Jail for tainted Pakistani cricketers in spot-fixing scandal

Butt (27) was jailed for two years and six months, Asif (28) for one year, and Mohammad Amir (19) for six months.

Three top Pakistani cricketers - former captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - were on Thursday preparing to spend their first night behind bars after being jailed for their role in 'spot-fixing' during a Test match against England at Lord’s last summer.

"What a shame, I grew up worshipping them as my heroes,’’ sighed a young bystander as they were driven to the cells in the back of a police van after being handed down their sentences at London’s Southwark Crown Court.

Butt (27) was jailed for two years and six months; Asif (28) for one year; and Mohammad Amir (19) for six months.

Amir, who was 18 at the time of the offence and had pleaded guilty before the trial, was sent to a young offenders’ institution while his lawyers applied for bail.

The three were also ordered to pay compensation towards prosecution costs - Butt £30,937, Asif £8,120 and Amir £9,389.

Mazhar Majeed, their London-based agent and ringmaster who claimed he paid them money to deliberately bowl no-balls at pre-determined intervals as part of an international betting scam, was sentenced to two years and eight months.

Judge Jeremy Clarke told them they had damaged the integrity of the great game of cricket and 'tainted' it forever. What they had done was 'not cricket, the judge said.

"The image and integrity of what was once a game but is now a business is damaged in the eyes of all, including the many youngsters who regarded you as heroes and would have given their eye teeth to play at the levels, and with the skills that you had," he said.

In the end, however, they got away lightly. The maximum sentence for the charges on which they were found guilty -conspiracy to accept corrupt payments - is seven years. They would serve only half their sentences if their behaviour was found good.

As the three cricketers were led away, Asif nodded to someone in the public gallery.

The other two showed no emotion. In a statement read to the court, Amir apologised and said he was put under pressure to cheat .

Besides the international media, a large crowd had gathered outside the court to watch the last sordid act of the year-long saga that saw some of the biggest names in Pakistan cricket dragged into controversy. During the trial, there were also references to an unnamed 'Indian contact' who wanted to invest money in the betting scam.

The case arose out of a sting operation by the now-defunct 'News of the World' purporting to show that the three cricketers took money from Majeed to deliberately bowl no-balls. The secretly-filmed footage showed Majeed accepting £150,000 from an undercover reporter. He promised that the next day, Asif and Amir would deliver three no-balls at specific intervals which they did. Butt’s role allegedly was to make sure that his bowlers bowled the three no-balls. 

U.S., peace talks hurt most by Palestinian UNESCO bid

WASHINGTON:- The Palestinians' success in joining UNESCO and Israel's immediate retaliation has two main casualties: the peace process and the Obama administration.

Monday's vote by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization to grant full Palestinian membership despite U.S. and Israeli objections exposed how little leverage Washington has on either side. It forced the Obama administration to withhold $60 million from the agency.

The vote appears to have dramatically lengthened the odds of resuming peace talks, which collapsed more than a year ago despite the efforts of President Barack Obama.

And it triggered what some analysts see as an overreaction by Israel, which on Tuesday announced plans to speed up settlement building and to withhold, at least temporarily, customs revenues and other fees that it collects for the Palestinians.

The biggest loser, it seems, is the United States and its long-shot hope of coaxing both sides back into negotiations.

"There are consequences in terms of the environment for getting these parties back to the table -- which is going in the wrong direction," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

Another U.S. official said the White House already had little stomach for running the domestic and foreign political risk entailed in launching any new peace initiative, and the latest developments have made such a move even more doubtful.

"It's not that it's totally hopeless but there's very little reason for any optimism in the near-term," the official said.

This official said the Obama administration was caught off guard by the strength of Israel's retaliation.

Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator under Prime Minister Ehud Barak who is now at the New American Foundation think tank in Washington, said, "The Palestinian strategy right now is hurting America more than it's hurting Israel."

UNAPPEALING CHOICES FOR U.S.

The United States and Israel fought an unsuccessful battle to prevent the Palestinians from formally applying to join the United Nations in September. Washington has said it will ultimately veto the application, which is working its way through the U.N. Security Council.

