Friday, December 9, 2011

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Father kills children to hurt his ex-wife

Posted:

A jilted man in Britain killed his daughter and son by slitting their throats to hurt his estranged wife as he was about to be evicted from their flat.

Jean Francis Say, 62, murdered his eight-year-old daughter Regina and son Rolls, ten, when he had custody of them for the weekend, the Sun reported Thursday.

He carried out the killings shortly after receiving a letter confirming that he was being kicked out of the family's three-bedroom property where he lived alone. His estranged wife Adjoua had moved out with the children six months earlier. So, Say wasn't entitled to the flat any longer.

After the two children finished playing online computer games, Say knifed them to death. He then called up Adjoua, telling her to call the police.

When detectives broke into the flat, they found him sitting calmly beside his children's bodies. They had been dead for several hours in the flat in Southwark, south London.

The couple, both from west Africa, had married in February 1998 in Southwark and the incident occurred Feb 12 this year.

Say has pleaded

Nuns should take contraceptive pills, say docs

Posted:

Two Australian doctors have suggested that Catholic nuns be given contraceptive pills.

Dr Kara Britt and Professor Roger Short said that the Pill would protect nuns from the 'accursed pest' of cancer, which has been recognised for 300 years, reports the Independent.

Like other women who do not have children, nuns are at an increased risk of dying from breast, ovarian or uterine cancers.

Studies show that women who have taken the contraceptive pill at anytime in their lives - the effect lasts for at least 20 years - have a 50-60 per cent reduced risk of ovarian and uterine cancer.

The report was published in the medical journal The Lancet.

India is third largest buyer of US arms

Posted:

India has emerged as the third largest purchaser of US arms with contracts worth $4.5 billion last year alone as US weapons sales rose to $34.8 billion in fiscal 2011, according to a Pentagon report.

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency, the Pentagon agency that oversees foreign arms sales, said sales in the fiscal that ended Sep 30 topped $30 billion for the fourth consecutive year after reaching $31.6 billion in fiscal 2010.

The Pentagon said government-to-government foreign military sales totalled $28.3 billion in fiscal 2011, while other sales managed by various government agencies reached $6.5 billion. The Pentagon had projected government-to-government sales would reach $36.3 billion for the year ending Sep 30.

Afghanistan, Taiwan, India, Australia and Saudi Arabia were the top buyers of US arms last year, the Defence Department said. Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Japan and Sweden were the next largest buyers.

The top ten FMS customers for fiscal 2011 were the Afghan Security Forces ($5.4 billion); Taiwan (US $4.9 billion); India ($4.5 billion); Australia ($3.9 billion); Saudi Arabia ($3.5 billion); Iraq ($2.0 billion); the United Arab Emirates ($1.5 billion); Israel ($1.4 billion); Japan ($0.5 billion); and Sweden ($0.5 billion).

The DSCA said it expected foreign military sales were expected to continue to be about $30 billion for fiscal 2012, but official projections were still being calculated.

China executes female leader of massive prostitution ring

Posted:

China has executed a female head of a gang that that forced hundreds of women to work as prostitutes.

A court in Chongqing city sentenced Wang Ziqi to death in August 2010 after convicting her of organizing and leading a criminal organization that lured hundreds of women to beauty salons or hotels, The BBC reports.

She and her sister Wang Wanning would control the women by methods such as seizing their identity cards, confiscating their earnings and detaining them illegally, according to cqnews.net.

Ziqi is one of many gang members to have been sentenced to death or executed in Chongqing since 2009.

According to the report, Chongqing has been the scene of a drive against corruption and organised crime.

Chongqing's Communist Party chief, Bo Xilai, has been waging a high-profile campaign in the city to smash corruption and criminal gangs. (ANI)

Misbehaving ex- Norwegian footballers, referees get electric shocks

Posted:

Electro-shock therapy is controversial enough in psychiatry, but now misbehaving Norwegian footballers and referees are being subjected to the treatment.

Former Barclays Premier League players Jan-Aage Fjortoft, Claus Lundekvam and Thomas Myhre were repeatedly shocked while trying to play a five-a-side game during an experiment on the show, ''Golden Goals''.

According to Fox Sports, the former Norway stars, as well as the referee, each had an electric collar, usually used for training dogs, attached to their legs, while the two hosts controlled the remotes.

If the hosts didn''t approve of the play, they punished the offending player with a range of electric shocks, or even the referee for a controversial decision.

How the show convinced the retired stars to participate in their ''experiment'' is unknown.

Pakistan to review its foreign policy

Posted:

Pakistan will review its foreign policy at a conference of envoys following the NATO airstrikes that killed two dozen soldiers.

The conference will be held Dec 12 and 13 to review the situation, reported Associated Press of Pakistan.

