Yeddyurappa wins trust vote

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has sought trust votes for four times since he led the BJP to victory in the 2008 Assembly poll.

The BJP government in Karnataka headed by B.S. Yeddyurappa on Thursday won confidence vote in the Assembly 119-0 amid a walkout by the Congress and Independents and a boycott by the JD(S).

Law Minister S. Suresh Kumar pressed for division of votes, as Congress members trooped out with Independents following suit. The JD(S) had earlier announced its decision to boycott the ten-day session.

The sudden decision to go in for the trust vote was taken by the BJP Legislature party meeting here on Wednesday apparently to blunt the Opposition campaign against the government and to set at rest speculation about its strength following the recent political turmoil in the State.

The recommendation by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj to impose President’s rule in the wake of Supreme Court striking down the disqualification of 11 BJP rebel MLAs and five Independents was rejected by the Centre.

Mr. Yeddyurappa moved a one-line resolution stating “this House expresses confidence in the ministry led by me” after the House completed obituary references to members and dignitaries who passed away during the inter-session period.

This is the fourth time Mr. Yeddyurappa has sought a trust vote after he led BJP to victory in the 2008 Assembly polls.

Mr. Yeddyurappa, whose party won 110 seats out of 224 and fell short by three numbers for a simple majority, formed the government with the support of six Independents on May 30, 2008.

He proved his majority in the first week of June 2008.

On October 11 2010, Mr. Yeddyurappa faced the floor test under a directive by Mr. Bhardwaj after 16 MLAs, including 11 BJP rebels withdrew support from his government.

Though the trust vote was voice-based, Mr. Bhardwaj rejected it on the ground that the due procedure of head count was not followed.

Barak Obama announces 2012 re-election bid

President Barack Obama on Monday formally announced his 2012 re-election bid, saying the country needed "to protect the progress" it had made.

"Today, we are filing papers to launch our 2012 campaign," Obama said in a statement.

He explained that as his administration and supporters across the country "fight to protect the progress we've made -- and make more -- we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest."
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Obama said that in coming days, his supporters will begin forging a new organization in cities and towns across the country.

"And I'll need you to help shape our plan as we create a campaign that's farther reaching, more focused, and more innovative than anything we've built before," he said.

The announcement was preceded by a video, which featured a group of presidential supporters talking about the importance of continuing the job the president started following his election in 2008.

"This will be my final campaign, at least as a candidate," Obama said in the statement.

"But the cause of making a lasting difference for our families, our communities, and our country has never been about one person. And it will succeed only if we work together."

India, Pakistan home secretary talks begin

The home secretaries of India and Pakistan began talks here Monday to discuss issues like counter-terrorism measures, visa rules, drug trafficking and counterfeit currency notes.

The talks are being led by Indian Home Secretary G.K. Pillai and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Qamar Zaman. The Indian side is also represented by internal security Special Secretary U.K. Bansal and National Investigation Agency chief S.C. Sinha.

The talks, going on at a luxury hotel here, are likely to continue till 5 p.m., sources said.

Pakistan’s Ambassador Shahid Malik was also seen at the first home secretary level talks between the two sides since the 2008 Mumbai attack.

Sources said the two sides are also expected to discuss issues related jailed fishermen in India and Pakistan.

Akhilesh Yadav arrested in Lucknow

Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh son Akhilesh Yadav arrested.

On the last day of Samajwadi Party’s State-wide agitation against the Mayawati government, party State president Akhilesh Yadav was on Wednesday arrested at the Amausi airport as soon as he landed in Lucknow from New Delhi.

“Akhilesh has been arrested here this morning as soon as he landed here. He was immediately sent to jail and not even allowed by the police to talk to media,” party spokesman Ashish Yadav told reporters in Lucknow.

Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, son of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, was in Delhi to attend Parliament.

“As prohibitary orders are in place in the State capital, he has been arrested as a preventive measure,” a senior police official said.

Soon after his arrest, a number of party workers gathered at Hazratganj crossing to register their protest.

Police baton-charged these protesters to disperse them, in which a number of workers were injured.

A number of party workers also burnt flags of BSP at Darul Shafa to register their protest. During the first day of the agitation on March 7, a number of party workers were arrested and a number of them injured in police lathicharge.

BJP Flag Issue: Swaraj, Jaitley Arrested

BJP yatra stopped at J&K border; Swaraj, Jaitley, Ananth Kumar arrested.

