Thursday, March 22, 2012

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Indian fisherman goes missing off UAE coast

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An Indian fisherman has gone missing in the rough seas off Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE and an intensive search operation has been launched to find him.

Christudas Augustine, from Kerala, was among a group of six Indian fishermen who went for fishing along with a friend of their sponsor on Sunday, a media report said.

Apparently, when the sea turned rough following strong wind and high tide in the afternoon, the group returned to the shore. However, Augustine reportedly went missing when the boat was nearly 15 miles away from the shore, his friends told Khaleej Times.

Augustine has two daughters, wife and parents back home. Those who were with Augustine have claimed that they were wearing plastic covers to shield their faces from splashing sea water and hence did not initially notice that one of them had suddenly disappeared.

Ras Al Khaimah police have launched an investigation into the circumstances that led to the incident while the coast guards are searching for Augustine.

On Tuesday, a group of nearly 50 fishermen set sail on 12 boats to scour the sea up to the borders of Iran and Oman after efforts to find him by coast guards did not yield results for two days, said Augustine's friend Gilbert Arulappan who was in the group.

"We went to different directions and continued our search. We were still hoping to see him floating somewhere in the rigs or by using buoys," Arulappan told the newspaper.

A coast guards official said frogmen were also being deployed along with divers to look for Augustine. He said hopes to rescue him were fading as they doubt that Augustine could have got trapped in the deep sea.
The official said cases like this happen as fishermen venture into the sea without paying heed to the warnings about bad weather.

Chinese courts punish Tibetan agitators

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Chinese courts have handed down stiff sentences to 11 Tibetan agitators who took part in the recent protests even as self-immolation attempts by Buddhist monks calling for return of Dalai Lama continued in Tibetan areas.

Eleven people have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from three to 13 years for recent acts of violence and vandalism in southwest China's Sichuan province, according to statements issued by local courts.

In one case, a man named Paldol and six others were convicted of robbery and vandalism in Chaggo county, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the statements as saying.

Paldol and his accomplices used stones and wooden sticks to attack a local credit cooperative, a police station, an office building, a police vehicle and a China Mobile store, the county court heard, they said.

In another case, a man named Tseyang and three others were convicted of inciting public disorder and using force to obstruct public servants in Serthar county, they said.

Their actions seriously disrupted public order and prevented local stores from engaging in business, the county court ruled.

The protests took place in January this year. According to overseas Tibetan groups, three protestors were killed and several injured in clashes between police and protesters then.

So far nearly 30 Tibetans, mostly monks, have attempted self-immolation in Sichuan and other areas calling for the return of Dalai Lama from his self exile in Dharmasala.

According to International Campaign for Tibet, a 20 year old Monk who was prevented from committing self-immolation in Sichuan province last week died three days ago sparking protests in the area.

The report has not been officially confirmed. The Chinese government has accused the "Tibetan government" in exile of orchestrating the protests to separate Tibet from China.

The statements claimed that the "litigation rights of the defendants have been fully safeguarded during the trials and their relatives and local residents were present in the courtrooms during their trials".


Real life 'Rapunzel' set to cut her locks for the first time

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A 12-year-old girl who has been dubbed the real-life Rapunzel after refusing to cut her hair for her whole life is to cut it all off -- and plans to sell the 5ft 2in mane of hair for �3,500 (Rs 2.80 lakh) to be made into extensions.



Natasha Moraes de Andrade, who lives in Rio De Janeiro has never had a haircut. At 5ft 3in, she is just one inch taller than the length of her wavy chestnut hair.

Natasha spends four hours per week washing her hair and up to an hour-and-a-half brushing it each day. She has to carry it around when she walks, and fold it onto her lap when she sits down.

At the moment she is like a prisoner. She just goes from school to home again. She can't do anything else because her hair gets in the way. The school told me she should get it cut so she can have her freedom like other girls her age."

"I hope to sell it for �3,500 and refurbish my bedroom. I hope it can give me a new life," said Natasha.

Hair she is! Natasha spends an hour and a half to brush her 5.2-feet long mane and requires a bottle of shampoo to wash it. She is now planning on getting a bob in the summer and sell her locks


Quake jangles nerves, topples homes in Mexico

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A strong earthquake damaged hundreds of homes in southern Mexico on Tuesday and rattled residents hundreds of miles away in the nation's capital. The quake had a magnitude of 7.4, according to the US Geological Survey.

At least 500 homes in the southern coastal state were damaged, said Governor Angel Aguirre. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or deaths.


Shaken: Residents sit around a house that collapsed owing to the
earthquake in Guerrero, Mexico. Pic/AFP

Authorities were still surveying the area yesterday, and reports differed about the extent of damage.
Officials reported that at least 800 houses had collapsed in the town of Igualapa, the Guerrero state government said in a statement.

"There are many cracked ceilings, many houses that collapsed," said Francisca Villalva Davila, Ometepec's comptroller.

Residents rushed into the streets after feeling the tremors in Mexico City away from the epicenter. Tourists and residents also felt the earthquake in the resort city of Acapulco.

There were no immediate reports of serious damage, and that the nation's health system was operating normally.

"There are some broken windows, much fear, much panic," he said.

Residents in Oaxaca and Guerrero reported that phone service had been knocked out.

Multiple houses collapsed in the Ometepec area, said Aguirre.

Officials were preparing shelters for displaced residents.

Authorities in Mexico City were surveying buildings, schools and hospitals to evaluate damage, Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said.

A pedestrian bridge fell on a minibus during the quake, he said, but there were no injuries.

Obama daughter safe after quake
The White House said that US President Barack Obama's daughter Malia was safe after the earthquake hit Mexico where she is on vacation. "In light of the earthquake, we can confirm that Malia Obama is safe and was never in danger," said spokeswoman for First Lady.


De Niro apologises for 'White First Lady' joke

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Actor says he's sorry for the racial comment he passed during a fundraiser for the US President

Robert De Niro says he meant no offense when he joked at a presidential fundraiser featuring Michelle Obama that America might not be ready for a white first lady.


How wrong was I? During the fundraiser which Michelle Obama attended,
Robert De Niro joked that the country was not ready to have a white
First Lady. File pic

"My remarks, although spoken with satirical jest, were not meant to offend or embarrass anyone -- especially the First Lady," De Niro said in a statement.

The joke drew criticism on Tuesday from Newt Gingrich, the Republican presidential candidate, who said the racial reference to the Republican candidates' wives was "inexcusable" and demanded an apology from US President Barack Obama.

Gingrich added that the comments made by De Niro divide the country and that 'everybody in the country ought to hold the president accountable when somebody at his event says something as utterly and totally unacceptable as Robert De Niro said'. "These are fine ladies, as is Michelle Obama, but this is not about the First Lady, it is about the president and that is where De Niro missed the whole point," he said. "He should be ashamed of himself."

The tough-talking star of Raging Bull, was host of the re-election fundraiser on Monday night in New York. He opened by listing the wives of Republicans running for president. "Callista Gingrich. Karen Santorum. Ann Romney," De Niro said. "Now do you really think our country is ready for a white First Lady?" The donors roared in approval, and De Niro finished: "Too soon, right?"

The fundraiser
De Niro and his wife Grace Hightower hosted the dinner attended by Obama supporters at the Greenwich Hotel, which he owns. The event was attended by US First Lady Michelle Obama. Celebs, including singer Beyonc �, Harvey Weinstein and January Jones, flocked to the 85-person dinner.


Posted by Harshad at 7:11 AM

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