Danes turns ever colder towards euro, poll shows

June 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 24 (Reuters) – Danish resistance to swapping Denmark’s crown currency for the euro is stronger than ever, a new opinion poll for Danske Bank (DANSKE.CO) showed on Thursday.

The “No” camp’s lead grew to 11.3 percentage points in June, Danske Bank said, adding that there was little chance of a Danish vote on the euro this side of the next general elections due to be held before the end of November 2011.

Opposition to the euro increased to 54.6 percent in June from 47.4 percent in a similar poll in March.

“This is the largest ‘No’ lead since we launched our EMU poll in 1999,” the bank said in a research note to clients.

Danes rejected the euro in a referendum in 2000, instead pegging the crown to the single European currency within a narrow band EURDKK=. The financial crisis brought a brief groundswell of support for the euro, but that has now vanished.

Looking solely at those who were certain how they would vote, the ‘No’ side had an even more solid lead.

Only 32.1 percent of Danes polled were certain they would vote “Yes”, while 47.8 percent were certain ‘No’ voters — a difference of 15.7 percentage points, Danske Bank said.

“Comparing the results against our last survey in March 2010, the most noticeable shift is in the number of certain ‘No’ voters,” it said.

Furthermore, the Danish central bank’s interest rate cuts have narrowed the official interest rate spread to the euro zone to just 5 basis points over the past year.

“This makes the cost of not being a euro member appear considerably less than it did just 1.5 years ago, when the rate spread briefly rose to 175 bps,” Danske Bank said.

It remains uncertain when Danes might vote again on adopting the euro, Danske Bank said, adding that a referendum would be no easy matter politically for the current centre-right government which favours the euro.

It said there was a big risk that a vote would go against the government, and it noted that the government’s majority in parliament depends on the support of the Danish People’s Party, which opposes the euro.

“Therefore, the government will probably not call a referendum until after the next general election, which is due to take place by November 2011,” Danske Bank said.

Another opinion poll earlier this month by TNS Gallup found that only 36.3 percent would vote for the euro in a referendum while 54.8 percent would vote against, and 8.9 percent in the survey had no opinion [ID:nLDE65F0CI]. (Reporting by John Acher, editing by Mike Peacock)

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UPDATE 1-Australia govt, Telstra agree on broadband project

June 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

CANBERRA June 20 (Reuters) – Australian phone giant Telstra Corp (TLS.AX) agreed on Sunday to help build a national broadband network worth up to $37 billion, a deal that could win votes for the government and ease uncertainty for Telstra investors.

Under the deal, Telstra agrees to convert its old copper-wire network into a superfast web of optic-fibre and then rent it out to the government’s National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) in return for A$11 billion ($9.6 billion) in long-term payments.

Australia has slower and more expensive Internet services than many rich nations, a problem viewed as a serious economic bottleneck, but Telstra had been reluctant to become involved with such a costly, political and state-planned project.

That changed last year when the government threatened to split Telstra up and force it to sell one of its crown jewels, a stake in pay-TV firm Foxtel, unless it cooperated. Since then Telstra shares have mostly underperformed the wider market.

“The war is over,” Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said in announcing the heads of agreement with Telstra.

The details of the non-binding deal have yet to be finalised but it envisages NBN Co effectively leasing Telstra’s fixed-line network. In today’s money, the long-term income stream would be worth a total A$11 billion for Telstra, the two parties said.

Telstra will not take equity in the broadband network, which still faces an uncertain future, given the conservative opposition has promised to scrap it if they defeat Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at general elections expected to be held in October.

“It is a commercial transaction which commits NBN to pay for certain prices for access to Telstra assets,” Conroy said. “There is no equity involved,” Conroy said.

PM HOPES BROADBAND PLAN WILL WIN VOTES

Rudd hopes the Telstra deal will remove the last major roadblock for the broadband network, which he promised on assuming power in 2007, and will enable him to tell voters at the next election that he is fulfilling his pledge.

