AP loses property worth over Rs 250 cr over Telangana issue

Sun, Dec 27 01:23 PM

As Andhra Pradesh boils over the Telangana issue, public and private properties worth over Rs 250 crore were destroyed by protesters in all the three regions of the state so far, government sources said.

Adding the loss caused to businesses because of the seemingly unending spate of shutdowns in Telangana, the figure could be a few hundred crores of rupees more.

Of the total loss to properties, about 80 per cent was caused in Telangana region alone where people demanding a separate state have been more "violent," the sources said. As many as 52 public and 28 private properties were burnt while 62 public and 114 private properties were damaged in the violence that broke out in Telangana region from November 29 to December 9, after TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao began his indefinite fast demanding separate statehood for Telanagana.

The agitations supporting a united state recorded 37 public properties and 11 private properties being burnt and 46 public and 47 private properties damaged between December 10 and 23, statistics compiled by the police reveal.

The state-run Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bore the brunt of the strife with 35 buses being burnt and another to 214 damaged. 50 private buses were also damaged and seven were set on fire by Telangana protesters.

Pro-Telangana groups went on a rampage and damaged as many as 268 buses in the state capital and other districts of Telangana region on a single day following the Centre's announcement on the statehood issue on December 23. Besides, over 50 public and over 150 private properties were also badly burnt or damaged in the second round of "protests" in Telangana so far.

According to Transport Minister S Vijayarama Raju, APSRTC suffered a loss of over Rs 110 crore since November 29.

"These are only bare estimates as the destructions are still continuing in Telangana region," a top ranking bureaucrat said.

The protesters also targeted railway properties causing a loss of several crores of rupees due to burning of four railway stations and other damages at various places in all the three regions of Andhra Pradesh.

The protesters damaged railway signalling panels and equipments besides burning two bogies and pelting stones on two Express trains.

"Apart from attacks on railway properties in view of bandhs, rail rokos and demonstrations, railways are also losing particularly due to non-transportation of goods and parcel which are lying at different railway stations," a senior official of the South Central Railway (SCR) said.

The protesters did not spare telephone exchanges, cell phone towers. They also set fire to optical fibre cables at a BSNL warehouse in Anantapur causing over Rs 30 lakh loss. The number of persons who ended their lives demanding

Telangana state was three times higher in the region with 18 persons resorting to the extreme step while six persons committed suicide in support of unified Andhra Pradesh.

As many as 82 persons tried to end their lives for Telangana state while 49 attempted suicide in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, police sources said.

PHOTOS DURING 4TH ODI INDIA VS SRILANKA

India beats Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in 4th ODI

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli struck a century each to guide India to a seven-wicket victory Thursday in the fourth one-day international against Sri Lanka.

The victory clinched the series for the hosts who now hold a 3-1 lead in the five-match tournament.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first, reaching 315-6 but could not hold off India's pursuit of the target. The hosts eventually reached 317-3 in 48.1 overs.

India was forced to fight off an early onslaught when openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were dismissed with just 23 runs on the board but Gambhir and Kohli rebuilt the innings with a 224-run partnership for the third wicket.

Gambhir finished the match on 150 not out, a knock that included 14 boundaries, and Kohli scored 107 with 11 fours and a six.

It was the highest run chase in a one-day international at Eden Gardens.

Earlier, Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga scored 118 and Kumar Sangakkara 60 as Sri Lanka set the hosts the imposing target of 316 runs in its 50 overs.

Mahela Jayawardene and Thissara Perera also chipped in with 33 and 31, respectively.

The hosts struck early when Ashish Nehra removed opener Tillakaratne Dilshan for nine as he went for a big hit and was caught by Virat Kohli.

Sanath Jayasuriya was also dismissed cheaply, for just 15, when he was caught by Tendulkar off Zaheer Khan, before Sangakkara came in to steady the ship.

Together with Tharanga, Sri Lanka's captain put on 126 for the third wicket before Sangakkara was stumped by Dinesh Karthik off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh.

Tharanga was finally bowled by Khan in the 43rd over after smashing 14 boundaries and two sixes.

Play was held up for 26 minutes when the floodlights failed with just four balls remaining of Sri Lanka's innings.

