Australian family votes 159 times

Adelaide, March 27 (IANS) An Australian family says its members voted 159 times in state elections in South Australia to make a point about poor identity checks, a media report said Saturday.

The family, which called itself 'The Election Team', claimed it was easy to steal the identities of other voters, an anonymous letter published in the Adelaide Advertiser said.

The letter stated that one of the members was underage but 'had no difficulty' in voting 31 times.

'There are individuals who are incapable of voting but they remain on the electoral roll. There are individuals who are absent. There are individuals who need assistance and are all too easily conned into giving up their right to vote,' it said.

The family claimed to have memorized the 159 names and addresses and warned it would repeat the fraud on a larger scale at a future election until its demands for change were met, including an end to compulsory voting and compulsory preferential voting.

'The author or authors of the letter have refused to identify themselves or provide any evidence of their claims,' Attorney General John Rau was quoted as saying by AAP.

Meanwhile, Electoral Commissioner Kay Mousley said she had asked South Australian government lawyers to investigate the matter.

'If the fraud occurred it was a breach of the electoral act, and voting more than once can result in penalties of $2,500 and six months jail,' she said.

The family could also face charges of impersonating other people.

'We have to take the claims seriously,' Mousley said. 'If 'The Election Team' really existed, they had gone about making their argument in the wrong way,' she said.

Meet the 'fed up' Chinese farmer who has world's biggest moobs ever!

London, March 27 (ANI): A Chinese farmer has threatened to chop off his enormous man boobs after finding no solution to his growing "moobs" problem.

Guo Feng, 53, is forced to wear a heavy coat at all times, even in hot weather as locals take a dig at his condition.

And the distressed worker is tired of his breasts getting in the way of his labour.

"About ten years ago my chest started to get larger but I didn't think much of it as I was putting on weight all over. But in the last few years it's become unbearable and I have been from one hospital to the other with nobody able to help me," The Sun quoted Feng as saying.

"I have spent all my money on examinations and tests and am still no nearer a solution - in fact my breasts are now bigger than ever. I sometimes think the doctors don't want to help me with this because they find me a medical curiosity," Feng added.

Doctors have cited Feng's as the world's biggest set of man boobs.

Dr Zhang Lilan at the Jinan Chest Hospital in Beijing said: "The man is in every way male except for his enormous breasts. He is a farmer and says they are extremely uncomfortable as he has to do a lot of manual work and they get in the way of everything.

"We wondered if he had eaten any poisons or contaminants but have found nothing after testing his blood. His genetic material is also normal. It is not a cancer.

"It seems to be fatty tissue. The best we can suggest is that it is the biggest case of man boobs ever." (ANI)

Joanna Lumley wages war against PM Brown following 'personal attack' by minister

London, Mar. 27 (ANI): Gurkha campaigner Joanna Lumley has declared war on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown following a "personal attack" by his Defence Minister Kevan Jones earlier this month.

The 63-year-old British actress expressed her outrage at Jones accusing her of "deathly silence" over the allegations that war veterans hoping to settle in UK are being forced to pay hundreds of pounds for legal advice in Nepal.

"Recent personal attacks, on me and on the lawyers responsible for the legal victory, made in the press and by a Minister under the protection of parliamentary privilege, have left us campaigners with no option but to respond through the press to set the record straight," The Daily Express quoted Lumley, as saying.

Earlier, Jones has said that he was "irritated" over the fact that Lumley, who led a victorious campaign in forcing a Government U-turn on Gurkha citizenship rights, had not spoken out following allegations that veterans' organisations in Nepal were extracting money from Gurkhas and then referring them to UK solicitors.

But Lumley said: "At the time of victory for veteran Gurkhas and their families last year, I and the -Gurkha Justice Campaign team agreed, at the direct request of the Prime Minister, to work with the Government on the Gurkha settlement policy and any issues arising out of its implementation."

"Assurances were made that the campaigners would not speak out in public but would help Government by working in the background. We have honourably kept our promise. I am now extremely concerned by reported problems that a number of Gurkhas are experiencing, not least because of pledges made by the MoD last year to set up support facilities for veterans, at our campaign's request, to deal with such problems here or in Nepal," she added.

Reacting to Lumley's comments, Jones said: "I don't think she has been involved. I more than welcome the chance to speak with her."

Gurkha veterans are planning to march in Westminster next week.

The sight of Joanna Lumley in full cry could not come at a worse time for Brown whose government lost a humiliating Commons vote on Gurkha residency rights last year. (ANI)

'Struggling' Gul's place in final Pak eleven for ICC T20 in danger

Karachi, Mar.27 (ANI): A dip in personal performance and the return of Mohammed Asif has put Pakistani fast bowler Umar Gul's place in the final eleven in the upcoming ICC T20 World Championship in danger.

Gul, who had played a major role in Pakistan's campaign in the first two T20 World Cups in 2007 and 2009, is uncertain to make the cut for the final eleven in the forthcoming tournament, as Pakistan's 15 man squad includes both Asif and young fast bowler Mohammed Aamer, who has performed brilliantly in the recent past.

With the first two slots filled, it would be very hard for Gul to earn a place in the team.

Gul, who once used the reverse swinging ball as his lethal weapon, seems to have forgotten the art and failed to make any impact during the tour Down Under.

However, Pakistan's T20 captain Shahid Afridi is not concerned over Gul's loss of form , and said the pacer would be back to his best after attending a three-week preparatory camp starting in Lahore from March 29.

"I've talked to him recently about his form and believe that it's nothing serious.I'm confident that with some rest that will be followed by a series of training sessions, he should regain his form," said Afridi, but added that Gul would have to win back his place in the national side.

"The thing is that we might not play with three regular fast bowlers in the Twenty20 World Cup. Say if we go for Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, who are our best bowlers at the moment then it would be tough for Gul to find a place in the playing eleven," The News quoted Afridi, as saying. (ANI)

Sarah Palin waxes eloquent on 'finest public servant in United States' McCain

New York, Mar 27(ANI): Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has lauded Arizona Senator John McCain as one of the "finest public servants" in the United States.

Palin is currently in Tucson, Arizona, to lend her star power among fellow conservatives to McCain in his tough Senate reelection campaign.

"As we traveled across the country, I got to know John McCain personally. He's a man of faith, a man of honor and most of all a man of the people. He's deeply devoted to his state; the patriotic, hard-working Arizonans who call it home; and the founding principles they hold dear," The Politico quoted Palin, as saying.

Palin recalled McCain's time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and explained: "It was that kind of courage that makes John one of the finest public servants this country has ever known."

She further stressed that McCain, who was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 election, is a man of principle, who is not afraid to take tough positions.

"He is not worried about what's popular or partisan or personally advantageous. He's guided only by a desire to do what's right for the people he serves and the country he loves. That's the kind of leadership we need if we're going to turn today's challenges into tomorrow's opportunities," Palin said.

