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Obama identified with Hitler, Stalin

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep.19 (ANI): Even as thousands of people packed the streets of Washington on Friday to protest against government spending, some of the agitators likened President Barack Obama to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

According to a CBS report, most of those would have called themselves “patriots” arguing that their government was betraying traditional principles.

Steve Butler, a physician from Indiana was handing out copies of the Constitution. “If you read the quotes of Thomas Jefferson, these guys were conservatives and they said that the control should be with the people and not with the big government.”

There were plenty of signs identifying Obama with Hitler, or Stalin, that questions his citizenship, that seems to celebrate the death of a famous liberal.

But perhaps what most united these protesters was a broader discontent: a sense that they are not being heard, that their interests, and the national interests, are in the hands of a few. (ANI)

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British troops far from defeating Taliban, says Brit Defence Secretary

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep.16 (ANI): British troops are a long way from winning the battle against a resilient Taliban in Afghanistan, and the conflict in the country could lead to “major shifts” in military spending, said British Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth.

“We are facing a resilient enemy which we are far from succeeding against yet,” he told an audience of defence experts at King’s College London.

“I reject the proposition we are not making progress. I also reject the proposition a reduced military presence will lead to less Taliban success,” The Telegraph quoted Ainsworth, as saying further.

A leading thinktank warned earlier that the presence of large numbers of foreign troops in Afghanistan made it harder to achieve a political settlement to the conflict.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies said western forces in Afghanistan needed a “more cunning” strategy if they were to achieve their aims.

Ainsworth said a military failure in Afghanistan would have “profound consequences for our national security” and “undermine the Nato alliance”.

He also called for an open debate about future defence policy and how money for the military should be spent before the government publishes a defence review green paper in advance of next year’s general election. (ANI)

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Women lawmakers outperform male counterparts, says study

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep.16 (ANI): A study conducted by Stanford University and the University of Chicago reaerchers has concluded that women lawmakers in Congress introduce more bills, attract more co-sponsors and bring home more money for their districts than their male counterparts do.

The study, accessed by Politico, examined the performance of House members between 1984 and 2004, and found that women delivered roughly nine percent more discretionary spending for their districts than men.

While there are obviously variables beyond gender – seniority, party affiliation, majority/minority status and the differing priorities of a freshman and a veteran lawmaker – the researchers say they’ve accounted for those in making their male-to-female comparisons.

The researchers also found that women introduced more legislation than men who served in their same districts, often hitting the ground running in their first terms.

“We find that, on average, women sponsor about three bills more per Congress per term than their male counterparts. They co-sponsor more bills than other members, and they also obtain more co-sponsors for their own bills,” said one of the researchers.

Since 1789, women have constituted just two percent of the total congressional population. The ratio of female to male representatives has increased in recent years, but the pace is still fairly glacial: Nearly 17 percent of House members are women today, compared with about 3 percent in 1979.

Researchers say the small number of female members may have something to do with their effectiveness. Women who run and win are likely the most politically ambitious and talented of their pool, having potentially overcome hurdles including voter bias and self-doubt about their ability to win.

Female candidates also tend to attract more challengers. Politically eligible women tend to doubt their ability to get elected and raise money more than men do, multiple studies have indicated.

Once women get to Capitol Hill, those hurdles may drive them to perform better, on average, than male counterparts who have faced a less contentious road. (ANI)

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US Army Nurse reveals ‘humane’ side of Saddam Hussein

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep. 11 (ANI): Saddam Hussein might be remembered as a brutal international criminal by the rest of the world; but to retired U.S. Army Nurse Robert Ellis, who spent more time with the dictator than any other American, he was a patient with a humane side.

Ellis worked as the senior American medical advisor at Baghdad’s Camp Cropper, where Hussein was held for eight months until his execution in December 2006, Fox News reports.

During this period, Hussein who went by the code name “Victor” grew close to his caregiver, who was known to him by the code name “Alice.”

The report quoted Ellis as saying that when he told Hussein that he had to return to St. Louis to see his dying brother, Hussein hugged him and said: “I will be your brother.”

Ellis’ new book, “Caring for Victor,” is a record of his time with the ruthless tyrant.

For Ellis, the mission caused serious internal conflict.

“I was always conflicted throughout the whole mission. My job was to keep these people alive and healthy so they could be interrogated,” he said.