No clear winner in Jharkhand, Soren emerges kingmaker

Thu, Dec 24 02:47 AM

Jharkhand was headed for a hung Assembly on Wednesday with the Congress-JVM alliance leading with 24 seats and the JMM and RJD emerging as kingmakers since government formation will require any combination to touch the 41-seat mark in a House of 81.

The BJP-JD(U) combine, which won 36 seats in the 2005 elections, was emerging as the second largest grouping with 20 seats. In New Delhi, BJP parliamentary board spokesperson Ananth Kumar said his party did not rule out the possibility of forming a government in Jharkhand and had authorised president Nitin Gadkari to take a final call.

The Shibu Soren-led JMM, which had participated in the first UPA government, was leading in 17 seats while the RJD was ahead at seven places.

Indications of a tough bargain came from the JMM which said it would back anyone who would support Guruji, the name given to Soren by his supporters.

The Congress was leading in 13 seats and ally JVM in 11. Both have indicated they are not averse to taking support from any party to form a 'secular' government.

RJD chief Lalu Yadav said in Patna that he would work for formation of a 'secular' government. The leaders of Congress, JVM, RJD and JMM, he said, would sit together to explore the possibility of forming a government.

The 'Others', including five belonging to the All Jharkhand Students Union were ahead in 13 seats.

JVM chief Babulal Marandi said his party fought alongside Congress and would stand by it. "All well-wishers should support our alliance," he said.

Soren was being wooed by both the Congress and BJP-led coalitions. "We have the option to shake hands with the JMM and other like-minded parties," said BJP MP and former chief minister Arjun Munda. State Congress leader Keshav Rao had an identical view on this.

Among the first results announced on Wednesday was the victory of Geeta Koda, wife of Madhu Koda, from Jagannathpur. She defeated her nearest rival Sonaram Birua of the BJP by over 20,000 votes.

Government softens on Telangana; KCR, 20 MLAs resign

Thu, Dec 24 12:42 AM

Hyderabad, Dec 24 (IANS) The central government Wednesday softened its stance on the formation of a separate Telangana state stressing the need to hold consultations with all political parties on the issue. The move plunged Andhra Pradesh into crisis as Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao resigned as MP and over 20 state legislators also quit.

The TRS has also called for a 48-hour shutdown.

After coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions witnessed protests against the proposed bifurcation of the state for nearly a fortnight, the government said there was need to hold wide-ranging consultations with all political parties on the issue.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram's Dec 9 announcement about the government's acceptance of the demand for a separate Telangana sparked off a political tempest with mass resignations by legislators from all parties in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

In his statement Wednesday, Chidambaram said the situation had changed in the state and political parties were divided on the issue.

'A statement was made on behalf of the central government on Dec 9. However, after the statement, the situation in Andhra (Pradesh) has altered. A large number of political parties are divided on the political issue. There is a need to hold wide-ranging consultations with all political parties in the state,' he said.

Chidambaram said the government would take steps to involve all concerned in the process of talks.

'The central government appeals to all people of Andhra Pradesh and to all political parties and students to withdraw their agitation and maintain peace, harmony and brotherhood,' he said, adding that the state government should be allowed to focus on governance.

While the parties in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema hailed the statement and leaders who were on hunger strike ended their protests, it evoked strong reactions from all parties in Telangana.

KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known, faxed his resignation to protest the government move to put the Telangana issue on the backburner.

Tension prevailed in the region comprising Hyderabad and nine other districts as protests broke out at several places. Students came out on streets, protesting the latest statement.

KCR, whose 11-day hunger strike had forced the government to issue the Dec 9 statement, alleged that the government had again betrayed the people of Telangana.

'People of Telangana have been once again betrayed. The statement has no clarity and no time frame,' he said.

'How long will it take for the formation of Telangana state? Another 50 years? How many more people have to die?' he asked.

Another TRS MP from Medak, Vijayashanti, also sent her resignation.

Over 20 legislators from Telangana, including all 10 of TRS, sent their resignations to assembly speaker Kirankumar Reddy. Legislators of the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have also resigned. Both the legislators of the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) from the region also put in their papers.

There are 119 members from Telangana in 294-member assembly. The Congress has 50 legislators while the TDP has 38.

