The News World

Spider Identification

2009-02-15T02:46:00.000-08:00

Spider Identification - Dangerous - Venomous?

Spider identification of venomous and dangerous spiders most commonly found in homes, their habitat areas, venom toxicity and spider bite first aid procedures.

BROWN RECLUSE
SPIDER

BLACK WIDOW
SPIDER

HOBO
SPIDER

GRASS
SPIDER

FEMALE
MOUSE SPIDER

MALE
MOUSE SPIDER

BLACK
HOUSE SPIDER

WOLF
SPIDER

FEMALE
TRAP-DOOR

GARDEN
ORB-WEAVING

SAINT ANDREW'S CROSS

HUNTSMAN
SPIDER

Brown Recluse Spiders ...deadly and aggressive

Venom toxicity - the brown recluse venom can cause significant cutaneous injury with tissue loss and necrosis.

Habitat - brown recluse is found in the United States from the east to the west coast, with predominance in the south.

Spider Identification - an adult spider is 1/4 to 3/4 inch in body - a dark violin shape is located on the top of the leg attachment region with the neck of the violin pointing backward toward the abdomen. Unlike most spiders that have 8 eyes, the brown recluse has 6 eyes arranged in pairs - one pair in front and a pair on either side.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Brown Recluse Spider Bite

Black Widow Spiders ...highly venomous - can be deadly

Venom toxicity - the Back Widow Spider can inflict a painful bite which can be fatal, especially to the young and elderly. An effective anti-venom was developed in 1956.

Only a small amount of venom can cause serious illness, as the poison attacks the nervous system. Systemic envenomisation usually results in headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pyrexia and hypertension.

The pain around the bite area can be excruciating or it may go unnoticed. First aid and medical attention should be sought as soon as possible, if bitten. If you have heart condition or other heart problem, you may need hospitalization.

Spider Identification - the body of an adult black widow is about 1/2 inch long. The female black widow is normally shiny black, with a red hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen. The marking may range in color from yellowish orange to red and its shape may range from an hourglass to a dot.

Habitat - prefers woodpiles, rubble piles, under stones, in hollow stumps, sheds and garages. Indoors it can be found in undisturbed, cluttered areas in basements and crawl spaces.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Black Widow Spider Bite

Hobo Spiders : venomous - dangerous?

Venom toxicity - although the bite of the hobo spider is initially painless, the bite can be serious. After 24 hours, the bite develops into a blister and after 24-36 hours, the blister breaks open, leaving an open, oozing ulceration. Typically when the venom is injected, the victim will experience an immediate redness, which develops around the bite. The most common reported symptom is severe headache. Other symptoms can include nausea, weakness, fatigue, temporary memory loss and vision impairment. In any case, first aid and medical attention should be sought, if bitten, as and when any adverse health effects are observed.

Spider Identification - they are brown in color and the adults measure roughly 1/3 to 2/3 inch in body length and 2/3 to 2 inches in leg span. Their abdomens have several chevron shaped markings. Males are distinctively different from females in that they have two large palpi (mouth parts) that look like boxing gloves. Females tend to have a larger and rounder abdomen when compared to males.

Habitat - they can be found anywhere in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. They rarely climb vertical surfaces and are uncommon above basements or ground level.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Hobo Spider Bite

Funnel Web Grass Spiders: low risk, non-aggressive

Venom toxicity - the bite of these spiders is of low risk to humans.

Spider Identification - are common outdoors and are occasionally found indoors. They are generally brownish or grayish with light and dark stripes near the head. They have long spinnerets and are moderate-sized (3/4 inch long). Grass spiders construct a large sheet web with a funnel they use as a retreat. These webs are commonly built on the ground, around steps, window wells, foundations, and low shrubs.

Habitat - These spiders are often called grass spiders because they construct their webs in tall grass, heavy ground cover and the branches of thick shrubs. Rarely will a funnel web spider be seen indoors, except for an occasional wandering male. They are found mostly in the Pacific Northwest states.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Funnel Web Grass Spider Bite

Mouse Spiders ...venomous - painful bite

Venom toxicity - known to cause severe illness, especially to young children - similar to Red-Back Spider. Although normally not aggressive, the male mouse spider will bite if provoked, and should be considered dangerous to humans. It has large hard fangs which can cause a deep painful bite. First aid and medical attention (ambulance) should be sought as soon as possible.

