Thursday, 28 April 2011

Pakistan: Karachi naval bus bomb kills five

Suspected militants have killed at least five people in a bomb attack on a navy bus in the port city of Karachi.


Four of those who died in the roadside bombing were navy personnel. The fifth was a passing motorcyclist, officials said. Several others were wounded.
It is the third such attack this week. Four people died when two navy buses were bombed on Tuesday.
Officials believe the same group is behind the attacks. The Taliban say they carried out the bombings.
Correspondents say security officials in Karachi, the main base for Pakistan's navy, are also not ruling out a possible link to local Islamist groups.
Militant groups linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda have carried out attacks in the southern city in the past.
The spate of bombings in Karachi is being seen as retaliation for an offensive against the Pakistani Taliban and their allies in the north-west of the country.
Taliban claim
 
At least five people were hurt in the explosion Thursday's bomb went off in the early hours of the morning in the Karsaz area of the city, along the busy Faisal Avenue. It tore through the bus and left a huge crater in the road.
"I was trying to cross the road a few feet away from the bus when I heard an explosion and saw the bus was hit and people inside and around crying," passer-by Asghar Ali told AFP news agency.
Police officials at the scene said they suspect the bomb was planted in a motorbike found near the blast site.
They said the attack appeared similar to Tuesday's twin bombings. The Taliban claimed the latest blast, as they did Tuesday's attacks.
"We are attacking the Pakistan army as it is supporting America against us," Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.
This week's attacks on naval personnel follow a blast a week ago at a gambling club, in which at least 18 people were killed.
Police said they suspected Islamist militants carried out that attack.
Pakistan's commercial capital has also been hit by a wave of political and ethnic attacks blamed on local gangs. Hundreds have been killed over the past year.
Source link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13218870

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Brad Pitt to fight zombies in World War Z

Brad Pitt’s ready to fight! The 47-year-old actor is starring in the upcoming film World War Z, MTV News reports.
The film will be the silver screen adaptation of Max Brooks’ book about a zombie apocalypse.
Pitt’s production company, Plan B Entertainment, first secured the rights to World War Z in 2007. (His company won a bidding war for the fights to the film against Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions)
Brooks received a call in July confirming the A-lister’s attachment to the project. He gushed to MTV: “I can’t believe how cool Paramount has been to me and these projects, and how cool Plan B has been.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Mirelle Enos, star of AMC’s new crime drama The Killing, will play Pitt’s on-screen wife. The film is scheduled to begin shooting in June.

Source link: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C04%5C27%5Cstory_27-4-2011_pg9_10

Royal Wedding: Has Kate Middleton uniwittingly revealed wedding reading to the world?


With just 48 hours to go until her big day, bride-to-be Kate Middleton left her family home this morning and as she did, she may have unwittingly given the world a brief glimpse of a wedding reading chosen by her and Prince William.
In the back of Kate's car was a collection of bags containing items for the wedding including what appeared to be a wedding reading written on A4 paper in black italic, sticking out the top of a yellow bag.

It included the words "the wearing of the wedding ring" and "with so much love within your heart".
It is unknown whether the reading will be used in the ceremony on Friday or if it is on a shortlist of possible readings the couple may choose.
Kate, wearing a cream jumper and with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, looked relaxed as she drove away from her home in Bucklebury to Clarence House.

Sitting in the front seat was an unknown male, believed to be a royal protection officer.

A Range Rover with security officers also followed behind

Yesterday Wills and Kate went their separate ways to spend the final days before their wedding apart.
The couple said an emotional goodbye knowing the next time they meet it will be to tie the knot at Westminster Abbey on Friday.

A source said: “They are nervous, but hugely excited."

Source link: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royal-wedding/2011/04/27/royal-wedding-has-kate-middleton-unwittingly-revealed-wedding-reading-to-the-world-115875-23090132/

World Snooker: Mark Williams eases past Mark Allen

Mark Williams won the first two frames of Wednesday's session to secure a 13-5 quarter-final victory over Mark Allen at the World Championship in Sheffield.


World number three Williams led 11-5 overnight and needed less than an hour to seal his place in the last four.
He will now play the winner of the contest between Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins for a place in the final.
Ding Junhui leads Mark Selby 10-6 after a tense and attritional session of their quarter-final contest.
The last frame of the session, eventually won by Ding, included a period of more than 40 minutes without a ball being potted.
It was a long, drawn-out frame, with Ding building a 47-0 advantage before Selby tried to claw his way back to ensure he went into the interval only two frames behind.
However, after both players missed a series of presentable openings, Ding eventually closed out to take a four-frame advantage.
Continue reading the main story
It's been a long time, eight years - it'll be nice
Mark Williams on reaching the last four
 Ding had gone into Wednesday morning's session leading 5-3 and quickly underlined his intent with a break of 121.
It looked as though Selby might fall 7-3 behind when Ding struck a break of 50 in the following frame but the Leicester player battled back to reduce the deficit.
A series of drawn-out frames followed and the session did not finish until after 1400 BST.
That match will play to a finish on Wednesday evening, with the winner taking on either Judd Trump or Graeme Dott for a place in the final.
Welshman Williams won the world title in 2000 and 2003 but until this year had reached the quarter-final stage only once since his last victory at the Crucible.
"It's been a long time, eight years. It'll be nice," said Williams of his forthcoming semi-final appearance. "Once it goes down to one table it's totally different.
"You've got loads of room and that's when it becomes a real venue. I haven't been there for so long, I'm looking forward to it."
Northern Ireland cueman Allen left a red hanging over the pocket in the opening frame of Wednesday's session and was punished as Williams fired a break of 61.
When Allen missed a sitter of a red at 39-17 ahead in the next, Williams produced a match-clinching clearance of 65.

Click to play
Behind the scenes at the Crucible with Rob Walker
Allen was left to rue a series of missed opportunities as Williams opened up a 5-3 lead during the opening session.
"I played probably the best snooker I've played in the tournament and managed to somehow throw three frames away. I made 59, 60 and 66 and lost all three frames," 25-year-old Allen reflected.
"I should have been 6-2 in front but somehow I came out 5-3 down, but that's what Mark does best. He knows how to win and he knows how to get the most out of a session which is something I'm still learning to do.
"From then on it was a bit of a struggle to hang on to his coattail and he showed what a class player he was by pulling away so easily."
Williams agreed that the opening session had been crucial and added: "How I managed to be 5-3 up I'll never know.
"He was knocking in 50s and 60s for fun really, and I kept clearing up and nicking them.
"It probably hurt him a little bit early on and I dominated the match from thereon."

Source link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/snooker/13209141.stm

UK economy grows by 0.5% in first quarter of 2011

The UK economy grew by 0.5% in the first three months of the year, official figures have shown, reducing the risk of a double-dip recession.


