the world’s best league could lose key sponsor Barclays, as the bank tightens its belt to beat the credit crunch, the Daily Star reported.
Officials would be left with a 70million pounds black hole if the firm decides to pull funding from next year.
And if the league is suddenly plunged into the red, other countries with more cash to spend could take advantage and nab top stars like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, and John Terry.
The Football Supporters’ Federation is even warning that several big name clubs could go bust as they struggle to keep up with soaring player wage demands.
It also reveals real fans are being priced out of the game.
Jon Keen, of the FSF, admitted: “It’s a real possibility some of our stars could leave. If sponsorship dried up for the Premier League then its prize money and payments to all 20 clubs could be cut.”
“The clubs would then be forced to slash costs on player transfers and their wages. The problem is the Premier League’s business model is not sustainable. The clubs are relying on rising sponsorships and riding on debt. Chelsea and Man United alone are in debt to the tune of some 1.5billion pounds,” Keen added.
Moneymen at Barclays were torn when the firm agreed the current three-year deal at the height of Britain’s economic boom.
Some reportedly felt a 70million pounds bill when the bank was only spending a “meager” 5million pounds to promote the fact it sponsors the Premier League was too big a price to pay.
And with only a year-and-a-half left on the deal, and a dire financial outlook, experts reckon Barclays’ enthusiasm to back the game could completely dry up.
The bank has taken a 1.3billion pounds hit during the credit crunch and bosses are being urged to tighten their belts wherever possible, including major sponsorships.
John Varley, group chief executive, believes the country is only half way through the downturn and is preparing the business for long-haul hardships.
But Barclays was last night playing down concerns over its future sponsorship of the Premier League. (ANI)
New Delhi, Jan 9 (ANI): Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Oil India Ltd workers today called off their three-day strike, which has severely affected supplies of transport fuels.
BPCL Director (Marketing) S Radhakrishnan here today said that the fuel supplies would be resumed by this evening.
More than 70 per cent of the striking employees resumed work in Marketing, Radhakrishnan said.
Condemning the strike, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) Chairman Sarthak Behuria, said: “We will break the strike. Officers not reporting to work tomorrow and Sunday will be dismissed. Administrative action like arrest and chargesheet will be taken.”
Demanding hike in their pay and perquisites, the officers of public sector oil companies have struck work nationwide since Wednesday.
The meeting which took place between top officials of the oil companies and
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora in the early hours of morning was inconclusive as oil companies refused to step back on their demands.
Meanwhile, Deora appealed to workers to end their strike.
“The Cabinet directed us see that the strike is withdrawn and the people should not be harassed what they are being just now. So we are appealing to every worker who is not attending his job, please join your work,” said
Deora.
But Petroleum Secretary R.S. Pandey talked tough and said that the government would take very tough measures to ease the burden on the common man.
“This will not be allowed to happen. Issues will be addressed, but they cannot hold the country to ransom. All possible toughest measure will be taken and the people of the country must know, who is right and who is not right,” Pandey told reporters.
Meanwhile, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that action would be taken as all persuasions so far have failed to end their strike. Chidambaram offered to hold talks with the representatives of the striking officers immediately. (ANI)
Melbourne, Jan 9 (ANI): The mayor of Bluff is upset with the claims that almost all the people in the central Queensland town have contracted diarrhoea by drinking contaminated water.
Central Highlands mayor Peter Maguire hit out at the claims of resident Tim Cummings that “the water is so crook, just about everyone gets gastric sooner or later.”
Maguire said that he’s “got the s..ts” with reports.
“The whole town doesn’t have diarrhoea,” the Courier Mail quoted Maguire as saying.
“The story is that everyone in the town has got diarrhoea but that’s not true and it (the report) has given me the s..ts,” he added.
Maguire said the town had endured problems with its drinking water with runoff from a coalmine increasing salinity and a mechanical breakdown at the Blackwater Water Treatment Plant, leading to partially treated water entering the drinking supply on December 15.
Cumming had claimed that almost everyone in town had contracted diarrhoea from drinking water contaminated by the Ensham mine.
Maguire said he could definitely taste the salt in the water after an earlier release of water from the coal mine but he did not believe it had caused a diarrhoea outbreak.
“We’ve just had a lot of rain that has flushed out all that dirty water,” he said.
Residents of Blackwater and Bluff had been advised to boil their drinking water after the December 15 breakdown at the water treatment plant.
A note on the council’s website advised residents that the situation has now been resolved. (ANI)
Washington, Jan 9 (ANI): BBC has named Little Boots, real name Victoria Hesketh, as the most promising Sound of 2009.
BBC”s Sound of 2009 list picks the musicians who show promise to hit the big time in the next 12 months.
The 24-year-old electro singer started her synth-pop sound soon after she branched out of disco outfit Dead Disco.
And the Blackpool singer has beaten White Lies, who stood at the second spot in the list.
“It is amazing that so many people want to write about me and give me opportunities, and I”m so grateful for that,” Contactmusic quoted Hesketh as saying of finishing in first in the Sound 2009 list.
She added: “For enough of those pundits to pick me as their favourite act is absolutely incredible and really mindblowing. I”m just so happy that it connects to those people. I hope it goes beyond that and translates and it isn”t just some bubble.
“I really hope that for every one of those amazing people who writes about you or plays you on their radio show, that will reach 1,000 people. Because that is what is going to make me be able to keep doing what I love.”
At the third position in the list was Florence and the Machine.
Rounding off at fourth and fifth position are Empire of the Sun and La Roux respectively.
