Akmal threatens to sue Pakistan coaches over fix claims

Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has threatened to sue former Pakistan coaches Intikhab Alam and Aaqib Javed for defamation unless they apologise for suggesting his performance in Australia may have been linked to bookmakers.

Akmal said on Saturday Alam and Javed should substantiate their allegations or make a public apology to him.

“I am fed up with these allegations. My family is disturbed. I go out and people hoot me and I am mentally disturbed. I want to clear this unwarranted stigma with my name,” he told Reuters.

“I want an apology from these people. I will be speaking to the chairman of the board about this as they are employees of the board. If they don’t apologise I intend to go to court in my personal capacity.”

The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption unit said on Thursday it was examining Pakistan’s dismal tour of Australia this year when they were whitewashed in the test and one-day series.

However, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters the board had informed the ICC they had found no evidence of match-fixing by any player on the Australian tour.

Pakistan slumped to defeat in the second test in Sydney after they appeared to have victory in their grasp with Akmal dropping three catches and missing a run out.

His performance came under scrutiny during a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) probe into the team’s poor tour with the two former coaches suspecting Akmal may have links with bookmakers.

The pair’s statements caused an uproar in Pakistan when video recordings of the inquiry committee proceedings were leaked to a television channel this week.

“The point is (if) these people suspected me of deliberately under-performing why did they keep on selecting me for other matches?” Akmal said.

Akmal said it was about time someone took action against people making baseless allegations of match-fixing or the ordeal for Pakistani players would never end.

Alam and Javed were removed as team coaches after the Australian tour but given top positions in the national cricket academy by the board.

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Climate professor to sue makers of YouTube video for defamation

New York, Apr 27 (ANI): Penn State climate professor Michael Mann is suing the makers of a wildly popular YouTube video parodying his work on global warming.

The video titled ‘Hide the Decline’ is the brainchild of three Minnesota residents who jokingly claim to support global warming. It has registered over 500,000 views, and features a dancing figure with the image of Professor Mann.

Mann is suing the creators of the video for illegally using his image and defaming him.

The idea struck the Minnesotans after e-mail exchanges among climatologists were leaked from an England university. It emerged that Mann’s ‘hockey-stick’ graph depicting the alarming rate of global warming had been tweaked by him to seem the way global warming scientists wanted it to look. The diagram correlated the use of carbon fuels to the rate of global warming.

The e-mails brought the methodology used by scientists to prove the phenomenon of global warming under the scanner. The ensuing public discourse gave rise to the phrase “Hide the Decline”.

Meanwhile the creators of the video remain unfazed, “The guy is crazy to threaten legal action,” Fox News quoted Jeff Davis, the President of No Cap and Trade as saying.

No Cap and Trade is the parent group of Minnesotans for Global warming. “A lawsuit would give us full discovery — and there”s a lot to look at in his work.” he added pointing out that the professor might drive himself into a corner as a consequence of legal inquiry into his work.

There has been an outpouring of support for the Minnesotans. Various groups are defending them causing them to post a sequel called ‘Hide the Decline II’ its

The first video resulted in a two probes being made into Mann’s work, both of which found him in the clear. Critics have questioned the veracity of these probes. (ANI)

Usher tops UK singles chart

London, Apr 19 (ANI): Usher has topped the UK singles chart with his song ‘OMG’, featuring Will I Am.

In the chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company, they toppled ‘This Ain”t A Love Song’, by Scouting for Girls, which had been number one for two weeks.

At number three was London rapper Professor Green with ‘I Need You Tonight’—the track, which features Ed Drewett, samples the 1987 INXS hit Need You Tonight.

On the other hand, rapper Plan B, dropped a place to number four with ‘She Said’.

However, US RnB star Kelis was a new entry at number five with A cappella, reports the Telegraph.

In the album chart, Plan B”s ‘The Defamation of Strickland Banks’ went in at number one, while Scouting for Girls” ‘Everybody Wants To Be On TV’ was another new entry at number two.