Spider Identification - a medium to large spider of up to 1 and 1/2 inches in body length. The male Mouse Spider often has a bright red head and elongated fangs.

Habitat - Mouse spiders are ground dwellers with burrows of more than 3 feet deep. The male often wanders about during the day on open ground, especially after rain, in search of females.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Mouse Spider Bite

Black House Spiders ...venomous - nausea

Venom toxicity - the bite of the Black House Spider is poisonous but not lethal. Certain people bitten experience severe pain around the bite site, heavy sweating, muscular pains, vomiting, headaches and giddiness. First aid and medical attention (ambulance) should be sought as soon as possible.

Spider Identification - adults are about 1/2 inch in body length and of a dark brown to black velvet textured appearance.

Habitat - this spider spins a lacy, messy web and is prefers dry habitats in secluded locations. It is commonly found in window framing, under eaves, gutters, in brickwork, sheds, toilets and among rocks and bark. Electric lights attract their prey - moths, flies, mosquitoes and other insects.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Black House Spider Bite

Wolf Spiders ...venomous - non-aggressive

Venom toxicity - the bite of the Wolf Spider is poisonous but not lethal. Although non-aggressive, they bite freely if provoked and should be considered dangerous to humans. The bite may be very painful. First aid and medical attention should be sought as soon as possible, particularly as to children or the elderly.

Spider Identification - an adult is 1/2 inch to more than 1 inch in body length - mottled gray to brown in color, with a distinct Union Jack impression on its back. The female carries it's young on its back.

Habitat - this spider is a ground dweller, with a burrow retreat. It has a roving nocturnal lifestyle to hunt their prey and can move very rapidly when disturbed. Commonly found around the home, in garden areas with a silk lined burrow, sometimes with a lid or covered by leaf litter or grass woven with silk as a little fence around the rim of the burrow.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Wolf Spider Bite

Trap-Door Spiders ...low risk - non-aggressive

Venom toxicity - the bite of the Trap-Door Spider is of low risk (non toxic) to humans. It is a non-aggressive spider - usually timid but may stand up and present it's fangs if harassed. Rarely bites - but if so it can be painful.

Spider Identification - an adult is about 1 and 1/2 inches in body length - brown to dark brown in color - heavily covered with fine hairs. The male has distinct boxing glove-shaped palps, that is, the two "sensory feelers" at front of its head.

Habitat - this spider is a ground dweller, with a burrow retreat lined with silk of up to 10 inches in depth and around 1 inch in width - prefers nesting in drier exposed locations - often has a wafer-like lid on the burrow entrance. Trap-Door Spiders are commonly found in the drier open ground areas around the home.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Trap Door Spider Bite

Orb-Weaving Spiders ...low risk - non-aggressive

Venom toxicity - the bite of Orb-Weaving Spiders is of low risk (not toxic) to humans. They are a non-aggressive group of spiders. Seldom bite. Be careful not to walk into their webs at night - the fright of this spider crawling over one's face can be terrifying and may cause a heart attack, particularly to the susceptible over 40 year olds.

Spider Identification - an adult is about 2/3 to more than 1 inch in body length - has a bulbous abdomen - often colorful - dark to light brown pattern. The common Golden Orb-Weaver Spider has a purplish bulbous abdomen with fine hairs.

Habitat - often found in summer in garden areas around the home - they spin a large circular web of 6 feet or more, often between buildings and shrubs, to snare flying insects, such as, flies and mosquitoes.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Orb-Weaving Spider Bite

St Andrews Cross Spiders ...low risk - non-aggressive

Venom toxicity - the bite of the St Andrews Cross is of low risk (non-toxic) to humans. They are a non-aggressive group of spiders.

Spider Identification - adult 1/4" to 1/2" in body length - abdomen striped yellow and brown - as illustrated. The St Andrews Cross Spider usually sits, upside down, in the middle of its web forming a cross - as illustrated.

