Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel formally embarked on a second term on Wednesday, at the head of a new coalition pledging to make Europe's biggest economy emerge stronger from the financial crisis.
Following her general election victory on September 27, a majority of German lawmakers voted for a second term for Merkel, with 323 in favour, 285 against and four abstentions.
"I accept the result and thank you for your trust," she said, as lawmakers applauded and presented her with bouquets of flowers in the main chamber of the Reichstag parliament building.
Merkel, now 55, became Germany's first female chancellor in 2005 as well as its first leader from the former communist East Germany, and its youngest.
In last month's general elections, Merkel, was able to ditch her previous partners, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), for a tie-up of her conservatives with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).
The new government has pledged to make Germany, accounting for a third of eurozone output, emerge from the global downturn in better shape than before the financial crisis sent it into its worst recession since World War II.
It has promised USD 35.6 billion dollars worth of
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The new government has pledged to make Germany, accounting for a third of eurozone output, emerge from the global downturn in better shape than before the financial crisis sent it into its worst recession since World War II.
Hedge fund execs take punches for charity in Hong Kong bout
HONG KONG: Benoit "La Tornade" Descourtieux, the second-oldest contender in Hong Kong’s third annual Hedge Fund Fight Night for charity, finds it easy to draw a link between managing money and martial arts. "As long as we do well most of the time, or even if we don’t do well but survive, we’ll be Ok," said the 46-year-old, Michael Douglas-look-alike in an interview at his 27th-floor office with a view of workers unloading cargo ships at Victoria Harbour.
Mr Descourtieux manages the Calypso Asia Fund, which bets on rising and falling stock prices and their derivatives.
His fund’s performance reflects his words. The portfolio he manages fell just 5.8% last year, data on his company Web site shows, when the global credit crisis triggered a 43% drop in the benchmark MSCI Asia-Pacific Index.
For the first eight months of the year, his fund was in step with the index’s 26.6% rise, said Mr Descourtieux. "We have no certainty of not being hit, but we know techniques and train until it’s instinctive," said Mr Descourtieux, who plans to make up for his waning athleticism with sharper mental focus and strategy that come with age.
Since June, Mr Descourtieux has been spending several hours a week amid columns of punching bags at Jab Mixed Martial Arts Studio, honing punches, footwork, and dodges with dozens of other hopefuls before the October 29 showdown at the Happy Valley Racecourse. As the 12 finalists slug it out for three, two-minute rounds in the ring, about 800 of their black-tied industry peers will sip wine, eat dinner and bid on holiday packages to raise funds for Operation Smile and Operation Breakthrough.
The most-coveted lot of the evening might be a five-course lunch for 12 prepared by Relish Kitchen in the Dragon Garden historical site where Roger Moore shot a scene from the 1974 James Bond movie, "Man With The Golden Gun," said organizer IronMonger Events.
The fight night aims to raise HK$1 million ($129,000) to repair children’s facial deformities and combat crime and juvenile delinquency in low-income and immigrant communities, said IronMonger. Tables for 12 cost between HK$18,000 and HK$50,000, and pay for training the fighters and hosting the event, said Robert Derry, IronMonger’s MD.
Aside from Descourtieux, Bruce "Almighty" French of UBS, Steve "Dynamite" Davidson from JPMorgan Chase & Co and Jesse "Happy Feet" Kavanagh of Nomura Holdings will also fight in the finals. John "Headcount Reduction" Crane of 3A Asia, a fund of funds, is the oldest fighter at 49.
Boxing and other martial arts are gaining popularity among Hong Kong’s professionals, especially in industries such as trading which thrive on risk, reward endurance and punish mistakes with brutal blows, according to Andrew Wong Kee, MD at Jab.Wong Kee says the number of Jab’s students have risen 20% since September 2008 as more professionals signed up to beat stress.
Mr Descourtieux manages the Calypso Asia Fund, which bets on rising and falling stock prices and their derivatives.
His fund’s performance reflects his words. The portfolio he manages fell just 5.8% last year, data on his company Web site shows, when the global credit crisis triggered a 43% drop in the benchmark MSCI Asia-Pacific Index.
For the first eight months of the year, his fund was in step with the index’s 26.6% rise, said Mr Descourtieux. "We have no certainty of not being hit, but we know techniques and train until it’s instinctive," said Mr Descourtieux, who plans to make up for his waning athleticism with sharper mental focus and strategy that come with age.
Since June, Mr Descourtieux has been spending several hours a week amid columns of punching bags at Jab Mixed Martial Arts Studio, honing punches, footwork, and dodges with dozens of other hopefuls before the October 29 showdown at the Happy Valley Racecourse. As the 12 finalists slug it out for three, two-minute rounds in the ring, about 800 of their black-tied industry peers will sip wine, eat dinner and bid on holiday packages to raise funds for Operation Smile and Operation Breakthrough.
The most-coveted lot of the evening might be a five-course lunch for 12 prepared by Relish Kitchen in the Dragon Garden historical site where Roger Moore shot a scene from the 1974 James Bond movie, "Man With The Golden Gun," said organizer IronMonger Events.
The fight night aims to raise HK$1 million ($129,000) to repair children’s facial deformities and combat crime and juvenile delinquency in low-income and immigrant communities, said IronMonger. Tables for 12 cost between HK$18,000 and HK$50,000, and pay for training the fighters and hosting the event, said Robert Derry, IronMonger’s MD.
Aside from Descourtieux, Bruce "Almighty" French of UBS, Steve "Dynamite" Davidson from JPMorgan Chase & Co and Jesse "Happy Feet" Kavanagh of Nomura Holdings will also fight in the finals. John "Headcount Reduction" Crane of 3A Asia, a fund of funds, is the oldest fighter at 49.
Boxing and other martial arts are gaining popularity among Hong Kong’s professionals, especially in industries such as trading which thrive on risk, reward endurance and punish mistakes with brutal blows, according to Andrew Wong Kee, MD at Jab.Wong Kee says the number of Jab’s students have risen 20% since September 2008 as more professionals signed up to beat stress.
Britain threatens to block web access in piracy fight
| WATFORD: Britain is set to push ahead with a controversial new law to clamp down on illegal file sharing that would start with a series of warning letters and could result in repeat offenders losing their internet connection. The proposals, which were set out by business secretary Peter Mandelson, have followed a high profile campaign from artists such as Lily Allen and James Blunt, and follow France’s move to ban illegal peer-to-peer sharers for up to a year. They are likely to disappoint some of the artists and executives who have campaigned for the law, however, as the government does not plan to introduce the disconnection element of the law for at least a year, once the bill has passed. Under the British proposals, the new law could be passed by April and rights holders such as music companies and internet service providers would work together for over a year to send letters to those who are uploading illegal content. The government hopes that the warning letters will prompt many to curb their activity but after that time, if the rate of illegal downloading has not significantly declined, the government could then introduce technical measures such as eventual suspension. "The British government’s view is that taking people’s work without due payment is wrong and that, as an economy based on creativity, we cannot sit back and do nothing as this happens," he told a cabinet creative industries conference. "If we reach the point of suspension for an individual, they will be informed in advance — having previously received two notifications and will have the opportunity to appeal. "But the threat for persistent individuals is, and has to be, real, or no effective deterrent to breaking the law will be in place." The debate over how to counter illegal file sharing has raged in Britain for the last 18 months, with rights holders and media groups calling on internet service providers (ISPs) to intervene. The government has released letters of support from media executives, such as Sony Music and Time Warner, music managers and artists, such as Elton John and Noel Gallagher. However, two of the largest ISPs, BT and Carphone Warehouse , have so far objected to their new role as policemen of the Web and they are likely to continue to object. |
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Chinese ship collides with Belgian cargo vessel
Beijing: A Belgian cargo vessel leaked oil into waters off northern China after a Chinese ship crashed into it at a refuelling dock, a state news agency said on Sunday.
The Belgian ship, ‘Lowlands Prosperity’, was docked late Saturday at the Caofeidian port, a steelmaking and energy base in northeastern Hebei province, near Beijing, when a Chinese oil supplying ship hit the vessel's stern, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The 290-meter-long (950-foot) Belgian vessel had planned to unload and refuel when the Chinese fuel supplier, ‘Jinyou No 1’, crashed into it and damaged its hull, causing an oil leak.
The extent of the oil leak was not immediately clear, but Xinhua cited workers as saying it was temporarily under control. The provincial maritime department dispatched workers and ships to the site but a thick fog hindered cleanup operations Sunday, Xinhua said.
The Belgian ship, ‘Lowlands Prosperity’, was docked late Saturday at the Caofeidian port, a steelmaking and energy base in northeastern Hebei province, near Beijing, when a Chinese oil supplying ship hit the vessel's stern, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The 290-meter-long (950-foot) Belgian vessel had planned to unload and refuel when the Chinese fuel supplier, ‘Jinyou No 1’, crashed into it and damaged its hull, causing an oil leak.
The extent of the oil leak was not immediately clear, but Xinhua cited workers as saying it was temporarily under control. The provincial maritime department dispatched workers and ships to the site but a thick fog hindered cleanup operations Sunday, Xinhua said.
Japan PM in no hurry on US base relocation deal
Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said on Sunday he was in no hurry to make a decision on relocating a controversial US military base in Japan before President Barack Obama's visit next month.
Speaking to Japanese media in the Thai beach resort of Hua Hin, where he was attending a summit of Asian nations, Hatoyama said: "I will make the final decision after listening to a variety of opinions.”
"I don't think I have to hurry up to make the decision before President Obama visits Japan" on November 12-13, he said, as quoted by Jiji Press.
The issue of the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Base on Okinawa has clouded Japan's security ties with its most important ally after Hatoyama's centre-left government took power in September, ending half a century of conservative rule.
His government has said it will review a 2006 agreement to move the base from a crowded urban area to a coastal area by 2014, but has also suggested the facility may be moved off Okinawa entirely.
Washington has increased pressure on Japan over the issue, with Defence Secretary Robert Gates bluntly telling Tokyo last week to "move on" quickly with the agreed plan to move the base to a coastal area.
Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said on Friday the Futenma Air Base should not be moved off Okinawa but could be merged with other US facilities on the island, possibly angering both Washington and residents.
Hatoyama said on Sunday that Okada had presented only "one option" that was still being considered.
He said moving the base off Okinawa "is not still off the table" and "we are still at the stage of reviewing options. Of course, it will take some time."
The United States, which occupied Japan after its defeat in World War II, now has 47,000 troops stationed there, more than half of them on Okinawa, the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Their presence has often caused friction with the local community, especially when American servicemen have committed crimes.
Speaking to Japanese media in the Thai beach resort of Hua Hin, where he was attending a summit of Asian nations, Hatoyama said: "I will make the final decision after listening to a variety of opinions.”
"I don't think I have to hurry up to make the decision before President Obama visits Japan" on November 12-13, he said, as quoted by Jiji Press.
The issue of the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Base on Okinawa has clouded Japan's security ties with its most important ally after Hatoyama's centre-left government took power in September, ending half a century of conservative rule.
His government has said it will review a 2006 agreement to move the base from a crowded urban area to a coastal area by 2014, but has also suggested the facility may be moved off Okinawa entirely.
Washington has increased pressure on Japan over the issue, with Defence Secretary Robert Gates bluntly telling Tokyo last week to "move on" quickly with the agreed plan to move the base to a coastal area.
Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said on Friday the Futenma Air Base should not be moved off Okinawa but could be merged with other US facilities on the island, possibly angering both Washington and residents.
Hatoyama said on Sunday that Okada had presented only "one option" that was still being considered.
He said moving the base off Okinawa "is not still off the table" and "we are still at the stage of reviewing options. Of course, it will take some time."
The United States, which occupied Japan after its defeat in World War II, now has 47,000 troops stationed there, more than half of them on Okinawa, the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Their presence has often caused friction with the local community, especially when American servicemen have committed crimes.
US Health Bill may cut employer mandate
Washington: Businesses would not be required to provide health insurance under legislation being readied for Senate debate, but large firms would owe significant penalties if any worker needed government subsidies to buy coverage on their own, according to Democratic officials familiar with talks on the bill.
For firms with more than 50 employees, the fee could be as high as $750 multiplied by the total size of the work force if only a few workers needed federal aid, these officials said. That is a more stringent penalty than in a bill that recently cleared the Senate Finance Committee, which said companies should face penalties on a per-employee basis.
These officials also said individuals would generally be required to purchase affordable insurance if it were available, and face penalties if they defied the requirement.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss the private negotiations involving key Senate Democrats and the White House. They also stressed that no final decisions have been made on the details of the measure, expected to reach the Senate floor in about two weeks.
In general, the bill taking shape in private talks led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is designed to answer President Barack Obama's call to remake the nation's health care system. It would expand coverage to millions who lack it, ban insurance industry practices such as denial of coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and slow the growth in medical spending nationally.
Like a companion measure in the House, it would create a new federally regulated marketplace, termed an exchange, where individuals and families could purchase insurance sold by private industry. Federal subsidies would be available to help those at lower incomes afford the cost.
Subsidies would also be available to smaller businesses as an incentive for them to provide insurance.
For firms with more than 50 employees, the fee could be as high as $750 multiplied by the total size of the work force if only a few workers needed federal aid, these officials said. That is a more stringent penalty than in a bill that recently cleared the Senate Finance Committee, which said companies should face penalties on a per-employee basis.
These officials also said individuals would generally be required to purchase affordable insurance if it were available, and face penalties if they defied the requirement.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss the private negotiations involving key Senate Democrats and the White House. They also stressed that no final decisions have been made on the details of the measure, expected to reach the Senate floor in about two weeks.
In general, the bill taking shape in private talks led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is designed to answer President Barack Obama's call to remake the nation's health care system. It would expand coverage to millions who lack it, ban insurance industry practices such as denial of coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and slow the growth in medical spending nationally.
Like a companion measure in the House, it would create a new federally regulated marketplace, termed an exchange, where individuals and families could purchase insurance sold by private industry. Federal subsidies would be available to help those at lower incomes afford the cost.