Ellis says that by remaining “non-judgmental,” he was able to see another side of a human who was considered to be a brutal killer.

“By me spending time with him, I got to see his other side, a side that you don’t hear about. They play by a different set of rules over there,” he added. (ANI)

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Hilary Swank says there was no ‘spark’ when she first met beau John Campisi

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 8 (ANI): Hilary Swank has said that there was no initial “spark” between her and new beau John Campisi because both of them were nursing a broken heart at the time, and their romance was completely “unexpected”.

Hilary was in the process of divorcing Chad Lowe when she started working with John in May 2006.

“There was no spark. What’s interesting is, there was never anything. It wasn’t until we were well into the dissipation of our respective relationships. Going through something so difficult at the same time, we became very good friends. We became closer and closer,” Contactmusic quoted Swank as telling Britain’s Hello! Magazine.

“It was so unexpected. We both recognised that if we were going to take the relationship to the next step, we could no longer work together,” she added.

While the 35-year-old star has no intention of marrying John, 41, in the near future, she hopes to start a family with him one day.

She even enjoys spending time with his son Sam, from a previous relationship.

“Sam’s a sweetheart. I most definitely want children. It’s something I’d like to do someday. And when the timing is right I’ll hopefully know it,” she said. (ANI)

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How economic recessions affect public health

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 1 (ANI): A new study suggests that mortality rates during economic recessions in developed countries decline rather than increase.

Publihsed in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), the study also suggests that in poor countries where GDP per capita is less than 5,000 dollars, economic growth appears to improve health by increasing access to food, clean water, shelter, and basic health services.

“In terms of business cycles, mortality is procyclical, meaning it goes up with economic expansions and down with contractions, and not countercyclical (the opposite), as expected,” writes Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, from the School of Public Health, University of Washington in Seattle, USA.

The author points out that studies on wealthy countries show that greater national wealth does not equate with better health for its citizens.

“The United States, with the highest GNP per capita in the world, has a lower life expectancy than nearly all the other rich countries and a few poor ones, despite spending half of the world’s health care bill,” he states.

It also has the highest poverty levels of any wealthy country, with large health disparities and poor health outcomes.

Countries like Sweden, which have strong social safety nets and strong labour protection, see smaller changes in the health of its citizens during recessions.

Bezruchka says that studies have shown that unemployment can be bad for people’s health, yet smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and overeating decline during recessions with beneficial impacts on health.

Perhaps even more importantly, adds Bezruchka, when unemployment rates soar, people have more time for friends, family, and children.

That, according to him, results in lower mortality.

“If we recognize that economic growth may not be good for our health, then we can consider means of reining in the excess wealth… and of redistributing national resources through social spending for the common good,” concludes Dr. Bezruchka. (ANI)

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Indian prodigy boy completes PhD in physics at the age of 21

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Bangalore, Aug 28 (ANI): After creating waves by completing Bachelors’ degree at the age of 10 and Masters at 12, Tathagat Avatar Tulsi, well known as child prodigy has achieved another milestone by becoming a PhD in Physics.

He has completed his doctorate in Physics at the age of 21 from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, spending six years like anyone else.

Tulsi has the special distinction of being one of the world’s youngest scientists.

He credited his family members especially his father for helping him achieve the feat.

“Of course, there is some gift part there. I cannot ignore that because not all six-year-old boys are that sharp in Maths and have that kind of memory, which I had. So I think that there was a gift and I feel very lucky that I got proper environment in terms of my family members particularly my father. He did his best to encourage my talent,” said Tulsi.

The young Indian scientist has an invite from the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, Canada, for post- doctoral work.

But he wants to continue his research in software development for quantum computing, the super fast future of number crunching in India given a chance and proper funding.

He said that he hopes to set up his own quantum computing company someday and is working hard for it.

Tulsi got a place for himself in the Guinness Book of World Records for holding MSc in physics from Patna University, at the age of 12 years and 2 months in 1999.

A native of Bihar, he was born into a lower middle-class family on September 9, 1987. His over ambitious parents wanted him to finish studies at the very young age to break all the world records.

Apart from spending his time amid an array of computers, Tulsi likes to play badminton, snookers, billiards and loves to listen to music. (ANI)

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MJ’s doc spent 47 mins making calls after he stopped breathing

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, August 26 (ANI): Michael Jackson’s personal physician Conrad Murray has been accused of spending 47 minutes making calls to another doctor, a lawyer and a mystery associate after the singer stopped breathing.

