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Interpol issues six wanted person alerts over FIFA case

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Two former FIFA officials, including Jack Warner, and four corporate executives wanted over racketeering and corruption.

Warner is among nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives charged by the US Department of Justice [File pic - Reuters]

Warner is among nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives charged by the US Department of Justice [File pic – Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Interpol has placed six people, including two former FIFA officials and four corporate executives, on its most wanted list on racketeering and corruption charges at the request of US authorities.

The former FIFA officials are ex-vice president Jack Warner and former FIFA executive committee member, Nicolás Leoz.

The Red Notices issued by Interpol are not international arrest warrants.

However, they are used by the organisation to inform its member countries that an arrest warrant has been issued for an individual by a judicial authority and who seeks the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action.

Warner is among nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives charged by the US Department of Justice with running a criminal enterprise that involved more than $150m in bribes.

Meanwhile, FIFA President Sepp Blatter is being investigated by US authorities as part of their corruption inquiry into football’s governing body, the New York Times (NYT) has reported.

Blatter, who announced on Tuesday that he will be resigning from his position, has not been directly implicated in the parallel US and Swiss criminal investigations into FIFA, which were announced last week.

Unidentified US law enforcement officials, however, told the NYT that “they were hoping to win the cooperation of some of the FIFA officials now under indictment and work their way up the organisation” in a bid to build a case against Blatter.

Nine FIFA officials and five business executives were indicted by the US last Wednesday on corruption charges, with seven arrested in Zurich ahead of FIFA’s annual congress on Friday.

Blatter announced his decision to resign on Tuesday, just four days after the congress that saw him win a fifth termas the body’s president.

“I cherish FIFA more than anything and I want to do only what is best for FIFA and for football,” Blatter said at a news conference in Zurich on Tuesday.

“FIFA needs a profound overhaul. I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective Congress.

“I will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA president until that election.”

Domenico Scala, head of FIFA’s independent audit and compliance committee, said there would need to be four months’ notice for any new presidential election.

At the FIFA meeting in Zurich last Friday, Blatter, 79, had been re-elected when his only rival, Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, withdrew after gaining 73 votes to Blatter’s 133 in the first round of voting.

A day later, Blatter came out fighting, implying that the US timed the announcement of a major corruption probe to try to scupper his re-election bid.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Office of Attorney General (OAG) has confirmed that it is not investigating Blatter.

Swiss authorities have launched a separate criminal investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups that are set to be held in Russia and Qatar.

No sooner had Blatter announced his decision to resign than English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke raised the possibility that the controversial vote that awarded Qatar the tournament could be rerun.

“If I was the Qatari organisers I wouldn’t sleep very well tonight,” the former TV executive told British media.

In response, Qatar Football Association’s president, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Thani, said in a statement that Qatar had been cleared of any wrongdoing in the FIFA-commissioned Garcia report on corruption.

“Having already cooperated fully with Mr Garcia’s investigation – and been subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing – we welcome the Office of the Swiss Attorney General conducting its own work into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups,” the statement said.

“We would urge Mr Dyke to let the legal process take its course and concentrate on delivering his promise to build an England team capable of winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.”

Former US Attorney Michael Garcia was appointed by FIFA in 2012 with the priority of probing the controversial 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests.

He resigned in 2014 after a FIFA judge cleared the World Cup bids, based on his findings – which were never fully released.

At the time, he claimed the judge’s decision contained “numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations” of his investigation.

BHEL gets largest-ever order worth Rs 17,950 CR

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BHEL

Bengaluru: Power generation machinery maker BHEL has bagged its largest order amounting to Rs 17,950 crore from Telangana State Power Generation Corp (TSGENCO) to set up a 4,000 MW plant at Yadadri.

“BHEL has achieved a new landmark by securing the single largest order in its history for setting up a 4,000 MW (5×800 MW) supercritical thermal power project from TSGENCO,” BHEL said in a statement.

The project valued at Rs 17,950 crore is one of the highest orders ever placed in the capital goods sector in India, the statement added.

“TSGENCO has entrusted BHEL with this order for setting up the 5×800 MW thermal power plant, on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis, at Damaracherla in Nalgonda District of Telangana, named as Yadadri Thermal Power Project,” it said.

In December 2014, TSGENCO had placed an order with BHEL for setting up Telangana’s first Supercritical Thermal Power Plant of 800 MW rating, also on EPC basis, at Kothagudem followed by an order for the 4×270 MW Bhadradari TPS at Manuguru in Khammam district in March this year.

The statement further said, BHEL has been a long standing partner in the development of the erstwhile combined state of Andhra Pradesh with 78% of coal-based power stations having been commissioned by the company.

In 2014-15, these plants operated at a high Plant Load Factor (PLF) of 83.5% against the national average of 65.5%.

