ECB says bank health test to strengthen confidence

The European Central Bank vowed on Wednesday to submit the euro zone's top banks to a comprehensive batch of tests next year, staking its credibility on a review that is crucial to rebuilding confidence in the sector.
Setting out its plans to scrutinize 128 top euro zone lenders, the ECB said the exercise aimed to improve transparency in the sector, to identify and implement "corrective action" where needed and to build confidence in banks.
"A single comprehensive assessment, uniformly applied to all significant banks, accounting for about 85 percent of the euro area banking system, is an important step forward for Europe and for the future of the euro area economy," ECB President Mario Draghi said in a statement.
"Transparency will be its primary objective," he said. "We expect that this assessment will strengthen private sector confidence in the soundness of euro area banks and in the quality of their balance sheets."
The ECB said it would conclude its assessment in October 2014, before assuming its new supervisory tasks in November 2014. If capital shortfalls are identified, banks will be required to make up for them, the ECB said.
"For the success of the exercise, the ex ante availability of backstops is critical

Slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect linked to triple killings

Slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev took part in a 2011 triple homicide in a nearby town, according to a Chechen immigrant who was himself killed when approached by investigators for questioning, federal prosecutors said on Monday in newly filed court papers.
Ibragim Todashev, 27, who has been identified as an acquaintance of Tsarnaev from their days as mixed martial-arts fighters in Boston, told investigators Tsarnaev participated in the murders of three men found stabbed to death in September 2011 in an apartment in Waltham, Massachusetts, according to the filing.
U.S. media had previously reported that one of the victims was a close friend of Tsarnaev and authorities believe the killings were drug related.
The FBI has said Todashev was shot and killed by a federal agent about a month after the marathon bombings when he suddenly turned violent while being questioned about possible links to Tsarnaev.
The latest disclosure about Tsarnaev came in a 23-page brief arguing against a motion by lawyers for his younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is in custody on federal charges related to the marathon bombing that carry the death penalty.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's lawyers are seeking to force the government to share with defense attorneys investigative materials pertaining to his deceased older brother, Tamerlan.
The two siblings, both ethnic Chechens, are suspected of planting two pressure-cooker bombs that detonated at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, killing three people and injuring 264 others.
After allegedly shooting a police officer to death in an ambush three days later, the pair went on to engage in a late-night gun battle with police in nearby Watertown that ended with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, dead, and 20-year-old brother, Dzhokhar, escaping.
Police later captured the younger Tsarnaev after a daylong manhunt in which most of the Boston area was placed on a security lockdown.
Dzhokhar has since pleaded not guilty to charges related to the bombing and the policeman's slaying.
Lawyers for the younger Tsarnaev have argued that information about the investigation of his older brother's possible role in the Waltham murders might be a mitigating factor in the government's case against Dzhokhar. But prosecutors said disclosure of the materials sought by his defense could jeopardize the continuing investigation into the triple homicide.

French investigation into Kurdish murders eyes Turkey connections

  French investigators trying to solve the murder of three Kurdish activists in Paris have collected evidence about the chief suspect's connections to Turkey, four sources with knowledge of the investigation told
Police sources told Reuters the magistrate in charge of the case was about to lodge a formal appeal for information to Turkey about Omer Guney, a Turkish immigrant placed under formal investigation for the triple murder eight months ago.
The move could mark a turning point in the case, which has become a rallying cry for Europe's large population of ethnic Kurds. It comes after disclosures that Guney took at least three trips to Turkey and made dozens of phone calls to contacts there in the months before the killings, lawyers with access to investigation files told Reuters.
The Turkish justice ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on cooperation with France in the case.
The murders of Sakine Cansiz, 55, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK); Fidan Dogan, 32, a spokeswoman for the cause in France and Europe; and a trainee named Leyla Saylemez, 25, sent a shockwave through Europe's large Kurdish community. The women were shot as ceasefire talks to end 29 years of war between the PKK and Turkey were starting.
The key question asked by lawyers and victims' family members is who ordered the killing. Kurds who gather each week by the crime scene say it was a political assassination.
French police quickly arrested Guney, 30. Surveillance footage placed him at the scene, and partial DNA from one of the victims was found on a parka belonging to him, lawyers said.
Guney, who says he is innocent, has been awaiting trial for eight months in solitary confinement near Paris. His lawyer, Anne-Sophie Laguens, said she planned to apply to have him freed under court supervision because he was not receiving proper treatment for a brain tumor that induced seizures.
Laguens said she was also waiting for answers from Turkey regarding her client's trips. Guney told investigators he had travelled to Turkey to find a wife and had bought tickets with disability payments he received from the French state.
POLITICAL FALLOUT
Lawyers both for Guney and the victims' families in France and in Turkey say the investigation has dragged due to concern about political fallout from a case involving two NATO allies linked by a 2011 bilateral security accord.
"It's my impression that we (the French investigation) have received more information in this case through Turkish media than through international cooperation," said Antoine Comte, a lawyer for the Kurdish victims in France.
Police sources said Turkish authorities had earlier provided some biographical information about Guney, but the French magistrate was expected to seek responses to recent disclosures.
A spokesman for France's foreign ministry said the French state exerts no influence over judicial investigations. Paris' anti-terrorism court denied that political tension was slowing down the case.
New evidence could upset a ceasefire brokered between the PKK and Turkey: Kurdish rebels are disappointed with Turkish efforts to address their grievances and have said they are considering whether to maintain the deal.
Lawyers also questioned the efficiency of judicial cooperation after the Turkish pro-government newspaper Bugun wrote that the prosecutor in Ankara had accused French authorities in August of failing to respond to his requests for details in the case.
Turkish media wrote earlier this year that the Ankara prosecutor is conducting a separate probe under an article of penal law which says a person who commits a crime abroad while in the service of the Turkish state can be tried in Turkey, even if he is already found guilty abroad and/or has served time.
Turkish media said the Ankara prosecutor is seeking to establish whether Guney was in the service of the Turkish state. The prosecutor's office did not respond to requests for comment.
"We feel that since the crime was committed in France, the real interlocutors are the French authorities. They must respond to the Turkish requests for information," said Meral Danis Bestas, a lawyer in Turkey for the victims' families.
Two pieces of evidence in investigation files highlight Guney's alleged ties to people in Turkey: three trips in August, October and December of 2012, and phone records from one of five cell phones that police say belonged to Guney. The latter show "dozens" of calls to Turkish numbers in the same period.
PHONE RECORDS
Comte said records of Guney's phone activity with Turkey were placed in the investigations file in July, five months after his arrest. These contacts could be crucial to finding out whether Guney was involved in the killings and, if so, with or without foreign backing. However, the details cannot be checked without help from Turkey, Comte said.
"You need an order from a Turkish judge to identify the interlocutors," said another lawyer for the victims' families, Jean-Louis Malterre.
In France lawyers for victims can join criminal proceedings. They have access to investigation files and participate in trials. The Turkish system has similar provisions.
While the French magistrate prepares to seek information from Turkey, one of the lawyers with access to the investigation file pointed also to hold-ups on the French side.
A month after Guney's arrest, investigators from the French anti-terrorist unit, Sdat, checked the contents of a borrowed Peugeot car he used on the day of the killing; it was their second try. Dismantling the car, they found a passport behind the radio with stamps for three trips to Turkey, and a dry-cleaning bill dated a few days after the killings, Comte said.
"When Guney was brought in, they missed half the things in his car," the lawyer said. "The dry-cleaning bill didn't enter the investigation file until a month later. If you look at the transcripts of the first hours of questioning, all they are doing is trying to update their archives about PKK activities."
Police sources had no comment on allegations that evidence was missed in the first search of Guney's car. They said questioning had focused on his links to the PKK because he claimed to be a member. PKK officials have denied Guney was a member of the group.
The appeal to Turkey for judicial help, to be lodged by investigating magistrate Jeanne Duye, comes after similar requests were sent to Holland and Germany - where Guney lived for nine years - and received replies.
Other factors are also complicating the investigation. On September 25 Duye's computer containing judicial files was stolen from her home. Duye's office did not respond to a request for comment. Duye has not spoken publicly about the murder case.
(Additional reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul and Nicolas Bertin in Paris; Editing by Richard Woods and Giles Elgood)

