Islamabad, A brawl occurred between Pakistan International Airlines crew members and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's son Ali Musa on a flight from Lahore to Karachi, according to a media report on Friday. Ali Musa, a parliamentarian, insisted that his guard, who had an economy class ticket, would sit with him in the business class, The Express Tribune reported. The matter was resolved when the captain of the flight intervened and told the premier's son that he would turn the aircraft back to Lahore if he persisted with his demand, which was against the rules. The threat by the captain worked and Ali Musa gave up his demand, following which the flight continued and landed at Karachi, the report said. The report did not say when the incident had ...
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Moscow, Computer giant Apple has contracted specialists from Russian anti-virus company Kaspersky Lab to analyse the vulnerabilities of its Mac OS X operating system and improve its security. The OS X security issue became important in early April, when Dr. Web, a Russian computer security company, reported finding botnets -- or networks of compromised computers controlled by hackers -- that included more than 500,000 infected Macs. It was previously thought that Apple computers enjoyed better protection from viruses than computers operating on Microsoft Windows. The appearance of this latest threat has forced Apple to address the security issue, RIA Novosti reported citing the computing.co.uk website. "Apple recently invited us to improve its security. We've begun an analysis of its vulnerabilities, and the malware targeting it," said Kaspersky chief technology officer Nikolai Grebennikov. "Mac OS is really vulnerable," he said. Anti-virus experts, including those at Kaspersky Lab, say the OS X system has a better security record than Windows because the Apple operating system is used on fewer machines. But rising sales of Apple computers, and the appearance of ...
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Damasus, Syria's health minister says 50 people have been killed in two strong explosions that ripped through the Syrian capital. That makes Thursday morning's bombings the deadliest attack on the capital since the country's uprising began 14 months ago. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The explosions heavily damaged a military intelligence building and left blood and human remains in the streets. The blasts happened at about 7:50 a.m., when employees are usually arriving at ...
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Islamabad, Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani faces the prospect of being disqualified as an MP for five years after Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that he "wilfully, deliberately and persistently" defied the highest court and brought the judiciary into "ridicule". A seven-judge bench headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk issued a 77-page detailed order regarding the conviction of the premier for refusing to act on directives to revive cases of alleged money laundering against President Asif Ali Zardari in Switzerland. Earlier, the same bench had issued a short order when it convicted Gilani of contempt and gave him a symbolic sentence of less than a minute on April 26. Even in the short order, the bench had hinted that Gilani faced possible disqualification. The apex court referred to an earlier order it had issued on January 10, which had said that under provisions of Articles 63(1) and 113 of the Constitution, a conviction of contempt "may entail a disqualification from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (parliament) or a Provincial Assembly for at least a period of five years". The seven-judge bench enumerated ...
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Islamabad, Leader of Opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan has said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will not be allowed to remain in office following the Supreme Court holding him guilty of contempt. He said the opposition had no confidence in the prime minister. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House Friday, the leader of opposition said despite the Supreme Court's verdict in a contempt of court case, the government and Gilani himself are hell bent on stating that he has not been disqualified. On April 26, Gilani was convicted for contempt of court by the Supreme Court and awarded a 30-second symbolic sentence for refusing to write to Swiss authorities to reopen a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari. Describing the National Assembly's resolution expressing confidence in the prime minister as being against the rules, Khan said Gilani came to the house last Friday at prayer time "when most of the members were not present in the house". He also said that "during noisy scenes, nobody had listened to the resolution and it was also not clear who voted for it and who didn't". "What was more interesting is that when the ...
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New Delhi, With alliance partner JD (U) reacting to Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj's comment that BJP would not support any Congress candidate for the President's post, BJP on Tuesday confirmed that Swaraj's remarks reflected the party line and also clarified that it was not the NDA view. "There is no difference between what Sharad Yadav (JD-U chief) said and what she (Sushma Swaraj) said... it is true that Sushma Swaraj stated the BJP's view and not that of the NDA," party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters in a damage control exercise to avoid a rift within NDA. Rudy said a discussion with NDA allies as well as the "larger opposition" is yet to take place. Swaraj had only said that BJP would accept a candidate for President which is chosen by the opposition. "Here she was talking about the larger opposition, including NDA," he pointed out. BJP, however, reiterated that it would not go in for any understanding with Congress on the Presidential polls. Swaraj had on Monday said that BJP would not go in for any deal with Congress in the Presidential race, by agreeing to the Congress's candidate for the Rashtrapati Bhawan in exchange for a vice ...
