Monday, February 27, 2012

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Russian security agencies foil plot to assassinate Putin

Posted:

A plot to assassinate Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after the March 4 presidential elections has been foiled by the Russian and Ukranian security agencies by arresting two Chechen linked suspects, state TV reported.

The two suspects, who were on the verge of carrying out suicide bomb attacks on the Russian strongman were shown on television and claimed to be acting on the orders of the Chechen warlord Doku Umarov.

Channel One television said the two suspects were arrested from the Ukranian port city of Odessa after an explosion in their rented apartment while they were trying to manufacture explosives.

The third suspect, identified as Ruslan Madayev, who was also in the premises, died during the explosion.

One of the surviving militants named Ilya Pyanzin said that the Chechen militant leader Umarov, believed to be behind the deadliest terror attacks in Russia had hired him and other suspects to target Putin.

Pyanzin said he and Madayev had come from UAE via Turkey to Ukraine to train on the assassination plan and were ordered to carry it out in Moscow after March 4 Russian Presidential elections, which Putin is poised to win.

The security personnel found the assassination plot in the laptop of the militants. RIA Novosti quoting Russian Federal Security officials said some explosives had already been hidden near Kutuzovsky Prospekt -- the avenue Putin passes daily to reach the government White House.

Osama's infamous Pak safehouse razed to ground

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Bulldozers today razed to the ground the three-storey house in Pakistan, where the most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden hid for more than five years, dogging the biggest manhunt in the world.

Razing the building, where bin Laden was shot dead by US special forces last year on May 2, Pakistan has destroyed a symbol of the country's failure to trace the al-Qaeda chief. Bulldozers and heavy machinery completely tore down the building and other structures within a compound located about 800 yards from the elite Pakistan Military Academy in the garrison town of Abbottabad.

Local residents said the walls surrounding the compound were still standing. Trucks removed debris from the site as the heavy machinery pulled down the structures. The demolition had begun late on Saturday night amidst tight security. Scores of policemen and army soldiers were deployed around Bilal Town, the suburb where the compound is located.

"The whole structure has been razed to the ground. It actually took some time as the process of demolition and removing the rubble was going on simultaneously," an unnamed security official was quoted as saying by Geo News channel.

Local residents said some debris was still present within the compound and expressed hope that their suffering would end now that the compound had been demolished. The compound had aroused curiosity and attracted a large number of visitors, the local residents said.

There was no official word on who had ordered the demolition or its timing. The unnamed official quoted by Geo News said a number of meetings were held to decide what should be done with the compound since his killing, but the structure could not be demolished due to differences of opinion among officials. "It was finally decided to demolish the building on Saturday night," the official said.

A recent rocket attack on the Pakistan Military Academy had caused serious concern among military authorities and the local administration and strict security measures were put in place for the demolition, a police officer told Geo News.

Reports said security forces would remain deployed at the site where bin Laden reportedly moved into in 2005. A team of US Navy Seals flew in by helicopter from Afghanistan and killed bin Laden and later dumped his body at sea to ensure that there was no shrine to attract jihadis. The army occupied the compound soon after the US raid, and several journalists and diplomats, including the Danish Ambassador, were detained when they tried to approach it in recent months.

The compound was surrounded by walls that ranged from 10 feet to 18 feet in height. The land for the compound was bought for about 50,000 dollars by Arshad Khan, one of two al-Qaida couriers killed with bin Laden. The walls of the compound were higher and thicker than those of every house in Bilal Town. The compound consisted of three portions a big open area for farming, a built up structure and a lawn on the north side that was smaller than the farming area.

Pakistani officials have said 27 people, including bin Laden's three wives and 16 children, were living in the three-storey building and an adjoining guesthouse.

The US raid and bin Laden's presence in a garrison town deeply embarrassed Pakistan's powerful security establishment. Pakistan-US ties have not yet recovered from the blow of the raid against bin Laden and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has ordered a parliamentary review to reset the relationship.

