London, July 6
Dozens of police officers in Britain have run up losses to the tune of 1.1 million pounds after investing in a spread-betting syndicate that was operated secretly from inside the royal palaces, a news report said.

The Sunday Times reported that the Scotland Yard has been investigating an officer at the centre of the syndicate, which gambled millions of pounds of officers’ money on the currency and commodity markets.

The syndicate lost “more than 1.1 million pounds in just one of the spread-betting firms they used,” the British daily said.

MPs are calling for an inquiry into how senior managers allowed the syndicate to flourish for six years and its impact on royal security.

The syndicate, according to the report, was run from within Buckingham Palace and St James Palace by royalty protection officers who guard the Queen and her family.

A key member of the syndicate claimed that armed officers used police cars to courier tens of thousands of pounds in cash winnings between the palaces while
on duty.

The syndicate, known as the Currency Club, involved more than 130 police officers of all ranks across the country, the report stated. However, the scheme collapsed last year, leaving many officers with substantial losses.

Patrick Mercer, MP, former shadow minister for homeland security, has called on the home affairs select committee to investigate the affair.

“This sort of activity leaves individuals like this open to blackmail and corruption, yet they are engaged in some of the most sensitive duties. This indicates a gross lack of oversight,” he said. — PTI

The federal government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking annulment of the Lahore High Court (LHC) referral of a challenge to the candidature of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to an election tribunal.

"The appeal is likely to be fixed before one of two available benches in Islamabad next week," Deputy Attorney-General Raja Abdur Rehman told reporters here.

Shahbaz Sharif was elected unopposed as member of the Punjab Assembly from PP-48 Bhakkar and became the chief minister last month.

The DAG maintained that the LHC ruling was beyond mandate of the court under the Representation of People Act, 1976.

It added the LHC had no authority to order the reconstitution of the appellate tribunal after the result of an election is notified.

Through a separate application, the government requested the apex court to restrain Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq from referring the petition challenging the nomination of Shahbaz Sharif to the tribunal till the disposal of the instant appeal.

This is the second appeal by the government, the earlier being against the HC order of disqualifying Nawaz Sharif from contesting the byelection from NA-123 constituency in Lahore.

The detailed judgment on the indemnification of Musharraf’s imposition of emergency on November 3, written by Chief Justice of Pakistan Abdul Hameed Dogar, has also indicted the Pakistani media for indulging in yellow journalism preceding and following the emergency.

Justice Dogar also claimed that while the media continued to enjoy full freedom, “yellow journalism” had touched new heights before and after the imposition of the state of emergency.

He authored the detailed judgment of the 13-member Bench on a review petition challenging the state of emergency. The judgment was released here on Saturday.

Musharraf closed all TV channels for nearly three weeks in wake of the emergency. Draconian laws were promulgated severely curbing press freedom and print media was also put under stringent restrictions.

The detailed judgment in its paragraph 64 reads: As to the alleged restrictions on the media, or the alleged detention of certain lawyers-cum-political workers, suffice it to observe that the matter involved individual grievances of the concerned TV channels and the alleged detainees, which could not be properly adjudicated upon in these proceedings.

The owners of those TV channels, as also the alleged detainees, were at liberty to seek remedy at appropriate forums in accordance with the law.

The judgment says that all through the emergency, there were no restrictions on the print media and the viewpoint of the citizens got full coverage.

The critics of the actions of November 3, 2007, move even got extra coverage, rather undue projection.

“During this period yellow journalism touched new heights and attempts to
malign the institutions of the state were made, which was an unhealthy sign in
this noble profession. It should be hoped that some thought would be given to
this aspect of the matter at the appropriate level and efforts would be made to
draw a line somewhere.”

The apex court judgment says that the ordinances passed during the emergency period would not become non-existent like the other ordinances, which expire after a mandatory 120 days unless reissued or enacted.

London, July 6
Thousands of doctors from the Indian subcontinent are often described as the "backbone" of the National Health Service (NHS).

But as Britain celebrates the 60th anniversary of the NHS this week, many of them find that their careers have been blighted by institutional racism.