Dr Steven Hoefflin, who treated Jackson for 25 years, alleged Murray phoned fellow medic Arnold Klein for advice on what to do as the King of Pop lay dying.

“Murray definitely called Klein because Klein taught him how to administer propofol,” the Sun quoted Hoefflin as saying.

“There were two in-state calls then one out-of-state. He was calling an attorney – he had to because Michael was dead.

“He tried to cover it up by telling everyone Michael had a weak pulse, but Michael was dead,” he added.

Hoefflin, a respected plastic surgeon, also claimed that Murray rang an attorney before informing a security guard to dial 911 and summon paramedics to Jackson’s Los Angeles home.

But a lawyer representing Murray recently denied claims that the medic left Jackson to make phone calls after giving him powerful anaesthetic Propofol.

Lawyer Ed Chernoff issued a statement seeking to clarify parts of a court affidavit unsealed in Houston, Texas.

The contents came to light as reports claimed that the Los Angeles County coroner had concluded Jackson’s death was homicide and that he had lethal levels of Propofol in his body when he died on June 25. (ANI)

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Beijing has largest number of rich people in China: Hurun Report

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 24 (ANI): A new report has revealed that Beijing has the maximum number of rich people in China.

The latest Hurun Report on China’s wealthiest people said that there are 143,000 multimillionaires and 8,800 billionaires in Beijing.

In Shanghai, there are 116,000 multimillionaires and 7,000 billionaires, reports the China Daily.

The report also sheds light on how the super-rich in Beijing want to live their lives.

In Beijing, wealthy people need to spend at least 87 million yuan on property, cars and other luxury goods in order to be regarded as one of the city’s ‘new aristocrats’, or upper class, the report said.

They have at least three dwellings of their own, including a villa, like the 400-sq-m Ziyu Shanzhuang villa costing 24 million yuan, a luxury apartment in the downtown area for work purposes, and a Siheyuan courtyard house probably in Houhai.

The report said that most of them prefer investing in arts and they are willing to spend as much as 50,000 yuan for a year on piano classes.

In their luxury homes, they also have rare porcelain and jade ware collections interspersed with works of ancient or contemporary painters.

The rich in Beijing consider Cartier as the favourite luxury brand. They keep themselves updated on the world of finance with China Business News rather than the 21st Century Business Herald.

The bulk of their expenditures are on property, furnishings and fabrics, according to the report.

“During the past several years, the complexion of the rich in China has changed in many aspects. Many of them say they want to be a sort of upper class, rather than only being rich,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, founder and publisher of the Hurun Report.

The report described the capital’s richest as people who wear haute couture and who carefully choose gifts for parents, spouses and children on special days.

They probably drive a 1 million yuan Mercedes Benz R500 limousine and are also members of Yongfoo Lite, the most popular club for Beijing’s wealthiest.

Their wives usually frequent the Lan Club with friends, wear Bulgari platinum and diamond watches and drive BMW sports cars.

Japan’s Osaka and Tokyo are the top travel destinations for spouses, and they attend musicals and the opera several times a year.

The report said that annual spending of the rich in Beijing is estimated at about 5.7 million yuan, mainly for new cars, collections and about 1 million yuan for donations.

The report also defined the upper class in five other cities including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Shenyang. (ANI)

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Blackberries can turn staff into round the clock workaholics

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, August 24 (ANI): People who use devices like Blackberries work an extra 15 hours a week because they constantly check e-mails, even after leaving for home.

This finding is based on a survey of 600 employees, which showed that such devices were turning people into workaholics by providing them with the ability to receive and send messages and work online, even when they were at home.

Pointing out that the working day was being extended to around 55 hours for many people, employment law firm Peninsula asked employers to ensure that their employees did not breach working time regulations.

“It is important for staff to spend quality time away from the office, spending time with the family, or undertaking recreational activities so that they keep a healthy work/life balance,” the Scotsman quoted Managing Director Peter Done as saying.

“Bosses should encourage staff not to work from home unless necessary. Inform staff that they should limit working from home. If they are happy to work away then ensure they agree to opt out of the maximum working week and have this signed.

Limit the extent to which employees are using their devices when they choose to do so; unrested employees will be less productive during the working day.