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Islamabad, Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday convicted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for contempt of court for refusing to revive graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and sentenced him to a symbolic "till the rising of the court", sparing him a jail term. During proceedings in courtroom number 4 that lasted less than 10 minutes, the seven-judge bench headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk announced the verdict and said Gilani's sentence would last "till the rising of the court" or till the completion of the hearing. The judges left the court immediately after announcing the verdict, effectively ending 56-year-old Gilani's sentence. However, legal experts were divided on whether Gilani's conviction would lead to his disqualification. They said the court's detailed order would provide clarity in this regard. Emerging from the court, Gilani told the media: "We had sought justice. The decision was not appropriate". The maximum sentence that could have been given to Gilani in this case was six ...
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Washington, Following the controversy around the statement made at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on economic reforms in the country, Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Dr. Kaushik Basu on Friday clarified that the central message of his talk was the possible European crisis in 2014 and not India's 2014 general elections. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance, Basu said: "Some of this has been reported poorly, juxtaposing my comments on Europe in 2014 with the Indian election of 2014. This is unfortunate because the central message of my talk was the possible European crisis of 2014 and India's major rise thereafter, likely overtaking China." Clarifying further Basu said the gist of his argument was that 2014 was an important year as numerous European banks would begin to repay 1.3 trillion dollars worth of loans, which they had received from the European Central Bank. "The gist of my argument was that 2014 was an important year because numerous European banks would have to begin to repay 1.3 trillion dollars worth of loans that they had received from the European Central Bank. This could precipitate a major global economic crisis—a ...
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Brussels, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Thursday urged Pakistan to open the transit supply routes for the coalition forces in Afghanistan. "And when it comes to our relationship with Pakistan, my main point is to stress that we need a positive engagement of Pakistan if we are to ensure long-term peace and stability not only in Afghanistan but in the region," Rasmussen said at a press conference. The NATO chief noted that "We have two problems in our relationship with Pakistan. The first is a very immediate challenge to see the transit routes through Pakistan reopened," the EuAsiaNews reported. "It is of course an essential element in our operation in Afghanistan that we can cooperate with Pakistan when it comes to transit. So we hope to see these transit routes reopened as soon as possible," he said after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers with non-NATO countries contributing troops to International Security Assistance Force. Last November, Pakistan closed the NATO supply routes into Afghanistan after NATO forces attacked two military outposts killing 25 Pakistani ...
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Ingredients •Milk (full cream) 6 cups •Basmati rice,soaked 3 tablespoons •Vanilla Custard powder 3 tablespoons •Red grapes,halved 10-15 •Bananas (elaichi) 2 •Apple,diced 1 medium •Orange segments,peeled 8-10 •Sweet lime segments,peeled 8-10 •Butter 1 tablespoon •Sugar 8 tablespoons •Saffron (kesar) 6-8 strands Method Heat a pan. Add drained rice and five cups of milk and let it come to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring continuously, so that the milk does not burn. Take custard powder in a bowl, add the remaining milk and whisk. Halve the grapes and remove seeds. Dice apple. Peel and dice bananas. Heat butter in a pan. Add apple, bananas, grapes, orange segments, sweet lime segments and one tablespoon sugar and stir. Cover and cook on low heat till the fruits soften. Add the custard powder mixture to the kheer once the rice is cooked and stir. Cook till thick. Add the remaining sugar and stir till all the sugar dissolves. Add saffron and mix. Transfer the stewed fruits into the serving bowl. Pour the custard kheer over them. Sprinkle pomegranate pearls and serve. ...
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Mumbai, In fresh trouble for members of the scam-tainted Adarsh Housing Society, the Enforcement Directorate has issued notices to the society and its members, asking them to furnish information regarding payment towards the purchase of flats. The directorate began its probe into allegations of money laundering and benami transactions after facing severe criticism from the Bombay high court for failing to initiate an inquiry despite receiving information from the CBI. The agency then issued summons to the members of the society, ED sources said. While some members had furnished the replies, others were still awaited, the sources said, adding that those arrested by the CBI had sought more time to comply to the ...