Subsidies would also be available to smaller businesses as an incentive for them to provide insurance.
India rebuffs China on Dalai, but wants peace on border issue
Hua Hin (Thailand): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday rebuffed Beijing over its opposition to the Dalai Lama's planned visit to Arunachal Pradesh while declaring that he and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao have agreed to maintain "peace and tranquility" along their disputed border.
In his first public comment since China came out strongly against the Tibetan spiritual leader's November trip to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, a state Beijing claims, the prime minister described the Dalai Lama as a religious leader and India's "honoured guest".
At a press conference at the end of his hectic two-day visit to Thailand, Manmohan Singh said he was not aware of the travel plans of the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959.
"I have explained this position to the Chinese leadership... I explained to Premier Wen that the Dalai Lama is our honoured guest. He is a religious leader," Manmohan Singh said.
"(But) we do not allow Tibetan refugees to indulge in political activities. As a proof of that, last year we took resolute action at the time of Olympics when there were reports that some Tibetan refugees might disrupt (the Olympic torch relay)."
Manmohan Singh's comments followed his formal delegation-level discussions with Wen Saturday morning on the sidelines of the India-ASEAN Summit. But he quickly added that the talks over the Dalai Lama took place at a dinner hosted by the Thai prime minister Saturday night.
Manmohan Singh said he had "frank and constructive exchange of views" with Wen at both the interactions Saturday - the first meeting between the two leaders since they met in New York in September last year.
"The premier and I reaffirmed the need to maintain peace and tranquility on the border pending the resolution of the boundary question. Both of us agreed that we should continue and strengthen efforts to build political trust and understanding.
"We ... agreed that existing mechanism for bilateral cooperation should be used to resolve all issues amicably in the spirit of strategic and cooperative partnership. The Chinese foreign minister will be visiting India in two days and the foreign ministers (of India and China) will have an opportunity to discuss all issues which have a bearing on our relationship.
"We both agree that the boundary question is a complex question and that pending the resolution of the boundary question we both have an obligation to maintain peace and tranquility along the border.
"One doesn't have to go to the media to accentuate or exaggerate the amount of differences that prevail."
Manmohan Singh said he raised with Wen the reported issue of a dam being built on the Chinese side of the Brahmaputra, an issue that has generated fears of water scarcity in India's northeast.
"I conveyed to him that cooperation in the area of trans-border rivers is of mutual benefit... He said that relevant discussions on trans-border river issues could be held through the expert level mechanism that we have constituted."
But the prime minister said he did not raise the issue of Arunachal Pradesh or the issue of visas to people of Jammu and Kashmir on separate papers. "Whether it is Arunachal or Jammu and Kashmir, they are integral parts of our country."
On the Commonwealth Games: Manmohan Singh admitted to some delays in the execution of projects, but said that mechanisms now in place will work effectively and visitors "will see a spectacular show" in October 2010.
On Maoism: I have stated repeatedly that the Naxalite problem has emerged as the biggest internal security threat. Both the central and state governments have an obligation to take effective steps to control the problem.
Kashmir: It is our desire to engage all sections of political opinion in Jammu and Kashmir to find practical, pragmatic solutions to the problems facing the state... I have already had two-three meetings with the Hurriyat people. They promised to come back with specific suggestions. I am still waiting for them.
Monetary policy: Monetary policy is the preserve of the Reserve Bank of India. I am satisfied that both the monetary and fiscal policies in our country are in line with our requirements.
On union minister A. Raja: It is not proper for me to join issue with a cabinet colleague in public.
Myanmar: The next year's elections should see a reconciliation of the various segments of the Myanmar society.
In his first public comment since China came out strongly against the Tibetan spiritual leader's November trip to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, a state Beijing claims, the prime minister described the Dalai Lama as a religious leader and India's "honoured guest".
At a press conference at the end of his hectic two-day visit to Thailand, Manmohan Singh said he was not aware of the travel plans of the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959.
"I have explained this position to the Chinese leadership... I explained to Premier Wen that the Dalai Lama is our honoured guest. He is a religious leader," Manmohan Singh said.
"(But) we do not allow Tibetan refugees to indulge in political activities. As a proof of that, last year we took resolute action at the time of Olympics when there were reports that some Tibetan refugees might disrupt (the Olympic torch relay)."
Manmohan Singh's comments followed his formal delegation-level discussions with Wen Saturday morning on the sidelines of the India-ASEAN Summit. But he quickly added that the talks over the Dalai Lama took place at a dinner hosted by the Thai prime minister Saturday night.
Manmohan Singh said he had "frank and constructive exchange of views" with Wen at both the interactions Saturday - the first meeting between the two leaders since they met in New York in September last year.
"The premier and I reaffirmed the need to maintain peace and tranquility on the border pending the resolution of the boundary question. Both of us agreed that we should continue and strengthen efforts to build political trust and understanding.
"We ... agreed that existing mechanism for bilateral cooperation should be used to resolve all issues amicably in the spirit of strategic and cooperative partnership. The Chinese foreign minister will be visiting India in two days and the foreign ministers (of India and China) will have an opportunity to discuss all issues which have a bearing on our relationship.
"We both agree that the boundary question is a complex question and that pending the resolution of the boundary question we both have an obligation to maintain peace and tranquility along the border.
"One doesn't have to go to the media to accentuate or exaggerate the amount of differences that prevail."
Manmohan Singh said he raised with Wen the reported issue of a dam being built on the Chinese side of the Brahmaputra, an issue that has generated fears of water scarcity in India's northeast.
"I conveyed to him that cooperation in the area of trans-border rivers is of mutual benefit... He said that relevant discussions on trans-border river issues could be held through the expert level mechanism that we have constituted."
But the prime minister said he did not raise the issue of Arunachal Pradesh or the issue of visas to people of Jammu and Kashmir on separate papers. "Whether it is Arunachal or Jammu and Kashmir, they are integral parts of our country."
On the Commonwealth Games: Manmohan Singh admitted to some delays in the execution of projects, but said that mechanisms now in place will work effectively and visitors "will see a spectacular show" in October 2010.
On Maoism: I have stated repeatedly that the Naxalite problem has emerged as the biggest internal security threat. Both the central and state governments have an obligation to take effective steps to control the problem.
Kashmir: It is our desire to engage all sections of political opinion in Jammu and Kashmir to find practical, pragmatic solutions to the problems facing the state... I have already had two-three meetings with the Hurriyat people. They promised to come back with specific suggestions. I am still waiting for them.
Monetary policy: Monetary policy is the preserve of the Reserve Bank of India. I am satisfied that both the monetary and fiscal policies in our country are in line with our requirements.
On union minister A. Raja: It is not proper for me to join issue with a cabinet colleague in public.
Myanmar: The next year's elections should see a reconciliation of the various segments of the Myanmar society.
Friday, October 23, 2009
US bank failure reaches 100; most since ‘92
Washington: The cascade of bank failures this year surpassed 100 on Friday, the most in nearly two decades. And the trouble in the banking system from bad loans and the recession goes even deeper than the number suggests.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other banks remain open even though they are as weak as many that have been shuttered. Regulators are seizing banks slowly and selectively — partly to avoid inciting panic and partly because buyers for bad banks are hard to find.
Going slow buys time. An economic recovery could save some banks that would otherwise go under. But if the recovery is slow and smaller banks' finances get even worse, it could wind up costing even more.
The bank failures, 106 in all, are the most in any year since 181 collapsed in 1992, at the end of the savings-and-loan crisis. On Friday, regulators took over three small Florida banks — Partners Bank and Hillcrest Bank Florida, both of Naples, and Flagship National Bank in Bradenton — along with American United Bank of Lawrenceville, Ga, Bank of Elmwood in Racine, Wis, Riverview Community Bank in Otsego, Minn, and First Dupage Bank in Westmont, Ill.
When a bank fails, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp swoops in, usually on a Friday afternoon. It tries to sell off the bank's assets to buyers and cover its liabilities, primarily customer deposits. It taps the insurance fund to cover the rest.
Bank failures have cost the FDIC's fund that insures deposits an estimated USD 25 billion this year and are expected to cost USD 100 billion through 2013. To replenish the fund, the agency wants banks to pay in advance USD 45 billion in premiums that would have been due over the next three years.
The FDIC won't say how deep a hole its deposit insurance fund is in. It can tap a credit line from the Treasury of up to a half-trillion dollars to cover the gap.
The list of banks in trouble is getting longer. At the end of June, the FDIC had flagged 416 as being at risk of failure, up from 305 at the end of March and 252 at the beginning of the year.
Yet the pace of actual bank failures appears to be slowing. The FDIC seized 24 banks in July, 11 in September and 11 in October.
If any bank poses an immediate danger to customers or the broader financial system, regulators close it immediately, bank supervisors said. The issue is murkier for troubled banks that might qualify to close but whose closings might still be postponed or even prevented.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other banks remain open even though they are as weak as many that have been shuttered. Regulators are seizing banks slowly and selectively — partly to avoid inciting panic and partly because buyers for bad banks are hard to find.
Going slow buys time. An economic recovery could save some banks that would otherwise go under. But if the recovery is slow and smaller banks' finances get even worse, it could wind up costing even more.
The bank failures, 106 in all, are the most in any year since 181 collapsed in 1992, at the end of the savings-and-loan crisis. On Friday, regulators took over three small Florida banks — Partners Bank and Hillcrest Bank Florida, both of Naples, and Flagship National Bank in Bradenton — along with American United Bank of Lawrenceville, Ga, Bank of Elmwood in Racine, Wis, Riverview Community Bank in Otsego, Minn, and First Dupage Bank in Westmont, Ill.
When a bank fails, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp swoops in, usually on a Friday afternoon. It tries to sell off the bank's assets to buyers and cover its liabilities, primarily customer deposits. It taps the insurance fund to cover the rest.
Bank failures have cost the FDIC's fund that insures deposits an estimated USD 25 billion this year and are expected to cost USD 100 billion through 2013. To replenish the fund, the agency wants banks to pay in advance USD 45 billion in premiums that would have been due over the next three years.
The FDIC won't say how deep a hole its deposit insurance fund is in. It can tap a credit line from the Treasury of up to a half-trillion dollars to cover the gap.
The list of banks in trouble is getting longer. At the end of June, the FDIC had flagged 416 as being at risk of failure, up from 305 at the end of March and 252 at the beginning of the year.
Yet the pace of actual bank failures appears to be slowing. The FDIC seized 24 banks in July, 11 in September and 11 in October.
If any bank poses an immediate danger to customers or the broader financial system, regulators close it immediately, bank supervisors said. The issue is murkier for troubled banks that might qualify to close but whose closings might still be postponed or even prevented.
Swedish church agrees to conduct gay weddings
Stockholm: Sweden's Lutheran Church has decided to allow gay marriages in its places of worship, five months after they became legal.
Nearly 70 percent of the 250 members of the Church of Sweden's synod voted to allow same-sex couples to marry in its congregations from November 1 and adopted a marriage rite for gay weddings, the church said in a statement.
The Church of Sweden, which was the state church until 2000, had backed the parliament's adoption of the gay marriage law, which took effect on May 1. But it deferred its synod's decision on church weddings until now.
Sweden, already a pioneer in giving same-sex couples the right to adopt children, becomes one of the first countries in the world to allow gays to marry in a major Church.
Around three in four Swedes are members of the Lutheran Church.
The country's largest gay rights group, RFSL, welcomed the protestant church's decision
"RFSL congratulates the Church of Sweden for its decision, your homosexual and bisexual members will finally be able to feel a little more welcome within society," it said in a statement.
But the group was disappointed that ministers can refuse to celebrate a gay marriage. In such cases, the Church should find another priest for the ceremony.
The country's smaller Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches said they were disappointed by the Lutherans' decision.
"It is with sadness that we learn about the decision by the synod of the Church of Sweden," Fredrik Emanuelson, a leader of the Roman Catholic Church, and Orthodox church senior official Misha Jaksic said in a joint statement.
"In our churches and communities, we will not unite homosexual couples since it is in complete contradiction with the tradition of the church and our vision of creation," they said.
Nearly 70 percent of the 250 members of the Church of Sweden's synod voted to allow same-sex couples to marry in its congregations from November 1 and adopted a marriage rite for gay weddings, the church said in a statement.
The Church of Sweden, which was the state church until 2000, had backed the parliament's adoption of the gay marriage law, which took effect on May 1. But it deferred its synod's decision on church weddings until now.
Sweden, already a pioneer in giving same-sex couples the right to adopt children, becomes one of the first countries in the world to allow gays to marry in a major Church.
Around three in four Swedes are members of the Lutheran Church.
The country's largest gay rights group, RFSL, welcomed the protestant church's decision
"RFSL congratulates the Church of Sweden for its decision, your homosexual and bisexual members will finally be able to feel a little more welcome within society," it said in a statement.
But the group was disappointed that ministers can refuse to celebrate a gay marriage. In such cases, the Church should find another priest for the ceremony.
The country's smaller Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches said they were disappointed by the Lutherans' decision.
"It is with sadness that we learn about the decision by the synod of the Church of Sweden," Fredrik Emanuelson, a leader of the Roman Catholic Church, and Orthodox church senior official Misha Jaksic said in a joint statement.
"In our churches and communities, we will not unite homosexual couples since it is in complete contradiction with the tradition of the church and our vision of creation," they said.
Swine flu spreads in Europe as global toll nears 5,000
Geneva: Swine flu is spreading faster and claiming new fatalities in Europe, health officials said today, as the global death toll from the virus rose to nearly 5,000 victims.
Since the A(H1N1) virus was uncovered in April, there have been over 4,735 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation as of a week ago, the WHO said.
Most of the fatal cases -- 3,539 -- have been recorded in North and South America, the UN health agency said in its latest update on the flu pandemic.
But with the winter flu season approaching in the northern hemisphere, swine flu deaths were reported in several European countries this week, with Dutch health officials saying the situation has reached an epidemic level.