The chancellor welcomed the return to growth, which followed a contraction of 0.5% at the end of 2010.
But Labour said the economy was flat and the recovery had been "choked off".
The manufacturing and services sectors had performed well, the Office for National Statistics said, but construction output had fallen sharply.
Mixed response

Chancellor George Osborne said: "It is good news that the British economy is growing. It is particularly good news that manufacturing is growing so strongly, when we have had such an unbalanced economy in recent years, and manufacturing has not done so well.
"Jobs have been created since the New Year and government borrowing is down," he added.
Ed Balls, Labour's shadow chancellor, responded: "If George Osborne thinks zero growth over six months is good news and a sign that the recovery is on track then he is more out of touch and out of his depth than I feared. "
Continue reading the main story
Analysis

Stephanie Flanders

Economics editor, BBC News

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For once, the first estimate for growth in the first quarter is in line with expectations - but it would be hard to argue that it's good news.
Not so long ago, many were hoping for a strong bounce back from the slowdown at the end of 2010.
Instead, the figures suggest that the UK economy has barely grown since the summer - though of course that hides a lot of variation.
Some sectors, such as manufacturing, are doing well, and others are struggling to move ahead.
Read Stephanie's blog in full
Robinson: 'I told you so'
Peston: The corporate story
'Fragile recovery'

Economists gave a mixed response to the figures.
David Kern, the chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "These figures were mixed and well below the Office for Budget Responsibility prediction that the economy would grow by 0.8% in the quarter.
"Given the fragility of the recovery, it is vital for the government to persevere with policies that support growth, and remove the obstacles that prevent businesses from creating jobs and exporting."
Growth in manufacturing continued to be strong, at 1.1%, the same as the previous quarter.
The GDP figures showed that the services sector had returned to growth, after contracting during the bad weather at the end of last year. This had particularly been the case with hotels and restaurants, the ONS said.
However, construction - one of the worst hit areas in the last quarter of 2010 - was down by 4.7% at the start of 2011.
 Ross Walker, from RBS Financial Markets, said that as new data came in, the picture was likely to improve: "You do have what looks to me like a surprisingly large fall in construction output. Do we really believe that the level of construction output was lower in January than in December? We may well see some revisions here."
These figures are an initial estimate and will be revised at least twice as more information is gathered.
'Uncertainty'

The low rate of growth could lessen the chance of an early interest rate rise by the Bank of England to combat inflation, which is currently running at 4%, analysts say.
"We are expecting the Bank of England to raise rates in August," said Deutsche Bank economist George Buckley, "but it is far from certain whether they will do that".
Continue reading the main story

Start Quote
 A lot of my clients have told me they are being affected by the cuts and we expect it to start showing on our business as we continue through 2011”
End Quote
Abbie Jackson

Owner, Marie Claire hair salon, Hull

Road to recovery in hard-hit city
"We will have the second quarter GDP numbers by then, but the problem is they may have been negatively affected by the royal wedding and two back-to-back bank holiday weekends which will depress production.
"It is still very uncertain. All of these figures are being affected by a lot of volatility, by holidays, the weather, snow. It has all had a big impact on the numbers.
Lending lags

The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, told a parliamentary committee that one factor holding back growth was lending to small businesses.
"If you drill beneath the overall growth figures this morning you'll see that manufacturing growth is being sustained, which is exactly how it should be."
He went on: "Access to finance is one of the most difficult and indeed the figures from the Bank of England last week showed very disappointing, actually negative, lending to SMEs and it's... clearly very disappointing indeed."
Figures from the British Bankers Association (BBA), also released on Wednesday, showed that total net lending to companies fell in March by £4.7bn compared with a year ago, a slightly bigger fall than in February.
The BBA said in a statement that weak trading activity was discouraging businesses from borrowing to expand and most were orientated to paying down debt.
Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron said that an increase in lending "needs to happen" and said this should also help the construction industry.

Source link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13206430

Nokia to shed 7,000 staff as part of reorganisation

Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has announced it will shed 7,000 jobs as part of a plan to refocus the company on smartphones.


The firm said 4,000 jobs worldwide would be cut - including a total of 700 jobs from Nokia's UK sites.
Nokia will also transfer a further 3,000 employees to outsourcing and consultancy group Accenture, which will take over Nokia's Symbian software product.
The plan will take effect from 2012.
Nokia is hoping to increase its capacity for smartphone development.
The firm recently confirmed a deal with Microsoft to jointly develop smartphone technology.
Under the terms of that deal, Nokia agreed to start using the Microsoft's operating system on its smartphones instead of its own Symbian platform.
"With this new focus, we also will face reductions in our workforce," said Stephen Elop, Nokia president.
"This is a difficult reality, and we are working closely with our employees and partners to identify long-term re-employment programmes for the talented people of Nokia."
Nokia's response to the smartphone threat from competitors such as Apple's iPhone and phones using Google's Android system has been long been a key investor concern.
Source link: http://www.nokia.com/news/-13207148

PlayStation data theft hits 77m gamers

Sony has warned users of its PlayStation Network that their personal information, including credit card details, may have been stolen.

The company said that the data might have fallen into the hands of an "unauthorised person" following a hacking attack on its online service.
Access to the network was suspended last Wednesday, but Sony has only now revealed details of what happened.
Users are being warned to look out for attempted telephone and e-mail scams.
In a statement posted on the official PlayStation blog, Nick Caplin, the company's head of communications for Europe, said: "We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network".
The blog posting lists the personal information that Sony believes has been taken.
Name
Address (city, state/province, zip or postal code)
Country
E-mail address
Date of birth
PlayStation Network/Qriocity passwords and login
Handle/PSN online ID
Mr Caplin added: "It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained.
"For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information."
Read the full text of Sony's PlayStation hack apology here.
Credit cards

Sony admitted that credit card information, used to purchase games, films and music, may also have been stolen.
"While there is no evidence that credit card data was taken at this time, we cannot rule out the possibility," Mr Caplin said.
"If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, to be on the safe side we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may also have been obtained."
Sony has not given any indication of how many PlayStation Network users may have had their information taken, but the service has around 77 million members worldwide.
Investigation

The UK's information commissioner, Christopher Graham, said that his organisation had already begun investigating the Sony hack.
He told BBC Radio 4's "You and Yours" programme, that it looked like "a very significant breach of data protection law".
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has the power to impose fines of up to £500,000.
Continue reading the main story

Start Quote
We are already investigating what looks like a very significant breach of data protection law.”
End Quote
Christopher Graham

UK Information Commissioner
 However, Mr Graham stressed that his ability to take action would ultimately depend on whether data from the PlayStation Network was stored in the UK - something he was still trying to establish.
"It if turns out that it is our responsibility here in the UK, we would ask 'were the security measures appropriate'," he added.
'PR Disaster'

The theft of so much detailed customer data would be seen as a "public relations disaster", according to Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security firm Sophos.
"This is a big one," he told BBC News.
"The PlayStation Network is a real consumer product. It is in lots of homes all over the world.
"The impact of this could be much greater than your typical internet hack."
Mr Cluley warned that, even without credit card details, the information taken was enough to help criminals carry out further attacks on other services.
"Some people will use the same passwords on other sites. If I was a hacker right now, I would be taking those e-mail addresses and trying those passwords," he said.
User anger
 
Some streaming media services available on PlayStation have been affected by the outage PlayStation users got their first indication that something was wrong with the service when it became unavailable on Wednesday 20 April.
In the following days, Sony issued three brief statements asking users to be patient while it investigated an "external intrusion", or hack.
However, the fact that it took almost seven days for the company to reveal that data had been taken has angered some gamers.
Commenting on the Sony blog, Tacotaskforce wrote: "You waited a week to tell us our personal information was compromised? That should have been said last Thursday."
Another user Sid4peeps wrote: "This update is about 6 days late. I think it is time to move to the other network, no regard for customers here."
But some PlayStation users appeared to be happy with Sony's handling of the matter. Ejsponge61 commented: "Wow, this is alot of info. Thanks, this is very much appreciated by all of us PlayStation fans."
The Sony PlayStation Network remains unavailable to users. The company has not said when service will be restored.

Source link: http://www.Sonycorp.com/news/technology-13192359

Lobsang Sangay elected Tibetan exile leader

A Harvard University academic has been elected prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile and will take on the political role previously played by the Dalai Lama.