Rudd’s popularity has been sliding in the run-up to the election, with opinion polls suggesting he could lose. Voters are particularly upset at his recent decision to shelve another 2007 election pledge: to set up a national carbon-reduction scheme.

For Telstra shareholders, the agreement at least eliminates a major source of uncertainty over Telstra’s share price.

By signing up to the government’s broadband network plan, Telstra can now keep its stake in Foxtel.

“This agreement reflects a commitment by all parties to reaching a mutually beneficial outcome for Telstra investors, customers, employees and the industry,” Telstra Chairman Catherine Livingstone said in a statement.

The Telstra agreement must still be vetted by the competition regulator, which will want to be sure that the government-controlled NBN Co is a neutral body that allows private operators to compete fairly over the new network.

Under the overall network plan, the government plans to invest A$26 billion over seven years to develop the network and then look to fully privatise it five years after it is launched.

Once crucial details of Sunday’s Telstra deal are hammered out in coming months, shareholder approval will also be needed.

“Should those (detailed) agreements be finalised, Telstra expects they would be put to shareholders in the first half of calendar 2011,” the company said.

(Writing by Mark Bendeich) ($1 = A$0.87)

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Opel gets more time to lobby Germany on aid

June 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – The German government has delayed a vote which was expected to rule out federal aid for General Motors’ GM.UL European unit Opel, giving Opel’s supporters a few more days to lobby Berlin to change its mind.

The German rescue fund’s four-person steering committee, which includes Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief economic advisor Jens Weidmann, pushed back a meeting scheduled for 1200 GMT on Friday to an unspecified date next week.

Calling off the meeting prolongs an 18-month long waiting game for the loss-making European brand, which first sought help from German state and federal governments in November 2008.

All parties had originally hoped a final decision would have been made by the end of May, but many deadlines have come and gone during a saga that dominated headlines ahead of general elections last September.

All signs out of Berlin recently had pointed to a decision against extending aid, increasing fears among the workforce and the four German regional states home to manufacturing plants.

Opel’s labor leaders stuck to their plan to hold a demonstration together with powerful German union leader Berthold Huber in front of the Frankfurt stock exchange on Monday to pressure Berlin to guarantee 90 percent of a 1.3 billion euro loan the carmaker applied for.

The carmaker argues that backstopping its loan would only partly help to restore an even playing field to the European auto industry, since other rivals were able to borrow outright billions from the European Investment Bank last year — something it never could, since it lacks a credit rating.

CHANCELLOR LAST HOPE

“Compared to the rescue package for Greece, there is a considerably lower likelihood that Opel would ever need to actually draw on taxpayer funds,” deputy chairman and works council boss Klaus Franz told Reuters on Friday.

Unions at Opel believe Germany would attach enough strings to its support, better ensuring job security for the 25,000 workers here than were GM to finance the turnaround plan at its European unit on its own.

Germany’s obligations to support struggling euro zone governments like Greece while at the same time mapping out its own plan for fiscal consolidation has stretched Berlin’s finances substantially, however, reducing the chance for a profitable GM to receive aid for Opel.

Economics Minister Rainer Bruederle, a liberal who eschews state intervention in general and has long argued against guaranteeing loans for Opel, said on Tuesday that a panel of business experts advising the rescue fund was “very critical” of extending support.

The state premier of Thuringia, home to Opel’s Eisenach plant and lately the most aggressive supporter of state aid, called on Merkel to intervene in favor of a guarantee.

“The chancellor is not entirely without influence,” Christine Lieberknecht told MDR state radio station.

(Additional reporting by Jan Schwartz in Hamburg; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

($1=.8205 Euro)

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UPDATE 2-Opel gets more time to lobby Germany on aid

June 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, June 4 (Reuters) – The German government has delayed a vote which was expected to rule out federal aid for General Motors’ [GM.UL] European unit Opel, giving Opel’s supporters a few more days to lobby Berlin to change its mind.