Both countries argue that the Palestinians can only achieve statehood through direct peace talks, and reject any moves through which U.N. agencies would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state.

But the Palestinians have forged ahead, and at UNESCO scored their first real success with a lopsided vote that prompted Israel's speedy retaliation.

The Palestinian diplomatic moves, and Israel's reaction, create a series of unappealing choices for the White House before the 2012 U.S. presidential election in which it would prefer not to alienate Jewish voters, some of whom are already unhappy with Obama.

Showing its solidarity with Israel, Washington found itself in a minority of 14 voting against Palestinian membership in UNESCO, with 107 countries voting in favor and 52 -- including close allies such as Britain -- abstaining.

The Obama administration was forced by U.S. law to cut off funding for the U.N. cultural agency, a step the State Department has said is not in America's national interest and could lead to a dangerous "cascade effect" if other U.N. agencies follow suit.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Reuters on Oct. 11 she was arguing to lawmakers that the administration would need flexibility to maintain such funding, particularly if agencies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency or the World Health Organization gave the Palestinians full membership.

The administration must now talk to members of Congress about funding UNESCO, a U.N. agency for which there is little love lost, especially among some Republicans lawmakers, in an era of tight budgets.

"In an election year, supporting the U.N. over Israel is an overwhelming political loser," said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

U.S. 'DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED' BY SETTLEMENT BUILDING

Alterman also said the Israeli response -- speeding up its construction of settlements, prompting the White House to say it was "deeply disappointed" -- distances Israel from the United States just when it needs U.S. support most to try to stop Palestinian efforts to gain membership in U.N. agencies.

The administration is also in the uncomfortable position of trying to persuade lawmakers to keep funding the Palestinian Authority -- notably for forces that maintain security in the West Bank -- despite lawmakers' threats to cut funds if the Palestinians sought U.N. membership as they did on Sept. 23.

That same day, the so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators called for the Israelis and Palestinians to hold preparatory talks within a month and to make comprehensive proposals on territory and security within three months.

But the Quartet, which includes the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States, has failed to get the parties to meet. And there seems to be little hope that it will meet its goal of a peace deal by the end of next year.

Some analysts faulted the Obama administration for not having a strategy to get the two sides back into talks and to prevent them from in effect thumbing their noses at the United States and directly flouting its wishes.

"We're in a period now of uncoordinated escalatory unilateral moves by the Israelis and the Palestinians. It is the thing the Obama administration said they wanted to avoid but then had no strategy to actually avoid," said Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress

Arab League announces peace plan for Syria

BEIRUT — Syria agreed on Wednesday to the terms of an Arab League peace plan aimed at ending more than seven months of bloodshed and opening talks with government opponents on ways to move the country toward democracy.

Protesters opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad face violent responses from security forces.

But on a day when at least 34 people were reported killed in the central provinces of Homs and Hama, most of them in what appeared to be acts of sectarian vengeance, it was unclear whether the deal would stop the rapidly escalating violence.Under the terms of the plan, Syria is to withdraw the army from cities and towns, release all political prisoners, and permit access to members of the media, human rights groups and Arab monitors, according to a statement issued by the Arab League.

Within two weeks, the Syrian government is supposed to begin talks with the opposition, which has refused all dialogue unless the regime ends its crackdown, allows protests and releases prisoners. It was unclear whether the discussions would take place in Cairo, as the plan stipulates, or Damascus, which the Syrian government wants. A Syrian government official said that detail is still under discussion.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad Bin Jasim al-Thani, who played a key role in securing the deal, stressed that it is important for Syria to act swiftly to carry it out. “We are happy to have reached this agreement and we will be even happier when it is implemented immediately,” he told a news conference after a ministerial meeting in Cairo.

If the plan were implemented, it would mark a significant breakthrough in the nearly eight-month-old standoff between the Assad government and a stubbornly persistent protest movement that has refused to stop demonstrating despite the crackdown, in which at least 3,000 have died and tens of thousands have been detained.

But many opposition figures, activists and analysts expressed skepticism that Syria is serious about ending its crackdown or holding meaningful dialogue with the opposition.

