Chandrika recalls killing of husband on 20th death anniversary

COLOMBO, Feb 17: Recalling the brutal assassination of her film star-turned-politician husband Vijay Kumaratunga on his 20th death anniversary, former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said her traumatised daughter did not speak for a year following the tragedy.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Kumaratunga said on the day of the assassination on February 16, 1988, a "short, fair man" was shooting at somebody and when she came out of the house. The man stared at her for some time, then ran away.

"As I came running I noticed a man shooting. He was a short, fair man. Once he completed his task, he shook the gun," she said, adding the assassin then aimed the gun at her while staring into her face, then "ran in the opposite direction".

"When I came to the gate I noticed somebody who had fallen. The head was nothing but a lump of debris. I was shocked," she said. The victim turned out to be none other than her husband, who was leaving the house for a luncheon meeting at the US Embassy in Colombo.

Kumaratunga said their daughter Yosodhara clasped her father's hand as he lay on the ground, and did not speak for one whole year afterwards. "On Vijay's first death anniversary, we were in London and we went to the Buddhist Vihar to offer alms. It was only then that she began conversing again," she said. (PTI)

Bangla officials rule out sending Hasina abroad for treatment

DHAKA, Feb 17: Bangladeshi authorities today ruled out the possibility of sending ailing ex-premier Sheikh Hasina for medical check-up abroad, a day after she insisted on being treated outside the country citing security reasons.

"We will arrange her treatment at any hospital of her preference inside the country but under the law, a detained person can not be sent abroad," Deputy Inspector General of Prisons Major Shamsul Haidar Siddiqui said.

He said senior officials and her personal physicians had also requested her to undergo treatment at any hospital inside the emergency-ruled country, as she was suffering from blood pressure, and eye and hearing problems and dust allergy "but she refused to be hospitalised."

Hasina's personal physician A B M Abdullah said she had expressed her wish to be not treated inside Bangladesh when he visited the ex-premier at her makeshift sub-jail at parliament complex yesterday.

She is afraid of taking treatment in the country on security grounds and wants to go abroad for treatment as she feared attempts on her life in view of various previous assassination attempts, he told newsmen.

Besides, he said, her hearing aid has gone out of order totally and it is not possible to repair it in the country.

Acting Awami League president Zillur Rahman said there were instances of sending detained politicians abroad for treatment. (PTI)

'PPP to frame appropriate response with PML-N to any rigging

ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: Slain Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto's PPP will frame an "appropriate response" along with the PML-N of former Premier Nawaz Sharif to the possible rigging of tomorrow's general election once the poll results become known by Tuesday, a party spokesman said today.

"We are all set for the polls, even though the government has done all it could do to rig the polls," Pakistan People's Party (PPP) spokesman Farahtullah Babar said.

Warning the government to desist from "further rigging" on election day, he said the consequences of such a move would be bad for the country.

Babar also said that Bhutto's fears about 15,000 to 20,000 bogus votes being cast in selected constituencies appeared to be coming true as PPP workers had seized blank ballot papers and stamps in parts of Sindh yesterday and handed over these materials to police.

PPP Central Executive Committee will meet in Islamabad on Tuesday morning to review the poll results and the PML-N and its top leadership will also have a similar meeting.

Babar said that the two parties would formulate an "appropriate response" to the possible rigging after analysing the election results.

The venue of a joint meeting has not yet been decided but the possibility of such a meeting is very high as the top leadership of both parties will be in Islamabad, Babar said.

PPP sources, meanwhile, said that there had been a "good progress" in talks with the PML-N on obtaining support for forming a coalition government.

Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari yesterday held a meeting and vowed to launch a joint movement if the general elections are rigged.

This was the second meeting between the leaders of the PML-N and PPP, which are expected to sweep the polls. At their last meeting on February 12, Zardari and Sharif had agreed in principle to form a coalition Government if they emerged as the largest groups in the polls in order to prevent the military from usurping power from elected representatives. (PTI)

1.6 lakh chickens to be culled from single farm

DHAKA, Feb 17: Livestock authorities in Bangladesh began culling around 1.6 lakh chickens at a major poultry farm in the capital after the detection of bird flu, which has spread to 42 of the country's 64 administrative districts since its detection in March last year, officials said today.