Lady Gaga”s ‘The Fame’ slipped to number three from number one, while US band MGMT came in at four with ‘Congratulations’.

‘My World’ by Justin Bieber fell from three to five. (ANI)

Ex-cop loses Underbelly appeal

A former Sydney police officer has lost her latest legal bid to be given a preview of the latest Underbelly TV series to check it for defamation.

Wendy Hatfield appealed against last month’s refusal by the Supreme Court to let her preview episodes of Underbelly: The Golden Mile.

She alleged the series was based on a book that she believes has defamed her by suggesting she had a sexual relationship with Kings Cross nightclub boss John Ibrahim.

Her case has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal, with legal costs.

While judges did not accept Channel Nine’s claim that the series was not based on the book, they ruled that it was not in the interests of justice to order that Ms Hatfield get a preview of the show.

I have witnesses to prove I stayed with Shoaib at a hotel in Hyderabad: Ayesha

Lahore, Apr.4 (ANI): In yet another twist to the controversy surrounding Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik’s wedding with Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza, Ayesha Siddiqui, the Hyderabad based girl who claims to be Malik’s first wife, has said that she has two witnesses to prove that she and Malik had shared a hotel room in Hyderabad after their alleged marriage in 2002.

Ayesha told a private television channel that two staff members of the Taj Residency Hotel, which was known as Holiday Inn earlier, have agreed to testify that they served the couple during their stay in Hyderabad.

“If you are asking if we lived together- yes, we did stay together and it is unfortunate that we also have to prove this but we have witnesses,” The Daily Times quoted Ayesha, as saying.

Meanwhile, speaking for the first time over the controversy, Malik, who is currently at Sania’s place in Hyderabad, has denied meeting Ayesha ever and said that the star tennis player would be his first wife.

The Siddiquis claim that Malik married their daughter Ayesha in 2002, but has not divorced her till date.Malik, on the other hand, has denied being married to Ayesha.

He, however, admitted to talking to a girl named Ayesha over the telephone, but said he has never seen or met the girl.

The Siddiquis have reportedly sent a defamation notice to Shoaib Malik and his brother-in-law for harassment, fraud and character assassination.

The Hyderabad based family had also produced pictures of Shoaib-Ayesha’s Nikahnama (marriage certificate), which shows that their marriage was solemnised on June 3, 2002. (ANI)

Actor denies Hey Dad! abuse claims

Actor Robert Hughes has denied allegations he was involved in inappropriate conduct with a child star on the set of Australian TV comedy Hey Dad!

Hughes, who played Martin Kelly on the show, says he is shocked at the allegations made by Sarah Monahan, who was six when she started playing his on-screen daughter Jenny Kelly in the Seven Network show in the 1980s.

“I am absolutely totally shocked at the allegation and I absolutely deny everything,” Hughes told the Nine Network.

“I am absolutely puzzled as to why this is being said now.

“Everything now is in the hands of defamation lawyers.”

Monahan told Woman’s Day magazine last week a man on the show inappropriately touched her and exposed himself to her.

She later told the Nine Network he would “touch my boobs” and try to tickle her in the dressing room in between takes.

Monahan, who now lives in the United States, did not name the man.

But Nine’s A Current Affair on Wednesday named Hughes as the alleged perpetrator and said other women had come forward with similar claims.

Hughes, who played the show’s central character Martin Kelly, now lives in Singapore.

- ABC/AAP

Former MP Cleary to pay $630k for defamation

Former federal independent MP Phil Cleary has been ordered to pay $630,000 in damages after a jury found that he defamed a barrister in one of his books.

Dyson Hore-Lacy, SC, sued Cleary for defamation over comments in Getting Away With Murder, a book about the killing of Julie Ramage by her husband in July 2003.

Mr Hore-Lacy claimed his reputation was injured by the book, which implied he was guilty of a criminal offence and professional misconduct by concocting a defence of provocation for James Ramage.