"The spread of the A(H1N1) virus in the Netherlands accelerated this week. It is now a small epidemic," said the Dutch institute for health and the environment in a statement.
"Around 10 people infected with the virus were admitted daily to hospitals this week," it said. A 14-year-old girl became the first otherwise healthy person to die from the virus, bringing to six the number of swine flu deaths so far in the Netherlands.
In Britain, the worst hit country in Europe, new swine flu cases nearly doubled in a week, from 27,000 to 53,000, and the number of deaths now total 128, according to updated figures released this week.
New deaths from the virus were also reported in Germany, its third fatality, and for the first time in the Czech Republic. The Czech health ministry confirmed today that a 31-year old woman who had the A(H1N1) virus, and also suffered from heart problems, was the country's first fatality linked to swine flu.
Since the A(H1N1) virus was uncovered in April, there have been over 4,735 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation as of a week ago, the WHO said.
Most of the fatal cases -- 3,539 -- have been recorded in North and South America, the UN health agency said in its latest update on the flu pandemic.
But with the winter flu season approaching in the northern hemisphere, swine flu deaths were reported in several European countries this week, with Dutch health officials saying the situation has reached an epidemic level.
"The spread of the A(H1N1) virus in the Netherlands accelerated this week. It is now a small epidemic," said the Dutch institute for health and the environment in a statement.
"Around 10 people infected with the virus were admitted daily to hospitals this week," it said. A 14-year-old girl became the first otherwise healthy person to die from the virus, bringing to six the number of swine flu deaths so far in the Netherlands.
In Britain, the worst hit country in Europe, new swine flu cases nearly doubled in a week, from 27,000 to 53,000, and the number of deaths now total 128, according to updated figures released this week.
New deaths from the virus were also reported in Germany, its third fatality, and for the first time in the Czech Republic. The Czech health ministry confirmed today that a 31-year old woman who had the A(H1N1) virus, and also suffered from heart problems, was the country's first fatality linked to swine flu.
US backs Iran nuclear deal
Washington: The United States gave its backing today to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) proposals that aim to break the deadlock over Iran's nuclear efforts, the White House said.
"The United States delivered its positive response to IAEA Director General's (Mohamed) ElBaradei's proposal," said National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer in a statement.
"We look forward to Iran's reply," Hammer added.
Earlier this week, ElBaradei set a Friday deadline for France, Iran, Russia and the United States to give their formal approval to an arrangement under which Russia would further enrich Iranian low-enriched uranium on Russian soil.
Moscow was the first to give the official nod, and earlier Friday French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero agreed that the draft agreement "suits" Paris.
"We have made this known in an official manner," Valero said, adding that ElBaradei was awaiting "a clear response from Iran."
"The United States delivered its positive response to IAEA Director General's (Mohamed) ElBaradei's proposal," said National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer in a statement.
"We look forward to Iran's reply," Hammer added.
Earlier this week, ElBaradei set a Friday deadline for France, Iran, Russia and the United States to give their formal approval to an arrangement under which Russia would further enrich Iranian low-enriched uranium on Russian soil.
Moscow was the first to give the official nod, and earlier Friday French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero agreed that the draft agreement "suits" Paris.
"We have made this known in an official manner," Valero said, adding that ElBaradei was awaiting "a clear response from Iran."
'Distracted' US pilots fly plane 150 miles off course
Washington: The US National Transportation Safety Board has said it is investigating a flight that overshot its destination by 150 miles when pilots reportedly got into a "heated discussion" on airline policy.
The NTSB said the Airbus A320 became a "no radio communications" flight on Wednesday evening as it travelled at 11,300 meters from San Diego, California, prompting fears it had been hijacked.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that four military fighter jets were readied to chase down the plane before contact was re-established.
The flight was carrying 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew and was supposed to land at Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport.
But instead, the plane flew over the airport and continued to fly northeast for another 240 kilometres before air traffic control at Minneapolis airport managed to regain contact.
"According to the Federal Administration (FAA), the crew was interviewed by the FBI and airport police," the NTSB said in a statement.
"The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness," the statement added.
The NTSB said they plan to interview the crew and that the plane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are being sent to their laboratory for analysis.
Bureau Report
The NTSB said the Airbus A320 became a "no radio communications" flight on Wednesday evening as it travelled at 11,300 meters from San Diego, California, prompting fears it had been hijacked.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that four military fighter jets were readied to chase down the plane before contact was re-established.
The flight was carrying 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew and was supposed to land at Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport.
But instead, the plane flew over the airport and continued to fly northeast for another 240 kilometres before air traffic control at Minneapolis airport managed to regain contact.
"According to the Federal Administration (FAA), the crew was interviewed by the FBI and airport police," the NTSB said in a statement.
"The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness," the statement added.
The NTSB said they plan to interview the crew and that the plane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are being sent to their laboratory for analysis.
Bureau Report
Thai trial for AIDS vaccine: No real breakthrough?
Thai trial for AIDS vaccine: No real breakthrough?
The full results from an AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand, released Tuesday, showed that the vaccine's protective effect might be even weaker than researchers first admitted.
However, the complicated six-shot, two-vaccine regimen may have briefly worked better in the first year after it was given, and also may have worked better in Thais at average risk from heterosexual sex, rather than those who used drugs or men who had sex with men. Those offshoot results could open avenues for future research, scientists said.
Meanwhile, the continuing debate over whether the vaccine's slight protective effect found in the study was real or just a fluke got only more complicated.
Last month, researchers from the U.S. military and the Thai government said their three-year study of about 16,400 Thai men and women suggested that the new vaccine, known as RV144, could protect 31 percent of those getting it.
Although no one would consider licensing such a weak vaccine, the announcement made headlines around the world because no other AIDS vaccine trial in 20 years had protected anyone.
But a controversy soon emerged. Of the roughly 8,200 people who got the vaccine, only 51 became infected, while among the roughly 8,200 who received a placebo, 74 became infected. The authors of the study conceded that the difference was just barely statistically significant.
Rival researchers with whom they shared the full trial data in private soon began grumbling that it could be analyzed in other ways that made the results meaningless.
The full release of data - which took place simultaneously at a medical conference in Paris and online in the New England Journal of Medicine - showed three different analyses.
The previously released one, known as the "modified intent-to-treat" analysis and showing the vaccine to be 31 percent effective, included everyone in the trial except seven people, who researchers later realized were infected before it began. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, representing the National Institutes of Health, which oversaw the trial, described that analysis as the "gold standard."
A second, the "per protocol" analysis, included only the 12,450 subjects who got the entire vaccine series or the placebo and stayed in the trial to the end. It showed the vaccine to be only 26 percent effective, and there was also a 16 percent chance the results were due to chance. (Five percent is the usual limit in clinical trials.)
A third, the full "intent to treat," included the seven previously infected subjects and also showed the vaccine to be 26 percent effective. It had an 8 percent chance that the results were meaningless.
In an accompanying editorial, Raphael Dolin of Harvard Medical School described the vaccine as "modest" at best and "unlikely to be a public health control measure," though the results suggested further direction for research.
Different statisticians interpreted the results differently.
Philip B. Stark, a professor of statistics at the University of California, Berkeley, said he considered the full intent to treat "the most kosher analysis."
"Once you start modifying, you start introducing new opportunities for confounding the results," he added.
But Donald A. Berry, chairman of biostatistics at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, said he accepted the modified intent to treat analysis the researchers preferred, because it was the endpoint they said early on they would use.
However, in the end, he said, all three results "are really the same, so it doesn't make much of a difference."
But his overall impression, said Berry - who had no connection to the study or any of its rivals - is that the vaccine does not work. So many trials of AIDS vaccine have been conducted he said, that it is likely that even one that consisted of injections of water would, just by chance, show a weak effectiveness like this.
The full results from an AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand, released Tuesday, showed that the vaccine's protective effect might be even weaker than researchers first admitted.
However, the complicated six-shot, two-vaccine regimen may have briefly worked better in the first year after it was given, and also may have worked better in Thais at average risk from heterosexual sex, rather than those who used drugs or men who had sex with men. Those offshoot results could open avenues for future research, scientists said.
Meanwhile, the continuing debate over whether the vaccine's slight protective effect found in the study was real or just a fluke got only more complicated.
Last month, researchers from the U.S. military and the Thai government said their three-year study of about 16,400 Thai men and women suggested that the new vaccine, known as RV144, could protect 31 percent of those getting it.
Although no one would consider licensing such a weak vaccine, the announcement made headlines around the world because no other AIDS vaccine trial in 20 years had protected anyone.
But a controversy soon emerged. Of the roughly 8,200 people who got the vaccine, only 51 became infected, while among the roughly 8,200 who received a placebo, 74 became infected. The authors of the study conceded that the difference was just barely statistically significant.
Rival researchers with whom they shared the full trial data in private soon began grumbling that it could be analyzed in other ways that made the results meaningless.
The full release of data - which took place simultaneously at a medical conference in Paris and online in the New England Journal of Medicine - showed three different analyses.
The previously released one, known as the "modified intent-to-treat" analysis and showing the vaccine to be 31 percent effective, included everyone in the trial except seven people, who researchers later realized were infected before it began. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, representing the National Institutes of Health, which oversaw the trial, described that analysis as the "gold standard."
A second, the "per protocol" analysis, included only the 12,450 subjects who got the entire vaccine series or the placebo and stayed in the trial to the end. It showed the vaccine to be only 26 percent effective, and there was also a 16 percent chance the results were due to chance. (Five percent is the usual limit in clinical trials.)
A third, the full "intent to treat," included the seven previously infected subjects and also showed the vaccine to be 26 percent effective. It had an 8 percent chance that the results were meaningless.
In an accompanying editorial, Raphael Dolin of Harvard Medical School described the vaccine as "modest" at best and "unlikely to be a public health control measure," though the results suggested further direction for research.
Different statisticians interpreted the results differently.
Philip B. Stark, a professor of statistics at the University of California, Berkeley, said he considered the full intent to treat "the most kosher analysis."
"Once you start modifying, you start introducing new opportunities for confounding the results," he added.
But Donald A. Berry, chairman of biostatistics at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, said he accepted the modified intent to treat analysis the researchers preferred, because it was the endpoint they said early on they would use.
However, in the end, he said, all three results "are really the same, so it doesn't make much of a difference."
But his overall impression, said Berry - who had no connection to the study or any of its rivals - is that the vaccine does not work. So many trials of AIDS vaccine have been conducted he said, that it is likely that even one that consisted of injections of water would, just by chance, show a weak effectiveness like this.
Recent terror strikes no threat to Pak nuke arsenal: Clinton
The recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan including its army headquarters do not pose a threat to the country's nuclear arsenal, even though the United States remains watchful about it, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today.
"We don't think that those attacks pose a threat to the nuclear command and control or access," Clinton replied at the US Institute of Peace on a question about threat to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal in view of the recent attacks on the its army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
"But we have certainly... made our views known and asked a lot of questions and are supporting the Pakistani government in their courageous efforts against these extremists," Clinton said.
Noting that the Obama administration is concerned about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation through the A Q Khan network, Clinton said these are part of every engagement that the US has with Pakistan.
"We have been reassured about the security of the nuclear-weapons stockpiles and facilities," she said.
"But it is obviously a matter that we are watching very closely for reasons ...first, the continuing threat of proliferation... of course, the militant attack that we saw last week and the continuing organised attacks on government targets, including the military itself and the intelligence services, by Taliban, Al-Qaeda and related extremists," Clinton said.
Clinton said US plans to be aggressive with the Pakistan media.
"I think we have as a government not done a very good job in responding to what you rightly call propaganda, misinformation, even in some instances disinformation about our motivations and our actions in Pakistan," Clinton said.
Clinton said that Judith McHale, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, is undertaking a very thorough analysis of what better can be done.
"We're going to be much more aggressive in interacting with the Pakistani media," Clinton said.
Noting that it is unfortunate that there is a lot of mistrust that has built up with respect to the US, Clinton said, "I think we saw that in some of the reaction on the Kerry-Lugar legislation, which we would been working on and consulting with the government of Pakistan for months.
"The passage of Kerry-Lugar bill was as a great milestone in US-Pak relationship, and Obama administration was very concerned when the reaction to it was so volatile and negative.
"We don't think that those attacks pose a threat to the nuclear command and control or access," Clinton replied at the US Institute of Peace on a question about threat to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal in view of the recent attacks on the its army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
"But we have certainly... made our views known and asked a lot of questions and are supporting the Pakistani government in their courageous efforts against these extremists," Clinton said.
Noting that the Obama administration is concerned about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation through the A Q Khan network, Clinton said these are part of every engagement that the US has with Pakistan.
"We have been reassured about the security of the nuclear-weapons stockpiles and facilities," she said.
"But it is obviously a matter that we are watching very closely for reasons ...first, the continuing threat of proliferation... of course, the militant attack that we saw last week and the continuing organised attacks on government targets, including the military itself and the intelligence services, by Taliban, Al-Qaeda and related extremists," Clinton said.
Clinton said US plans to be aggressive with the Pakistan media.
"I think we have as a government not done a very good job in responding to what you rightly call propaganda, misinformation, even in some instances disinformation about our motivations and our actions in Pakistan," Clinton said.
Clinton said that Judith McHale, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, is undertaking a very thorough analysis of what better can be done.
"We're going to be much more aggressive in interacting with the Pakistani media," Clinton said.
Noting that it is unfortunate that there is a lot of mistrust that has built up with respect to the US, Clinton said, "I think we saw that in some of the reaction on the Kerry-Lugar legislation, which we would been working on and consulting with the government of Pakistan for months.
"The passage of Kerry-Lugar bill was as a great milestone in US-Pak relationship, and Obama administration was very concerned when the reaction to it was so volatile and negative.
US asks Sri Lanka to probe war crime charges
The US has asked the Sri Lankan government to thoroughly investigate charges of war crimes in the final months of its long war with Tamil Tiger rebels and bring those responsible to justice.