"In 2008, I firmly believed that John McCain was the right man for America. Today, I know he's the right man for Arizona. Your state deserves more than rhetoric; you deserve a leader with a real record of accomplishment," she added. (ANI)

Asian states urged to ratify criminal court treaty

Brussels, March 26 (IANS) The European Union (EU) Friday welcomed the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) by Bangladesh, EuAsiaNews reported.

'This ratification Tuesday, bringing the number of ICC states parties to 111, marks a further significant step forward in the international community's efforts to combat impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. I hope that this accession will encourage other countries in Asia to consider ratifying of the statute,' Catherine Ashton, EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said in a statement Friday.

Bangladesh is the first South Asian country to ratify the Rome Statute.

Ashton noted that the 27-member European bloc has long supported the ratification by Bangladesh of the Rome Statute and voiced her conviction that Bangladesh will make a highly valuable contribution to the Court's work.

'I would like to seize this occasion to reiterate the European Union's commitment to the universality and integrity of the Rome Statute and call upon states which have not yet done so to accede to the Rome Statute,' the statement added.

South Korean ship sinks with 104 crew members

Seoul, March 26 (DPA) A South Korean Navy ship carrying 104 crew members was sinking in the Yellow Sea late Friday, Yonhap news agency reported, amidst uncertainty about whether the mishap was an accident or the result of a military skirmish.

The 1,500-tonne ship was sinking near the island of Baengnyeong, which is near North Korea but controlled by South Korea, said officials cited by the agency.

South Korea's government has convened a meeting of ministers with security portfolios, officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties, though unsubstantiated statements said there had been an explosion near the rear of the ship.

The incident leading to the sinking is believed to have occurred between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. (1200 and 1300 GMT).

Iraq bombs kill 8, wound 27 ahead of vote results

Two bombs killed eight people and wounded 27 at a market in Iraq's northern Diyala province on Friday, shortly before the scheduled release of final preliminary parliamentary vote totals, a police source said.

The bombing took place in the town of Khalis, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad.

Toll rises in Iraq bombing to 20 dead - police

Two bombs killed 20 people and wounded 60 at a market in Iraq's northern Diyala province on Friday, shortly before the scheduled release of final preliminary parliamentary vote results, a police source said.

A car bomb and a roadside bomb exploded in the town of Khalis, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad, a police source said.

Coordinated approach, exchange of views needed among BRIC countries: Pawar

Moscow, Mar 26(ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Friday said that the potential importance of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) countries lies in mutual cooperation on issues of global economy and economic governance, which requires a coordinated approach and continuous exchange of views.

Addressing at the BRIC Agriculture Ministers' meeting in Moscow, Pawar said: "Our partnership in this forum must be anchored in the fundamental principles of equality, mutual trust and common good."

"We must strive to work out common approaches and strategies on pressing global issues such as food security, impact of climate change on agriculture, energy security, pandemics and other related subjects," he added.

The Agriculture Minister further pointed out that the BRIC countries are richly endowed collectively and individually in terms of natural resources and other factors of production, and are in a position to sustain higher growth rates.

"Brazil and Russia have abundant supplies of raw materials and energy resources. China and India are key players in manufacturing and services and are large consuming markets. Given the complementarities of our economies, there is a tremendous potential to enhance trade among our countries," Pawar said.

"With our rising middle class, BRIC countries are providing the much needed demand stimulus to the World economy in the present scenario of fragile economic recovery after the global economic and financial crisis," he added.

Referring to the strength of Indian agriculture, Pawar said that the green revolution in foodgrains and white revolution in milk, a vast network of agricultural research and educational institutions, revitalized extension system with the help of information and communication technologies are notable among them.

"The other remarkable achievements include, empowerment of the farmers through easy availability of loans from rural banks and cooperatives and a well functioning of public procurement and distribution system, which is the largest in the world," Pawar said.

"Indian agriculture today is changing rapidly to meet contemporary requirements. Today, we are self sufficient in most of the crops and are the second largest producers of fruits and vegetables and are giving special attention to post harvest management and food processing."

"We are also in the process of ushering in the second green revolution through knowledge-based and market friendly interventions which will make Indian agriculture more productive, competitive, efficient and aligned with world agriculture," he added. (ANI)

2010 monsoon rains seen normal - farm secy

India's 2010 monsoon rains, crucial for farm output, will be normal, Farm Secretary Prabeer Kumar Basu said on Friday, raising hopes of a strong recovery in farm output that suffered after last year's drought.

"Going by current weather conditions and El Nino phenomena, the monsoons seem to be normal this year," he told reporters, adding that the formal forecast by the weather office was still being prepared and it was premature to predict accurately.

This month, a U.S. government report said the El Nino weather phenomenon, which upsets normal weather patterns, should dissipate by early summer in the northern hemisphere although there was a chance that a weak version would linger.

Last year, the worst monsoon in 37 years ravaged cane and rice fields, making India a large importer of sugar and encouraging the government to consider rice imports.

"If the monsoon will be good this time, we will have a bumper crop and that will help us overcome the loss of the last year's poor rains," said Rajiv Kumar, chief executive of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations.

"But it is a little early to accurately predict the monsoon," he said.

India's weather office issues a monsoon forecast, usually in the second half of April after considering weather observations in different parts of the world and extrapolating statistical data.

"We are collecting data. For many parameters, data will be collected until March end. Then the collected data will be analysed to give first initial monsoon forecast in April," a spokesman of the weather office said.

Monson rains are vital for India, where only 40 percent of the farms are irrigated and two-thirds of the people depend on agriculture for their livelihood.

Good rainfall boosts output and rural incomes, creating robust demand for automobiles to consumer durables. It also leads to higher demand for gold and boosts market sentiment.

Meghalaya lawmakers gave fake bills for foreign jaunt: report

A one-day study tour to London was converted to a 10-day jaunt to European countries in 2006 by some Meghalaya legislators who produced 'fake and inflated' bills for the trip that eventually cost the government Rs.1.67 crore, a report said Friday.

The incident dates back to a trip Oct 8-20, 2006, when the then assembly speaker with 15 legislators and three secretariat staff headed for London on a day's study tour of the House of Commons, revealed a Comptroller and Auditor General report tabled Friday in the Meghalaya assembly.

The one-day study tour later turned out to be 10-day trip to Holland, France and Italy.

The legislators after returning from the tour submitted 'inflated' bills and 'fake' documents to the assembly secretariat costing the tax-payers' money to the tune of Rs.1.67 crore, the CAG report said.

Members of the delegation claimed Rs.12.10 lakh to Rs.11.06 lakh in support of expenses during the trip abroad, which was reimbursed by the assembly secretariat.

Apart from 'inflated' air fare bills, the legislators pocketed money for places they did not even visit.

During their visit to Amsterdam, 'the members claimed to have visited Brussels, Belgium and claimed Rs.45,000 each.'

But according to the tour operator the delegation was in Amsterdam that day, the report said.

For the Euro Star train journey to Paris from London, each member of the delegation claimed Rs.67,500 while the tour operator claimed just Rs.3,073.

Tour operators further charged Rs.68,998 to cover the entire accommodation and local travel cost abroad. However, the members of the team claimed Rs.5.94 lakh for taxi fare only.

