Another woman gang-raped in India

January 12, 2013 | Filed under: Crime | Posted by: admin Gurdaspur: In a case similar to the gang-rape of a physiotherapy student in New Delhi, a 29-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by seven persons in Gurdaspur in Punjab.

The victim was on her way to her village in Ghukla – which falls under Kahnuwan police station – in a bus when the driver and conductor kidnapped her and took her to an undisclosed location where they and their five accomplices gang-raped her last night, Gurdaspur Raj Jeet Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), told reporters.

He said five of the seven accused had been arrested while two others, who are yet to be identified, were still absconding. Based on the interrogation of the five accused, efforts were on to arrest the remaining persons, he added.

The victim, in her complaint, said that she was coming back from her parent’s village in Jagatpur in Pathankot in a bus but the driver, Daler Singh, did not stop the vehicle at the bus stand in Ghukla.
Her request to the conductor, Ravi, to ask the driver to stop the bus went unnoticed.
They took her to a place near Gurdaspur, where five of the duo’s friends joined them and gang-raped the woman in a house, the police official said.
The driver dumped the victim at a place near her village this morning, he said. The woman first went to her house and then came to the police station to file her complaint, he added.
A case of rape under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the seven accused, Mr Singh said.
The five arrested have been identified as Daler Singh, Ravi, Jaswinder Singh, Jagpreet Singh and Satwant Singh, he said.
Teams have been have been formed to nab the absconding men, he said.
Police said the First Information Report (FIR) was registered this evening.
The woman would be sent for medical examination, the police said, adding the accused had confessed to their crime during preliminary interrogation.
Source:NDTV

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French government launches air strikes in Mali, over 100 soldiers and rebels killed-Breaking News

January 12, 2013 | Filed under: Breaking News | Posted by: admin

(Reuters) - More than 100 people including rebels and government soldiers were killed in Mali during French air strikes and fighting over the strategic town of Konna, Malian military sources and witnesses said on Saturday.

An army officer at the headquarters of Mali’s former military junta in Bamako said nearly 30 vehicles carrying Islamist fighters had been bombed and “over 100″ rebels had been killed in fighting.
“We have driven them out, we are effectively in Konna,” Malian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Diaran Kone told Reuters. “We don’t know if they have planted mines or other traps, so we are moving with caution. There were many deaths on both sides.”
A shopkeeper in Konna said he had counted 148 bodies in four different locations in the town. Among the dead were several dozen uniformed government soldiers. Others wore traditional robes and turbans.
Fighters from the Islamist coalition that currently controls northern Mali do not wear military clothing.
A resident in the town of Gao, the stronghold of the MUJWA Islamist group, said fighters had begun arriving with their dead on Friday.
“Electric power is available at the mortuary, which is not always the case. And the Islamists have bought plenty of burial mats,” the man said.
(Reporting by Adama Diarra and Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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Poachers slaughter 11 elephants in Kenya

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08 Jan 2013

elephants,Kenya,poaching,rangers,Wild life

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Kenyan wildlife rangers on Tuesday were tracking a team of poachers who massacred a family of 11 elephants in what they said was the worst single such killings in the country in the past three decades, AFP reports.


“We have not lost as many elephants in a single incident since the early 1980s,” said Patrick Omondi, head of the elephant programme at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). “This is a clear signal that things are getting worse.”
The bullet-riddled corpses of the elephants — all with their tusks hacked off, and including a two-month old baby — were found Saturday in south-eastern Kenya’s vast Tsavo East National Park.
“Our initial investigations show that the poachers numbered at least 10 and were armed with an assortment of guns,” Omondi said, adding that the normal weapon of choice for poachers is an AK-47 assault rifle.
Rangers were tracking the poachers in “hot pursuit” but had so far not caught the gang, KWS said.
Officials say that an increase in demand for ivory in Asia — where elephant tusks are used in traditional medicines and to make ornaments — has led to a substantial increase in the killing of elephants in Africa.
“A kilogramme of ivory can fetch up to $2,500 in the black market, money that comes back to fund extremely organised gangs with sophisticated weapons,” said Omondi.
In 2012, Kenya lost approximately 360 elephants to poaching, a figure that rose from 289 the previous year, KWS said. At least 40 poachers were killed last year as rangers battled the raiders.
The international trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after elephant populations in Africa dropped from millions in the mid-20th century to some 600,000 by the end of the 1980s.
Last week officials in Hong Kong seized more than a tonne of ivory worth about $1.4 million in a shipment from Kenya.
Ivory trade is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is due to hold its next meeting in March, a date that Omondi says has in the past triggered a rise in poaching.
As the conference approaches, “countries with elephant herds register a surge in poaching… speculators stockpile the contraband with the hope that the conference will lift the ban on ivory trade,” he said.
Africa is home to an estimated 472,000 elephants whose survival is threatened by poaching and habitat loss.
AFP

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90-year-old Saudi man weds 15 year old

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07 Jan 2013

child brides,Marriage,to young to wed,Wedding

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1

Dubai: A 90-year-old Saudi man’s marriage to a 15-year-old girl in exchange for a fat dowry has sparked widespread condemnation from human rights and social media activists in the kingdom.