Ramage was cleared of his wife’s murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

A jury of five women found the book had defamed Mr Hore-Lacy and ordered Cleary to pay damages.

Outside court, Mr Hore-Lacy said Cleary had previously refused to settle the matter.

“I think we can say now we made a formal offer of $50,000 to settle it four or five years ago. All I was interested in was an apology and a retraction,” he said.

But Cleary said he was fighting for free speech.

“My evidence was simple. I said I didn’t believe I had done anything wrong. I couldn’t apologise in all faith for something that I didn’t believe was wrong,” he said.

“I didn’t believe that the words should be explained or described or defined in the way that they have been.”

Web tool to ensure “free and fair” elections in Afghanistan

London, August 20 (ANI): Thanks to a web tool, citizens of Afghanistan would be able to record incidents of rigging in the country’s electoral process by recording the episodes via text messages.

The second democratic presidential election in Afghanistan under the present constitution of the country is scheduled to be held today.

According to a report by BBC News, Afghanistan’s denizens can report disturbances, defamation and vote tampering, or incidents where everything went reportedly well, through the ‘Alive in Afghanistan’ project, which plots the SMS reports on an online map.

Their reports feature alongside those of full-time Afghan journalists to ensure the election and reporting of it is as “free and fair” as possible.

“We hope to enable people to report on what is going on in the country,” explained Brian Conley, who helped set up the project.

“In the rural areas, there are not going to be monitors, and it is questionable how much international media coverage there will be in these areas,” he said.

“Additional text and video reports will be added by a network of 80 reporters from the Afghan Pajhwok news agency,” he added.

Conley said that he hoped the results would be used by national and international media along with members of the international community.

In addition, they may also be sent to the Electoral Commission if there are reports of tampering or rigging, he said.

The system relies on two established open-source technologies to gather the election reports.

The text messages are collected via a free-platform known as FrontlineSMS, developed by UK programmer Ken Banks.

The system was originally developed for conservationists to keep in touch with communities in national parks in South Africa and allows users to send messages to a central hub.

It has previously been used to monitor elections in Nigeria, and has now been combined with a “crowd-sourced, crisis-mapping” tool known as Ushahidi, which plots the reports on a freely accessible map.

The system was developed in Kenya when violence erupted following the disputed presidential elections between Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga.

Since then, the platform has also been used to document anti-emigrant violence in South Africa and problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Conley hopes “hundreds of thousands of people” will use the system, which has been promoted by distributing “thousands of leaflets” and radio reports.

“I am confident that because of Pajhwok’s support we will see a good amount of content coming in,” he said. (ANI)

Perez Hilton apologises to gay right groups over will.i.am outburst

Washington, June 24 (ANI): Homosexual celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has apologised to gay rights organisations for using an anti-gay slur during his recent confrontation with Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am.

The flamboyant blogger came under fire from leaders of The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) over the way he tackled a row with the hip-hop star.

Hilton alleged that he was left bleeding and in shock when will.i.am attacked him at an afterparty for the MuchMusic Awards in Toronto, Canada.

However, the star responded by insisting that there was no violence, and accused Hilton of branding him a “f**got” as they argued outside a nightclub.

Bosses at GLAAD were angered by Hilton’s choice of words, and said that his comments were “vulgar”.

Although the blogger initially refused to apologise to the organisation, he has now issued a statement reaching out to the gay community in regard to the incident.

“Words can hurt. I know that very well, from both sides of the fence. The other night in Toronto, after feeling physically threatened by a verbally abusive will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, I chose the most hurtful word I know to hurl at him. I was in an out-of-the ordinary situation and used a word that I would not utter under normal circumstances,” Contactmusic quoted Hilton as saying.

He added: “I wanted to hurt him with the word I chose, not anyone else. Unfortunately, the one who got hurt was me and, subsequently, a lot of other people.” (ANI)

Perez Hilton apologises to gay right groups over will.i.am outburst

Washington, June 24 (ANI): Homosexual celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has apologised to gay rights organisations for using an anti-gay slur during his recent confrontation with Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am.