'The assembly secretariat made excess payment of Rs.1.67 crore due to entertainment of inflated claims submitted with fake documents and without supporting documents in support of their (17 delegates) expenditure/claims,' the CAG report stated.

Meghalaya Accountant General, Onkar Nath Friday said the matter was referred to the Meghalaya secretariat in June last year, but has received no reply.

Gill, Dhindsa, Gujral elected to Rajya Sabha from Punjab

Sports Minister M.S. Gill and former union ministers Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Ashwini Kumar were among the five candidates elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab Friday.

The other two elected unopposed from the state were Naresh Gujral, son of former prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral, and former Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Avinash Rai Khanna.

The election of all five was announced after scrutiny of their nomination papers. The election for the five Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant next month was to be held March 26 but since there were only five candidates in the fray, they were declared elected unopposed.

While Dhindsa and Gujral were declared elected on the ruling Akali Dal ticket, Khanna came from the Akalis' alliance partner BJP.

Gill and Ashwini Kumar were elected as Congress candidates.

Gill and Gujral were sitting Rajya Sabha members from the state and their term was coming to an end next month.

Delhi government has no role in Games menu: Dikshit

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Friday clarified that the state government has no role to play as far as deciding the menu or serving of beef during the Commonwealth Games is concerned.

Dikshit tabled in the assembly a signed clarification issued by state Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta which says that the issue of supplying beef is between the Organising Committee and the contractor who is selected for running the kitchen in the Games Village.

Dikshit also clarified that it is the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) which is supposed to give permission under the municipal laws.

'I had made it clear that Delhi government has nothing to do with it,' Dikshit said.

Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led MCD warned of legal action against officials and hotels if beef was imported or served to foreign visitors during the Commonwealth Games.

'As per a resolution passed by the MCD house in January last year, foreign visitors during the Commonwealth Games should not be served cow meat. This is in tune with the Delhi government's Delhi Agricultural Animal Protection Act, 1994,' Leader of the MCD house Subhash Arya had said.

Under the Delhi Agricultural Animal Protection Act, slaughtering cows and possession or import of beef is strictly prohibited.

BJP slams Union Government on Headley extradition issue

Union Government on Friday faced flak from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not seeking extradition of the 26/11 Mumbai terror accused, David Coleman Headley, from the United States, where he is facing trial.

Addressing the media in the national capital, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy questioned the government's abilities to pressurize Pakistan, a hostile country, to hand over fugitives when it could not ask the US to hand over Headley.

"The question would be asked today from the Government, how can you pressurize Pakistan which is a hostile state to give back the fugitives if you cannot ask US to hand over a fugitive who is responsible for the 26/11," Rudy said.

Headley pleaded guilty on Thursday to scouting targets for the deadly 2008 assault on Mumbai, and plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper.

He pleaded guilty to 12 counts, including conspiring to bomb and murder U.S., Indian and Danish citizens, and supporting the Islamist militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber said. No sentencing date was set.

In the agreement with prosecutors, Headley promised to cooperate and provide testimony against others in exchange for a pledge that he would not to be extradited to India, Pakistan or Denmark.

Rudy further said the BJP would not accept anything less than extradition and trial of Headley on Indian soil.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party will accept nothing less than having Headley's extradition for a trial in Indian courts on Indian soil," he said.

He also said that Headley seemed to be given a virtual amnesty by the US.

"It seems that Headley has been given a virtual amnesty, a clemency and it's a matter of deep concern for us," Rudy said.

Cong, ally go for limited contest in council polls

The Congress and its ruling ally in Assam have parted ways "amicably" for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls, slated for April 9. The party shares power in the state with the Bodoland Peoples' Front. At least 30 people have been killed since November 8 last year in internecine clashes in the four districts under the jurisdiction of the council. Most of the victims were supporters of either the Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) or the rival Bodoland Peoples' Progressive Front (BPPF). The BPF is in power in the council. But the past couple of days saw violent fights among BPF supporters, who torched party offices and burnt effigies of their leaders. The eruption followed the BPF's decision to leave 12 of the council's 40 seats to the Congress. However, on Thursday, BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary - he heads the council also - "gave in" to popular demand and buried the seat-sharing agreement. "We will now field candidates in all the 40 seats in the council," he said. The BPPF and its regional ally, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), were quick to point to a 'rift' between the Congress and the BPF. But Congress spokesman Haren Das denied that. "We have now opted for a friendly contest. And our party will put up candidates in only 15 seats, and not contest in the seats in which the top five BPF leaders are in the fray," Das told Hindustan Times. The BPPF, on the other hand, has inked a seat-sharing pact with the AGP. The details of this arrangement are awaited.

The BPF, led mostly by former militants, won the council's elections.

Mani Shankar Aiyar back in House from the cold - as a litterateur

Mani Shankar Aiyar is back in Parliament - as a distinguished litterateur and social worker.

The former Union minister who lost the Lok Sabha election from Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu has been rehabilitated through the unusual route of a Presidential nomination to the Rajya Sabha - the first time in over twenty years that a politician of his standing has entered Parliament this way.

The Constitution empowers the President to nominate 12 members to the Rajya Sabha chosen from among "persons having special knowledge or practical experience in... literature, science, art (or) social service". Official sources in Rashtrapati Bhavan said Aiyar had been nominated "under the twin categories of literature and social service".

The nomination, however, practically ends the 69-year-old former diplomat-turned-politician's hopes of a berth in the Manmohan Singh ministry. No nominated member of the Council of States has ever been made a minister, senior Parliament officials said. Professor Nurul Hasan, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1968, resigned three years later, before he was inducted into the then Congress government.

Aiyar, who is currently in England to attend a symposium at Oxford, told The Indian Express over the phone, "I am deeply honoured at the President having selected me. This is the second honour conferred on me after the Outstanding Parliamentian Award in 2006."

Aiyar said he had been sounded out on his nomination under the literature and social service category. "I have written several books and have pursued the cause of secularism, so I suppose they satisfy the two categories," he said. Aiyar, a former columnist for The Indian Express, is founder president of the Society for Secularism.

Aiyar is one of five Presidential nominations to the Rajya Sabha announced today. The others nominated by President Pratibha Patil are academic Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar, lyricist Javed Akhtar, academic and musicologist Ram Dayal Munda and theatre personality Jayashree B.

Before Aiyar, the only politicians of a somewhat high profile to have benefited from the Presidential "pleasure" have been Congress leaders Margatham Chandrasekhar (1970-76 and 1976-82) and Ghulam Rasool Kar (1984-87). Other presidential nominees with a political profile - such as R R Diwakar, Mohammad Yunus, Madan Bhatia, H L Kapur (all Congress), Hema Malini, Dara Singh and Chandan Mitra (all BJP) and Ram Jethmalani - have been either political lightweights, or people with eminence in other fields as well. Nanaji Deshmukh, who was nominated by the NDA regime, had been a leading light of the Sangh Parivar, but had dissociated himself from all political activities long before the honour came his way.

