British policeman wins international award for UFO sighting database

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 21(ANI): A British policeman, Gary Heseltine, has won the 2010 Disclosures Award in Washington for his database of UFO sightings in the UK.

The 49-year-old picked up the award for his website, prufospolicedatabase.co.uk, which he launched in 2002. The database includes 330 cases and the witness statements of more than 750 police officers.

“Winning the award was a total surprise, I didn’t know I was going to win until my name was read out,” The Telegraph quoted Heseltine, as saying.

“It’s also a terrific boost for my database as it puts me on an international platform and I have already been offered chances to give lectures in Brazil and Denmark,” he added.

Elucidating his fascination with the unexplained, Heseltine said it began at the age of 15, when he spotted a mysterious bright light while walking his first girlfriend home.

“I was with my first girlfriend heading towards the comprehensive school and suddenly became aware of a large bright light. Suddenly all the electricity on the housing estate we could see ahead cut out,” Heseltine said.

“We were terrified at the time, but afterwards I decided to investigate and discovered that power cuts are extremely common during UFO sightings,” he added. (ANI)

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Prosecutors object Rana’s plea seeking more details

April 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Federal prosecutors here have objected to terror suspect Tahawwur Rana’s demand for specific details about his involvement in Indian and Danish terror plots, saying the government has already provided “more than sufficient” information to prepare his defence for trial.

In a 12-page response to Rana’s pre-trial motions, the government said it has provided and will continue to provide “extensive discovery” relating to Rana’s conduct, including his interactions with co-defendant David Headley and his own actions taken to assist Headley in carrying out conspiracies.

“Thus, based on the adequacy of the indictment and the extensive pretrial disclosures undertaken by the government, the defendant has more than sufficient information from which to conduct his own investigation and prepare his defence.

“Accordingly, the Court should deny the defendant’s motion for a bill of particulars,” the government’s response submitted in the US District Court here said.

Prosecutors said a defendant has a “constitutional right to know the offence with which he is charged, but not to know the details of how it will be proved”.

Rana’s lawyer Patrick Blegen had in February filed motions asking prosecutors to provide a “bill of particulars” – specific details about the “material support and resources” that the superseding indictment allege the Pakistani-Canadian had provided to terrorist plots in India and Denmark.

Blegen had said the government should identify the material support and resources that Rana and co-conspirators allegedly provided regarding terrorism in India. He said he needed the information to adequately prepare for trial.

Responding to the motions, prosecutors said the information already provided to Rana includes copies of recorded conversations and emails between Headley, Rana and other participants in the conspiracies; complete video-taped post-arrest statements of Rana and Headley, reports relating to Headley’s proffer, Headley’s testimony before the grand jury, evidence obtained through grand jury subpoenas and evidence seized during search warrants executed at multiple locations.

“To date, the government estimates that it has provided over 20,000 documents, in addition to the various recordings and draft transcripts,” the motion said.

Prosecutors said Rana simply looks past the specific allegations of the superseding indictment and says little about the extensive discovery that has been provided, claiming that the superseding indictment lists only “broad categories”.

“By seeking more particularity, the defendant essentially is requesting the government to point to the particular evidence of each allegation. This is not a proper purpose of a bill of particulars,” it said.

A bill of particulars is not necessary in this case not only because the superseding indictment provides far more detail than necessary to apprise the defendant of the charges against him, but also because the government is providing extensive discovery relating to such charges, the response said.

Blegen said he is seeking the information so that Rana is “sufficiently apprised” of the scope of the government’s allegations and is “adequately prepared” for trial.

Rana has pleaded not guilty to charges that he provided material support to the Mumbai terror strikes as well as a plot to attack a Danish newspaper

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Belgian bishop resigns over abuse of boy

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A Belgian Catholic bishop resigned on Friday after admitting he had sexually abused a boy when in charge of the diocese of Bruges.

“When I was still a simple priest, and for a while when I began as a bishop, I sexually abused a boy in my close entourage,” the bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, said in a statement issued at a news conference in Brussels.