The German rescue fund’s four-person steering committee, which includes Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief economic advisor Jens Weidmann, pushed back a meeting scheduled for 1200 GMT on Friday to an unspecified date next week.

Calling off the meeting prolongs an 18-month long waiting game for the loss-making European brand, which first sought help from German state and federal governments in November 2008.

All parties had originally hoped a final decision would have been made by the end of May, but many deadlines have come and gone during a saga that dominated headlines ahead of general elections last September.

All signs out of Berlin recently had pointed to a decision against extending aid, increasing fears among the workforce and the four German regional states home to manufacturing plants.

Opel’s labour leaders stuck to their plan to hold a demonstration together with powerful German union leader Berthold Huber in front of the Frankfurt stock exchange on Monday to pressure Berlin to guarantee 90 percent of a 1.3 billion euro loan the carmaker applied for. [ID:nLDE64O0GC]

The carmaker argues that backstopping its loan would only partly help to restore an even playing field to the European auto industry, since other rivals were able to borrow outright billions from the European Investment Bank last year — something it never could, since it lacks a credit rating.

CHANCELLOR LAST HOPE

“Compared to the rescue package for Greece, there is a considerably lower likelihood that Opel would ever need to actually draw on taxpayer funds,” deputy chairman and works council boss Klaus Franz told Reuters on Friday.

Unions at Opel believe Germany would attach enough strings to its support, better ensuring job security for the 25,000 workers here than were GM to finance the turnaround plan at its European unit on its own. [ID:nLDE6490DY]

Germany’s obligations to support struggling euro zone governments like Greece while at the same time mapping out its own plan for fiscal consolidation has stretched Berlin’s finances substantially, however, reducing the chance for a profitable GM to receive aid for Opel.

Economics Minister Rainer Bruederle, a liberal who eschews state intervention in general and has long argued against guaranteeing loans for Opel, said on Tuesday that a panel of business experts advising the rescue fund was “very critical” of extending support. [ID:nLDE65019V]

The state premier of Thuringia, home to Opel’s Eisenach plant and lately the most aggressive supporter of state aid, called on Merkel to intervene in favour of a guarantee.

“The chancellor is not entirely without influence,” Christine Lieberknecht told MDR state radio station. (Additional reporting by Jan Schwartz in Hamburg; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter) ($1=.8205 Euro)

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Former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat dies

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Jaipur, May 15 (ANI): Former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat died at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital here on Saturday. He was 87.

Shekhawat was admitted to the ICU of the hospital on May 13 after he complained of uneasiness and breathing trouble.

Born on October 23, 1923, Shekhawat was the 11th Vice-President of India.

He served in that position from August 2002. He was elected for a five-year term by the electoral college following the death of Krishan Kant and resigned on July 21, 2007 after losing the presidential election to Pratibha Patil.

He served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan thrice from 1977 to 1980, 1990 to 1992, and 1993 to 1998.

He joined politics in 1952. Till 1977, the Indian National Congress won elections in majority of the states in India, but Shekhawat always posed a challenge to the Congress in Rajasthan.

In the 1967 elections, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (Shekhawat”s Party) and the Swatantra Party alliance reached a near majority but couldn”t form the government in the state. But during the Janata wave in 1977, Shekhawat secured a landslide victory, bagging 151 of 200 seats.

After the Jan Sangh split in the year 1980, Shekhawat joined the Bhartiya Janata Party as one of its founders with his supporters.

In the next elections, Shekhawat led the BJP to a win in the Rajasthan Assembly elections. It emerged as a single largest party with 96 seats.

In the 1998 elections, the Shekhawat-led government lost due to the onion price rise issue. But the BJP bounced back in the general elections in 1999, just a year after assembly polls, winning 16 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats from Rajasthan.

Shekhawat was elected Vice President of India in 2002, when he defeated Congress candidate Sushil Kumar Shinde by a margin of 149 votes out of the 750 votes polled.