Former Military dictator, Babangida advocates devolution of powers

ibrahim Babangida

The former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who exercised maximum powers over the affairs of Nigeria for eight years, on Monday called for the devolution of powers between the federal, state and local governments in the spirit of true federalism. Babangida made the call when the Chairman of Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Chief Elias Mbam, paid him a visit at his residence in Minna. 
It is however pertinent to state that if General Babangida really believed in true federalism, he had all the powers to restructure the country along that line when he was a maximum ruler.
The former president said that besides proper devolution of powers, there was need for a review of revenue sharing formula in favour of the states and the local government councils.
He said that a greater percentage of revenue should go to the state and local governments because their of closeness to the masses.
The former military president also canvassed for diversification of the economy from the current mono-source - oil, to other revenue alternatives.
Babangida commended the commission for carrying out its assignment diligently in spite of the challenges.
Earlier, Mbam said the visit was part of extensive consultation with all stakeholders before drawing up a new revenue sharing formula.
He noted that the review of the revenue sharing formula was last held during the Babangida regime.
The chairman said that the new revenue sharing formula would be ready by December.

China, India sign deal aimed at soothing Himalayan tension

China and India signed a deal on Wednesday aimed at soothing tension on their contested border, as the two nuclear-armed giants try to break a decades-old stalemate on overlapping claims to long remote stretches of the Himalayas.
The agreement was signed in Beijing's Great Hall of the People following a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
China, a close ally of India's long-time foe, Pakistan, lays claim to more than 90,000 sq km (35,000 sq miles) disputed by New Delhi in the eastern sector of the Himalayas. India says China occupies 38,000 square kilometers (14,600 square miles) of its territory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the west.
The two countries fought a brief border war in 1962 and since then ties have been mired in distrust, with a series of alleged violations by Chinese military patrols earlier this year.
"I am sure it will help to maintain peace, tranquility and stability in our border areas," China's Li told reporters following talks with Singh.
The border defense cooperation agreement is built on existing confidence-building measures and is designed to ensure that patrolling along the Line of Actual Control, as the unsettled border is called, does not escalate into an unintended skirmish, an Indian official said last week.
Singh said the agreement "will add to the existing instruments to ensure peace, stability and predictability on our borders".
Under the new deal, the two sides will give notice of patrols along the ill-defined border to ensure that patrols do not "tail" each other to reduce the chance of confrontation and will exercise "maximum self-restraint" should the two sides come face to face in areas where the line of control is unclear.
The two armies, strung out along the 4,000-km (2,500-mile) border from the high-altitude Ladakh plateau in the west to the forests of Arunachal Pradesh in the east, have also agreed to look at setting up a hotline between top-ranking officers in addition to existing brigade-level contacts.
The border defense cooperation pact is a small step forward in a complicated relationship marked by booming economic ties and growing distrust.
In May, armies from the two countries ended a three-week standoff in the western Himalayas after Chinese troops set up a camp at least 10 km (six miles) inside territory claimed by India, triggering a public outcry and calls that India should stand up to its powerful neighbor.
China denied that troops had crossed into Indian territory.
A Chinese airline earlier this month blocked two Indian archers from disputed Arunachal Pradesh from travelling to China, souring the mood in India ahead of Singh's visit.
But Li sought to play down the differences.
"China and India are two old civilizations," he said. "Our two peoples have the wisdom and our two governments have the ability to manage our differences along the border so that it won't affect the overall interests of our bilateral relations."

China, India sign deal aimed at soothing Himalayan tension

China and India signed a deal on Wednesday aimed at soothing tension on their contested border, as the two nuclear-armed giants try to break a decades-old stalemate on overlapping claims to long remote stretches of the Himalayas.
The agreement was signed in Beijing's Great Hall of the People following a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
China, a close ally of India's long-time foe, Pakistan, lays claim to more than 90,000 sq km (35,000 sq miles) disputed by New Delhi in the eastern sector of the Himalayas. India says China occupies 38,000 square kilometers (14,600 square miles) of its territory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the west.
The two countries fought a brief border war in 1962 and since then ties have been mired in distrust, with a series of alleged violations by Chinese military patrols earlier this year.
"I am sure it will help to maintain peace, tranquility and stability in our border areas," China's Li told reporters following talks with Singh.
The border defense cooperation agreement is built on existing confidence-building measures and is designed to ensure that patrolling along the Line of Actual Control, as the unsettled border is called, does not escalate into an unintended skirmish, an Indian official said last week.
Singh said the agreement "will add to the existing instruments to ensure peace, stability and predictability on our borders".
Under the new deal, the two sides will give notice of patrols along the ill-defined border to ensure that patrols do not "tail" each other to reduce the chance of confrontation and will exercise "maximum self-restraint" should the two sides come face to face in areas where the line of control is unclear.
The two armies, strung out along the 4,000-km (2,500-mile) border from the high-altitude Ladakh plateau in the west to the forests of Arunachal Pradesh in the east, have also agreed to look at setting up a hotline between top-ranking officers in addition to existing brigade-level contacts.
The border defense cooperation pact is a small step forward in a complicated relationship marked by booming economic ties and growing distrust.
In May, armies from the two countries ended a three-week standoff in the western Himalayas after Chinese troops set up a camp at least 10 km (six miles) inside territory claimed by India, triggering a public outcry and calls that India should stand up to its powerful neighbor.
China denied that troops had crossed into Indian territory.
A Chinese airline earlier this month blocked two Indian archers from disputed Arunachal Pradesh from travelling to China, souring the mood in India ahead of Singh's visit.
But Li sought to play down the differences.
"China and India are two old civilizations," he said. "Our two peoples have the wisdom and our two governments have the ability to manage our differences along the border so that it won't affect the overall interests of our bilateral relations."