'I am a minister like other ministers (but) financially, very sound compared to others'

THE INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC OF REDDYS

After chasing him for over four weeks in New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Bellary, The Indian Express caught up with G Janardhana Reddy, Karnataka Tourism and Infrastructure Minister and the pivot of the Reddy Republic.

Sitting in the garden of his five-acre residence abutting a hillock in Bellary - with the local BJP MLA bowling to his 10-year-old son outside - Reddy denied all allegations of illegal activities against him and his mining companies.

On the several examples of conflict of interest and the clout he has over local officials - as detailed in the investigative series - he ducked all questions.

But his aggression was clear - he questioned the motives of none other than the Supreme Court of India's Central Empowered Committee that nailed him for encroachments into other mines and unallotted forest land. He said he would "expose" them soon. Openly discussing his proximity to BJP's Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and the late YS Rajasekhar Reddy, former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and his son Jaganmohan Reddy, he said some in the Congress actually wanted YSR dead. Evidence? The state government ordering a CBI probe against him. As for his key business rival, MSPL, his response was direct: "I will teach him a lesson."

Excerpts:

Many miners have told The Indian Express that you do not own mines in Karnataka but are raising contracts here (taking a cut from miners).

We are very neat and clean...we are doing our business very peacefully. We are mining our mines whatever God has given us...Show me even a single truth in what anybody is saying. These raising contracts are very cheap and I won't go up to that level.

Anantapur Divisional Forest Officer (Kallol Biswas) issued seven notices giving details of illegal activities by your companies in Andhra Pradesh, Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) and Anantapur Mining Corporation. (He mentioned "partnership agreements")

This same DFO filed a case in court saying that under very big pressure I have given so many notices to OMC saying there is threat from top government officials...He also admits before the High Court he made a very big mistake. He has said OMC is very good people (When contacted by The Indian Express, Anantapur DFO Kallol Biswas denied this. "Am I a fool to do this?" he said.)

You entered the mining business in 2002 and the boom started next year. You consider yourself lucky in entering the sector at just the right time?

Whatever happened has been fate. So we believe in God and we believe in fate. We have struggled in so many other business activities for 10-18 years. But finally we invested money in iron ore. At that time our expectation was that per tonne the value would not be more than Rs 20. We are really lucky.

How has your business grown in terms of turnover and profits?

The turnover will be more than Rs 5,000 crore for the entire period we have been in business.

In Bellary, where you are the District Minister-in-Charge, there are many complaints of illegal mining.

Whoever is making these allegations I can only say they are illegal...We are not interested (in) making money only or supporting any mining that is illegal.

The Supreme Court's Central Empowered Committee (CEC) accused your OMC of illegal mining.

The Supreme Court (has said) that it never asked the CEC to submit a report.

But the SC did ask the Andhra High Court to take note of the CEC report?

The CEC did not give any notice to OMC. They did not visit OMC... Without coming, without any notices to me, to AP government or concerned departments, by sitting in Delhi they have written a report.

Whatever respect was there for the CEC is lost. The whole country is witness to this blunder. Tomorrow, not today, I myself will prove what this CEC is about. Issues will come out as to who has done all this...in what interest CEC has done this.

You are an MLC in Karnataka and yet you are closely involved in politics in Andhra Pradesh.

My mining is in Andhra and my value addition also is in Andhra. Because Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was a Reddy like me people think so many other things. There is a lot of gossip.

He was a very nice person, very royal person and our relationship has only been that of a businessman and politician.

Our relation has been that of a chief minister and a businessman.

You said YSR is like a father figure to you.

100 per cent, more than any politics or anything he was a great person.

You have good contacts with YSR's son Jaganmohan Reddy too?

Yes.

But the Andhra government asked the CBI to probe allegations of illegal mining by OMC.

It is 100 per cent political...No reason has been given. Even if the CBI wants to investigate us, it must tell us what mistake we have done. How can they do this?

Why do you say it is political when there are wide-ranging allegations against OMC?

What is the purpose of the probe? This is a dispute between two mine owners - Bellary Iron Ores Private Ltd and myself. It is purely a civil dispute. If any differences are there of 20 metres, 30 metres or 40 metres that the government finds - that area may come to S K Modi or to me, that is the dispute. Then why is the CBI coming in the middle? It is 100 per cent political. Totally. Nothing else.

One aspect the CBI is probing is the allegation that OMC under-invoiced exports when iron ore prices were very high.

If there are any such allegations, they can prove it.

You say the CBI probe is political. Why should a Congress-led government at the Centre act against Janardhana Reddy, a friend of YSR , the Congress's face in Andhra?

All these people, I don't think, have love or affection or any other sentiments for YSR. Now people have their own doubts about his death. So much gossip is coming out, we don't know how far it is true.

Only thorough investigation will reveal what is true. Now what I am thinking is that there are Congress people itself who are very jealous of YSR and maybe they wanted his death also. I am doing the Brahmani Steel project in Kadapa that is YSR's district - 25,000 people will get employment.

There are miners in Bellary who told The Indian Express that the administration, at your behest, isn't giving them transport permits to move their ore out.

Who said this?

One is Rahul Baldota of MSPL Ltd.

Baldota is a 'mines Veerappan'. You know Veerappan, right?

He is a man who has done all illegal things and has manipulated documents. There are so many court orders against him. So much loss caused to the government. So how can there be a situation where he is getting permits?

...Whatever mistakes have been committed in the past, I want to teach him a lesson. There are so many cases against him. He is a big criminal.

There is one K C Kondaiah, an MLC of the Congress, who is an agent of the Baldotas - he is not a politician. He used to support MSPL. He raised the same question in the legislature that because of Janardhana Reddy, 'Baldota is not getting any permits and other mine owners are getting'. So then I stood up and said that Mr Kondaiah 'You are an agent of MSPL and now you have proven it by representing him on this issue. He is a mines Veerappan and if I support him like the Congress what is the difference between you and me'.

Boundary pillars in your mines along the Andhra-Karnataka border were destroyed and it's alleged that you are stalling the survey to fix them.

The Survey of India people surveyed the borders between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

They said we are 100 per cent correct, that we have not done any mistake. (A team from the Survey of India did go but no survey has been done so far.)

Even the Karnataka government, my brother is the Revenue Minister, he himself has written a letter to the Prime Minister through the Chief Minister to conduct a survey.

How were your export obligations hit when the Andhra government suspended OMC and AMC's operations in November? (After relief from the HC, the Reddys got their mining permits this month.)

My habit in business is to be a peaceful person. Whatever my commitments, they are made only when the material is ready at the port. I am a man who signs only when the material is ready to be loaded on the ship. So I have not been affected. Whatever problems the government has tried to create against me, it won't have any effect.

What about its effect on your revenue flows?

I am not dependent on mining alone. I have a very good real estate business. I am building townships in Hyderabad and even in Bellary. There are so many other business activities also so I am not totally dependent on mining alone.

How big are your other businesses?

They are worth about Rs 1,000 crore - net worth.