Amid high drama, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s flag yatra was stopped at the Lakhanpur border of Jammu and Kashmir with its three senior leaders being arrested even as they lashed out at the State government and the Centre for committing a “historic mistake“.

A day after being sent back from Jammu and Kashmir, senior leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar tried to re-enter the State along with the Ekta Yatra being led by the party’s youth wing president Anurag Thakur but it was foiled by police which had put a barricade.

“What can be more unfortunate that those who burn the National Flag are being provided security while those holding the National Flag are being stopped,” said Ms. Swaraj as she was being arrested along with Mr. Jaitley, Mr. Kumar and Mr. Thakur on entry into Jammu and Kashmir from Punjab.

They were arrested for violating Section 144 which prohibits assembly of more than four persons at any particular place.

“What is our crime? Why are we being arrested? We have been marching peacefully,” Ms. Swaraj said while addressing thousands of party supporters.

Earlier, Ms. Swaraj and Mr. Jaitley addressed a public meeting at Madhopur on Punjab border and vowed to go ahead with the plans to to unfurl the national tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

“Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said if you visit the State, the separatists will be provoked. This shows the psychological surrender (by the State government) before the separatists... it is a historic mistake,” Mr. Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said.

Later, a group of activists were seen crossing the bridge on the Ravi river on the Punjab-J&K border where they were stopped by security forces.

The BJYM activists continued to shout slogans demanding that they be allowed to proceed to Srinagar to hoist the tricolour at Lal Chowk.

Mr. Jaitley said when a “group of separatists” gathered in New Delhi and made anti-India speeches, the government did not take action contending that freedom of speech was their right.

“But when we took he tricolour to unfurl it at Lal Chowk, they dub it as a crime,” he said.

Dave Lindahl Scam

US drops ISRO and DRDO from entities list

Obama administration removed nine Indian space, ISRO and DRDO.

Meeting the long pending Indian demand, Obama administration removed nine Indian space and defense related companies including those from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), from its export control 'Entity List'.

The decision that came out close to India's Republic Day, is said to be a move towards strengthening high technology trade between the two countries.

"Today's action marks a significant milestone in reinforcing the US-India strategic partnership and moving forward with export control reforms that will facilitate high technology trade and cooperation," said commerce secretary Gary Locke, after a notification was issued in the federal registry.

The announcement comes a week ahead of a high-profile visit of a US trade delegation which will visit New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. Locke will lead 24 US businesses on a high-tech trade mission to India. The delegation also includes senior officials from the Export-Import Bank (EX-IM) and the Trade Development Agency (TDA). This is the first step to implement the export control policy initiative announced on November 8,2010 by US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The DRDO companies removed from the entities list: Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Defense Research andDevelopment Lab (DRDL), Missile Research and Development Complex; Solid State Physics Laboratory. The ISRO companies to be dropped from the list are: Liquid Propulsion Systems Center, Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant (SPROB), Sriharikota Space Center (SHAR), and Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC).

The notification removes India from several country groups in the export administration regulations (EAR) resulting in the removal of export license requirements that were tied to India's placement in those country groups.

It further adds India to a country group in the EAR that consists of members of the missile technology control regime. The move recognises and communicates India's adherence to the regime, the US-India strategic partnership, and India's global non-proliferation standing.

"These changes reaffirm the US commitment to work with India on our mutual goal of strengthening the global non-proliferation framework," said under secretary of commerce Eric L Hirschhorn.

President Obama had assured India that he would remove the above companies from the 'Entity List' during his visit to India in November 2010.

"Commensurate with India's nonproliferation record and commitment to abide by multilateral export control standards, the United States will remove all civil space and defense-related entities from the department of commerce "entity list."

Inclusion on this list generally triggers an export license requirement for items that otherwise do not require an export license," said a fact sheet issued by the White House during the Obama visit.

Dave Lindahl Scam

Obama Approval Up, But Many Unhappy

Obama Falling Below Expectations at Two-Year Mark.

After two years in office, over half of American voters say President Obama is failing to live up to expectations, and a majority is dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country today.

Still, the president’s job approval rating is at its highest level in over six months. These are just some of the findings from a Fox News poll released Thursday.

Approval of Obama’s job performance stands at 47 percent, up from 40 percent in December.

The last time approval of the president was this high was late June 2010 (also 47 percent approval). The new poll found 44 percent disapprove of the job Obama is doing.