Picture Source: National Geogrpahic

The frightened girl locked out her husband refusing him entry to the bedroom for two successive days before fleeing back to her parents’ home, the Al-Arabia reported.
But the groom insisted that his marriage was “legal and correct”, and that he paid 17,500 US dollars as dowry to marry the girl, who is the daughter of a Yemeni father and Saudi mother.
He vowed to sue his in-laws to give him back the girl or return him the expensive dowry.
The travails of the girl evoked widespread condemnation from the people, who used Twitter to criticize the parents of the girl for giving her out to a man decades older than her.
Suhaila Zein el-Abedin, a member of the Saudi National Association for Human Rights, urged authorities to intervene “as soon as possible to save this child from tragedy.”
El-Abedin noted that marriage in Islam must be based on mutual consent and this was not satisfied as demonstrated by the girl’s move to lock herself up in the room.
She said the girl’s parents were also to be held responsible for marrying their daughter to a man of the age of her grand grandfather.
On Twitter, Mouhammad Khaled Alnuzha ?@mkalnuzha, a legal expert asks Is this a case of human trafficking crimes punishable by law?
Nawal Saad @lhnalkhlwd wrote on his account: “When people of reason and wisdom are asked to be silent and the ludicrous are set loose, we will see these anti-human behaviours.”

NDTV

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Mount Everest seen from space

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14 Dec 2012

mount everest

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The world’s highest mountain doesn’t look quite so high from space.

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko recently snapped a shot of Mount Everest from his perch 230 miles (370 kilometers) above Earth on the International Space Station. The photo shows the peak of Everest nestled among other crags in the Himalayas, with snow lightly dusting the tops.
Such a famous mountain, one of the world’s most iconic climbing goals, is an often-sought photographic target for astronauts in orbit. But it’s harder than you might think to catch a good snapshot of the mountain, or any specific landmark on Earth, astronauts say, because their schedules are so packed tight, and photos of Earth locations must be timed carefully.
Source:OAP

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Cocaine found in woman’s breast implants

0

13 Dec 2012

breast impants,Cocaine

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A Panamanian woman was nabbed at a Spanish airport when custom officials discovered that her breast implants were stuffed with cocaine.

The woman who flew to Barcelona from Bogota, Colombia came under heavy scrutiny when she failed to explain the reason for her visit to Spain. The custom officials said she was taken for an X-ray when officials noticed fresh scars and blood-stained gauze on women’s chest.
On further examination it was discovered she was carrying approximately three pounds of cocaine- 1.38kg.
Spanish authorities conduct rigorous checks on passengers arriving from so called “hot-flights” from South America.

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Boy tuns 12 on 12/12/12

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12 Dec 2012

Joergen Svendsen Killi

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By:AFP
By the magic of numbers a Norwegian boy celebrated a very special occasion on Wednesday, feting his 12th birthday on December 12, 2012 — 12/12/12 — at 12:12 pm, a newspaper reported.

 Joergen Svendsen Killi was born on December 12, 2000 at 12:12 pm, according to his birth certificate, a picture of which was published on the site of tabloid Verdens Gang, promising him an unforgettable birthday 12 years later.
After Wednesday, the next time the same digits will appear in the date, month and year in the same order will be in more than 88 years, on January 1, 2101, or 01/01/01.

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Two language teachers found dead in Thailand, may be victims of street cocktail known as 4 x 100 mixed with DEET

0

08 Dec 2012

DEET. street coctail 4 x 100 kratom. tea

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Two language teachers one British and an American were found dead in their condominium in Pathum Thani in Thailand on Saturday. Both were found dead sitting on chairs with four bottles nearby their bodies, according to media reports.


In June this year two Canadian sisters were found dead in similar circumstances and autopsy revealed they have consumed a street cocktail that was infused with the insecticide the DEET,  was developed by the United States Army, following its experience of jungle warfare during World War II. It was originally tested as a pesticide on farm fields, and entered military use in 1946 and civilian use in 1957. It was used in Vietnam and Southeast Asia
Charlie Milson and Jonathan Louis-the American were found with vomit on their bodies.
The sisters were found dead in their hotel room in an Island named Phi Phi. The autopsy further revealed they consumed the street cocktail named 4X100 which is combination of insecticide; tea leaves (Kratom), Coca Cola and an unknown cough syrup.
Thai police investigating the death of the language teachers have said that they do not suspect foul play and they believe both were suffering from unknown medical conditions as the bottles found near their bodies were for drug rehabilitation treatment.
Usage of Kratom plants in any form is illegal in Thailand because they are known as narcotic plants.

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Sri Lankan minister makes “sexist” comments during Parliament debate

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07 Dec 2012

Rosy Senanayake,Sri Lanka

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A Sri Lankan minister for transport is in the hot seat for openly declaring his feelings towards an opposition member of Parliament during a debate over the state of country’s transport board.

The minister Kumar Welgama told the opposition MP Rosy Senanayake, a former Miss Sri Lanka and former Ms World that he was mesmerized by her beauty and that he would answer her questions “outside”.
His comments have been branded as “sexism”.
Welgama said during the debate that “I cannot explain my feelings here. But if you step outside I will describe them”.  “When I see my imaginations run riots which I don’t want to reveal in public”, he said. The minister very cleverly dodged the question of but instead openly described his feelings towards the opposition MP.
The minister said “today is the happiest day in my life after 19 years of politics and everything swirls around when I look at your beautiful face”, the minister added.
Rosy Senanayake won the first Ms World contest in 1985. She was also declared as winner during 1981 Miss Asia Pacific International competition.
Senanayake later said she felt insulted for the comments and the minster should have answered the questions put forward to him. The minister later told that he has never insulted any women and “it is a fact”.