China, India sign deal aimed at soothing Himalayan tension

China and India signed a deal on Wednesday aimed at soothing tension on their contested border, as the two nuclear-armed giants try to break a decades-old stalemate on overlapping claims to long remote stretches of the Himalayas.
The agreement was signed in Beijing's Great Hall of the People following a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
China, a close ally of India's long-time foe, Pakistan, lays claim to more than 90,000 sq km (35,000 sq miles) disputed by New Delhi in the eastern sector of the Himalayas. India says China occupies 38,000 square kilometers (14,600 square miles) of its territory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the west.
The two countries fought a brief border war in 1962 and since then ties have been mired in distrust, with a series of alleged violations by Chinese military patrols earlier this year.
"I am sure it will help to maintain peace, tranquility and stability in our border areas," China's Li told reporters following talks with Singh.
The border defense cooperation agreement is built on existing confidence-building measures and is designed to ensure that patrolling along the Line of Actual Control, as the unsettled border is called, does not escalate into an unintended skirmish, an Indian official said last week.
Singh said the agreement "will add to the existing instruments to ensure peace, stability and predictability on our borders".
Under the new deal, the two sides will give notice of patrols along the ill-defined border to ensure that patrols do not "tail" each other to reduce the chance of confrontation and will exercise "maximum self-restraint" should the two sides come face to face in areas where the line of control is unclear.
The two armies, strung out along the 4,000-km (2,500-mile) border from the high-altitude Ladakh plateau in the west to the forests of Arunachal Pradesh in the east, have also agreed to look at setting up a hotline between top-ranking officers in addition to existing brigade-level contacts.
The border defense cooperation pact is a small step forward in a complicated relationship marked by booming economic ties and growing distrust.
In May, armies from the two countries ended a three-week standoff in the western Himalayas after Chinese troops set up a camp at least 10 km (six miles) inside territory claimed by India, triggering a public outcry and calls that India should stand up to its powerful neighbor.
China denied that troops had crossed into Indian territory.
A Chinese airline earlier this month blocked two Indian archers from disputed Arunachal Pradesh from travelling to China, souring the mood in India ahead of Singh's visit.
But Li sought to play down the differences.
"China and India are two old civilizations," he said. "Our two peoples have the wisdom and our two governments have the ability to manage our differences along the border so that it won't affect the overall interests of our bilateral relations."

Saudi Arabia, gulf countries celebrating Eid-ul-Azha today

RIYADH/DUBAI: Saudi Arabia and gulf countries are celebrating Eid-ul-Azha today (Tuesday).

The UAE's close proximity to the Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, makes the Eid all the more exciting in the country. It is during the Eid that the Muslims complete their Haj pilgrimage.

Dubai expects 65 million pilgrims from around the world this year. It will be a transit point before they travel to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, the closest city to the Mecca.

During the Eid holidays, amusement parks such as Dubai's Global Village or the car-leisure complex Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi remain open for longer duration, while Dubai's major shopping malls will remain open round the clock.

The Dubai government is offering free parking Oct 13-18, and the Dubai Metro will run till 3 a.m.

All UAE government employees have been given a week's holiday, starting Sunday.

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan wished good health and happiness to people on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha

Uncertain path to 2014

 

Uncertain path to 2014

For some time it seemed that Afghanistan had slipped from Washington’s top priorities as the Obama administration became preoccupied by political gridlock at home, as well as fast moving developments in the Middle East and terrorist threats in Africa. But Secretary of State John Kerry’s weekend trip to Kabul signalled that the US still had important business to transact in Afghanistan. The visit was impelled by urgency to secure a security deal that would allow for a post-2014 US military presence in that country.

After a year of negotiations between Washington and Kabul, the continuing stalemate on a bilateral security agreement (BSA) made the US deadline of October to conclude the deal appear increasingly elusive. In recent months both countries also began to engage in a public game of brinkmanship. Each side threatened to walk away from talks if the other didn't yield on areas of disagreement.

As President Hamid Karzai’s public statements became more strident, leaks in the American media suggested that if no agreement were reached, the US would exercise the ‘zero option’ of complete withdrawal from Afghanistan. Last week President Barack Obama himself declared that without a BSA he would have to order a complete troop pullout.

Against this backdrop, Secretary Kerry’s unannounced visit to Kabul ended in agreement on most of the terms for a BSA. But a key sticking point remained unresolved: legal immunity for American forces from prosecution in Afghanistan. This meant that despite progress achieved in two days of lengthy talks no final accord emerged.

President Karzai announced that the immunity issue would be decided by a Loya Jirga, which he planned to convene next month. It will then be placed before Parliament. And Kerry made it clear that “If the issue of jurisdiction cannot be resolved, then there cannot be a bilateral security agreement.” In another indication that other matters remained to be finalised, Karzai said there were several “small issues” and “technical points” he had yet to review.

This left an air of uncertainty – and many unanswered questions. When would Karzai, who steps down in six months, call the Loya Jirga? He has already postponed this twice. Would the Jirga endorse the deal, especially in the middle of the country’s election season? Registration of presidential candidates ended earlier this month for elections due in April 2014. With the BSA still not signed, could it end up as an election issue? If Kerry’s trip was timed to avert this possibility it is unclear how any more delay – over remaining hurdles – will play into campaign politics and shape the outcome.

Although the exact terms of what has been described as a ‘partial deal’ have yet to be announced, an important and consequential question is how the BSA will affect future efforts to revive Afghan peace talks, given that the Taliban’s main demand is withdrawal of all foreign forces from their country. In his Eid message, Mullah Omar rejected the proposed agreement, saying that Afghans would never accept a “document of surrender” rubberstamped by a “fake” Loya Jirga.

There is also no regional consensus on a long-term US military presence. Most regional states, especially Iran, Russia and China, have misgivings even if there are also concerns in the region about a possible security vacuum after 2014. These regional concerns have yet to be addressed much less resolved, because there is no final security document or details for neighbouring countries to take firm positions on. Delay on this count will shrink the space for much needed regional diplomacy.

As no agreement has been concluded this leaves Karzai with room to manoeuvre and raises another possibility. What if President Karzai plays the BSA down to the wire to bargain for postponement of elections? However improbable, the possibility cannot be ruled out, especially as senior Afghan officials have privately been musing over a postponement, ostensibly by a “few months”, which they claim is constitutionally permitted.

Any postponement will however be unacceptable to all the Afghan opposition groups, provoke internal discord, and also jeapordise Nato’s exit strategy. American officials say Washington would oppose any postponement. They also argue that after Kerry’s visit, Karzai cannot long drag out the BSA issue by prevaricating on the Loya Jirga or manipulating it. But it is yet to be seen how the US will resolve the immunity issue without a trade off, if Karzai uses delaying tactics. What will that trade off be?

And what would be the implications, especially for Afghan reconciliation prospects, if all energies continue to be consumed by efforts to conclude the BSA, to the virtual exclusion of addressing other aspects of the transitions ahead? Uncertainty has already deepened about the political, economic and security transitions because the most important prerequisite for their achievement is nowhere in sight – peace talks for a political settlement to end the war.

Valuable time has been lost to prolonged wrangling between Washington and Kabul on the BSA. This has also exacted a heavy price – delaying if not derailing peace efforts. It was in June that Karzai suspended talks on the BSA in protest against the US for orchestrating the opening of a Taliban office in Qatar. A promising start to a possible peace process was stopped dead in its tracks by Karzai’s calculation that Washington needed a BSA more than anything else. He linked the two issues and insisted that unless he was at the centre of any dialogue with the Taliban he would not let it proceed.