Habitat - this spider is a web-weaver usually found in summer in garden areas around the home. It is considered beneficial as it spins a large web to snare flying insects, such as flies and mosquitoes.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - St Andrews Cross Spider Bite

Huntsman Spiders ...low risk - non-aggressive

Venom toxicity - the bite of Huntsman Spiders is of low risk (non toxic) to humans. They are a non-aggressive group of spiders. However, a large individual can give a painful bite. Beware in summer when the female Huntsman Spider is guarding her egg sacs or young.

Spider Identification - an adult varies greatly around 1/2" in body length - has long legs - the diameter of an adult including legs may reach 2" - the first 2 pairs of legs are longer than rear two - it is hairy - buff to beige brown in color, with dark patches on the body.

Habitat - a hunter that prefers to live under the flaking bark of trees, under flat rocks and under eaves or within roof spaces of buildings. The Huntsman Spider often wanders into homes and is found perched on a wall. It is a shy, timid spider that can move sideways at lighting-fast speed when disturbed.

CLICK HERE - FIRST AID - Huntsman Spider Bite

2009-02-15T02:25:00.000-08:00


INTRODUCTION The UK has one of the highest rates of death from heart disease in the world - one British adult dies from the disease every three minutes - and stroke is the country's third biggest killer, claiming 70,000 lives each year. Heart attacks occur when blood flow is blocked, often by a blood clot, while strokes are caused either by blocked or burst blood vessels in the brain. A range of other conditions, including heart failure, when blood is not pumped properly around the body, and congenital heart defects can also cause long term problems, and even death, for sufferers.

		Left atrium - The blood returns from the lungs to the upper left chamber of the heart where it is again briefly stored until the atrium fills, before flowing on to the left ventricle. Right atrium - “Impure” or “blue” blood returning from the atrium enters the heart here, where it is held until the atrium - or chamber - fills up. Left ventricle - This is the most powerful chamber of the heart. It pumps the newly oxygenated blood to the rest of the body through the aorta, or main artery. Right ventricle - This powerful pump propels blood into the pulmonary artery, the tube which carries blood to the lungs, where carbon dioxide in the blood is removed and oxygen added.

HEART DISEASE
The heart pumps blood around the body carrying oxygen and other nutrients to the areas that need it. When this process is interrupted, or does not work properly, serious illness and even death can result.
The risk of heart disease is greater for people with poor diet, who smoke and do not exercise, and men are more likely to suffer from it than women.
A range of tests and treatments, including drugs, heart bypass surgery and transplants, exist to alleviate symptoms or save the lives of sufferers.

CAUSES, TESTS & TREATMENTS

RISK FACTORS & PREVENTION

TREATMENTS

HEART CONDITIONS

DISTURBED HEART RHYTHM

HEART MUSCLE DISEASE

HEART VALVE DISEASE

CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS

STROKE
There are two types of stroke - those caused by blood clots in the brain and those that occur when blood vessels burst. In both cases, the brain is starved of oxygen, damaging or killing cells.
Sufferers are often left with difficulty talking, walking and performing other basic tasks. The chance of suffering a stroke is cut by eating healthily, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol. People at risk of stroke are often treated with aspirin.
After a stroke, various drug treatments are available and rehabilitation is commonly used to improve patients' speech and movement.

CAUSES, TESTS & TREATMENTS

RISK FACTORS & PREVENTION

TREATMENTS

TYPES OF STROKE

Israel puts terms on Gaza truce

2009-02-15T02:17:00.000-08:00

Israel will not agree to a truce in Gaza unless an Israeli soldier held by Palestinian militants is freed, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said.

Gilad Shalit - Egypt has been leading talks that could lead to his

Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian militants in 2006.

There have been reports that Egypt was close to brokering a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel.

A punishing three-week Israeli assault on Gaza aimed at stopping militant rocket fire on Israel ended with separate ceasefires in January.

The uneasy calm has been punctuated by exchanges of fire between the two sides.

"The position of the prime minister is that Israel won't reach any arrangement on a truce before the release of Gilad Shalit," Mr Olmert's office said in a statement.

Prisoner swap talks

On Thursday, Hamas officials said they expected a truce with Israel to be announced within days.

Any truce is expected to see Israel gradually open the borders to Gaza, ending the blockade it has enforced since Hamas seized control of the territory in mid-2007.