You are very influential in Karnataka. You made the Karnataka government reinstate all officials who were transferred in November within 15 days. How and why?

You know very well why the situation took place and what happened. That is not because we are powerful and influential. That is because of the situation.

Do you plan to contest elections some time?

Until now, the situation has not arisen. We don't know how the future will be. Whatever party decides we have to do.

About 5,000 acres of mining leases are to be licenced by the Karnataka government. When would that happen? Have any applications been made?

It will be given only to those with industries. There are already applications. Some have been there for up to eight years.

Will you apply for leases in Bellary and other places in Karnataka?

We don't have even a single lease in Karnataka. According to the new mining policy, if you plan to start an industry only, you can get leases. Like any other industrialists, how they get, I will also get.

You have said you are a businessman first and a politician later.

I am a complete businessman. My friend Sreeramulu (Health Minister) is a complete politician.

He is my best friend. Along with Sreeramulu and when Sushma Swaraj came to Bellary in 1999, we all have become very active. Swaraj contested the Bellary MP seat and Sreeramulu contested the Bellary City MLA seat.

We all involved ourselves from that time. We never had any plans to come into politics. Our entire family was working only for Sreeramulu.

After Sushma Swaraj's defeat and after Sreeramulu's defeat, we took it very seriously and we worked along with Sreeramulu.

We then won the municipal elections. In 2004, Sreeramulu won the Assembly and G Karunakara Reddy, my elder brother, won Parliament seat.

Sreeramulu became a minister in the coalition government. Like that, we have gradually won every election in Bellary district. The Gram Panchayat, the town Panchayat, the zilla Panchayat, the Assembly and the Parliament seats are all with the BJP. Sreeramulu's sister J Shantha is now the MP from Bellary district. Recently, we won the MLC elections also.

Now you have a say in what happens in Bellary and in Karnataka.

It's not like that. I am also just a man, a minister like other ministers.

Individually, financially we are very sound compared to other politicians. You are only seeing that. You are looking at me like I am powerful. How can you say I am powerful? We want to do development. If 100 mine owners are very rich, can you say that Bellary is very rich. As a minister I am doing whatever I can for Bellary only.

How do you manage your political and business interests at the same time? What about the conflict of interest?

If our calculations and vision is correct, we can do so many things. We can do both. There is time for both.

We heard you are now looking at buying jets?

No, I have only two helicopters - one Augusta Westland that I can travel day and night and a Bell helicopter.

India hopes Headley's guilty plea will get Pakistan to act

With Pakistani-American Lashkar operative David Coleman Headley pleading guilty to all 12 charges, including his role in the 26/11 attacks, India plans to step up pressure on Pakistan to act against those involved in the Mumbai attacks.

The Indian security establishment is of the view that Headley's acceptance of the charges is "unequivocal ratification" of India's stance relating to involvement of state and non-state actors based in Pakistan in terrorist activities in this country, especially the Mumbai attacks.

Indian officials were satisfied with the developments in the Chicago court because Headley agreed to "fully and truthfully testify in any foreign judicial proceedings held in the US by way of deposition, video-conferencing or letters rogatory" but opinion was divided on whether this would translate into Indian sleuths getting access to Headley to interrogate him.

Sources said India would "carefully examine" the US law to see if such a thing would be possible. "All that I can say is that it is going to be a long-drawn process," said a senior official associated with the case.

But Headley's lawyer John Theis told reporters in Chicago his client "has agreed to allow himself to be interviewed by foreign governments in this country" as part of the plea agreement.

He has also agreed to follow any direction by the office of US Attorney to "fully and truthfully participate in any debriefings for the purpose of gathering intelligence or national security information".

Sources in the Indian establishment said they believed that Headley's inputs would prove to be the clincher in India's case against the Pakistan-based handlers of the Mumbai attackers.

By agreeing to testify by video conferencing - something that is allowed in India under the Indian Evidence Act and the Criminal Procedure Code - Headley has provided Indian investigators the option to further strengthen their case against the still-at-large Pakistan handlers.

While the plea bargain rules out his extradition to India to face trial for his role in the attacks, Indian officials say the Headley confession and the material evidence he has supplied to US investigators would go a long way in building a fool-proof case against top Lashkar operatives and some serving Pakistan Army officers for their role in the attacks.

The US has so far not accepted India's request to be allowed to question Headley. But his plea bargain changes the equation. His admission of being trained in Pakistan terror camps also nails Islamabad's lie that such camps did not exist.

Talking to reporters, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram refuted the Opposition charge that the development in the case was a "setback". "We will continue with our plea for extradition of Headley," he said.

He said the US had provided "significant amount of information" on Headley's activities but many questions remained unanswered and India wanted replies to these.

On the possibility of Headley's extradition to India, he said it would be difficult as he is accused of committing crimes in the US as well.

Home Secretary G K Pillai said the Indian government will be "satisfied" if Headley is awarded a life sentence. "The US Attorney General has advised a sentence of life imprisonment. If he gets a sentence of life imprisonment, I don't think Government of India will be unsatisfied," he said

Togadia on dharna after being barred from entering Kandhamal

VHP leader Praveen Togadia tonight sat on a dharna after the Orissa Police prevented him from entering into the riot-hit Kandhamal district.

Togadia, who arrived at Charichowk in Boudh district, neighbouring to Kandhamal, along with around 200 supporters, was asked not to make any bid to enter into Kandhamal in view of a ban on his visit.

Accompanied by his supporters, he then, sat on a dharna and started doing 'kirtan' at Charichowk.

"I am sitting on a dharna in protest against the Orissa government's undemocratic act of preventing me from going to meet tribals in Kandhamal," Togadia told PTI over phone.

Earlier, the district administration deployed police and a magistrate at the entry point to the riot-hit town, after Togadia announced to defy the Orissa government's ban order.

Terming the ban as "illegal and undemocratic", Togadia said it was not fair on part of the government to put a restriction on his visit when they recently allowed European diplomats to make a two-day tour to the communally-sensitive district.

The state govt has also imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC on the movement of Togadia and other VHP functionaries in Kandhamal.

"We have not yet arrested Togadia as he is sitting on a dharna in Boudh district at the border of Kandhamal. If he tries to cross the border, police will take action according to the law of the land," Kandhamal SP Praveen Kumar said.

Kandhamal witnessed widespread riots from August 2008 till October 2009 following the killing of VHP leader Lakhsmananda Saraswati.

Clumsy Afghan suicide bomber blows himself up

Kabul, March 18 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A suicide-bomber in southern Afghanistan blew himself up while putting on a vest of explosives, an official said.

The explosion occurred in a house in Gereshk town in Helmand province Wednesday night. 'The blast also wounded a child,' a spokesperson for the local administration said.

Helmand is known to be a major Taliban stronghold and much of the fighting between NATO and Taliban forces is taking place in the province.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

More women becoming aggressive behind the wheel

Kuala Lumpur, March 18 (IANS) Women drivers are 'getting more aggressive' than men, a Malaysian expert said Thursday, adding 'the number of women involved in accidents is on the rise'.

Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation analyst Kamal Affandi Hashim said that based on the number of traffic summons and court cases against women, a trend of aggressive driving by women has emerged.

'Based on what we can see, the attitude of male drivers has improved but women are getting more aggressive,' The Star quoted Hashim as saying.

'Hence, the number of women involved in accidents is on the rise.'

Hashim said the attitude of drivers was the main cause of road accidents.

'Drivers who are aggressive, emotional and distracted while driving are dangerous.

'Most people will, at one time or another, feel like strangling their fellow drivers but it becomes a criminal act when you follow up on that intention with an aggressive act (such as chasing after a vehicle),' he said at a road safety campaign at Universiti Sains Malaysia Wednesday.

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research director general Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah said Malaysians generally felt that they were 'Superman' and would never end up as an accident casualty.

'It's their attitudes that cause accidents. The think they are invincible, not even wanting to wear safety belts.

'Perhaps it's ego. They just want to be faster and better than the next driver,' said Ahmad.

Australian laws to promote building efficiency

Owners of large commercial buildings in Australia will have to disclose energy efficiency information when putting buildings up for sale or lease, under laws introduced in parliament on Thursday.

Assistant Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said the laws were designed to promote energy efficiency in large commercial buildings, and will help Australia curb greenhouse gas emissions, blamed for global warming.

"Energy efficiency represents one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways we can reduce our nation's greenhouse gas emissions, and the commercial building sector has the potential to deliver some of the lowest-cost abatement," Combet said as he introduced the laws.

Energy used by Australian residential and commercial buildings accounts for around 20 percent of Australian greenhouse gas emissions. The new laws apply to buildings of 2,000 square metres (21,500 sq ft) or more.

Building owners will need a building energy efficiency certificate when they put office space up for sale or lease.

The certificates will spell out an energy efficiency rating, information about the efficiency of the lighting used and information about how energy efficiency could be improved.

Australia has set a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least five percent by 2020 from 2000 levels, and wants 20 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020.

However, the government's centrepiece plan for carbon trading to start in July 2011 remains deadlocked in parliament's upper house Senate, where it has been defeated twice and faces a third defeat in May.

Australia accounts for 1.5 percent of mankind's greenhouse emissions and is the highest per-capita carbon polluter in the developed world because of its reliance on coal for 80 percent of domestic electricity generation.

Afghanistan, West accuse Iran of arming Taleban

Thu, Mar 18 01:05 PM

London, Mar. 18 (ANI): Afghan and Western officials have accused Iran of delivering tonnes of weaponry to the Taleban, including plastic explosives, mortars, grenades and technical manuals.

cording to The Times, weapons and documents shown to Channel 4 News indicate that more than ten tonnes of weapons have been intercepted at Iran's desert border with Afghanistan in the past year, with a tonne and a half recovered in the past week.

e reports come as General David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, warned the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Iran also provided a base for al-Qaeda operatives.

Afghanistan's intelligence agency estimates that 60 per cent of the weaponry it has intercepted from Iran has been supplied by the Iranian Government rather than black market dealers.

Allegations of Iranian support for the Taleban, using secretive units of the Quds (Revolutionary Guard) have been made in the past.

In 2007 General Dan McNeill, then the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, claimed that a consignment of roadside bombs was intercepted by British special forces crossing into Farah province from Iran.

The Taleban and its al-Qaeda allies have been on the back foot in recent months, as the US military surge and increasingly successful attacks from unmanned drones decimated their leadership. (ANI)

Woods will still be 'terrific,' says Obama

Enlarge Photo Tiger Woods watches his shot during practice outside his home in Windermere, Florida, in this...

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he was sure Tiger Woods will still be a "terrific golfer" when he returns to competition, while one of the PGA Tour's most senior players urged America to forgive the scandal-hit golfer.

In an interview with the Fox News Channel, Obama was asked his thoughts on Woods' decision to return to golf at next month's Masters, the first major of the season.

Woods has not played in a tournament since November last year after disappearing from public view following tabloid revelations about his marital infidelities.

"I think that Tiger has acknowledged that he betrayed his family; that is a personal issue that he has got to work out," said Obama, himself a keen golfer.

"I hope they've worked it out and I am sure he is still going to be a terrific golfer."

At the PGA Tour event in Tampa, Kenny Perry, who lost in a playoff at last year's Masters, agreed that Woods would still be a great player and urged the public to forgive him.

"We have all made mistakes. It's like any sickness, like alcohol, drugs, you name it; there's so many things out there that people get hung up into and it grabs you and just can't get away from it for whatever reason," said Perry.

"I hope we are that country that will forgive, and give him a second shot. Everybody deserves a second chance."

Asked how he would react if he bumped into Woods on the practice range at Augusta, Perry said: "I'm going to go give him a hug. I'm going up there and get right in his face and tell him if I can do anything for him, let me know. I'm here to help you."

NHRC begins probe into Balangir deaths

Bhubaneswar, March 17 -- A special rapporteur of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) started an inquiry on Tuesday into the deaths due to hunger and malnutrition in Balangir district, Orissa. Special Rapporteur Damodar Sarangi will do the inquiry for four days starting Tuesday.

He said that he would meet the affected families in the district. The word 'rapporteur' is French in origin, meaning a person appointed by an organisation to probe a certain matter.

"I will submit the enquiry report to the NHRC," he said. Balangir is about 340 km west of Bhubaneswar.

On February 24, Hindustan Times had reported that 50 people of the age of 45 and below had died in Balangir district of chronic hunger and malnutrition in the past two years. Taking cognizance of the report, the NHRC had issued a notice to the Orissa chief secretary, T N Mishra, calling for his report in four weeks.

Sarangi reached Balangir on Monday and held a discussion with district officials to ascertain how five members of a family died last year. He enquired about the public distribution system, health facilities, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and how central government funds were utilised, a district official said.

On Tuesday, Sarangi visited Chabripali village, where Jhintu Bariha, his wife, a three-year-old son, a one-year-old daughter, and mother died in September and October last year due to chronic hunger.

Pepsi, Coke pledge not to sell sugary colas in schools

New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Global cola majors Pepsi and Coca-Cola have decided not to sell their high calorie sugary products in primary and secondary schools across the globe. PepsiCo India, which has been promoting students health through 'Get Active' programme, in a late night statement said "We are in the process of working out its rollout in India."

The company is committed to adopting its new policy to stop sale of full-sugar soft drinks to primary and secondary schools by 2012, it added. The programme include expanding physical education, promoting nutrition education along with portfolio transformation towards more nutritious products.

"We have long advocated for school settings to be made as conducive as possible to promote health of students... (it) will serve as an important part of that mission, by expanding our offerings of low-calorie and nutritious beverages," PepsiCo CEO and Chairman Indra Nooyi said.

PepsiCo said it will work with its bottlers, vending companies and third-party distributors - in collaboration with parents, community leaders and schools officials around the world - to offer low-calorie beverages for primary and secondary schools.