Kingfisher in talks with 2 foreign carriers for rescue package

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Kingfisher Airlines, owned by Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallya, is in talks with two foreign carriers, including International Airlines Group (IAG)-- the owner of British Airways and Iberia -- for a potential rescue package, a report said.

This could pave the way for IAG to take a minority stake in the troubled Indian airline, a report by 'The Times' said.

Mallya, who controls 58 per cent of Kingfisher, told 'The Times' that he had secured provisional approval from the Indian government for a change in the law that would ease restrictions on foreign ownership of airlines. He claimed that the foreign carriers, which he refused to identify, stood ready to invest as soon as the change was announced - possibly within days. It would allow overseas airlines to own up to 49 per cent of an Indian airline for the first time.

Mallya expressed confidence that a deal with a "foreign strategic investor" was likely. The report quoting a financial source in Mumbai named one of the airlines involved as IAG.

Etihad, the UAE-based airline, is also keen to have discussed a tie-up, which would involve the foreign groups providing equity in exchange for a minority stake.

Kingfisher, which has debts of Rs 6,300 crore (810 million), needs an immediate cash injection of up to 160 million to remain solvent, the report said. Its fleet of aircraft has fallen to 28 from 64 and many of its pilots have deserted because they have not been paid.

Last night, IAG, according to the report, welcomed the possibility of a liberalisation of India's aviation industry but said that it was "too early to speculate about IAG's interest in any Indian airline at this stage."

Etihad said, "We talk regularly and frequently to many airlines about issues and opportunities." Kingfisher Airlines, which has not turned a profit since it was formed in 2005, has been hit hard by a combination of rising fuel prices, high taxes in India and a falling rupee.

The company's auditor has raised questions about its financial viability without any infusion of cash, the report said. According to the report rapid economic growth and a booming economy make India an attractive market for airlines. Some sources cautioned, though, that Kingfisher's financial condition was so poor that IAG and Etihad could be reluctant to get involved.

In a further sign of the financial strains on his business, Mallya said that he was considering the sale of a stake in Whyte & Mackay as part of a drive to cut his group's USD 4 billion (2.5 billion pounds) debt. Mallya said that Consolidated USL, his spirits holding group which has debts of USD 1.68 billion, was considering the sale of a 49 per cent stake in Whyte & Mackay, the Glasgow-based whisky maker which he bought in 2007 for USD 1.2 billion.

The report also quoted Ravi Negundadi, the chief financial officer of Mallya's parent company, UB Group, saying that there had been interest from "a number of private equity players" in W & M, which owns single malt whisky brands such as Jura and Dalmore. He said that UB Group would retain ownership of 51 per cent and that the proceeds would be used to cut USL's debt and to help fund an expansion drive, including the construction of new distilleries and India's biggest glass plant.

Car bombing kills 9 at Afghan airport

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A suicide car bomber struck at the gates of Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan, officials said, killing nine people in an attack insurgents said was revenge for US troops burning Qurans.

The early morning explosion comes after six days of deadly protests in Afghanistan over the disposal of Qurans and other Islamic texts in a burn pit last week at a US military base north of the capital.

American officials have called the incident a mistake and issued a series of apologies.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has urged calm, saying that Afghans should not let the insurgents capitalise on their indignation to spark violence.

Today's attack appeared to be a sign that the Taliban are seizing the opportunity to do just that. The bomber drove up to the gates of the airport, which serves both civilian and international military aircraft, shortly after dawn and detonated his explosives in a "very strong" blast, said Nangarhar provincial police spokesman Hazrad Mohammad.

Among the dead were six civilians, two airport guards and one soldier, Mohammad said. Another six people were wounded, he said.

NATO forces spokesman Capt Justin Brockhoff said that no international forces were killed in the early morning attack and that the installation was not breached by the blast.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a suicide car bomber had driven up to the airport gate and detonated his explosives as international forces were changing from night to morning guard duty.