The TRS, which had announced plans to hold a victory rally in Warangal Thursday, cancelled it and called for a 48-hour shutdown in Telangana instead.

The mass resignations were announced even as the state cabinet welcomed Chidambaram's statement and appealed to all legislators from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema to take back their resignations.

Over 140 legislators from Andhra and Rayalaseema cutting across party lines had submitted their resignations to the speaker after the Dec 9 statement.

KCR said the Joint Action Committee of all parties and groups fighting for Telangana state would be formed Thursday to decide the future course of action.

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah hoped the government's statement Wednesday would satisfy people of all regions and would help restore public life and administration which had been paralysed for a fortnight.

India beat Sri Lanka

Unbeaten Tendulkar (96) helped India beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in the third ODI and take 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

• 2^nd Innings

• IND 242/3 in 42.4 Overs

• Current Run rate:5.67

1^st Innings

SL 239/10

44.2 Overs

RR:5.39

Saina Nehwal wins Syed Modi title

Monday, 21 December 2009 13:13

Lucknow: Breaking News! Saina Nehwal won the women's singles title at Syed Modi International Grand Prixbadminton tournament on Sunday. Chetan Anand won the men's title. The finals were held at the Babu Banarasi Das UPBA Academy in Lucknow. Saina Nehwal beat fellow Indian Aditi Mutatkar by 21-17, 21-13 in the final to win the title. Chetan Anand beat Dyonisius Hayom Rumbaka by 21-17, 19-21, 21-16 in the men's singles final. In Mixed Doubles, it was a all-India final. Aparna Balan and Arun Vishnu beat Shruti Kurian and Tarun Kona 21-14, 17-21, 21-19 in the final to win the title. In Men's Doubles, Adnan Fauzi and Tri Kusumawardana of Indonesia beat Indian pair of Akdhay Dewalkar and Jisnhu Sanyal in the final to win the title. In Women's Doubles, Japanese pair of Misaki Matusutomo and Akaya Tekahashi beat Indonesian pair of Nadya Melati Devi and Tika Permatasari 25-27, 25-23, 15-21 to win the title.

picture of the day

Photography is not easy

fact of the day

Who is a lecturer?

A having a bad habbit of speaking when 

someone is sleeping. 

Sci-fi saga 'Avatar' gets phenomenal start

New York/Los Angeles, Dec 21 (DPA) US director James Cameron's newest film 'Avatar' filled the cinema cash registers this weekend with a $73-million take that put it way in the lead at the box office.

The futuristic science fiction epic, shown with new 3D technology that was 12 years in the making, thus took in about a quarter of its production costs estimated at $250 to 300 million.

Cameron's previous phenomenal success was 'Titanic'. A record December snowstorm that has shut down roads and commercial firms across most of the East Coast could have eaten into the potential take, Hollywood experts said.

Disney's animated film 'The Princess and the Frog' dropped to second place from first place last week, with $12.2 million, followed by: 'The Blind Side' ($10 million); 'Did You Hear About the Morgans?' ($7 million); 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', ($4.3 million); the Nelson Mandela biopic, 'Invictus', ($4.2 million); 'A Christmas Carol' (2009) ($3.4 million); 'Up in the Air' with George Clooney ($3.1 million); 'Brothers' ($2.6 million); and 'Old Dogs' ($2.3 million).

10 died of swine flu in Pakistan

Mon, Dec 21 01:48 AM

Islamabad, Dec 21 (IANS) Ten people have died of swine flu in Pakistan but the health ministry has failed to devise any effective strategy to stop the spread of the viral disease, officials said.

Till date, 63 people have been affected by the disease. The National Programme for Influenza failed to create awareness about swine flu among people, the Online news agency said Sunday quoting unnamed sources in the ministry.

Government officials ignored swine flu by terming it the disease of non-Muslims, but it reached Pakistan, they said. According to officials 10 people, including seven women, died of swine flu in the country.

Deepika Padukone unveils Kingfisher's 2010 calendar

Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone Sunday unveiled the 2010 edition of Kingfisher's swimsuit special calendar.

'In the beginning of my career, I was a part of the calendar and it's becoming better every year. Girls in this calendar have done a fantastic job,' said Deepika, who figured in the 2006 calendar.