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NewYork, Russian spy Anna Chapman was living at the time of her arrest in June 2010 with a high powered New York lawyer who had told his friends that she gave him "the best sex" he'd ever had. Chapman was deported in July that year on suspicion of working for a Russian spy ring and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the US attorney general. According to sources, she was staying with John Altorelli in his West 37th Street apartment. He threw a party there with Chapman just before her arrest, where he introduced her to friends as "the woman in his life" . Altorelli also boasted that she was very adventurous in bed, the New York Post reported. It's unclear when the relationship began, but sources say that Altorelli caught the spy's eye after he separated from his wife and shed a lot of weight. They add that he showered her with gifts, including clothes and jewels, and they cohabitated in his huge Hell's Kitchen apartment. There's still a picture of them together on the website of society photographer Patrick McMullan, dated May, 18, 2010. Sources said that Chapman's Facebook page, since taken down, was plastered with ...
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Lahore, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has acknowledged that the case of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was an "issue" between Pakistan and India but said Islamabad needs "substantial" evidence against him to try him in a court of law. "We are serious on the issue of Saeed but the question is how to proceed against him without evidence. Courts here are independent and we need substantial evidence against him," Gilani said while interacting with a group of reporters at his residence Lahore on Sunday evening. Gilani further said it had been agreed that the interior and home secretaries of the two countries would discuss the issue when they meet on April 16. He said that former premier Nawaz Sharif too had asked him about the government's stance on the issue of Saeed. Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has been in focus after the US offered a $10 million bounty for him last week. Gilani has said in parliament that the case of Saeed is an "internal issue" of Pakistan and any evidence against him should be provided to Islamabad so that it could be examined by the courts. Responding to a question about groups like JuD fanning extremism in ...
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New Delhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, who was one of the dignitaries present at the Indian Prime Minister luncheon meeting hosted in honour of the visiting Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, has tweeted that Dr. Manmohan Singh asked Zardari to pray for peace between the two nations at the holy shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer. "Attended lunch hosted by the Prime Minister for President Zardari and his team. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mr Rehman Malik and Mr Bilawal Bhutto were also present," tweeted Swaraj. "Towards the end of lunch, Prime Minister told President Zardari that since he was going to Ajmer sharief, he should pray before Khwaja sahib for peace in both our countries. President Zardari promised to do that," she adds in her tweet. Zardari met Dr. Singh during his three-hour stopover in Delhi before flying to Ajmer to pay obeisance at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. Senior UPA Ministers, including Pranab Mukherjee, A K Antony, S M Krishna and P Chidambaram, along with Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi were present during the luncheon meeting. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani was also ...
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Islamabad, Pakistan is working to improve its international ties, including those with India, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said addressing the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in China, it was reported here Monday. The three-day forum is being held in Boao, a scenic town in China's Hainan province. Besides Gilani, the participants include Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Karim Masimov, Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Javad Mohammadizadeh, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai. Gilani said Pakistan is working to bring improvement in international relations including India, reported Geo News. He stressed on the importance of regional cooperation in improving the economic condition of the country. The prime minister said being a new democracy, the country faces many challenges due to which the government had to make critical decisions. In an interview to China Radio International Sunday, Gilani said drone attacks had created misunderstandings between Pakistanis and the US. He said ties between Islamabad and Washington would be decided through the recommendations of ...
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Melbourne, A Perth-based Indian student will spend 14 months in jail for his involvement in a scam to falsify English test scores to get Australian visas. Rajesh Kumar, 31, faced ten charges for his part in fraudulently altering the International English Testing System (IELTS) scores at Perth's Curtin University between November 2009 and June 2010. A Perth District Court sentenced Rajesh Kumar on Monday after he pleaded guilty for changing the outcomes of IELTS test apparently to get permanent residence in Australia. Nine other persons have already been jailed in a scam to increase the IELTS scores to get permanent residence in Australia. The list includes Kok Keith Low, a Curtin University English Language Centre employee who would be behind the bars for two years for playing the key role in falsifying the scores for various, mostly, Indian students. Anyone achieving a score of a minimum 7.0 in four IELTS components gets extra points in the skilled points test to get permanent residence in Australia. Rajesh Kumar was found guilty of taking a total of $32,000 from three IELTS candidates applying for Australian visas. He kept $14,000 for himself while giving remainder ...