A year ago 50 percent approved and 42 percent disapproved (January 2010).

The improvement in Obama’s rating comes from a boost from his party faithful (87 percent of Democrats approve), as well as good ratings across the board for his handling of the Tucson shooting. Overall, 71 percent of voters approve and 10 percent disapprove of Obama’s handling of the shooting. Nineteen percent are unsure.

About 4 in 10 voters -- 42 percent -- think Obama is meeting or exceeding expectations. That’s unchanged from 42 percent who thought so last year, though a significant drop from the two-thirds who felt that way in early 2009.

A 53 percent majority thinks Obama is falling below expectations, up slightly from 50 percent at the end of his first year in office (January 2010). More than twice as many now say the president is missing the mark as in the early days of his term, when 23 percent said he was falling below expectations.

More than a third of Americans (37 percent) are satisfied with the way things are going in the country today, which is little improvement from 35 percent a year ago. Even so, nearly twice as many are satisfied today as were satisfied the week before Obama took office.

And while most voters -- 61 percent -- remain dissatisfied with the way things are going today, that’s a significant improvement from the 79 percent who felt that way in early 2009, days before President Obama took office.

By a 51-42 percent margin, more voters say they would vote for someone else if the 2012 presidential election were held today than would support re-election of President Obama.

Setting aside job performance and thinking about Barack Obama as a person, 56 percent of voters say they have a favorable opinion of him, up from 47 percent in late October. Forty percent have an unfavorable view today, down from 48 percent. In the week before Obama was inaugurated, his favorable rating soared to a high of 76 percent.

First Lady Michelle Obama has a higher favorable rating than her husband: 69 percent have a positive opinion of her (up 10 percentage points since October), while 20 percent have an unfavorable view and another 11 percent are unable to rate her.

Some 29 percent have a favorable opinion of the House Speaker John Boehner, up from 12 percent favorable in September. Twenty-one percent have an unfavorable view, and 50 percent are still unfamiliar with the new Speaker and unable to rate him.

Obama Becoming More of a Moderate?

After the president and Republican leaders came to a compromise in December on extending the Bush-era tax cuts, some Washington commentators suggested Obama was becoming more moderate. Across the country, 42 percent of voters think Obama is governing as a liberal, compared to 47 percent a year ago (October 2009).

Thirty-two percent think he is governing as a moderate, up just 3 percentage points from 29 percent previously.

The national telephone poll was conducted for Fox News by Opinion Dynamics Corp. of 900 randomly chosen registered voters from Jan. 18 to Jan. 19. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for the total sample.

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Dave Lindahl Scam

Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's brother sworn in

YSR's brother among 39 Andhra ministers sworn in.

Andhra Pradesh News Updates! Late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's brother Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy was among the 39 ministers inducted into the state cabinet on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy not only dropped three loyalists of Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the late Y.S.Rajasekara Reddy's rebel son who is popularly known as Jagan, but also inducted a few others who were openly targeting him and demanding probe into alleged corruption during YSR's six-year rule.

Kiran has dropped five ministers who were members of the cabinets of YSR and Rosaiah, retained 28 ministers and brought 11 new faces, including Vivekananda Reddy.

Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers at a morning ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

Vivekananda is the only minister from the legislative council and his induction was clearly aimed to counter Jagan, who resigned from the Congress and parliament Monday, accusing the leadership of trying to divide the family by luring his uncle with ministerial post.

Jagan and his mother Vijayalaxmi, who too quit the Congress and the state assembly, tried in vain to stop Vivekananda from joining the cabinet. There was a heated argument between Jagan and his uncle during their meeting Tuesday night at Kadapa.

Vivekananda, who left for Hyderabad after the meeting, made it clear that he would join the cabinet and remain in the Congress till his last breath.

Kiran dropped B. Srinivas Reddy and P. Subhash Chandra Bose, who had openly come out in support of Jagan in recent months. Shilpa Mohan Reddy was also seen as a Jagan loyalist.

Kiran also dropped P. Ramchandra Reddy, his rival in the party in his native Chittoor district. Senior leader Gade Venkat Reddy also did not find place.

Shankar Rao, a legislator from Hyderabad, and D.L. Ravinder Reddy of Kadapa district were among the new faces. The two are bitter critics of Jagan and had been demanding probe into alleged corruption during YSR's rule.

