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Nobody sought my resignation: Zardari
Musharraf to return to Pak this month
Stricken Kiwi cargo ship breaks apart |
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Malaysia awaits Anwar’s sodomy verdict today
Defying science, Hawking turns 70
China looks to step up bilateral ties with India
Argentine leader’s thyroid wasn’t cancerous: Docs
DOWN WITH ASSAD: A Syrian immigrant crosses out a portrait of President Bashar
al-Assad during a rally against his regime in Sofia on Sunday. — AFP
'Iran begins uranium enrichment at new site'
This malware can steal your
money
London, January 8 Doing online banking frequently? Beware, as cyber-criminals have launched a new malware that not only steals your money from your bank, but also offers false reassurance that it’s still there, experts have warned.
Chinese held for attack on Japan’s Seoul embassy
Suu Kyi can get govt role, says official
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Nobody sought my resignation: Zardari
Amidst continuing tensions between Pakistan's government and the powerful army over the memo scandal, President Asif Ali Zardari has said that no one had sought his resignation to defuse the political crisis, making light of suggestions that the military had offered him an "escape" route. “No one has asked for it yet. If someone does, I’ll tell you,” Zardari, who appeared quite alert after having undergone medical treatment in Dubai last month, said in a television interview. He denied any tensions with the army chief, Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. However, on a suggestion that Kayani has stopped attending receptions at the Presidency, Zardari quipped: “If he does not come, I do not care”. On the question of former envoy Hussaain Haqqani frequently meeting his accuser Mansoor Ijaz, Zardari said he did not ask Haqqani about it. The memo issue has been given undue publicity, Zardai asserted. When asked about which decision he would accept if the court and the parliamentary committee made opposite verdicts, he made it clear that Parliament was sovereign and he will back its decision. Meanwhile, while the setting up of parallel investigations into the memo scandal has created a sense of conflict between the government and judiciary, Nawaz Sharif has questioned the wisdom behind the executive’s decision to task a parliamentary panel with the job to begin with. Referring to a statement by Zardari that the government would respect the findings of the parliamentary committee on national security on ‘Memogate’, a statement that implicitly suggested that a Supreme Court-mandated judicial commission’s verdict on the same issue would not be accepted, Nawaz said: “We want to make it clear that the Supreme Court cannot work on the whims of an individual. The entire nation is standing by the apex court. And if anybody tries to sack the Supreme Court, the nation will revolt.” He expressed regret that the government had not yet backed off despite the court’s ruling in favour of a judicial probe. The head of the principal opposition, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), told a convention of party workers in Quetta, that this move was a continuation of the policy followed by the government for the past four years - that is, not honouring any ruling of the apex court. This, he said, shows that the incumbents have no regard for the country’s superior judiciary. Regarding early elections, Nawaz said: “We’re ready to contest, if the elections are held ahead of schedule.”
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Musharraf to return to Pak this month
Karachi, January 8 His announcement to return to Pakistan between January 27 to 30 came at an impressive rally organised by the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) near the Quaid-e-Azam Mazar in the city which was attended by hundreds of people who kept on imploring him to return to Pakistan. Winding up his video address to the crowd at the party's first big rally, Musharraf, currently living in Dubai and London on self-exile since April 2008, said he was not scared of anyone and would return to Karachi. Musharraf, 68, said that he would contest the next general elections from Chitral in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. "I am living comfortably abroad and I have no problems but I am coming back for the Pakistani people because now is the time for change. People are fed up with the old faces," he said. "They are trying to scare me but I am not a scared person and I am coming back to face the situation," he told the cheering crowd. The former President's announcement to return to Pakistan comes just hours after Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Islamabad that Musharraf should be arrested on his return as he was a proclaimed offender. Malik supported the statement of senior special prosecutor, Azhar Chaudhary made on Saturday that the former President will be arrested from the airport. Sounding confident and bold, Musharraf said there were elements who didn't want him to return to Pakistan and were trying to scare him. "But I am not one to be scared I will come back and face these people for the sake of my nation. I committed no crime but did a lot for the progress and prosperity of the people during my tenure," he said. — PTI
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Stricken Kiwi cargo ship breaks apart