“The recession has forced everyone to become more productive and for those with access to work at home, this is an opportunity for them to catch up or get ahead.

Employees with smartphones are able to respond a lot quicker and also get themselves prepared for the working day ahead by checking their e-mail first thing.

“Employees should be encouraged to take appropriate rest breaks if they do choose to continue working out of hours. Having a well-rested employee with a good work/life balance is a lot more useful than a tired employee that put one too many hours in the night before,” Done added. (ANI)

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Tom Cruise arrives back in Melbourne to be with family

August 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Aug 9 (ANI): Tom Cruise, who has been away from his wife Katie Holmes and daughter Suri for over a month, has arrived back in Melbourne for an emotional reunion.

The actor, who flew out of Australia on July 7, landed at Essendon airport in a private jet at 2pm and headed straight for the Docklands studios where Holmes is shooting for ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’, reports the Herald Sun.

It was clear Cruise had deeply missed his family, spending time with them in their trailer before heading out to enjoy the sunshine.

Cruise and Holmes kept the reunion celebrations low-key, taking Suri for a trip to Flagstaff Gardens in the afternoon.

The trio turned heads as they played in the gardens and seemed unfussed about mingling with onlookers.

The family has already been to major attractions in Australia. (ANI)

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Recession sees rise in sales of belts

August 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 9 (ANI): Recession is literally making women tighten their belts, with rise in sales of the item making it the most in-demand fashion accessory.

As sales records show, more than 16 million women bought at least one belt last year. That’s equivalent to 41 per cent of the population, reports the Daily Express.

The latest figures, from market analyst Mintel, refer to online sales, and do not include the millions of women who also snapped up belts in stores.

More popular than its nearest rival, the handbag, bought by 36 per cent, sales of women’s belts grew by 8.7 per cent in 2008 to 25million pounds.

Celebrities like Cheryl Cole and Kate Moss have helped to boost purchases, as well as a growing desire to create an hour glass silhouette, say experts.

Senior fashion analyst Katrin Magnussen said that fashion accessories “are an ideal treat even to consumers being more careful about their spending.” (ANI)

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Nostalgic, internet-weary young adults heading back to old times

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, July 14 (ANI): Young adults in Australia are increasingly getting nostalgic and pining for simpler times, as they have got sick of the internet and partying.

A study of young adult culture has revealed that the 16-30 year olds have had enough of chatting with friends since a year ago, and now they want to spend more face-to-face time with loved ones.

And they increasingly prefer to do that at home rather than going out to noisy, potentially dangerous pubs and nightclubs.

The annual Urban Market Research survey compiled by youth marketing agency Lifelounge, was conducted on 1600 young adults.

It was found that those still living with their parents (about half) had noticed the global financial crisis’s impact on the family, and pared back their lifestyle in response.

The survey also showed that the youngsters were no longer intrigued by technology, as the time spent online had gone down 30 minutes a week from last year, while their consumption of newspapers increased by the same amount.

Facebook and Twitter are also still on the rise, but losing some of their cachet.

“Nostalgia and simplicity … (are) influencing the styles they’re adopting, the products they’re purchasing and their entertainment choices,” The Australian quoted Lifelounge chief executive Dion Appel as saying.

“Parents’ vinyl records are suddenly interesting and vintage clothes are de rigueur.

“And they want more connections with their friends that aren’t digital, that are tangible. They’re starting to question the authenticity of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

“They want technology to assist rather than dominate the way they communicate,” added Appel.

The study found that overall spending on music, entertainment, travel, fashion, and sport was down more than 5 billion dollars in the year to March, from 47.5bn dollars to 42.4bn dollars.

It also found declines in time spent on the Internet (down almost half an hour from last year to 8.6 hours a week) and free-to-air television viewing, down 1.3hours to 4.4hours a week.

However, young adults average another five hours a week watching DVDs and four hours on pay-TV. (ANI)

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Jessica Simpson ‘splits with Tony Romo on her b’day eve’

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 14(ANI): Pop singer Jessica Simpson and American Football star Tony Romo reportedly parted ways on the eve of her birthday.

“She loves Tony. But it’s been difficult lately,” Fox News quoted a source close to the singer as saying.

“He’s busy with his career and she’s getting ready to shoot her show ‘The Price of Beauty.’ They decided to part ways,” the source added.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys quarter back was spotted partying with a group of friends at Hollywood club ‘MyHouse’ instead of spending time with the singer on her birthday.