“The Assad regime is lying and buying time,” said Radwan Ziadeh, a Washington-based member of the newly created Syrian National Council, which was established in Istanbul to represent the opposition. “Assad will not stop the killings, because if he does he will have millions of protesters taking to the streets.”

In Washington, the State Department responded coolly and reiterated the U.S. position thatAssad should step down.

“There is a risk here that they are trying to string out diplomacy, that they are trying to offer their own people half-steps or quarter-measures rather than taking the real steps,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said of the Syrian government. “Let’s see what they actually do.”

The skepticism is justified, said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. Assad has on numerous occasions in the past offered to release prisoners and pull back troops, only to intensify the crackdown against the protest movement.

The initiative does, however, represent an achievement for the Arab League, which has for months been unable to muster a united front against the Syrian government. If Syria does not abide by the plan, “this could have a catalytic effect on the international community and at the U.N. . . . to intensify the pressure,” Shaikh said.

But the surge of violence in Homs seemed to call into question whether it will even be possible to stop the killing and underscored the extent to which the standoff between the government and protesters risks turning into a full-blown sectarian conflict, at least in some parts of the country.

The bloodshed began on Tuesday evening when nine men drawn mostly from Assad’s minority Alawite sect were shot dead on a bus by unidentified gunmen who ordered women off and then shot the men, said Mohammed Salman, a Homs activist.

On Wednesday morning, 11 Sunni workers were found shot dead execution style at a tissue factory in the nearby town of Houla in an apparent act of revenge, said Rami Abdelrahman of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A video posted on YouTube showed the bodies of some of the men, their hands bound, with gunshot wounds to their heads.

Later Wednesday, gunmen ambushed a military convoy in neighboring Hama province and killed 15 members of the security forces in retaliation for the shooting of the Sunnis at the factory, Abdelrahman said. Eight other people were killed by security forces in scattered incidents around Homs, he said.

Homs residents denied that the killings were sectarian and said the government was stoking tensions to justify a continued crackdown. Those killed on the bus were members of the security forces “involved in crimes against the Syrian people,” said Fady, an activist who asked that his full name not be used to protect his safety. “This is not about Sunni and Alawite, and never will be.”

Israel's Dangerous Plan to Strike Iran

Will Israel Really Strike Iran?

Benjamin Netanyahu is edging closer to launching a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. A firestorm of violence across the Mediterranean would follow. And Tehran is already threatening to retaliate against the United States, 

Suddenly the Israeli press has become fixated on stories that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is considering a military attack on the Iranian nuclear program. Some very reputable Israeli journalists are reporting that the prime minister and his defense minister, Ehud Barak, are pushing the cabinet to vote in favor of an attack. An Israeli strike on Iran could create a firestorm of violence from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea and put thousands of American soldiers and diplomats at risk. Today Israel tested one of its long-range missiles, adding to the tension.The story began to break last Friday with an article claiming that Netanyahu and Barak were pushing for an attack on Iran this fall. The journalist who wrote the story, Nahum Barnea, is one of Israel’s best reporters and is highly respected.  Subsequent news stories have focused attention on a large Israeli Air Force training exercise in late October that took place on the Italian island of Sardinia, in which IAF long-range fighter bombers practiced an extended-range attack plan with the Italian, German, and Dutch air forces. Now Israel has test-fired one of its Jericho missiles, which can hit targets all over Iran.

The Iranians, of course, have noticed all the Israeli press accounts. Iran’s chief military leaders have warned this week that an Israeli attack on Iran would result in “heavy damage” in Iranian retaliation against both Israel and American targets. Iran has been saying that for years. Tehran believes Israel would attack it only with an American green light. Since the IAF would be using American-supplied jets and bombs, the Iranian argument cannot be dismissed lightly.

Iran and its allies in the region, especially Syria and Hizbullah, are already under enormous pressure from the international community on a number of fronts: Iran for allegedly plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington; Syria for killing thousands of its own citizens in the Arab Awakening; and Hizbullah for murdering former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. The International Atomic Energy Agency is due to publish a new report on Iran’s nuclear program this month, which could ratchet up the issue further. It is an extraordinarily tense and dangerous moment in the Middle East, and trigger fingers are itchier than ever. 