“I profoundly regret what I have done and I present my sincerest apology to the victim, his family, the Catholic community and society in general,” said the 73-year-old.

The abuse took place more than 20 years ago. It was not clear how old the boy was when the abuse began or how long it lasted.

Vangheluwe stepped down after a person close to the victim complained to the church. His is the first such case in Belgium, although a church commission said it was investigating about 20 other cases involving sex abuse allegations.

Hundreds of instances of abuse by clergymen have come to light in Europe and the United States in the last month as disclosures encouraged victims to go public with their allegations.

Vangheluwe was born in the western town of Roeselare and was ordained as a priest in Bruges at the age of 26. He was appointed bishop of the historic city aged 48, a role he held for 25 years until his resignation on Friday.

Vangheluwe had a high profile at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, one of Belgium’s leading universities, where he often delivered a homily at the beginning of the academic year. He also sat on the steering committee of a local charity.

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Sigma’s $389m loss drags market lower

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A late and widespread fall has left the index of Australia’s biggest companies almost 1 per cent lower at the close.

The market had gained in morning trade, it then slipped into modest losses during the afternoon until shares fell more steeply in the last half-hour of trade.

The ASX 200 lost 41 points to finish at 4,876, and the broader All Ordinaries index lost 34 points to close at 4,893.

Retailers suffered after the Bureau of Statistics figures showed a 1.4 per cent seasonally adjusted slump in retail sales during February. Economists were expecting a 0.2 per cent rise.

Both David Jones and JB Hi-Fi were down around 2 per cent.

However, Sigma Pharmaceuticals was today’s big casualty.

It lost almost half its share market value when it resumed trade after a five-week halt, and handed down a profit result that disappointed already low expectations.

The company announced a full-year loss of almost $400 million due to a raft of write-downs, and its net income fell 16 per cent to $68 million.

The company finished the day at 46.5 cents – the lowest close since it floated on the market in 2002.

The news only got worse for the company’s management after Slater and Gordon announced it was investigating whether a shareholder lawsuit could be launched against Sigma.

“On the basis of what we’ve seen to date, shareholders of Sigma Pharmaceuticals appear to have every right to feel aggrieved today,” said Ben Phi, a senior associate at the law firm, in a statement.

“We are particularly concerned with whether Sigma’s disclosures have been appropriate, both in terms of what has been said to the market and what has not been disclosed, particularly given that $300 million in capital was raised in September 2009.”

In contrast, Macarthur Coal surged more than 16 per cent to $14.05 cents after receiving and rejecting a $3.3 billion takeover offer from Peabody Energy, which is the United States’ biggest coal company.

Macarthur said Peabody’s $13 a share offer did not give enough takeover premium.

Currencies and commodities

West Texas crude oil was fetching $US82.27 a barrel at around 5:00pm (AEDT), and Tapis was selling for $US83.08.

Spot gold was worth just under $1,108 an ounce.

And the Australian dollar had lost ground on the disappointing retail sales figures.

It was fetching 91.45 US cents a short time ago.

On the cross rates it was at 85.32 Japanese yen, 68.24 euro cents, 60.66 British pence, and just under $NZ1.29.

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Cabinet for mandatory corporate governance in PSUs

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Mar 25 (ANI): The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the continuation of guidelines on Corporate Governance for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) on a mandatory basis.

The guidelines have now been made mandatory and are applicable to all CPSEs.

The guidelines cover issues like the composition of board of CPSEs, audit committee, subsidiary companies, disclosures, code of conduct and ethics, risk management and reporting.

The guidelines have been modified and improved keeping in view the experience gained during the experimental phase of one year and includes additional provisions relating to monitoring the compliance of guidelines by the CPSEs and formation of Remuneration Committee.

Since, the concept of corporate governance is dynamic in nature, it has also been provided that suitable modifications in these guidelines would be carried out to bring them in line with prevailing laws, regulations, acts etc. from time to time.