Since June, there have been no serious efforts to revive Doha, even though Taliban representatives have not left Qatar and their spokesman have reiterated willingness to pick up the threads from where they were left off.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged Washington not to abandon the Doha option. The US balked at Pakistan’s proposal, offered a few months ago, for “pre-talks” to resolve misunderstandings that led to the diplomatic debacle at Doha. But as securing the BSA became the overwhelming American priority, the peace process was pushed to the back burner. That is where it remains today. With the security deal taking precedence, the US has not wanted to risk annoying Karzai by taking any initiative to resuscitate the Doha process.

Meanwhile the modest improvement in Pakistan-Afghan relations after Karzai’s August visit to Islamabad has done little to move the reconciliation process forward. Given the Taliban’s refusal to talk to the Karzai regime, Pakistan’s release of a senior Taliban leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, on Kabul’s request, is unlikely to change that dynamic. The indications are that any meaningful move towards political reconciliation may have to wait for the post-Karzai era.

If the presidential election is held on time then another question is whether this process itself can produce political engagement with the Taliban as various contenders seek to cut deals and build alliances. More importantly, can the Taliban be persuaded not to disrupt the election, in the absence of any peace process? So far Taliban representatives have rejected the election. Mullah Omar reiterated this in his Eid message and urged people not to participate in what he dubbed a “drama”. It is conceivable that if peace talks had taken off in June some kind of accommodation may have emerged to ensure the elections went off peacefully.

With none of this resolved, doubts have intensified about a smooth and orderly path to 2014 and beyond. Muddle through seems to mark the US-led coalition’s approach to the looming transitions. What throws all three milestones into uncertainty is the lack of serious efforts towards a negotiated political settlement to put an end to fighting ahead of 2014. This was supposed to serve as the foundation for a peaceful transition in 2014 and to help assure the country’s post-2014 stability.

With time running out for progress on this count, the danger looms of turmoil and instability in post-2014 Afghanistan. No one may want that outcome, least of all Pakistan, but Islamabad will have no choice but to prepare itself to deal with the fallout.

Obama summons leaders for debt ceiling crisis talks

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama called top congressional leaders to the White House on Monday to demand they stave off the threat of a "devastating" US debt default that would rock the global economy.

Obama will meet top Republican and Democratic Party chieftains at the White House at 1900 GMT to push for Congress to raise America's borrowing authority before a Thursday deadline and to reopen the US government -- now partially shuttered for two weeks.

The meeting comes as hopes rise for progress after Democratic Senate Majority leader Harry Reid predicted a deal was getting "closer" though time was fast running short.

Despite massive stakes for Washington and the world, there was still no clear indication whether a compromise could encompass competing power centers on either side of the deepest rift yet between Obama and his Republican rivals on Capitol Hill.

Obama was to meet with Republicans, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate minority boss Mitch McConnell, and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and the party's House minority leader Nancy Pelosi.

"If Republicans aren't willing to set aside their partisan concerns in order to do what's right for the country, we stand a good chance of defaulting and defaulting could have a potentially have a devastating affect on our economy," Obama said.

During a visit to an anti-poverty charity in Washington, Obama said he would tell the leaders to "open the government and urge them to make sure that the United States government is paying it's bills."

He said the impasse could be solved "today" if Republicans, whom he sees as the main obstacle to a deal, cooperate.

If Congress does not raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling by Thursday, the US government will begin to run out of money and could start defaulting on its obligations.

Initiatives in both the House of Representatives and the Senate stalled over the weekend. The Politico news organization however reported Monday, however, that Reid had offered a compromise plan to McConnell.

The initiative would raise the debt ceiling for six to nine months and the government would be reopened until mid-to-late December.

The proposal would launch long-term budget talks between Democrats and Republicans, and could include a delay of a medical device tax used to help pay for Obama's health care reform law.

Reid did not confirm the terms of a deal but told reporters "we're working on everything.

"We're getting closer," he said.

Should the Democratic-led Senate coalesce on a deal, the question would then become could Boehner secure sufficient support from his restive conservative coalition in the House to send it to Obama's desk?

The uncertainty was mirrored on Wall Street. Increasing concern over the fiscal showdown pulled the Dow Jones Industrial Average down early on, but amid talk of negotiations on Capitol Hill it had recouped most of its losses by midday trade.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker told MSNBC he was hopeful of seeing "something meaningful by the end of the day" from the Senate talks.

"There are sweet spots that Republicans and Democrats agree on," he said.

Around the world, however, signs of alarm were mounting.

China and Japan -- which between them hold more than $2.4 trillion of US debt -- have urged Washington to get its house in order.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying took a chance in Beijing to wag its finger at Washington.

"The United States is the largest economy in the world and we hope that it can show its responsibility," Hua told reporters.

Bank of France Governor Christian Noyer warned of dire consequences if there was no solution.

A default would be "a thunderbolt on the financial markets" that would set off "extremely violent and profound turbulence worldwide," he told the daily Le Figaro.

In Asia, markets in Sydney, Seoul and Singapore were down in part over the deadlocked talks. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Jakarta were closed for public holidays.

On Asian currency markets the dollar weakened, buying 98.25 yen against 98.59 yen in New York late Friday.

"So far, markets have not panicked because both parties have come out to reassure that they are working towards a compromise after every failed vote, keeping alive hopes for a last-minute deal," Singapore-based DBS Bank said in a note.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew earlier told the International Monetary Fund that Washington understood its reputations a safe harbor was at risk.

Facebook ends 'invisibility cloak' for users

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook is ending a feature that allowed users to hide from the billion-plus members of the social network.

The feature, akin to Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, will be removed, meaning that someone looking for another Facebook user can more easily find that person.

"The setting was created when Facebook was a simple directory of profiles and it was very limited," said Facebook's chief privacy officer, Michael Richter.

The setting made Facebook search "feel broken at times," Richter added in a company blog Thursday.

"For example, people told us that they found it confusing when they tried looking for someone who they knew personally and couldn't find them in search results, or when two people were in a Facebook Group and then couldn't find each other through search."

Facebook announced last year it was ending this feature for new users, but allowed a transition for a "small percentage" of users who had that feature enabled.

Richter said the change should not have an impact on overall privacy.

"Whether you've been using the setting or not, the best way to control what people can find about you on Facebook is to choose who can see the individual things you share," he said.

Facebook, which has been under scrutiny by privacy advocates, recently revamped its search functions to include so-called "graph search" that allows users to search through a wide range of posts on the world's biggest social network.

In a separate development, Google announced Friday it was following the lead of Facebook to allow users' pictures and endorsements to be used in product ads.

The change will take effect November 11, Google said in its updated terms of service.

"We want to give you -- and your friends and connections -- the most useful information," the document said.

"Recommendations from people you know can really help. So your friends, family and others may see your profile name and photo, and content like the reviews you share or the ads you (liked)."

Google said users can opt out of this feature, however, and added that it will not use endorsements from users under 18

Another underage girl sexually assaulted in Lahore

The reports of alleged molestation of underage girls continue to pour in from across the country with the latest being of another teenager who became the victim of a sexual assault here on Monday night, Geo News reported.