PepsiCo's move follows an announcement made by the Coca-Cola Company last week that it will make itself fully compliant with its global school beverages guideline by 2013, under which it will not offer beverages for sale in primary schools, unless asked so by parents and caregivers or school authorities to meet hydration needs.

Sushma and Jaitley set the agenda to outwit govt

Swaraj and Jaitley show who call the shots in BJP

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh may have installed Nitin Gadkari as the BJP president and even helped him create an eminently uninspiring organisational structure.

But the charmed team to succeed Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L. K. Advani seems to have already been created.

Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley proved on Wednesday who the real leaders in the BJP are.

The two Leaders of Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament teamed up to pit the BJP's performance as opposed to the Congress at the end of the first half of the budget session. Swaraj and Jaitley took turns in demolishing the ruling party's floor management during debate on almost all significant legislations — the women's reservation Bill, the civil liability for nuclear damage Bill 2010, and the debate on price rise.

"The first part of the budget session proved to be an opportunity for the Opposition to highlight the misery inflicted upon the people by the UPA government's inability to control the prices of essential commodities, particularly food items. Floor coordination was the hallmark of the Opposition. Complete absence of floor management was the characteristic of the UPA. The BJP has ended the first half of the budget session with a sense of satisfaction of having discharged its responsibility as India's principal Opposition party," said Swaraj.

Jaitley said the government was "outnumbered and outwitted" by the BJP- led Opposition. It was not just the articulation of the subject and management of an aggressive media but the supreme confidence exhibited by the duo that set them a few notches above the rest.

The sprinkling of those handpicked to run the organisation - chief spokesperson and general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad, Prakash Javdekar, Ram Nath Kovind - marked the significance of the two leaders coming together even though they refused to comment on anything outside the proceedings of the two Houses.

Swaraj clearly took the lead in parrying uncomfortable questions. When Jaitley was asked about the summons to Narendra Modi regarding the 2002 riot cases, Swaraj intervened: "Arun Jaitley will not answer this question." The importance of being Swaraj and Jaitley was clear not just to those within the party but also to the government.

The Congress has been trying to convince the BJP about the acceptability of the nuclear civil liabilities Bill. The National Security Adviser (NSA) has already met Jaitley once and the Prime Minister spoke with Swaraj earlier this week.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, the NSA once again held an hour- long parley with Swaraj and Jaitley in the Parliament House complex. Several other BJP leaders were also present during the discussion.

But the BJP leadership remained unconvinced about the Bill.

Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.

ANALYSIS - Rift threatens South Africa's ruling alliance

Deep divisions between South Africa's ruling ANC and its labour and communist allies are threatening a decades-old alliance as rival factions battle for power and influence to shape policy.

The African National Congress and labour federation COSATU are embroiled in their biggest public fight since President Jacob Zuma came to power in May last year with the backing of labour and the South African Communist Party.

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma speaks at the UK/South Africa Business Seminar, in London March 5, 2010. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs/Files

At stake is the power to change economic policy and considerable say over who will become the next leader of the ANC in 2012, and by implication the country's next president.

"It is really going down to the wire. The party is over," said independent political analyst Nic Borain.

The leftists had hoped Zuma would increase spending and do more to help workers and the poor after they helped him win election, but there has been little shift in policies long supported by business for maintaining financial stability.

Tensions in the struggle over the alliance, still dominated by the nationalist party that led the struggle to end apartheid, have come to the boil with both sides launching public attacks.

That infighting is likely to escalate ahead of the ANC's national general council in September.

The ANC accuses its ally of becoming an opponent. COSATU says the ruling party only cares about pleasing markets.

"For me it is completely virgin territory. The ANC responding to COSATU was not just an escalation. It was a statement of opposition to each other," Borain said.

COSATU wants lower interest rates and an end to the central bank's policy of targeting a specific limit to inflation. It has demanded an audit of the lifestyles of ANC politicians amid growing accusations of corruption in the party.

The union federation has also threatened to bring forward strikes against power price increases, although it has stopped short of threatening to disrupt the soccer World Cup in just under three months, South Africa's showcase to the world.

The alliance has held together since the 1950s although COSATU was sidelined during the presidency of former President Thabo Mbeki. That rift was only patched up when Zuma took over as ANC leader in late 2007.

Markets might feel more comfortable to see the leftists being pushed back to the margins and away from policy making, but a noisy political battle being taken to the streets could push sentiment in the other direction.

TAKE BATTLE TO THE STREETS

Analysts said the discord may lead COSATU to mobilise demonstrations to strengthen its position.

Those could only fuel a climate of unease at a time of spreading protests in townships over the government's failure to deliver on promises of decent homes, schools, roads and water supplies more than 15 years after the end of apartheid.

"This is the most serious public spat between the alliance partners since Zuma's inauguration and deals a severe blow to the tripartite alliance relations," said Anne Fruehauf, Southern Africa analyst at Control Risks.

"Having felt sidelined during the Mbeki era, the unions are extremely sensitive about seeing their demands marginalised once again. With a perceived loss of power in the corridors of power, we could increasingly see COSATU take the battle to the streets," she added.

The ANC on the other hand seems to be using firebrand youth league leader Julius Malema -- who demands mine nationalisation and has not shied from racial rhetoric -- to build support among South Africa's millions of poor and unemployed youths.

Malema has attacked COSATU secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi, who has expressed interest in an ANC leadership position when the party leader and senior officials are elected in 2012.

"He can basically do anything he wants and the party can't or won't throw the book at him," said Mark Schroeder, southern Africa analyst at global intelligence company Stratfor.

"You need to keep him to counter any threat from COSATU or the SACP. You need some other capability and the ANC Youth League has that capability."

Both Vavi and SACP leader Blade Nzimande have presidential ambitions, sources within the alliance say.

Analysts said it was still unlikely that COSATU would go it alone, pointing to the dismal performance of ANC breakaway, The Congress of the People, since last year's elections.

"If they tried to break away they wouldn't have a chance. They would probably have to wait at least another election cycle," Stratfor's Schroeder said. (Editing by Matthew Tostevin)

Angry China blasts Dalai Lama's latest speech

Beijing, March 12 (ANI): China on Thursday lashed out at the Dalai Lama after the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader gave a speech in which he said Buddhists were living in prison-like conditions and expressed sympathy with the people of Xinjiang. The speech, given to mark the 51st anniversary of his flight from Tibet to India, drew official Chinese rage at a regular Foreign Ministry news briefing in Beijing.

China called the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner a dangerous separatist.

Nigeria arrests 200 after clashes around Jos

Police in Nigeria said on Thursday they had arrested around 200 people following weekend attacks on three Christian villages in which hundreds of people are feared to have been killed.

The central city of Jos, at the crossroads of Nigeria's Muslim north and Christian south, has been tense since Sunday's attacks, blamed on northern settlers, on the villages of Dogo Nahawa, Zot and Ratsat just south of the Plateau state capital.

The bloodshed again put Africa's most populous nation in the international spotlight, with foreign governments including the United States and international rights groups urging the authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

"About 200 people have been arrested so far," Plateau police spokesman Mohammed Lerama said.