In return, Israel wants to see an end to weapons smuggling and attacks from Gaza.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, a deputy leader of Hamas, said his group had agreed to the terms of a 18-month ceasefire with Israel and that he expected it would be announced within 48 hours.

But Israel reportedly wants any ceasefire to be open-ended.

Separately, Egypt has also been leading negotiations on a prisoner swap that would see Cpl Gilad Shalit released in exchange for several hundred Palestinians held by Israel.

Hamas has refused to link the release of Cpl Shalit with the proposed ceasefire.

Global warming 'underestimated'

2009-02-15T02:08:00.000-08:00

he severity of global warming over the next century will be much worse than previously believed, a leading climate scientist has warned.

Professor Chris Field, an author of a 2007 landmark report on climate change, said future temperatures "will be beyond anything" predicted.

Prof Field said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report had underestimated the rate of change.

He said warming is likely to cause more environmental damage than forecast.

Speaking at the American Science conference in Chicago, Prof Field said fresh data showed greenhouse gas emissions between 2000 and 2007 increased far more rapidly than expected.

"We are basically looking now at a future climate that is beyond anything that we've considered seriously in climate policy," he said.

Prof Field said the 2007 report, which predicted temperature rises between 1.1C and 6.4C over the next century, seriously underestimated the scale of the problem.

He said the increases in carbon dioxide have been caused, principally, by the burning of coal for electric power in India and China.

Wildfires

Prof Field said the impact on temperatures is as yet unknown, but warming is likely to accelerate at a much faster pace and cause more environmental damage than had been predicted.

He says that a warming planet will dry out forests in tropical areas making them much more likely to suffer from wildfires.

The rising temperatures could also speed up the melting of the permafrost, vastly increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, Prof Field warns.

"Without effective action, climate change is going to be larger and more difficult to deal with than we thought," he said.

MDC nominee 'on treason charge'

2009-02-14T01:15:00.000-08:00

Police in Zimbabwe have charged a senior member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party with treason, the party says.

Roy Bennett, nominee for deputy minister of agriculture, was charged just hours after the new power-sharing cabinet was sworn in, the MDC says.

The party's statement described the charges against him as "scandalous" and "politically motivated".

Earlier, the ceremony was marred by a row over the allocation of ministers.

Under a power-sharing deal agreed after months of talks following disputed elections, President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF is to have 15 posts and the two factions of the MDC 16 posts in the government.

But seven extra Zanu-PF members turned up at State House in the capital, Harare, to be sworn into office. The issue was only resolved after intense closed-door negotiations.

Correspondents described the day as an extremely bumpy start to Zimbabwe's power-sharing experiment.

Shots fired

The MDC denounced the accusations against Mr Bennett.

"These charges are scandalous, vexatious and without basis in law, but are simply politically motivated, simply intended to justify the continued incarceration of Roy Bennett," the party said.

The former MP, seized near a Harare airport earlier in the day, has long been a controversial figure.

KEY CABINET APPOINTMENTS

Zanu-PF:

Emmerson Mnangagwa, seen as a possible successor to Robert Mugabe, defence

Sydney Sekeramayi, ex-defence minister, state security

Joseph Made, ex-agricultural minister, agriculture

Patrick Chinamasa, chief negotiator of power-sharing deal, justice

Kembo Mohadi, former home affairs minister, home affairs

MDC:

Tendai Biti, lawyer and ex-student leader, finance

Giles Mutsekwa, lawyer with a military background, home affairs

Henry Madzorera, trained doctor, health

Eric Matinenga, lawyer who defended Mr Tsvangirai on treason charges, constitutional affairs

Roy Bennett, former farmer, arrested, deputy agriculture minister

A white farmer who lost his property under Mr Mugabe's land reform programme, he was in prison from October 2004 to June 2005.

The sentence was imposed by other MPs after he pushed a minister during an argument in parliament over land reform.

He has only recently returned to Zimbabwe after more than two years in South Africa, where he fled after police sought his arrest in connection with an alleged plot to kill Mr Mugabe.

Mr Bennett was taken to a police station in the eastern city of Mutare, where police later reportedly fired shots into the air to disperse MDC supporters.