Listing what were termed credible allegations of abuses by both sides in the conflict, a State Department report issued on Thursday said if the Sri Lankan government really is interested in post-war reconciliation, it should investigate alleged abuses.
The US has been urging Sri Lankan authorities to open up the northern region to international organisations, and to conduct a thorough investigation of the charges, State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters on Thursday.
"We call on them to develop the kind of mechanisms that can more thoroughly investigate these many allegations which are laid out in this report, and then ultimately - as appropriate - bring to justice those who are found guilty."
"The government of Sri Lanka has said that they are determined to establish a reconciliation process with the people of the north. But we believe strongly that a very important part of any reconciliation process is accountability," he said.
The report, mandated by Congress, catalogues alleged war crimes in the bitter fighting on the northern tip of Sri Lanka early this year. Among other things, it cited accounts of the Tamil Tigers recruiting children as combatants and using civilians as human shields.
It also listed reports of government forces shelling nominal safe-haven areas for Tamil civilians, killing rebels trying to surrender, and allowing dismal humanitarian conditions to prevail in displaced-person camps.
The State Department said it could not verify all the reports from diplomats, non-governmental groups and media organisations but said they are credible.
It also said the US recognizes a government's right to defend itself from attacks by terrorist groups, but that it expects both state and non-state actors to comply with international legal obligations.
The Tamil Tigers, long classified by the US as a terrorist group, waged a 26-year war for an ethnic-Tamil state in the northern part of the mostly-Sinhalese country before its defeat and final surrender in May.
Listing what were termed credible allegations of abuses by both sides in the conflict, a State Department report issued on Thursday said if the Sri Lankan government really is interested in post-war reconciliation, it should investigate alleged abuses.
The US has been urging Sri Lankan authorities to open up the northern region to international organisations, and to conduct a thorough investigation of the charges, State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters on Thursday.
"We call on them to develop the kind of mechanisms that can more thoroughly investigate these many allegations which are laid out in this report, and then ultimately - as appropriate - bring to justice those who are found guilty."
"The government of Sri Lanka has said that they are determined to establish a reconciliation process with the people of the north. But we believe strongly that a very important part of any reconciliation process is accountability," he said.
The report, mandated by Congress, catalogues alleged war crimes in the bitter fighting on the northern tip of Sri Lanka early this year. Among other things, it cited accounts of the Tamil Tigers recruiting children as combatants and using civilians as human shields.
It also listed reports of government forces shelling nominal safe-haven areas for Tamil civilians, killing rebels trying to surrender, and allowing dismal humanitarian conditions to prevail in displaced-person camps.
The State Department said it could not verify all the reports from diplomats, non-governmental groups and media organisations but said they are credible.
It also said the US recognizes a government's right to defend itself from attacks by terrorist groups, but that it expects both state and non-state actors to comply with international legal obligations.
The Tamil Tigers, long classified by the US as a terrorist group, waged a 26-year war for an ethnic-Tamil state in the northern part of the mostly-Sinhalese country before its defeat and final surrender in May.
Protesters break into BBC headquarters
Protesters break into BBC headquarters
Anti-fascist protesters broke into the BBC's west London headquarters on Thursday, ahead of a white-supremacist party leader's appearance on a leading political debate show.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the BBC Television Center in an increasingly rowdy rally against British National Party chief Nick Griffin, who is due to appear on the broadcaster's Question Time program. At one point about 25 people breached a police cordon and ran into the center's lobby.
A BBC footage showed some being pulled across the floor by their arms and legs by security.
The BBC later said that Griffin had managed to make it into the building, where he was scheduled to be a panelist on Question Time - a first for the far-right party.
Many politicians have condemned the invitation to Griffin, but the BBC says that as a publicly funded broadcaster it must cover all political parties that have a national presence. Justice Secretary Jack Straw, a senior member of the governing Labour Party Cabinet, is due to appear alongside Griffin.
The whites-only BNP opposes immigration and claims to fight for "indigenous" Britons. Griffin has a conviction for racial hatred and has denied the Holocaust in the past.
The party has tried to shed its thuggish image and enter the political mainstream. Earlier this year it won two European Union parliament seats, gaining 6 percent of British votes in European polls. It has no seats in the British Parliament.
The invitation to appear in front of several million TV viewers has divided Britain, but delighted the BNP, which is counting down the seconds until the broadcast on its website.
Anti-fascist protesters broke into the BBC's west London headquarters on Thursday, ahead of a white-supremacist party leader's appearance on a leading political debate show.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the BBC Television Center in an increasingly rowdy rally against British National Party chief Nick Griffin, who is due to appear on the broadcaster's Question Time program. At one point about 25 people breached a police cordon and ran into the center's lobby.
A BBC footage showed some being pulled across the floor by their arms and legs by security.
The BBC later said that Griffin had managed to make it into the building, where he was scheduled to be a panelist on Question Time - a first for the far-right party.
Many politicians have condemned the invitation to Griffin, but the BBC says that as a publicly funded broadcaster it must cover all political parties that have a national presence. Justice Secretary Jack Straw, a senior member of the governing Labour Party Cabinet, is due to appear alongside Griffin.
The whites-only BNP opposes immigration and claims to fight for "indigenous" Britons. Griffin has a conviction for racial hatred and has denied the Holocaust in the past.
The party has tried to shed its thuggish image and enter the political mainstream. Earlier this year it won two European Union parliament seats, gaining 6 percent of British votes in European polls. It has no seats in the British Parliament.
The invitation to appear in front of several million TV viewers has divided Britain, but delighted the BNP, which is counting down the seconds until the broadcast on its website.
Somali pirates hijack carrier with 24 Indian crew
Somali pirates hijack carrier with 24 Indian crew
Pirates on Thursday hijacked a Panamanian-flagged carrier in waters off Somalia, taking 26 crew hostage, 24 of them Indian, a NATO spokeswoman said.
"The MV Al Khaliq, a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier, has been hijacked early this morning off Somalia," said a spokeswoman for NATO's anti-piracy mission in London.
"There were 26 crew on board, 24 of whom are Indian and two Burmese."
A second carrier, the Italian-flagged Jolly Rosso, also came under fire from pirates north of the Seychelles, she said.
The ship was travelling from Novorossiysk port, Russia to Mombasa, Kenya and was loaded with 35,000 tons of wheat.
Three pirates ships launched attack between Seychelles and Mombasa.
First a Italian ship was attacked with rocket launchers and grenades, but they managed to escape then MV Al Khaliq was attacked and hijacked.
Last contact with crew was made at 11 IST this morning.
There are reports that the hijacked ship is headed to an unknown Somali Port. (With NDTV inputs)
Pirates on Thursday hijacked a Panamanian-flagged carrier in waters off Somalia, taking 26 crew hostage, 24 of them Indian, a NATO spokeswoman said.
"The MV Al Khaliq, a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier, has been hijacked early this morning off Somalia," said a spokeswoman for NATO's anti-piracy mission in London.
"There were 26 crew on board, 24 of whom are Indian and two Burmese."
A second carrier, the Italian-flagged Jolly Rosso, also came under fire from pirates north of the Seychelles, she said.
The ship was travelling from Novorossiysk port, Russia to Mombasa, Kenya and was loaded with 35,000 tons of wheat.
Three pirates ships launched attack between Seychelles and Mombasa.
First a Italian ship was attacked with rocket launchers and grenades, but they managed to escape then MV Al Khaliq was attacked and hijacked.
Last contact with crew was made at 11 IST this morning.
There are reports that the hijacked ship is headed to an unknown Somali Port. (With NDTV inputs)
Her tips led to Raj Rajaratnam's arrest
Her tips led to Raj Rajaratnam's arrest
Roomy Khan, the central witness who brought down the Galleon hedge fund, is a former Galleon employee with a history of financial trouble who agreed to cooperate with prosecutors after she was caught making trades using inside information.
Khan, previously identified only as "Tipper A" or a cooperating witness, provided much of the evidence that prosecutors are using to bring insider trading charges against the billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, who is shutting down his Galleon fund in the wake of the charges.
She taped conversations with him and told prosecutors that she had provided inside information about Google and other stocks. She has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and securities fraud and is working with law enforcement in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence, according to the criminal complaint.
Khan, who was identified by a person close to the case, has a legal past that may present a hurdle for federal prosecutors. In a lawsuit settled last month, a housekeeper for Khan and her husband, Sakhawat, said they had violated minimum-wage laws by paying her about $250 a week for 80 to 90 hours of work. The lawsuit was settled after a judge said the Khans had fabricated evidence.
The Khans were also sued in 2005 in New York by Deutsche Bank for failing to repay a large promissory note, though all the details are not listed in the court documents.
In a letter released on Wednesday, Rajaratnam wrote that he was innocent and would fight the charges. He added that he expected to return the $2.5 billion he now manages for outside investors by the end of the year. But he said he hoped to sell Galleon as a single unit so that his employees would not have to find new jobs individually.
Because most of Galleon's holdings are in heavily traded companies, unwinding the fund should cause no disruption to stock markets, a person close to Galleon said.
Little public information about Roomy Khan is available. On a 2004 federal campaign donation form, she listed her occupation as stock trader. Until earlier this year, she and her husband lived in a 9,000-square-foot mansion with an assessed value of $13 million in Atherton, Calif, a Silicon Valley suburb of expansive estates. They moved out several months ago, according to neighbors, and the house was sold.
Sakhawat Khan did not return phone calls or respond to an e-mail message, and Roomy Khan did not respond to e-mail messages. A lawyer who represented them in the civil lawsuit filed by the housekeeper said he could not comment.
Cooperating witness
A spokesman for the US attorney's office in Manhattan would not comment on Roomy Khan's involvement.
In the criminal complaint against Rajaratnam and two other defendants, Khan is listed as "CW," or "cooperating witness." In a related Securities and Exchange Commission complaint, she is listed as Tipper A. According to the SEC complaint, she worked for Galleon in the late 1990s. In late 2005, she approached Rajaratnam, saying she had financial difficulties and wanted to return to Galleon.
He did not rehire her, but over the next two years she provided him with tips about Google, Hilton Hotels and Polycom, which he used to make $13 million in profits, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint does not say she received any payment or anything of value in return for the tips. She made about $1.5 million on improper trades in the same stocks in 2006 and 2007, according to a civil complaint filed by the SEC.
In November 2007, Khan began to cooperate with the FBI, according to the complaint. She taped four phone calls with Rajaratnam and provided evidence against him. She agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and securities fraud and cooperated "in the hope of receiving a reduced sentence," the complaint said.
But as the investigation progressed, Khan and her husband faced another legal problem, a civil lawsuit filed by Vilma Serralta, who worked as their housekeeper in Atherton from 2002 to 2006. Serralta claimed she had been paid about $250 a week for 80 to 90 hours of work, violating labour laws.
Khan and her husband denied the allegations and in March 2009 produced a work schedule they claimed had been signed by Serralta in 2002, when she started to work for them.
But lawyers for Serralta said the document had been fabricated and Serralta's signature forged. On August 28, District Judge Claudia Wilken said she would "give the jury a strongly worded instruction about the fabrication of evidence."
Less than a month later, just before the case was set for trial, the Khans settled the case with Serralta. Christopher Ho, senior staff attorney at Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center, which represented Serralta, said he could not disclose the specific terms of the settlement but that they were favorable to Serralta.
The Khans and their business, Digital Age Capital Ltd., received a summons from Deutsche Bank Securities in 2005 in connection with what appeared to have been a default in an earlier settlement. Though the details are not in the public court filings, the Khans were supposed to pay $788,850. According to a court filing in June 2006, they agreed to pay a total of $803,850, including interest and lawyer fees, to settle the matter.
Roomy Khan, the central witness who brought down the Galleon hedge fund, is a former Galleon employee with a history of financial trouble who agreed to cooperate with prosecutors after she was caught making trades using inside information.
Khan, previously identified only as "Tipper A" or a cooperating witness, provided much of the evidence that prosecutors are using to bring insider trading charges against the billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, who is shutting down his Galleon fund in the wake of the charges.
She taped conversations with him and told prosecutors that she had provided inside information about Google and other stocks. She has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and securities fraud and is working with law enforcement in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence, according to the criminal complaint.
Khan, who was identified by a person close to the case, has a legal past that may present a hurdle for federal prosecutors. In a lawsuit settled last month, a housekeeper for Khan and her husband, Sakhawat, said they had violated minimum-wage laws by paying her about $250 a week for 80 to 90 hours of work. The lawsuit was settled after a judge said the Khans had fabricated evidence.
The Khans were also sued in 2005 in New York by Deutsche Bank for failing to repay a large promissory note, though all the details are not listed in the court documents.
In a letter released on Wednesday, Rajaratnam wrote that he was innocent and would fight the charges. He added that he expected to return the $2.5 billion he now manages for outside investors by the end of the year. But he said he hoped to sell Galleon as a single unit so that his employees would not have to find new jobs individually.
Because most of Galleon's holdings are in heavily traded companies, unwinding the fund should cause no disruption to stock markets, a person close to Galleon said.
Little public information about Roomy Khan is available. On a 2004 federal campaign donation form, she listed her occupation as stock trader. Until earlier this year, she and her husband lived in a 9,000-square-foot mansion with an assessed value of $13 million in Atherton, Calif, a Silicon Valley suburb of expansive estates. They moved out several months ago, according to neighbors, and the house was sold.
Sakhawat Khan did not return phone calls or respond to an e-mail message, and Roomy Khan did not respond to e-mail messages. A lawyer who represented them in the civil lawsuit filed by the housekeeper said he could not comment.
Cooperating witness
A spokesman for the US attorney's office in Manhattan would not comment on Roomy Khan's involvement.
In the criminal complaint against Rajaratnam and two other defendants, Khan is listed as "CW," or "cooperating witness." In a related Securities and Exchange Commission complaint, she is listed as Tipper A. According to the SEC complaint, she worked for Galleon in the late 1990s. In late 2005, she approached Rajaratnam, saying she had financial difficulties and wanted to return to Galleon.