NATO helicopter gunships had targeted two border posts in Mohmand Agency Nov 26, killing two dozen soldiers and sparking outrage in the country. Islamabad has stopped the passage of NATO supplies through the country to protest the NATO attack.

"The envoy conference will deliberate on different aspects of the foreign policy of Pakistan," said foreign office spokesperson Abdul Basit.

Basit said foreign policy was being reviewed after decisions were taken by the cabinet and its defence committee, especially on the issue of Pakistan's ties with NATO and US in the backdrop of the attacks.

He said Pakistan and NATO had been discussing "political framework" for their future cooperation and so far there has been no progress in this regard.

Basit added that foreign policy as a whole was not being changed, but relations with NATO and US following the NATO attacks were being reviewed.

Pakistan boycotted the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan to protest the airstrikes, but that does not mean that Pakistan is dissociated from the peace process in Afghanistan, he said.

He said Pakistan's future relations with NATO depends on the decision of review of the foreign policy in this regard.

'Zardari's health improving'

Posted:

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's health is improving and he is resting at a hospital in Dubal, his office said in a bid to douse rumours of a military coup.

The President House issued a statement Thursday that said he is in a stable condition.

Quoting the physician attending on Zardari in Dubai, the statement said: "The president is stable, comfortable and is resting."

"Initial tests and investigations have been within normal range while further tests will be carried out," the brief statement said.

"The president is recuperating," Associated Press of Pakistan quoted president's spokesperson Farhatullah Babar as saying.

According to the personal physician, Zardari was shifted from ICU to a hospital room Thursday evening, Babar said.

Zardari suddenly left Pakistan for Dubai Tuesday, triggering speculation about his health. There were also rumours of a coup, which US scotched Thursday.

College women's binge drinking tied to sexual assault

Posted:

Young women who avoid alcohol in high school may go on binge drinking during their college years, exposing themselves to higher risks of sexual assault.

"This suggests that drinking-prevention efforts should begin before college," said Maria Testa, from the University of Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions, who led the study.

Of all young women whose biggest binge had included four to six drinks, one quarter said they'd been sexually victimised in the autumn semester. That included anything from unwanted sexual contact to rape.

The college years are notoriously linked with drinking. But little has been known about how young women change their high school drinking habits once they start college, the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs reports.

Accordingly, researchers followed 437 young women from high school graduation through freshman year of college, according to a Buffalo statement.

They found that of women who had never drunk heavily in high school (if at all), nearly half admitted to binge drinking at least once by the end of their first college semester.

And the more alcohol those binges involved, the greater the likelihood of sexual assault.

Of women who'd ever consumed 10 or more drinks in a sitting since starting college, 59 percent were sexually victimised by the end of their first semester.

The study also underscores the fact that even kids who don't drink in high school are at risk of heavy drinking once they head off to college, Testa concluded.


David Guterson wins Bad Sex in Fiction award for Ed King

Posted:

US writer David Guterson has won the annual Bad Sex In Fiction Award for his account of a mother and son having sex in a shower.

He beat the likes of Stephen King with the scene from his novel Ed King, a modern version of the fable of Oedipus.

"Oedipus practically invented bad sex, so I'm not in the least bit surprised," BBC News quoted Guterson as saying.

The author, who is based in the US, was unable to attend the prize ceremony at the In and Out Naval and Military Club in London.

Instead, EastEnders star Barbara Windsor presented the award to his publishers.

The ceremony is now in its 19th year, having been established by Auberon Waugh in 1993.

The award is run by The Literary Review, which says its purpose is to 'draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discourage it'.

Man jailed for silencing crying baby forever

Posted:

A man in Britain has been sentenced to nine years in prison for punching his toddler son to death just because he did not stop crying.

Nathan Allen brought both fists down on 14-month-old Fletcher's abdomen as he lay in his cot. The youngster died of internal bleeding and damaged kidneys, the Daily Mail reported.

The 27-year-old father had been left with his son for less than 30 minutes while his partner Danielle Hands, 19, went to see her family.

The attack took place in January.

During cross-examination, Allen of Romford, a suburban town in Essex county, demonstrated hitting the toddler with his two clenched fists in a downward motion and said he hit son Fletcher as he lay in his cot because he would not stop crying.

Allen was jailed for manslaughter at the Old Bailey, the central criminal court in Britain, after the jury cleared him of murder charge.

Seven killed in China coal mine accident

Posted:

Seven people were killed in northeast China's Liaoning province Thursday in a coal mine accident.

According to a spokesman of the provincial safety supervision bureau, a roughly four-metre-long section of the mine's roof collapsed around noon, burying seven miners in the privately owned Huatai coal mine, Xinhua reported.