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Duchess of Cambridge’s nursing staff member found dead, in apparent suicide.

0

07 Dec 2012

Duchess of cambridge,Duke,Jacintha Saldanha

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Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who took to prank call from two Australian Disk Jockeys during Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton’s stay at the King Edward VII hospital was found dead on Friday.

The cause of the death of 46 year old mother of two was not known immediately.
The Duke and Duchess in a statement released said they were saddened to be told of her death.
In a statement, the hospital said: “It is with very deep sadness that we confirm the tragic death of a member of our nursing staff, Jacintha Saldanha. Jacintha has worked at the King Edward VII Hospital for more than four years; she was an excellent nurse and a well-respected and popular member of staff with all her colleagues.
“We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital. The hospital had been supporting her throughout this difficult time.”
John Loft house, chief executive of the hospital, said: “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies at this time are with her family and friends. Everyone is shocked by the loss of a much-loved and valued colleague.”
Lord Glenarthur, chairman of the hospital, said: “This is a tragic event. Jacintha was a first class nurse who cared diligently for hundreds of patients during her time with us. She will be greatly missed.”
A St James’s Palace spokesman said: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha.
“Their Royal Highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha’s family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time.”
According to the Daily Mail, the circumstances in which she was found indicated she might have killed herself.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called at approximately 9.25am on Friday, December 7, to a report of a woman found unconscious an address in Weymouth Street, W1.
“London Ambulance Service attended and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Inquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances of the incident.
“The death is not being treated as suspicious at this stage.”
A spokesman for the hospital said a statement was expected shortly.
The dead woman is reported to be a nurse who was working on reception who took the call at 5.30 on Tuesday morning from two presenters from the Sydney radio station 2Day FM, who pretended to be the Queen and the Prince of Wales.
The unsuspecting hospital worker put the call straight through to the Duchess’s ward, where a nurse spent two minutes chatting about the Duchess’s condition and treatment.
The hospital described the incident earlier this week as “deplorable”.
Michael Christian, the DJ who pretended to be the Prince of Wales, apologized earlier this week but carried on tweeting about it and only this morning tweeted: “MORE on the #royalprank after 7.30 tonight.”
Courtesy: The London Telegraph

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Amazing pictures of earth at night

0

06 Dec 2012

earth,NASA

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Night on Earth
Image courtesy NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC
This composite image of Earth at night was assembled from data acquired by the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite in April and October 2012.
Many satellites are equipped to capture images while the Earth is illuminated by the sun, but a new sensor aboard the Suomi NPP satellite, launched last year, allows scientists to observe Earth’s atmosphere and surface during nighttime hours, according to NASA.
Published December 5, 2012

Everything Is Illuminated
Image courtesy NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC
Patterns of population density emerge in this composite image of the United States released by NASA on Wednesday, part of a global composite image captured from space by a NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite.
The cloud-free images show the glow of natural and artificial light in what a NASA press release calls the most detailed night images yet.
The images were unveiled during the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco.
Published December 5, 2012

Along the Nile
Image courtesy NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC
A brightly illuminated Nile River Valley tells the continued story of human civilization in the region. The nighttime image was captured by the Suomi NPP satellite’s new sensor, what NASA calls the “day-night band” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which is able to detect light in a range of wavelengths.
According to NASA, the new sensor is sensitive enough to detect “the light from a single ship in the sea.”
Published December 5, 2012

City Lights
Image courtesy NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC
Urban areas along China’s coast outshine the country’s interior in this detailed look cropped from NASA’s composite image of Earth at night.
Orbiting 512 miles (824 kilometers) above the Earth, the Suomi NPP satellite passes any given point on Earth’s surface twice each day, relaying its data to scientists once per orbit, according to NASA.
“I’m always amazed at what city light images show us about human activity,” said Chris Elvidge, who leads NOAA’s Earth Observation Group, in a statement on NASA’s Earth Observatory website. He says the data from the imagery may help scientists seeking to model fossil fuel emissions or monitor the activity of commercial fishing fleets.
Published December 5, 2012

The Black Marble
Image courtesy NASA
In contrast to the famous “Blue Marble” image—taken by the crew of Apollo 17 in 1972—the newest full image of Earth brings evidence of humanity to light.
In addition to observing city lights, NASA reports that the day-night band of the VIIRS can use filtering techniques to pick up gas flares, auroras, wildfires, and reflected moonlight.
Published December 5, 2012

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Chinese man builds Noah’s ark to escape doomsday

0

06 Dec 2012

armageddon,Doomsday,noha's ark

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While a Chinese man is building a Noah’s ark in preparation of Armageddon, two schizophrenics Siberian twins have bludgeoned a cat to death to claim its nine lives to survive the doomsday on December 21^st.