He did not rehire her, but over the next two years she provided him with tips about Google, Hilton Hotels and Polycom, which he used to make $13 million in profits, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint does not say she received any payment or anything of value in return for the tips. She made about $1.5 million on improper trades in the same stocks in 2006 and 2007, according to a civil complaint filed by the SEC.
In November 2007, Khan began to cooperate with the FBI, according to the complaint. She taped four phone calls with Rajaratnam and provided evidence against him. She agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and securities fraud and cooperated "in the hope of receiving a reduced sentence," the complaint said.
But as the investigation progressed, Khan and her husband faced another legal problem, a civil lawsuit filed by Vilma Serralta, who worked as their housekeeper in Atherton from 2002 to 2006. Serralta claimed she had been paid about $250 a week for 80 to 90 hours of work, violating labour laws.
Khan and her husband denied the allegations and in March 2009 produced a work schedule they claimed had been signed by Serralta in 2002, when she started to work for them.
But lawyers for Serralta said the document had been fabricated and Serralta's signature forged. On August 28, District Judge Claudia Wilken said she would "give the jury a strongly worded instruction about the fabrication of evidence."
Less than a month later, just before the case was set for trial, the Khans settled the case with Serralta. Christopher Ho, senior staff attorney at Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center, which represented Serralta, said he could not disclose the specific terms of the settlement but that they were favorable to Serralta.
The Khans and their business, Digital Age Capital Ltd., received a summons from Deutsche Bank Securities in 2005 in connection with what appeared to have been a default in an earlier settlement. Though the details are not in the public court filings, the Khans were supposed to pay $788,850. According to a court filing in June 2006, they agreed to pay a total of $803,850, including interest and lawyer fees, to settle the matter.
Nepal to use lesbians, gays to boost tourism sector
Nepal to use lesbians, gays to boost tourism sector
Nepal is set to use lesbians and gays to boost its tourism sector, which has been adversely impacted after the country went through a devastating decade-long Maoists' insurgency and political instability.
Almost three years after the Supreme Court gave legal sanction to gay rights in Nepal, the government to set to host "one of the most extravagant groups of tourists in the world" the sexual minorities consisting of lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and transgenders (LGBTs).
Nepal government has held a series of meetings with well-known international tour operators and non-profit organisations to promote Nepal as a potential destination for LGBTs, the Kantipur online said on Thursday.
Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) officials hope that LGBT arrivals will give a boost to the number of visitors to the country as the government mulls new way to bring in a million foreign tourists in the Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
"Some international companies want to work in tandem with the government and attract LGBTs. We will develop strategies for the same. The beginning is encouraging," said an NTB official.
As part of the first promotional activity, Nepal will host a historic international conference in February, which is expected to bring together the worlds top tour operators, airlines and agencies selling adventure tourism to Kathmandu to explore opportunities for gay tourism in Nepal, the report said.
Nepal is set to use lesbians and gays to boost its tourism sector, which has been adversely impacted after the country went through a devastating decade-long Maoists' insurgency and political instability.
Almost three years after the Supreme Court gave legal sanction to gay rights in Nepal, the government to set to host "one of the most extravagant groups of tourists in the world" the sexual minorities consisting of lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and transgenders (LGBTs).
Nepal government has held a series of meetings with well-known international tour operators and non-profit organisations to promote Nepal as a potential destination for LGBTs, the Kantipur online said on Thursday.
Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) officials hope that LGBT arrivals will give a boost to the number of visitors to the country as the government mulls new way to bring in a million foreign tourists in the Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
"Some international companies want to work in tandem with the government and attract LGBTs. We will develop strategies for the same. The beginning is encouraging," said an NTB official.
As part of the first promotional activity, Nepal will host a historic international conference in February, which is expected to bring together the worlds top tour operators, airlines and agencies selling adventure tourism to Kathmandu to explore opportunities for gay tourism in Nepal, the report said.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
It’s only IIT for physics champ Vinit
Mumbai Vinit Atal, the lone student to be selected in 10 years from Pune for the International Physics Olympiad, has also secured the highest score in All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) in Maharashtra. The results were declared on Saturday.
Although he got an all-India rank of 7 by scoring 403 out of 432 marks in AIEEE, Vinit says he would prefer joining IIT Powai to pursue computer science or mechanical engineering.
He was ranked 90 in IIT JEE and will attend his admission counselling on June 12. Vinit is a resident of Kothrud.
He is a student of Garware College.
“My focus was on IIT JEE AIEEE was a stand-by,” Vinit, who will participate in the International Physics Olympiad in Mexico in July, said.
Sagar Chordia, another student who appeared for AIEEE, IIT JEE and BITSAT and got the 16th rank in AIEEE also prefers the IIT.
“Around 120 students from Pune have made it to the state’s top 600, securing their place in National Institutes of Technology (NIT). Pune students usually prefer joining NITs at Nagpur, Bhopal, Trichur and Calicut,” said Durgesh Mangeshkar of IIT Prashikhshan Kendra that also trains students for AIEEE.
Date with AIEEE
June 20 to June 24: Registration, filling up choices and indicative allotment
June 25 to June 28: filling up choices and locking option
June 30: first round of seat allotment
JULY 7: second round of seat allotment
JULY 13: third round of seat allotment
JULY 19: fourth round of seat allotment
Although he got an all-India rank of 7 by scoring 403 out of 432 marks in AIEEE, Vinit says he would prefer joining IIT Powai to pursue computer science or mechanical engineering.
He was ranked 90 in IIT JEE and will attend his admission counselling on June 12. Vinit is a resident of Kothrud.
He is a student of Garware College.
“My focus was on IIT JEE AIEEE was a stand-by,” Vinit, who will participate in the International Physics Olympiad in Mexico in July, said.
Sagar Chordia, another student who appeared for AIEEE, IIT JEE and BITSAT and got the 16th rank in AIEEE also prefers the IIT.
“Around 120 students from Pune have made it to the state’s top 600, securing their place in National Institutes of Technology (NIT). Pune students usually prefer joining NITs at Nagpur, Bhopal, Trichur and Calicut,” said Durgesh Mangeshkar of IIT Prashikhshan Kendra that also trains students for AIEEE.
Date with AIEEE
June 20 to June 24: Registration, filling up choices and indicative allotment
June 25 to June 28: filling up choices and locking option
June 30: first round of seat allotment
JULY 7: second round of seat allotment
JULY 13: third round of seat allotment
JULY 19: fourth round of seat allotment
Vista a blow to Microsoft reputation: Ballmer
London Ahead of the launch of its new operating system Windows 7, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has said that the company's reputation never recovered from the poor performance of Vista.
Ballmer said Microsoft's reputation took a beating after the release of Vista in 2007, an operating system which caused computers to hang indefinitely, among many other technical glitches.
"We got some uneven reception when [Vista] first launched in large part because we made some design decisions to improve security at the expense of compatibility. I don't think from a word-of-mouth perspective we ever recovered from that," Ballmer was qouted by the Daily Telegarph.
He said there is "pent up demand" for new equipment, tacitly accepting that Vista did not sell well.
"I'd be hopeful that we see a bit more rapid pick-up - particularly people who are upgrading the software without touching the hardware - than maybe we have in years past."
With Microsoft launching its latest operating system Windows 7 on October 22, Ballmer said the economic slowdown has hit sales of PCs which will in turn impact its sale. Microsoft is likely to buy around 15 companies this year, in line with previous years, Ballmer told the newspaper.
Asked whether Microsoft would buy Twitter, he said the micro-blogging site does not "want to be bought".
"You'll continue to see us work hard and invest in the marketing and the like, and of course we're trying to get the ahoo deal through regulatory," he said.
Ballmer said Microsoft's reputation took a beating after the release of Vista in 2007, an operating system which caused computers to hang indefinitely, among many other technical glitches.
"We got some uneven reception when [Vista] first launched in large part because we made some design decisions to improve security at the expense of compatibility. I don't think from a word-of-mouth perspective we ever recovered from that," Ballmer was qouted by the Daily Telegarph.
He said there is "pent up demand" for new equipment, tacitly accepting that Vista did not sell well.
"I'd be hopeful that we see a bit more rapid pick-up - particularly people who are upgrading the software without touching the hardware - than maybe we have in years past."
With Microsoft launching its latest operating system Windows 7 on October 22, Ballmer said the economic slowdown has hit sales of PCs which will in turn impact its sale. Microsoft is likely to buy around 15 companies this year, in line with previous years, Ballmer told the newspaper.
Asked whether Microsoft would buy Twitter, he said the micro-blogging site does not "want to be bought".
"You'll continue to see us work hard and invest in the marketing and the like, and of course we're trying to get the ahoo deal through regulatory," he said.
'Indo-China border is one of the most peaceful and tranquil'
Bangalore Reacting to reports that Indian wrestlers had attacked a group of youths after they were racially abused in Australia, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna has said students should not take the law in their hands.
Talking to reporters in Bangalore on Monday, Krishna said although self-defence was fundamental in nature, students should not take the law in their hands.
"I don't recommend that students should take law into their own hands. I think the incidents of attack on Indian students are tapering of. There are here and there some reported incidents," he added.
According to reports, Indian spectators leaving a Kabaddi match in Melbourne on Sunday night attacked a group of youths after they were racially abused.
Talking about tensions on the India-China border, Krishna said that it was the most tranquil and peaceful border.
"The Indo-Chinese border which is large, which is not demarcated as yet is one of the most peaceful and tranquil borders. There are certain incidents but we have evolved a mechanism, whenever incidents of incursions occur then we have a mechanism put in place, so that at the field level itself things are settled and things are sorted out. So I don't think that we should be carried away by such reports," he added.
Anger over troop deployments, reports of border incursions, and a high-pitched media debate have reignited strains between China and India over long-festering border disputes in the Himalayas region
Talking to reporters in Bangalore on Monday, Krishna said although self-defence was fundamental in nature, students should not take the law in their hands.
"I don't recommend that students should take law into their own hands. I think the incidents of attack on Indian students are tapering of. There are here and there some reported incidents," he added.
According to reports, Indian spectators leaving a Kabaddi match in Melbourne on Sunday night attacked a group of youths after they were racially abused.
Talking about tensions on the India-China border, Krishna said that it was the most tranquil and peaceful border.
"The Indo-Chinese border which is large, which is not demarcated as yet is one of the most peaceful and tranquil borders. There are certain incidents but we have evolved a mechanism, whenever incidents of incursions occur then we have a mechanism put in place, so that at the field level itself things are settled and things are sorted out. So I don't think that we should be carried away by such reports," he added.
Anger over troop deployments, reports of border incursions, and a high-pitched media debate have reignited strains between China and India over long-festering border disputes in the Himalayas region
Home Minister to visit flood affected Karnataka and AP
New Delhi As the flood situation in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh continues to be grim, Home Minister P Chidambaram will undertake an aerial survey of the two affected states for an assessment of the damaged caused by the natural disaster.
Chidamabaram, who is currently in Tamil Nadu, is also expected to hold meetings with the Chief Ministers of both states - B S Yeddyurappa (Karnataka) and K Rosaiah (Andhra Pradesh) -- and other top officials in Bangalore and Hyderabad, official sources here said.
Senior Home ministry officers are in constant touch with the state authorities and other agencies. The situation is being monitored on round the clock basis by the MHA control room, sources said.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has allocated an amount of Rs 139.36 crore to the Calamity Relief Fund for Karnataka for 2009-10, comprising Rs 104.52 crore as Central contribution and Rs 34.84 crore as state contribution.
The Centre has also sent 249 water rescue-trained personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for Karnataka along with 73 inflatable motorised boats deployed in the districts of Bagalkote, Raichur, Gadag and Bijapur for rescue and relief operations.
Further, 250 water rescue-trained personnel and 60 inflatable boats of NDRF from Gandhinagar are ready to be airlifted, the sources added.
So far, the death toll in the calamity has risen to 205 in both the states.
Chidamabaram, who is currently in Tamil Nadu, is also expected to hold meetings with the Chief Ministers of both states - B S Yeddyurappa (Karnataka) and K Rosaiah (Andhra Pradesh) -- and other top officials in Bangalore and Hyderabad, official sources here said.
Senior Home ministry officers are in constant touch with the state authorities and other agencies. The situation is being monitored on round the clock basis by the MHA control room, sources said.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has allocated an amount of Rs 139.36 crore to the Calamity Relief Fund for Karnataka for 2009-10, comprising Rs 104.52 crore as Central contribution and Rs 34.84 crore as state contribution.
The Centre has also sent 249 water rescue-trained personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for Karnataka along with 73 inflatable motorised boats deployed in the districts of Bagalkote, Raichur, Gadag and Bijapur for rescue and relief operations.
Further, 250 water rescue-trained personnel and 60 inflatable boats of NDRF from Gandhinagar are ready to be airlifted, the sources added.
So far, the death toll in the calamity has risen to 205 in both the states.
Nothing 'fishy' about North Korean ship: Navy
New Delhi/Kochi: A probe team has found nothing "incriminating" on board a Pakistan-bound North Korean ship, which was detained off the Kerala coast for anchoring in Indian waters without mandatory clearance, a naval official said Sunday.
The vessel, Hyang Ro, was detained at Vadakara in Kozhikode district October 2 and was inspected by a joint team of the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard, intelligence agencies and port authorities, naval spokesperson Commander Roy Francis said.
"The team has completed its investigations of the vessel. The ship had anchored without mandatory clearance. It cited an internal leak in its tanks as the reason for anchoring in Indian waters," Francis told an agency over phone.
The ship will soon leave the Indian waters, he said.
"The authorities, who inspected the ship have established that the claims of the crew were genuine. The investigating team did not find any incriminating cargo or evidence on board," Francis added.
The ship of approximately 9,000 tonnes was en route to Port Bin Qasim in Pakistan from Colombo. The ship is captained by Choe Sung Ho and is owned by Pyongyang-based Sinhung Shipping Company.
This is the second incident this year of a "suspicious" North Korean ship being detained for anchoring in Indian waters without prior permission.