Iran’s capability to retaliate for an Israeli strike against the U.S. is enormous.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the opening of the winter session of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem, Oct. 31, 2011.

Iran’s capability to retaliate for an Israeli strike against the U.S. is enormous.  It could encourage its Shia allies in Iraq to attack American forces, as they seek to withdraw from the country before the end of the year, or the American diplomats who will stay behind. It could encourage the Afghan Taliban, with which it has developed a closer relationship in the last couple of years, to step up its attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Italian forces in Afghanistan are particularly vulnerable, since they are deployed near the Iranian border around Herat, but American bases across the country would be even more at risk than they are today. U.S. bases in the Gulf states, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, would be in range of Iranian missiles and terrorists. Hizbullah and Iran have contingency plans for attacks on American diplomatic and other targets across Europe, Africa, Asia, and here at home. They don’t need to rely on Mexican drug cartels to hit inside America.

Of course, Iran and its allies can also strike at Israel. Hizbullah proved in 2006 that it can turn northern Israel into a war zone, forcing the mass evacuation of Haifa and other cities. Now it has missiles that can reach Tel Aviv. Iranian missiles could target Tel Aviv as well. And Syria has chemical warheads for its missiles.

Israel can mount a tough defense and has the capability to strike back hard.  Of course, it also has a nuclear deterrent. Ehud Barak famously warned Saddam Hussein in 1990 that if Iraq fired chemical weapons at Israel, he should look at his watch because in less than an hour Baghdad would be vaporized by a Jericho. The U.S. can strike Iran even harder. We can hope that deterrence would keep the Persians from blowing up the region.

The whole Israeli press hullabaloo may be just a media invention or some trial balloon that will fade away. The Obama team could also quietly make clear to Bibi that a strike is a bad idea. Sanctions and sabotage have slowed Iran’s nuclear program down considerably. The former head of the Mossad has publicly urged continued diplomacy and covert action to keep Iran from getting the bomb. Meir Dagan has said an Israeli attack would be a “stupid idea.” He is right.

“If girls are educated, ‘angels’ will be found everywhere”

Women must be properly educated and given training in skill building so that they could find their rightful place in society. If girls are educated, “angels” will be found everywhere. If all educated girls speak with one voice it will be a great voice.

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil makes a point at the inauguration of the quasquicentennial celebrations of Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow on Wednesday

This was stated by President Pratibha Patil at a function to mark the quasquicentennial celebrations (125 years) of the Isabella Thoburn College, first Christian women's college of Asia, here on Wednesday.

Ms. Patil expressed her deep concern at the rising trend of crimes against women and called upon the law and order enforcing authorities as well as society to create a safe and secure environment for women. She lamented that even as the country entered the 21st century, families were worried about lack of security for their women members. She suggested that girls be taught judo and karate for self-defence. “Self-defence is the best form of defence,” she said.The President noted that in Rajasthan, where she had served as Governor, young girls were inducted in the police.

The social condition of a nation could be gauged by the standing and status of its women. There was a strong correlation between women's education and their overall progress, including their economic development.

Ms. Patil pointed to illiteracy and lack of access to education and deprivation, which have existed along with the success stories of educated women, and felt this should reinforce the commitment to achieve the goal of education for all.

“A paradox of sorts exists as far as women in India are concerned. On the one hand they have proved to undertake all types of missions and works and on the other they faced numerous challenges and discriminations emanating from social prejudices and social evils.”

While expressing dismay at incidents of female foeticide, practice of dowry and the helpless condition of widows, she said these issues needed to be handled by governments and society. Women's empowerment was the need of society and the nation. As the country made progress on gender mainstreaming, more women would become partners in the activities of the nation and society.

The President emphasised a “forward looking and comprehensive approach” to meet the challenges of an “evolving society.”

A special first day cover to mark the 125 years of the Isabella Thoburn College was released by the President. She also unveiled a plaque. Two college publications were released by Governor B.L. Joshi.

The college had a humble beginning. It started off as a small school in a small room in the Aminabad locality here on April 18, 1870. Six girls, whose names are unknown, were its first students.