The Chinese, an engineer, Lu Zhenghai from Xinjiang province is spending nearly $ 320,000 to build the Noha’s ark. The work began in 2010. According to news reports Zhenghai would be stocking and furnishing the ark which is roughly sixty feet in length and 45 feet wide. The ark is fitted with three engines that have the capacity of 540hp.
The cat killers, both in their early 40s killed the cat because they believe they are from outer space and they are stranded on earth because the space ship has left them stranded to face the doomsday.
According to reports the men tortured and bludgeoned the cat to claim its nine lives and they believed the cat would come to life after the first death.
The brothers have also raided several neighbors’ homes because they thought “demons lived there” and also broke their mother’s leg because she was demonized.
Both have been confined to a psychiatric hospital.

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Vienna named as world’s best for quality living followed by Zurich and Auckland

0

05 Dec 2012

Auckland,Vienna,Zurich

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*• European cities continue to dominate the top of the ranking
* • Vienna remains at the top, Baghdad at the bottom
* • Singapore ranks highest for city infrastructure, Port-au-Prince the lowest
* • Honolulu and San Francisco are the top-ranked US cities for overall quality of living, but European cities dominate the new city infrastructure ranking
 Vienna retains the top spot as the city with the world’s best quality of living, according to the Mercer 2012 Quality of Living Survey. Zurich and Auckland follow in second and third place, respectively, and Munich is in fourth place, followed by Vancouver, which ranked fifth. Düsseldorf dropped one spot to rank sixth followed by Frankfurt in seventh, Geneva in eighth, Copenhagen in ninth, and Bern and Sydney tied for tenth place, A survey by Mercer said.


In the United States, Honolulu (28) and San Francisco (29) are the highest-ranking cities, followed by Boston (35). Chicago is ranked 42nd, while Washington, DC, is ranked 43rd. Detroit (71) is the lowest-ranking of the US cities that Mercer surveys.

Globally, the cities with the lowest quality of living are Khartoum, Sudan (217); N’Djamena, Chad (218); Port-au-Prince, Haiti (219); and Bangui, Central African Republic (220). Baghdad, Iraq (221) ranks last.
Mercer conducts this survey annually to help multinational companies and other organizations compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments. Mercer’s Quality of Living reports provide valuable information and hardship premium recommendations for many cities throughout the world. Mercer’s Quality of Living index list covers 221 cities, ranked against New York as the base city.

This year’s ranking separately identifies the cities with the best infrastructure based on electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transportation, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports. Singapore is at the top of this index, followed by Frankfurt and Munich in second place. Copenhagen (4) and Dusseldorf (5) fill the next two slots, while Hong Kong and London share sixth place. Port-au-Prince (221) ranks at the bottom of the list.

The highest-ranking US cities on the city infrastructure list are Atlanta (13), Dallas (15), Washington, DC (22) and Chicago (28).

“In order for multinational companies to ensure their expatriates are compensated appropriately and an adequate hardship allowance is included in compensation packages, they must be aware of current events and local circumstances,” said Slagin Parakatil, Senior Researcher at Mercer. “Factors such as internal stability, law enforcement effectiveness, crime levels and medical facilities are important to consider when deciding on an international assignment, and the impact on daily life that could be encountered by the expatriate in overseas placements.”

Mr. Parakatil continued, “Infrastructure has a significant effect on the quality of living that expatriates experience. While often taken for granted when functioning to a high standard, a city’s infrastructure can generate severe hardship when it is deficient. Companies need to provide adequate allowances to compensate their international workers for these and other hardships.”

Canadian cities still dominate the top of the index for this region, with Vancouver (5) retaining the top regional spot, followed by Ottawa (14), Toronto (15) and Montreal (23). Calgary ranks 32 on the overall quality of living ranking. Overall, there was almost no movement in rankings among Canadian cities from 2011 to 2012, with Calgary advancing one position, Montreal retreating one position, and the other cities remaining unchanged.

Honolulu (28) is the city in the United States with the highest quality of living, followed by San Francisco (29) and Boston (35). Chicago is at 42 and Washington, DC ranks 43. New York – the base city – ranks 44. In Central and South America, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe ranks the highest for quality of living at 63. San Juan, Puerto Rico follows at 72 and Montevideo, Uruguay at 77. Port-au-Prince, Haiti (219) ranks lowest in the region.
Mr. Parakatil said, “Overall, there has been little change in the rankings for North American cities. A number of South and Central American countries have experienced positive change, essentially due to some modest infrastructural and recreational improvement. Nevertheless, political and security issues, along with natural disasters, continue to hamper the quality of living in South and Central American cities. High crime levels also remain a major problem.”

In terms of city infrastructure, Vancouver (9) tops the ranking for the region with Atlanta and Montreal following at 13. Other Canadian cities that ranked highly were Toronto (16) and Ottawa (25). In the United States, Dallas ranked 15, followed by Washington, DC (22), Chicago (28) and New York (30). Buenos Aires, Argentina (83) has the best city infrastructure in Central and South America, whereas Port-au-Prince is the lowest ranking at 221.
Europe

Europe has 15 cities among the world’s top 25 cities for quality of living. Vienna retains the highest-ranking for both the region and globally. The rest of the top 10 for Europe are dominated by German and Swiss cities, with three cities each in the top 10. Zurich (2) is followed by Munich (4), Düsseldorf (6), Frankfurt (7), Geneva (8), Copenhagen (9) and Bern (10). The lowest-ranking Western European cities are Athens (83) and Belfast (64).