"By the time the investigations are completed, all of them will be charged to court ... Some were arrested for unlawful possession of firearms, some who were breaking curfew periods, some for unlawful assembly," he said.

Fierce competition for control of fertile farmlands between Christian and animist indigenous groups and Muslim settlers from the north have repeatedly triggered unrest in central Nigeria's "Middle Belt" over the past decade.

Retaliatory attacks are not uncommon and Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has put the security forces on red alert to try to prevent unrest from spreading to neighbouring states.

Plateau state government and local army chiefs have traded blame over the killings last Sunday, which came less than two months after days of clashes between Muslim and Christian mobs killed more than 400 people around Jos.

State Governor Jonah Jang on Tuesday blamed the military, which took control of security in January, for failing to respond to his warning that movements of armed men had been reported by villagers shortly before Sunday's attacks.

The local army commander denied he had been informed of any planned attack on the communities.

"Governor Jang's ceaseless attack on the army only goes to confirm his extraordinary partisanship to which the army will not be blackmailed into supporting," army spokesman Brigadier General Chris Olukolade said in a statement.

Some residents have questioned how the attacks on the three communities can have taken place at night when Jos remained under a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed after January's violence.

Hundreds of women marched in Jos on Thursday to demand the removal of army chiefs and justice for the victims.

Villagers look at bodies of victims of religious attacks lying in a mass grave in the Dogo Nahawa village, about 15 km (9 miles) to the capital city of Jos in central Nigeria, March 8, 2010. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

"The carnage was carried out in the middle of the night and Jos is on a 6 (p.m.) to 6 (a.m.) curfew. They must have passed through checkpoints," said John Gotip, one of scores of men who marched alongside the women.

(For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/)

(Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Nigeria arrests 200 after clashes around Jos

Police in Nigeria said on Thursday they had arrested around 200 people following weekend attacks on three Christian villages in which hundreds of people are feared to have been killed.

The central city of Jos, at the crossroads of Nigeria's Muslim north and Christian south, has been tense since Sunday's attacks, blamed on northern settlers, on the villages of Dogo Nahawa, Zot and Ratsat just south of the Plateau state capital.

The bloodshed again put Africa's most populous nation in the international spotlight, with foreign governments including the United States and international rights groups urging the authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

"About 200 people have been arrested so far," Plateau police spokesman Mohammed Lerama said.

"By the time the investigations are completed, all of them will be charged to court ... Some were arrested for unlawful possession of firearms, some who were breaking curfew periods, some for unlawful assembly," he said.

Fierce competition for control of fertile farmlands between Christian and animist indigenous groups and Muslim settlers from the north have repeatedly triggered unrest in central Nigeria's "Middle Belt" over the past decade.

Retaliatory attacks are not uncommon and Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has put the security forces on red alert to try to prevent unrest from spreading to neighbouring states.

Plateau state government and local army chiefs have traded blame over the killings last Sunday, which came less than two months after days of clashes between Muslim and Christian mobs killed more than 400 people around Jos.

State Governor Jonah Jang on Tuesday blamed the military, which took control of security in January, for failing to respond to his warning that movements of armed men had been reported by villagers shortly before Sunday's attacks.

The local army commander denied he had been informed of any planned attack on the communities.

"Governor Jang's ceaseless attack on the army only goes to confirm his extraordinary partisanship to which the army will not be blackmailed into supporting," army spokesman Brigadier General Chris Olukolade said in a statement.

Some residents have questioned how the attacks on the three communities can have taken place at night when Jos remained under a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed after January's violence.

Hundreds of women marched in Jos on Thursday to demand the removal of army chiefs and justice for the victims.

Villagers look at bodies of victims of religious attacks lying in a mass grave in the Dogo Nahawa village, about 15 km (9 miles) to the capital city of Jos in central Nigeria, March 8, 2010. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

"The carnage was carried out in the middle of the night and Jos is on a 6 (p.m.) to 6 (a.m.) curfew. They must have passed through checkpoints," said John Gotip, one of scores of men who marched alongside the women.

(For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/)

(Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Congo calls for full U.N. troop pull-out in 2011

Democratic Republic of Congo called on Thursday for all U.N. troops to pull out in 2011, a move which human rights groups say would spell disaster for civilians caught up in conflict there.

Nearly 22,000 peacekeepers with the United Nations' MONUC force are deployed throughout the country, maintaining a U.N. presence launched in 1999 when a six-year war drew in neighbouring countries and claimed an estimated five million lives.

"Senior officials of the U.N. have been informed of the government's wish to see the total withdrawal of MONUC from DRC during 2011," Information Minister Lambert Mende told reporters.

U.N. peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said on a recent visit to Congo that a new MONUC mandate due in June would include plans for a withdrawal, but said no date had been agreed.

"We are waiting for the Secretary General to give his report to the Security Council to see what final decision will be taken," a MONUC spokesman said on Thursday.

Conflict still rages in the east of the country, where U.N. troops are backing government operations to oust Rwandan Hutu rebels, the FDLR.

Human rights groups say massacres, rape, looting and other attacks on civilians continue in the east, and that armed ex-rebel groups control artisanal mining of lucrative tin and tantalum, used in telephones and camera lenses.

Lobby group Global Witness said on Thursday a U.N. pull-out should be conditional on demilitarisation of these mines.

"The security and human rights situation has remained dire over the past year," said Tawanda Hondora, deputy director of rights group Amnesty International's Africa programme.

"Withdrawing or reducing the peacekeeping force could have disastrous consequences," she said in a warning issued last week as the debate intensified.

CONGO "TAKES CHARGE OF DESTINY"

About 4,000 U.N. troops are stationed outside the two eastern provinces of north and south Kuvu, where operation Amani Leo ("Peace Today" in Swahili) is taking place.

Mende said the government also wanted MONUC to shift all its peacekeepers to the hot zone in the east this year.

U.N. battalions are also stationed in the north of Congo, the scene of fighting after a local fishing dispute flared up, displacing tens of thousands of people, as well as in Kinshasa and the northeast, where Ugandan rebels have bases.

MONUC's touted withdrawal in 2011 also raises questions over the conduct of forthcoming presidential elections, due in 2011, prompting concerns over whether the state can afford the costs and logistics of a country-wide poll without U.N. assistance.

Donor-assisted elections in 2006 cost about $500 million, about 20 percent of the cash-strapped nation's budget.

"Some disgruntled people, in a paroxysm of suspicion, have seen this 2011 deadline as a ploy to get rid of MONUC and rig the 2011 elections," said Mende.

"The closeness of elections can never exempt a people from taking charge of its destiny," he added.

MONUC says it has not been asked to assist with national elections, but has been asked by government to assist with local elections, for which the electoral commission has not yet set a date, although they are due before the presidential elections.

Chile aftershock measured at 7.2 magnitude

A 7.2 magnitude aftershock struck near Chile's capital Santiago on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The aftershock was centered about 77 miles (124 km) west-southwest of Santiago and was measured at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km), USGS said.