In July 2007, Shekhawat fought the presidential election as an independent backed by National Democratic Alliance, but lost to United Progressive Alliance-Left backed candidate Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

Following his defeat, Shekhawat resigned July 21, 2007. (ANI)

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Gordon Brown jokes about needing PR lessons after losing Prime Ministership

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 14 (ANI): Gordon Brown, not exactly known for his delightful confab skills, revealed a latent lighter side by saying that he needed PR lessons following his poor showing at this year’s General Elections.

His remarks met with resounding applause and laughter from a gathering of students at Adam Smith College in Kirkcaldy, Brown’s Constituency.

””I was actually thinking of coming in today and applying for the course on communication skills, then I thought I might do public relations, then maybe media management, drama and performance,” the Telegraph quoted him, as saying.

Previously, a former First Minster had described the former British Prime Minister as a “dour Scot” with little charm, the paper reports.

He also thanked the students for allowing him to retain his Chancellorship of the institute.

””I may have given up one job but the job that I love in politics is to be your Member of Parliament and I hope we”ll be able to work together,’’ he said.

He also exhorted the students to be kind and compassionate, saying it wasn’t buildings but ””thousands of acts of kindness and service and compassion to each other,”” that made a vibrant community .

Brown said he wanted to help and encourage young people to get involved in community projects and to keep youngsters off the streets. (ANI)

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Myanmar poll will not carry international legitimacy: US

May 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

After holding extensive talks with Burma’s (Myanmar) military junta and pro-democracy leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi, the US has said that the upcoming general elections in that country would carry no international legitimacy.

“The upcoming elections will carry no international legitimacy. We have made that clear to Burma. As to our efforts to continue to engage, it is why Kurt Campbell went (to Burma),” Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley told reporters at his daily press briefing.

Earlier, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell held extensive talks with the military junta and pro-democracy leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi.

“In fact, on the course of his conversation with Aung San Suu Kyi, she shared her disappointment that the government was not more forthcoming, was not willing to expand political space, was not willing to have meaningful dialogue with its ethnic groups,” Crowley said.

The iconic Burmese leader, who has spent most of her time under house arrest in the past two decades, he said, also continued to support US efforts and international efforts to engage the Burmese Government.

Despite the tough posture of the US in the aftermath of Campbell’s visit to Burma, Crowley said the United States will continue with its policy of engagement with the Burmese military junta as part of its new Burma policy announced by the Secretary of State in September last year.

“Well, our engagement will continue. In what form and at what point, we’ll evaluate as we go along,” he said, adding that the isolation would has not worked in the past.

“We will continue to evaluate. We’ll continue to make clear to Burma what it should be doing. Not only in terms of how it relates to its own people, but also another message that Kurt Campbell delivered to them today was to reaffirm that we expect Burma to live up to its international obligations, including full support of UN Security Council Resolution 1874,” Crowley said.

Earlier in a statement, Campbell said we have urged Burma’s senior leadership to abide by its own commitment to fully comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1874.

Applauding the leaders of the National League for Democracy – a political party that has struggled for more than two decades to improve the lives of the Burmese people – with whom I held a lengthy meeting; Campbell said he was moved by the perseverance and the commitment Aung San Suu Kyi has shown to the cause of a more just and benevolent Burma and to the Burmese people themselves.

Campbell travelled to Nay Pyi Taw, wherein he held consultations with the Minister of Science and Technology, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Information and the Spokes Authoritative Team, the Union Election Commission, the Labor Minister, and the head of the USDA.

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Malaysia by-election campaign starts in key Borneo state

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Campaigning began on Saturday for a Malaysian by-election in a government stronghold state whose outcome could boost Prime Minister Najib Razak’s confidence to call snap national polls as early as next year.

The race for the mainly urban and ethnic Chinese parliament seat of Sibu in the timber and resource rich Borneo state of Sarawak pits a party in Najib’s National Front coalition against the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP).

The May 16 vote will not alter the balance of power but Najib’s ability to reverse the coalition’s record losses in the last general election in 2008 will require strong support in Sarawak, which provides it with 30 of its 137 seats in parliament.