'It's of international standards and it's one of the best calendars in the world,' she added.

Asked if featuring in the calendar was a good platform to enter Bollywood, Deepika said: 'Well, I didn't use it as a platform to enter the film industry, so I wouldn't say that. You can't be a model to be an actor. That's not what I did. But yes, Farah noticed me as a model and then decided to cast me in 'Om Shanti Om'.'

'I am very proud of 2010 edition of the Kingfisher swimsuit special,' said Vijay Mallya, UB group chairman before the calendar was unveiled at his palatial home.

Mallya said the calendar has given an opportunity to many young models from India and the world, and he hoped to continue the trend.

Noted photographer Atul Kasbekar has taken the photographs for the calendar

Scotland Yard warns of Mumbai-style terror strike on London

Sun, Dec 20 12:36 PM

London, Dec 20 (IANS) A Mumbai-style terror attack could take place in London, Scotland Yard has warned business houses in the city, a media report said Sunday.

'Mumbai is coming to London,' The Sunday Times quoted a senior detective from SO15, the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism command, as saying.

Companies should anticipate a shooting and hostage-taking raid 'involving a small number of gunmen with handguns and improvised explosive devices', the detective stated.

The blunt warning has underlined an assessment that a terrorist cell may be preparing an attack on London early next year.

It was issued through the network of 'security forums', which provide business leaders, local government and the emergency services with counter-terrorism advice.

The Nov 26-28 Mumbai mayhem when 10 heavily armed Pakistani gunmen sneaked into the city from the sea, left 166 people dead. One of the terrorists, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was arrested.

A senior security adviser said the police warnings had intensified and become much more specific in the past fortnight.

'Before, there has been speculation. Now we are getting what appears to be a definite plot to carry out a firearms attack on London,' he was quoted as saying.

Nitin Gadkari: From a humble student leader to BJP chief

Sat, Dec 19 04:25 PM

It has been a long journey for 52-year-old Nitin Gadkari from a humble student leader to the youngest-ever President of the BJP.

Gadkari who was appointed by the party's Parliamentary Board to the top post today, is a disciplined soldier of RSS and will have the distinction of becoming the first BJP chief from Maharashtra.

It is a coincidence that he hails from Nagpur, the headquarters of the RSS -- which has always been the guiding force for the main opposition party.

Gadkari, who has replaced Rajnath Singh, has been entrusted with the responsibility at a time when Congress is playing the Rahul Gandhi card, projecting the young leader as the future Prime Minister and BJP is facing serious challenges on the leadership front.

The BJP leader, who was till now the chief of Maharashtra BJP, proved his mettle as an effective minister in the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state ten years back.

Though an 'outsider' in Delhi circles, he is no babe in the woods and is known in the BJP as a clear thinker having a forward-looking vision and an organiser who knows how to take the party along.

Gadkari has maintained his close proximity with the RSS leadership right from the days of the then RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras and later with Rajju Bhaiyya, K C Sudarshan and the current head of the organisation Mohan Bhagwat.

In fact, the talk in BJP circles is that Gadkari became the hot favourite for the top job following Bhagwat's search for a new leader to turn the party around.

The Danger of Doing Business in Russia

On Oct. Widow Natalia Zharikova grieves over her husbandSergei Magnitsky's body

Mikhail Voskresensky / Reuters

, 

Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, imprisoned on tax evasion charges, told Russian Interior Ministry investigators that he was being denied medical care and subjected to "inhumane and humiliating conditions" in Moscow's notorious Butyrka jail. The treatment, he said, resulted from his refusal to give false testimony against himself and others. A month later, Magnitsky, 37, was dead. The Interior Ministry, which had charged the lawyer with conspiring to help William Browder, head of the London-based investment firm Hermitage Capital, allegedly evade more than $3 million in taxes, said it had not been aware that he had been ill. In prison notes released by his attorneys, however, Magnitsky repeatedly complained about being refused treatment for pancreatitis, a condition his friends and colleagues say led to his death.