Lobsang Sangay won 55% of the votes cast by Tibetans around the world.
He defeated two candidates for the role, Tenzin Tethong and Tashi Wangdi.
Mr Sangay must now assume the political functions of the Dalai Lama, who said in March he wanted to devolve this responsibility to an elected official.
The Dalai Lama will retain his role as Tibetan spiritual leader.
'Middle way'

The elections were held in March and the result announced on Wednesday in Dharamsala, India, where the Tibetan government-in-exile is based.
"The Election Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has declared Dr Lobsang Sangay as the third kalon tripa," Election Commissioner Jampal Thosang announced, using the Tibetan term for prime minister.
Continue reading the main story
The Tibet Divide
China says Tibet was always part of its territory
Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th Century
In 1950, China launched a military assault
Opposition to Chinese rule led to a bloody uprising in 1959
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled to India
Dalai Lama now advocates a "middle way" with Beijing, seeking autonomy but not independence
Almost 83,400 Tibetan exiles were eligible to vote and more than 49,000 ballots were cast, he said.
Tenzin Tethong, a former representative of the Dalai Lama in the US, got 37.4% of the vote and Tashi Wangdi, a government-in-exile bureaucrat, received 6.4%.
The 42-year-old winner is an Indian-born legal expert who has never lived in Tibet. His father fled Tibet in 1959, the same year as the Dalai Lama.
He says he will move to Dharamsala to serve as prime minister and that he supports the Dalai Lama's stance on ties with China.
"What His Holiness stands for is the 'Middle Way', which is genuine autonomy within China or within the framework of the Chinese constitution," he told the BBC earlier this month.
"If Tibetans are granted genuine autonomy then his Holiness the Dalai Lama said he is willing to accept Tibet as part of China."
In a victory statement on Wednesday, he said he took comfort in the fact that the handover was taking place while the Dalai Lama "is healthy and available to watch over us".
"I urge every Tibetan and friend of Tibet to join me in our common cause to alleviate the suffering of Tibetans in occupied Tibet and to return His Holiness to his rightful place," he said.
Daunting task

An official told Reuters news agency that the Dalai Lama was "very happy" that people had taken "a very active part in the election process".
The 76-year-old monk announced in March that he wanted an elected official to assume some of his responsibilities, saying that such a move was in the best interests of the Tibetan people.
Analysts say he aims to ensure that even if China's government tries to select the next Dalai Lama, the Tibetans will have an elected leader they can look to who is outside China and beyond the Communist Party's control.
The BBC's Mark Dummett says Lobsang Sangay has the daunting task of trying to keep the issue of Tibet alive while the man who embodies the struggle for Tibetan rights gradually steps back from the limelight.
He has been elected head of a government which no country recognises and will face in China an opponent which has shown no sign of wanting to compromise, our correspondent adds.
Source link: http://www.kaati.com.japan/news/asia-pacific-13205481

Sir Alex Ferguson reveals pride in Man Utd Euro display

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the 2-0 win at Schalke in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final as "one of the best".


United were dominant in Germany and Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney both scored to leave Ferguson full of praise.
"Juventus in 1999 will always be on the list of great performances away from home in Europe but this certainly ranks as one of them," Ferguson said.
"The players have confidence and trust in each other and they are peaking."
United produced a blistering display at the Veltins-Arena, bombarding the home side's goal only to see their goalkeeper Manuel Neuer make a series of sensational saves to keep the score goalless at half-time.
Neuer was finally beaten when Rooney set up Giggs to score, before Javier Hernandez teed up Rooney to double the lead and put United on the brink of the Champions League final at Wembley on 28 May.
Ferguson has witnessed many fine United displays away from home in Europe during his tenure, most notably the 3-2 win at Juventus in the semi-final second leg in 1999, after being 2-0 down, which booked their place in the final that year.
He added: "Overall I was delighted. It was a top performance. We have had some fantastic performances in Europe during my time and this was right up there.
"The concentration issue is important away from home in Europe. It is a different tempo at times and requires really good concentration. Credit to the players - they have shown that throughout the campaign.
"Over the past two or three years we have got a way of playing in Europe away from home. It requires some experience of course and the most important thing is to have confidence in possession of the ball."
Ferguson praised Giggs, who at the age of 37 is continuing to amaze his manager.
 We have shown we can score away from home and we will try to get our chances in Manchester
Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick
"It is strange because Ryan's peak years seem to have lasted so long," Ferguson stated.
"You would think, at 37, he would be showing signs of waning. I don't see any evidence of that.
"We look after him in terms of rest before games but when he gets that freshness he doesn't show any sign of fatiguing at all. He is an amazing man."
Manchester United players took to Twitter after the match to revel in their impressive victory.
Skipper and central defender Rio Ferdinand posted: "Great result [shoulda scored a couple more] still got to produce a performance 2nd leg. Great stadium + our fans were loud+clear, thanks!"
And striker Rooney tweeted : "Thought we were class today hope u all enjoyed. Thx to everyone's good luck messages. Giggs. Wow. He's unreal."
However, French defender Patrice Evra warned against complacency and insisted that this semi-final is not yet over.
"In football you never know," the 29-year-old said. "I remember playing for Monaco in the 2004 quarter-final and we played in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid and lost 4-2.
"Real thought they were going into the semi-final. They thought they were there already. But in the second leg we won 3-1 and went through.
"We have to be as professional next week as we were last night and keep going.
"We have to win at Old Trafford. But I must say if we don't go through to the final now then it would be a disaster for Man United."

Ferguson has been linked with Schalke keeper Neuer
Ferguson reserved special praise for Neuer, a goalkeeper with whom he has been linked, but who is almost certainly going to join Bayern Munich in the summer when his Schalke contract runs out.
"We know he's going to Bayern, he was absolutely fantastic," the Scot commented. "That was one of the best performances from a goalie I've ever seen against us.
"Funnily enough I think it was when Javier scored his offside goal [in the 50th minute] that was decisive - suddenly the players thought they could actually score against this guy."
Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick refused to admit the tie was over going into the second leg, at Old Trafford on Wednesday, 4 May.
"We had imagined this game differently," reflected Rangnick. "We lacked the final pass today which we had against Inter Milan in the quarter-finals. We had to thank Neuer that we were not two or three goals down in the first half.
"But why should we capitulate? We need to do things differently and in football many things have happened.
"We have shown we can score away from home and we will try to get our chances in Manchester."
But Rangnick admitted that his side were second best in the first leg and added: "Manchester were on a different level than Inter Milan [in the quarter-finals]. We reached our limits.
"We will certainly need a wonder to progress. Our starting position now certainly points to Manchester having the advantage but in football you never know."

Source link: http://news.cnn.com/sport2/hi/football/europe/9468875.stm

Libya: UN team to start probe of human rights abuses

A UN team has arrived in Tripoli to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Libya since the start of the conflict in February.


The team was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council following the Libyan government's crackdown on protesters.
The government has said it will co-operate with the inquiry.
The three investigators say they will look at all alleged abuses, including those the government says have been committed by rebels or Nato forces.
The original mandate - to examine human rights violations allegedly committed by the forces of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi - remains the priority, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva, where the UN Human Rights Council is based.
There have been reliable reports of enforced disappearances, torture and even killing of protesters, says our correspondent.
Sniper fire

On arriving in Tripoli, the mission leader, Cherif Bassiouni, said his team wanted to ask the Libyan government "a number of questions dealing with the indiscriminate bombing of civilians and civilian areas, civilian casualties, torture and the use of mercenaries".