However, Simpson’s reps have refused to comment on the matter. (ANI)

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Palin quit because she couldn’t take the heat, says Levi Johnston

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 14 (ANI): The ex-boyfriend of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s daughter, Levi Johnston, has claimed that Palin has decided to resign because she could not take the political heat anymore.

“She’s very smart. But, I just don’t think she can handle the stress level as governor-I don’t think she can handle it as president or vice president,” the Daily News quoted Johnston, as saying.

The 19-year-old high school dropout and former fiancé of Palin’s daughter Bristol, said on the “Today” show that he wouldn’t vote for Palin if she launched a presidential bid.

“If you would have asked that question a while back, I think I would have voted for her. But after what she has done now…I’d do just about anything for her. But I really don’t think I’d vote for her if she ran for president,” Johnston said.

Johnston also said he heard the vanquished GOP vice presidential nominee saying money was a primary motive.

“We had tons of offers coming in from everybody out there and just all kinds of ridiculous things. There’s been talk about it would be nice to just take the money and run,” he said.

Earlier, Palin’s spokeswoman publicly disputed Johnston’s commentary on her reasons for resigning.

“It is interesting to learn Levi is working on a piece of fiction while honing his acting skills,” the spokeswoman said.

On the show, Johnston also recalled his stay at the Palins’ last year, saying Palin would come home “stressed out” in the weeks following the election.

“She wasn’t as outgoing. I just didn’t see the spark in her eyes about, you know, being governor anymore.She was quiet, spending time in her room, he said. “We could tell something was wrong. She was sad, she lost. I mean, who wouldn’t be,” he said. (ANI)

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‘I love you’ comes with a #163,424 price tag

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 13 (ANI): Those who say hearing the words ‘I love you’ is priceless, and can never equate with the biggest of luxuries, need to think again, for according to a recent research in a book, these invaluable words have a price tag of 163, 424 pounds.

The book, titled ‘You Are Really Rich, You Just Don’t Know It Yet’, has attempted to work out our real worth by putting a value on some of the priceless moments in life.

Authored by former ad executives Steve Henry and David Alberts, the book aims to show there are more important things than money.

“The book is about a new value system, an alternative to a purely financial system,” the Telegraph quoted Henry as saying.

He added: “Partly because, as a direct result of the credit crunch, people are exploring different ways of living, and they’re looking for something to replace money as a general criterion for value.”

Research specialist Brainjuicer carried out a study in which he asked over 1,000 people nationally what made them happy.

They were asked to rate 50 different life events and experiences and compare them with the pleasure gained from a lottery windfall.

Using a rating system a monetary value was calculated for those little things in life, which make us happy.

“We started looking at the things that make a real difference in people lives and saying there is more to life than worrying about belt tightening in a recession,” said Alberts.

“What it is doing is making us think twice about spending money and what we really want in life.

“It was interesting when doing the research that very few people mentioned money and people focused on family occasion, hanging out with friends, having a quiet time on their own, seeing grandchildren and visiting places they had never seen before as things that made a real difference in their lives,” he added.

Being in good health turned out to be the most precious possession with a value of 180,105 pounds.

And being told “I Love You” came second, and was worth 163,424 pounds.

Closely following it was being in a stable relationship priced at 154,849 pounds.

Living in the City proved to be worth much less than being in the country. (ANI)

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Brit women spend £1.1bn a month on make-up

July 13, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 13 (ANI): Despite the recession, British women are splashing out an extraordinary 1.1 billion pounds on make-up every month, according to a new poll.

The survey of more than 1,000 women by cosmetics firm Avon found that women carry an average of 57-pound-worth of cosmetics in their make-up bags, according to a new poll.

In the survey mascara was found to be the most popular item with 62 per cent of women saying it was an essential purchase, while 38 per cent considered lipstick a ‘must-have buy’.

Foundation came a close third with 37 per cent of women saying they couldn’t do without it, the survey showed.

Cary Cooper, professor of psychology and health at Lancaster University, believes that women probably spend on make-up to help cheer themselves up amid the recession

“During the recession, many people will feel low because of financial difficulties and may be worried about their job or a partner’s job,” the Telegraph quoted Cooper as saying.

“Many people buy luxuries in a time like this to make them feel better – whether that is chocolate or make-up.