Magnitsky's death has triggered a wave of public discussion in Russia — reaching as high as the Kremlin — about the squalid conditions in the country's jails and bureaucratic incompetence. But it has also renewed focus on an odious criminal practice that embodies what President Dmitry Medvedev describes as the "legal nihilism" pervading the country. It's known as reiderstvo, or "raiding," a term that describes an array of illegal tactics — including identity theft, forgery, bribery and physical intimidation — used by corrupt policemen, tax officials, lawyers and financiers to seize a person's business or property.(See pictures of Hillary Clinton in Russia.)

Hermitage claims it was targeted in just such an attack two years ago and that Magnitsky was arrested in retaliation for going public with the scam. According to Magnitsky, the raid began in June 2007, when police burst into Hermitage's offices with warrants and seized company records, corporate seals and tax certificates, which were then used by corrupt government officials and other members of their criminal gang to take ownership of three Hermitage subsidiaries. Months later, the company claims that phony lawsuits were filed against the three firms, leading to several judgments against them. With the assistance of tax officials, Hermitage says the raiders then allegedly used the judgments to secure a fraudulent $230 million tax refund from the government.

The Interior Ministry has denied any ulterior motives in Magnitsky's detention, saying he was being held solely because of the tax evasion charges. (Browder says those charges were without merit.) In April, a Moscow court convicted a sawmill foreman, Viktor Markelov, of fraud in connection with the raider scam, sentencing him to five years in prison. The verdict mentions only "unidentified persons" as Markelov's co-conspirators and does not include any reference to the Hermitage subsidiaries being stolen. But the company says Markelov was likely just a bit player and notes the $230 million has yet to be returned to the Russian treasury. To get to the bottom of who was responsible for Magnitsky's death, "one needs to find out who got the stolen $230 million," says Browder, whose fund was once the largest foreign investor in Russia and who has been barred entry to the country since Russia deemed him a threat to national security in 2005.(See pictures of Vladimir Putin.)

Kirill Kabanov, a member of Medvedev's human rights council and head of the National Anticorruption Committee, a nongovernmental organization, said the attack on Hermitage assets was a highly sophisticated example of reiderstvo. "The tactics were different, but the strategy was the same," Kabanov said.

There are no reliable statistics on the number of corporate raider attacks carried out each year, although media reports have put the number as high as 70,000. But the impact of the criminal practice on the economy is quite clear — business lobbyists and corruption experts say it is paralyzing small- and mid-sized businesses, as well as scaring off foreign investment. "If an Italian is doing business here and is targeted in a raider attack, he's going to tell his countrymen," says Alexander Brechalov, vice president of Opora, a Russian lobbying group for small businesses. "Who is going to want to come to Russia after hearing that? It's an epidemic that needs to be contained."(See pictures of Russian police breaking up an anti-Kremlin rally.)

Experts say that businessmen not only risk losing their assets when they're targeted, but they can also end up in jail on trumped-up charges brought by corrupt law enforcement officials and prosecutors. Russian businessman Alexei Kozlov, who claims he was the victim of a raid aimed at seizing his synthetic leather factory in Moscow, was convicted of fraud in May and sentenced to eight years in prison. In a telephone interview from prison, Kozlov said that Butyrka is teeming with entrepreneurs locked up on phony charges brought against them in raider attacks. "Before I landed behind bars, I thought only criminals were in jail," Kozlov said. "Now I know it's not only criminals."(Read: "Putin: Yes, I May Run Again. Thanks for Asking.")

The destructive effects of reiderstvo have not escaped the attention of top officials. Medvedev has called the practice "shameful" and expressed support for measures aimed at easing prosecution of such crimes. "The seizure schemes are conducted very professionally, that is a fact," he told Russian senators on Nov. 5. "Sometimes it's simply impossible to get to the bottom of them. But that doesn't mean that our law enforcement authorities shouldn't be trying." The issue was even raised during a live call-in TV show with Prime Minister Vladimir Putinearlier this month. Responding to a question about how the government planned to tackle reiderstvo, Putin said a proposal to unify various raider tactics under a single criminal statute would help law enforcement officials work "more effectively."