It became the Lucknow Women's College in July 1886. The institution owes it present name to the first American woman missionary and educationist, Isabella Thoburn.

The college, which is affiliated to the Lucknow University, today has about 4000 students.

Among the alumni are Mohini Giri, Laxmi Menon, Rajmata Vijaye Raje Scindia of Gwalior, Urdu fiction writers, Ismat Chughtai and Quraitullain Hyder, Mumtaz Jaan Haider, the first woman IAS officer, Asha Joshi and Sandhya Sahay.

US consulate closed to public from Nov 15-21

The US consulate general at Lincoln House in Breach Candy and the American Centre at Churchgate will shift to a new facility in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). The number of interview windows for services to visa applicants and US citizens at the new facility will increase from 13 to 44.

Lincoln House will close its doors to the public on November 15 and reopen on November 21 at BKC. The consulate cannot provide visa services between November 15 and 21. Consular officers will host a webchat on November 9 at 7pm to answer specific questions about the shift and its effect on consular services. The American Library at Marine Lines will reopen shortly after consular operations begin at the new consulate.

The new consulate compound will house all US government offices in Mumbai, including the department of state, foreign commercial service, food and frug administration and the foreign agricultural service. It will also include the Consul General’s residence.

The new consulate features state of the art green technology, including high-efficiency lighting, a gray-water recycling system, and a self contained waste water treatment facility.

Govt unveils draft bill on Citizens’ Right to Grievance Redress

This was informed by the MoS, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and PMO, Shri Narayanasamy in New Delhi today. A draft Citizens Right to Grievance Redress Bill 2011 has been prepared and put up in the public domain for suggestions/inputs from the stakeholders. This was informed by the MoS, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and PMO, Shri Narayanasamy in New Delhi today.  The Draft aims at creating institutionalize mechanism to ensure delivery of public services in a time bound manner and redressal of public grievances.   Key recommendations in the Draft Bill are: There will be a Citizens Charter, and a protocol will be put in place. Bill can be enacted as a central legislation under the concurrent list Item 8 (actionable wrongs) and can cover: Central Schemes and Central Government Departments Provide a Platform to States to make this a Grievance Redressal Mechanism for State Schemes and Departments Bill will incorporate the institution of Information and Facilitation Centre in all public authorities to ensure that Citizens can be facilitated and grievances are systematically recorded and tracked using telephone, sms, web etc. First level Redress should be within concerned department as proposed. This should be done through a Grievance Redress Officer in each department The second level redress/ appeal will be at the level of Head of the Department of the public authority. State Grievance Commissions should be set up as second level appellate authorities. The Draft Bill can be accessed at the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances website www.darpg.gov.in. All those interested can send their suggestions/comments/inputs within 21 days.

Who’s gunning for Shah Rukh Khan’s film?

There is something called marketing, and there is something called the art of countering it. Over the past few weeks, a series of emails, photo-shopped images and email jokes have been circulated to mock and ridicule actor Shah Rukh Khan’s latest film. People close to Shah Rukh believe that it is a clever marketing strategy to undercut the film when it was going on at full-steam in the theatres.

“There have been numerous jokes and emails circulated during the promotion of the movie, but as the film released the war heated up. The attention was now diverted to speculating the figures, hinting at the figures not being true. It has now come to point of being nasty,” says a member of SRK’s production house.
According to sources, people in SRK’s camp are upset with the new kind of word-of-mouth negative publicity of the film where “random people are coming up to the audience and asking them to go back rather than watch the film”. The trend was reported by fans from prominent multiplexes, where the film is still going strong and has been steeply priced for a higher return.

“Went to see Ra.One with no expectations. Was stopped by random people at Inox, discouraging us. Including a charming old lady,” tweets filmmaker Pritish Nandy, who also went to see the film.

Similar reports emerged from other prominent multiplexes in South and Central Mumbai, with people tweeting similar experiences. 

Spot-fixing scandal: Butt, Asif and Aamer to be sentenced today

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer could face jail terms of up to seven years after being convicted of spot-fixing at a trial that laid bare a culture of corruption at the heart of international cricket.

The convictions deal a huge blow to the reputation of the game and the trial could lead to further damaging revelations, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) set to launch an investigation into corruption allegations heard in court against two other members of the Pakistan touring squad, Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz.