Officials said they would need at least two days to cull the entire flock in the farm.

"This would be the highest number of poultry birds to be culled at a single farm since the outbreak of the avian influenza," chief livestock officer Dr Salahuddin Khan said.

So far, more than six lakh chickens have been culled in various affected areas of the country, he said.

Wearing safety robes, livestock workers started culling chickens at the automated Omega Poultry Farm Limited at Badda area of Dhaka late yesterday. Staff first suspected bird flu infection on February 10 when 20 chickens suddenly died.

"It alarmed us all because, usually, no more than one or two chickens die a day. And the number of deaths doubled a couple of days later," the farm's owner Alif Ahmed Khan said.

Salahuddin Khan, however, said the outbreak of the disease appeared to be lessening in the country with officials reporting only one case of avian influenza from the southeastern port city of Chittagong, while "previously we used to receive five to six such cases everyday".

Officials said they killed over 11,000 chickens at suburban Gazipur, western Jhinaidah and Shariatpur and central Narsingdi districts on Friday.

The interim government in emergency-ruled Bangladesh earlier called in the army to help cull thousands of chickens and ducks after bird flu was detected in a number of central and northern districts.

Authorities also banned import of grade parents and day-one chicks from 62 countries.

Officials said four lakh people are directly dependent on the estimated Taka 6,000 crore poultry industry, which is growing at a rate of about 60 per cent. There are some 300,000 poultry farms in the country. (PTI)

New hope on spinal injury treatment

LONDON, Feb 17: A ray of hope for people paralysed as a result of broken back or neck-scientists at the Cambridge University are on the brink of a major potential breakthrough in the repair of spinal cord injuries.

The researchers are developing a clinical treatment that could allow damaged nerve fibres to regenerate within the spinal cord and encourage the remaining undamaged tissues to work more effectively.

Spinal injuries are difficult to treat because the body cannot repair damage to the brain or spinal cord. Though nerves can regenerate, they are blocked by the scar tissue at the site of the spinal injury.

But, the researchers have identified a bacteria enzyme called chondroitinase which is capable of digesting molecules within scar tissue to allow some nerve fibres to regrow.

The enzyme also promotes nerve plasticity, which potentially means that remaining undamaged nerve fibres have an increased likelihood of making new connections that could bypass the area of damage.

According to lead researcher Professor James Fawcett, "It is rare to find that a spinal cord is completely severed generally there are still some nerve fibres that’re undamaged.

"Chondroitinase offers us hope in two ways; firstly it allows some nerve fibres to regenerate and secondly it enables other nerves to take on the role of those fibres that cannot be repaired.

"Along with rehabilitation we are very hopeful that at last we may be able to offer paralysed patients a treatment to improve their condition."

The Cambridge University work has been funded by the Action Medical Research charity.

"This is incredibly exciting, ground-breaking work, which will give new hope to people with recent spinal injuries," the charity’s Dr Yolande Harley was quoted by the ‘BBC News’ portal as saying. (PTI)

Orient-Express becomes hedge funds' darling; All eyes on Tata

NEW YORK, Feb 17: Amid speculations that Indian conglomerate Tatas may soon come out with a takeover bid, the global luxury hotel chain Orient-Express is seeing a rush of hedge fund investors seeking a play in any potential deal.

At least three large hedge funds, including one promoted by billionaire investor Steven Cohen, disclosed over the past week having raised their holdings to more than five per cent each in the NYSE-listed Orient-Express.

In addition, these investors, as well as a few others, are already in the process of further consolidating their holdings in the company in anticipation that an eventual takeover bid would lead to some handsome returns for their investments, according to an investment banker associated with one of such recent deals.

"The buzz here is that Tata group might soon look into consolidating their 11.5 per cent holding into a majority one and any such move would give the hedge funds a handsome return if they decide to tender their shares in favour of the Indian group," the banker said.