Click to play
AdvertisementUK Defence Secretary Liam Fox says Col Gaddafi is on the back foot
The team also wanted to visit prisons and hospitals and raise the issue of foreign journalists being held, Prof Bassiouni said.
The UN human rights commissioner, Navi Pillay, said in late February that what was happening in Libya "may amount to crimes against humanity".
More recently, there have been reports that Col Gaddafi's forces trying to retake Misrata from rebels are indiscriminately shelling the city.
On Tuesday, three people were reportedly killed as missiles slammed into the city's port, a lifeline for those seeking to escape to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
Misrata has been besieged by government forces for two months, leaving parts of the city with neither electricity nor water.
Continued sniper fire, street clashes and shelling have prevented people from venturing outside their homes to get food and medicine.
Human rights groups say more than 1,000 people have been killed in the fighting and many more have been wounded. Ships have been ferrying the injured to hospitals in Benghazi and bringing in humanitarian aid.
Libya's government denies it has been indiscriminately shelling civilian areas.
Misrata is the last major rebel-held city in western Libya and the fighting for it has been fierce.
The UN investigating team is made up of:
Prof Bassiouni, from Egypt, an emeritus law professor and UN war crimes expert
Asma Khader, a Jordanian-Palestinian lawyer and human rights advocate
Philippe Kirsch, a Canadian lawyer who has served as a judge at the International Criminal Court, and was the court's first president
They are to present their findings to the Human Rights Council in June, but their work could be overtaken by other moves, says our Geneva correspondent.
The UN Security Council has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Libya on possible charges of war crimes.
'Back foot'

Nato is enforcing a UN resolution to protect civilians in Libya amid a two-month revolt inspired by other uprisings in the Arab world.
A recent Nato strike on Col Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli sparked angry criticism from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who said the Western coalition had no mandate to kill the Libyan leader.
Continue reading the main story
Misrata: Reasons for deadlock
Size of city and rebels' local knowledge
Ability of both sides to get resupply
Lack of coherent military strategies
Misrata: City under siege
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates defended the strike, calling it a legitimate attack on a military command and control centre.
He spoke after a meeting in Washington with British Defence Secretary Liam Fox, who said Libya's rebels had gained "momentum" on the battlefield and that Col Gaddafi's forces were on the "back foot".
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Nato's 1,500 strike sorties over Libya had "seriously degraded Gaddafi's military assets and prevented widespread massacres planned by Gaddafi's forces".
"They remain unable to enter Benghazi and it is highly likely that without these efforts Misrata would have fallen, with terrible consequences for that city's brave inhabitants."
On Tuesday, the US eased oil sanctions against Libya.
The move allows rebels to sell oil within their control and US firms to engage in transactions involving oil and oil products, and natural gas, as long as the exports benefit the opposition Transitional National Council.
Source link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13202981

Thousands flock to funeral of India guru Satya Sai Baba

Nearly half a million people gathered in the southern Indian town of Puttaparthi for the funeral of the revered Indian spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba.


Sai Baba has been buried, unlike most Hindus, who are cremated.
However, burial is the custom for people Hindus esteem as holy men.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi were among thousands of mourners paying their respects to the guru.
Sai Baba was buried with full state honours inside the public hall in the ashram - or spiritual centre - in Puttaparthi, the southern town where he was born and from where he blessed the millions of devotees who visited him from around the world.
'Living god'

TV pictures showed priests chanting and carrying out the last rites next to the guru's corpse, which has been on display in a transparent casket. Many devotees saw Sai Baba as a living god.
Continue reading the main story
At the scene
Sanjoy Majumder

BBC News, Puttaparthi

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Long live Baba!" The chant echoed down the street outside the ashram.
Thousands of people were packed tightly in the narrow lane, many of them seated in the ground, their hands joined in prayer as they murmured his name.
The overwhelming emotion is one of grief and intense devotion. "I cannot believe he's left us," sobbed one man. "What will we do now? Who will we turn to?"
A multi-faith service preceded the actual funeral ceremony. Muslim, Christian and Sikh clerics read from their scriptures before orange-robed Hindu priests took over.
It was yet another illustration of Sai Baba's brand of ecumenical spiritualism which attracted so many, cutting through social and religious boundaries.
India's emotional farewell
The hall was decorated with huge portraits of the guru, with his characteristic dark, curly hair and trademark robes.
Sai Baba was given a gun salute and state honours before his body was prepared for burial by priests chanting verses from sacred texts and anointing the guru's body with oil, herbs and flowers.
The body was then covered with an orange cloth - the colour of holiness in Hinduism.
The actual funeral was closed to the public with only family and members of his charitable trust attending, says the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Puttaparthi.
The streets around the ashram were choked with people, and several of the devotees wept, our correspondent says.
Hundreds of thousands of devotees will be watching the proceedings on a giant screen that has been set up outside.
Huge numbers of Indians and foreigners, among them cricket star Sachin Tendulkar, have bade a final farewell to the guru since he died of multiple organ failure on Sunday aged 84.
The burial site of Sai baba is now expected to become a memorial, according to the Hindu newspaper.
Sai Baba's followers believe he had magical abilities to produce objects out of thin air, visit people in their dreams, perform miracles and cure terminal illnesses.
But his critics say that many of these activities were publicity stunts. They say that he was a persuasive fraudster who used his huge popularity to avoid being investigated over allegations of murky financial practices and sexual abuse.
These charges were always strenuously denied by the guru and his followers, and were never proved.
His popularity remained undimmed throughout his life - Sai Baba had ashrams in 126 countries and also ran a network of hospitals, clinics and schools that were often free.
Source link: http://www.zee.co.ind/news/-south-asia-13204914

Petraeus 'next head of CIA', Panetta to lead Pentagon

Gen David Petraeus, the head of international forces in Afghanistan, will be nominated as CIA director when its chief moves to head the Pentagon, the Associated Press reports.


CIA director Leon Panetta will be nominated to take over as US defence secretary when Robert Gates retires in 2011, AP quoted sources as saying.
The changes will be announced on Thursday, sources said.
Mr Gates was appointed as defence secretary by George W Bush in 2006.
The shuffling of the top national security jobs has been the subject of weeks of speculation.
President Obama will also nominate veteran diplomat Ryan Crocker as the next US ambassador to Afghanistan, NBC News reported.
The positions would require confirmation in the US Senate.

Source link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13210199

India appoint Duncan Fletcher as national cricket coach

World Cup winners India have appointed former England boss Duncan Fletcher as coach on a two-year contract.


The 62-year-old succeeds South African Gary Kirsten and becomes their fourth successive foreign coach.
Fletcher won a record eight consecutive Tests for England in 2004 before guiding the team to a long overdue Ashes success in 2005.
England coach Andy Flower was the Indian board's first choice but he was unwilling to uproot his family.
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, now coaching Indian Premier League side Chennai Super Kings, was another possible.
But it is thought Flower, also from Zimbabwe, was always reluctant having settled in England. Fleming was viewed as a long shot, and had publicly distanced himself from the role.
Michael Vaughan, the former England captain who formed a close bond with Fletcher during their most successful period, tweeted: "Great coach who will work well with [India captain Mahendra] Dhoni.
"Duncan will work well with all the talent. His biggest challenge will come from the media. He has never really understood how it works."
 Fletcher has recently acted as a batting consultant for South Africa Fletcher's first major assignment with India, the number one Test side, will come when they tour England from mid-July for the summer's eagerly-awaited tour. It features Tests at Lord's, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston and The Oval, plus one Twenty20 international and five one-day internationals.
Leading up to that is an Indian tour of West Indies in June, featuring one Twenty20 international, five one-day internationals and three Tests. Fletcher may not be involved in that.
"He may not join the team in the West Indies as he has some prior commitments," Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary N Srinivasan said.
New Zealander's former Test captain John Wright was the first man from overseas to take the job regarded as the most heavily scrutinised in cricket.
Wright was in the post between 2000 and 2005 before ex-Australia skipper Greg Chappell took over for two years.
After the 2007 World Cup, India had no full-time coach, relying on specialist bowling and fielding coaches instead. That ended when Kirsten, a former South African batsman closely mentored by Fletcher at Western Province, took over in March 2008.
Fletcher is known for picking players on hunches rather than on statistical achievements - a notable example being the highly successful Somerset opener Marcus Trescothick.
But he is also someone known not to suffer fools gladly and Graeme Swann famously made only one appearance under his regime, Fletcher feeling the off-spinner was a loose cannon.
Eric Simons, who was India's bowling coach during Kirsten's tenure, will continue in his role and is likely to enjoy a good relationship with Fletcher through their Western Province links.