In August this year, a ship was detained in the Bay of Bengal. The vessel had dropped anchor off Hut Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, it was later found to have genuine merchandise.
The vessel, Hyang Ro, was detained at Vadakara in Kozhikode district October 2 and was inspected by a joint team of the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard, intelligence agencies and port authorities, naval spokesperson Commander Roy Francis said.
"The team has completed its investigations of the vessel. The ship had anchored without mandatory clearance. It cited an internal leak in its tanks as the reason for anchoring in Indian waters," Francis told an agency over phone.
The ship will soon leave the Indian waters, he said.
"The authorities, who inspected the ship have established that the claims of the crew were genuine. The investigating team did not find any incriminating cargo or evidence on board," Francis added.
The ship of approximately 9,000 tonnes was en route to Port Bin Qasim in Pakistan from Colombo. The ship is captained by Choe Sung Ho and is owned by Pyongyang-based Sinhung Shipping Company.
This is the second incident this year of a "suspicious" North Korean ship being detained for anchoring in Indian waters without prior permission.
In August this year, a ship was detained in the Bay of Bengal. The vessel had dropped anchor off Hut Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, it was later found to have genuine merchandise.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Robot fish could prevent crashes
Robot fish could prevent crashes
 The robots use lasers to measure the distance between each other |
Robots that mimic the behaviour of fish have been developed by Japanese car firm Nissan, who believe the technique can be used in crash avoidance systems.
The tiny robots, called Eporo, can move in a fleet without bumping into their travelling companions.
It is the second time the firm has looked to the animal kingdom for inspiration for its designs.
Last year, the manufacturer unveiled its BR23C robot, which was modelled on the behaviour of bumblebees.
The bee also displays anti-collision behaviour but tends to fly solo.
The new three-wheeled robot, which will be shown off at Japanese design fair Ceatec on 6 October, is designed to travel in a group of up to seven vehicles.
Each uses a laser range-finder to measure the distance between obstacle.
The data is constantly shared between peers via radio, allowing the group to travel as a "shoal" without bumping into each other.
The technique allows the cars to travel side-by-side or quickly switch direction as a group.
"We, in a motorised world, have a lot to learn from the behaviour of a school of fish in terms of each fish's degree of freedom and safety," said Toshiyuki Andou, principal engineer of the project.
Sony shows off 3D TV technology
Broadcasters hope that the time has come for 3D television
Sony has shown off a new single-lens camera able to capture 3D images.
The majority of existing 3D set-ups use two-camera systems to record images tailored specifically for the left and right eye of the viewer.
The new camera takes a single image that is split by mirrors and recorded on two sensors, resulting in a "smoother" picture, according to Sony.
The prototype camera will be unveiled at next week's Ceatec electronics show in Tokyo, Japan.
Viewers will be able to watch the 3D images using special polarised glasses. Without them, they will just see normal 2D television, according to the firm.
The firm said the camera, which is able to capture images very quickly, is especially suited to sporting events.
Long shot
The new camera is one of a number of developments being put forward by the firm, which hopes that 3D TV is about to take off.
This week, the firm also opened the doors to its European research labs to show off a different 3D camera technology for recording football games.
 Broadcasters are focusing efforts on 3D sporting events |
The technology uses three fixed cameras to record the entire football pitch. The images can them be mapped and, using software, create a 3D view.
"Each camera films a third of the pitch," explained John Stone, general manager of research and development at Sony Professional.
"Because those cameras are set up at the same focal point, they can be stitched together.
"And because we have the depth information for every shot we can a synthesise a 3D impression be effectively positioning the pixel to different depth positions in the 3D composition."
Mr Stone stressed that while the technology to display images in 3D was in place, it would be some time before it would be common place.
"I'm not sure we're quite at the stage now where we're going to have 3D Match of the Day," said Mr Stone. "But i'm hoping that there's going to be live events televised in 3D from 2010, and that can be edited down into shorter 3D highlights."
Sporting chance
There have been a number of forays into the 3D market, pioneered by the film industry.
In 1953 The House of Wax became the first commercial 3D movie. However, the early technology caused unsteady images that induced nausea.
A second attempt was made in the 1970s, using stereoscopic images that required users to wear red and green glasses; while the image was steady there was considerable loss of colour quality and it also failed to take off.
There are a number of stages to get live 3D TV into the home.
The latest revival, dubbed "The 3D Wave" kicked off in 2003 with the release of the film Ghosts of the Abyss.
Users now wear polarized glasses - rather than the standard red and green spectacle - with the resulting image "fooling" the brain into thinking it is 3D.
Meanwhile, the technology to capture in 3D - or create a virtual 3D image using conventional cameras - has also been getting cheaper and is now affordable by some traditional TV and satellite broadcasters.
 |  Very few broadcasters are in the position to control the entire process  Fergal Ringrose TVB Europe |
Sony hopes, by demonstrating what its technology is capable of, broadcasters will follow Hollywood's lead.
There are also signs that some of the bigger broadcasters are dipping a toe in the water.
In 2008, the BBC broadcast the world's first live sporting event in 3D, beaming back an England vs. Scotland game from the Six Nations to a cinema in London.
In addition, the corporation's director of London 2012, Roger Mosey, said there were plans to capture some of the Olympics in 3D.
"We could, and I believe should, capture some of the Games in 3D", he said.
"Nobody would expect the Games of 2012 to be comprehensively in 3D because the technology will be nothing like widespread enough; but it would be a shame not to have any images of London that were part of an experiment with what will be one of the next big waves of change."
Sky has gone a step further, announcing in July that it would launch "the UK's first 3D channel" by 2010.
However, Fergal Ringrose - editor of Europe's broadcast technology magazine, TVB Europe, told BBC News that Sky was in a rather unique position and that the majority of broadcasters were still reluctant to embrace 3D TV.
"Sky is going to be broadcasting through its existing high definition infrastructure, through its satellite network and then through the Sky set-top box.
"Very few broadcasters are in the position to control the entire process.
"We did a reader survey on 427 broadcasters across Europe and asked them if 3D TV was on the horizon. Only 15% said yes, and another 20% said they were looking at it as an option.
"That's somewhat underwhelming," he added.
EX-Delhi Top Cop to take over as Nagaland Governor
Ahead of finalising a socio-economic-political package that would take aspirations of the Naga people into account, President Pratibha Devisingh.
Patil on Sunday appointed former Delhi Police Commissioner Nikhil Kumar as Nagaland Governor.
Patil also appointed former Rajasthan deputy chief minister, Dr Kamla, as Tripura Governor. A veteran Congress leader, Dr Kamla headed the Congress’ jumbo election campaign committee for Rajasthan.
A Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué said Dr Kamla would replace Dinesh Nandan Sahaya.
Manipur governor Gurbachan Jagat — also a retired police officer — was holding additional charge for
Nagaland after Kerala politician, K Sankaranarayanan, was moved to Jharkhand a few months back.
Kumar’s appointment comes at a time when the central effort to end the decades-long armed struggle in the state was entering a crucial stage.
It also comes in the backdrop of the home ministry refusing to give former interlocutor K. Padmanabhaiah another extension.
The home ministry has been in talks with both the groups that share bitter relations and contradictory objectives.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, however, is keen that the decade-long dialogue with the NSCN (I-M) be taken to its logical conclusion with a package that would seek to address the demands raised by various fora.
Kumar — who retired after holding important positions in the security establishment including head of the National Security Guard — had moved into active politics and represented Bihar’s Aurangabad constituency in Lok Sabha. He lost the last Lok Sabha elections.
“He will bring with him a unique mix, a politician who is an expert in security matters,” said a home ministry official.
‘Akram denied permission’
Karachi: Pakistan former captain and expert commentator Wasim Akram has been denied permission by the Indian government to do a commentary stint in the Champions League tournament starting in India from October 8.
According to a report in the daily newspaper Jang, Akram was all set to fly to India for his fresh stint in the Champions League T20 tournament.Devil's Advocate: Money, fame distracting cricketers, says Pataudi
Does India's performance in the Champions Trophy suggest that Indian cricket faces bigger problems? That's the key issue Karan Thapar discussed on Devil's Advocate with the man they consider India's greatest living former Test captain, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.
Karan Thapar: Tiger Pataudi, let us start with India's performance in the Champions Trophy. M S Dhoni has gone on record to say, "It's a little difficult for me to say whether the performance was bad." What's your opinion of India's performance?
MAK Pataudi: It was bad in the sense that we had done well in Sri Lanka. I think we should remember that the Sri Lankan wickets suited us. Also it was the spinner who got the wicket in Sri Lanka and they won't get wickets in South Africa.
Karan Thapar:As regards the performance in South Africa, you have no doubt in saying that it was bad?
MAK Pataudi: I say it's bad in the sense that the bowlers didn't do well because they weren't in a position fit enough to do well. Not necessarily physically, but as bowlers because the wickets didn't suit.
Karan Thapar:Let's begin by taking up the issue of fitness. Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj weren't fit enough to play, Sachin wasn't fit enough to bowl, Gambhir wasn't able to play in all the practice matches. Would you say that fitness was a serious problem for the Indian team?
MAK Pataudi: Well, that is the problem. I think we have to study it because a majority of cricketers are not physically agile or physically athletic. If you go back even 50 years from Vijay Merchant to Gavaskar to even Sachin and Rahul Dravid, you wouldn't say they would run a 100 yards in reasonably quick time.
There are very few Indian players who are full of agility and quick movement in the field, and the catching has been poor. There are several reasons for this. When we learnt our cricket in the 60s, the facilities were not really that good.
Karan Thapar:Would you say that fitness was the reason why India's fielding was so poor in South Africa, particularly in the game against Pakistan?
MAK Pataudi: No, I don't think it's in a particular game. Throughout the history of Indian cricket, fielding has been very, very poor. That is because the people don't have grounds to learn fielding. We don't know how to dive; we don't know how to slide because we don't have ground where we can slide on.
Karan Thapar:Fitness is the Achilles heel of Indian cricket?
MAK Pataudi: Fitness and to some extent commitment.
Karan Thapar:To some extent commitment as well?
MAK Pataudi: Yes.
Karan Thapar:On that point, would you say that in the Champions Trophy match there was an issue about India's commitment or temperament and attitude because I noticed that Wasim Akram has gone on record to say, "It's the first time I have seen the Indian body language was wasn't there."
MAK Pataudi: This is not correct because this has happened before. On several occasions, when I was playing, our body language wasn't aggressive or perhaps that positive as it should have been. So it's a bane that has been in Indian cricket for a long, long time.
Karan Thapar:Like fitness, which has been a bane of Indian cricket, commitment has been a question mark against Indian cricketers for a long time.
MAK Pataudi: Certainly, some cricketers, yes.
Karan Thapar:Both Yuvraj Singh and Younis Khan broke fingers on their right hand during practice, but whereas Yuvraj didn't play at all and left for India. Younis Khan missed one game but was there on the field against India. Was commitment a factor in that?
MAK Pataudi: Actually, it depends on how badly it was broken. I don't think it's a question of commitment as much a question of how actually bad the injury is.
Karan Thapar:Many people feel that India's bowlers simply weren't up to the challenges they were facing in South Africa. In your opinion, how bad or poor was India's bowling?
MAK Pataudi: It was poor in the sense that we can't even expect to win 50/50s in these conditions if our bowling is going to go on like this. As I said, we got away with it in Sri Lanka because the wicket suited the spinners.
Karan Thapar: Tiger Pataudi, let us start with India's performance in the Champions Trophy. M S Dhoni has gone on record to say, "It's a little difficult for me to say whether the performance was bad." What's your opinion of India's performance?
MAK Pataudi: It was bad in the sense that we had done well in Sri Lanka. I think we should remember that the Sri Lankan wickets suited us. Also it was the spinner who got the wicket in Sri Lanka and they won't get wickets in South Africa.
Karan Thapar:As regards the performance in South Africa, you have no doubt in saying that it was bad?
MAK Pataudi: I say it's bad in the sense that the bowlers didn't do well because they weren't in a position fit enough to do well. Not necessarily physically, but as bowlers because the wickets didn't suit.
Karan Thapar:Let's begin by taking up the issue of fitness. Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj weren't fit enough to play, Sachin wasn't fit enough to bowl, Gambhir wasn't able to play in all the practice matches. Would you say that fitness was a serious problem for the Indian team?
MAK Pataudi: Well, that is the problem. I think we have to study it because a majority of cricketers are not physically agile or physically athletic. If you go back even 50 years from Vijay Merchant to Gavaskar to even Sachin and Rahul Dravid, you wouldn't say they would run a 100 yards in reasonably quick time.
There are very few Indian players who are full of agility and quick movement in the field, and the catching has been poor. There are several reasons for this. When we learnt our cricket in the 60s, the facilities were not really that good.
Karan Thapar:Would you say that fitness was the reason why India's fielding was so poor in South Africa, particularly in the game against Pakistan?
MAK Pataudi: No, I don't think it's in a particular game. Throughout the history of Indian cricket, fielding has been very, very poor. That is because the people don't have grounds to learn fielding. We don't know how to dive; we don't know how to slide because we don't have ground where we can slide on.
Karan Thapar:Fitness is the Achilles heel of Indian cricket?
MAK Pataudi: Fitness and to some extent commitment.
Karan Thapar:To some extent commitment as well?
MAK Pataudi: Yes.
Karan Thapar:On that point, would you say that in the Champions Trophy match there was an issue about India's commitment or temperament and attitude because I noticed that Wasim Akram has gone on record to say, "It's the first time I have seen the Indian body language was wasn't there."
MAK Pataudi: This is not correct because this has happened before. On several occasions, when I was playing, our body language wasn't aggressive or perhaps that positive as it should have been. So it's a bane that has been in Indian cricket for a long, long time.
Karan Thapar:Like fitness, which has been a bane of Indian cricket, commitment has been a question mark against Indian cricketers for a long time.
MAK Pataudi: Certainly, some cricketers, yes.