K. Jana Reddy, who was home minister in YSR's earlier cabinet (2004-09), returned to the cabinet. However, another senior leader, J.C. Diwakar Reddy, who was expected to make a comeback, was not inducted.

With 16 ministers, Telangana has been given the largest representation in the cabinet, followed by coastal Andhra (15) and Rayalaseema (8).

Mohammed Ahmedullah remains the lone Muslim minister in the cabinet.

Of the state's 23 districts, Adilabad is the only district with representation in the cabinet.

The prominent ministers who were retained include Dharmana Prasad Rao, Botsa Satyanarayana, Raghuveera Reddy, P. Lakshma Reddy, G. Aruna Kumari, S. Vijayrama Raju and J. Geeta Reddy.

The Congress retained power in April 2009 elections by bagging 156 seats in the 294-member assembly.

YSR, who took oath as the chief minister for the second consecutive term May 20 last year, died in a helicopter crash on Sep 2 the same year.

Rosaiah, who was finance minister in the YSR cabinet, succeeded him as the chief minister but retained the same cabinet. He quit last week on health grounds.

Members in Bihar assembly 2010

34 women elected to Bihar assembly.

Bihar News Updates! Women this time have the best ever representation in the Bihar Assembly in 48 years, having bagged 34 (rpt) 34 seats in the polls.

This feat was achieved despite the fact that women constituted only 8.74 per cent of the total number of candidates in the fray for the elections in Bihar.

Though they account for nearly half of the total 5.50 crore electorate, women emerged only a pale shadow of their male counterparts in the political landscape.

If the four major political parties - the ruling JD(U), BJP, Congress, RJD and LJP, besides major left parties are taken into account, then the women candidates in fray were just around 90.

JD(U) and BJP fielded maximum 24 and 11 women candidates, despite the two major NDA allies setting a model by providing for 50 per cent reservation for women in the Panchayati Raj institutions and civic bodies.

RJD and LJP who opposed the passage of the Women's reservation Bill in the present form and favoured a quota within quota, put up six and seven candidates, respectively.

The Congress which contested all 243 assembly seats in Bihar fielded 23 women, while the major Left parties -- CPI, CPI-M and CPI-ML (Liberation) fielded three, two and 11, respectively.

"This only speaks of the roadblocks in the progress of women. For them, their secured domain still remains their home and not the battlefield of polity," social activist Nivedita said.

"Curiously, this remains a paradox. In one hand women have done fairly well and climbed the ladder of success, on the other hand they are mute sufferers of the violence afflicted on them by their own family members," she said.

Except for an Independent Jyoti Rashmi, who won from Dehri, rest 33 (rpt) 33 women candidates who came out with flying colours are from JD-U (23) rpt (23) and BJP (10).

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Afghanistan Election Results

Afghanistan releases majority of election results.

Afghanistan Election Results Updates! Afghan election officials failed to deliver Wednesday on a promise of unequivocal final results from fraud-tainted September parliamentary elections as the country's attorney general cast further doubt on the poll by announcing a wide-ranging investigation into the vote.

More than two months since the Sept. 18 poll, many had hoped the final results would put the vote to rest, allowing the government to move on from debates about ballot-stuffing and voter intimidation and possibly even giving President Hamid Karzai a small success after last year's fraud-marred presidential election nearly undermined his administration.

The Afghan election commission certified results from 33 out of 34 provinces, but said Wednesday it had not been able to decide what to do about eastern Ghazni province, where a host of problems clouded the ballot even after substantial investigations.

The parliamentary ballot has been watched carefully by Karzai's western allies for signs that the Afghan president is committed to curbing corruption in his government. The poll is the first since last year's disastrous presidential election, which pushed some NATO countries to threaten to withdraw troops and aid.

Results of this poll, released just ahead of President Barack Obama's December Afghan review, come at a time when NATO and its allies need the Karzai government to be seen as a strong partner.

The United Nations welcomed the results, saying in a statement that even though there was fraud and cheating, election officials showed commitment to identifying and dealing with these problems, marking "a significant step in the development of Afghanistan's national electoral capacity."

Abdullah Ahmadzai, a member of the commission, said that a decision still must be made as to in Ghazni where many polling stations were closed, others were excluded because of fraud and there was almost nonexistent turnout in some districts.

As a result, no candidates from the majority Pashtun ethnic group won seats — a potentially inflammatory result in an already volatile province. Instead all 11 of the winning candidates are ethnic Hazaras, who tend to live in the safer parts of Ghazni.