The continued implementation of these guidelines on Corporate Governance for CPSEs will facilitate protection of interest of shareholders and other stakeholders and also ensure transparency in the operations of CPSEs.

In June 2007, the Union Government had introduced the guidelines on Corporate Governance for CPSEs, which were voluntary in nature, for an experimental phase of one year.

It was felt that while the principles of corporate governance apply equally to both the public and private sector, there was a continued need to adopt and apply the good Corporate Governance practices in respect of CPSEs where huge public funds are invested.

The continued need for adoption of good Corporate Governance principles has been reinforced in the light of recent events in the corporate world. Thus, after due inter-ministerial consultations, the proposal for introduction of Guidelines on Corporate governance for CPSEs on mandatory basis was approved. (ANI)

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Pak government moves petition in LHC to quiz AQ Khan over proliferation disclosures

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar.23 (ANI): The Pakistan government has moved a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking permission to quiz disgraced nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan regarding his disclosure to a foreign newspaper about his involvement in offering nuclear know how to Iraq and Iran.

The petition, which has come just ahead of the strategic dialogue between Pakistan and the United States during which Islamabad is likely to push for a civil nuclear deal, cited an alleged interview that Khan gave to The Washington Post.

Khan had reportedly admitted in the interview that he was involved in proliferation to Iran and Iraq.

“We want to question Dr Khan about this interview, which has revealed sensitive information about Pakistan”s nuclear programme,” The BBC quoted the government’s petition, as saying.

“We want to learn who is passing on such information to foreign newspapers. Such information has a direct bearing on the security of Pakistan”s nuclear programme,” the application stated.

The interview, which has angered the Pakistan government, was published in two parts on March 10 and March 14 in The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Dr. Khan has denied giving any such interview and said that the details have been fabricated.

The Lahore High Court has been hearing a petition filed by Dr. Khan challenging the security protocol imposed on him by the federal government.

It is pertinent to mention here that Dr. Khan had challenged his official protocol, terming it a violation of his fundamental rights, following which the Lahore High Court directed the concerned authorities to remove all restrictions on his movements.

However, under intense international pressure, the government appealed against the court’s directives, which saw the court put a stay order on the verdict. (ANI)

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Pak government moves petition in LHC to quiz AQ Khan over proliferation disclosures

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar.23 (ANI): The Pakistan government has moved a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking permission to quiz disgraced nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan regarding his disclosure to a foreign newspaper about his involvement in offering nuclear know how to Iraq and Iran.

The petition, which has come just ahead of the strategic dialogue between Pakistan and the United States during which Islamabad is likely to push for a civil nuclear deal, cited an alleged interview that Khan gave to The Washington Post.

Khan had reportedly admitted in the interview that he was involved in proliferation to Iran and Iraq.

“We want to question Dr Khan about this interview, which has revealed sensitive information about Pakistan’s nuclear programme,” The BBC quoted the government’s petition, as saying.

“We want to learn who is passing on such information to foreign newspapers. Such information has a direct bearing on the security of Pakistan’s nuclear programme,” the application stated.

The interview, which has angered the Pakistan government, was published in two parts on March 10 and March 14 in The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Dr. Khan has denied giving any such interview and said that the details have been fabricated.

The Lahore High Court has been hearing a petition filed by Dr. Khan challenging the security protocol imposed on him by the federal government.

It is pertinent to mention here that Dr. Khan had challenged his official protocol, terming it a violation of his fundamental rights, following which the Lahore High Court directed the concerned authorities to remove all restrictions on his movements.

However, under intense international pressure, the government appealed against the court’s directives, which saw the court put a stay order on the verdict. (ANI)

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Expenses row might provoke suicide, British MP warns

May 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Embarrassing disclosures about the vast expenses claims of British members of parliament amount to a “McCarthy-style witch-hunt” that risks driving politicians to suicide, a lawmaker warned on Friday.