The seven miners were rushed to hospital but could not be saved. Other miners who were working underground have been lifted out of the accident site with no serious injuries, the spokesman said. A probe has been launched into the accident.

Outrage over Japan's earthquake funds being used for whaling programme

Posted:

A growing number of Japanese environmental and consumer groups are protesting against the use of funds raised for March 11 devastating quake and tsunami reconstruction to subsidise the loss-making whaling fleet.

The Japanese government recently gave the whalers 2.28 billion yen as part of a special budget for recovery from the earthquake and tsunami disaster.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, much of the extra funding will go towards security forces for the whaling fleet, which left Japan yesterday for the Antarctic.

Now, a total of 18 Japanese non-government organisations, including the Environmental Lawyers Federation and Consumers Union have signed on to a protest letter to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

"We demand the government not waste any more taxpayers'' money on the whaling program, but instead spend this money on projects that actually help the people, communities and region affected by the tragic March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis," the letter said.

"It is clear that the Japanese government's stated goal of resuming commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean is unachievable. The whaling program cannot survive without taxpayer handouts," it added.

The Fisheries Agency of Japan, however, said the funding was necessary because some traditional whaling communities were devastated on March 11.

Senior Agriculture and Fisheries vice-minister Nobutaka Tsutsui recently said the government was determined to continue its research program until it led to the resumption of commercial whaling.

China, U.S. start pilot project to boost cargo security in Shanghai

Posted:

China and the United States have kicked off the Megaports Initiative project in China, as a part of efforts to enhance security through radiation checks for cargo carriers at Shanghai's Yangshan Port.

Yangshan is the 40th port under the Megaports Initiative, but the first in China.

The Megaports Initiative aims at curbing illegal transport of nuclear and other radioactive materials by installing detection systems in few ports.

Both sides had signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the initiative in November 2005 and conducted talks on the MOU''s 11 annexes between 2006 and 2007.

China''s General Administration of Customs, Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, and the U.S. Department of Energy would jointly implement the Yangshan Port project.

"Through the initiative, China and the United States have done lots of fruitful work in customs security cooperation and radiation detection technology training, which laid a solid foundation for the two countries to carry out cooperation in combating terrorism," Xinhua quoted General Administration of Customs Deputy Commissioner Lu Peijun,as saying.

"Meanwhile, the Megaports Initiative has also become an important channel for China to boost safety and facilitation in its global trade sector," he added.

It reflects "the commitment of the Chinese government to interdicting nuclear material and in combating nuclear terrorism," National Nuclear Security Administration head Thomas D''Agostino said.

Yangshan Port had exported almost 3.9 million containers in the first 10 months of 2011, with 17.6 percent bound for the United States.

Aussies turn to sex to help cope with stress during Christmas

Posted:

A new study has claimed that majority of Australian couples may turn to sex to help cope with the stress during Christmas, which is one of the most nerve-wracking times of the year.

According to the national Bupa Stress Survey 2011, 77 percent of Aussies believe sex is a great way to help manage stress, and unsurprisingly, 81 percent of men are the greatest advocates, compared to 73 percent of women.

88 percent of men aged 45 years and above and 76 percent of women aged 35 years or below are the biggest advocates of the stress busting benefits of sex.

"Everyone knows Christmas can be a stressful time of year; there are many heightened expectations from family, as well as time and financial pressures," the Daily Telegraph quoted Bupa's Head of Clinical Advisory, Stan Goldstein as saying.

"It's important to find appropriate strategies or outlets to help manage stress, rather than letting it build up and potentially overwhelm you.

"It's not just a matter of taking your mind off things. Hormones called endorphins, released in your nervous system by all sorts of physical exertion, can have an impact on feeling stressed. There may also be a calming effect of physical intimacy.

"While the survey points to many people finding that they can help manage their tension in the bedroom, let's not forget there are also many other effective ways to alleviate stress outside of the bedroom," Goldstein added.

Interestingly, the survey also revealed that a failure to appropriately manage stress could lead to quite destructive behaviour and place significant strain on relationships.

Nearly 75 percent of respondents reported an increase in arguments as a key side effect of stress, while 64 percent said they were unkind to their partner when they got home from work.

While men and women equally admit to taking stress out on their partners, 75 percent of women are more likely to believe stress has negatively affected their relationship compared with 69 percent of men.

30 NATO oil tankers torched in Pakistan

Posted:

At least 30 NATO oil tankers and containers were torched in a rocket attack at a terminal in Pakistan Thursday night, state-run television network PTV reported. There were no reports of any casualties.

Unidentified people attacked with rockets the private container terminal at Kharot Abad area near Quetta, capital of Balochistan province, Xinhua said. Firing also followed the rocket attack.