Following the four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, Butt and Asif were each found guilty of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat, offences that carry a maximum jail term of seven years.

Aamer, 19, pleaded guilty to the same offences at a pre-trial hearing two weeks before the case began, a fact not revealed to the jury until they had returned verdicts on his senior colleagues on Tuesday afternoon after more than 17 hours of deliberation.

At the pre-trial hearing Ben Emerson, QC representing Aamer, said the player had been subject to “extreme pressure” from senior colleagues, “Aamer wants to make it clear he wants to take full responsibility for what he did by deliberately bowling two no balls. This vulnerable 18-year-old boy, as he was then, was subjected to extreme pressure from those upon whom he should have been able to rely. He recognised the damage he has caused Pakistan cricket and he wants to do his best to put this right.”

Aamer was to face questions about his guilty plea from trial judge Justice Jeremy Cooke on Wednesday and will be sentenced alongside Butt and Asif on Thursday. The convictions mean the trio become the first sportsmen convicted for on-field corruption in a UK court since the 1960s, when three footballers, including two from Sheffield Wednesday, were jailed for throwing matches.

The ICC will now launch a fresh investigation into kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz. Both players were linked in court to betting scams allegedly organised by Majeed. Akmal’s name also came up in correspondence between Majeed and his contacts around the world in evidence collated by police from the early stages of Pakistan’s fateful tour of England. Prosecuting counsel Aftab Jafferjee QC said in court that Akmal had led a “charmed life” to escape investigation. He also said the roles of Riaz and Akmal “raise deep, deep suspicions”.

Akmal has not played for Pakistan since the World Cup although Riaz is in the squad playing in the UAE against Sri Lanka.

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, loses Sweden extradition appeal

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks who had been fighting extradition to Sweden on sexual misconduct charges lost his latest appeal on Wednesday, but vowed to continue to fight the charges. As Karla Adam reported:

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lost his battle against extradition Wednesday when Britain’s High Court ruled that he should be sent to Sweden to face questioning over allegations of sexual misconduct.The judgment was handed down by High Court judges John Thomas and Duncan Ouseley with Assange in attendance, wearing a dark suit and a Remembrance Day poppy.

In their ruling, the judges said that the European Arrest Warrant that triggered Assange’s arrest and subsequent proceedings by the Swedish authorities were “proportionate.” 

A British judge ordered Assange’s extradition in February, but his legal team appealed, arguing that the arrest warrant was flawed and the sex was consensual and would not be considered a crime in England.

After Wednesday’s ruling, Assange delivered a short statement to the jostling throng of reporters outside of the Royal Courts of Justice. It was a marked contrast to the lengthy, defiant speeches he made after previous hearings,

 “I have not been charged with any crime, in any country. Despite this, the European Arrest Warrant is so restrictive that it prevents U.K. courts from considering the facts of a case, as judges have made clear here today,” Assange said. “We will be considering our next steps in the days ahead.”  

He also urged people to visit swedenversusassange.com, a Web site commissioned by Assange’s defense fund,“if you want to know what’s really going on in this case.”

 Joshua Rozenberg, a legal expert, said that a decision on whether the Supreme Court would hear Assange’s appeal could stretch out for “certainly weeks.”

While Assange is wanted in Sweden for an alleged connection to a sexual misconduct case, it is unclear whether the warrant is for his arrest or merely for questioning. As Erik Larson explained:

“The fact that the term ‘accused of the offense’ is not used does not matter if it is clear” from the arrest warrant “that he was wanted for prosecution and not merely for questioning,” the court said today.

Assange has been staying with his friend Vaughan Smith, who runs a club in London for journalists. Smith said after today’s ruling that Assange has become “part of the family” and that his children think of him as an uncle.

The case shows the ease with which European arrest warrants can be used to gain access to an individual before a country has formally proved its case, said Neill Blundell, a lawyer who leads the fraud practice at Eversheds LLP in London.

“It is simply enough that the allegations have been made and that these allegations are crimes in both Sweden and the U.K.,” Blundell said. “Quite clearly allegations of sexual assault pass this test.”