The MDC called for his immediate release.

Correspondents say Friday's hitches show how difficult it will be for the coalition - agreed after strong international pressure and amid the collapse of the country's economy - to work.

Many of the Zanu-PF ministers have served in cabinet since Mr Mugabe was first elected in 1980. Several MDC ministers have been beaten or arrested for their opposition to Mr Mugabe.

But in an interview with the BBC before the cabinet was sworn in, Mr Tsvangirai said that the two sides had to work together.

"Mugabe may be part of the problem, but he's also part of the solution. I am sure the reverse will also apply to me from their side," he said.

"But we have reached the stage now where we say we have to have a negotiated settlement, for the sake of the people".

Pakistan missile hit 'kills 20'

2009-02-14T00:57:00.000-08:00

At least 20 people have been killed in a suspected US missile attack in north-west Pakistan, officials say.

The missile strike hit a house in the South Waziristan area, near the Afghan border, which officials said was used as a hideout for Taleban militants.

The Taleban said 25 of its fighters were killed in the attack, but their claim cannot be independently verified.

The US has carried out more than 20 air strikes from drones in north-western Pakistan in recent months.

Islamabad has long argued that such attacks are counter-productive and are a violation of its sovereignty.

Pakistani leaders had expressed hope that the new US administration of Barack Obama would halt the controversial manoeuvres, saying they fuelled public anger and complicated Pakistan's own counter-insurgency efforts.

Taleban brings fear to Swat

2009-02-14T00:55:00.001-08:00

Swat Continental hotel in the town of Mingora in north-west Pakistan opened in the mid-1990s when tourism in the region was at its peak.

A decade later, it is the only hotel in town which still receives guests, mainly television crews that come to cover the conflict.

For two years, the region once known for its river valleys and wooded mountains has been in the grip of a bloody insurgency by Islamic militants.

Pakistan has deployed a large number of army and paramilitary troops to try to contain them. Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting.

The past few weeks have been the worst.

Climate of fear

Amid reports that the government plans to renew talks with the militants, there has been a sudden escalation in the conflict.

Diary of a Swat schoolgirl

Swat diary: 'Taleban rule now'

First, it was the appearance of beheaded bodies in various public places in Mingora, terrorising the local population.

According to reports, more than 30 bodies were found in the town during a two-week period in December and January.

Then came the Taleban's edict banning education for girls.

Although the edict came at a time when government schools had closed for the winter holidays, some privately-owned schools still holding classes closed down after that.

At the same time, suspected militants blew up several schools in Mingora, including some boys' ones, saying the buildings were being used as camps by the army.

Various circles in Mingora believe the army has responded to this by killing militants it has been holding in its custody.

The army denies this.

Troops have also moved into several school buildings in Mingora - as well as the city's oldest college, the Post-Graduate Jehanzeb College for men - apparently to prevent the militants from blowing them up.

For the people of Mingora, all this has the makings of a timebomb that is ticking away and may blow up on or around 1 March when schools are scheduled to reopen.

This has had a visible effect on the morale of the city.

'Cleansing'

Since the insurgency began the civilian population has increasingly become a target of both sides.

The very rich and the very poor have already left Swat

Swat resident

Only guest in town's luxury hotel

The militants are "cleansing" individuals suspected of holding "liberal" views.

Swat has been a stronghold of two secular parties - the Pakistan People's Party and the Awami National Party. The militants are now bent upon weeding out their supporters.

As a result, many families have suffered attacks and beheadings by the militants.

The army, given its lack of local knowledge, has been rounding up people at random to blunt the effectiveness of the militants, often with adverse results.

Besides, it has mostly occupied public buildings in civilian areas, which have subsequently become targets for suicide bombers, with devastating repercussions for locals.

A year ago, an attack on a public library in the heart of Mingora, which the army had occupied, not only led to dozens of civilian casualties but also destroyed Swat Museum, which was located opposite the library.

The Japanese government had spent 46m yen ($500,000) in the late 1990s to renovate the museum, which contained relics from Swat's Buddhist past.

Today, it is closed to the public and most of the relics are said to have been irreparably damaged.