Other European cities among the top 25 include Amsterdam (12), Berlin (16), Hamburg (17), Luxembourg (19), Stockholm (19), Brussels (22) Nürnberg (24) and Stuttgart (27). Paris ranks 29 and is followed by Helsinki (32), Oslo (32) and London (38). Dublin dropped nine places from last year to rank 35, mostly due to a combination of serious flooding and an increase in crime rates. Lisbon ranks 44 followed by Madrid (49) and Rome (52). Prague, Czech Republic (69) is the highest-ranking Eastern European city followed by Budapest, Hungary (74); Ljubljana, Slovenia (75); Vilnius, Lithuania (79); and Warsaw, Poland (84). The lowest-ranking European city is Tbilisi, Georgia (213).

Overall, European cities continue to have high quality of living as a result of a combination of increased stability, rising living standards and advanced city infrastructures,” said Mr. Parakatil. “But economic turmoil, political tension and high unemployment in some European countries and high levels of unemployment have continued to be problematic in the region.”

With six cities in the top 10, European cities also fare well in the city infrastructure ranking. Frankfurt and Munich rank the highest at second place, followed by Copenhagen (4) and Düsseldorf (5). London (6) and Hamburg (9) are followed by Paris which ranks 12. Budapest (67) is the highest-ranking for city infrastructure in Eastern Europe followed by Vilnius (74) and Prague (75), whereas Yerevan (189) and Tbilisi (201) rank lowest.

“Infrastructure in German and Danish cities is among the best in the world, in part due to their first-class airport facilities, international and local connectivity, and a high standard of public services,” said Mr. Parakatil. “London’s high ranking in the infrastructure index reflects a combination of high level of public services offered, with its extensive public transportation system including airports, the London Underground buses and railroad services.”
Asia-Pacific

Auckland (3) retains its position as the highest-ranking city for quality of living in the region. Sydney follows at 10, Wellington at 13, Melbourne at 17 and Perth at 21. Singapore remains the highest-ranking Asian city at 25 followed by Japanese cities Tokyo (44), Kobe (48), Yokohama (49) and Osaka (57). Hong Kong (70), Seoul (75), Kuala Lumpur (80), Taipei (85) and Shanghai (95) are other major Asian cities ranked in the top 100. The region’s lowest-ranking cities are Dhaka, Bangladesh (203); Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (204); and Dushanbe, Tajikistan (207).

For city infrastructure, Singapore has the highest ranking worldwide followed by Hong Kong (6), Sydney (8), Perth (25), Tokyo (32) and Melbourne (34). Adelaide and Brisbane both ranked 37. Nagoya (41), Auckland (43), Kobe (44), Wellington (48), Seoul (50) and Osaka (51) are the next highest-ranking cities in this region. The region’s lowest-ranking city for city infrastructure is Dhaka, Bangladesh (205).

“A noticeable gap can be seen among Asia Pacific cities where several cities have improved in the region partly because they have been investing massively in infrastructure and public services,” said Mr. Parakatil. Competition among municipalities has been continuously increasing in order to attract multinationals, foreigners, expatriates and tourists. Yet a considerable number of Asian cities rank in the bottom quartile, mainly due to high political volatility, poor infrastructure and obsolete public services.”
Middle East and Africa

Dubai (73) and Abu Dhabi (78) in the United Arab Emirates are the region’s cities with the best quality of living. Port Louis in Mauritius (82), Cape Town (89) and Johannesburg (94) follow, and along with Victoria in the Seychelles (96) and Tel Aviv (99), are the region’s only other cities in the top 100. This region has 15 cities in the bottom 20, including Lagos, Nigeria (202); Bamako, Mali (209); Khartoum, Sudan (217); and N’Djamena, Chad (218). Baghdad, Iraq (221) is the lowest-ranking city both regionally and globally.

In the city infrastructure index, most of the region’s cities rank below 100. The exceptions are Dubai (34), which ranks the highest in the region for city infrastructure, Tel Aviv (58), Abu Dhabi (72), Port Louis (91), Muscat (94), Cairo (95) and Cape Town (97). Port Louis, Cairo and Cape Town are the only African cities in the top 100. Elsewhere in the region, Doha, Qatar is at 102, Tunis, Tunisia, ranks 103 and Manama, Bahrain is at 110. In terms of city infrastructure, Baghdad, Iraq (220) is the lowest-ranking city regionally, along with Sana’a, Yemen (219); Brazzaville, Congo (218); Kigali, Rwanda (217); and Abuja, Nigeria (215).

“The ongoing turmoil in many countries across North Africa and the Middle East has led to serious security issues for locals and expatriates,” said Mr. Parakatil. “Many countries continue to experience violence through political demonstrations that have sometimes developed into massive uprisings and led to serious instability within the region. Countries such as Syria and Mali have seen their quality of living levels drop substantially. Employers should continually monitor the situation in these countries, as circumstances can degrade rapidly. Companies need to be able to proactively implement mitigation plans, such as emergency repatriation, or adjust expatriate compensation packages accordingly.”