The flamboyant blogger came under fire from leaders of The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) over the way he tackled a row with the hip-hop star.

Hilton alleged that he was left bleeding and in shock when will.i.am attacked him at an afterparty for the MuchMusic Awards in Toronto, Canada.

However, the star responded by insisting that there was no violence, and accused Hilton of branding him a “f**got” as they argued outside a nightclub.

Bosses at GLAAD were angered by Hilton’s choice of words, and said that his comments were “vulgar”.

Although the blogger initially refused to apologise to the organisation, he has now issued a statement reaching out to the gay community in regard to the incident.

“Words can hurt. I know that very well, from both sides of the fence. The other night in Toronto, after feeling physically threatened by a verbally abusive will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, I chose the most hurtful word I know to hurl at him. I was in an out-of-the ordinary situation and used a word that I would not utter under normal circumstances,” Contactmusic quoted Hilton as saying.

He added: “I wanted to hurt him with the word I chose, not anyone else. Unfortunately, the one who got hurt was me and, subsequently, a lot of other people.” (ANI)

Britney Spears’ mum lashes out at Sam Lutfi

Washington, June 20 (ANI): Britney Spears’ mother Lynne has hit back at her daughter’s former manager Sam Lutfi, insisting that her comments that he is a “fake” and a “predator” are protected by the U.S. Constitution.

Lutfi had dragged the Toxic hitmaker and her parents to court in February (09) accusing them of defamation, libel, battery, breach of contract, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

He said that Lynne Spears comments made in court – and later repeated in her book Through The Storm defamed him.

However, Lynne has filed a new motion insisting her words are covered by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech.

According to Access Hollywood, she said that her allegations Lutfi is a “Svengali”, a “fake”, and a “predator” – are “mere statements of opinion” made in court as Spears attempted to get a restraining order against her former manager.

She also denied that repeating the allegations in her book could have damaged Lutfi further – because sales of the tome were “relatively unsuccessful”. (ANI)

Kiwi prostitute wants free ad banned on ‘Sex In New Zealand’ site

Melbourne, May 29 (ANI): A Kiwi prostitute wants a free ad for her services on a sex website banned – because it is attracting “bloody psychos” with odd requests.

“It’s attracting idiots,” 37-year-old “Kera” told the Manawatu Standard newspaper.

“They say they are just making inquiries but they just sound weird,” she added.Kera”, a sex worker from the North Island town of Palmerston North, said the Sex In New Zealand site has been carrying her ad for two years, with the operator, “Bob”, refusing to remove it.

“My partner is well into computers and he knows how to get websites removed, so if this Bob guy thinks I’m joking, I’m not,” she said.

However, the threat of legal action is not worrying Bob, who says workers couldn’t claim defamation because they’re using false names, reports The Daily Telegraph.

“Most of them have false names, they usually have false ages and usually false weights,” Bob told the newspaper.

Most of the women on the site, which he started as a hobby in 1999, were more than happy with he free advertising, he said.

He preferred to delete numbers if the workers contacted him on the phone, as he was not always sure if emails were genuine.

“It could be a girl who was being bitchy and trying to get another girl off there,” Bob said. (ANI)

Defamation case against Rabri Devi to be heard on May 13

Patna, May 4 (ANI): A defamation case against former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi for making inflammatory remarks against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’ will be heard on May 13.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) A K Jha, who heard the matter, fixed the next date after Rajiv Ranjan Singh failed to appear before the court today because he was sick.

On April 13, Rajiv Ranjan Singh had filed a defamation case against Rabri Devi.
The complaint said such malicious and slanderous statements did not behove a former Chief Minister.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate A. K. Jha received the case under Section 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

On April 5, at an election rally in Saran parliamentary constituency, Rabri Devi had allegedly described Nitish Kumar and Lalan as being “brothers-in-law”.