"There are two possibilities: one is certification of Ghazni's results and announcing them, and one will be any decision otherwise, which will include a rerun of the election," Ahmadzai said. "So between these two options, we will make one decision, either to certify the result and announce it in one week's time, or a rerun."

He added that a rerun, if needed, might not happen immediately, saying it could be suspended indefinitely until security in the province improves.

The Ghazni results were delayed because commissioners are trying to negotiate a settlement with the winning candidates in the hope that they will accept a suspension of the election, according to an international diplomat who was briefed on the discussions. This would allow sitting Ghazni representatives to retain their seats until safety improves in the province enough to hold a fair vote.

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AP Chief Minister Konijeti Rosaiah resigns

Konijeti Rosaiah submits resignation to Governor.

AP News Updates! Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Konijeti Rosaiah has submitted his resignation to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan on Wednesday afternoon.

The Chief Minister announced his decision to quit “due to advanced age” at a hurriedly convened press conference and later drove to Raj Bhavan along with some of his Cabinet colleagues including . He was closeted with the Governor for about 15 minutes when he reportedly asked Mr. Narasimhan to accept his resignation at the earliest.

Mr. Rosaiah, who appeared relaxed during the brief media interaction, said there were no political reasons behind his resignation and refused to reply when asked about his possible successor. He said his 14-month-long stint as Chief Minister was satisfactory.

He said he had no special influence or support of groups in the party for his elevation as Chief Minister. He was given the responsibility due to the good impression Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the party’s Core Committee had on him.

Recalling his stint as Finance Minister earlier, he said his activity was confined to one department. But the Chief Minister’s job entailed strenuous work of reviewing the functioning of all the departments and ensuring an effective coordination between them. “I have taken up the responsibility at an advanced age and the work pressure enhanced considerably,” he said.

He thanked the party, bureaucracy and the people for reposing faith in him and declared that he would extend all the possible cooperation to his successor.

“I will be free from tomorrow and will extend all possible help to whoever takes the responsibility,” he said.

Mr. Rosaiah tendered his resignation a few hours ahead of an emergency meeting of the Congress Legislature Party scheduled at 6.30 pm to discuss the issue of choosing his successor. AICC leaders Pranab Mukherjee, M. Veerappa Moily, Ghulam Nabi Azad and A.K. Antony are expected to attend the CLP meeting as the party High Command’s observors.

There was hectic political activity in the Congress party with MLAs discussion among themselves about the possible successor of Mr. Rosaiah.

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Obama praised Indonesia

Politics News Updates! The US President, Barack Obama, has praised Indonesia's transition from dictatorship to democracy and identified it as a ''critical leader'' in the region and on the world stage as he made a historic return to his boyhood home.

Mr Obama conceded it was ''disorientating'' to be back after 40 years, with Jakarta barely recognisable from the city he lived in as a young boy.

After arriving late yesterday from New Delhi, Mr Obama and his wife, Michelle, travelled straight to the presidential palace for a series of meetings. He signed a ''comprehensive partnership'' that both nations said would expand their relationship beyond the traditional preoccupation of security.
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Rain and heavy security kept wellwishers to a minimum as his motorcade sped to the palace.

For Mr Obama, who has identified himself as the ''Pacific president'', Indonesia is a key ally. He thanked it for sponsoring the US membership of the East Asia Summit, a group of Asian nations that includes Australia. Mr Obama said it will be the chief multilateral institution to manage security and political issues in the region.

''Indonesia will be a critical partner, a critical leader in that,'' Mr Obama said.

Mr Obama and the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, spoke at length about the summit's potential, in particular its role in solving the territorial dispute in the South China Sea, arising from China's claim to much of the resource-rich area.

The comprehensive partnership covers economic, security, political and environmental realms. It aims to double educational exchanges between the two countries and will also include enhanced dialogue between non-government groups on the contentious topics of corruption and human rights.

Indonesia, said Mr Obama, was on the front line of climate change and, as an archipelagic nation, was likely to feel its effects soon.

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Republicans rule House in rebuke for Obama

Barack Obama News Updates! Republicans have dealt a stinging mid-term election rebuke to US president Barack Obama and his Democratic Party.

The Republicans have swept away Democratic candidates in all parts of the United States, easily passing the 39 seats they needed to grab control of the House of Representatives.

