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Showing posts from December, 2010

West chides Russia over ex-tycoon Khodorkovsky trial

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Click to play Click to play Advertisement Daniel Sandford: "He won't be released until 2017" Continue reading the main story Related stories In pictures: Khodorkovsky trial Implications for Russia Views from Russia The US, UK and Germany have criticised the new six-year sentence imposed by a Russian court on former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khodorkovsky, who is near the end of an eight-year term for tax

Australia PM Julia Gillard visits flood-hit Queensland

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Click to play Click to play Advertisement More than half of Queensland is now a disaster zone Continue reading the main story Related stories In pictures: Floods hit Australia Australia floodwater still rising Australian PM calls for flood help Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is visiting communities suffering from unusually severe flooding in the eastern state of Queensland. She flew into Bundaberg, where the flooding

Indian Citibank 'fraudster' arrested

The alleged $20m fraud came to light earlier this month Police in India have arrested a Citibank employee accused of defrauding clients out of millions of dollars. Shivraj Puri, 32, who is expected to appear in court later, told an Indian newspaper he was innocent. The alleged fraud was discovered earlier this month in a branch of the global bank in Gurgaon, a wealthy suburb of Delhi. The bank has said duped investors were promised quick, high returns from a bogus financial scheme. It is alleged that Mr Puri funnelled the money into accounts controlled by three relatives. 'Truth will out' Mr Puri reportedly handed himself in on Thursday, a day after police said he was wanted for questioning. The accused told the Times of India newspaper after his arrest: "I have already given full details to the police. I have full faith in the judiciary. Truth will come out." The alleged fraud came to light earlier this month when a client mentioned the s

Israel ex-President Moshe Katsav found guilty of rape

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Click to play Click to play Advertisement The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says Moshe Katsav is expected to appeal against the judges' unanimous decision. Continue reading the main story Related stories Ex-president's fall to disgrace Israel's Katsav rape trial opens Katsav claims 'lynching' by media Israel's former President Moshe Katsav has been convicted of rape by a court in Tel Aviv and could go

Ivory Coast: UN warns attack 'could reignite' civil war

Mr Ouattara's supporters are holed up in the Golf Hotel Continue reading the main story Ivory Coast: Two presidents, one crisis Will neighbours intervene? Ouattara's besieged hotel Ivory Coast crisis: A guide to key players Q&A: Ivory Coast election crisis UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned supporters of Ivory Coast incumbent Laurent Gbagbo not to attack his rival Alassane Ouattara's HQ. An attack - threatened for Saturday - could spark civil war, he said. Mr Ouattara, internationally recognised as winner of the presidential poll, is protected by UN soldiers in Abidjan. Regional countries have threatened to oust Mr Gbagbo, but he says he will not leave voluntarily - and international pressure could trigger civil war. "I do not believe at all in a civil war. But obviously, if the pressures continue as they have, they will push towards war, confrontation,&quo

"Everything Is Broken" by Emma Larkin

288 pages Published April 2010 by Penguin Group Source: the publisher and TLC Book Tours On May 2, 2008, an unprecedented tropical cyclone hit the Irrawaddy Delta in Burma. The official death toll was over 138,000 dead and missing with destruction of the land too great to comprehend. As news of the disaster and its scale began to be known in the days following the cyclone, the military regime ruling Burma took the unbelievable stand that they would not allow any kind of foreign aid to enter the country. Furthermore, they themselves took almost no steps to provide aid to the survivors. Hundreds of thousands of their people had no drinking water, food or shelter. The author had made many trips into Burma in previous years doing research for anther book and immediately wanted to get into Burma to see what was happening and what she could do. Coming into the country as a tourist, Larkin was able to find lodging in a house in Rangoon and through her network of fri

Bangladesh to Build Full-Fledged Air Force Base Near Burma Border

Dhaka: Bangladesh will soon build a full fledged air force base at Cox's Bazar, near the Burmese border, to ensure the security of maritime boundaries and other military and civil establishments, according to an official report. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that the air force base would be built when she addressed attendees during the ceremony of the Bangladesh Air Force winter graduation parade on 27 December. "It is to ensure the security of maritime boundaries and other military and civil establishments," the prime minister said. The town of Cox's Bazar is located in southernmost Bangladesh near Burma's western border, and it is strategically important for Bangladesh. The maritime boundary in the Cox's Bazar region is in dispute with Burma, and there currently is no air force or navy base in the area. Bangladesh is now upgrading and modernizing the armed forces with improved equipment and weapons, and the new air