Wellington, January 8 A team of oil-spill and wildlife specialists has been mobilised as oil again began flowing from the Rena which has been stuck on Astrolabe Reef off the North Island resort area of Tauranga since October 5. Shipping was also being warned away as up to 300 containers were washed from the wreck and salvage workers said there was a strong likelihood the stern section would capsize. The Rena is now in two pieces, which have been forced 20-30 metres apart after being pounded by waves up to seven metres high. Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) on-scene commander Alex van Wijngaarden said the National Response Team, which included oil spill response and wildlife experts was preparing for the likelihood of more oil coming ashore. “While it is unknown at this stage exactly how much oil may be released, teams have been mobilised and will be ready to respond to anything that may come ashore,” he said. “The wildlife response had also been increased to help deal with any affected wildlife.” When the Rena ran aground, about 350 tonnes of oil spilled into the sea and was washed on to once-pristine beaches, killing at least 1,300 birds while an army of volunteers combed the coastline and saved hundreds more. More than 1,000 tonnes of oil have since been pumped off the ship but there is more on board and while it posed a risk Environment Minister Nick Smith said it would not be as bad as when the Rena first ran aground. “At the most tens of tonnes of oil rather than hundreds of tonnes that potentially could be spilled,” he said. Salvors have also been removing containers from the vessel and said before the storm hit there were an estimated 881 still on board. Only a few of the ship’s original consignment of containers had hazardous cargo. The Filipino captain and second officer of the Rena have been arrested and face multiple charges over the grounding, including operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk. They have also been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, which carries a seven-year jail term, amid accusations documents were altered after the grounding. The two men are on bail but are being housed at a secret location for their own safety because of fears of a public backlash.
— AFP
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Malaysia awaits Anwar’s sodomy verdict today
Kuala Lumpur, January 8 As he awaits the verdict that comes tomorrow capping nearly two years of trial proceedings, the Opposition leader, who has repeatedly described the case as politically motivated, said he was prepared for the worst. The High Court is dealing with the second such allegation against Anwar. More than a decade back the 64-year-old was first convicted of sodomy and jailed, only to be released later after his conviction was overturned by the Federal Court by a majority ruling. A father of six children, Anwar has been charged with sodomising Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008, his 27-year-old former personal aide, and faces up to 20 years in jail and whipping if convicted. Anwar, who is the adviser to the PKR party led by his wife Wan Aziza, has staunchly maintained his innocence throughout the trial which saw 27 prosecution and seven defence witnesses (including Anwar himself) take to the dock. Anwar has toured the country in the past week, delivering speeches to crowds of supporters and terming the case against him a political frame up aimed at ending his political challenge. Anwar’s PKR party is hoping to repeat the street protests that followed its leader’s sacking in 1998, to create a wave of sympathy for him and momentum against the government.
— PTI
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Defying science, Hawking turns 70
London, January 8 The Lucasian professor of mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge has 12 honorary degrees. But aside from his academic achievements, the professor is also something of a medical marvel. He has long defied and baffled medical experts who predicted he had just months to live in 1963 when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease
(MND), a deadly disease. Only five per cent of people with the form of MND that he has - a condition called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease - survive for more than a decade after diagnosis. The fact that Hawking, Britain's most celebrated physicist, has lived for nearly half a century with a condition that progressively attacks the nerves serving the muscles of the body has been described as remarkable. "I have been lucky, that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope," Hawking says. "I am quite often asked: 'How do you feel about having
ALS?' "The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many," the BBC quoted him as saying. Currently Director of Research at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge, where he also founded the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, Hawking previously (1979-2009) held the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at Cambridge, a post once held by Isaac Newton. Although he has now stepped down from the Lucasian chair after a historic 30 years, he continues working at the University of Cambridge and recently published a new book - The Grand Design. The grandfather-of-three continues to seek out new challenges. Hawking recently experienced first-hand what space travel feels like by taking a zero-gravity flight in a specially modified plane.