Karan Thapar:Both Yuvraj Singh and Younis Khan broke fingers on their right hand during practice, but whereas Yuvraj didn't play at all and left for India. Younis Khan missed one game but was there on the field against India. Was commitment a factor in that?
MAK Pataudi: Actually, it depends on how badly it was broken. I don't think it's a question of commitment as much a question of how actually bad the injury is.
Karan Thapar:Many people feel that India's bowlers simply weren't up to the challenges they were facing in South Africa. In your opinion, how bad or poor was India's bowling?
MAK Pataudi: It was poor in the sense that we can't even expect to win 50/50s in these conditions if our bowling is going to go on like this. As I said, we got away with it in Sri Lanka because the wicket suited the spinners.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Recorded sex comments cost Calif. lawmaker his job
Mike Duvall's second term as a member of the California Assembly was progressing pretty much like his first — in relative obscurity, with few notable legislative accomplishments.
The Orange County Republican is now a YouTube hit after KCAL-TV aired his racy comments about sexual conquests that were caught by an open microphone in a Capitol hearing room. Several media outlets said the comments referred to Duvall's affairs with a female lobbyist and another woman. He resigned Wednesday.
California's legislative leaders have been trying to focus on a number high-profile issues — from water policy to prisons to renewable energy — during the waning days of their legislative session. On Wednesday, they instead found themselves answering questions about a lawmaker who bragged about a spanking fetish, the type of underwear worn by a mistress and his apparent ability to carry on two extramarital affairs at once.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, called it "a very sad day."
"We have such big issues before the Legislature and to have this become a distraction, he felt his responsibility was to step aside," she said.
Duvall, 54, lives in Yorba Linda with his wife when he is not in Sacramento, and has two adult children.
He made the comments about the affairs to Assemblyman Jeff Miller during a break in a committee meeting inside the Capitol on July 8, apparently unaware that the microphone at the desk was on.
"I'm getting into spanking her," Duvall is heard saying on the videotape, which was made as a matter of routine by a legislative office.
Miller asks if she likes it too. Duvall responds: "She goes, 'I know you like spanking me.' I said, 'Yeah, that's 'cause you're such a bad girl.'"
Duvall also describes the woman's "eye-patch underwear" and the age difference between himself and his mistress, identified in some media reports as a lobbyist for an energy company. He tells Miller, a fellow Republican from Corona, that the woman's birthday was two days earlier.
Duvall said he joked with the woman that she was getting old after turning 36 and told her, "I am going to have to trade you in."
The lawmaker then brags about an affair he is having with another woman.
"Oh, she is hot! I talked to her yesterday. She goes, 'So are we finished?' I go, 'No, we're not finished.' I go, 'You know about the other one, but she doesn't know about you!'" Duvall can be heard saying in an apparent reference to his affair with the lobbyist.
The unseemly remarks also raise questions about the relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists. The Assembly Ethics Committee is investigating Duvall's comments, in part to determine whether the affair might have influenced his votes.
He was vice chairman of the Assembly Utilities Committee.
Several media outlets reported the woman Duvall refers to in his comments works as a lobbyist for Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based energy services company that operates San Diego Gas&Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co. Sempra issued an e-mail statement saying it was investigating the claims.
"The employee has denied the speculative media reports. Our investigation will be conducted to ensure not only that our policies on employee conduct are strictly adhered to, but also that our employee is treated fairly," the company said.
Duvall was elected in 2006 to represent an Orange County district that includes Fullerton, Anaheim, Placentia, Orange, Brea and Yorba Linda. Before that, he served six years on the Yorba Linda City Council. He also owns an insurance agency.
In stepping down, Duvall said it would not be fair to his family, constituents or friends to remain in office.
"I am deeply saddened that my inappropriate comments have become a major distraction for my colleagues in the Assembly, who are working hard on the very serious problems facing our state," he said. "Therefore, I have decided to resign my office, effective immediately, so that the Assembly can get back to work."
The lawmaker had received a 100 percent rating from Capitol Resource Institute, a conservative advocacy group, for his votes on legislation considered pro-family during the 2007-08 legislative session.
The Orange County Republican is now a YouTube hit after KCAL-TV aired his racy comments about sexual conquests that were caught by an open microphone in a Capitol hearing room. Several media outlets said the comments referred to Duvall's affairs with a female lobbyist and another woman. He resigned Wednesday.
California's legislative leaders have been trying to focus on a number high-profile issues — from water policy to prisons to renewable energy — during the waning days of their legislative session. On Wednesday, they instead found themselves answering questions about a lawmaker who bragged about a spanking fetish, the type of underwear worn by a mistress and his apparent ability to carry on two extramarital affairs at once.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, called it "a very sad day."
"We have such big issues before the Legislature and to have this become a distraction, he felt his responsibility was to step aside," she said.
Duvall, 54, lives in Yorba Linda with his wife when he is not in Sacramento, and has two adult children.
He made the comments about the affairs to Assemblyman Jeff Miller during a break in a committee meeting inside the Capitol on July 8, apparently unaware that the microphone at the desk was on.
"I'm getting into spanking her," Duvall is heard saying on the videotape, which was made as a matter of routine by a legislative office.
Miller asks if she likes it too. Duvall responds: "She goes, 'I know you like spanking me.' I said, 'Yeah, that's 'cause you're such a bad girl.'"
Duvall also describes the woman's "eye-patch underwear" and the age difference between himself and his mistress, identified in some media reports as a lobbyist for an energy company. He tells Miller, a fellow Republican from Corona, that the woman's birthday was two days earlier.
Duvall said he joked with the woman that she was getting old after turning 36 and told her, "I am going to have to trade you in."
The lawmaker then brags about an affair he is having with another woman.
"Oh, she is hot! I talked to her yesterday. She goes, 'So are we finished?' I go, 'No, we're not finished.' I go, 'You know about the other one, but she doesn't know about you!'" Duvall can be heard saying in an apparent reference to his affair with the lobbyist.
The unseemly remarks also raise questions about the relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists. The Assembly Ethics Committee is investigating Duvall's comments, in part to determine whether the affair might have influenced his votes.
He was vice chairman of the Assembly Utilities Committee.
Several media outlets reported the woman Duvall refers to in his comments works as a lobbyist for Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based energy services company that operates San Diego Gas&Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co. Sempra issued an e-mail statement saying it was investigating the claims.
"The employee has denied the speculative media reports. Our investigation will be conducted to ensure not only that our policies on employee conduct are strictly adhered to, but also that our employee is treated fairly," the company said.
Duvall was elected in 2006 to represent an Orange County district that includes Fullerton, Anaheim, Placentia, Orange, Brea and Yorba Linda. Before that, he served six years on the Yorba Linda City Council. He also owns an insurance agency.
In stepping down, Duvall said it would not be fair to his family, constituents or friends to remain in office.
"I am deeply saddened that my inappropriate comments have become a major distraction for my colleagues in the Assembly, who are working hard on the very serious problems facing our state," he said. "Therefore, I have decided to resign my office, effective immediately, so that the Assembly can get back to work."
The lawmaker had received a 100 percent rating from Capitol Resource Institute, a conservative advocacy group, for his votes on legislation considered pro-family during the 2007-08 legislative session.
Taiwan court sentences ex-president to life for graft
A Taiwan court Friday sentenced scandal-tainted ex-president Chen Shui-bian to life for corruption, in a widely watched case dubbed by local media Taiwan's trial of the century.
Chen was also fined 200 million Taiwan dollars ($6.09 million) and stripped of his civil rights for life, Judge Tsai Shou-hsin ruled.
Chen, 58, who was president from 2000 to 2008, has been held at the Taipei Detention Centre since December on charges of corruption.
He and his wife were charged in December with embezzling $2.97 million in state funds, accepting $14 million in bribes, as well as money laundering, influence peddling, extortion and document forgery during his stint as president.
Chen was also fined 200 million Taiwan dollars ($6.09 million) and stripped of his civil rights for life, Judge Tsai Shou-hsin ruled.
Chen, 58, who was president from 2000 to 2008, has been held at the Taipei Detention Centre since December on charges of corruption.
He and his wife were charged in December with embezzling $2.97 million in state funds, accepting $14 million in bribes, as well as money laundering, influence peddling, extortion and document forgery during his stint as president.
New Zealand opt to bat against India
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and opted to bat against India in the second One-day international of the Compaq Cup tri-series at the Premedasa Stadium here Friday.
Teams:
India: Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma.
New Zealand: Jesse Ryder, Brendan McCullum (wicketkeeper), Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliot, Jacob Oram, Neil Broom, Daniel Vettori (captain), Kyle Mills, Ian Butler, Shane Bond.
Umpires: Kumara Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and Billy Doctrove (West Indies)
TV umpire: Gamini Silva (Sri Lanka)
Match referee: Chris Broad (England)
Teams:
India: Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma.
New Zealand: Jesse Ryder, Brendan McCullum (wicketkeeper), Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliot, Jacob Oram, Neil Broom, Daniel Vettori (captain), Kyle Mills, Ian Butler, Shane Bond.
Umpires: Kumara Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and Billy Doctrove (West Indies)
TV umpire: Gamini Silva (Sri Lanka)
Match referee: Chris Broad (England)
India, Nepal air pact to open up sky
Air connectivity between India and Nepal is poised for a tremendous leap with the two neighbours inking an air pact that boosts weekly flight seats five-fold and opens 10 new destinations.
India and Nepal have revised their Air Services Agreement (ASA) after 12 years to keep pace with the rapid developments in the aviation industry since then, consenting to allow each other to operate 30,000 seats every week instead of the previous 6,000 seats.
In addition, Nepal can now fly to 21 destinations in India. While flights had been approved to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Bangalore and Varanasi earlier, now other Indian cities like Goa, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi can also be accessed.
The new destinations include three Indian towns with sizeable Nepali and Nepali-origin populations: Bagdogra, Dehradun and Gorakhpur.
Nepal has reciprocated by opening seven new towns to India: Pokhara, Lumbini, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj, Janakpur, Dhangadhi and Bhairahawa.
However, though the agreement comes into effect immediately, the new destinations would not be viable for some time since those in Nepal don't have international airports. Nepal's sole international airport is in the capital city Kathmandu.
But the government has announced it would build an international airport in Lumbini and a regional one at Pokhara keeping in mind its plan to draw one million visitors in 2011.
The revised ASA was signed in New Delhi Thursday after a two-day meeting Sep 8-9.
The Indian delegation was led by M.M. Madhavan Nambiar, secretary at the ministry of aviation, while the Nepali side was headed by his counterpart Nagendra Prasad Ghimire.
However, the revised air pact, while boosting trade and tourism, has not fully satisfied India on the security front.
India is yet to get Nepal to agree on the deployment of sky marshals on flights operated by designated airlines.
The request was made after the hijack of an Indian Airlines aircraft heading towards New Delhi from Kathmandu in December 1999, an incident that even now continues to haunt India's Bharatiya Janata Party that led the federal government at that time.
However, Nepal has been sitting on the proposal following adverse reaction from some of the political parties.
The Nepali delegation said it had taken note of the request, which was already before the appropriate government authority.
India and Nepal have revised their Air Services Agreement (ASA) after 12 years to keep pace with the rapid developments in the aviation industry since then, consenting to allow each other to operate 30,000 seats every week instead of the previous 6,000 seats.
In addition, Nepal can now fly to 21 destinations in India. While flights had been approved to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Bangalore and Varanasi earlier, now other Indian cities like Goa, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi can also be accessed.
The new destinations include three Indian towns with sizeable Nepali and Nepali-origin populations: Bagdogra, Dehradun and Gorakhpur.
Nepal has reciprocated by opening seven new towns to India: Pokhara, Lumbini, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj, Janakpur, Dhangadhi and Bhairahawa.
However, though the agreement comes into effect immediately, the new destinations would not be viable for some time since those in Nepal don't have international airports. Nepal's sole international airport is in the capital city Kathmandu.
But the government has announced it would build an international airport in Lumbini and a regional one at Pokhara keeping in mind its plan to draw one million visitors in 2011.
The revised ASA was signed in New Delhi Thursday after a two-day meeting Sep 8-9.
The Indian delegation was led by M.M. Madhavan Nambiar, secretary at the ministry of aviation, while the Nepali side was headed by his counterpart Nagendra Prasad Ghimire.
However, the revised air pact, while boosting trade and tourism, has not fully satisfied India on the security front.
India is yet to get Nepal to agree on the deployment of sky marshals on flights operated by designated airlines.
The request was made after the hijack of an Indian Airlines aircraft heading towards New Delhi from Kathmandu in December 1999, an incident that even now continues to haunt India's Bharatiya Janata Party that led the federal government at that time.
However, Nepal has been sitting on the proposal following adverse reaction from some of the political parties.
The Nepali delegation said it had taken note of the request, which was already before the appropriate government authority.
Sri Lankan court frees Tiger officials on bail
A Sri Lankan court on Friday released on bail two members of the Tamil Tiger rebel group who gave themselves up a month before the military leadership of their movement was wiped out, officials said.
Court officials said former Tiger spokesman Velayudam Dayanidi, better known as Daya Master, and a top Tiger translator V.K. Pancheratnam were released on cash bail of 22,000 dollars each.
"The chief magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi asked them to report to the police every month and their passports were also impounded," the official said.
The two men surrendered to security forces in April as the Tigers faced their final battles before their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and other top members were killed in mid-May.
They have not been formally charged, but were being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The court official said police did not object to the two men being released on bail.
Sri Lanka claimed victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May, but some 300,000 civilians who fled the war zone are still being held in state-run camps.
The military says it wants more time to weed out any rebels who could still be mingling with the civilians in the refugee camps which the government describes as welfare villages.
Court officials said former Tiger spokesman Velayudam Dayanidi, better known as Daya Master, and a top Tiger translator V.K. Pancheratnam were released on cash bail of 22,000 dollars each.
"The chief magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi asked them to report to the police every month and their passports were also impounded," the official said.
The two men surrendered to security forces in April as the Tigers faced their final battles before their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and other top members were killed in mid-May.