Burma and South Korea to Increase Energy Cooperation

Sittwe: Representatives from Burma and South Korea met in Burma's new capital Naypyidaw on Friday to increase energy cooperation between the two countries, according to an official Burmese report. The two countries agreed to increase cooperation in the development of offshore blocks A-1 and A-3, technology development in petroleum and natural gas, exploring natural resources, supplying electricity, increasing staff work efficiency, and increasing participation in Burma's energy projects, the report said. The move came about after the two nations' representatives met at a 4th meeting between the two countries in Naypyidaw, and discussed issues on energy and natural resources cooperation. In the meeting, Burma was represented by Deputy Minister of Energy U Than Htay while Korea was represented by Vice-Minister of Knowledge Economy Park Young-June. Burma and South Korea have been cooperating extensively this year in the fields of technology, trade and inves

Township Chairman Becomes Wealthy After Misappropriating Giri Relief

Pauk Taw: The chairman of Pauk Taw Township, the township most severely affected by Cyclone Giri in Arakan State, has been misappropriating cyclone aid by selling it to outside markets, said a source close to the township administration. U Khin Maung Lwin, Chairman of Pauk Taw Township, recently sold 30 metric tons of timber to a timber shop in the township for this own profit. A senior clerk in the town said, "The several hundred tons of timber, mostly dipterocarp, were sent by the government to rebuild schools and monasteries in the cyclone affected areas in our township. From the donated timbers, the chairman secretly sold 30 tons to a timber shop in Pauk Taw that is owned by Daw Khin Mya Win." After the stolen timbers were sold to the shop, the shop owner sent them on to Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, on a cargo boat to be mixed in with and concealed among timber being sold in timber shops in the city. A manager from Sittwe confirmed, on condition of

Two Women Arrested with 25,000 Yaba on Border

Dhaka: Two Bangladeshi women were arrested along with 25,000 yaba tablets by Border Guards Bangladesh, formerly known as Bangladesh Rifles, on the Teknaf - Cox's Bazar highway near the Burmese border, according to the official BGB report. The border forces arrested the two women at Morit Cha Bazar with the yaba in their possession yesterday as they tried to pass a BGB checkpoint in a rickshaw. The two women were identified as Jaysa Mi Prokaya Bayar, 30-year-old wife of Ayu Ali, and Rachayda Adra, 28-year-old wife of Ali Aham, from a village bordering Teknaf Township opposite Burma's Maungdaw. The yaba tablets had been smuggled in from Burma for sale in the Dhaka and Chittangong markets, where Burmese-made yaba is in high demand, the source said. According to local officials, in 2010 the Bangladesh border force has seized 2.5 million yaba tablets at the Morit Cha checkpoint on the Teknaf - Cox's Bazar highway near the western Burmese border. 570 ya

Strike over massive Bolivia fuel price rises begins

Soldiers and military vehicles provided alternative means of transport for some Continue reading the main story Related stories Country profile: Bolivia Timeline: Bolivia Transport workers in Bolivia have begun an indefinite strike, called in protest at an increase of more than 70% in the price of fuel. Commuters struggled to reach the main cities, and army lorries were used to help people get to work. The Bolivian government withdrew its heavy subsidies for petrol and diesel on Sunday, saying it was not prepared to keep fuel prices artificially low. It said much of Bolivia's oil was being smuggled out of the country. But the drivers' confederation, which groups together bus and lorry operators, said the price rise would have a negative impact that would be widely felt. "This won't just affect the transport sector, this will affect everyone because all prices will rise," said spokesman Franklin Duran. The country's vice-preside

Gunman dies following house siege

Police went to the house to arrest a man in connection with an earlier incident A man has died after he was shot as a siege was brought to an end by police in West Yorkshire. Earlier, an officer had received minor injuries after shots were fired by the man in a house in Kirkheaton, Huddersfield on Monday night. Armed police then surrounded the property. The gunman, 42, was brought from the house at about 0600 GMT on Tuesday after police returned fire. He was taken away in an ambulance but died later in hospital. Senior police officers said the position of the building meant they did not believe other residents in the area were at risk during the siege. The gunman was believed to be alone. 'Loud bangs' A BBC cameraman at the scene said: "There were three loud bangs - possibly gunfire. "Then the police started shouting and I heard them smashing glass as they went in to the house. They were shouting at the gunman to show them his hands.&

'Last-chance' mission heads for Ivory Coast talks

The atmosphere in Abidjan remains tense Continue reading the main story Ivory Coast: Two presidents, one crisis Siege mentality Cocoa high Q&A: Ivory Coast election crisis Ivory Coast crisis: Your views Three West African heads of state are expected in Ivory Coast for talks on the crisis following the disputed presidential election. Leaders from Sierra Leone, Benin and Cape Verde are to give the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, a final chance to step down peacefully. Mr Gbagbo insists he is the winner of the election. He is refusing to make way for Alassane Ouattara, who has been internationally recognised as the president-elect. Mr Ouattara's victory in 28 November polls was overturned by the Constitutional Council, a body headed by a Gbagbo ally, citing claims that results were rigged in the north. A Sierra Leone government spokesman told the BBC that the leaders from the Ecowas r