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Moscow, Russia does not consider Iran an enemy, but opposes the country's development of nuclear arms, a Russian minister has said. Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said Iran was Russia's neighbour, and that Moscow treats its neighbour "carefully", Xinhua reported. However, he stressed that Russia was committed to a non-proliferation regime. "Russia is not interested in the emergence of new nuclear missile threats on the perimeter of its borders. This is a fundamental stance of Russia, and this is a matter of principle for us," Antonov said. Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has warned against a possible military scenario in Iran. He said there was still potential to settle the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiations. "All possibilities for negotiations have not been used yet. It is necessary to reach an agreement and we're dealing with it," Ryabkov said. "Diplomacy is better than a war. Talks are better than bomb strikes," he said. He said a meeting between Iran and six international mediators -- Russia, US, France, Britain, China and Germany -- will likely be held in April, but the date and the place have not been fixed ...
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New Delhi, Javed Usmani could be the next chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, giving the state its first Muslim chief secretary in a long time. Sources said the senior IAS officer, who was joint secretary in Manmohan Singh's PMO, is likely to be picked to head the huge babudom of UP. Usmani is on a sabbatical in the US after his stint in World Bank ended in late 2010. He has also worked in the PMO under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and I K Gujral. While newly-appointed chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has continued with Anoop Misra who was appointed chief secretary by predecessor Mayawati, he is likely to be shifted out soon. Usmani's joining the top post would mark a seminal moment in the state's history as the only Muslim to adorn the chair after independence was Mahmood Butt, who was chief secretary in 1975-76. While the senior officer qualifies for the post by sheer dint of his record, being the batch topper with a rich experience in administration, his candidature ties with SP's stress on Muslim constituency. The Samajwadis benefitted from the community's return to its fold after deserting it in two consecutive elections. SP too went out of the way to woo the community. Its ...
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New Delhi, Even as questions are being raised about the timing of Babu Singh Kushwaha's arrest on the last day of seven-phase polling in Uttar Pradesh, highly placed sources said two more prominent arrests are likely in the National Rural Health Mission scam before the votes are counted on March 6. CBI was aware of Kushwaha's role for the past three months and he was questioned twice. CBI sources said former family welfare principal secretary Pradeep Shukla is also on the radar and might be arrested soon. Kushwaha was named as the main accused in one of the cases related to upgradation of 134 district hospitals in Uttar Pradesh. In this case, where a contract of Rs 13.4 crore was given by UP Jal Nigam to M/s Surgicoin, Kushwaha was named as an accused along with P K Jain. It was alleged that work was given to Surgicoin on the basis of bogus/forged documents and the material installed in the hospitals was found to be of inferior/sub-standard quality and there was a loss of Rs 5.46 crore. CBI had found during investigations that Kushwaha had given the go-ahead to award the contract to Surgicoin. Kushwaha defended himself on Saturday in the Ghaziabad court claiming that ...
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Moscow, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin claimed victory after receiving nearly 65 percent of the votes during the presidential election on Sunday, according to preliminary election results. The opposition claims the results were rigged in Putin's favor. According to data from Russia's Central Election Commission, approximately 63.3 percent of registered voters participated in Sunday's presidential election. But even before the election was held, Putin's return to the Kremlin was all but certain although he suffered a nearly 7 percent loss when compared to his previous victory in 2004. As of 4 a.m. local time on Monday, with 87.73 percent of the votes counted, results from the Central Election Commission put Putin far ahead with approximately 64.72 percent of the vote. He is followed by Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov and self-nominee businessman Mikhail Prokhorov who won 17.04 and 7.09 percent respectively. "We won! We have won in an open and fair fight," Putin said as he addressed more than 100,000 supporters in Moscow. "This was more than a presidential election. This was a very important test for us all, for all of our people. This was a test to see whether we are ...
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