Analysts say a strong government win in Sibu could embolden Najib to call for state-wide elections in Sarawak by the end of this year followed soon after by general elections, which do not have to be held until 2013.

An opposition win in Sibu would help the People’s Alliance grouping, of which the DAP is a member, remain on track as a contender to wrest federal power after a series of recent setbacks including the resignation of four of its MPs.

VOTING TREND

“Sibu will be an indicator of the voting trend in the upcoming Sarawak state election. If the opposition wins the seat by a big margin it will be a big worry for Najib going ahead,” said James Chin, a politics professor at Monash University in Kuala Lumpur.

Najib took office in April last year pledging economic and political reforms to woo lagging investment and turn back his ailing coalition from the 2008 polls losses. [ID:nSGE62T035]

The National Front, which has ruled the Southeast Asian country uninterrupted for 52 years since Independence from Britain in 1957, lost control in five of Malaysia’s 13 states and its once iron clad two-thirds control of parliament.

The uncertainties have helped dent foreign investment, with net portfolio and direct investment outflows reaching $61 billion in 2008 and 2009 according to official data.

Retention improved this year, mainly into a bond market fuelled by a Malaysian interest rate hike and the use of the ringgit as a proxy for a possible Chinese yuan revaluation, although Malaysian assets have been hit by risk aversion due to investor fears that Greece may default.

Political tensions in Malaysia are also being fueled by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s ongoing trial for sodomy that resumes next week and which he says is a political conspiracy. [ID:nSGE6430A0]

A contentious verdict in the trial that ends late August could anger his supporters and lead to a repeat of the street demonstrations that rocked the capital following Anwar’s sacking as Deputy Prime Minister in 1998, political analysts have said.

(Editing by David Fox)

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I will contest next general elections, says ‘Facebook favourite’ Musharraf

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, May 8 (ANI): Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said that he will contest the country’s next general elections even if mid-term polls are announced.

Addressing members of his newly launched party, the All-Pakistan Muslim League (APML) through a video, which was screened at one of his close associates’ Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif’s residence here, Musharraf said he still enjoys great public support in Pakistan.

The former general said he has over 200,000 followers on Facebook, who have asked him to return back to Pakistan.

Seeking people support, Musharraf said Pakistan has the ability to progress as a developed state, and if given an opportunity he could transform the fate of the country.

“If you’ll support me, InshaAllah, I won’t let you down,” The Daily Times quoted Musharraf, as saying. (ANI)

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Miliband may take over from Brown: Report

May 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 7 (IANS) With the Labour party suffering heavy electoral losses, Foreign Secretary David Miliband was set to challenge Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the party leadership, a report said Friday.

The Sun reported that Thursday night saw Miliband preparing to strike as a disaster was predicted for Labour in the Thursday general elections.

Miliband is a favourite to succeed Brown. He has received support from former prime minister Tony Blair and Business Secretary Peter Mandelson.

Miliband won from the South Shields constituency with 52 percent of the votes. Conservative candidate Karen Allen stood second while Liberal Democrat Stephen Psallidas was third.

Miliband’s allies are keen that MP Jon Cruddas becomes Miliband’s deputy in what they call a ‘dream ticket’ for the leadership.

The media report said that Miliband was urged to have a proper contest for the leadership instead of an unelected takeover like Brown when he succeeded Blair.

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Miliband may attempt to take over from Brown: Report

May 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 7 (IANS) With the Labour party prepared for electoral losses, Foreign Secretary David Miliband was closely looking at the voters’ verdict as he may challenge Gordon Brown, a media report said Friday.

The Sun reported that Thursday night saw Miliband preparing to strike as a disaster was predicted for Labour at the general elections.

He is a favourite to succeed Brown and has received support from former prime minister Tony Blair and and Business Secretary Peter Mandelson.

Miliband won from the South Shields constituency with 52 percent of the votes. Conservative candidate Karen Allen stood second while Liberal Democrat Stephen Psallidas was third.