Earlier this year, TSGENCO has entered into an MoU with BHEL for construction of new thermal power plants totalling to 6,000 MW in the state.

BHEL said that all these power plants are expected to commence generation on fast-track basis to meet the state’s increasing demand for power, with power being identified as a crucial factor for the development.

To overcome the current uncertainty of coal supply, BHEL shall be supplying its in-house developed fuel flexible boiler, which is capable of firing the entire range, from 100% Indian to 100% imported mix of coal, BHEL said.

(Agencies)

India reiterates support for independent Palestine nation

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India's Deputy Permanent Representative Bhagwant S. Bishnoi (Credit: United Nations file photo)

India’s Deputy Permanent Representative Bhagwant S. Bishnoi (Credit: United Nations file photo)

United Nations: Following External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s reiteration that New Delhi’s policy towards Palestine is unchanged, India pledged Tuesday support for an independent Palestine nation “at peace with Israel” and urged them to resume the peace process for a comprehensive solution.

“We firmly believe that dialogue is the only viable option in the search for a just, durable and comprehensive peaceful solution of the Palestinian issue,” Deputy Permanent Representative Bhagwant S. Bishnoi told a high level conference here. “We call for all to show restraint, to avoid provocation and unilateral actions and to return to the peace process.”

The measured statement came two days after India announced that Narendra Modi would soon become the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel. Disclosing the planned trip, Swaraj declared Sunday, “There was no change in India’s policy towards Palestine.”

Bishnoi said at the UN, “India supports a negotiated solution, resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognized borders, side by side and at peace with Israel.”

Tuesday’s conference was organised to mark the 65 years of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). It was “unfortunate,” Bishnoi said, “sixty five years have passed without finding an amicable solution to the Palestine Question.”

India, he said, contributes $1 million annually to UNRWA, has pledged $4 million to the National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza, and is working jointly with Brazil and South Africa on development projects in Palestine.

(IANS)

Live larvae found in milk powder sample of Nestle

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larvae milk powder Nestle

Coimbatore: Facing trouble in many states over the safety of its popular Maggi noodles, Nestle India has courted fresh trouble after a preliminary test by a state agency of a sample of their milk powder allegedly found live larvae in it.

The Drug Administration Department (food safety wing), tested the NAN PRO3 milk powder, bought by a cab driver and the initial report by one of its food analysts found live larvae in the sample.

The report also found it unsafe for consumption as it contained live insects and did not conform to standards, a health department official, on condition of anonymity said.

The driver had claimed that his child had developed skin allergy after consuming the milk and gave the sample for testing.

The official said they are awaiting a comprehensive report from the Government food safety laboratory.

Nestle denies receiving recall order from central, state FDAs

Nestle India today said it has not received any order from the central or any state FDA authority for recall of its Maggi noodles as the controversy over safety issues deepened.

“We have not received any official communication from the authorities so far,” the company said in a BSE filing.

It further said: “We wish to state that we have till now not received any orders from any state/Centre FDA authorities to recall Maggi noodle products in the market except an order from the Uttar Pradesh FDA dated 30.4.2015 asking us to recall a batch of Maggi noodles manufactured in February 2014, which had already reached the ‘Best Before date’ in November 2014.”

Meanwhile, Kishore Biyani-led Future Group today stopped selling Maggi in its retail stores.

“In the interest of consumer sentiment and concerns, we have taken Maggi noodles off the shelves from all our stores for the time being. We will wait for more clarity from authorities to take any further course of action,” a Future Group spokesperson said.
Modern trade retail outlets like Big Bazaar contribute a large chunk of sales for FMCG firms, including Nestle.

Nestle India, which has been at the receiving end with several state governments ordering tests to find out lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) content in Maggi noodles, said it’s “cooperating with the authorities”.

Yesterday, the Delhi government decided to initiate a case against Nestle India after it found samples of Maggi noodles “unsafe” for consumption. The probe into alleged lapses has already widened to different parts of the country.

However, Nestle India claimed that it has got samples tested in an external laboratory as well as its in-house one, and the product is found “safe to eat”

In Karnataka, Health Minister U T Khader said officials have been directed to randomly lift samples of Maggi noodles for laboratory testing. Haryana, too, ordered the same. The West Bengal Food department has convened a meeting tomorrow to take a call on the issue.

Meanwhile, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is undertaking more tests in the wake of the findings of Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration.

Earlier this week, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said strict action will be taken for any violation.

A case has already been lodged against Nestle India by UP food regulator FSDA in a Barabanki court in UP.

Actors Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta were also separately dragged into the matter for endorsing the noodles brand.

(PTI)

U T Khader urges not to sell, consume Maggi noodles

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maggi-noodles

Bengaluru: Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader has appealed to retailers to not sell Maggi noodles till the test reports are ready in the state and advised people to not buy it.