Then, on Dec. 15, came a sign that authorities may be cracking down on individuals suspected to be involved in the raid on Hermitage's assets. The Kremlin said that Medvedev had dismissed Anatoly Mikhalkin, the head of the tax crimes department of the Moscow police. Police spokeswoman Zhanna Ozhimina denied the move was linked to the Magnitsky case, saying that Mikhalkin had stepped down because of his age. But Hermitage says Mikhalkin may have been fired because he had signed off on documents used in the seizure of its subsidiaries.(See pictures of Russia celebrating Victory Day.)

Even if this is the case, Browder stresses that a harsher response from the government is needed to stem the tide of raiding in Russia, namely criminal prosecution. "There is no comparison between the loss of a job and the loss of an innocent man's life," he says.

Passengers suffer on stuck trains in Channel Tunnel

Sun, Dec 20 08:18 AM

About 2,500 passengers were trapped overnight from Friday to Saturday in the undersea Channel Tunnel between France and Britain after trains broke down because of freezing weather, rail operator Eurostar said.

Angry travellers arriving in London on Saturday morning said they had been left with no power, air conditioning, food or water. Some complained their journeys from Brussels and Paris, which should take about 2 hours, had taken up to 15 hours.

Eurostar said four high-speed trains were stranded after moving from cold air outside into the warmer tunnel, causing condensation which affected electrical systems.

It cancelled all its trains until Monday. Tunnel operator Eurotunnel said other services were still running through the tunnel.

Temperatures at the French end of the tunnel at Calais dipped to minus two Celsius accompanied by snow. In the French capital Paris, temperatures were down to minus 4C.

"We're very, very sorry that they've had such a disrupted journey overnight," Richard Brown, Eurostar's chief executive, told BBC TV.

"We've been getting people home as quickly as we can but they have had very bad journeys."

Eurostar, operated by French rail operator SNCF, its Belgian counterpart SNCB and British government-owned LCR, said it would investigate what had happened and was offering compensation to passengers.

A rescue locomotive and a shuttle train were used to move passengers out of the 51-km (32-mile) tunnel, the longest undersea subway in the world. It conveys about 40,000 people a day between Britain and continental Europe.

Passengers accused Eurostar of doing little to help them.

"There was very, very poor communication from the staff," said Lee Godfree who was returning to Britain with his family from Disneyland Paris.

He said passengers had been forced to get off a marooned train themselves and had moved through the service tunnel in the dark, before getting onto a "filthy" car transport train.

"We've had children asleep on the floor, they've been sick, we had one loo (toilet), it's been a complete nightmare," he told BBC radio. "We had people fainting on the train. It was just pandemonium."

Last year, the tunnel, which opened in 1994, was shut for two days after a large fire broke out on a freight train. A blaze in 1996 halted freight traffic for seven months.

The Eurostar cancellations and problems with cross-Channel ferries caused huge delays on motorways leading to the ports of Dover and Folkestone.

Heavy snowfalls across southeastern England on Friday had already brought chaos to road, rail and air traffic.

London's Gatwick and Luton Airports were closed for many hours and flights were cancelled at Heathrow and Stansted, the capital's two other major airports.

Budget airline EasyJet said it had cancelled more flights on Saturday because of the bad weather, with forecasters at Britain's Met Office predicting further snow showers on Saturday and temperatures as low as minus 10C.

(Additional reporting by Tim Castle; editing by Andrew Roche)

Iran charges detention centre jailers with murder

Sun, Dec 20 08:31 AM

Iran's judiciary has charged three jail officials with the murder of three pro-reform Iranians detained after the disputed June 12 presidential election, the students news agency ISNA reported on Saturday.

Thousands of people protesting against the conduct of the election were arrested and some were beaten in detention. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the closure of Kahrizak detention centre in southern Tehran in July, after two detainees at the centre died in hospital.

"Some 12 officials at Kahrizak detention centre have been charged. Three of them have been charged with murder," ISNA quoted a judiciary statement as saying. "The date of their trial will be announced later," the statement added.

Moderate websites reported the deaths of several protesters in Kahrizak, and the son of a top adviser to defeated presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaie is one of the three detainees the jail officials are charged with murdering.

Opposition leaders said some protesters detained after the election had been under "severe physical and mental pressure" in Kahrizak.

The election, which secured President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, sparked Iran's worst unrest since the Islamic revolution three decades ago and exposed deep divisions in the establishment. Authorities deny allegations of vote-rigging.