Few guests

In November 2007, when I last visited Mingora, the place still bustled with activity and the streets in the centre were choked with traffic. Not any more.

"The very rich and the very poor have already left Swat. The rich can afford to live in other cities of the country, and the poor would rather do the labour where it is safer," says one resident.

The middle-income segment, with business stakes or government jobs, are stuck here because their means do not allow them to have the same lifestyle elsewhere, he says.

Traffic, therefore, has thinned out and businesses face hard times.

An estate agent told me that a shop in central Mingora - which would have fetched 10m rupees (about $127,000) until six months ago - is now available at 3.5m, but there are no buyers.

And there are few officials in the government offices due to fear of attacks.

Back in 2007, Swat Continental had more than half its rooms occupied, and a staff of more than 70 people.

They are now down to six. And I am their second guest in a week - the others are a four-member television crew.

What's more, there are no TVs in the rooms.

"We cleared the TVs from the rooms because there are hardly any guests, but we'll give you one," says the only room service member staff on duty.

But when the TV comes on, I discover that there are only two channels available - both local news channels.

When I ask the reason, the man gives me a sheepish smile. "This is all we have."

I know that they have a satellite dish on the roof top and can receive more channels. But at the same time I realise that the writ of the Taleban, who have banned satellite TV, runs deep inside Mingora.

UN hails Iraq election results

2009-02-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has made a surprise visit to Iraq to congratulate voters there on the outcome of nationwide local elections.

After talks with political leaders in Baghdad, Mr Ban said the vote showed how far Iraq had come.

However, he said there was still a long way to go before Iraqis could claim to have "genuine freedom and security".

Allies of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki swept to victory in Baghdad and key provinces in last Saturday's poll.

The United Nations played a key role in organising the elections - seen as a test of stability before a general election, due later this year.

The BBC's Jim Muir, in Baghdad, says that like everyone else, the UN is relieved that both the polling day itself and the announcement of the results passed off with virtually no violence at all.

Celebratory mood

Election commission preliminary results announced on Thursday showed Mr Maliki's State of Law coalition had made spectacular gains in southern Shia areas.

PM Maliki's coalition won by huge margins in Baghdad and Basra

The coalition won 38% of votes in Baghdad and 37% in Iraq's second city Basra - curbing the previous dominance of rival Shia parties.

Meanwhile, the once-dominant Sunni Arabs regained political power in other parts of the country - having boycotted the 2005 election.

There were fears of violence in the mainly Sunni flashpoint province of al-Anbar, where tribal leaders had threatened to take up arms over the result.

In the event, they came in just half a percentage point behind another Sunni party to which they are allied.

IRAQI ELECTIONS

2003: US appoints Governing Council

2004: Governing Council elects interim government

Aug 2004: National conference elects interim national assembly

Jan 2005: First general elections for transitional national assembly and provincial councils - Sunnis boycott vote

Dec 2005: General elections for first full-term government and parliament

Jan 2009: Elections for provincial councils - key test of security gains

Late 2009: General elections due

Mr Ban was expected to hold talks with Mr Maliki as well as Iraqi President Jalal Talabani while in Baghdad.

He will "reiterate the UN's commitment to the country", and "above all congratulate the Iraqi people on the success of largely violence-free elections", UN spokesman Said Arikat told the AFP news agency.

The election was an extraordinary achievement in a country that has been wracked by violence for the last nearly six years, our correspondent says.

Healthy and peaceful political competition, and change through the ballot box, have become the name of the game, he adds.

Just over half of Iraqis voted in Saturday's election, lower than some had predicted.

Final results are not expected to be known for weeks.

Tamil refugees shelled as army closes in

2009-02-01T00:41:00.000-08:00

MORE than 250,000 terrified Tamil men, women and children were trapped between rebel Tamil forces and the army in no man’s land in northern Sri Lanka last night as the 25-year civil war appeared to be nearing a violent conclusion.

A 48-hour ceasefire was due to end after the government promised to eliminate terrorism once and for all. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan president, vowed that there would be no let-up in the army’s offensive.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said a humanitarian crisis was unfolding and described horrific conditions in the conflict zone, sealed off by the government to aid agencies, diplomats and journalists. It said medical supplies, food and shelter were almost nonexistent and families were living in makeshift tents and ditches in the jungle.