Reportedly, a 14-year old girl was found unconscious near Expo Center in near Jauhar Town where she was apparently left there by her alleged molesters.

The rescuers ambulanced her to Jinnah Hospital’s emergency room where an initial examination confirmed she was raped.

According to hospital sources, at the moment, the girl was too traumatized to record her statement.

"The police have kicked off an investigation and are waiting for the girl to speak so that they can take further action" the sources added.

It must be mentioned that a few weeks back a minor girl was also ravished in Lahore and dumped near a hospital.

 

Obama rejects Republican plan on debt ceiling: report

 

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama rejected a Republican plan that would postpone a possible US default because it would not also reopen the federal government, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

The report came after a group of House Republican leaders met with Obama at the White House.

Space 'graveyard' reveals bits of an Earth-like planet

WASHINGTON: Astronomers have autopsied a distant, broken apart planet and revealed signs of water and a rocky surface together for the first time, delighting scientists on the hunt for alien life.

In a planetary system some 150 light years away, the right conditions for life appear to have once existed, and planets like Earth may have orbited a star known as GD 61, British astronomers reported in the journal Science.

"This planetary graveyard swirling around the embers of its parent star is a rich source of information about its former life," said co-author Boris Gansicke of the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick.

Around 200 million years ago, GD 61 lost its power and began sucking in the nearest planets with its extreme gravitational pull, devouring them to pieces.

Now that Sun is what is known as a white dwarf, or a dying star that is circled by planetary debris.

Victor Moses Is The Newest Globacom Ambassador , What a deal?

National Telecommunications operator and Africa’s biggest supporter of football, Globacom Tuesday in Lagos announced the appointment of Nigerian International and Liverpool Football Club player, Victor Moses, as its newest brand ambassador.

Moses was unveiled to the public at a press conference held at the Mike Adenuga Towers headquarters of the company in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Mary J Blige Get Paid $500,000 for just a Night Performance in Nigeria

 

 

Mary J.Blige got paid the sum of $500,000 just for a night to perform at the last Sisters With Soul concert held at Eko Hotel and Suites, an insider revealed. The cheapest fee for entrance for the Etisalat sponsored show was N15, 000.

Peter Okoye and Lola Omotola to Wed 17th of November

Peter Okoye will officially wed his baby mama and fiancée, Lola Omotayo on the 17th of November. According to Nigeriafilms, "Peter and Lola will be having their traditional marriage on November 17, 2013 at Arc Events Centre, Lagos while their white wedding will hold at a later date in 2014." The online portal also reported that "a representative of P-Square confirmed this to us when contacted...with this development, arrangements are already ongoing to make the day a memorable one."
You will recall that Peter Okoye only recently proposed to Lola Omotayo, with a brand new Range Rover SUV

The Girl with the Hottest Legs in Africa

                                                                        Sandra Ankobiah

 

Meet the Lady with the hottest Leg in Africa, People think she has the hottest legs in the entertainment seen, she used to be Brymo's girlfriend and a popular TV presenter in Ghana, what do you think?

Turkey lifts ban on Islamic headscarves in civil service

ANKARA: Turkey on Tuesday lifted a decades-old ban on headscarves in the civil service as part of a package of reforms by the Islamic-rooted government meant to improve democracy.

The measure was hailed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose wife wears a headscarf, as a "step toward normalisation" and came into effect after it was published in the Official Gazette.

"We have now abolished an archaic provision which was against the spirit of the republic. It's a step toward normalisation," Erdogan said in a parliamentary speech to his ruling party lawmakers.

"A dark time eventually comes to an end," he said. "Headscarf-wearing women are full members of the republic, as well as those who do not wear it."

But critics accuse Erdogan of lifting the ban to force his Islamic values on the majority Muslim but staunchly secular nation.

When plans to remove the ban were first announced last week, the main opposition party labelled it "a serious blow to the secular republic" created by modern Turkey's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923.

Erdogan last week unveiled a package of democratic reforms mostly aimed at improving rights for minority Kurds, but he also used the opportunity to take on the highly controversial headscarf ban.

Female civil servants are now allowed to wear the veil while their male counterparts can sport beards, both symbols of Muslim piety.

However, the ban remains in place for judges, prosecutors, police and military personnel.

Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) pledged to remove the ban on the wearing of headscarves in all domains when it came to power in 2002. It has already relaxed the ban at universities.

The highly charged debate about headscarves lies at the heart of Turkey's divisions between religious conservatives, who form the bulk of Erdogan's AKP supporters, and more secular members of society.

In 1999, Turkish-American lawmaker Merve Kavakci arrived in parliament wearing a headscarf for her swearing-in ceremony. She was booed out of the house and had her Turkish citizenship revoked.

In stark contrast, a day after Erdogan's announcement of reforms, President Abdullah Gul's wife wore her headscarf to parliament

Shutdown heads south; Antarctic stations shuttered

WASHINGTON: The US government shutdown is reaching all the way down to the South Pole.

The National Science Foundation announced Tuesday that it is putting its three Antarctic scientific stations in deep freeze just as scientists are starting to arrive for the start of a new research season.

The NSF runs three stations in Antarctica spending just under $400 million a year there. It often takes weeks for some 1,200 researchers to get to the southern continent by boat or plane.

Scientists say October is when spring and summer research starts in Antarctica. A ship had been scheduled to arrive Wednesday with researchers, including those working on a long term study that has tracked penguins and other creatures since 1990.

Libya demands US return seized Qaeda 'operative'

 

 

 

TRIPOLI: Libya's top political authority demanded Tuesday the United States "immediately" hand back an alleged Al-Qaeda operative its forces captured in Tripoli, as activists urged that his rights be respected.

The country is bristling after the US operation to snatch Abu Anas al-Libi on Saturday, with the government summoning the US ambassador and Prime Minister Ali Zeidan insisting that all Libyans should be tried on home soil.

The case has embarrassed and put the Libyan government under pressure from its critics -- notably former rebel groups in the 2011 revolt that ousted and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

A General National Congress statement stressed "the need for the immediate surrender" of Libi, and described the US operation as a "flagrant violation" of Libya's sovereignty.

The text, which was passed by the GNC, also called for the "need to allow the Libyan authorities and their families to get in touch with him (Libi) and guarantee them access to a lawyer."

It was the first official statement from Libya that clearly condemns the operation, in which Libi was seized from his car by US forces in broad daylight in a Tripoli street on Saturday.

Libi -- whose real name is Nazih Abdul Hamed al-Raghie -- was on the FBI's most wanted list with a $5 million (3.7 million euro) bounty on his head for his alleged role in the 1998 twin bombings of two US embassies in East Africa.

He is reportedly being held aboard a US naval ship in the Mediterranean.

On Sunday, Tripoli said it had demanded an explanation from Washington for Libi's "kidnapping".

On Tuesday, the justice minister summoned US Ambassador Deborah Jones to answer questions about the operation.

"Salah al-Marghani summoned the ambassador of the United States on Monday morning to ask for answers to several questions relating to the case" of Libi's capture, his ministry said.

Marghani and officials from the foreign ministry met members of Libi's family, who were told of the meeting with Jones, the statement added.