On April 6, senior advocate Ashutosh Ranjan Pandey filed a petition in the Patna High Court against Rabri Devi, seeking criminal contempt proceedings against her.

He also charged Rabri Devi of scandalizing and lowering the authority of the judiciary.

The JD (U) also urged the Election Commission (EC) to bar Rabri Devi from participating in election campaigns and also asked for a termination of her membership from the Bihar State Assembly. (ANI)

Compromise draft agreed for UN racism summit

Geneva – Diplomats believe they have come up with a suitable compromise draft final declaration ahead of next week’s controversial racism conference in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday.

The conference, known as Durban II, has been plagued with disagreement, with Canada and Israel boycotting the event over fears Muslim nations will focus exclusively on the Jewish state’s treatment of Palestinians.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said agreement from all member states had been received, and that all disputed points such as references to the Middle East had been deleted.

Pillay added that he therefore expected the conference, which starts in Geneva on Monday, to adopt the 17-page document.

References to the defamation of relegions – another political hot potato – had also been deleted, Pillay said.

He specifically thanked the Palestinian delegation for allowing a compromise.

The US, Australia, Germany and other western countries had raised objections to previous wordings about Israel in earlier drafts, leaving the run up to the conference in chaos.

A final decision on whether these countries will now attend is likely to be taken at the last-minute, over the weekend.

Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has already stated he will attend. The Iranian president has come under heavy criticism for previously hosting a conference questioning the historical accuracy of the Holocaust. (dpa)

Chinese police apologizes for arresting blogger

Beijing, Apr. 18 (ANI): A Chinese police officer has publicly apologized for arresting a blogger, who wrote against a local party for illegally acquisitioning farmland.

“I would like to apologize to Wang and his family as I am partly responsible for the incident. There was not enough evidence to arrest Wang Shuai on defamation charges,” the China daily quoted Qin Yuhai, Director of Henan Provincial Public Security Bureau, as saying.

The 24-year-old Shanghai resident had accused the city government of Lingbao, his hometown in Henan province, of illegally acquiring farmland.

Wang said he had reported the city government’s misuse of farmland for developing an industrial zone, to the local Land Administration Bureau. Wang received no response from the authority even after six months, and so had decided to express his views on his blog.

The Lingbao police traveled to Shanghai and arrested Wang on March 6. He was detained for eight days on charges of defamation, but was later released on bail.

“One can only be charged for defamation when the accusation is completely made-up and is intended to harm the public. Wang’s action doesn’t match any of the criteria,” Qin said.

Later the Municipal Public Security Bureau of Lingbao issued a press release saying that the department will send someone to apologize to Wang personally.

Wang will be compensated as per the State Compensation Law, the release stated.

“The personnel responsible for his detention will be punished. We recognize that the Internet is the ‘new channel’ for public opinion,” Quin said. (ANI)

Dhoni, Harbhajan booked for disrespecting Padma honour

Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Apr 16 (ANI): A criminal case was slapped against Indian Cricket Team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh in a court here on Thursday for disrespecting the prestigious Padma Awards.

Senior advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed the case against the cricketers under sections 499 (defamation), 500 (punishment for defamation), 503 (criminal intimidation) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace).

The petition is likely to come up for hearing tomorrow, Ojha said.

Dhoni and Harbhajan, who were to be honoured with the Padma Shree by President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on Tuesday, had skipped the function.

Harbhajan, however, has explained why he couldn’t attend the ceremony.

“There were a few family commitments, some serious things… that is why I could not go. We had a long tour of New Zealand and got just a few days with our families. People who are criticising me should understand that family issues cannot be ignored,” said Harbhajan.

Dismissing the allegations that he was in the Capital for an ad shoot, he said, “The allegation that I was in New Delhi or was shooting for an advertisement instead of attending the Padma award ceremony is completely false…If anyone says that I was in Delhi and proves it, I will stop playing cricket.”