Source link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/13205909.stm

Afghan pilot 'kills eight Nato troops at Kabul airport'

Eight foreign troops and a contractor have been killed by an Afghan air force pilot at Kabul airport in an apparent argument, Nato says.

The incident took place at a facility used by the Afghan air force at about 1100 local time (0630 GMT), the Afghan defence ministry said.
The pilot was also killed in the exchange.
The incident is the deadliest of a number of recent attacks on foreigners by Afghan security personnel.
"We can confirm there was small-arms fire during this incident," said Nato-led International Security Assistance Force spokesman Maj Tim James.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
Quentin Sommerville

BBC News, Kabul

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are nearly a quarter of a million Afghan security forces and 130,000 coalition troops. They fight together and die together, when facing the Taliban. The Afghan security forces have grown quickly, but given the numbers involved, it's still rare for an Afghan soldier to turn his gun on the men he serves with.
In the past two years, 42 foreign troops have died at the hands of Afghans they were mentoring, or Taliban dressed in police or army uniform.
These incidents resonate widely, and are bad for morale. American and British soldiers say that they must remain on their guard - that they can never fully trust the Afghan soldiers and police they serve with.
"We don't know how the shooting started."
The nationalities of the dead have not been divulged pending notification of their families.
Witnesses reported hearing sirens and seeing a heavy military presence near the facility, which generally has tight security.
A senior Afghan security official told the BBC the pilot's name was Gul Ahmad, and he came from the Tarakhel area of Kabul.
He was suffering from "mental illness", and either got into a fight with his foreign colleagues or planned the attack after being recruited by the Taliban, the official said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident in a text sent to the Associated Press news agency, but the authorities have not confirmed any insurgent activity.
Correspondents say rapid recruitment into the Afghan military has raised fears of Taliban infiltration into the police and army.
Continue reading the main story
Afghan attacks on foreign troops
27 April: Eight Nato troops and a contractor killed by Afghan pilot
4 April: Two Nato soldiers killed by man in Afghan police uniform
18 February: Three German troops killed by Afghan soldier
20 January: Italian soldiers killed by Afghan soldier
29 November 2010: Six US soldiers killed by man in police uniform
13 July 2010: Three Gurkhas shot dead by soldier
4 November 2010: Five British soldiers killed by Afghan colleague in Helmand
Nato's exit strategy for Afghanistan involves progressively handing over to the local security forces.
Until now the deadliest of the recent attacks on foreign troops was last November when an Afghan policeman killed six US soldiers.
And two Nato soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan border policeman in northern Faryab province on 4 April, local officials said.
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul says foreign troops broadly but not totally trust their Afghan colleagues and feel they have to keep half an eye on them.
The attackers are sometimes actually members of the Afghan security forces, and sometimes insurgents impersonating servicemen.

Tuesday, 26 April 2011

Royal wedding florist plays down pressure

Royal wedding florist Shane Connolly says he is treating the global event "like any other wedding".


The Belfast-born florist said the event will reflect the personalities of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
"It's not a statement of anything other than their individuality. It's completely straightforward, simple, family and good," he said.
He provided flowers for Prince Charles' wedding to Camilla Parker-Bowles and said their approach was similar.
Mr Connolly holds a Royal Warrant awarded by the Prince of Wales, which marks him as the official supplier of flowers for royal events.
Speaking about the wedding on Friday, he said: "The pressure from the world isn't important, it's what they think that's important."
Adding that Miss Middleton was a "dream client", he said: "I just want to do my best for her, and for Prince William, and that's all I want to do."
Some of the flowers for the wedding will come from Windsor Great Park and other royal estates, as well as from other growers.
The flowers and plants include blossoms, azaleas, rhododendron, euphorbias, beech, wisteria and lilac.
There will be six 20ft-high English Field Maple and two Hornbeam trees in the abbey, all growing in planters made by craftsmen at Highgrove, the Prince of Wales's residence in Gloucestershire.
The flowers and plants will remain in the abbey for public viewing until 6 May, when the trees will be taken to Highgrove Gardens for planting.
The couple intend that many of the cut plants and flowers and all the growing plants will be given to charities or re-planted.
Source link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13198422

Libya : Misrata port shelled despite Nato effort

Misrata has come under attack by Libyan government forces attempting to retake the besieged city.


Three people were reportedly killed as missiles slammed into the city's port, a lifeline for those seeking to escape to the rebel stronghold Benghazi.
Nato is enforcing a UN resolution to protect civilians in Libya amid a two-month revolt inspired by other uprisings in the Arab world.
A Nato air strike earlier damaged Col Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli.
That attack followed big explosions at the Libyan leader's sprawling Bab al-Azizia compound early on Monday, which government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim called "an attempt to assassinate the leader and other political leaders of this country".
The Tripoli strikes have sparked angry criticism from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who said the Western coalition had no mandate to kill Col Gaddafi.
Deadly shelling

The rebel-held city of Misrata has been besieged by government forces for two months, during which parts of the city have had neither electricity nor water.
Continued sniper fire, street clashes and shelling have prevented people from venturing outside of their homes to get food and medicine.
Human rights groups say more than 1,000 people have been killed in the fighting and many more wounded. Ships have been ferrying the wounded to hospitals in the rebel stronghold, Benghazi.
Continue reading the main story
Misrata under siege

See the whole interactive map of Misrata
At the weekend, Col Gaddafi's regime claimed to have suspended operations in the city, and its forces withdrew in places.
Since then, however, the deadly shelling has continued, with Misrata surrounded on three sides and seeing some of the worst violence since the siege began.
"It was horrific, like a scene from World War II," said Misrata resident Saddoun el-Misurati as rockets began falling on the port on Tuesday.
He told the Associated Press he had been waiting with his mother for a boat to evacuate them from the port with hundreds of residents and migrant African workers. The crowds had scattered for cover when the shelling started, he added.
Libya's government denies it has been indiscriminately shelling civilian areas.
RAF fighter aircraft "successfully attacked" three armoured personnel carriers near Misrata over the weekend, Prime Minister David Cameron's office said, but warned UK forces "must prepare for the long haul" in Libya.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK was taking steps to evacuate 5,000 people from the city, as well as providing much-needed food, water and medicine supplies.
"The regime must grant unfettered humanitarian access, not just broken promises that puts aid workers and civilians at risk," Mr Hague told MPs on Tuesday.
Mr Hague said Nato's 1,500 strike sorties over Libya had "seriously degraded Gaddafi's military assets and prevented widespread massacres planned by Gaddafi's forces.
"They remain unable to enter Benghazi and it is highly likely that without these efforts Misrata would have fallen, with terrible consequences for that city's brave inhabitants."
Continue reading the main story
Misrata: Reasons for deadlock
Size of city and rebels' local knowledge
Ability of both sides to get resupply
Lack of coherent military strategies
Misrata: City under siege
The UK has for weeks called for more commitment from Nato members to the operation in Libya, but on Monday Russia said the Western military intervention risked fanning a series of civil wars across the Middle East.
Italy, France and Britain last week agreed to send military advisers to assist the Benghazi-based rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) in its battle against pro-Gaddafi forces.
The US launched its first Predator drone strikes pro-Gaddafi military positions over the weekend, which the Libyan government denounced as crimes against humanity.
The UNHCR estimates some 30,000 civilians have fled their homes in Libya's Western Mountain region and crossed to southern Tunisia in the past three weeks, leaving some towns virtually deserted.
On Tuesday the first UNHCR humanitarian plane landed in Benghazi carrying relief assistance including hospital tents, kitchen sets as well as plastic sheets for shelter.
Meanwhile, it has emerged Libya has been taking advantage of a loophole in United Nations sanctions against Col Gaddafi's government by importing gasoline from the Italian refiner, Saras.
The shipment is legal because the buyer, Libya's General National Maritime Transport Company (GNMTC), is not on a UN blacklist.

