Friday, December 2, 2011

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Briton slashes own throat live on internet

Posted:

A 53-year-old Briton, on a business trip to India, killed himself by slashing his throat while his girlfriend in Britain saw the ghastly act live on the internet, a media report said Friday.

Adrian Rowland, the father of three children, worked for an engineering firm in Woodley, Berkshire, and was in India seeking business opportunities, The Sun reported.

His girlfriend Julie Zalinski, who works for the same firm, was talking to him on a video chat, when Rowland suddenly produced a knife and killed himself as she watched.

Julie dialled British emergency number 999, and local policemen contacted Indian authorities via the Foreign Office.

The report, however, did not mention where the man was staying in India.

The couple reportedly were having difficulties over their relationship.

"I heard they were having a discussion about their future together. He killed himself in front of her as she watched over the camera. It must have been the most horrendous thing imaginable. She could see he had cut his throat but could not do anything to stop him," a friend said.

It is expected his body will be flown back to Britain and an inquest held in Berkshire.

Pakistan rethinks Afghan border security strategy

Posted:

Pakistan is rethinking its strategy on the Afghan border, with the focus shifting from battling militants to ensuring security following the Nov 26 NATO attack that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead

Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has said in a message to his soldiers that they need to not wait for directions from the high command to give a crushing reply to any future aggression.

Dawn said that the message points to a rethink in the military command about the role of soldiers posted on the border with Afghanistan.

The soldiers on the Afghan border are principally assigned to combat militants rather than dealing with border security.

The soldiers are given weapons relevant to the task they are expected to perform, the media report said, adding that the NATO attack has forced a rethink of the strategy with the focus shifting from fighting militants to ensuring security of the border.

NATO helicopters attacked two Pakistan Army checkposts in Mohmand Agency, killing two dozen soldiers and sparking outrage in the country.

Pranab lowers 2011-12 growth projection to 7.5 percent

Posted:

After a slump in growth in the first two quarters of the current financial year, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday lowered the economic growth projection to around 7.5 percent for 2011-12 from his budgetary estimate of 9 percent

"I am modest, I am not saying that I will be reaching the figure which I projected earlier during the budget -- 9 percent plus minus 0.25 percent. I am reducing it at around 7.5 percent," Mukherjee said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here.

India's economic growth has slumped to 7.3 percent in the first half of the current fiscal, substantially below the budgetary estimate. The gross domestic product (GDP) growth declined to 7.7 percent in the first quarter and it slumped further to 6.9 percent in July-September period.

The finance minister said the government was not in a position to boost growth through stimulus as it did during the global financial crisis in 2008-09.

"I am not in a position to provide that level of fiscal stimulus that we provided in 2008-09. But certain policy changes can improve the situation little bit which we are doing," he said.

Mukherjee expressed hope that the government would be able to make national consensus on key economic reforms, which are crucially important to boost the economic growth.

The finance minister said stimulus packages helped the Indian economy recover from the global financial mess in 2008-09.

"At that time, through three stimulus packages we could generate domestic demand and provide some support to industrial sector through which the process of deceleration was checked dramatically and we ended the year with a growth of 6.8 percent in 2008-09," said Mukherjee.

He also said the projection of around 9 percent growth for the current financial year was based on the kind of recovery and resilience the Indian economy showed in 2008-09 and in the subsequent years.


Dog shoots man in rear

Posted:

An American man was rushed to hospital after being shot in the buttocks by his dog during an ill-fated duck hunting accident in Utah.

The 46-year-old victim and a pal were duck hunting when the dog stepped on his master's gun and accidentally fired at his behind.

The unnamed American man was just 10 feet from the shotgun when the "excited" pet sent 27 pellets thundering into his rear.

Box Elder County Sheriff's deputy chief Kevin Potter revealed, "The dog got excited, was jumping around inside the boat and then it jumped on the gun. It went off, shooting the (man) in the buttocks."

Luckily for the man his waders prevented any serious injury.


Olympics role for William and Kate

Posted:

Prince William, his wife Kate Middleton and brother Prince Harry will be official ambassadors to the 2012 London Olympic Games, royal officials said yesterday.

St. James's Palace said that all three will play a leading role in "encouraging and inspiring the British public to rally behind the 900 Olympic and Paralympic athletes" competing for Britain.

They also will use their roles to encourage greater awareness of Olympic and Paralympic values, the palace said. The royals join 27 British Olympians from previous games who were unveiled as 2012 ambassadors by the British Olympic Association earlier this year.

William said he felt honored to have been chosen and that his entire family is looking forward to the games. "London hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will inspire so many people -- particularly the young -- to be the best they can be," he said. "We are hugely looking forward to this incredible sporting competition, but are also looking beyond next summer's Games to the springboard it will provide for future success and excellence."

The young royals will be opening the latest chapter in the monarchy's ties to the games.


Firm wants to turn Eiffel Tower into giant tree

Posted:

As part of an environmental scheme, authorities want to turn the French heritage site into a giant green jungle covered in 6,00,000 plants

The Eiffel Tower is set to be transformed into a giant green 'jungle' covered in 6,00,000 plants.
In a controversial plan which will transform the Paris skyline, an astonishing �65 million
(Rs 525 crore) will be spent on making it the most 'ecologically correct' tourist attraction in the world.
But many have already expressed outrage that the world famous 'Iron Lady' -- which attracts seven million visitors a year -- will no longer live up to the vision of its industrial age creators.


Going green: The firm wants to spend Rs 525 crore to make the Eiffel
Tower the most 'ecologically correct' tourist attraction. Pic/getty images

Ginger, an engineering company which specialises in ecological projects, will work with building firm Vinci, and the architect Claude Bucher on the scheme, which is due to be completed within a couple of years.

It will see the 1,063-feet tower turn into a flagship of eco-tourism, introducing thousands of baskets of plants.
They estimate that it will give off 84.2 tonne of carbon dioxide and absorb 87.8 tonne, making it 'carbon positive'.

But visitors queuing up to visit the global icon said they were 'absolutely astonished' at the plans, which are set to see the tower transformed for up to four years, until 2016.

"The whole point of the Eiffel Tower is that it is an engineering masterpiece," said Anil Singh, who was visiting with his wife and two children from Delhi.

Laurent Martin, who has lived in Paris all his life, added: "It is typical of the ridiculous green schemes which are introduced everywhere nowadays."


Posted by Harshad at 7:14 AM

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