Month: March 2010

Iraq eagerly awaits final vote results

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Baghdad, March 26: Full results from Iraq’s elections are due on Friday amid a tight race between sitting Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his main rival Iyad Allawi and fears of a nascent political crisis.

Nearly three weeks after the March 7 parliamentary polls, the national election commission is set to release complete results, with the prolonged counting process fuelling allegations of fraud and vote manipulation.

The results come around five months before the United States is due to withdraw all of its combat troops from Iraq.

Maliki: Iraq PM vies for second term

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Baghdad, March 26: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a tough-talking former rebel who spent decades in exile and says he was sentenced to death by Saddam Hussein, now risks being forced from office.

Maliki, who emerged from the political shadows to take the reins of Iraq’s first permanent post-Saddam government in 2006, is demanding a manual recount of votes from the March 7 election after initial counts showed an advantage for rival Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc.

Strongman Allawi back on rungs of Iraq power

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Baghdad, March 26: Iraq’s former premier Iyad Allawi, who once plotted a CIA-backed coup against Saddam Hussein, is within reach of clambering back to power after the war-torn country’s March 7 election.

The 64 year old doctor was provisionally appointed prime minister by Washington in June 2004 and led a transitional government for just under a year.

Allawi, a Shiite, had been a member of Saddam’s now-banned Baath party until 1971 but fell foul of the executed president and went into exile in Britain, where Iraqi agents tried to murder him.

Alcohol prohibition tightened in Sudanese capital

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Khartoum, March 26: Sudan’s President Omar al-Beshir warned on Thursday that making, selling or consuming alcoholic drinks will be punishable amid a prohibition of alcohol in the Sudanese capital.

“Whoever makes, drinks or sells alcoholic drinks in Khartoum will be whipped, regardless of what the United Nations or human rights groups have to say about it,” said Beshir, who is seeking re-election next month.

His comments came in a speech in the capital’s suburb of Um Dawaban, a stronghold of the Sufi Qadariyaa movement.

US mosque firebomber gets 15 year sentence

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Washington, March 26: A US man who pleaded guilty to firebombing a Tennessee mosque and daubing swastikas on part of the Muslim religious facility has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison.

Eric Ian Baker was sentenced Thursday to 183 months in prison for an attack in which he and two other men painted swastikas and the phrases “We run the world” and “White Power” on a mosque before throwing Molotov cocktails at the facility.

The mosque was destroyed in the attack.

Arabs face housing segregation in Israel

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Israel, March 26: The Zakai and Tarabin families should be a picture of happy coexistence across the ethnic divide, a model for others to emulate in Israel.

But Natalie and Weisman Zakai say the past three years – since the Jewish couple offered to rent their home to Bedouin friends, Ahmed and Khalas Tarabin – have been a living hell.

“I have always loved Israel,” said Mrs Zakai, 43. “But to see the depth of the racism of our neighbours has made me question why we live in this country.”

New US Treasury sanctions against Iraqi figure

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Washington, March 26: The US Treasury Department has announced new financial sanctions targeting Muthanna Harith al-Dari, an influential Iraqi figure who is known for his criticism of the presence of American troops in his war-torn country.

In a statement, the Treasury Department accused Dari of trying from August 2008 to “reinvigorate the insurgency in Iraq by providing training to any insurgent organization” targeting foreign troops.

The sanctions freeze any US assets belonging to Dari, and prohibit US citizens from doing business with him.

Gates: Iran drones might fall in wrong hands

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Washington, March 26: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed concern Thursday over Iran’s aerial drone program, saying the weapons could fall into the hands of “terrorists”.

“Countries like Iran are developing their own UAVs and already have a UAV capability,” Gates told the Senate Appropriations Committee, using the acronym the military uses for drones — Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

“That is a concern, because it is one of these areas where — if they chose to, in Iraq, in Afghanistan — they could create difficulties for us.”

Iraq FM says to remain at Arab summit

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Libya, March 26: Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said he will stay the course for a summit of Arab leaders in Libya after Baghdad and Tripoli resolved a dispute that had him ready to pack and go home.

“There is no more question of the Iraqi delegation pulling out (of the summit),” Zebari told reporters in the Mediterranean city of Sirte where he will represent his country at a summit of Arab leaders on Saturday and Sunday.

“We will contribute, we will participate and we will work for the success of this summit,” he added.

Students filmed attack on elderly teacher

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Siberia, March 26: Education officials in Siberia were sacked amid a scandal sparked after videos appeared online showing students beating an elderly female teacher.

A criminal investigation was launched after pupils filmed the attack on the 73-year-old during a physical education lesson and posted the video on the internet, Sky News reported.

The video shows the students wrapping Yelena Ivanovna in a volleyball net and kicking her around like a football.

The teacher suffers from sclerosis – and the following day could not remember what had happened.

Stork travels 13,000 kilometres ‘for love’

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South Africa, March 26: A Male stork proved once again that distance is no bar to true love as it flew thousands of kilometres from South Africa back to its handicapped mate in a Croatian village.

This is the fifth year in a row that the stork, named Rodan, has made the epic journey of some 13,000 kilometres from South Africa to the village of Brodski Varos, in eastern Croatia, the Jutarnji List daily reported.

“This year he came a bit earlier,” Stjepan Vokic, who cares for the female stork, named Malena, unable to fly since hunters shot through its wing, told the paper.

Doctors remove boy’s extra fingers, toes

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Beijing, March 26: A SIX-year-old Chinese boy has undergone surgery to remove an extra five fingers and six toes, Sky News reported.

Li Jinpeng was born with 15 fingers and 16 toes – seven fingers on his left hand, eight on his right and eight toes on each foot.

It took doctors in Shenyang, Liaoning, five hours in the operating theater to remove Li’s extra digits.