Miliband’s allies are keen that MP Jon Cruddas becomes Miliband’s deputy in what they call a ‘dream ticket’ for the leadership.

The media report said that he was urged to have a proper contest for the leadership, instead of an unelected take over like Brown when he succeeded Blair.

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Lib Dem leader Clegg reveals ambition to be UK PM

April 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 28 (ANI): Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, has said that it has been his dream and ambition to become the Prime Minister of Britain one day, and, optimistically declared that the party can topple the ruling Labour Party in the May 6 general elections.

Clegg said that he believed the Lib-Dems have emerged as a force to reckon with at the polls.

The latest Populus poll for The Times shows the party still in second place ahead of Labour with only eight days to go.

Clegg said there has been an ideological shift where Liberalism has replaced “Labour Statism” according to The Times.

Clegg also thinks that the country is moving steadily on the road to reforms.

“Reform is now unavoidable. You can’t duck it,” says Clegg.

Although he ruled out dealing with Gordon Brown if Labour came third in the popular vote, he did not rule out working with Labour, saying that he would have a moral obligation to provide “good, stable government”.

But his hopes of striking a hard bargain with Mr Cameron are dampened by today’s Populus poll, which shows the Tories recovering strongly.

They are now back to where they were before the first TV leaders’ debate two weeks ago.

The poll puts the Tories on 36 per cent, up four points over the week; the Lib Dems are down three points at 28 per cent; and Labour is down 1 point at 27 per cent.

Two other polls — YouGov in The Sun and ComRes for ITV/The Independent — also point to a decline in Lib Dem support, but the party has held on to most of its gains since the first debate, largely at the expense of Labour. (ANI)

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Burmese Junta resigns, expected to contest polls as civilians

April 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Myannamar, April 28 (ANI):The military Junta in Myannamar, including the Prime Minister, has resigned and is expected to contest general elections to be held this year as civilians.

The Prime Minister, General Thein Sein, and twenty-two other Cabinet Ministers are reported to have given up their uniforms on Monday.

No official reason was given for this move.

Meanwhile, no date has been given for the elections, which will be the country”s first in two decades. It is expected to take place in October or November.

The elections will bring into force a new constitution in which a new national legislature will be made up of 330 elected civilians and 110 military representatives.

“They will be wearing suits rather than uniforms, but it”s just the first stage in the transition from a military dictatorship to a civilian dictatorship,” The Guardian quoted Mark Farmaner, the director of the Burma Campaign UK, a pro-democracy pressure group as saying.

Farmaner said that under the new constitution, real power would reside in a national defence and security council. Parliament would serve as no more than a rubber stamp. The head of the armed forces, General Than Shwe, would remain the most powerful figure in the country and key ministries would remain under military control.

More than 20 new parties have applied to register, but so far only five have been granted permission. Most of those given the green light are close to the ruling regime.

The main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) has said it will not participate because election laws announced in March would require the league to expel its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, for having a criminal record. (ANI)

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India, Lanka for expeditious resettlement of displaced Tamils with dignity

April 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Thimphu (Bhutan), Apr.28 (ANI): Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna met his Sri Lankan counterpart G L Peiris have called for the expeditious rehabilitation and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with dignity.

Sources said that Peiris informed Krishna that out of the 300,000 IDPs, 240,000 had been moved out of the rehabilitation camps.

Both leaders also resolved to increase the content and depth of bilateral ties and noted that there should be a sense of participation and equality among all ethnic groups.

They met on the sidelines of the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting here.

Krishna congratulated Peiris on his appointment as Sri Lanka’s new foreign minister and also for the peaceful conduct of the April 8 general elections in which the ruling UPFA registered an impressive win. (ANI)

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Malay-Indian youngsters to discuss community issues with Prime Minister

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Malaysia, Apr 27 (ANI): Malay-Indian winners of the “The Wish List of Generation 2020”

competition will share their vision directly with the Malay Prime Minister Najib Razak

on June 12 this year.