Nadine Dorries, a member of the opposition Conservative party, wrote on her blog that the two-week scandal, in which the Daily Telegraph newspaper has drip-fed details of how members of parliament have abused their generous expense allowances, was forcing politicians to the brink.

The scandal has triggered outrage across recession-hit Britain and opposition calls for an early general election.

European and local elections to be held on June 4 are expected to reflect the level of popular disgust, with lower voter turnout and a move towards fringe parties predicted.

“The atmosphere in Westminster is unbearable,” Dorries wrote on the blog (http://blog.dorries.org). “People are constantly checking to see if others are OK. Everyone fears a suicide. If someone isn’t seen, offices are called and checked.”

Asked about her comments on BBC radio on Friday, she sought to back away from the suicide suggestion, but said the disclosures, including that politicians charged for duck ponds, horse manure, bath plugs and pornographic films, were forcing members of parliament to breaking point.

“What the Telegraph are executing is almost a McCarthy-style witch-hunt. The way they are deploying their tactics and the way they are treating MPs has reached a point now at almost two weeks where I think people are seriously beginning to crack.

“I have to say the last day in parliament this week was completely unbearable. I have never, ever been in an atmosphere or an environment like it, where everyone walks around with terror in their eyes. People are genuinely concerned.”

“UNBEARABLE DISCLOSURE”

Dorries, whose own use of expenses to buy household goods was exposed by the Telegraph, joins a number of politicians who have attacked the disclosures rather than apologising.

Conservative Party leader David Cameron, who is expected to win the next election, said she should be thinking about the electorate not other MPs.

“Of course MPs are concerned about what is happening, but frankly MPs ought to be concerned about what their constituents think, they ought to be worrying about the people who put us where we are,” he told the BBC.

The disclosures have focused on MP’s use of second-home allowances to charge a host of ordinary items to expenses and sidestep capital gains taxes. On Friday one MP who used his expenses to pay for his daughter’s home in London today faced a closer examination of his records and said he could stand down.

Several MPs have either been admonished by their parties or said they will give up their seats at the next election, which has to be held before June next year.

Politicians have been heckled and shouted at in the street for their behaviour and police are investigating whether there should be possible criminal charges.

(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft)

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David Niven once tried to kill himself, claims book

May 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, May 17 (ANI): David Niven, the debonair actor famed for his light-hearted approach to life, confessed shortly before his death that he once tried to kill himself, reveals a new book.

Niven, who wrote Hollywood’s funniest memoirs, admitted that he had once
been in such despair that he tried to kill himself but the gun failed to go off.

The disclosures, reported in a biography by Michael Munn, a former film publicist, also include Niven’s sadness after discovering he was the illegitimate son of a prominent Conservative politician, his mother’s lover, who refused to acknowledge him for fear of a scandal, reports The Times.

Munn claims that Niven told him that after the death of his first wife Primmie, 28, in a freak accident in Hollywood, he “lost all sense of reason”.

The former soldier had two young sons and a dazzling career, but depression overwhelmed him.

Niven reportedly said: “I decided to blow my brains out. I took a gun and put the barrel in my mouth and, with barely a thought for my children, which was unforgivable, I pulled the trigger. And the bloody thing didn’t fire.

“I didn’t know why the gun didn’t fire. I knew about guns but I couldn’t think why it hadn’t fired, and I think I may have actually thought that this might be God telling me to carry on living for the sake of my children. I even thought it might be Primmie giving me a message and that she had made the gun fail.”

Munn says Niven told him that the aftermath of the suicide attempt in 1946 was “the darkest time in my life”.

Niven recalled: “I had some bizarre illness. I had to have sex. I think it was my only way of deadening the pain. That and getting drunk, but I preferred sex.” (ANI)

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Lie detector test for sex offenders

April 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Sex offenders will be made to take lie detector tests as part of their probation conditions on release from prison, the Ministry of Justice has said. Skip related content
Related photos / videos Sex offenders will be made to take lie detector tests The three-year pilot project in the East and West Midlands will aim to establish whether polygraph testing should be rolled out across the country to assist in the management of sex offenders in the community.