However, Dhoni has failed to comment anything on the issue till yet.

Padma Shree, fourth in the hierarchy of civilian awards after Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan, is given to individuals from various fields to recognise their contributions. ANI)

Sibal files defamation suit against BJP candidate Gupta

New Delhi, Apr. 15 (ANI): Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal has filed a defamation suit against Vijender Gupta, his rival candidate from the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat.

Sibal has accused the BJP nominee of making “abusive” remarks against him to mislead the public ahead of the polls.

In interviews published in three Hindi newspapers, Gupta is quoted to have stated that Sibal “has fought cases on behalf of school managements and has exploited parents and guardians and that he has a two-faced character.”

Sibal’s notice asked Gupta to issue a “public apology for statements that are “patently false”.

Sibal said the accusation is completely baseless, and were vehemently issued to “mislead the public by making false innuendos” with a view to influencing public opinion.

“Gupta is running a campaign that is bereft of any real issues and is doing this because he knows he cannot match up to my performance in Chandni Chowk,” Sibal said.

The notice further said that Sibal, in fact was not entitled to practice and has not appeared in court since May 2004.

Therefore, he could not have represented any school management on the issue of fee hike, the notice points out.

Sibal clarified that he has never been a member of any school management body either before or since he became a Member of Parliament. (ANI)

Defamation case filed against ex-Bihar CM Rabri Devi

Patna, Apr 13 (ANI): Janata Dal- United (JD-U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’ on Monday filed a defamation case against former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi for making inflammatory remarks against him and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar earlier this month.

The complaint said such malicious and slanderous statements did not behove a former Chief Minister.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate A. K. Jha received the case under Section 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

On April 5, at an election rally in Saran parliamentary constituency, Rabri Devi had allegedly described Nitish Kumar and Lalan as being “brothers-in-law”.

On April 6, senior advocate Ashutosh Ranjan Pandey filed a petition in the Patna High Court against Rabri Devi, seeking criminal contempt proceedings against her.

He also charged Rabri Devi of scandalizing and lowering the authority of the judiciary.

The JD(U) also urged the Election Commission (EC) to bar Rabri Devi from participating in election campaigns and also asked for a termination of her membership from the Bihar State Assembly. (ANI)

Malaysian HC nod for Hindraf adviser’s defamation suit

Kuala Lumpur, Apr 9 (ANI): The Malaysian Government, Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General have failed in their bid to strike out a RM100 million defamation suit brought against them in the High Court by Hindraf legal adviser P. Uthayakumar.

Judicial commissioner Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof dismissed their application with costs in chambers after hearing submissions and ordered that the hearing be held as soon as possible.

Counsel M. Manogaran represented Uthayakumar while senior federal counsel Rozi Bainon represented all the defendants, the NST Online reported.

Uthayakumar, who was arrested last December 13 and detained with four others under the Internal Security Act for allegedly organising a Hindraf rally, is suing the defendants for linking him with Sri Lankan terrorist groups. (ANI)

Chhattisgarh court summons union minister in defamation suit

Raipur, April 6 (IANS) A Chhattisgarh court Monday issued summons in a defamation suit against union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning V. Narayanasamy for allegedly accusing a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister of corruption.

A case has been registered against Narayanasamy under section 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.

The minister has been asked to appear in person or through a lawyer by June 25 to reply to the charges in the court, Ramakant Mishra, counsel of former BJP minister Ajay Chandrakar, told reporters. Chandrakar was present.

The BJP leader said he was ‘forced to file a case against the union minister as he accused me in August last year at a press conference of Rs.1,000 crore corruption when I was minister of panchayat and rural development in the BJP government.’

Chandrakar said he moved court as the allegation had ‘severely damaged’ his image as a politician and ‘also caused me huge mental tension which was one of the reasons I lost the assembly polls’.

The union minister, who was in Raipur Monday for the Congress’ poll campaign, told reporters: ‘I will face the charges boldly in court.’