According to another person close to one of the hedge funds that has purchased OEH shares, even if Tatas decide against any takeover bid for OEH and they exit the company, which is unlikely as selling shares at current levels would not give them much upward return, the road would become clear for another interested party to look into acquiring the company.

A number of investors, who have purchased OEH shares in large quantity of late, have done so with a clear intention to participate in a potential merger or acquisition deal. (PTI)

'Pak to face massive violence, may even split if polls rigged'

LONDON, Feb 17: On the eve of parliamentary polls in Pakistan, PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari is 100 per cent confident of garnering a majority but warned President Pervez Musharraf-led government not to rig the election which will force him to launch massive street protests leading to the break-up of the nation.

"Up till now I've shown absolute patience. My wife (former Premier Benazir Bhutto) has been killed, yet I've calmed people down, stopped them protesting. I've called no strike. But I'm telling you, people are absolutely on the warpath. If the elections are rigged the situation will go out of my hands. We'll have no choice but to take to the streets," Zardari said in an interview to 'The Sunday Times' published today.

Zardari was made co-Chairman of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) after Bhutto's assassination on December 27 last year. Their son Bilawal, who is studying at Oxford, was named the Chairman of the party.

"I feel her (Bhutto's) spirit is with me and I won't let her down. But I fear they did not kill Benazir just to let us win... We've played our part responsibly. We've taken part in the elections rather than boycotted. Now it's up to them to give us a free run. People are angry, they are on the breadline, despite the 60 billion dollar windfall Musharraf has enjoyed over the past eight years.

"They want change and they want democracy. If we're allowed free and fair elections I'm 100 per cent sure we will get a majority," Zardari said, while warning that Pakistan would face massive violence which could lead to its break-up if the Musharraf Government carries out alleged plans to rig or disrupt the polls. (PTI)

EU Commission launches anti-dumping probe into Chinese candles

BEIJING, Feb 17: China's candles are under anti-dumping investigation of the European Commission after complaints that they have swamped the EU market, which was having a "negative impact" on the European industry.

European candle producers including Germany's EIKA and the Netherlands' Bolsius have filed a complaint with the Commission, which also launched anti-dumping probe into certain steel products imported from China.

European retailers such as Sweden's Ikea import large volumes of candles from China.

The Commission said there was "sufficient evidence" to justify launching the proceedings, the official Xinhua news agency reported from Brussels where the EC is based, quoting its official journal.

An anti-dumping investigation has also been launched into certain pre- and post-stressing wires and wire strands of non-alloy steel imported from China, following a complaint by Eurostress Information Service on behalf of European producers.

Chinese steel is already under anti-dumping probe in the last two months regarding hot-dipped metallic-coated iron or steel flat-rolled products and stainless steel cold rolled flat products.

The European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries (Eurofer), a Brussels-based industry body representing EU steel majors such as ArcellorMittal and ThyssenKrupp have lodged the complaint.

The Commission is yet to give its ruling on a third complaint lodged by Eurofer against Chinese wire rod.

The EU governments would decide on imposing definite anti-dumping duties for five years after investigation by the Commission which must complete it within 15 months. The Commission can also impose provisional duties for six months after consulting its member states. (PTI)

Powerful bosses 'ignore new opinion'

NEW YORK, Feb 17: Trying to persuade your powerful boss of a new idea? Just forget it. Going by a new study, he would not listen to you.

A team of international researchers has carried out the study and found that when people feel the power of their position, they normally tend to ignore new opinion -- the reason being "confidence".

"Powerful people have confidence in what they are thinking. Whether their thoughts are positive or negative towards an idea, that position is going to be hard to change," said lead researcher Richard Petty of Ohio State University.

However, the study has also revealed that the best way to get leaders to consider new ideas is to put them in a situation where they don't feel as powerful.

"If you temporarily make a powerful person feel less powerful, you have a better chance of getting them to pay attention," said co-researcher Pablo Briol of the Universidad Autnoma de Madrid in Spain.

The team came to the conclusion after carrying out two related experiments on a group of college students in America.