About 25 sex offenders have been chosen to take part in the tests, which will begin on Wednesday, and between 350 and 450 are expected to be tested over the next three years. Those who refuse risk being sent back to prison.

Professor Don Grubin, who will carry out the tests, said: “Polygraph testing of sex offenders is part of a package that is aimed at preventing new sex offences from being committed.

“Disclosures made during polygraph examinations, as well as conclusions drawn from passed or failed examinations, allow probation officers and the police to intervene to reduce risk.”

Justice Minister David Hanson said the use of “thorough systems to ensure high level vigilance of serious sexual and violent offenders on their release from prison is vital in our work protecting communities from crime”.

He said the pilot project would be used alongside other systems to manage the offenders.

Each polygraph session will take between 90 minutes and two hours and will consist of three phases.

During the pre-test interview the subject will be told the questions they are to be asked so they can make any relevant disclosures beforehand.

They will then be attached to the polygraph machine and asked the questions. The polygraph operator will interpret the responses and, in a final interview, the subject will be told the results of the test and asked to account for any failures

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Jammu police arrest two Hizbul militants

March 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Jammu, Mar 26 (ANI): Jammu police arrested two Hizbul Mujahideen militants here on Wednesday.

The arrested militants have been identified as Zaid Ahmed Dar and Ateeq Ullah Dar.

According to the police, Zaid had undergone training in guerilla warfare and other techniques in Pakistan for six years.

“The arrest of this militant is a big success. He had stayed in Pakistan with Syed Salahuddin. We are questioning him and we are confident that we will get some more disclosures during his questioning,” said Manhor Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu.

The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, led by the Pakistan-based Syed Salahuddin, is the biggest militant group fighting in Kashmir.

The arrest of these two also gains significance in the light of upcoming general elections. (ANI)

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Satyam founder Raju’s custody extended for two more days

March 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Hyderabad, Mar 21 (ANI): Satyam Computer Services founder B. Ramalinga Raju, his brother Rama Raju and ex-Chief Financial Officer Vadlamani Srinivas23. were taken into custody for two more days by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday.

The XIV Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate has granted permission to the CBI to keep the trio in custody for two more days.

The CBI has said that it wants to question the accused on new disclosures.

A seven-member CBI team, set up specially to investigate the 7,800 crore-fraud case, took the trio into their custody as per the court orders from the Chanchalguda Jail. (ANI)

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Swiss back protecting banking secrecy

March 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Swiss back protecting banking secrecy Basel, Switzerland – The overwhelming majority of Swiss citizens want to protect their country’s banking secrecy laws, a poll released Wednesday showed, in spite of international pressure for change.

The survey, conducted for the Swiss Bankers Association by M. I. S Trend, based in Lausanne, indicated a drop from the previous year, when 81 per cent of those interviewed supported bank-client confidentiality.

Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, remained entangled in a tax fraud investigation in the United States which has thrown a spotlight on the confidentiality afforded by the Alpine nation.

Last month, the bank admitted wrongdoings by employees, paid a hefty fine of 780 million dollars and transferred data on some 300 clients to the authorities in Washington.

The annual poll, which surveyed 1,004 adults and had an sampling error of 3.1 per cent, was conducted before UBS transferred the data, a move which sparked controversy and added to the uncertainty over the future of the banking secrecy laws.

The US is still demanding that the bank reveal information on 52,000 more clients, though UBS has said it would refuse to hand over additional data as it would violate Swiss law.

The banking secrecy legislation allows for disclosures in the event of tax fraud but not tax evasion, which is considered a lesser offense.

Swiss ministers have indicated they would be willing to reopen the books and conduct negotiations on the existing legislation, including on the distinction between fraud and evasion.

Some observers have raised concerns that Switzerland might find itself on blacklists as a tax haven if it did not augment its banking rules. (dpa)

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