The extradition was ordered in February by Judge Howard Riddle in London, prompting lawyers to question the strategy of Assange’s legal team, which labeled Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny as a “radical feminist.” Assange replaced his lawyers in July.

Will Kanimozhi finally get bail in 2G scam case?

Chennai: Five months after Kanimozhi was arrested as an accused in the 2G scam, will she finally get bail? That's the question the Special CBI court will answer on Thursday as it delivers its order on the bail pleas of DMK Rajya Sabha MP and DMK President M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi along with four other 2G accused.

Kanimozhi's last statement before she was sent to judicial custody in the 2G scam on the May 20, 2011 was "I am not a soft target"

Since then her focus has been getting bail but the courts did not entertain her bail plea till charges were framed. That meant that she had to spend the last five months including a Diwali in prison.

Her father, the DMK chief made two trips to Delhi to meet her. In the second visit just ahead of Diwali, Karunanidhi met his ally Sonia Gandhi for the first time since Kanimozhi's arrest, resulting in speculation that it was his last ditch effort to get bail for his daughter. But all hopes of returning to Chennai with his daughter for Diwali were quashed when the court reserved its order till November 3, despite the CBI not opposing Kanimozhi's bail plea.

"Kanimozhi is determined, even if she is looking weak, she is very confident," Karunanidhi said.

But except the DMK chief others within Karunanidhi's family, observers say, have not backed Kanimozhi. Her elder brother and union minister MK Azhagiri is seen as being against her and MK Stalin has been indifferent. Senior party leaders hope that bail for Kanimozhi could pave the way for the DMK retaking the cabinet berths vacated by the resignation of A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran. But they concede that for the moment Karunanidhi is not interested in retaking the berths.

Despite the ostensible statements of solidarity from the party, it's clear that Kanimozhi will have to fight the political and legal battle on her own. Her father remains her only source of power and the road ahead remains uncertain. For the moment the focus is on whether she will get bail or will she have to endure one more twist from the courts.

Bangladesh face tough task after Bravo`s 195

Dhaka: Bangladesh face a tough battle to save the series-deciding second and final Test against the West Indies despite opener Tamim Iqbal`s bold 82 not out on Tuesday.

The hosts, chasing an improbable victory target of 508, were 164-3 in their second innings at stumps on the penultimate day of the match in Dhaka. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim was unbeaten on 33.

Darren Bravo earlier smashed five sixes and 12 fours on his way to a 297-ball 195, before the West Indies, leading by 124 runs on the first innings, declared their second innings closed on 383-5.

The opening Test of the two-match series ended in a draw in Chittagong.


Bangladesh lost opener Imrul Kayes (nine), Shahriar Nafees (18) and Raqibul Hasan (17), but left-handed Tamim continued to defy the West Indies` attack, having so far cracked one six and eight fours.

Fast bowler Fidel Edwards, who jolted Bangladesh with five quick wickets in the first innings, struck in his second over when he had Kayes caught by Kirk Edwards at first slip.

Seamer Darren Sammy held a return catch to dismiss Nafees (18) in the last over of the afternoon session before off-spinner Marlon Samuels removed Raqibul.

Tamim, dropped at point on 12 by Samuels off Fidel Edwards, made the most of the chance and played some attractive strokes in his 149-ball knock. 

Left-handed Bravo, aged 22, fell in the afternoon session, top-edging a delivery from debutant left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo to wicket-keeper Rahim.

He had hit a six off the previous ball before going for another big shot in a bid to complete his double-century. He added 143 for the fifth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who remained unbeaten on 59 with six fours.

The West Indies added 176 runs to their overnight total of 207-3 before declaring after Bravo`s dismissal.

Bravo, who completed his maiden Test hundred off the last ball on Monday, reached the 150-mark in the last over of the morning session with a four off Shuvo.

He dominated the Bangladeshi attack for more than a session, adding 95 to his overnight score of 100. He also added 56 for the fourth wicket with nightwatchman Kemar Roach (12).

Roach fell in the day`s 11th over when he was caught by Naeem Islam at long-off off Shuvo, who finished with 3-73. 

Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan took 1-79 off 21 overs.