Call to free India rights activist Binayak Sen

Dr Sen was found guilty of carrying messages and setting up bank accounts for Maoist rebels Continue reading the main story Related stories Indian poverty fuels Maoist insurgency Dr Binayak Sen: Tribal doctor Jailed rights activist wins award Civil rights groups and academics in India and the US have called on India's government to free a leading public health specialist and human rights activist, Dr Binayak Sen. He was sentenced to life in prison last Friday for helping Maoist rebels. Dr Sen was found guilty of carrying messages and setting up bank accounts for the rebels, who are active in large areas of central and eastern India. Activists say the evidence against Dr Sen was "manufactured". The human rights group Amnesty International has said his trial violated international standards. "We are deeply shocked by the judgment of a Chhattisgarh [central Indian state] court holding Dr Sen to be guilty of sedition, and sentencing him to

Iran hangs man convicted of spying for Israel's Mossad

Continue reading the main story Iran nuclear crisis Fuelling Bushehr Squeezing Iran: Oil and sanctions Q&A: Nuclear issue UN sanctions Iran has hanged a man after finding him guilty of spying for Israel's intelligence service, the official Irna news agency says. Ali Akbar Siadat, an Iranian, was executed inside Tehran's Evin prison, according to judicial officials. Irna said he was in contact with the Israeli spy agency Mossad for several years, and had passed on information about Iran's military activities. He was arrested in 2008, when he tried to leave Iran with his wife. Siadat "confessed that he had transferred information to Mossad about Iran's military activities," Irna said, adding that he had "received $60,000 to give classified information to the Zionist regime". He was accused of providing details about military bases, fighter jets, training flight

Two suicide bombers kill 14 in Iraqi town of Ramadi

<div class="warning"> <img class="holding" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/50590000/jpg/_50590611_jex_910991_de27-1.jpg" alt="Bomb crater" /> <p><strong>Please turn on JavaScript.</strong> Media requires JavaScript to play.</p> </div> Advertisement The aftermath of the bomb attack in Ramadi Continue reading the main story Struggle for Iraq Guide to political groups in Iraq Iraqi hopes and fears for government

Australians evacuate flood-hit Queensland towns

Advertisement Aerial footage shows the extent of the flooding in Queensland Continue reading the main story Related stories Australia airbed teenagers saved Rains raise Australia drought hopes 'Big Dry' turns farms into deserts Flooding in north-eastern Australia has forced residents to evacuate towns and closed down more than 300 roads. In one town, Theodore, 300 residents are being flown out by a fleet of helicopters after floodwaters swamped buildings. The floods have caused hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage to sunflower and cotton crops. The state government of Queensland has declared several areas disaster zones. The state capital, Brisbane, has recorded its wettest December in more than 150 years. Cyclone Tasha, which hit Queensland on Saturday, also brought torrential rain to the state. 'Still coming' The river in Theodore had passed its previous recorded high by more than 50cm (20in), Eme

Airports reopen after monster blizzard in north-east US

Many flights are still experiencing severe delays, US officials say Continue reading the main story Related stories Fourth major storm strikes Canada US blizzard: Your pictures Storms dent post-Christmas sales Airports have reopened in the north-eastern US after blizzards caused some 7,000 flights to be cancelled over the busy post-Christmas travel period. Services have now resumed into and out of New York, Boston and Philadelphia. But officials warn it could take days to clear the flight backlog for tens of thousands of stranded passengers. Analysts say the storm and its aftermath could cost the airlines up to $100m (£64m). The blizzards also disrupted rail and road traffic. The conditions were blamed for a car crash in Maine in which a 59-year-old man died, and for stranding two buses carrying some 50 passengers on a New Jersey motorway. National rail operator Amtrak - which earlier shut its New York-Boston route - announced a limited resumption of serv

Senior Arakanese Politician Surrenders to Military Junta

Dhaka: U Padi Pru, the president of a faction of the National United Party of Arakan, surrendered to the military government on 24 December at the western border town of Maungdaw, report party sources. U Saw Hla Aung, General Secretary of NUPA, confirmed U Padi's surrender to the Burmese military government through Sarafa, Burma's military intelligence unit, along with a monk who is his nephew, in Maungdaw. "It is a betrayal to the national cause by him. Even though he surrendered to the junta, we will carry out our movement ourselves. His surrender will not have a big affect on our movement or our party," he said. The junta authority however, sees much significance in his surrender because it is a crucial time in Burma and in the conflict between the military government and the ethnic nationalities armies. The authority immediately brought U Padi Pru to Sittwe, the capital of Arakan, a day after he surrendered to authorities in Maungdaw. A p