Mr Khader said he had directed officials to collect random samples from the manufacturing unit in Nanjangud and retail shops in the State. “The test reports will be made public in the next two days,” he said.

The Minister said the samples would be tested in the four Food Safety and Standards Association of India (FSSAI)-identified divisional laboratories, Mysuru-based CFTRI as well as six NABL-accredited private laboratories in the State.

“If required, we will get it tested by laboratories outside the State too,” he said.

FSSAI Deputy Director H.S. Shivakumar said the food safety officers had started surveillance from May 27 as a precautionary measure.

Naresh Bhat, consultant hepatologist and gastroenterologist at Colombia Asia Hospital, said there was no need for people to panic as only long-term regular consumption of the product could affect a person’s health. While MSG can cause certain reactions only in people who are sensitive to it, lead can cause swelling of the brain in children. In adults, it can cause constipation, nerve paralysis, stomach pain and anaemia in some cases, he said.

After samples of Maggi noodles manufactured in March 2014 were found to have high levels of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead, the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry had directed State governments to get samples of the product tested.

After receiving an official communication from the ministry on Monday, 66 food safety officers in the State have been put on the job of collecting samples.

(Agencies)

California man brutally beat 82-year-old Sikh grandfather he mistook for 'one of those people'

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Piara Singh

Washington: An 82-year-old Sikh grandfather was brutally beaten with a steel pipe by a man who reportedly targeted him for looking like one of “those people”.

Piara Singh was attacked outside his gurdwara in Fresno California where he was preparing free meals to give to the homeless. He suffered a punctured lung and head injuries and was left lying in a pool of blood, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Two years later, members of Mr Singh’s Sikh community say that while his physical wounds have healed, they are still waiting for closure in the case because of a third delay in sentencing.

The assailant, Gilbert Garcia Jr who was 29 at the time of the 2013 incident, was initially charged with attempted murder but admitted elder abuse and a hate crime in February.

And as they wait for Garcia to at last be sentenced, community advocate Ike Grewal told local KFSN news that the attack was all the more troubling because it is believed the attacker confused Mr Singh for a radical Muslim.

“The Sikhs have been attacked all over the United States after 9/11 and this is not acceptable because we have been mistaken as radicals when we are not,” Mr Grewal said.

Speaking to the LA Times shortly after the incident itself, Mr Singh’s nephew Charanjit Sihota said that police told him they found Garcia hiding behind a tree in a neighbour’s garden, and that as he was arrested he shouted that he hated “those people” and wanted to bomb their places of worship.

Even if his attack was misdirected, legal expert Tony Capozzi told KFSN, it can still be classed as a hate crime. “His hatred was the focus, the driving force, towards that belief,” he said. “And the fact that the victim wasn’t of the religion he thought it was is of no consequence.”

(Agencies)

State withdraws communal violence cases standing against PFI, FFD activists

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(Representative image)

(Representative image)

Bengaluru: The state government has withdrawn about 175 cases involving about 1,600 accused, which had been filed against various persons in connection with communal disturbances which occurred in Mysuru and other places in the years 2009 and 2010. The accused named in these cases included activists of Popular Front of India (PFI) and Forum for Dignity (FFD).

During April and July 2009, communal clashes had erupted within the limits of Udayagiri and Narasimharaja polie stations in Mysuru. One of these disturbances had taken place in retaliation for tossing of pork inside a mosque, whereas the other one was concerning the activists of PFI and FFD ganging up illegally, engineering communal clashes, attacking policemen on duty and other members of general public besides pelting stones on them and causing loss of property.

In these two disturbances, 40 cases had been registered, and 214 persons had been named as accused.

In the other case pertaining to the year 2010, communal disturbances had occurred in Shivamogga and Hassan relating to the publication of Kannada translation of a work of controversial Muslim writer, Taslima Nasrin titled ‘Parda Ye Parda’. In this connection, 114 cases were registered in Shivamogga, and 21 in Hassan. 1,400 persons had been shown as accused in these cases.

With the state cabinet deciding to withdraw all these cases, the accused have heaved a sigh of relief.

(Agencies)

Obama administration still after Edward Snowden

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A man holds a placard with a portrait of former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. | Photo: Reuters

A man holds a placard with a portrait of former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. | Photo: Reuters

by teleSUR

The White House said Snowden must still face prosecution, despite the expiration of the surveillance program under the Patriot Act.

Former National Security Agency contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden, who exposed a mass spy program ruled illegal by U.S. federal courts, must still face prosecution despite the expiration of the Patriot Act, the White House said Monday.

“The fact is that Mr. Snowden committed very serious crimes, and the U.S. government and the Department of Justice believe that he should face them,” White House Josh Earnest said during a press briefing Monday.