Buddhdev Pandya, corporate adviser to the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), said: "Despite having ‘race relations legislation’ to tackle racial discrimination, most guidelines have remained as advice, while institutional racism has taken its toll on the migrant doctors working in the NHS."

Since its inauguration on July 5, 1948, the NHS has grown to be among the largest employers in the world, along with the Indian Railways and the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The NHS currently employs around 1.3 million people.

Over the years, the NHS has employed thousands of doctors and nurses from India and other countries to meet staff shortage. — PTI

London, July 6
Just days ahead of a romantic break in Africa, it seems that Prince Harry's love life is on the rocks again - after his girlfriend Chelsy Davy walked out on him in a humiliating public bust-up.

The embarrassing incident took place at a charity polo match just as the third-in-line to the British throne was about to take the field at the exclusive Beaufort Polo Club near Tetbury.

“Chelsy sat there for about two minutes with a face like thunder and then she walked out. He grabbed his phone and started texting like mad but she didn't surface again and he left the club as soon as he could,” the ‘Daily Star’ quoted an unnamed source as saying.

The recent row followed days after the couple were said to be arguing again over his bachelor lifestyle as an Army officer.

While Davy sticks to her studies at Leeds University, Harry can’t resist going to clubs with his pals.

“Harry is incorrigible. He is at that age when he likes drinking with his mates and Chelsy will have to resign herself to that or it will be over,” a friend of Davy's was quoted by the British newspaper as saying.

However, sources close to the couple have said Davy is determined to maintain her relationship with Harry.

“She has told her parents Harry is the one and she plans to stick with him,” one of them said.

Tokyo, July 6
No global climate change pact could be fruitful without including India and China, US President George W. Bush today said here as leaders from the G-8 nations prepared to thrash out a long-term deal to face global warming.

"I'll be constructive," Bush said after talks with Japanese Premier Yasuo Fukuda, but "we're not going to solve the problem unless those two fast-growing economies take part in any long-term deal," Japanese media reported.

Bush, who is on a visit to Japan to attend G-8 Summit that begins tomorrow in Hokkaido, will meet world's top leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the summit.

Host Japan has made climate change a key topic at the meeting, and many hope the G-8 will give some indication of its commitment to cutting greenhouse gases to move forward UN-led talks aimed at replacing the Kyoto Protocol on climate change which expires in 2012.

The three-day summit also includes meetings between the G-8 and the G-5 that includes major developing nations - India, China, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico.

The meeting between G-8 and G-5 in Japan will review the Heilegendamm
dialogue process where issues like climate change and energy security will
come up for discussion.

The multilateral meeting will focus on the agreed framework on climate change after starting from Rio, Kyoto and Bali summits and the long-term goals.

India's approach on climate change is that developed countries should limit their carbon emissions much below their present levels, which they are not doing, and developing countries would do their bit to mitigate the emissions.

India recently issued its national action plan for climate change, declaring that its greenhouse emissions will not be more than the developed countries. — PTI

Kathmandu, July 6
Charles Sobhraj, the celebrity criminal serving life term in Nepal, has not only found a new sweetheart in 20-year-old Nihita Biswas, but a devoted a new spokesperson who is convinced that the media has projected her lover "in a bad light”.

The love affair of the criminal mastermind and his "engagement" to the Nepali beauty has grabbed media attention in the Indian subcontinent.

Nihita, who met the international fugitive in Kathmandu’s central jail while he was looking for an interpreter, said she had been attracted to him because of humility.

The college girl turned celebrity, Nihita describes Sobhraj as a caring man. "Media always puts Sobhraj in a bad light," the confident young woman said.

"Of course, I believe that he is innocent," she says, alleging that the police has tried to involve him in a three-decade-old murder case by producing false documents.

Nicknamed the 'Bikini killer' and 'Serpent', Sobhraj has been accused of luring young women and killing many of them.

He has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a District Court in July 2004 on charges of murdering an American and a Canadian tourist in Kathmandu in 1975.

"I don't want to talk to the media now as I have been misquoted by many newspapers," she told journalists, a day after appearing on a number of national and international television channels.

After learning that their marriage to Sobhraj could land both of them into jail, the young heartthrob is planning to wed Sobhraj secretly.