The competition has been organised by the government to give the Malaysian Government a

chance to woo for Malay-Indians who form twenty percent of the Malaysian vote-bank. The

general elections are soon to be held in the country.

“The main objective of the competition is to provide a platform for the youths from the

Indian community to voice their needs and hopes to the Prime Minister,” The Star quoted

Deputy Minister M. Thambirajah, as saying.

The government is leaving no stone unturned to appease the Malay-Indian community. Apart

from a chance to meet the PM, prizes include motorcycles and laptops. (ANI)

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Malaysia’s Makkal Sakthi party wants Tamil school nearby

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Malaysia, Apr 27 (ANI): The Malaysia Makkal Sakthi Party (MMSP) which is lead by R.S. Thanenthiran, is pushing for the construction of a Tamil school in the Serendah region.

The proposal is in line with federal government promises to the people of Hulu Selangor District.

The nearest Tamil school is in faraway Rawang, causing much inconvenience to Malay-Indian students.

“The school is urgently needed in the area and I hope it will be built as soon as possible, preferably in the next two years,” The Star quoted Than-entharan as saying.

The Barison-Nasional government lead by Prime Minister Najib Razak enjoys the support of Malay-Indians.

MMSP is working hard for the upcoming general elections. Recognising the importance of delivering on its promises to the Malay-Indian community, Thanenthiran said that the government needs to fulfil its duties with alacrity. (ANI)

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‘Hostile’ Musharraf never wanted Bhutto to return to Pak in 2007 for elections

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, Apr.24 (ANI): Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf had a confrontation with slain Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto over the telephone days before she returned to the country in 2007, Bhutto’s close friend and adviser Mark Siegel has disclosed.

According to Siegel, Musharraf had called Bhutto when she was in the United States to discuss her plans to return to the country and take part in the elections.

An agitated Musharraf advised Bhutto against returning to Pakistan, however, she made it clear that she would go ahead with her plans,a private television channel said.

“It wasn’t a very good conversation. He was very confrontational. He seems to be very hostile. He didn’t want her to return. She made it clear that she was returning and the preparations were underway for her return,” The Daily Times quoted Siegel, as saying.

Siegel also sensationally revealed that after the 2002 general elections, Musharraf had offered Bhutto a deal according to which all cases against her husband, incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari, would be dropped, and he would be released from prison, and given a ministry of his choice if she agrees to alienate herself from the country’s politics for the next 10 years.

“He (Zardari) said he won’t accept the deal under any conditions and would rather spend the rest of his life in jail,” Siegel said.

Siegel said that after the suicide attack on Bhutto on October 18, 2007 in Karachi, in which she had a narrow escape, the former prime minister had sent him an e-mail asking what to do and to whom hold accountable is something happened to her in future.

“Even though I was stunned at her death, I knew I had to continue doing what she told me to. No matter how devastated I felt, I had to go forward and that’s when I released that email to CNN,” Siegel said, but refrained from disclosing details of the mail.

He, however, said that the e-mail asked him to hold Musharraf and others responsible for any untoward incidents. In her mail, Bhutto had also talked about impending threats to her life and how she was denied proper security cover by the authorities. (ANI)

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Briefly World

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Top US envoy meets Israeli PM to start peace negotiations

Jerusalem: A top US envoy on Friday met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a bid to kick-start the stalled West Asia peace negotiations. George Mitchell met Netanyahu as sources in Jerusalem expressed high hopes on restarting “proximity” peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine despite the Israeli PM’s insistence on continuing with constructions in east Jerusalem. Mitchell reaffirmed the “unshakable bond” between Israel and the US, saying the “ties would only get stronger”, amid speculations of a growing rift between Washington and Tel Aviv.

China to monks: Go back to monasteries

Beijing: After permitting hundreds of Buddhist monks to take part in the relief operations in quake-hit Qinghai province, China has asked them to return to their monasteries, saying specialised personnel were needed for reconstruction work. China’s State Council, the governing body that administers the country, said in a statement that the monks should “return to their monasteries to ensure the high effectiveness and order of quake relief work” in the Tibetan-dominated Qinghai province, BBC reported.