The surveillance program terminated after the Senate failed to reauthorize parts of the Patriot Act which expired Sunday, although the lawmakers did vote to advance the White House-backed Freedom Act so a new form of data collection is likely to be approved in the coming days, according to BBC.

The Freedom Act will curtail the phone records program by forcing the NSA to get a narrower set of records from private phone companies. The bill also requires the agency to get warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and phone call records will be maintained by the telephone companies, rather than being stored by NSA. In May, a federal appeals court rejected the government’s long-standing claim that such bulk collection was permissible under the Patriot Act, ruling instead that the NSA acted without congressional approval. However, NSA critics have expressed concern that that the bill does not go far enough to protect civil liberties of U.S. citizens, as it would still allow the intelligence agency to track calls made by people. The Freedom Act is the only legislative reform that has resulted from the Snowden’s leaks which caused public concern and debate over privacy violation by government agencies. In a series of leaked documents, Snowden revealed in 2013 that the NSA collects data from almost all U.S. phone calls, along with harvesting millions of emails and other forms of electronic communication.

U.S. federal prosecutors have accused Snowden of espionage and for exposing the NSA program, but escaped prosecution when granted political asylum in Russia where he currently resides.

US Muslim wins hijab case against Abercrombie & Fitch

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Supreme Court rules in favour of Muslim woman who said clothing label denied her a job because of her headscarf.

The company denied Elauf the job on the grounds that wearing the scarf violated its "look policy" [Reuters]

The company denied Elauf the job on the grounds that wearing the scarf violated its “look policy” [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

The US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a Muslim woman who filed a lawsuit after she was denied a job at the Abercrombie & Fitch clothing chain because she wore a headscarf for religious reasons.

On an eight to one vote, the court handed a win on Monday to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a federal agency that sued the company on behalf of Samantha Elauf, who was denied a sales job in 2008 at a store in the state of Oklahoma when she was 17.

The company denied Elauf the job on the grounds that wearing the scarf violated its “look policy” for members of the sales staff, a policy intended to promote the brand’s East Coast collegiate image.

The ruling was welcomed by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which campaigns for the civil liberties of Muslim communities in the US.

“We welcome this historic ruling in defence of religious freedom at a time when the American Muslim community is facing increased levels of Islamophobia,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.

“We applaud Samantha’s courage in standing up for her rights by contacting CAIR, which led to the EEOC lawsuit and to our amicus brief filed with the court.”

The legal question before the court was whether Elauf was required to ask for a religious accommodation in order for the company to be sued under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which, among other things, bans employment discrimination based on religious beliefs and practices.

Elauf was wearing a headscarf, or hijab, at the job interview but did not specifically say that, as a Muslim, she wanted the company to give her a religious accommodation.

The EEOC has reported that Muslims file more employment claims about discrimination and the failure to provide religious accommodations than any other religious group.

Hundreds missing in Chinese tourist ship disaster

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Only a small number of survivors pulled from water after ship with more than 450 people on board sinks on Yangtze River.

china-ship-accident

by Al Jazeera

Hundreds of people remain missing after a tourist ship carrying more than 450 people sank on the Yangtze River in central China.

Five bodies have been retrieved and at least 15 people rescued, including the captain and the ship’s chief engineer – who have both been detained – according to state media reports.

Hours after the incident, which occurred on Monday night local time, the People’s Daily reported that more passengers were still alive and inside the Eastern Star.

Images shown on state broadcaster CCTV showed rescuers lying on the upturned ship attempting to communicate with potential survivors inside.

The China Daily newspaper reported that a woman in her 60s was pulled alive out of the water at 12.56pm local time (04:56 GMT) on Tuesday following reports on CCTV that three people had been confirmed alive inside the upturned ship.

Another man was later pulled alive from the water, the newspaper reported.

The Yangtze River navigation administration said the ship capsized during a “cyclone” at Jianli in Hubei province. Chinese meteorological officials have been tasked to study the weather conditions at the time of the accident.

Seven people swam to the shore and alerted police after the shipwreck, CCTV reported.

Search and rescue operation

State media also reported that more than 2,100 soldiers and policemen were taking part in search and rescue operations, which were complicated by strong winds and heavy rain. More than 150 ships were also involved.

Most of the passengers were said to be tourists aged between 50 and 80 years old, who were about to go to sleep as the vessel sank.

Xinhua said there were 405 Chinese passengers, five travel agency workers and 47 crew members on board the ship that was en route from Nanjing to Chongqing.

President Xi Jinping asked that no efforts be spared in search and rescue operations, and Premier Li Keqiang travelled to the area.

Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride, reporting from Hong Kong, said the accident comes as more and more Chinese people are travelling within their own country.

“People take vacations more and trips along the Yangtze River are one of the more popular trips that people make,” our correspondent said.

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