"I will wait till he is released from jail," says Nihita, adding "In France, there will be no legal barrier on our marriage." — PTI

Kabul, July 6
Afghan president Hamid Karzai has ordered an investigation into the US-led coalition airstrike, which local officials say killed 15 civilians. According to the US military, however, the strike killed only armed Taliban militants.

The issue of civilian casualties is an emotive one in Afghanistan, feeding a common perception that international forces do not take enough care launching airstrikes.

Nearly 700 Afghan civilians were killed in the first six months this year, 255 of them were killed by the Afghan government and international troops and the rest by Taliban militants.

Coalition ground troops called in air support from attack helicopters after militants attacked an outpost in the north-eastern province of Nuristan on Friday, the US military said in a statement on Saturday.

"The helicopter crew coordinated with ground forces to positively identify the militant’s vehicles. The helicopters then destroyed the two vehicles, killing more than 12 militants," it said.

But the governor of Nuristan said 15 civilians were killed and seven wounded in the attack in the Waigal district of Nuristan and none of the victims were militants.

Karzai ordered the defence and interior ministries and a body that oversees local government to investigate, a statement from presidential palace said on Sunday.

"President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly emphasised on coordination of military operations and has been deeply disappointed about this incident," the statement said. — Reuters

Washington, July 6
A majority of the Americans believe that the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin would be "disappointed" by the way their nation has turned out 232 years after declaring its independence.

Sixtynine per cent of the adult Americans who responded to a poll said the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be disappointed by the way the nation had turned out overall.

According to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, only 29 per cent responded "pleased", the only other choice given to the 1,026 respondents. Americans "didn't always feel that way", said Keating Holland, CNN polling director.

"In 2001, 54 per cent thought that the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be pleased with the state of the country today," he said. Still, most who responded to last month's poll took great pride in their country, it said.

Sixtyone per cent said they were extremely proud to be Americans, another 28 per cent said they were very proud.

Seven per cent answered "moderately", two per cent said "only a little", and one per cent answered "not at all". The percentage saying "extremely proud" was virtually unchanged from 2005.

In 2003, 70 per cent said they were extremely proud, and 55 per cent said so in 2001. All polls were taken in the same time period, June 26-29, as 2008 poll. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Queen Mother's note fetches £16,000
LONDON: A handwritten note by Britain's Queen Mother requesting dubonnet and gin with instructions for an alfresco lunch in the sunshine fetched £16,000 at an auction at Colchester in Essex. The note was the star attraction at the sale of royal memorabilia belonging to the Queen Mother's favourite page William 'Backstairs Billy' Tallon, which raised nearly £ 450,000 on Saturday. — PTI

Indian delicacies popular in Singapore
SINGAPORE: Twentyfour-year-old Cheng Lee, a Chinese software professional, doesn't mind getting late to his office just to have a taste of ‘fish head curry’ and other Chettinadu delicacies at his favourite Indian restaurant in Little India here. Freshly cooked chicken fried has become the flavour for hundreds of Chinese and Indonesians. The number of Indian restaurants in Singapore, where there is a sizeable chunk of Indian population, has increased in the past two decades. — PTI

5 die in Philippine bus ambush
Philippines: Five persons were killed when gunmen opened fire on a bus in the rebellion-hit southern Philippines, survivors and officials said. No group claimed responsibility for the ambush, which occurred before dawn near the town of Kauswagan, where separatist Muslim guerrillas are known to operate. The bus driver, conductor and three passengers were killed in the attack. — AFP

International alert for missing detective
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has issued an international alert for a missing detective Balasubramaniam Perumal after he made, and abruptly retracted, allegations about the deputy Prime Minister's links to a high-profile murder case, the police said on Sunday. He disappeared along with his wife and three children on Friday after retracting an allegation that deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak had sexual relations with the victim. — Reuters

Veteran BBC journalist dead
LONDON: Sir Charles Wheeler, BBC’s veteran journalist, died of lung cancer on Sunday. He was 85. Wheeler was known for integrity, authority, humanity and courage. During his 60-year career, he was posted in Berlin, New Delhi and Washington. He featured in BBC’s programmes like “Newsnight” and “Panorama”. Wheeler joined the BBC as sub-editor in 1947 and worked for it till retirement. — PTI