The top ten in the BBC”s Sound of 2009 list are:
1 Little Boots
2 White Lies
3 Florence and the Machine
4 Empire of the Sun
5 La Roux
6 Lady GaGa
7 V V Brown
8 Kid Cudi
9 Passion Pit
10 Dan Black
(ANI)
London, Jan 9 (ANI): Muslim advisers have warned British PM Gordon Brown that the Gaza conflict could spark a violent Islamic backlash in Britain.
According to a report in The Sun, the alert came hours after dozens of police officials battled to separate hundreds of demonstrators outside the Israeli Embassy in London.
One cop was hurt and nine men were arrested in Wednesday night’s clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli factions in Kensington.
“For the last 11 days, we have policed a number of demonstrations in central London by those who wanted to express their views about the ongoing conflict. We are now preparing for further protests,” said Commander Bob Broadhurst, responsible for public order policing by the Met.
“I am mindful of the deeply passionate response that this conflict causes in people,” he added.
In lieu of the demonstrations that are going on in England since the Gaza conflict started, 14 British Muslim advisers warned Gordon Brown that anger in their UK communities had reached “acute levels of intensity”.
They said that Israel’s attacks on Gaza had “revived extremist groups and empowered their message of violence”.
In a letter to the PM, they called for pressure to be put on the US to change its approach to the crisis.
Maajid Nawaz, of counter-extremism think-tank the Quilliam Foundation, said moderate groups needed to be able to explain the Government’s stance to British Muslims.
This would help them counter the view put by hate-mongers that it was not doing enough or did not care about Palestinian deaths.
Meanwhile, Jewish communities in Britain have reported a significant rise in anti-Semitic attacks since Israel launched its offensive on December 27.
These include two serious assaults on Jews, an arson attack on a synagogue in Brondesbury Park, North West London, and death threats to rabbis in Manchester. (ANI)
London, January 9 (ANI): The British Government’s flagship Change4Life anti-obesity campaign is being partly funded by food companies that have been linked to weight problems, according to a report.
Published by the medical journal Lancet, the report says that ministers are of the opinion that the push, which includes participation from food companies such as Pepsi and retailers and an 8 million-pound television campaign, may help ease a growing trend which has left one in four Britons obese.
However, adds the journal, the decision to allow producers of fatty and sugary foods, which it accuses of contributing to the obesity crisis, to take part in the campaign “beggared belief”.
The report warned that the Government was party to sponsorship arrangements with supermarkets “that display rows upon rows of sugary snacks, cereals, and soft drinks.”
“So what is the subliminal, or perhaps not so subliminal, take-home message when PepsiCo brings us sports personalities who advocate exercise? If you do exercise, it is OK to drink Pepsi and eat crisps?” the Telegraph quoted it as saying.
“Ill-judged partnerships with companies that fuel obesity should have been avoided,” it added.
PepsiCo, the owner of Pepsi and other brands including Tropicana, said that they would promote the benefits of an active lifestyle by involving sports stars in the campaign.
The journal also accused the new adverts of being “simplistic”, saying that they show a cartoon stone-age family chase a mammoth and hit a dinosaur with a club, suggesting how families used to have to catch their food.
The journal says that this is contrasted with the sedentary lifestyle of a modern-day family shown eating a pizza and playing computer games.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health insisted that all companies involved in the campaign were expected to adhere to a strict code of conduct.
“We recognise that many organisations have influence with and can reach our target audiences in ways that we cannot. By working with these organisations, we can more effectively tackle the obesity epidemic,” he said.
“This is not about saying which companies are good or bad but every company has to sign up to strict terms of engagement before they join us. Every company must help people to eat more healthily and be more active.
“We have a very clear governance structure and will be very tough on companies to comply,” he added. (ANI)
New Delhi, Jan 9 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to extend Sanjeev Nanda”s interim bail in connection with the BMW hit-and-run case.
Justice Kailash Gambhir dismissed the petition which means Sanjeev has to surrender himself on Saturday.
On December 19, the court had granted three-week interim bail to Sanjeev, who is undergoing five years jail term.
On December 16, the court had issued notice to the Delhi Police on contentions of Nanda””s counsel and senior advocate Ram Jethmalani that the convict””s grandfather was not well and wanted to see him.
On September 5, Nanda sentenced to five years in jail by a Delhi court.
The court convicted Nanda under the Section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The law prescribes ten years imprisonment as maximum punishment.
The ten-year-old case involving Nanda, allegedly in an inebriated state is accused of mowing down seven people with his high speeding BMW car in the wee hours of January 10, 1999 in Lodhi Colony area. Six persons died on the spot while one survived. (ANI)
Toronto, Jan 9 (ANI): Police officers, fire-fighters and family or general practice physician have been ranked among occupations with the highest levels of work-life conflict while taxi drivers, insurance adjusters and bank tellers are among those with the least, a new study has revealed.
The study found that the people who have to interact a lot with others in their jobs, they experience a lot of stress when trying to juggle work and family.
“High levels of interaction at work may lead to increased fatigue and depletion of personal resources needed to fulfill family role obligations,” Globeandmail.com quoted the study author Erich Dierdorff, assistant professor of management at DePaul University, as saying.
For the study, researchers examined people in 126 occupations and found that police officers, fire-fighters and family or general practice physicians were ranked among occupations with the highest levels of work-life conflict while taxi drivers, insurance adjusters and bank tellers are among those with the least.
The findings remained consistent “even after controlling for other factors known to create conflict, including demographics, schedule flexibility, time pressure, workload and support offered by co-workers.”
Dierdorff found that social interaction is one stress factor, but another is whether a person faces increased responsibility for the work quality, health and safety of co-workers.
He suggested that employers use the study”s results to tailor new employee training and support services “to address work-life stress generated by the nature of work roles.”
The study appears in the Journal of Applied Psychology. (ANI)
Copyright © 2013 · eleven40 theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in