“Women who feel low want to look better – they go for a haircut, have their nails done or buy new make up. It’s a common phenomenon.

“It may make them feel better at the time but it’s what psychologists call a temporary palliative – it doesn’t solve the problem but helps them to feel better in the short term,” he added.

In the survey, it was also found that women between the ages of 16 and 24 carry 69 pounds worth of make-up while 25 to 34-year-old have on average 71 pounds worth of cosmetics.

The survey showed that after this age, women’s spending on make-up drops off steadily with the over-55s carrying less than 35 pounds worth of product. (ANI)

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Government set to spend more to boost economic growth: Mukherjee

July 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, July 11 (ANI): Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said that the government would resort to more borrowings to increase ‘public expenditure’ for a higher economic growth.

The minister said this while addressing the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India here in the national capital on Saturday.

“Obviously I choose to come back to the path of our growth trajectory. And as the private investment cannot be expected to meet the full requirement in immediate time, that’s why it was decided to step up the public expenditure and it had to be depended heavily on larger borrowing, but we will manage it with the cooperation and support and competence of RBI,” Pranab Mukherjee said.

“There should not be any apprehension that private sector would be crowded out. We will meet requirements of the private sector from the market and government borrowing will be managed in such a manner that there is no deception in the market in favour of government’s borrowings,” he added.

Earlier on July 2, the finance ministry had said that growth could rise to 7 percent this year-towards the high end of the range of private forecasts-and subsequently increase to 8.5 to 9 percent if the government adopted sweeping reforms and accelerated infrastructure development.

The government had slashed factory duties and stepped up public spending to pump the economy as the growth rate tripped to 6.7 percent in 2008-09 from 9 percent or more seen in the previous three years. (ANI)

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‘India can sustain 8 to 9 per cent growth rate’

July 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

On Board special flight, July 11 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said India should be able to sustain with little bit difficulty growth rate of 8 to 9 per cent notwithstanding difficulties on the international front.

Addressing a press conference onboard after attending the G8-G5 summit at L’Aquila in Italy, Dr. Singh said, “India’s saving is 35 per cent with normal capital output 4:1. I am confident that India will come out of this crisis stronger, but it will be a difficult road to travel.”

“Our exports have suffered, capital flows from abroad have declined, and international bank lending to the developing countries have declined. Therefore, challenge for us is to sustain and revive the growth which we have built up in last five years notwithstanding the deterioration,” he added.

The Prime Minister further said: “All available indicators of 2009 points to weakening of US and European economies and therefore one can say that the global environment for development of the countries of third world has undergone on sharp deterioration.”

Earlier, Dr. Singh expressed confidence that the country can achieve eight to nine per cent growth rate in the coming two to three years and the government will be working to achieve it.

The Prime Minister emphasized that though the fiscal deficit is high, there is a need to rapidly expand economy, create jobs and resources for spending on flagship programmes on education, health, rural development and scope for expansion in infrastructure development. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

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Brit MP questions UK Govt. for spending money on Musharraf’s security

July 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 10 (ANI): A British parliamentarian of Pakistani origin has tabled a bill in the House of Lords against security being provided by Scotland Yard to former president Pervez Musharraf.

Lord Nazir Ahmed confirmed that five to six officers will accompany Musharraf wherever he goes. Quoting sources, Lord Ahmed said the detail would comprise of Scotland Yard agents.

Lord Nazir in his bill has questioned the British Government for spending money on Musharraf’s security, as there is no such practice for any other former head of state or government currently residing in the UK.

He disclosed that when Musharraf visited a music shop located at the Ilford Lane in East London and famous Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane for listening songs, six bodyguards from the Scotland Yard stood on alert outside the premises.

Lord Nazir further said only two guards are provided to former prime ministers of Great Britain while UAE rulers move without any security, then why could Musharraf not live without such arrangements.

Lord Nazir further raised the question of whether this sort of security is provided to other former heads of states, and if there is some financial contribution by the Pakistani Government in Musharraf’s case.

Lord Nazir said that while this might be a personal request by Musharraf, the question remains who will pay for the service?

He alleged that Musharraf bought flats worth of 1.4 million pounds in the UK and was keeping as many as six bodyguards. It is a question that has to be brought under the microscope.

The Dawn quoted Lord Nazir as describing the situation as “not normal” and that it “concerned him.” (ANI)

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