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Ukraine Prez approves amnesty, repeals anti-protest legislation
Sharif tells committee to
initiate talks with Taliban
Russian men losing years to vodka
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Court has also rejected Pervez Musharraf’s (pic) plea seeking permission to go abroad for treatment.
Indian-origin parents held
in US toddler death case
Death penalty for ‘most stupid’ Indian killer in UAE
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Ukraine Prez approves amnesty, repeals anti-protest legislation
Kiev, January 31 But the move by Yanukovich, who remains politically active despite going on sick leave on Thursday, was not likely to be enough to end the sometimes violent anti-government protests on the streets of Kiev and beyond. Many protesters rejected the amnesty outright, because it is conditional on occupied buildings being cleared of activists, and a radical Ukrainian nationalist group behind much of the violence pressed new tough demands on Friday. The 63-year-old leader, who looks increasingly isolated in a tug-of-war between the West and Ukraine's former Soviet overlord Russia, suddenly withdrew from view on Thursday, complaining of a high temperature and acute respiratory ailment. He has been under pressure since November, when his decision to accept a $15 billion loan package from Russia instead of signing a trade deal with Europe infuriated many of his compatriots and sparked huge protests in the capital. At least six people have been killed and hundreds more injured in street battles between anti-government demonstrators and police, which have escalated sharply after the authorities toughened their response. The crisis forced PM Mykola Azarov to resign, and as yet there is no sign of a successor. Serhiy Arbuzov, Azarov's first deputy and a close family friend of Yanukovich, has stepped in as interim PM. Underlining its economic leverage over Ukraine, Moscow says a new government must be in place before it goes ahead with a purchase of $2 billion of Ukrainian government bonds. That reluctance, and the turmoil more generally, contributed to a 2.5 percent fall in the value of the hryvnia currency against the dollar on Friday to its lowest level for 4-1/2 years. — Reuters
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Sharif tells committee to
initiate talks with Taliban
Islamabad, January 31 Talking to members of the committee here, he expressed his desire to achieve the objective of peace through negotiations. The committee should immediately establish contacts with groups and factions that were ready to take part in the dialogue process, he said. Noting that the committee was fully empowered for the dialogue process, Sharif directed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to provide required information and resources to the panel. The meeting was attended by all members of the committee - veteran journalists Irfan Siddiqui and Rahimullah Yusufzai, former diplomat Rustam Shah Mohmand and former Inter-Services Intelligence officer Maj (retired) Muhammad Amir. Siddiqui will act as the committee's coordinator. The meeting also touched on topics such as committee's mandate and rules for negotiations with the militants. It was decided these matters would be discussed at the next meeting. Sharif said there was only one condition for talks - no terrorist attacks during negotiations. — PTI |
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Russian men losing years to vodka
London, January 31 The study of more than 1.5 lakh people found extraordinarily high premature death rates among Russian men, some of whom reported drinking at least a litre and a half of vodka a week. Researchers found that 25 per cent of Russian men die before they are 55, and most of the deaths are due to alcohol, the BBC reported. The causes of death, according to researchers, include liver disease and alcohol poisoning, while many also die in accidents or by involving in fights. Scientists from the Russian Cancer Centre in Moscow, Oxford University, UK, and the World Health Organisation International Agency for Research on Cancer, France, tracked drinking patterns in three Russian cities over up to 10 years. During that time, 8,000 Russians died. Researchers also analysed previous studies in which families of 49,000 people who had died were asked about their loved ones' drinking habits. "Russian death rates have fluctuated wildly over the last 30 years as alcohol restrictions and social stability varied under Presidents Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin, and the main thing driving these wild fluctuations in death was vodka," study co-author Sir Richard Peto, from the University of Oxford, said. Majority of the drinkers were smokers as well which "aggravated" the death rates, according to the researchers. Russia brought in stricter alcohol control measures in 2006, including raising taxes and restricting sales. Researchers say alcohol consumption has fallen by a third since then and the proportion of men dying before they reach 55 years has fallen from 37 to 25 per cent. Researchers say binge drinking is key problem driving high death rate, report said. "They binge drink. That's the main problem. It's the pattern of drinking not per-capita amount they drink," Prof David Zaridze, from the Russian Cancer Research Centre, said. — PTI