Source link: http://www.aaj.com./news/world-africa-13200839

Libya : Misrata port shelled despite Nato effort

Misrata has come under attack by Libyan government forces attempting to retake the besieged city.


Three people were reportedly killed as missiles slammed into the city's port, a lifeline for those seeking to escape to the rebel stronghold Benghazi.
Nato is enforcing a UN resolution to protect civilians in Libya amid a two-month revolt inspired by other uprisings in the Arab world.
A Nato air strike earlier damaged Col Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli.
That attack followed big explosions at the Libyan leader's sprawling Bab al-Azizia compound early on Monday, which government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim called "an attempt to assassinate the leader and other political leaders of this country".
The Tripoli strikes have sparked angry criticism from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who said the Western coalition had no mandate to kill Col Gaddafi.
Deadly shelling

The rebel-held city of Misrata has been besieged by government forces for two months, during which parts of the city have had neither electricity nor water.
Continued sniper fire, street clashes and shelling have prevented people from venturing outside of their homes to get food and medicine.
Human rights groups say more than 1,000 people have been killed in the fighting and many more wounded. Ships have been ferrying the wounded to hospitals in the rebel stronghold, Benghazi.
Continue reading the main story
Misrata under siege

See the whole interactive map of Misrata
At the weekend, Col Gaddafi's regime claimed to have suspended operations in the city, and its forces withdrew in places.
Since then, however, the deadly shelling has continued, with Misrata surrounded on three sides and seeing some of the worst violence since the siege began.
"It was horrific, like a scene from World War II," said Misrata resident Saddoun el-Misurati as rockets began falling on the port on Tuesday.
He told the Associated Press he had been waiting with his mother for a boat to evacuate them from the port with hundreds of residents and migrant African workers. The crowds had scattered for cover when the shelling started, he added.
Libya's government denies it has been indiscriminately shelling civilian areas.
RAF fighter aircraft "successfully attacked" three armoured personnel carriers near Misrata over the weekend, Prime Minister David Cameron's office said, but warned UK forces "must prepare for the long haul" in Libya.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK was taking steps to evacuate 5,000 people from the city, as well as providing much-needed food, water and medicine supplies.
"The regime must grant unfettered humanitarian access, not just broken promises that puts aid workers and civilians at risk," Mr Hague told MPs on Tuesday.
Mr Hague said Nato's 1,500 strike sorties over Libya had "seriously degraded Gaddafi's military assets and prevented widespread massacres planned by Gaddafi's forces.
"They remain unable to enter Benghazi and it is highly likely that without these efforts Misrata would have fallen, with terrible consequences for that city's brave inhabitants."
Continue reading the main story
Misrata: Reasons for deadlock
Size of city and rebels' local knowledge
Ability of both sides to get resupply
Lack of coherent military strategies
Misrata: City under siege
The UK has for weeks called for more commitment from Nato members to the operation in Libya, but on Monday Russia said the Western military intervention risked fanning a series of civil wars across the Middle East.
Italy, France and Britain last week agreed to send military advisers to assist the Benghazi-based rebel Transitional National Council (TNC) in its battle against pro-Gaddafi forces.
The US launched its first Predator drone strikes pro-Gaddafi military positions over the weekend, which the Libyan government denounced as crimes against humanity.
The UNHCR estimates some 30,000 civilians have fled their homes in Libya's Western Mountain region and crossed to southern Tunisia in the past three weeks, leaving some towns virtually deserted.
On Tuesday the first UNHCR humanitarian plane landed in Benghazi carrying relief assistance including hospital tents, kitchen sets as well as plastic sheets for shelter.
Meanwhile, it has emerged Libya has been taking advantage of a loophole in United Nations sanctions against Col Gaddafi's government by importing gasoline from the Italian refiner, Saras.
The shipment is legal because the buyer, Libya's General National Maritime Transport Company (GNMTC), is not on a UN blacklist.
Source link: http://www.aaj.com/news/world-africa-13200839

Ahmed Shehzad inspires Pakistan to ODI win in St Lucia

Ahmed Shehzad hit a brilliant 102 as Pakistan beat West Indies by seven wickets in the second one-day international in St Lucia.

Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first and only Lendl Simmons offered any real resistance as the hosts were dismissed for 220 from their 50 overs.
In reply, Shehzad made his 102 from only 148 balls as the tourists reached 223 for three in the 48th over.
Pakistan now lead the five-match one-day series 2-0.
West Indies never really recovered from a disappointing start, and although opener Simmons (51) offered some resistance they lost wickets at regular intervals with Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi all taking two wickets each.
Shehzad then struck his second one-day international century as Pakistan continued where they left off in the first game in St Lucia where they won by 8 wickets.
The 19-year-old shared three successive half-century partnerships with Mohammad Hafeez (32), Asad Shafiq (23) and Misbah-ul-Haq (43 not out) that put Pakistan firmly on course for victory.
He glanced a delivery in the 44th over from Dwayne Bravo to deep fine leg for a single to reach his milestone from 143 balls, before becoming the second wicket for Devendra Bishoo.
Umar Akmal carried the visitors over the threshold with 12 balls remaining when he lofted a delivery from Dwayne Bravo to long-off for the final boundary of the match.
Pakistan have now won their last seven ODIs against West Indies, a sequence spread over the last four years.
The third one-day international takes place in Barbados on Thursday.

Source link: http://news.geo.com/sport2/hi/cricket/9467875.stm

Soaring food prices to dent Asia's growth, ADB warns

Soaring food and fuel prices are threatening to derail growth in Asian economies, according to a report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The bank has warned that if food and fuel prices continue to surge, economic growth in the region could be reduced by up to 1.5% this year.
According to the bank, domestic food prices have risen at an average of 10% in many Asian economies this year.
Oil prices have also surged because of the crisis in the Middle East.
The bank said that a combination of these two factors has been a major setback for growth in Asian economies.
Extreme poverty
 Continue reading the main story

Start Quote
Left unchecked, the food crisis will badly undermine recent gains in poverty reduction made in Asia”
End Quote
Changyong Rhee

Asian Development Bank
 While Asian economies have emerged strong from the global financial crisis, the rising cost of living has become a big concern in the region.
The ADB has warned that the recent surge in food price is threatening to push millions of Asians into extreme poverty.
According to the bank's study a 10% rise in domestic food prices may result in almost 64m people being pushed into extreme poverty.
According to the ADB's chief economist, Changyong Rhee, "for poor families in developing Asia, who already spend more than 60% of their income on food, higher prices further reduce their ability to pay for medical care and their children's education."
"Left unchecked, the food crisis will badly undermine recent gains in poverty reduction made in Asia." he added.
Export bans