Rajapaksa announces 37-member Cabinet

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday announced a 37-member cabinet and appointed one of his brothers as the Economic Development Minister, a fortnight after his Freedom Party won a near two-thirds majority in the general elections. All 37 members of the cabinet were sworn-in by Rajapaksa at at the Presidential Secretariat here, an official release said.

Belgian Bishop admits sex abuse, quits

ROME: The longest-serving Bishop in Belgium resigned on Friday after admitting to sexually abusing “a young man in my close entourage” many years ago, becoming the latest cleric to quit in a spreading abuse scandal. In a statement issued by the Vatican on Friday, Roger Vangheluwe, 73, the Bishop of Bruges since 1984, said that the abuse had occurred “when I was still a simple priest and for a while when I began as a bishop”. “This has marked the victim forever,” the statement said. The bishop said he had on several occasions asked the victim and his family to forgive him but the wound had not healed, “neither in me nor the victim”. “I am enormously sorry,” he said.

Glamour takes top honour at US magazine awards

new york: Glamour took the top honour at the National Magazine Awards on Thursday, winning in a new category called ‘Magazine of the Year’. The annual awards, given by the American Society of Magazine Editors, are considered the central awards in the industry. New York magazine led with the highest number of awards — four — followed by National Geographic and The New Yorker, with three each.

Robert Pattinson denies romancing Kristen Stewart

Los Angeles: Robert Pattinson has denied romancing his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart and insists she is a “professional partner” who makes his “every move, every sentence authentic”. The 24-year-old star has dismissed reports that he proposed to Stewart on her 20th birthday, entertainmentandshowbiz.com reported. “This engagement thing… I don’t even know where it comes from,” he said.

My kids are best behaved in the world: Jennifer Lopez

Los Angeles: Jennifer Lopez believes her two-year-old twins Max and Emme are the best behaved kids in the world. Lopez says her twins are yet to come down with a case of the terrible twos, Access Hollywood reported. “They’re some of the best behaved kids in the world. But you know, when they get to 2, they start getting willful… They just start testing the boundaries a little bit,” Lopez said.

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Sudan ruling party offers opposition govt posts

April 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

KHARTOUM, April 14 (Reuters) – Sudan’s ruling party on Wednesday said it would invite opposition groups to join the government if it won the country’s general elections, in an apparent bid to heal a rift over accusations of vote fraud.

“If we are declared winners in the elections … we would extend the invitation to all parties, even those who have not participated in the elections, to join the government because we believe this is a critical moment in our history,” senior NCP official Ghazi Salaheddin told reporters.

Sudan is four days into presidential and legislative elections designed to usher the oil-producer to democracy more than two decades after a military-led coup.

The credibility of the poll took a hit after some leading parties decided to boycott large parts of the poll, accusing incumbent President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his northern National Congress Party (NCP) of widespread rigging. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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Australia becoming ‘breeding ground’ for Tamil rebels

April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Sri Lankan government says Australia could become a breeding ground for Tamil separatism if more Tamil asylum seekers are allowed into the country.

Sri Lankan foreign affairs minister Rohitha Bogollagama says Tamil separatists have no need to leave Sri Lanka and will “spoil” Australian soil.

He says the asylum seekers could turn Australia into a breeding ground for separatism.

“This is a breeding ground if you are providing the passage through asylum-seeking avenues,” he said.

“Therefore we should discourage, and I call on the Australian Government not to recognise, the asylum seekers under any circumstances from Sri Lanka.

“I don’t want Australian soil to be once again spoiled with the type of asylum seekers who are seeking [asylum] for political purposes,” he said.

Mr Bogollagama has made the remarks as Sri Lankans prepare to go to the polls later today in the country’s general elections.

The ruling alliance is expected to win a large majority.

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