— PTI
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China looks to step up bilateral ties with India
Beijing, January 8 "China is willing to make joint efforts with India to continuously implement the important consensus reached between leaders of the two countries, maintain high-level exchanges, enhance strategic mutual trust and properly handle issues concerning the bilateral relationship," Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said. "China hopes that the two sides will support each other and learn from each other, so as to push for better and faster development of Sino-Indian strategic and cooperative partnership," Liu told state-run Xinhua news agency. The interview exclusively focusing on China-India ties was regarded significant by analysts here as it was rare for reticent Chinese officials to speak candidly evincing interest to give a positive push for the bilateral ties, which last year faced a string of challenges. The two countries signed off 2011 on a positive note sorting out their differences on a host of issues, including the vexed staple visa issue for Kashmiris and resumed defence ties after China reversed the policy after an year long hiatus. A second Indian defence delegation is due on January 10 here after another visa row over China declining to grant visa to an IAF official from Arunachal Pradesh. India reduced the delegation strength from 30 to 15 to show its displeasure over Chinese move. The two countries also agreed to hold 15th round of border talks later this month. They were put off last month following China's objections over Dalai Lama addressing a Buddhist conference around the same time. The interview also came in the aftermath of the row of Indian diplomat fainting at a court in Yiwu where he went to secure the release of two Indians held illegally by Chinese traders following a dispute over unpaid dues by their company. It was sorted out though diplomatic consultation as the two Indians were released and brought to Shanghai. Earlier, the two countries differed over ONGC Videsh taking up oil drilling in some of blocks claimed by Vietnam in South China Sea. Without directly mentioning any of these incidents, Liu said China and India designated 2011 as their "year of exchange," adding that the activities hosted by the two sides helped the two countries increase their mutual understanding and friendship. He "applauded" the growing momentum that China and India have maintained in developing their partnership.
— PTI
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Argentine leader’s thyroid wasn’t cancerous: Docs
Buenos Aires, January 8 “Tissue studies ruled out the presence of cancerous cells in the thyroid, thus modifying the initial diagnosis,” presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said yesterday. Fernandez doesn’t even have to swallow the radioactive iodine that patients usually take after thyroid cancer surgery, to make sure any remaining cancer cells are killed, her spokesman said. But she will have to take hormone medicine for the rest of her life. Fernandez yesterday returned to the presidential residence in suburban Olivos. She underwent the surgery Wednesday, just 25 days after beginning her second term. The 58-year-old President, through her spokesman, thanked the medical team led by the hospital’s surgery chief, Dr. Pedro Saco, an expert in cancers of the head and neck. Later yesterday, she added her own thoughts in a tweet, saying: “Now from Olivos, we thank all the people, citizens, activists and personalities, for the signs of affection and concern.” The announcement that she is cancer-free prompted raucous cheers and chants from several hundred supporters holding vigil for days outside the hospital, carrying signs saying “Be Strong Cristina!” The idea that she had cancer had worried many Argentines, who re-elected her with a 54 per cent landslide in October in part because none of her rivals seemed as capable of maintaining economic growth and social stability. Since she and her late husband and predecessor as president, Nestor Kirchner, began governing in 2003, Argentina has come back strong from a disastrous world-record debt default and currency devaluation a year earlier. Without her thyroid gland, Fernandez now faces a lifetime of hormone replacement therapy.
— AP
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Arab ministers mull Syria mission criticism
Cairo, January 8 The ministerial committee on Syria met in Cairo, where the Arab League has its headquarters, to be briefed by the head of the mission, General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi. The meeting, chaired by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, will discuss the monitors' first report, which will contain "pictures, maps and information of the events witnessed by the monitors on the ground," Arab League Assistant Secretary General Ahmed Ben Hilli said. The report "assesses the situation on the ground in Syria and looks at the steps that can be taken in the coming phase," he told reporters before the meeting. A team of Arab League monitors has been in Syria since December 26, trying to assess whether President Bashar al-Assad's regime is complying with a peace accord aimed at ending its deadly crackdown on dissent. Critics say it has been completely outmanoeuvred by the government and has failed to make any progress towards stemming the crackdown. They have called for the mission to pull out. Dabi, a Sudanese former military intelligence chief who is himself the focus of controversy, said it was too early to judge the mission. "This is the first time that the Arab League has carried out such a mission," Dabi told Britain's Observer newspaper. "But it has only just started, so I have not had enough time to form a view." The Arab League has admitted to "mistakes" but defended the mission, saying it had secured the release of prisoners and withdrawal of tanks from cities.