In the first experiment, the students role -- played in a situation in which one was a boss or in other words, had a position of power -- and the other was an employee who took orders simply.

All the participants viewed a fake advertisement for a mobile phone. The ad was designed to see if participants were paying attention to the message, so half of them received ads with particularly weak arguments for buying the phone while the others received strong arguments.

The participants were then asked to rate how favourably they viewed the phone. (PTI)

Layoffs to cost Yahoo! about Rs 100 crore

NEW YORK, Feb 17: Internet major Yahoo!, currently resisting a hostile takeover bid by software giant Microsoft, will incur about Rs 100 crore in severance payouts and other expenses related to its planned job cuts across the world, which includes about 40 people in India.

The internet firm, in a regulatory filing here on Friday, said, "In connection with the strategic workforce realignment, the company expects to incur pre-tax cash charges of 20-25 million dollars (about Rs 100 crore) for severance pay expenses and related cash expenditures associated with the workforce reductions.

The company expects to recognise the majority of the foregoing charges in the first quarter of 2008, with the remaining costs being recognised over the remainder of 2008."

Yahoo! had recently announced plans to cut down its worldwide workforce by 1,000 employees, which was followed by about 40 people being told to quit at its India operations in Bangalore.

When contacted by PTI, the company's spokesperson for India had confirmed the move but declined to reveal the exact number of employees sacked there.

The company had announced the job cuts at the time of announcing a 23 per cent drop in its fourth quarter profits 205.7 million dollars, late last month. The move was aimed at reducing its annual expenditure. (PTI)

Fiji deports British member of world legal watchdog

SUVA, Feb 17: A British lawyer representing the International Bar Association (IBA) has been arrested and deported on arrival in Fiji on the orders of the post-coup interim Government, officials said today.

Felicia Johnston was detained by immigration officials when her flight arrived in Fiji yesterday morning and put on a Brisbane-bound flight seven hours later.

She was part of a panel of jurists scheduled to visit Fiji to examine the state of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

However, her deportation has prompted the international law body to suspend the study visit which was scheduled to start on February 18.

The interim Fiji government, installed following a military-led coup in December 2006, has opposed the IBA visit claiming it would interfere with the country's constitution.

Interim Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum told the FijiLive website it was the Fiji interim government's decision not to allow the IBA into the country.

"The IBA is most welcome but not now," Sayed-Khaiyum said. "There are a number of matters before the court which could be compromised or prejudice the hearing of these matters.

"In terms of who they were going to meet, it was extremely limited, demonstrating a bias.

Sayed-Khaiyum said the Fiji Law Society had recently attacked the judiciary and the integrity of its members, and under such circumstances the visit would not have been conducive to an independent assessment. (AGENCIES)

Obama tries to head off Clinton comeback

WASHINGTON, Feb 17: Barack Obama reached out to working-class voters in Wisconsin just days ahead of the Midwestern state's primary where Hillary Rodham Clinton hopes to begin her comeback in the closely contested Democratic presidential race.

On the Republican side, John McCain moved closer to securing the party's nomination as he picked up a total of 50 national nominating delegates from Michigan and Louisiana, where state conventions divided up delegates to the party's national convention in September.

Clinton and Obama campaigned in Wisconsin ahead of Tuesday's primary to gain an edge in their tight race.

In a stop at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Obama dismissed Clinton's arguments that she is the better candidate because of her longer tenure in Washington.

"We don't need somebody to play the Washington game better -- we need to end the game plan," he told about 3,500 supporters.

Clinton made her first Wisconsin campaign stop yesterday afternoon at a restaurant in Kenosha.

The former first lady

accused Obama of dropping the Democratic Party's longtime platform of ensuring universal health care coverage, saying that Obama's plan would leave millions of people uninsured because it doesn't require individual mandate for insurance.

"Let's not give up on the dream of universal health care," she said. "If we don't even have a plan to get there, as my opponent doesn't, then we've given up."

The Illinois senator has responded by saying his plan would drive down costs enough to make health care affordable. He says he opposes a mandate because it would financially punish those who do not have insurance. (AGENCIES)

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