W O R L D

Freezing low temps across US leave 21 dead
Atlanta, January 8
A deep freeze spread from the US Midwest to the East and South, setting record low temperatures from Boston to Birmingham, and leaving 21 people dead, authorities said.

A man walks along the frozen shore of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday; and a man shovels snow away from his car near his home in Indianapolis, Indiana. Reuters & AFP

South Sudan rebels say no truce unless allies released
Addis Ababa, January 8
South Sudan's rebels indicated today that there would be no imminent truce in the country unless the government freed a group of suspected rebels currently being detained.

South Sudan Civil Society Alliance workers hold a march denouncing the ongoing fighting and urging for a cease fire, in Juba on Wednesday. AFP

Mt Sinabug spews ash and lava in Kiaro, North Sumatra, on Wednesday. More than 20,000 people have been evacuated since the volcano became active on January 4. AFP

23 Indian-origin youths among Forbes’ ‘brightest stars’
New York, January 8
Over 20 Indian-origin youths are among Forbes magazine’s annual list of the world’s “brightest young stars” under the age of 30 from diverse fields like finance, media, sports and education, described by the publication as “prodigies reinventing the world right now.”

Play on Partition of India to be streamed live from London
London, January 8
A popular play based on the chaos leading up to the Partition of India in 1947 will be streamed live to audiences around the world free on the Internet.

26/11: Two Pak bank staffers give statement
Lahore/Islamabad, January 8
One of the alleged LeT trainers involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks used to frequently get money transfers into his account, two Pakistani bank executives told an anti-terrorism court today.

Over 1,000 ill after eating contaminated frozen food in Japan
Tokyo, January 8
More than 1,000 people have fallen ill after eating pesticide-contaminated frozen food as a scandal widens across Japan, Jiji Press reported today. People have reported vomiting, diarrhoea and other symptoms of food poisoning after eating products including pizza and lasagne made by a subsidiary of Maruha Nichiro Holdings, the nation's largest seafood firm.

Freezing low temps across US leave 21 dead
The Midwest and the East experience temperatures colder than that of Antarctica

People walk down Elmwood Avenue amid strong Arctic winds in Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday. Reuters

No hills, it’s Lake Michigan: A family walks along the shore of Lake Michigan as temperatures remained dangerously low in the US on Wednesday. AFP

Atlanta, January 8
A deep freeze spread from the US Midwest to the East and South, setting record low temperatures from Boston to Birmingham, and leaving 21 people dead, authorities said.

South Sudan rebels say no truce unless allies released

Addis Ababa, January 8
South Sudan's rebels indicated today that there would be no imminent truce in the country unless the government freed a group of suspected rebels currently being detained.

A rebel spokesman said the 11 detainees, who were arrested in the capital Juba after fighting broke out more than three weeks ago, should be set free so they can take part in the peace talks under way in Ethiopia. "Our colleagues must be released so that they come and participate," rebel spokesman Yohanis Musa Pauk told reporters in Addis Ababa.

"You cannot go to negotiations while there are some people being detained. You need to release them so that they now have a positive role in the negotiations. We are just waiting for the release of our detainees, when they release them very soon we will sign the cessation of hostilities agreement," he added.

The fighting began on December 15 as a clash between army units loyal to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and those loyal to ex-vice president Riek Machar, and has escalated into war between government troops and a loose alliance of ethnic militia forces and mutinous army commanders.

The government is currently holding 11 of Machar's allies, many of them senior figures and former ministers, but has been under pressure from the East African regional bloc which is trying to broker a truce -- as well as Western diplomats to release them as a goodwill gesture.

The government, however, appears to have so far resisted the demands and maintains the detainees should be put on trial for their role in what the president says was an attempted coup. The rebel spokesman accused the government of "lying" to IGAD over the detainees by sending mixed signals. — AFP

23 Indian-origin youths among Forbes’ ‘brightest stars’

Young stars

Play on Partition of India to be streamed live from London

London, January 8
A popular play based on the chaos leading up to the Partition of India in 1947 will be streamed live to audiences around the world free on the Internet. 'Drawing the Line', written by Howard Brenton, has been running to packed audiences at Hampstead Theatre in London since its opening on December 3 and plans to deal with some of the demand for tickets with the live stream of its Saturday performance.

"The play has big themes: the end of the British Empire, the birth of India and Pakistan, and the terrible human consequences of the creation of the border between them. Live streaming is a very exciting way of setting up our theatre anywhere on the subcontinent, or in the world, so anyone can see our play," said Brenton.

The play tells the story of a British judge, Justice Cyril Radcliffe, who was rushed in from England in 1947 despite no knowledge of India to accomplish the complex task of creating a new border for India within six weeks as the British prepared their exit from the region. — PTI

History revisited

• 'Drawing the Line', written by Howard Brenton, has been running to packed audiences at Hampstead Theatre in London since its opening on December 3
• The play tells the story of a British judge, Justice Cyril Radcliffe, who was rushed in from England in 1947 despite no knowledge of India or cartography to accomplish the complex task of Partition.
• The play has big themes: the end of the British Empire, the birth of India and Pakistan, and the terrible human consequences of the creation of the border between them.

26/11: Two Pak bank staffers give statement

Lahore/Islamabad, January 8
One of the alleged LeT trainers involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks used to frequently get money transfers into his account, two Pakistani bank executives told an anti-terrorism court today.

The two bankers of the Muslim Commercial Bank in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir recorded their statements during the hearing of the Mumbai attacks case, court sources told PTI.

The hearing in the case was adjourned till January 22. The witnesses said the amount ranging between Rs 20,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh had been deposited in the name of accused Hammad Amin Saddiq on several occasions.

The defence lawyers cross-examined the witnesses. They asked how could it be established that "this small sum of money" was used for terror activities, the sources said.

Saddiq is accused of being one of the trainers and a key LeT member. — PTI

Over 1,000 ill after eating contaminated frozen food in Japan

Tokyo, January 8
More than 1,000 people have fallen ill after eating pesticide-contaminated frozen food as a scandal widens across Japan, Jiji Press reported today. People have reported vomiting, diarrhoea and other symptoms of food poisoning after eating products including pizza and lasagne made by a subsidiary of Maruha Nichiro Holdings, the nation's largest seafood firm.

The number of people affected by the tainted food has now risen to over 1,000, with more than 200 taken ill in the northern main island of Hokkaido alone, Jiji said.

In western Osaka prefecture, a nine-month-old baby was hospitalised with vomiting on Monday after eating a product called creamy corn croquettes, the report said.

Police began investigating the company last month after it revealed some of its frozen food had been tainted with malathion, an agricultural chemical often used to kill aphids in corn and rice fields.

Detectives are looking at the possibility that the pesticide was deliberately added to the food at some stage of production at a factory in Gunma, north of Tokyo, Jiji said. As of today, Maruha Nichiro has received about 6,30,000 phone calls from consumers in connection with the incident, a company spokeswoman said. — AFP

Nation’s largest sea food firm under lens

• People have reported symptoms of food poisoning after eating pizza and lasagne made by a subsidiary of Maruha Nichiro Holdings, the nation's largest seafood firm
• Police investigation reveals some of companies frozen food had been tainted with malathion, an agricultural chemical often used to kill aphids in corn and rice fields