— AFP
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'Iran begins uranium enrichment at new site'
Tehran, January 8 Kayhan daily, which is close to Iran’s ruling clerics, said Tehran has begun injecting uranium gas into sophisticated centrifuges at the Fordo facility near the holy city of Qom. Iran is under UN sanctions for refusing to stop uranium enrichment, which can produce both nuclear fuel and fissile warhead material, and other suspected activities that the international community fears could be used to make atomic arms. Tehran says it only seeks reactors for energy and research, and refuses to halt its uranium enrichment activities. “Kayhan received reports yesterday that show Iran has begun uranium enrichment at the Fordo facility amid heightened foreign enemy threats,” the paper said in a front-page report. Kayhan’s manager is a representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Iran’s nuclear chief Fereidoun Abbasi said yesterday that his country will “soon” begin enrichment at Fordo. It was impossible to immediately reconcile the two reports. Iran has a major uranium enrichment facility in Natanz in central Iran where nearly 8,000 centrifuges are operating. Tehran began enrichment at Natanz in April 2006. The Fordo centrifuges however are reportedly more efficient, and the site better shielded from aerial attack. Built next to a military complex, Fordo was long kept secret and was only acknowledged by Iran after it was identified by Western intelligence agencies in September 2009. Both the US and Israel have not ruled out a military strike should Iran continue with its programme.
— AP
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This malware can steal your
money
London, January 8 The attack, a new version of trojan horse SpyEye software that targets computers using Windows, has been detected in the US and the UK. According to Trusteer, a security company which detected the attack, the software, which steals bank passwords to give access to one’s account, waits for the customer to enter the same banking details before “adjusting” what he sees. The idea is to gives criminals more time to use debit card details on fraudulent transactions without the person realising it’s happening, the Daily Mail reported. The malware is designed in a way that when one visits his or her online bank, there would be no trace of the transactions that cyber-criminals are using to empty the bank account. Worse, the balance would also be adjusted on screen such that it looks as if nothing is happening, Trusteer claimed. “The next time the victim visits his online banking site, the malware hides the fraudulent transactions and also changes the total balance artificially,” it said. “As a result, the deceived customer has no idea that his account has been ‘taken over’ or that any fraudulent transactions have taken place,” it was added. “SpyEye is a tweak of the Zeus crimeware kit that grabs web form data within browsers,” says the Naked Security blog of web security experts Sophos. “The new Trojan, instead of intercepting or diverting email messages, hides bogus transactions even after users have logged out and then logged back into their accounts. With hi-tech cyber attacks such as SpyEye, there are few visible signs that anything is wrong. There are defences, though - ensure your browser is up to date, manually updating it if necessary,” an expert said. Thus, it is important that users ensure that the “anti-phishing option is switched on” in their web browser, which would check for “blacklisted” websites and prevent the browser from being directed to the “fake” version that delivers your bank statement, it was stated.
— PTI
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Chinese held for attack on Japan’s Seoul embassy Seoul, January 8 The man also claimed responsibility for an arson attack last month on Japan's controversial Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, said police in Seoul, who are checking his family background and past trips to Japan. In the latest incident, the 38-year-old lobbed four molotov cocktails at the Japanese embassy, leaving burn marks on part of the outer wall, police in the South Korean capital told AFP. "He said his deceased maternal grandmother was a 'comfort woman' and he was angry at the Japanese government for its refusal to properly deal with the issue," a police officer said. The man was from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and entered South Korea last month via Japan on a tourist visa, police said. Known as "comfort women", historians say that about 200,000 women from Korea, China, the Philippines and other countries were drafted to work in Japanese army brothels.
— AFP
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Suu Kyi can get govt role, says official
Yangon, January 8 The Nobel Laureate, who could be propelled into a parliament still largely composed of the military and ruling army-backed party, would be given a "suitable" position, Nay Zin Latt said.. It is the latest gesture of reform by Myanmar's new leadership, but concerns remain about the fate of political detainees in the country also known as Burma. "There is also a possibility she will be appointed to the government," said the adviser.
— PTI
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Amidst continuing tensions between Pakistan's government and the powerful army over the memo scandal, President Asif Ali Zardari has said that no one had sought his resignation to defuse the political crisis, making light of suggestions that the military had offered him an "escape" route.