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Pakistani court issues warrant for Musharraf
Islamabad, January 31 The three-judge court, formed by the government to try 70-year-old Musharraf on charges of high treason for imposing emergency in 2007, also rejected his plea to be allowed to go abroad for medical treatment. However, Musharraf is unlikely to be held in custody because the court said he could get bail by submitting a surety of Rs 25 lakh. The court's registrar read out the judgment, which was reserved earlier in the day after defence and prosecution lawyers completed their arguments. The court asked the Islamabad Police chief to implement its order. According to procedure, police would have to arrest Musharraf but he can get bail immediately. A person on bail is bound to appear in the court as and when demanded. Musharraf's lawyer Faisal Chaudhry said: "We will study the order and if there is an illegality, we will challenge it." He said the court had stated it does not have the power to remove Musharraf's name from the Interior Ministry's Exit Control List (ECL) as only a High Court can do this. Persons included in the ECL are barred from travelling abroad. Musharraf was earlier granted bail in four major cases against him, including one over the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto. Yesterday, Musharraf's legal team had asked the special court to remove his name from the ECL so that he could travel abroad. The plea contended the former military ruler wants to visit America for cardiac treatment. Musharraf was admitted to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi on January 2 after he developed heart problems while being driven to the special court. A medical report submitted to the court said Musharraf had refused to undergo angiography in Pakistan as he wanted to be treated abroad. The report further said Musharraf's health is such that a heart attack could be "life threatening". Government's prosecutor Akram Sheikh objected to the findings of the medical report and argued Musharraf was trying to avoid coming to court. This is the first time in Pakistan's history that a former military ruler has been put on trial for treason. If convicted, he could get life imprisonment or death penalty. — PTI Can be out on bail * The Court has also rejected Pervez Musharraf's plea seeking permission to go abroad for treatment. * He is unlikely to be held in custody because the court said he could get bail by submitting a surety of Rs 25 lakh.
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Indian-origin parents held
in US toddler death case
New York, January 31 Kinjal Patel, 27, the Indian-origin babysitter, has already been charged in the case with manslaughter in the first degree and is being held on a USD 1 million bond. She allegedly told police that she became angry with the child and forced him to the floor, where he hit his head. The incident occurred at her home in New Haven on January 16. The baby's mother, Thenmozhi Rajendran, 24, and father, 33, Mani Sivakumar, have been charged with risk of injury to a child and interfering with police. They turned themselves in at police headquarters, a newspaper reported. Police responded to a "risk of injury" complaint at Yale-New Haven Hospital and found the boy's skull was "severely fractured". — PTI |
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Death penalty for ‘most stupid’ Indian killer in UAE Dubai, January 31 The man, who worked as a cook for a UAE government official, beat the maid, who he had been having a relationship with, to death after she told him she was pregnant and threatened to report him for rape, three years ago. He believed her claims even though they had never had sex, local media reported. The man lived in a villa near the maid's place of work. They met while dumping rubbish in dustbins. A few days later, the maid called the cook over to her employer's house, who was away on holiday. Thereafter, they had a "romantic time on the roof which did not exceed hugging", the lawyer said. A week later he visited her again and she told him he had made her pregnant while threatening that she would accuse him of rape. He hit the maid on her head with a large stone thrice, killing her on the spot. — PTI
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Amanda Knox’s murder conviction reinstated
Russia says Iran nuclear talks set for Feb 18 NSA targeted Al Qaeda with leaky apps: Snowden Honeymoon murder suspect loses court bid 92 US nuclear officers suspended for cheating in tests US woman held for selling heroin in McD’s meal Vintage cars to drive better Indo-Pak ties Heroin in McDonald meal: US woman arrested Indians among 700 illegal expats held in Riyadh US man to be buried astride his Harley
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Viktor Yanukovich on Friday signed into law an amnesty for demonstrators detained during mass unrest and repealed anti-protest legislation, in a fresh bid to take the heat out of the political crisis.