Iranian police confirmed in August that serious violations had taken place at the detention centre. The authorities initially said the detainees in Kahrizak had died of meningitis, but the coroner's office denied this.

"The coroner's office rejected the claim that these people died of meningitis and confirmed there were bruises on their bodies from beatings and that the cause of their death was a series of beatings," ISNA quoted the statement as saying.

Thousands were arrested after the election. Most have since been freed, but more than 80 people have so far been sentenced to jail terms of up to 15 years, and five have been sentenced to death.

The reformist opposition says more than 70 people were killed in post-election violence. Officials say the death toll was half that and included volunteer Basij militiamen.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi, editing by Tim Pearce)

Brazil needle victim recovers, outrage at cruelty

Sun, Dec 20 08:16 AM

Enlarge Photo Dozens of needles are seen in this undated X-ray handout taken of a two-year-old boy...

A Brazilian toddler is making a good recovery after surgery to remove the first of 31 sewing needles pushed into his body by his stepfather in a cruel act that has enraged locals, the hospital said on Saturday.

The 2 1/2-year-old boy, underwent a nearly five-hour procedure on Friday to remove two rusted needles from near his heart and two more from one of his lungs.

His stepfather, 30-year-old Roberto Carlos Magalhaes, has been arrested and confessed to putting the needles in the boy's body at the behest of his lover who said the act would help the two to stay together, police said.

The pair were guided by a local practitioner of an African-Brazilian religion, candoble, and Magalhaes inserted the needles into the boy at his lover's home.

The boy was brought to a small local hospital by his mother, Maria Souza Santos, after complaining of pains and was eventually transferred to the Ana Nery University Hospital in Salvador, the capital of the northeastern state of Bahia.

"It was a delicate operation. They had to open his thorax. There are needles of all sizes," said hospital spokeswoman Susy Moreno. "The ones from the heart were 4.5 cm (1.75 inches). There are others of 2.5 cm (1 inch)," she said.

The O Globo newspaper's website quoted one police officer saying that Magalhaes intention was to kill the child and that the needles had been inserted over a period of a month.

Local media said Magalhaes was taken from the police station in the boy's home town, Ibotirama, where he and the two other women were being held, and transferred to an undisclosed location before revolted locals gathered at the barracks.

"There is a whole commotion from the community (at the hospital)," Moreno said. "There are people bringing toys but no one has access. Someone rang up crying. He said he had a grandson of the same age," she said.

The boy will undergo further surgery next week to remove more of the needles from his intestines and bladder but Moreno said some may be left in his body if doctors decide they would not cause him harm and enable him to avoid more surgery.

Moreno said he was awake and talking on Saturday afternoon and was soon to begin eating again.

"Before the surgery he was crying a lot and had trauma. His mother is with him and he is being attended to by psychologists and there are play activities for him," she said. However, he remained lying down in bed.

Bahia is the heart of African influence in Brazil, where many people practice Afro-Brazilian religions that combine spiritism, indigenous and African beliefs.

(Editing by Jackie Frank)

Fire in Lalit Modi's Juhu home

A fire broke out at Indian Premiere League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi's bungalow in suburban Juhu here this evening, fire officials said.

Eight fire engines and four water tankers have been sent to the bungalow, the officials said, adding there has been no reports of injuries yet.

Modi was not home at the time of the incident.

General defends court martial for pregnant soldiers

A US Army general in northern Iraq has defended his decision to add pregnancy to the list of reasons a soldier under his command could face court martial.

It is current army policy to send pregnant soldiers home, but Maj Gen Anthony Cucolo told the BBC he was losing people with critical skills.

That was why the added deterrent of a possible court martial was needed, he said.

The new policy applies both to female and male soldiers, even if married.

It is the first time the US Army has made pregnancy a punishable offence.

I'm going to take every measure I can to keep them all strong, fit and with me  Gen Anthony Cucolo

Gen Cucolo told the BBC it was a "black and white" issue for him.

He said married soldiers in combat zones should either put their love lives on hold - or take precautions.

"I've got a mission to do, I'm given a finite number of soldiers with which to do it and I need every one of them."

"So I'm going to take every measure I can to keep them all strong, fit and with me for the twelve months we are in the combat zone," he said.