"This attack is revenge against those soldiers who burned our Quran," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in an email.

Three die in grenade blast in Colombia

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Three soldiers were killed and 20 wounded when a soldier pulled out the pin of a grenade at an army base in northwestern Colombia, the army and doctors said.

The dead and wounded soldiers belonged to an infantry battalion based in Dabeiba, a town in Antioquia province. The blast killed a corporal and two privates, the army said.

"A non-commissioned officer and six enlisted men sustained extensive wounds in the same incident," it said. A total of "23 soldiers were compromised in the incident," said the head of the emergency room at the Dabeiba municipal hospital, Sebastian Alzate.

One of the soldiers died at the base and two others at the hospital, Alzate said, adding that six of the wounded soldiers were flown by helicopter to Monteria and 14 others were transported by ambulance to Medellin.

"The conduct of professional soldier Jefferson Garcia Alvarez, who apparently was the one responsible for activating the hand grenade, will be reviewed," the army said. Officials have not determined whether the grenade was set off intentionally or by accident, the army said.


Blasts target rail tracks in Pakistan

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Fourteen low-intensity bombs were detonated on rail tracks in southern Pakistan's Sindh province, a media report said Monday.

The explosions took place in eight districts of Sindh, including Karachi, halting the rail traffic for up to six hours Saturday, police said.

The services of 19 express trains were affected. An official said that 100 gm of explosives was used in each blast in Karachi.

The explosive material was not of very good quality. The terrorists detonated them with fire, the Dawn newspaper quoted an official as saying.

Suicide blast kills six at Afghan airport: police

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At least six people were killed and seven wounded today in a suicide car bomb attack at Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan where NATO forces have a base, police said.

"Six people are dead," Nangarhar provincial police spokesman Hazrat Mohammad told AFP.

NATO troops sealed off the area, Nangarhar provincial spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdul Zai told AFP. There were no reports of NATO casualties in the attack, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force said.

"According to initial information the ISAF installation was not reached by the explosion," he said.

The Taliban, who are waging a 10-year insurgency against the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai, claimed responsibility for the blast.

The attack comes after at least 30 people were killed in six days of violent anti-US demonstrations across the country in protest over the burning of Qurans at a US military airbase. Yesterday, seven US soldiers were wounded in a grenade attack on their base in northern Kunduz province, police said.

President Hamid Karzai went on television yesterday to appeal for calm. Karzai "condemned with the strongest words" the treatment of Islam's holy book and said the perpetrators should be punished, but told his countrymen, "Now that we have shown our feelings it is time to be calm and peaceful." He said he respected the emotions of Afghans upset by the Quran burning in an incinerator pit at Bagram base north of Kabul, but urged them not to let "the enemies of Afghanistan misuse their feelings".

Hindu girl kidnapped, forced to convert in Pak

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A Hindu girl was kidnapped and allegedly forced to convert in Pakistan's southern Sindh province today, prompting President Asif Ali Zardari to direct authorities to investigate the incident.

Reports said the Hindu girl was kidnapped from Mirpur Mathelo in Ghotki district.

Officials said President Zardari had taken "serious note" of reports of the girl being kidnapped and allegedly forced to convert by some influential persons of the area.

The President had called for a report on the incident from the Sindh government, officials said. Zardari also called for "transparent and expeditious investigations" in the matter and for action in accordance with the law, regardless of the influence and status of anyone involved in the criminal activity, the officials said.

Sindh has a sizeable population of Hindus, who are the largest minority community in Pakistan. Hindus account for less than five per cent of Pakistan's total population of about 180 million.

Prince Charles and Camilla leading separate lives

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Prince Charles and Camilla are leading separate lives as she struggles to cope with the pressures of being a royal. The Duchess of Cornwall regularly leaves her husband and escapes to her old country house in the Cotswolds.