Zeidan said that, while he valued Tripoli's "important" relationship with the United States, Libyans should not be tried abroad.

"We insist that Libyan citizens must be tried in Libya, and Libya will not deliver its citizens abroad for trial," Zeidan said in Morocco.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya backed Tripoli's calls for clarification.

"The government of Libya and the Libyan people have every right to know the circumstances of the abduction of the Libyan citizen... and to demand full respect of international and national laws," UNSMIL chief Tarek Mitri said.

'Hunt down and expel illegal foreigners'

Meanwhile, the Operations Room of Libya's Revolutionaries, a group of ex-rebels, said it was on high alert "in light of the deterioration in security and damage to the country's sovereignty by foreign intelligence bodies."

It ordered its fighters to be prepared for orders to "hunt down and expel foreigners who are illegally in the country."

US Secretary of State John Kerry has defended the operation to capture Libi, calling him a "legal and appropriate target".

Kerry said Libi had committed "acts of terror" and had been "appropriately indicted by courts of law," but refused to say whether Libya had been informed of the raid in advance.

Rights groups have criticised the operation, urging the United States to respect Libi's rights and to give him access to legal advice.

Human Rights Watch called on the United States to ensure Libi is charged quickly in a civilian court.

"The US needs to respect his rights so that he can be fairly tried in a civilian court," said HRW's Laura Pitter.

"That means ensuring he gets a lawyer during any questioning and that he is promptly brought before a judge and charged."

A day earlier, Amnesty International sharply criticised Libi's capture, saying it violated "fundamental human rights principles".

The operation in Tripoli was one of two US raids at the weekend.

Navy SEALs launched an attack on a stronghold in the southern Somali port of Barawe of the Al-Shebab, targeting an elusive Kenyan commander.

Their success was unclear, as they were forced to withdraw before they could confirm whether they had killed their target.

Bangladesh factory fire: 7 bodies found in charred ruins

 

 

SRIPUR: Rescue workers recovered seven bodies Wednesday from the charred ruins of a garment factory on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital after firefighters brought the massive blaze under control, police said.

Revising an earlier death toll which put the number of dead at nine, local police chief Amir Hossain said most of the victims had been so badly burned that they could not be identified.

"The death toll is seven. Previously we over counted the toll," Hossain
told AFP at the scene of the fire in Sripur which broke out on Tuesday evening.

"Two bodies have been identified and handed over to their relatives. Five other bodies were charred beyond recognition," he added. Hossain said that the fire was now "under control" although parts of the
two-storey building were still smouldering.

The fire is the latest in a string of deadly disasters in Bangladeshi
garment factories. A total of 1,129 were killed in April when a garment factory complex collapsed in the nation's worst industrial disaster.
A fire at the Tazreen garment factory in Dhaka killed 111 workers in
November last year.

Minor girl sexually assaulted back home from hospital in Lahore

LAHORE: The minor girl, who was sexually assaulted a month ago, has now been shifted to her house from the hospital after complete recovery on Wednesday here, Geo News reported.

Police said that the girl, 5 had fully recovered three/four days ago, but for unavoidable circumstances she was not being shifted to her house. However, the girl escorted by heavy contingent of police was shifted to her house early this morning.

Police in plain clothes have also cordoned off the entire area and making hectic efforts to dig out the accused.

It may be recalled that some unknown persons had sexually assaulted the minor girl twenty-eight days ago on September 12, but the police have miserably failed to arrest them thus far.

 

Hong Kong seizes elephant tusks worth $1 million

HONG KONG: Elephant tusks worth more than $1 million were seized by Hong Kong customs after being discovered hidden under bags of soya in shipments from West Africa, officials said Thursday.

In what officials called an "intelligence-based" operation last month, the southern Chinese city's border control found 189 tusks in three containers.

"After X-ray examination, the officers found the ivory tusks, weighing 769 kilogrammes (1,695 pounds) in total, in the innermost parts of the containers. The ivory tusks were packed in linen and nylon bags and covered by bags of soya," a Hong Kong government spokesman said in a statement released Thursday.

The three six-metre (20-foot) containers arrived at the city's maritime port from Cote d'Ivoire in separate shipments, according to customs officials, who did not specify when the shipments arrived.

They said the tusks could be sold for HK$11.53 million ($1.49 million).

The seizure came less than two months after the last major haul of 1,000 elephant tusks found in a container from Nigeria, which along with rhino horns and leopard skins also discovered was worth more than $5 million.

Ivory is popular with Chinese collectors who see it as a valuable investment and leopard skin is a popular material for fashion and decoration.

"Hong Kong...is committed to continuing to take vigorous enforcement action against the trafficking of endangered wildlife," Hong Kong customs head of ports and maritime command, Vincent Wong, said in the press statement.

The international trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after populations of the African giants dropped from millions in the mid-20th century to some 600,000 by the end of the 1980s.

Hong Kong, a free port which runs one of the biggest container terminals in the world, often sees the seizure of products from banned trades.

But customs officials have previously said there was "no concrete information" to show that the financial hub had become a gateway for ivory smuggling.

Plane crash-lands after takeoff from Lagos, 20 people on board

  

LAGOS: A plane with 20 people on board suffered an engine failure Thursday shortly after takeoff in Lagos, crash-landing on the runway before catching fire, an aviation official told AFP.

"It was an Associated Airline plane. It was going to Akure (southwest). The engine failed on takeoff and it crash-landed and burst into flames.

Twenty people were on board," said Supo Atobatele, spokesman for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.

AEG Live Found Not Liable for the Wrongful Death of Michael Jackson: What’s Next?

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The King of Pop, Michael Jackson

AEG Live scored a massive victory on Wednesday afternoon, as the jury of its civil trial found the concert promoter not liable in the death of pop superstar Michael Jackson. But with the Jackson family estate almost certain to appeal, questions remain about where this long running legal drama is headed next, and it appears the story is far from over.
Responding to the questionnaire put before them to establish liability for the singer's death, the jury today gave unanimous reactions to the first two questions (of 16) asked. A "yes" answer was required for all of the first five questions in order for AEG to be found liable .
To question #1: Did AEG Live hire Dr. Conrad Murray? — The jury answered: Yes
But for question #2: Was Dr. Conrad Murray unfit or incompetent to perform his duties? — The jury returned a "No" answer.
That response brought an end to the proceedings, letting AEG Live walk away clean. Presiding Judge Yvette M. Palazuelos then thanked the jurors "from the bottom of my heart" and referred to them as "model citizens" for their five months of service.
[Related: Jury Rejects Claim That Jackson Promoter Negligent]
In a statement released immediately after the decision was read, AEG Live lead counsel Marvin Putnam of O'Melveny & Myers LLP said, "The jury's decision completely vindicates AEG Live, confirming what we have known from the start — that although Michael Jackson's death was a terrible tragedy, it was not a tragedy of AEG Live's making … There was simply no evidence that anyone at AEG did anything wrong … Some people make the mistake of looking at AEG Live as an easy target due to their size and presence in Los Angeles. That's a mistake."