More than 35 NATO oil tankers and containers were parked at the terminal when the attack took place, said local media reports.

No one was killed or injured in the attack, the reports said.

Six fire engines were dispatched to the site after the attack was reported.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Thousands of NATO supply convoys are stranded in Pakistani territory following the government's decision to block the supply lines via Pakistan in protest against the NATO air strike which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers Nov 26.

'My dad won't survive the lashings'

Posted:

The family of an Australian man, convicted of blasphemy by a Saudi Arabian court, wonders what it is he could have said that earned him a sentence of 500 lashes and a year in prison.

Mansor Almaribe's son said the pair only had a 90-second phone conversation since his arrest last month.

"He could not speak freely because authorities were around him but he said the charges are very stupid and all he said was that they had charged him for something he had not done," his son, Issam, said.

Almaribe was found guilty of blasphemy after he was arrested last month in Medina while on a pilgrimage, Australian officials said.

It's unclear what the 45-year-old Shia Muslim from Victoria state said or did to get arrested.

"I don't think my dad would even survive 50 lashes not 500," the son said.

"He goes to the doctor every week for check-ups. He has knee injuries and back injuries from a car accident and he also has diabetes and high blood pressure."

"When we found out what happened, it was the worst thing I ever pictured," Almaribe said.


Pope lights up largest X'mas tree via tablet

Posted:

Pope Benedict XVI used a tablet computer from his Vatican residence yesterday to switch on a giant light installation in Italy known as the "World's Biggest Christmas Tree".

"I hope this will be a light in the darkness," the Pope said.

The tree is made up of 400 large multi-coloured lights arranged across a hillside above the picturesque medieval town of Gubbio and stretches to a height of 750 metres and a maximum width of 450 metres.


Tech-savvy: Pope Benedict XVI uses his Android-operating tablet to
illuminate the World's largest Christmas tree. pic/afp


The shooting star at the top of the hill is made up of 250 lights and covers an area of more than 1,000 square metres.

The town in the Umbria region in northern Italy, which also has historical links to Saint Francis of Assisi, began the installation in 1981.

The connection to the lights in Gubbio was made through a web server. "This is a message of peace," Gubbio mayor Diego Guerrini said.

Looking bemused and aided by cardinals at his side, the 84-year-old Pope in June sent his first tweet using a tablet computer to launch a new Vatican multimedia web portal.

"Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI," wrote the pope, using his formal name in Latin -- which is still the Vatican's official language.

400
The number of lights on the Christmas tree in the town of Gubbio

750 m
The height of the Christmas tree


Putin blames US for poll protests

Posted:

The Russian Prime Minister accuses US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of orchestrating mass agitations on Russia's streets after the elections

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States yesterday of stirring up protests against his 12-year rule and said foreign countries were spending hundreds of millions of dollars to influence Russian elections.


Fuel to the fire: Russian PM Vladimir Putin said that it was US Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton who had instigated people to oppose the polls
causing violence on the streets. pics/afp

In his first public remarks about daily demonstrations over allegations that Sunday's election was slanted to favour his ruling party, Putin said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had encouraged Kremlin opponents by criticising the vote.

"She set the tone for some opposition activists, gave them a signal, they heard this signal and started active work," Putin told supporters as he laid out plans for his campaign to return to the presidency in a March election. Clinton angered the Kremlin after she declared that the vote, which international observers said was riddled with fraud, was neither free nor fair.

Anti-US
But Putin accused Clinton of rushing to conclusions before the facts were all in. He said, "I watched the reaction of our American partners. The first thing that the secretary of state said was that the elections were dishonest and unfair even though she had not even received material from the election monitors at that stage."
Insisting that the people did not want a revolution or any sharp changes, he made it clear that the Kremlin will not allow the street protests to escalate.

"You and I know that that in our country people do not want the situation to develop like it did in Kyrgyzstan or in the recent past in Ukraine," he said, referring to mass street demonstrations that brought down those countries' governments. "Nobody wants chaos."

While he said he accepted that law-abiding citizens had the right to protest and voice their opinions "within the framework of the law", he said that anyone breaking the law would be punished.

Around 1,000 protesters have been arrested since Sunday's election but anti-Kremlin activists are still planning a big nationwide protest on Saturday which thousands of people have said on the Internet they will attend.
Signalling that the Kremlin would continue to crack down hard on the opposition, Putin said it might even be necessary to change the law.

Marat Safin elected to Duma
Tennis star Marat Safin is swapping tennis for business after being elected to the Russian Parliament. Safin who was elected to the 450-seat lower house of Russian Parliament, said he had thought long and hard about what to do with his life after his sporting career.


Posted by Harshad at 8:41 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)