With a lot of help from Tea Party activists the Republicans have done as well as their best hopes, but the wave has not been enough to wrest control of the Senate away from the Democrats.

This will be some small comfort for Mr Obama as he contemplates the loss of vast swathes of the support he owned two years ago.

Mr Obama took power on a tide of hope and history, but in these mid-terms his Democratic Party has been battered by voters furious about the poor economy and his administration's handling of it.

Republican leader in the House John Boehner has been careful not gloat about his party's big gains. There have been no balloons or popping of the champagne corks.

"It's clear tonight who the winners really are and that's the American people," he said.

"It was the American people's voice that was heard at the ballot box.

"Frankly this is not a time for celebration, not when one out of 10 of our fellow citizens is out of work; not when we've buried our children under a mountain of debt; and not when our Congress is held in such low esteem.

"This is a time to roll up our sleeves. A time to look forward with determination and to take the first steps towards building a better future for our kids and our grand kids."

But at times Mr Boehner's voice cracked with emotion.

"I've spent my whole life chasing the American dream," he said tearfully.

Plotting to kill the pakistan prime minister

Pakistan arrests 7 militants, foil plot to kill PM.

Pakistan News Updates! Pakistani police arrested a group of Islamist militants who were plotting to kill the prime minister and other top government officials, a top officer said Thursday.

The conspiracy against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was "almost complete," said Abid Qadri, a regional police chief. He said the militants were planning to attack Gilani when he traveled to his hometown of Multan, but gave no more details.

Militants in Pakistan have frequently attacked government officials, security officers and political leaders as part of a campaign to destabilize the U.S.-allied government and take over the state. Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack near Islamabad in 2007.

Like other top officials, Gilani does not publicize his movements ahead of time and travels with extensive security.

Qadri did not offer any evidence to back up his allegations.

He said authorities learned about the plot during an initial interrogation of the seven militants, who were arrested late Wednesday after a shootout near a village in central Pakistan.

The militants opened fire when police tried to pull their car over for a routine check, Qadri said. Nobody was wounded in the shooting, but two men managed to escape, he said.

The men are members of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned Sunni Muslim militant group linked to both the Taliban and al-Qaida, Qadri said. The group has been blamed for attacking minority Shiite worship places as well as assaults on security forces and other targets.

Some of the suspects are believed to have taken part in an attack last year on the offices of Pakistan's main spy agency in Multan, which is in Punjab province in central Pakistan, Qadri said.

The men were also conspiring to kill Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, also a Multan native, and the minister for religious affairs, who last year survived an assassination attempt in Islamabad, Qadri said. He said the suspects also had plans to attack a dam, a bridge and military installations.

President Obama a 'Jackass' called Limbaugh

Limbaugh Calls President Obama a 'Jackass'.

Derision of the president on his program is nothing new, but Rush Limbaugh’s tone today may have struck the ears of regular listeners as particularly disdainful, taking his contempt of the president to a new level.

The nation’s preeminent conservative talk radio host referred to Mr. Obama as a “jackass,” an “economic illiterate” and an “idiot, where capitalism is concerned.”

The rough stuff came during a monologue on the president’s position on extending the Bush tax cuts to all but the top two percent of wage earners.

Obama, Limbaugh says, is an "economic ignoramus" for not understanding how a "tax increase" on the wealthy won't stimulate growth.

Quoting an AP article from yesterday, Limbaugh pointed out Obama’s remarks at a meeting of his Economic Recovery Advisory Board that the wealthy would “take our ball and go home” if their tax cuts aren’t extended.

Limbaugh then addressed the following line to the president directly:

“Mr. Obama, our imam-child, they have already taken their trillion dollar ball home, and they’re sitting on it, you jackass.”

(Limbaugh’s been calling the president “Imam Obama” for several months now.)

"Extend the tax cut to everybody, and you'll inspire confidence," Limbaugh argued, saying that added degree of certainty would free business to spend some of the capital they’re holding onto and hire people, “which, once upon a time, we were told, was Obama’s top priority.”

For not getting this, "He's a jackass. He's an economic illiterate. He's an economic ignoramus.”

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Barack Obama bashes outsourcing again

Barack Obamaraises pitch against outsourcing.

Barack Obama News Updates! US President Barack Obama on Thursday once again targeted outsourcing of jobs overseas by American companies, increasing the pressure on local firms in an attempt to secure some benefit ahead of the crucial November elections in his country.