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AEG Live attorney Marvin Putnam on Wednesday

On the other side, however, the Jackson family made clear they do not necessarily see this as the end of the line. "We are evaluating everything at this time and will then decide," attorney Brian Panish said following the verdict. "We are disappointed by the verdict but respect the jury system."
So what does this ruling mean for both AEG Live and the Jackson family estate? Omg! spoke with two attorneys not involved with this case to get their takes.
Darren Kavinoky a criminal defense attorney at The Kavinoky Law Firm in California, also a TV legal analyst, frequent keynote speaker, and the creator and host of "Deadly Sins" on Investigation Discovery, notes, "Given the inevitability of an appeal, this case is not yet over. Some of the issues that were most contentious in the court of public opinion, namely whether Jackson himself bore some responsibility for his own demise, were never reached."

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Katherine Jackson

Could the tricky phrasing of the questions have influenced the outcome? "Legal analysts have opined that the wording of the jury question could have impacted this result," Kavinoky continued. "Since it caused jurors to focus simply on whether he was competent at the time of hiring, and didn't speak to the over-prescribing and reckless conduct that led to the criminal conviction for manslaughter."
Speaking as a group outside of the courthouse after their verdict was delivered, members of the jury addressed that issue. "The question was over whether or not Dr. Murray was competent. We found that he was," the jury foreman Gregg Barden said. "(He) had a license, he graduated from an accredited college, and we felt that he was competent of doing the job of being a general practitioner."
"Now That doesn’t mean we felt he was ethical," Barden continued. "If ethical was in the question, it could have been a different outcome. In the end, he was very unethical. He did something he shouldn’t have done."
Still yet, he admitted, "Question #2 was confusing."
Kavinoky points out that the most awaited opinion, however, could be coming shortly.
"Trial watchers won't have long to wait to hear perhaps the most interesting interview concerning this case: Dr. Murray himself! Conrad Murray is expected to be released from custody in approximately three weeks. Stay tuned!"
Tanya Acker, an attorney at Goldberg Lowenstein & Weatherwax LLP, has followed the case closely and believes an appeal is in the works. "An appeal is inevitable and the plaintiffs are already gearing up for it," she says. "While the jury's finding that Murray was competent may seem surprising in the context of Murray's criminal trial, that competency finding isn't necessarily inconsistent with the criminal verdict. Someone who is generally competent may nonetheless act negligently, even criminally, in particular circumstances."

Keshi clears Ameobi

Shola Ameobi

Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi says  injured Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi will be fit for a 2014 World Cup playoff in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia host Nigeria on October 13 in a first leg play-off for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Ameobi has been sidelined by a knock he picked up while on international duty last month with his club saying he will be sidelined for several weeks thus raising fears he may miss the match in Addis Ababa.

“Shola is fine. He will be ready for the game against Ethiopia. I spoke with him last week and he said he is good. In any case he is a very disciplined player who really wants to play for his country,” Keshi was quoted by MTNFootball.com as saying on Wednesday.

“So, my list remains intact, there would be no changes.”

Ameobi has won four caps for Nigeria and scored a goal since he made his long-awaited international debut against Venezuela last year in the United States.

Internet technology becoming cyber chic

 

 Models wearing Google Glass eyewear, Pebble smart watches and other hot gadgets strutted a catwalk late Monday as Internet technology continued to merge with the world of fashion.
A Digital Fall fashion show here marked the close of the first Glazed Conference devoted to setting the stage for wearable computing start-ups to become billion-dollar businesses.

“It looks like technology for the sake of technology is dead,” said Eliane Fiolet, co-founder of popular technology news website Ubergizmo.com and organizer of the fashion show.

“People want a great piece of technology that works well and looks great.”

Companies are increasingly tuning into desires for sophisticated gadgets that also let people express personal styles, she noted.

Jawbone lets people customize colours of Jambox wireless speakers that synch wirelessly to smart phones, tablets, or laptop computers.

Nike allows people visiting its website to design their own athletic shoes, and matches some sports attire with wearable devices that track daily active for those chasing fitness goals.

“There will be more and more integration with fashion and technology,” Fiolet said. “We are just at the very start of it.”

She believed that Google has touched on a winning formula with Google Glass Internet-linked eyewear, which have become a fashion trend in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley areas.

“We are in the next stage of human evolution,” said Glazed Conference organizer Redg Snodgrass, co-founder of Stained Glass Labs start-up accelerator devoted to revving up the wearable computing industry.

“Entrepreneurs aren’t those nerds living in a closet anymore,” Snodgrass said as the fashion show was about to commence in a club not far from Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco.

“They are out there pushing the limit. Anything that is technologically fascinating is sexy, and fashion is tied to that.”

While fitness has been a winning theme for early wearable computing devices, such as UP and Fitbit bracelets for providing feedback on whether people are hitting activity and sleep goals, Snodgrass thinks films and games will be the next areas to catch fire.

The one-day Glazed Conference was intended to bring together entrepreneurs, investors and others to explore ways to realize ideas and make money in the world of wearable computing.

“Not only did they show up, they brought the heat,” Snodgrass said of the turnout. “They brought some great stuff.”

Among the attendees was self-described ‘cyber technician’ Tyler Freeman, who sported Drum Pants lined with sensors that let him play percussion beats by slapping various spots on his legs. The sensor strips are held in place with Velcro, meaning they can be swapped between pieces of a wardrobe, he explained.

“The goal is to get banned in public schools; then we know we are a success,” said the San Francisco-based entrepreneur.

Tapping on Drum Pants sends signals wirelessly to smart phones, which then direct thumps or synthesized sounds to come from speakers. The sensors could be used to control PowerPoint presentations or Google Glass cameras with casual touches of a leg, according to Freeman.

Fiolet already has her sites set on next year’s show, with hopes of being able to showcase creations of London-based Cute Circuit, the cyber chic fashion house that wowed the world with a “Twitter Dress” worn by a celebrity to a 4G mobile network launch event in Britain in late 2012.

LED lights designed into the gown displayed posts from the globally-popular one-to-many messaging service.

Technology and fashion need to be combined tastefully to make for a winning creation, according to Fiolet.

“It has to be good looking; be a great piece of technology, and monitor something you care about,” she contended. “If you don’t care, you will never wear it. And, if it is ugly, you will never wear it.”

Jellyfish ‘invasion’ causes Swedish nuclear reactor shutdown

STOCKHOLM: A Swedish nuclear reactor was restarted on Wednesday following a three-day closure caused by a build-up of jellyfish in a cooling system, according to the operators.

The incident occurred in reactor 3 at Oskarshamn power station on the Baltic Sea coast, which is run by OKG, a subsidiary of the German electricity company EON.

“It was a larger amount than we had ever seen. Every autumn we have to get rid of jellyfish, but not that many,” OKG spokeswoman Emmy Davidsson told AFP.

The company announced on Sunday that the reactor—Sweden’s largest with a 1400 MW output and the world’s largest boiling water reactor—was “manually shut down due to a large amount of jellyfish present at the cooling water intake”. The closure did not lead to power outages.

On Wednesday the company said in a statement that the reactor was restarted once the jellyfish had been cleared from the system and the numbers of new arrivals had subsided.

“Furthermore we have reinforced our clearing system to deal with any future jellyfish invasions,” wrote OKG.