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Ten storey building built in 48 hours in India

0

01 Dec 2012

10 storey,building,India,Mohali

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Mohali: It was a promise delivered floor by floor. In just 48 hours, an entrepreneur has constructed a 10-floor building in Mohali, in northern India.

The red and grey facade building, Instacon, stood tall on an industrial plot in Mohali, 10 kilometers from Chandigarh today; two days after Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had laid its foundation stone.
Work on the building’s construction started around 4:30 pm on Thursday. By Friday evening, the building saw seven floors in place.
As the deadline of 48 hours approached, all the 10 floors of the building were in place even though the glass-panes on the windows and other fittings inside were still being put by the workers and engineers.
The building used pre-fabricated material, including 200 tons of steel.
“Our effort was to put the 10-storeyed structure in place within 48 hours. We wanted to prove that this could be done. That feat was achieved well within 48 hours. Just some finishing touches remain. This is only a sample structure,” an official of Synergy Thrislington infrastructure company told IANS at the site.
Entrepreneur Harpal Singh, who heads a mega Infrastructure Company, had promised that the 10-storey building would be completed within 48 hours.
“This will be the first building of its kind in the country to be built in just 48 hours. The model has been cleared for Zone-V seismic area, the highest risk area (for earthquakes),” Harpal Singh, who owns the JW Marriot Hotel in Chandigarh, had said earlier.
Three floors of the building were constructed in just six hours on Thursday.
Over 200 skilled workers, technicians, engineers and equipment were engaged in the building construction.
The material being used was manufactured in the past two months in a nearby factory.
“No bricks and sand has been used. The outer wall is a double-skinned PUF panel. The cost is almost the same as of conventional construction material. It saves a lot of time that goes into construction otherwise,” said officials at the site.
Harpal Singh said that the idea to construct such a building came to him when he was constructing his own house, which took two years to complete – thanks to truant workers.
Mr Singh’s company, Synergy, took over Britain-based Thrislington Products, a re-locatable steel partition manufacturer, to set up the new infrastructure company.
Click here to watch the construction posted on NDTV
NDTV

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Motorists stranded in flood waters ticketed for unauthorized parking in Britain

0

29 Nov 2012

tewkesbury gloucestershire

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Traffic wardens in a British city ticketed motorists for “unauthorized parking”, who were left stranded in flood waters.

Now the residents of Tewesbury, Gloucestershire wants the traffic wardens kicked out of their jobs
The residents were forced to abandon their vehicles after a deluge of water flooded the streets following torrential rains which swept the western region of Britain.
The uncompassionate wardens issued $ 75 tickets to motorists after their vehicles were deemed to have parked illegally-despite the fact the floods left them stranded in the middle of the city streets.
One town Centre trader, who did not want to be identified, said he had received tickets two days running and a colleague had received three.
He admitted parking on the pavement, but said it was because other parking areas were flooded.
He added that he had deliberately left his car so it was not blocking the way for other motorists or pedestrians.
He said: “I’m going to appeal against my tickets. Even a bit of common sense would have been nice.
“There’s nowhere to park and yet the traffic warden told me she was not allowed to use discretion or common sense.”
Aggrieved motorists cannot understand why the rules have not been temporarily suspended after flood levels hit the highest they have been since 2007.
Mike Sztymiak, a town, borough and county councilor also reinforced the call to relax the normal parking rules during the floods.
He said: “If we don’t, we’re putting profit before the people. These are emergency times. Many of the roads have been flooded. Where are they going to park?”
But Tewkesbury Borough Council rejected the call and stated that other parking had been made available for those affected.
Mella McMahon, the council’s director of development, said: “The recent flooding is causing parking difficulties for some residents and businesses so we have been in touch with our permit holders to let them know they can park in any available car park if their usual one is affected by the floods.
“As always, we must ensure that we act in the best interest of everyone and, given the reduced available parking as a result of the flooding, it is important that this it is carefully managed to ensure ongoing availability for residents, businesses and visitors.”

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Two faces of Egyptian President

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29 Nov 2012

Morsi

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Morsi makes the time magazine cover.

But Egyptians were quick to parody the cover. Pic Angryarab.net

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Twelve Libyan men face executions for being gay

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27 Nov 2012

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Twelve gay Libyan men are facing mutilation to their genitals and execution after being caught by radical Muslim militants for having a private party.