On the rocks: In the last five months, Charles and Camilla have carried
out nine engagements together. file pic

There she is free from the stuffy red carpet world, Charles' demanding ways and being on show at public events. Camilla revealed her secret getaways to her hairdresser confidante Jo Hansford, who has been with her for 20 years.

Palace officials are "concerned" over Camilla's disappearing acts, which take place nearly every ten days. And an "irritated" Charles has spoken to his wife about the time they are spending apart. The Duchess spends hours gardening and with her grandchildren at Ray Mill House in Wiltshire, which she bought before their marriage.

Jo, said, "Ray Mill House is her escape. She likes to be in her own home. With that kind of life how can you ever be a normal person? It has been harder for her than it will be for Kate, because Kate is that much younger." Out of more than 80 engagements over the last five months, Charles and Camilla have only carried out nine together.

A royal aide said: "This is causing concern about the future. She goes off at least once a week or every ten days to escape. They are not talking about divorce, they are mature people. This is how they make their marriage work."


Nepalese crowned world's shortest

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Standing at 22 inches, Chandra Bahadur Dangi beats previous world record holder by 1.5 inches

At just 22 inches tall, shorter than the length of a broadsheet newspaper, Chandra Bahadur Dangi has been officially named the world's smallest man by Guinness World Records. A doctor and Guinness World Records official measured Chandra Bahadur Dangi to confirm his height of 54.6 centimetre or 21.5 inches.




Pint-sized wonder: Guinness officials measure Chandra Bahadur Dangi
before handing over the title of the world's shortest man. Dangi is the
oldest man to win the prize. Pics/AFP

Plans for the future
Craig Glenday, the Guinness World Records editor-in-chief, presented Dangi with two certificates for being the world's shortest living man and the world's shortest person recorded in Guinness' 57-year history. "I am very happy. Now I want to travel across Nepal and to foreign countries," Dangi said. He said he has no desire to get married or have a family of his own, but would like to meet the prime minister of Nepal soon.

Dangi lives in a remote mountain village, Rhimkholi, about 400 kilometres west of Katmandu, with his youngest brother and his family. His five brothers are all average height. "I'm continually amazed that this record keeps getting broken," Glenday said in a statement after the adjudication in the Nepali capital Kathmandu.

"Just when you think it's impossible for the record to get any smaller, Dangi comes along and astonishes us all. hat I find equally remarkable is his age -- if he really is 72, he is by far the oldest person to be awarded the shortest-man record in Guinness World Record's 57-year history."

No competition
Before being measured in the capital, Katmandu, yesterday, he had never seen a doctor and his relatives say he has never been seriously ill or had any injuries. The doctors who saw him at the clinic also found no immediate health problems. His family is not sure when he stopped growing. Because of his height, he has never worked outside the house, doing only household chores. He has a normal sized head and regularly shaves, but his body is small. He is able to walk and climb small stairs. He eats mainly rice and vegetables, and occasionally meat, but in small portions.

Dangi takes the shortest man record from Junrey Balawing of the Philippines, who is 60-cm tall. Another Nepalese man, Khagendra Thapa Magar, was declared the world's shortest man at 67 cm before Balawing took over the title in June on his 18th birthday.


To hell with you: Mugabe to Brit PM

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Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe marked his 88th birthday with a trademark attack on David Cameron's calls to respect gay rights

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe marked his 88th birthday with a trademark attack on gays and foreigners at a mass rally of his supporters to celebrate the occasion. He told British Prime Minister David Cameron "to hell with you" over his calls to respect gay rights and accused non-governmental organisations of trying to destabilise the country, at a birthday rally in the eastern border town of Mutare.


Rants amid celebrations: Africa's oldest leader enjoys the rally marking
his 88th birthday. Mugabe accused non-governmental organisations
of trying to destabilise the country. Pic/AFP

"NGOs come with these stupid ideas, some to destabilise us. Quite often they support one party. We say to them get away from our country. Leave us to solve our political problems. Leave us to manage our own systems," Mugabe said. Africa's oldest leader lambasted Cameron, who at the Commonwealth summit last year said countries receiving British aid should respect gay rights.