The influx of jellyfish damaged the reactor’s seawater filter mechanism, forcing OKG to replace parts and to clear cages with high pressure water, added spokeswoman Emmy Davidsson.

Similar incidents have occurred in other coastal plants such as Torness on Scotland’s east coast in 2011.

A number of factors are believed to have increased jellyfish numbers in the Baltic and other seas, including rising pollution levels, warmer waters and less biodiversity.

Chelsea blow off cobwebs in Bucharest

BUCHAREST: Chelsea got their Champions League campaign up and running at the second attempt on Tuesday with a one-sided 4-0 win away to Romanian champions Steaua Bucharest.

Stunned 2-1 by Basel at Stamford Bridge in their opening game, Chelsea were eager to make up for lost time and the Europa League champions never looked in trouble beneath the closed roof of Bucharest's Arena Nationala.

Ramires broke the deadlock in the 20th minute, with hapless Steaua right-back Daniel Georgievski putting through his own goal on the verge of half-time.

Ramires added a third early in the second period, before Frank Lampard's low shot sealed victory in the 90th minute. "I think the performance was very solid, from the first minute," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports. "We kept always the control of the game and the result, and I think we played good football, but also with intelligence and maturity. "I think we are going to do it. I think we are going to qualify. This result today is important, because if you don't win, you are a bit under pressure."

The one false note for the visitors, beaten on this ground en route to success in the Europa League last season, was an injury to Fernando Torres, who left the fray after hurting his knee in the 11th minute.
Mourinho, though, said he did not think the injury was as severe as the one that recently saw Chelsea's Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel ruled out for around six months. "We have to wait. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will have the scans and we will see what happens," he said. "I hope it's not one more dramatic like Van Ginkel. Doc (Paco) Biosca says not to be so worried, because it will not be a Van Ginkel situation."
Schalke's 1-0 win at Basel in the other Group E game leaves them three points above Chelsea at the summit ahead of back-to-back games between the sides later this month and in early November.

Mourinho brought Andre Schurrle and Juan Mata into the team that drew 1-1 at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and the Spaniard almost teed up Schurrle for an early opener, but Iasmin Latovlevici blocked.

The visitors' purposeful start threatened to be upset by the premature departure of Torres, but his replacement, Samuel Eto'o, was quick to make a telling contribution.

Schurrle sped past Georgievski on the Chelsea left and centred for Eto'o, who mishit his shot but saw the bobbling ball prodded home by the alert Ramires.

Schurrle blazed over and Mata had a shot comfortably saved by goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu, before the blundering Georgievski inadvertently doubled Chelsea's lead in the 44th minute.

Eto'o was again the catalyst, surging onto Mata's pass, cutting inside Latovlevici and dispatching a shot that Tatarusanu parried, only for the ball to rebound into the net off the shin of the onrushing Georgievski.

Chelsea put the game to bed 10 minutes into the second half, following another strong burst down the left flank by Schurrle. His centre found Oscar, who in turn laid the ball off for Ramires to rattle a shot between Tatarusanu and his left-hand upright.

Mourinho's delight was evident as he congratulated Schurrle with a touchline hug.

Moments later, Mata struck the post from a delightful Oscar back-heel, while Schurrle went close to crowing his display with a goal by curling a shot fractionally wide of the far post.

Steaua had their moments, however, with goalkeeper Petr Cech obliged to tip a feathery chip from Cristian Tanase over the crossbar and block from Nicolae Stanciu, who lashed the rebound over.

Lampard prevented Lucian Filip from claiming a late consolation with a sharp block and then completed the scoring at the death by sweeping home a lay-off from substitute Willian.

Barcelona edge past 10-man Celtic

GLASGOW: Barcelona needed a second-half goal from Cesc Fabregas to claim a narrow 1-0 Champions League win over 10-man Celtic in Glasgow on Tuesday that leaves the Catalans top of Group H.

The Spanish champions dominated possession but failed to test goalkeeper Fraser Forster in the opening 45 minutes with Celtic's Georgios Samaras having the best chance of the half.

But it was a moment of madness from skipper Scott Brown that cost Celtic dearly as the midfielder was shown a straight red card in the 59th minute as he appeared to direct a sly kick at Neymar after tripping the Brazilian superstar.

However, Celtic recovered well from Brown's dismissal and substitute James Forrest forced Victor Valdes into a fine save before Charlie Mulgrew headed just wide.

But, moments after creating the best chance of the match, substitute Alexis Sanchez, only on the pitch for two minutes, crossed for former Arsenal man Fabregas to nod home and gain revenge for their defeat at the same venue last season.

It means Barca top Group H on six points after AC Milan and Ajax finished 1-1 and handed Celtic, who prop up the group looking for their first point, a rare home defeat in the Champions League.

Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino, whose side have made a 100 percent start to their season, said Celtic had been their toughest opponents to date. "This match has been the most demanding that we have had to play so far because of the rival and the competition and Victor Valdes made very important saves for us as well," said Martino. "But we managed to combine long balls with our one-touch game and that managed to make us more dynamic and unpredictable."

Celtic manager Neil Lennon felt the decision to send Brown off was soft. "If there was any contact it was minimal. I think there was a lot more going on in the game that merited heavier punishment," Lennon said. "It was a game-changing decision. Obviously it is very difficult playing against Barcelona with 11 players but with 10 it is even more difficult but we played very well tonight."

Barcelona, who were missing Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba and Carles Puyol through injury, had opted for Neymar, Fabregas and Pedro Rodriguez up front while Celtic manager Neil Lennon retained faith in the same starting 11 that were unlucky to lose 2-0 to Milan in the San Siro a fortnight ago.

Even without the injured Messi, who scored a hat-trick in their opening 4-0 win over Ajax, Barcelona showed their class early on as their slick possession football forced two early corners.

However, it was a fast break from the Hoops that created the first real opportunity after just five minutes. Kris Commons played in Samaras who, from a tight angle, forced keeper Valdes to turn his shot out for a corner that Mikael Lustig headed well wide. Andres Iniesta then got sight of the Celtic goal but the influential midfielder saw his strike sail over without troubling Fraser Forster.

Barca continued to ping the passes about but it took until the 41st minute for them to muster up their first real opportunity. Daniel Alves sent an inviting ball into the box from the right that Neymar prodded narrowly wide.

Xavi Hernandez then tested Forster with a curling free-kick from wide on the left that the 'keeper made a meal of and was relieved to see go out for a corner after coming off his shoulder.

The game changed when skipper Brown was ordered off in the 59th minute.
The Celtic midfielder's sly kick at Neymar on the deck after tripping the Brazilian 25 yards out as he raced towards goal was spotted by French referee Stephane Lannoy, who had no hesitation in handing him a straight red card.

Moments after coming on, Scottish international Forrest nearly had Celtic in front when his fierce half-volley was acrobatically turned over by Valdes after the 'keeper saw it late. Valdes was then caught napping at the resultant corner but Mulgrew had his head in his hands after he nodded wide of the unprotected goal.

Moments after creating the best two chances of the match Celtic were caught with a sucker punch when Fabregas put Barca ahead.

Alexis raced behind the Celtic defence to latch on to a Neymar pass and cross for the former Arsenal man to direct a header back across Forster and looping into the bottom corner.