Surgeon Tian Lijie said: “We have successfully completed the operation as anticipated. The shape of Li’s fingers and toes improved greatly.”

Cop shot dead during training exercise in UK

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London, March 26: A UK police officer who was shot dead during a “cops and robbers” training session was unlawfully killed, a jury ruled today.

A verdict of unlawful killing was recorded in relation to the officer’s death, Sky News reports

Ian Terry died in June 2008 while the Greater Manchester Police’s firearms unit practiced at a disused factory. In the exercise, PC Terry, 32, from Burnley, Lancashire, brandished an unloaded gun in his role of a fleeing criminal.

Man jailed for 20 year after hacking millions of credit card numbers

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Washington, March 26: An American man who stole millions of credit card numbers in one of the biggest computer hacking operations in US history has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Albert Gonzalez, 28, pleaded guilty last September to separate cases related to hacking into the computers of big retailers including TJX Cos and BJ’s Wholesale Club.

Sentencing him in Boston, Judge Patti Saris described it as “the largest and most costly example of computer hacking in US history”.

The sentence was less than the 25 years demanded by prosecutors.

Some women born bad mums – study

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Washington, March 26: As bad mothers dominate headlines, neurological research from the United States raises the question of whether a bad mother switch in the brain can be detected, and if so, whether neglectful or abusive behaviour could be prevented.

According to scientists at Richmond University in Virginia, women develop a set of “maternal neurons” that operate like “bad mother/good mother” switches in the brain.

Rahul seeks speedy probe in rural jobs irregularities

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Sultanpur, March 26: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Friday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to complete the probe into the irregularities and anomalies reported in various projects of the rural job scheme by April 17 to avoid intervention by the central government, officials said.

Gandhi’s instructions on the probe into the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) lapses came during the meeting in which he reviewed the central government funded developmental projects of his parliamentary constituency Amethi, a part of Sultanpur district.

Acclimatisation in Windies will be key for us: Gambhir

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New Delhi, March 26: India’s prospect in the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies will depend on how fast the team acclimatises there, according to star opener Gautam Gambhir.

“It’s important how we adjust after reaching there. It’s going to be the key and we have to go all guns blazing,” said Gambhir, adding “We are hoping to put up a good show.”

The left-hander said most of the Indian players would reach the West Indies having played in the Indian Premier League and that would stand them in good stead.

Only promoting Gujarat, not Modi, says Bachchan

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New Delhi, March 26: Brushing aside the Congress’ criticism over his agreeing to become brand ambassador of the BJP-ruled Gujarat, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has said he would be working to promote the state and not any individual (Chief Minister Narendra Modi).

In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN, Bachchan said there was no politics involved in his accepting Narendra Modi’s offer to be brand ambassador for the state.

“Modi is a constitutional head of a state. I have been asked to promote heritage sites in Gujarat. Where does it bring politics?,” he said.

Petition seeks ED probe in case against Amar

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Allahabad, March 26: A petition was today filed in the Allahabad High Court seeking direction that a criminal case lodged against former Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh be handed over to the Enforcement Directorate for investigation.

Samajwadi Party legislator surrenders before court

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Lucknow, March 26: Samajwadi Party legislator Sultan Beg, was wanted by police on charges of running a truck thieves’ gang, Friday surrendered before a court in Uttar Pradesh.

“Beg surrendered before Additional Judicial Magistrate Kamlapati Pal and was sent to 14 days’ judicial remand,” Beg’s lawyer Chandrashekhar told reporters in Bareilly, some 250 km from here.

Beg is a legislator from Kanwar assembly constituency in Bareilly district.

A non-bailable warrant was issued against Beg Jan 27.

—Agencies

Orissa road accident toll rises to 10

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Bhubaneswar, March 26: Ten people, including two children and three women, died in a road accident in Orissa’s Dhenkanal district Friday, police said.

The accident took place early Friday morning when a Trekker van carrying passengers from Khajuria village in Dhenkanal district collided head-on with a speeding coal-laden truck near Baldiabandh on National Highway 42.

“Eight people died on the spot and two died in a hospital,” a police officer said.

Food security bill will create food insecurity: CPI-M

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New Delhi, March 26: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Friday termed the Food Security Bill in its present form a “travesty of food security” and said it will create food insecurity in the country.

The party asked the government to withdraw “this anti-poor bill” and come up with a legislation for a universal public distribution system with entitlement of at least 35 kg of foodgrain at Rs.2 a kg.

BJP top brass held guilty in people’s court 20 years ago: Cong

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New Delhi, March 26: Lashing out the BJP leadership after a senior IPS officer testified before a special CBI court against L K Advani in the Babri masjid demolition case,Congress today said the saffron party and its leaders were proved guilty 20 years ago in the people’s court.

“In the eyes of the public, BJP and its top leadership were proved guilty 20 years ago…Now the process is entering the phase of legal finality. This is first important eye
witness testimony in the legal processs,” party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said at the AICC briefing here.

Delhi HC seeks response from Centre, NCT govt on school

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New Delhi, March 26: The Delhi High Court today sought a response from the Centre and NCT government over a petition filed by a group of parents alleging Navyug Public school denied nursery admission to their kids due to a disqualification imposed by delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies.

Justice G S Sistani also issued a notice to the New Delhi Municipal Corporation(NDMC) besides the Education Department of NCT government and the central government and sought their replies by April 19.

CM, Geeta Reddy hail SC order

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Hyderabad, March 26: Chief Minister K Rosaiah has expressed happiness over the Supreme Court’s interim order on reservations for backward classes among Muslims.

In a statement here today, the Chief Minister said: “I am happy. I am quite satisfied. Our stand has been vindicated,’’ he said.