Obama, speaking at a rally in Parma, Ohio, the state which banned outsourcing of work overseas by government departments, said he remained firm on ending tax breaks for American firms that sent jobs abroad.

“One of the keys to job creation is to encourage companies to invest more in the United States. But for years, our tax code has actually given billions of dollars in tax breaks that encourage companies to create jobs and profits in other countries,” Obama said, flanked by Ohio governor Ted Strickland, who is trailing in the polls and is fighting to retain his governorship.

Obama’s party, the Democrats, faces a hugely disillusioned and angry electorate on November 2, and is widely expected to lose control of the House of Representatives. The US president has spent the last few days trying to rally his base with promises to protect jobs and spur economic growth.

His reference to ending tax breaks does not mean that US companies get tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas. Instead, the US tax code allows them to keep the income they earn overseas without incurring a tax liability.

In order to encourage more local hiring, Obama also gave a speech in January this year where he suggested a $5,000 credit for every job a company created (net new job) and an overall limit of $500,000 credit per company for availing such benefits.

Rosanne Altshuler, a Rutgers University economist specialising in international taxation, told ET in an interview earlier this year that the president could make it more difficult for firms to avoid US tax on income earned abroad by keeping it abroad.

“Obama wants to reform this part of the law (called ‘deferral’). He would make it more difficult for firms to avoid US tax on income earned abroad by keeping it abroad,” said Ms Altshuler, a former senior staff economist for President George W Bush’s advisory panel on federal tax reform.

While there is still no specific proposal elaborating how Obama plans to end the tax breaks, such measures could mean that large outsourcing customers such as GE and Citibank might have to pay certain taxes on their income from international markets, making it less attractive for customers to send IT projects to cheaper offshore locations such as India. To this end, Obama is proposing reforming the taxation of the overseas income of multinational corporations.

Under current law, firms don’t pay taxes to the US government on income earned abroad until they bring the money back to the United States, Ms Altshuler added. Many experts say that ending these tax breaks will not stop outsourcing. The economic logic of sending jobs to low-cost centres is so compelling that companies will keep doing it, they add.

“Let’s face it — companies will do whatever it takes to remain competitive, and offshoring of non-core activities is an important tool. We are already struggling to rival cheaper offshore locations in manufacturing, and sending IT projects to India will help us remain competitive,” said a senior official at one of the top US tech firms. He requested anonymity.

Experts such as Rodney Nelsestuen, senior research director at US-based TowerGroup, said while Obama’s policies could help the government reduce its unemployment costs, the companies would not just hire to get the credit, but also try and balance it with actual economic need.

“The proposal is only a part of a larger proposal that includes spending on infrastructure in the US, creating a permanent credit for R&D expenditures, and giving a 100% write off for capital improvements in the year they are made. Also, the potential to reduce tax revenue overall given that only those who would hire anyway will get the benefit is a significant concern,” Mr Nelsestuen said.

Nevertheless, the development is unwelcome and unpleasant for the $50-billion Indian outsourcing industry, which has had a hugely successful run since the millennium bug, or the Y2K problem.

More than 3 million jobs have been created and a huge infrastructure has sprung up to take care of the myriad needs and demands of the US companies. The industry has faced bad press since the Obama administration took office in January 2009 with the president himself declaring last year that he wanted jobs in Buffalo and not Bangalore.

Last month, the US Congress approved a measure to increase fees for the H1B visa applicants in order to raise money for building a fence on the US-Mexico border. About 65,000 Indians apply for H1B visas every year. The Ohio ban was also announced some time after that.

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Japan warns China on 'extreme nationalism'

Japan warns China against 'extreme nationalism'.

Japan China News Updates! apan has warned China that both nations must avoid stirring up "extreme nationalism" in their ongoing row over the detention of a Chinese sea captain.

The Japanese government said it wanted to use all possible channels to avoid any further escalation.

China responded by saying it would not meet Japanese leaders on the sidelines of a UN summit in New York this week.

Beijing has demanded the release of the skipper, whose boat hit two Japanese patrol vessels in disputed waters.

The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says Japan's government is trying to persuade China to take the heat out of the damaging row.

The Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshito Sengoku, said officials "should be careful not to arouse narrow-minded extreme nationalism", not just in China, but in Japan and other countries too.