The bank also warned that food prices will remain volatile in the short term.
It said that while there have been production shortfalls in some countries because of bad weather, prices have also been pushed up by other factors, such as the weakening US dollar and rising fuel costs.
This has resulted in many countries imposing export bans on their produce, a practise that is not helping the cause, according to the bank.
"To avert this looming crisis it is important for countries to refrain from imposing export bans on food items, while strengthening social safety nets," said Dr. Rhee.
"Efforts to stabilize food production should take centre stage, with greater investments in agricultural infrastructure to increase crop production and expand storage facilities,"
Dr Rhee added that these measures will ensure that food produce is not wasted, thus helping to keep prices in check.
Source link: http://www.geo.com/news/13191149

Sri Lanka: UN says army shelling killed civilians

Tens of thousands of civilians died in the final phase of Sri Lanka's civil war - most of them killed in shelling by government forces, a UN panel says.\

In a report on possible war crimes in the last months of the war in 2009, the panel also says Tamil Tiger rebels used civilians as human shields.
It wants an independent international investigation into "credible" reports of atrocities committed on both sides.
Sri Lanka's government has rejected the findings as biased.
It denies that tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the months leading up to the victory over the rebels, who had fought for 26 years for an independent homeland for minority Tamils.
'Credible allegations'
The highly controversial document was the result of a 10-month process of gathering evidence by the three-member panel, which was not allowed into Sri Lanka.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis

Barbara Plett

BBC UN correspondent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Human Rights Watch disputes Ban Ki-moon's assessment that he lacks authority to personally order an international probe into possible war crimes in Sri Lanka, as recommended by the panel.
Whatever the case, he's been walking a fine line between pressure to investigate from the international human rights community, and pressure not to from Sri Lanka and Security Council members such as Russia, which accuses him of overstepping his remit by intervening at all.
It's true the Security Council has recently been more proactive in the name of human rights, authorising military intervention in Libya to protect civilians. But it's much more divided on Sri Lanka.
The UN Human Rights Council has also shown support for Sri Lanka. It's unclear whether it will take up the panel's recommendation to revisit a resolution that congratulated Colombo for ending the war, rather than calling for an investigation into mass civilian casualties.
Their report paints a brutal image of the final offensive on the rebel-held enclave in northern Sri Lanka between January and May 2009.
It said that hospitals, UN centres and ships belonging to international aid group the Red Cross were deliberately shelled by government forces.
"Tens of thousands lost their lives from January to May 2009, many of whom died anonymously in the carnage of the final few days," said the panel, which was headed by a former Indonesian attorney general.
"Most civilian casualties in the final phases of the war were caused by government shelling," the report added.
It describes prisoners being shot in the head and women raped, while the Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE) used 330,000 civilians as human shields, and shot those who tried to escape.
The UN experts said there were "credible allegations, which if proven, indicate that a wide range of serious violations of international humanitarian law and international rights law was committed both by the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, some of which would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity".
It urged the government to issue a formal and public recognition of its responsibility for the extensive civilian casualties in the final stages of the conflict.
Continue reading the main story
MAIN ALLEGATIONS
Civilian deaths: The UN says tens of thousands of civilians were killed, mostly by Sri Lankan army shelling. It also says Tamil Tiger rebels used civilians as human shields.
Conduct of war: The government is accused of shelling hospitals and UN centres. The Tigers are accused of forcible conscription, including of children.
Extra-judicial killings: It says that prisoners were summarily shot and accuses rebels of killing civilians who tried to escape.
Sri Lanka report: Main points
Sri Lanka had asked the UN not to publish the report, saying it could damage reconciliation efforts.
"The Sri Lankan army is not responsible and [the] Sri Lankan government is not responsible," government spokesman Lakshman Hulugalle told the BBC.
"We never shelled or we never bombed. We never targeted innocent civilians. It's a wrong allegation and we can prove it," he said.
'A matter of transparency'
The panel also recommended that the Sri Lankan government should respond to the serious allegations "by initiating an effective accountability process beginning with genuine investigations" which would meet international standards.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he could not launch an international investigation into war crimes allegations unless the Sri Lankan government agreed, or member states called for it.
But the BBC's Barbara Plett, in New York, says that the country continues to have strong allies on both the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council.
In 2010 Sri Lanka appointed its own commission mandated to look back at the war and learn lessons from the conflict, but human rights groups have expressed scepticism about the independence of the commission.
In January 2010, less than a year after the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected by a substantial majority on a wave of unprecedented support following the government's victory over the rebels.
However, the UN will carry out a review of its own actions during the conflict. The report criticises UN officials for not pressing the Sri Lankan government hard enough to exercise restraint and for not going public with high casualty figures which, it says, would have put more pressure on the government.
In a statement, the secretary general's spokesperson said: "The decision to release the report was made as a matter of transparency and in the broader public interest."

Click to play
AdvertisementA history of the Sri Lankan conflict
He said a copy of the report had been made available "in its entirety" to the government of Sri Lanka on 12 April, adding that the government had failed to respond to a repeated offer to publish its response to the panel's finding alongside the report.
Our correspondent says that a divided Security Council was initially reluctant to address Sri Lanka's war and much less call for an inquiry.
But the secretary general appointed the panel after mounting evidence of serious human rights abuses and massive civilian casualties in the five-month offensive which ended the war.
Source link: http://www.express.com./news/south-asia-13190576

Al-Qaeda 'Afghan number two' Abdul Ghani killed - Nato

International forces in Afghanistan say they have killed their number two insurgent target in the country - senior al-Qaeda leader Abdul Ghani.

The Saudi citizen died in an air strike almost two weeks ago in Kunar province, near Pakistan, Nato-led forces said.
Abdul Ghani, also known as Abu Hafs al-Najdi, ran training camps and planned attacks on tribal leaders and foreigners, the Nato statement said.
Nato estimates some 100 al-Qaeda members still operate in Afghanistan.
The alliance says it has killed more than 25 al-Qaeda leaders and fighters in the past month. There is no independent confirmation of the claim.
A spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) would not say who was number one on the most wanted list, citing the possibility of hampering the search.
Abdul Ghani has been blamed for directing a number of high-profile attacks - including the death of Malik Zarin, a tribal leader in the east who was a close ally of President Hamid Karzai.
Zarin and nine other people were killed in a suicide attack on the same morning as the militant leader's own death.
'Significant'

Ahmed Rashid, an expert on the Taliban, told the BBC that the death of Abdul Ghani was a significant achievement for Nato.
"He's been helping organising some of the Pakistan Taliban groups on the Pakistan side of the border, and was obviously trying to do the same on the Afghan side of the border," Mr Rashid said.
 Mr Rashid said US forces had withdrawn from some of these mountainous districts, giving al-Qaeda the opportunity to fill them and try to recreate the bases they had five or six years ago.
The International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said Abdul Ghani controlled a network of insurgents that targeted security forces outposts throughout Kunar province.
"Abdul Ghani commonly instructed subordinate leaders to conduct kidnapping operations against foreigners... and he was responsible for directing suicide bomb attacks targeting US government officials," Isaf's statement said.
Nato has been pursuing him since 2007. He is also number 23 on a Saudi list of most wanted militants.
Huge manhunt