This post has been deleted on Facebook

The men were, apparently, having a private party in Ain Zara, a suburb of Tripoli, the country’s capital, when the militia captured them, late on Thursday night (22 November).
The group boasted by posting the pictures of the men on Facebook, describing them as the ‘third sex’ (a term used in the Arab Gulf area to denote ‘queers’) including one of the men who had a henna ‘tattoo’ on his back.
One of the pictures was accompanied by the Quranic call ‘there is no power but the power of Allah!’
At the time of writing, the picture of the men received 121 likes, 118 shares, and mainly violent comments such as ‘flog them hard!’, ‘let them see bullets!’, ‘free Libya! [ie from gays]’, ‘ride them like camels’ and so on.
Human Rights Watch Libya left a comment saying the organization hopes the men will not be treated inhumanely and called upon the militia to hand the men to the civil authorities (the comment received no likes).
The militia Facebook page entitled as the ‘special deterrence unit’ boasted that the men were captured doing the ‘practices of the people of Lot’ (ie gay sex) and that they are to be mutilated and executed.
The militia also claim they have now become a legal part of the Libyan Ministry of Interior.
The group states its mission is to remove ‘corruption’, ‘vice’, alcoholic drinks and now gays from the streets of Libya.
Human Rights Watch Libya identified the group as the Al-Nawasi militia, who are considered to be extreme Salafists.
The militia has been previously been reported as being responsible for attacks against Sufi (moderate form of Islam) shrines and followers.
Gay Star News has, so far, not been able to independently verify the reports.
Speaking with Gay Star News, a Libyan LGBT activist nicknamed Khaleed stated: ‘We never had any gay nightclubs in Libya, so it is not uncommon for Libyans – straight, bisexual and gay men to party in a private space, drink, dance, have fun and sometimes even have sex.
‘That fact that they were captured by this extreme Salafist militia is very worrying.
‘The situation for LGBT people after the revolution generally improved, people can meet each other more easily than under the Qadaffi [Gadaffi] regime, although, of course we still have to be very discreet and careful.
‘Many of us fear that some of the militias [there are over 250 of them in the country], which are extreme Islamists who are very well armed and financed, will focus on the LGBT community and hunt us down.
‘The police is largely absent or powerless so Libyan civil society has a real problem; the militias often take the law onto their own hands.
‘That the Al Nawasi militia claims they are now part of the Ministry of Interior is very worrying; this move should be unacceptable to the public and to civil society groups.’
Source: Gay Star News

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Russia sent 200 tons of cash to Syria despite sanctions

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27 Nov 2012

Banknotes,cash,flights,record,russia,Syria

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Despite the United States and European Union’s economy sanctions against Syria is in place, the Russian government has sent plane load of cash to the country’s president Bashar-al-Assad, a report published here said.]

The Syrian plane mentioned in the flight manifests obtained by ProPublica. (Flickr user Jerome_K)