They have not been formally charged, but were being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The court official said police did not object to the two men being released on bail.
Sri Lanka claimed victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May, but some 300,000 civilians who fled the war zone are still being held in state-run camps.
The military says it wants more time to weed out any rebels who could still be mingling with the civilians in the refugee camps which the government describes as welfare villages.
Brit office workers to be allowed 10-minute 'Facebook break'!
Bosses in Britian have decided to impose a new rule in the workplace which will allow employees a 'Facebook break' of 10 minutes a day.
The decision has been taken after a research suggested that Britain's economy is suffering thanks to workers surfing social networking sites, reports The Telegraph.iles Ridgeway, a leading consultant at Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS) says Facebook is a "curse."
"They feel some staff are failing to do the job they're paid for because they're spending too much time on such websites," he said.
"Some have said it appears to be a habit similar to smokers needing their fix of nicotine," he added.
According to Ridgeway, social networking sites are not a part of workers "legal entitlement".
"In days past, staff would have gathered around the office tea trolley for a quick chat. Now, they can talk to friends on the other side of the globe from their desks," he said.
"But to remain able to do so means committing to doing the job they're employed for. If they don't and bosses take exception to what they believe to be an abuse, they could find themselves out of work and companies would be well within their rights to take such action," he added. (ANI)
The decision has been taken after a research suggested that Britain's economy is suffering thanks to workers surfing social networking sites, reports The Telegraph.iles Ridgeway, a leading consultant at Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS) says Facebook is a "curse."
"They feel some staff are failing to do the job they're paid for because they're spending too much time on such websites," he said.
"Some have said it appears to be a habit similar to smokers needing their fix of nicotine," he added.
According to Ridgeway, social networking sites are not a part of workers "legal entitlement".
"In days past, staff would have gathered around the office tea trolley for a quick chat. Now, they can talk to friends on the other side of the globe from their desks," he said.
"But to remain able to do so means committing to doing the job they're employed for. If they don't and bosses take exception to what they believe to be an abuse, they could find themselves out of work and companies would be well within their rights to take such action," he added. (ANI)
CPI-backed body re-launches anti-Posco agitation
Paradip: The CPI-backed Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) on Thursday re-launched its agitation against the 12 mtpa steel plant proposed to be set up by South Korean steel major near here with support from various anti-displacement bodies.
"We re-launched the agitation against the proposed Posco project after release of our president Abhaya Sahu from jail", said PPSS secretary and Dhinkia gram panchayat sarpanch Sisir Mohapatra.
Sahu, who spent 10 months in jail on charge of being arrested on several cases relating to anti-Posco agitation, came in a procession to the proposed plant site area for the first time after his release from the jail last month.
Besides Sahu, CPI MP from Jagatsinghpur Bibhu Prasad Tarai, party's MLA Adikanda Sethi, CPI state general secretary Dibakar Nayak and anti-displacement leader B D Sharma attended a public meeting at Balitutha, the entry point to the proposed plant site area.
"I will oppose the Posco project till my last breath", Sahu told the gathering while CPI leaders announced their full support to the anti-project agitation. The meeting held amidst tight security ended peacefully even as project supporters and opponents had an altercation last night.
The agitated project supporters on Thursday night disconnected Gobindpur-Nuagaon road before Sahu's meeting.
"We re-launched the agitation against the proposed Posco project after release of our president Abhaya Sahu from jail", said PPSS secretary and Dhinkia gram panchayat sarpanch Sisir Mohapatra.
Sahu, who spent 10 months in jail on charge of being arrested on several cases relating to anti-Posco agitation, came in a procession to the proposed plant site area for the first time after his release from the jail last month.
Besides Sahu, CPI MP from Jagatsinghpur Bibhu Prasad Tarai, party's MLA Adikanda Sethi, CPI state general secretary Dibakar Nayak and anti-displacement leader B D Sharma attended a public meeting at Balitutha, the entry point to the proposed plant site area.
"I will oppose the Posco project till my last breath", Sahu told the gathering while CPI leaders announced their full support to the anti-project agitation. The meeting held amidst tight security ended peacefully even as project supporters and opponents had an altercation last night.
The agitated project supporters on Thursday night disconnected Gobindpur-Nuagaon road before Sahu's meeting.
Karnataka swine flu toll rises to 53
Bangalore: With six new swine flu deaths being reported in Karnataka, the death toll due to the H1N1 virus in the state reached 53, a health official said here on Friday.
While four deaths were reported from Bangalore, the other two were registered in Davangere and Bijapur. However, the report confirming that all six tested positive for the virus was received only on Sep 10, a health official said.
Out of the four deaths in Bangalore, two were reported from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD).
Confirming the two deaths at RGICD, Shashidhar Buggi, the director of the institute said: 'A 20-year-old pregnant woman succumbed to swine flu as she had arrived at a very critical stage. The woman was 36 weeks into pregnancy and was to deliver shortly.'
'Another 40-year-old woman also succumbed at RGICD,' Buggi added. The other two death reports in Bangalore were that of a 13-year-old boy who died at a private hospital on Sep 8 and a 59-year-old man admitted on Sep 3, who died two days later.
The rest of the two death cases in the state include a 53-year-old man who died on Saturday at a private hospital in Bijapur and an 11-month-old infant boy who died Tuesday at a private hospital in Davangere.
The Global Hygiene Council organised a conference on the H1N1 flu on Thursday. The conference focused on hygienic measures which can be adopted by people to avoid getting infected by the flu.
'Simple measures like washing hands and maintaining personal hygiene can help fight the flu,' said Narendra Saini, an official of the Council.
Meanwhile 32 fresh cases tested positive for the H1N1 virus, out of which 25 were reported in Bangalore, 3 in Bijapur, one each in Bidar, Davangere, Bellary and Mysore. Till date 686 people have tested positive for the flu in the state.
While four deaths were reported from Bangalore, the other two were registered in Davangere and Bijapur. However, the report confirming that all six tested positive for the virus was received only on Sep 10, a health official said.
Out of the four deaths in Bangalore, two were reported from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD).
Confirming the two deaths at RGICD, Shashidhar Buggi, the director of the institute said: 'A 20-year-old pregnant woman succumbed to swine flu as she had arrived at a very critical stage. The woman was 36 weeks into pregnancy and was to deliver shortly.'
'Another 40-year-old woman also succumbed at RGICD,' Buggi added. The other two death reports in Bangalore were that of a 13-year-old boy who died at a private hospital on Sep 8 and a 59-year-old man admitted on Sep 3, who died two days later.
The rest of the two death cases in the state include a 53-year-old man who died on Saturday at a private hospital in Bijapur and an 11-month-old infant boy who died Tuesday at a private hospital in Davangere.
The Global Hygiene Council organised a conference on the H1N1 flu on Thursday. The conference focused on hygienic measures which can be adopted by people to avoid getting infected by the flu.
'Simple measures like washing hands and maintaining personal hygiene can help fight the flu,' said Narendra Saini, an official of the Council.
Meanwhile 32 fresh cases tested positive for the H1N1 virus, out of which 25 were reported in Bangalore, 3 in Bijapur, one each in Bidar, Davangere, Bellary and Mysore. Till date 686 people have tested positive for the flu in the state.
Stop work on memorial sites in Lucknow: Apex court tells Uttar Pradesh
The Supreme Court Friday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to 'forthwith stop' all sorts of activities including construction, maintenance and repair work at various memorial sites in Lucknow.
A bench of Justice B.N. Agrawal and Justice Aftab Alam asked the state government to vacate all the memorial sites by 7 p.m. Friday and clear all the construction materials and workers.
The bench passed this stern order while also issuing contempt to court notice to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary seeking his explanation as to why the government continued construction activities at various memorial sites.
The state government had given assurance to the court two days back that no construction activities would be carried out. But news reports said that the activities were on at various memorial sites in Lucknow.
A bench of Justice B.N. Agrawal and Justice Aftab Alam asked the state government to vacate all the memorial sites by 7 p.m. Friday and clear all the construction materials and workers.
The bench passed this stern order while also issuing contempt to court notice to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary seeking his explanation as to why the government continued construction activities at various memorial sites.
The state government had given assurance to the court two days back that no construction activities would be carried out. But news reports said that the activities were on at various memorial sites in Lucknow.
Sunken ship could threaten Olive Ridleys in Orissa
The mass breeding of rare Olive Ridley turtles is likely to be hit due to the sinking of a cargo ship, carrying iron ore fines and oil, in the Bay of Bengal off the Orissa coast two days ago, a marine expert warned Friday.
The Mongolian vessel capsized in the harbour area of Paradip port, some 100 km from here, carrying about 25,000 tonnes of iron ore fines and 900 tonnes of oil.
The site where the ship has gone down is very close to the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, one of the few remaining nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles in the world. The turtles come to the site every year around this month for breeding.
Port authorities say they have deployed officials and taken all steps to prevent any spillage from the ship, but Biswajit Mohanty, coordinator of Operation Kachhapa, a turtle conservation group, said he sees a threat to the turtles.
The ship contains iron ore fines which can be washed away by sea currents. If the iron ore fines settle on the floor of the sea, benthic fauna - tiny creatures found on and within the seabed - can be wiped out inside the sanctuary, Mohanty said.
'That could lead to a food crisis for turtles. The authorities must step in and recover the oil completely before it spills off into the surrounding environment,' Mohanty told IANS.
Senior port officials said they have already apprised the ship owner about the possible danger.
'Certainly it will affect marine life if the oil spills. We are keeping a close watch and taking steps to prevent pollution,' the port's deputy chairman Biplav Kumar said, adding no spillage had been reported from the ship so far.
The Olive Ridley turtle, which can grow up to 75 cm in length, is found in tropical regions of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In India, they are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Orissa is home to more than 50 percent of the world's turtle population. Besides Gahirmatha in Kendrapada district, the other mass nesting sites are the Devi river mouth in Puri district and the Rusikulya river mouth Ganjam district.
The turtles start arriving in the coastal water from end of September onward and return in the month of May after mass nesting.
The Mongolian vessel capsized in the harbour area of Paradip port, some 100 km from here, carrying about 25,000 tonnes of iron ore fines and 900 tonnes of oil.
The site where the ship has gone down is very close to the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, one of the few remaining nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles in the world. The turtles come to the site every year around this month for breeding.
Port authorities say they have deployed officials and taken all steps to prevent any spillage from the ship, but Biswajit Mohanty, coordinator of Operation Kachhapa, a turtle conservation group, said he sees a threat to the turtles.
The ship contains iron ore fines which can be washed away by sea currents. If the iron ore fines settle on the floor of the sea, benthic fauna - tiny creatures found on and within the seabed - can be wiped out inside the sanctuary, Mohanty said.
'That could lead to a food crisis for turtles. The authorities must step in and recover the oil completely before it spills off into the surrounding environment,' Mohanty told IANS.
Senior port officials said they have already apprised the ship owner about the possible danger.
'Certainly it will affect marine life if the oil spills. We are keeping a close watch and taking steps to prevent pollution,' the port's deputy chairman Biplav Kumar said, adding no spillage had been reported from the ship so far.
The Olive Ridley turtle, which can grow up to 75 cm in length, is found in tropical regions of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In India, they are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Orissa is home to more than 50 percent of the world's turtle population. Besides Gahirmatha in Kendrapada district, the other mass nesting sites are the Devi river mouth in Puri district and the Rusikulya river mouth Ganjam district.
The turtles start arriving in the coastal water from end of September onward and return in the month of May after mass nesting.
Helipads at police stations for anti-Maoist operations
The Jharkhand government will undertake a pilot project to construct helipads at police stations in two districts worst affected by the Maoist violence, an official spokesperson said Friday.
'Under the project, helipads will be constructed at police stations in Palamau and Chatra districts. These will be used for anti-Maoist operations,' S.N. Pradhan, Jharkhand police spokesperson, told IANS.
A senior police official, involved in anti-Maoist operations, said: 'In Palamau and Chatra districts, it is difficult to move in deep jungle areas as the Maoist rebels have planted landmines. The geographical terrain of both the districts favour the rebels. The construction of helipads will help in the movement of security forces.'
According to sources, Jharkhand government could plan such helipads in other districts also.
Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the state's 24 districts. Nearly 1,550 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the past eight years
'Under the project, helipads will be constructed at police stations in Palamau and Chatra districts. These will be used for anti-Maoist operations,' S.N. Pradhan, Jharkhand police spokesperson, told IANS.
A senior police official, involved in anti-Maoist operations, said: 'In Palamau and Chatra districts, it is difficult to move in deep jungle areas as the Maoist rebels have planted landmines. The geographical terrain of both the districts favour the rebels. The construction of helipads will help in the movement of security forces.'
According to sources, Jharkhand government could plan such helipads in other districts also.
Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the state's 24 districts. Nearly 1,550 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the past eight years
Rahul concludes TN visit
Coimbatore: AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday left for New Delhi by a special aircraft after a three day visit to Tamil Nadu, in a bid to strengthen the base of the party the state.
Gandhi began his tour from Nagercoil on September eight with a meeting of youth Congress workers and covered Thanjavur, Chennai, Krishnagiri, Salem and Coimbatore.
Besides addressing a public meeting in the city on Thursday, Rahul addressed youths and youth Congress workers at a private college and also young entrepreneurs and industrialists on the premises of a Research Organisation, where presspersons were denied entry.
Later, he visited the government hospital, where the body of former party MP, Kandasamy, was kept, after he collapsed near the stage, some two hours before the arrival of Gandhi.
Gandhi began his tour from Nagercoil on September eight with a meeting of youth Congress workers and covered Thanjavur, Chennai, Krishnagiri, Salem and Coimbatore.
Besides addressing a public meeting in the city on Thursday, Rahul addressed youths and youth Congress workers at a private college and also young entrepreneurs and industrialists on the premises of a Research Organisation, where presspersons were denied entry.
Later, he visited the government hospital, where the body of former party MP, Kandasamy, was kept, after he collapsed near the stage, some two hours before the arrival of Gandhi.
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