Al-Qaeda now depends more and more on the Pakistan Taliban, Mr Rashid says, because the Afghan Taliban are less welcoming and publicly do not want to be associated with the group.
Continue reading the main story
Afghan prison escapes
June 2008: More than 900 prisoners escape from Sarposa prison in Kandahar after a suicide bomber blasted open the gates
July 2010: 19 prisoners escape after a blast at a prison in Farah province
November 2009: 12 prisoners escape after tunnelling out of a jail from their cells in Farah
Taliban reveal details of daring jail escape
As a result there is not much need for al-Qaeda to be present in the key battlefield zones of southern or eastern Afghanistan, he said.
"Rather they like to make their own bases in these very underpopulated areas and - in case they have to run from Pakistan - these places along the border suit their interests very well," Mr Rashid said.
Separately, Afghan officials say they have recaptured 65 of the more than 470 prisoners who escaped from Kandahar prison on Sunday night. Most were Taliban fighters.
The authorities in Kandahar said a massive manhunt was launched by Isaf and Afghan security forces immediately after the escape, which had "massive civilian support and positive results".
However, the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul says the escape is a further setback for security in the area, and for the fight against the insurgency.
A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai described the escape as a "disaster" which should never have happened.
Nato forces are preparing for the long process of withdrawal from Afghanistan. The first stage of that process is the transfer of security powers to local forces from July.
Source link: http://www.express.com./news/south-asia-13193634

Pakistan navy buses hit by twin blasts in Karachi

At least four people have been killed in two bomb attacks on buses carrying naval personnel in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, police say.

Fifty others were hurt in the blasts, which took place in quick succession in areas 20km (12 miles) apart.
Police said the attackers detonated the bombs remotely as the buses passed.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attacks appear to have been the work of insurgents battling Pakistan's security forces.
Militants linked to al-Qaeda and Taliban have carried out numerous attacks in Karachi in the past.
Continue reading the main story

Start Quote
Explosive devices were planted on the road and they”
End Quote
Iqbal Mahmood

Karachi police officer

Bomb targets Karachi gambling den
Separately, at least 13 people were killed in an attack on a bus in the province of Balochistan. Four unidentified gunmen boarded the vehicle as it travelled to the city of Quetta from Peshawar and set it ablaze, police.
The motive for the attack near the town of Sibi is unknown - it is not thought to be linked to the Karachi violence.
Roadside bombs

Tuesday's blasts in the commercial capital were so powerful they damaged nearby houses in the city, where the Pakistani navy's main facilities are located.
The first bus was attacked in the Defence area. Minutes later, a second explosion shook another bus carrying naval staff in the Baldia Town area of the city.
Police said in both cases explosives had been planted by the side of the road.
A junior naval officer and a civilian doctor were among those killed, a navy spokesman told Reuters news agency.
The attacks come four days after a gambling club in the city was bombed by suspects who the police say are affiliated with Taliban groups based in the country's tribal region in the north-west.
Karachi, Pakistan's commercial capital, has also been hit by a wave of political and ethnic attacks blamed on local gangs. Hundreds have been killed over the past year.
Source link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13191208

India's latest satellite to beam pictures from Thursday

Chennai, April 25 (IANS) India's latest advanced remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2, launched last week, is all set to beam back pictures Thursday onwards, the Indian space agency said.
A statement issued by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Monday said the three cameras of Resourcesat-2 have been oriented towards Earth and all checks prior to their switching on have been completed.
ISRO said the first imaging is expected to cover about 3,000 km stretch of Indian landmass from Joshimath in Uttarakhand to Kannur in Kerala.
On April 20, an Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16) launched three satellites -- the 1,206 kg Resourcesat-2, the 92 kg Youthsat for stellar and atmospheric studies, and a 106 kg mini satellite X-SAT for imaging applications -- from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.
Remote sensing satellites send back pictures and other data for use. India has the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites in the world, providing imagery in a variety of spatial resolutions, from more than a metre ranging up to 500 metres, and is a major player in vending such data in the global market.
The data is used for several applications covering agriculture, water resources, urban development, mineral prospecting, environment, forestry, drought and flood forecasting, ocean resources and disaster management.
According to ISRO, the precise launch of Resourcesat-2 has saved around 20 kg of onboard fuel, enhancing its life span. At the time of the launch, the satellite was said to have a life span of five years.
ISRO said the two smaller satellites -- Youthsat (an Indo-Russian venture) and X-SAT of Singapore's Nanyang Technical University -- are also in good health in their intended orbit.
The two Indian payloads in the Youthsat are performing satisfactorily while the Russian payload - Solar radiation Experiment - will be switched on Friday.
Source Link:http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=234766

Get the Latest News Delivered to You with the Patch Newsletter

If you like staying up to date on Westlake news, consider signing up for the Patch Newsletter. We’ll deliver the latest stories right to your inbox every morning, so you won’t miss a thing.
You can peruse the headlines in the newsletter, and if you want to find out more, just click the link to see stories, videos and photos on the site. You’ll even get the weather forecast, local events, announcements and more.
We promise to only send you one email a day, and we aren’t selling your address to anyone, so you won’t get any spam. If you need more convincing, see the site’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
To sign up for the newsletter, just click the green icon at the top of the page that says “Get the Patch Newsletter” and enter your email.

sOURCE Link:http://westlake.patch.com/articles/get-the-latest-news-delivered-to-you-with-the-patch-newsletter

Latest SB Nation Mock Draft - How the Seahawks Fared

Brian Galliford (with editorial credit to Dan Kadar) put together his newest mock draft this Saturday and had a very interesting scenario laid out for the Seahawks. In it, they trade the 25th pick to Philadelphia (which had been acquired through Cincinnati) for the 35th pick and the 85th pick (3rd round). Philadelphia then goes on to select CB Jimmy Smith out of Colorado with the 25th slot.
A very intriguing scenario to say the least, because many people think that if Jimmy Smith is on the board still at #25, the Hawks will run to the podium to select him. Also, Mike Pouncey goes at #27 in this mock as well so he is still on the board when the Hawks would be picking. I'd go so far to say that the Hawks would maybe even take Pouncey over Smith.
Overall, this is a realistic enough scenario, trade-wise, for the Hawks without taking into account who is still on the board. They'd get that third rounder that they want so badly and would be picking 3rd overall in the 2nd round, which would have a ton of value. But like I said, it's very hard for me to see them passing up Mike Pouncey and Jimmy Smith just to get that 3rd round pick back. This scenario would seem very realistic to me if those players were long gone but considering the rumors of how high the Hawks are on both of those guys I'm not sure it would represent a good value. Again though, their interest could all be a smokescreen so the way this is set up could actually be very close to what happens this week. Go check out the mock to see a few more interesting trades that went down - there are some names in the top 32 that might be surprising to you.

Source Link:http://www.fieldgulls.com/2011/4/25/2131786/2011-nfl-mock-draft-seahawks-monday

News Minute: Here is the latest Connecticut news from The AssociatedPress

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A General Assembly committee has endorsed legislation raising the starting age for kindergarten students. The bill rolls back the fifth-birthday enrollment deadline from January 1st to October 1st, starting in 2015. It would affect about 6,700 children each year.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Trinity College students are holding a rally today in response to racially motivated incidents on campus. President James Jones Jr. says in an email that someone threw a beer at a student on Friday and used a racist slur. Offensive slurs were also left on two dorm room doors.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - There's still no verdict in the trial of a New Britain man accused of raping and strangling a pregnant Hartford teenager in 1998. Pedro Miranda is charged in the slaying of 17-year-old Carmen Lopez.
DANBURY, Conn. (AP) - A state-run technical high school has won $20,000 in a contest that challenged students to plan innovative environmental projects. Students at Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury will use the money for a garden to supply fresh vegetables for the school's culinary arts programs, cafeteria and restaurant.

Source Link:http://www.wggb.com/story/6505709/news-minute-here-is-the-latest-connecticut-news-from-the-associated-press