The report published in ProPublica said that Russian government sent 200 tons of Bank notes to Syria after the Austrian bank which printed the bank notes halted operations under pressure from the European Union.
The report authored by Dafna Linzer, Michael Grabell and Jeff Larson said that the shipments occurred during a period of escalating violence in a conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead since March 2011.
This past summer, as the Syrian economy began to unravel and the military pressed hard against an armed rebellion, a Syrian government plane ferried what flight records describe as more than 200 tons of “bank notes” from Moscow.
The records of over flight requests were obtained by ProPublica. The flights occurred during a period of escalating violence in a conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead since fighting broke out in March 2011.
The regime of Bashar al-Assad is increasingly in need of cash to stay afloat and continue financing the military’s efforts to crush the uprising. U.S. and European sanctions, including a ban on minting Syrian currency, have damaged the country’s economy. As a result, Syria lost access to an Austrian bank that had printed its bank notes.
“Having currency that you can put into circulation is certainly something that is important in terms of running an economy and more so in an economy that is become more cash-based as things deteriorate,” said Daniel Glaser, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes.  “It is certainly something the Syrian government wants to do, to pay soldiers or pay anybody anything.”
According to the flight records, eight round-trip flights between Damascus International Airport and Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport each carried 30 tons of bank notes back to Syria. There are records relating to the flights in Arabic and English as well as copies of over-flight requests sent to Iran, which are in Farsi.
Syrian and Russian officials did not respond to ProPublica’s questions about the authenticity and accuracy of the flight records. It is not possible to know whether the logs accurately described the cargo or what else might have been on board the flights. Nor do the logs specify the type of currency.
But ProPublica confirmed nearly all of the flights took place through international plane-tracking services, photos by aviation enthusiasts, and air traffic control recordings.
Each time the manifest listed “Bank Notes” as its cargo, the plane traveled a circuitous route. Instead of flying directly over Turkish airspace, as civilian planes have, the Ilyushin-76 cargo plane, operated by the Syrian Air Force, avoided Turkey and flew over Iraq, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
Tensions have been rising between Syria and Turkey since the spring. Last month, Turkey forced down a Syrian passenger plane traveling from Moscow. Turkey suspected the flight of carrying military cargo but officials have not said what, if anything, was confiscated.
If the flight manifests are accurate, a total of 240 tons of bank notes moved from Moscow to Damascus over a 10-week period beginning July 9th and ending on September 15th.
U.S. officials interviewed said evidence of monetary assistance, like military cooperation, point to a pattern of Russian support for Assad that extends from concrete aid to protecting Syria from U.N. sanctions.
In September, 2011, six months into the violence, the European Union imposed sanctions that prohibited its members from minting or supplying new Syrian coinage or banknotes. In a statement, the EU said the sanctions aimed “to obstruct those who are leading the crackdown in Syria and to restrict the funding being used to perpetrate violence against the Syrian people.” At the time, Syria’s currency was being minted by Oesterreichische Banknoten- und Sicherheitsdruck GmbH, a subsidiary of Austria’s Central Bank.
President Obama has issued five Executive Orders that prevent members of the Assad regime from entering the United States and accessing the U.S. financial system.
“Increasingly, it is more difficult to finance the war machine and the cost of the war is becoming more expensive for the Assad regime,” said one U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Targeted sanctions on those leading the violence are working and start to bite into their pocket books.”
Russia appears to be helping Syria blunt the impact of the sanctions.
This past June, Reuters reported that Russia had begun printing new Syrian pounds and that an initial shipment of bank notes had already arrived.  The report was denied by the Syrian Central Bank, which claimed the only new money in circulation were bills that had replaced damaged or worn bank notes. Such a swap, the bank contended, would have no effect on the economy.
On August 3rd, the official Syrian news agency SANA, reporting from a news conference in Moscow with Syrian and Russian economic officials, quoted Syrian officials acknowledging that Russia is printing money. Qadr Jamil, Syria’s deputy prime minister for Economic Affairs, was quoted by SANA as calling the deal with Russia a “triumph,” over sanctions.
Syrian Finance Minister Mohammad al-Jleilati said that Russia was providing both replacement notes and additional currency to, as SANA put it, “reflect the country’s changing GDP.”
Al-Jleilati said the money would have no effect on inflation. Printing new notes beyond simply replacing old ones could undermine Syria’s already battered currency.
At the time of the meeting, at least 30 tons of currency had already been delivered, according to the flight records, and another 210 tons would be delivered in subsequent flights.
In its regional economic outlook released earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund noted that Syria’s currency has lost 44 percent of its value since March 2011, trading for about 70 pounds to the dollar compared with about 47 pounds when the conflict began.
Ibrahim Saif, a political economist based in Jordan and a resident scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center said 30 tons of bank notes twice a week is a significant amount for a country like Syria.
“I truly believe it’s not only that they’re exchanging old money for new notes. They are printing money because they need new notes,” Saif said.
“Most of the government revenue that comes from taxes, in terms of other services, it’s almost now dried up,” noted Saif. Yet, “they continue to pay salaries. They have not shown any signs of weakness in fulfilling their domestic obligations. The only way they can do this is to get some sort of cash in the market.”
Before the unrest broke out, Syria had about $17 billion in foreign currency reserves. Saif said he and other economists in the region estimate they now have about $6-8 billion in reserves, dwindling about $500 million a month for salaries and supplies to keep the government running.
In Moscow, the Syrian finance minister had said that his country required additional foreign currency reserves, which Russia may provide in the form of loans.
“It’s possible the Syrians are acquiring foreign currency reserves, either Euros or US dollars, which they would need to conduct any serious commerce,” said Juan Zarate, who served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes during the Bush administration.
Zarate noted that other countries, when faced with economic sanctions, have leaned on allies for foreign currency reserves. China supplied North Korea with such funds in the past and Venezuela agreed to sell reserves to Iran.
Syria’s currency is still traded on open markets, but there is limited on-the-ground information about the economy, including inflation.
Officials at the IMF “have not been able to get direct information about Syria for at least a year,” Masood Ahmed, director of the group’s Middle East and Central Asia department, told reporters at a conference in Tokyo last month.
Glaser, at Treasury, declined to put a figure on Syria’s current reserves but said the Syrian economy is suffering in part from a lack of tourism and a ban on oil sales, both of which provided Damascus with foreign currency. “There is significant inflation in the country. It can be caused by adding new currency or not having foreign reserves to prop up the existing currency.”
Quinn Norton contributed to this story.

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Cartoon posted by Israeli embassy on You Tube sparks controversy

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A video posted on You Tube, the video sharing site purportedly by Israeli embassy in Washington depicting Palestinian President driving a passenger bus has ignited anger among the Palestinian hard-liners.

The title of the video says “Israeli embassy posts cartoon of Mahmoud Abbas en-route to U.N”. The President will be arriving on Thursday to New York to seek approval to upgrade Palestinian authority status-to non-member observer.

The video shows that Abbas encountering some blockades on his way to U.N headquarters. The animation video is to prove that Abbas is a road-block for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
At one point the video shows that Abbas entering a T-junction and with one sign showing directions to U.N and another “road to peace”.
Earlier this month Israeli foreign ministry hinted of rocking Abbas’s boat if U.N approves Palestinian non-observer status.
However the right side of the video shows, Al Arabiya-A Saudi Arabia based newspaper.

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Mexican beauty queen killed during running gun battles between drug traffickers and soldiers

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26 Nov 2012

Mexican beauty queen killed during running gun battles between drug traffickers and soldiers

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Investigators are sifting through pile of evidence after a Mexican beauty queen was shot dead during a fierce gun battles between deadly Sinaloa drug traffickers and government soldiers inside a cartel-held Mexican state of Sinaloa on Friday, last week.

Maria Flores, 20, was killed when she was riding in a minivan with drug traffickers who opened fire at soldiers manning a check point. The Flores family immediately denied allegations that their daughter was in league with the drug traffickers.

Flores was crowned as the beauty queen of Sinaloa State this year and beauty queen and was sent to China to represent the country.
Five people were killed in the gun battle between the soldiers and the traffickers. Flores’s boyfriend was among the dead.

Local media outlets quoting Flores’s family said that she was “at the wrong place at the wrong time” and she was killed when she was on her way to work.
The soldiers after a few minutes of gun battle raided a nearby safe house and seized large amount of cash, six trucks and an armored vehicle.

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