Township Chairman Becomes Wealthy After Misappropriating Giri Relief

Pauk Taw: The chairman of Pauk Taw Township, the township most severely affected by Cyclone Giri in Arakan State, has been misappropriating cyclone aid by selling it to outside markets, said a source close to the township administration. U Khin Maung Lwin, Chairman of Pauk Taw Township, recently sold 30 metric tons of timber to a timber shop in the township for this own profit. A senior clerk in the town said, "The several hundred tons of timber, mostly dipterocarp, were sent by the government to rebuild schools and monasteries in the cyclone affected areas in our township. From the donated timbers, the chairman secretly sold 30 tons to a timber shop in Pauk Taw that is owned by Daw Khin Mya Win." After the stolen timbers were sold to the shop, the shop owner sent them on to Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, on a cargo boat to be mixed in with and concealed among timber being sold in timber shops in the city. A manager from Sittwe confirmed, on condition of

Two Police Officers Killed in Humorous Vehicle Accident

Maungdaw: Two riot police officers were killed in an unfortunate humorous vehicle accident on Saturday in Maungdaw on the western Burmese border, said a police officer from Maungdaw. The accident took place at 10:00 pm when the police officers failed to yield on their motorbike to a lorry that was approaching them, because they mistook the lorry for another motorbike due to it having only one headlight on the front of the vehicle. The source said, "The lorry was being driven from Buthidaung to Maungdaw to transport bamboo. When the lorry reached a point near the three-mile gate of Maungdaw, the lorry collided head on with the motorbike of the police officers." Police officer Myo Myint Kyaw, 32 years old, died at the scene while the second officer, Zin Lin, died at the hospital. Both were from the riot police regiment in Maungdaw. On the Buthidaung and Maungdaw motor road, most lorries and busses are older vehicles and drive on the road with only on

Farmers Become Landless for Railroad

Kyauk Taw: Many farmers in Arakan have become landless after their farmlands were confiscated without compensation by authorities for the railroad, said farmers. A farmer from Kyauk Taw said, "I have six acres of farmlands that are freehold lands. Now I have lost three acres of land for the railroad. I have not received any notice from the government about construction of the railroad over my farmland - I only found out when the construction workers erected several red flags on our farmland for the construction of the track. Many farmers in our area have faced the same problem as me." At least 3,000 farmlands have been lost by local farmers in Mrauk U and Kyauk Taw Township for the railroad, but they have not been given either other lands nor financial compensation from the government for their lost land. A 65-year-old farmer from a village in Kyauk Taw said, "I would like to die if possible because one and a half acres out of my total two acres

Police Search for Night Guard from BAJ After Office Fire

By Takaloo ------------- Maungdaw: The police are searching for the night guard from the office of Bridge Asia Japan, of BAJ, to arrest him after the office was recently gutted in a fire in Maungdaw in western Burma's Arakan State, after BAJ opened a case against him on charges of negligence. The night guard was identified as Tun Khin Maung, 45 years old, who is a resident of Ward No. 4 in Maungdaw. "The police are now searching to arrest him after the BAJ accused him of negligence and opened a case against him with the police for the office fire," one of Maung's relatives told Narinjara. According to a BAJ official, they opened an office in a makeshift wood and bamboo building to facilitate the construction of Shwezar Bridge in Maungdaw in 2009. The office was gutted in a fire around 10:40 pm last Thursday, just a few days before the project was to be completed. All documents regarding the project were lost in the fire. "Our night guard Tun Kh

Utrecht Excellence Scholarships

Eligible candidates: highly talented prospective students from non-EU countries Amount of scholarship: 5 000 – 27 300 euro per year Number of scholarships/year: approximately 55 Provided by: Utrecht University and alumni of Utrecht University Aim of the programme The Utrecht Excellence Scholarship offers a number of highly talented prospective students the opportunity to pursue a degree in a selected number of fields at Utrecht University: International Bachelor’s programmes: * Economics and Business Economics * Liberal Arts & Sciences at University College Utrecht International Master’s programmes offered by the following Graduate Schools: * Graduate School of Geosciences * Graduate School of Humanities * Graduate School of Law, Economics and Governance * Graduate School of Life Sciences * Graduate School of Natural Sciences * Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences Note that Master's programmes that are not state-funded (see programme descript