"Nature is nature. It has created male and female," Mugabe said. "You David Cameron, are you suggesting that you don't know that or is it some kind of insanity or part of the culture of Europeans. "In their newspapers, that's one of my sins. That I called (gays) worse than pigs and dogs because pigs know there are males and females. It's even in the Bible that you create through the system of marrying."

Ranting against the gays, he added, "That's how we were born, so we reject that outright and say to hell with you. I won't even call him a dog because my own dog will complain and say, but what have I done."

'He also urged voters to reject gay rights in a new constitution, currently being drafted as a key step toward new elections to replace Mugabe's rocky unity government with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. "Please, young men and women, you don't have the freedom for men to marry men and women to marry women. You have the freedom for men to marry women. That's God's freedom. That's what created you and me."

But he urged his supporters not to resort to violence, as debate over the charter and the date for new polls has intensified over the last week, with Mugabe insisting on fresh polls this year. "We used to fight each other. Time has come for us to do our politics in a much more cultured way. Although our differences are ideological and sometimes quite negative, we should not regard them as a source of hatred. Those who are opposed to us are also part of our society. We should recognise their rights. So, no to violence. No, no, no violence."


Moldovan dancer 'kissed' Costa Concordia's captain

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The blonde tour representative who was accused of causing the sinking of the Costa Concordia by romantically distracting the captain has given her first full newspaper interview "to set the record straight". Domnica Cemortan had been dining and flirting with Captain Francisco Schettino before the disaster and was with him on the bridge when the ship struck rocks on January 13.


Devastatingly beautiful: Domnica Cemortan had been flirting with the
captain before disaster struck. File pic

It is possible, as was widely reported, that 52-year-old Schettino may have been trying to impress the 25-year-old Moldovan when his ship sailed off course. For the past six weeks, Cemortan has been at the centre of worldwide attempts to uncover precisely what happened on the night that up to 32 people lost their lives off the Italian coastline.

Through it all she has repeatedly denied any romance between her and the married captain. Even after her luggage and bikinis were discovered in the captain's submerged cabin, she insisted it was "all lies". But last week, Cemortan finally revealed her true feelings for the captain.

Cemortan admits that not only had she been alone with Schettino in his cabin earlier during the evening of the tragedy, but that they had shared a passionate kiss, which she suspects was a prelude to them becoming lovers.

She says that although she had a serious "crush" on the Italian captain, she was never "in love" with him and their affair never really got started. "He was always respectful when I was a member of his staff, but once I was a passenger then it was different."

"I think we probably would have ended up in bed, eventually, but I never found out because of the crash."
Cemortan admits that her luggage had been left in the captain's cabin, but says it was only a temporary arrangement.


Bin Laden's home razed by Pakistan

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Pakistan is more than halfway through the demolition of the three-storey compound where Osama bin Laden was killed by US commandos last May.



Bulldozers and pneumatic machinery began working on the structure on Saturday after the government ordered it to be torn down without prior notice. Pakistan was outraged by the covert American raid in the north-western town of Abbottabad because it was not told about it beforehand -- a decision the US explained was driven by concerns that someone in the government might tip-off bin Laden.

The terror leader's death was cheered across the globe, but many Pakistanis were angry that the US violated its territory and that its troops were powerless to stop American soldiers from attacking a compound. Backhoes -- heavy machines with strong crane-like digging arms -- have torn down the tall boundary walls around bin Laden's compound and destroyed more than half of the main building, where the al-Qaeda chief lived for years with his wives and children.

Army soldiers who were guarding the compound handed authority over to the police in the morning and left.
Pakistani officials have declined to say why they decided to begin demolition. Residents of Abbottabad were divided on what the government should do with the compound. Some thought it should be destroyed, but others believed it should be turned into a tourist attraction to help the town earn money.


Posted by Harshad at 7:16 AM

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