Just hours later, the Chinese foreign ministry said a meeting between Premier Wen Jiabao and his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan would be inappropriate.

The dispute began two weeks ago when a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese patrol ships near uninhabited islands in the East China Sea which both countries claim, as does Taiwan.

The islands, which lie north of Taiwan and south of Japan's Okinawa prefecture, have rich fishing grounds and may have oil and gas deposits.

The boat's captain was arrested on suspicion of deliberately ramming the vessels.

When a Japanese court extended his detention on Sunday for a further 10 days, China severed senior level government contacts.

Meanwhile, 1,000 young Japanese due to travel to the Shanghai Expo this week were told by Beijing they were no longer welcome.

Striking a conciliatory tone, Mr Sengoku said regional growth depended on the relationship between Asia's two biggest economies.

But he said the case was a legal matter, and the government would have to win China's understanding of Japan's judicial and political system.

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Somalia's Prime Minister Sharmarke resigns

Somalia's Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke News Updates! Somalia's Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has resigned amid a power struggle with the country's president.

President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's UN-backed government is battling Islamist group al-Shabab for control of Mogadishu.

Mr Sharmarke has been under intense pressure to resign for some months.

Correspondents say the squabbling has hampered the fight against the insurgents.

Islamist militants now control most of southern and central Somalia and the government runs only a few parts of the capital, Mogadishu.

Standing beside the president, Mr Sharmarke told reporters that he had decided to resign "after considering the political crisis in the government and increasing insecurity in Somalia".

President Ahmed thanked him for his "courageous decision".

The two leaders disagree over a new draft constitution.

A vote of confidence in the prime minister had been due to take place at the weekend but was postponed.

In May, Mr Sharmarke rejected as unconstitutional a vote by parliament calling for him to stand down.

ELO cellist dead

ELO cellist killed by hay bale in freak van Devon crash

An early member of British rock group ELO was killed when his van was crushed by a bale of hay, police said.

Cellist Mike Edwards, 62, died instantly in the accident on the A381 in Halwell, Devon, on Friday.

Police are investigating if the 600kg bale fell from a tractor on nearby farmland before rolling on to the road.

Mr Edwards was identified using photographs and YouTube footage but police are trying to contact his family to carry out a formal identification.

Officers believe the musician swerved into another vehicle as he was struck at about 1230 BST. The other driver was not hurt.

Sgt Steve Walker, of Devon and Cornwall police traffic unit, said: "This was a tragic accident and we have now identified the victim as Michael Edwards, a founder member of ELO.

"We have used photographs and YouTube footage to identify him but we now need help contacting his family for formal identification.

"We don't believe he was ever married and we have identified an ex-girlfriend but she is currently abroad."

Officers are trying to contact a man named David in the Yorkshire area who is believed to be Mr Edwards' brother.

Mr Edwards is understood to have no immediate family but may have taught cello in Devon.

He was with the Birmingham band from 1972 to 1975.

ambassador of death

'ambassador of death' unmanned drone bomber.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad unveils new 'ambassador of death' unmanned drone bomber.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday inaugurated the country's first domestically built unmanned bomber aircraft, calling it an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies.

The 4-meter-long drone aircraft can carry up to four cruise missiles and will have a range of 620 miles (1,000 kilometers), according to a state TV report — not far enough to reach archenemy Israel.

"The jet, as well as being an ambassador of death for the enemies of humanity, has a main message of peace and friendship," said Ahmadinejad at the inauguration ceremony, which fell on the country's national day for its defense industries.

The goal of the aircraft, named Karrar or striker, is to "keep the enemy paralyzed in its bases," he said, adding that the aircraft is for deterrence and defensive purposes.

The president championed the country's military self-sufficiency program, and said it will continue "until the enemies of humanity lose hope of ever attacking the Iranian nation."

Iran launched an arms development program during its 1980-88 war with Iraq to compensate for a U.S. weapons embargo and now produces its own tanks, armored personnel carries, missiles and even a fighter plane.

Iran frequently makes announcements about new advances in military technology that cannot be independently verified.

State TV later showed video footage of the plane taking off from a launching pad and reported that the craft traveled at speeds of 560 miles per hour (900 kilometers per hour) and could alternatively be armed with two 250-pound (113.4-kilogram) bombs or a 450-pound (204.12-kilogram) guided bomb.

Iran has been producing its own light, unmanned surveillance aircraft since the late 1980s.

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