Hundreds have been killed by heavy artillery bombardment.

Last week one of the few convoys allowed to leave the north, home to the Tamil ethnic minority, carried 50 critically injured children, some just a few months old. Thousands of Tamils have fled east in the face of an eight-month drive by the army to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), known as the Tamil Tigers.

The fighting has reached a frenzy in the past few weeks, with the Buddhist government in Colombo speaking of an “endgame” in the civil war that began in 1983.

The rebels claim 800 have died in 10 days amid scenes of havoc in a “security zone” where the refugees are supposed to gather but where missiles have been falling. In a rebel video posted from the zone, Tamil nurses are shown at work in outdoor clinics, bandaging children. Bodies lie in rows under trees.

Although the government has issued statements saying that it will not injure civilians, I know how hollow they sound to those caught up in the fighting because I have encountered the Sri Lankan army.

Travelling to the north in 2001 to report on a humanitarian disaster that had engulfed 500,000 residents, I walked across a heavily fortified internal border that journalists had been forbidden to cross by the Colombo government.

Trying to return to a government-controlled area later, I walked at night past army bases lit by spotlights and ringed with barbed wire, following a Tamil route through waist-deep water and along jungle trails. When we were spotted, soldiers fired at us and lit flares. When I shouted I was a journalist, I was hit by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade.

Although it is understandable that the soldiers that night were frightened that I might be a Tamil Tiger, they fired at me as I tried to stumble forward. When they saw me bloodied and barely able to stand, they beat me, stripped me and shoved me in and out of trucks despite the fact that I could barely breathe because of chest injuries from the blast and shrapnel in my head.

I was saved because I had access to help from The Sunday Times and diplomats, but the assurances from the Sri Lankan government will mean little to people in the northern Vanni area, who have endured indiscriminate bombing. The attack I survived was a mere footnote.

Yesterday the government said the Tamil Tigers were refusing to allow civilians to leave for safety, a claim the Tamil leadership denied. Tamil sources said a government offer that they should leave their homeland for areas under its control was unrealistic. “Not a single Tamil has slept in the last week,” said a Tamil source. “They do not want to seek refuge with their killers.”

Civilians removed in an evacuation have been placed in camps outside Vavuniya, the closest town to the conflict zone, which is off-limits to journalists. Injured civilians have been put in guarded hospitals. Tamils speaking from inside the conflict zone sounded desperate. “Civilians are trapped in an area 24 miles by 12. The Sri Lankan army are firing artillery and mortars from three fronts and the sea is on the other side,” said a Tamil spokesman.

“The army have asked people to go to specific areas and then they fire on them.”

Footage supplied by the rebels from Mullaitivu district appeared to confirm the claim. It showed people passing a naked, badly injured baby onto a lorry and doctors and nurses bandaging casualties.

“If the army overruns the forces of the LTTE, we will go back to guerrilla warfare. That will be on the head of the international community,” said a spokesman.

There was little sympathy from Colombo. “We are determined not to have a ceasefire and we are determined to eradicate terrorism in Sri Lanka,” said Mahinda Samarasinghe, the minister for human rights and disaster management.

Thurairajah Varatharajah, a senior health official in the Vanni district, said his hospital in Puthukudiyiruppu was overflowing with patients suffering shell blast injuries.

Britain called for an end to the fighting. “Military advances by the Sri Lankan government against the LTTE have come at a severe humanitarian cost,” said David Miliband, the foreign secretary.

Thousands of Tamils demonstrated in protest in central London yesterday.

Republicans are fighting back by branding the president as naive abroad and wasteful at home, like one of his party’s predecessors

2009-02-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

LESS than two weeks into his administration, President Barack Obama is being portrayed by opponents as a new Jimmy Carter - weak at home and naive abroad - in an attempt to dim his post-election glow and ensure that he serves only one term.

The charge has stung because it was made privately by Hillary Clinton supporters during a hard-fought primary campaign and plays to fears about Obama’s inexperience.

He is engaged in early trials of strength with Republicans in Washington and critics of the United States around the world – not least Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president. Obama faces battles to talk Wall Street into giving up its addiction to large bonuses and US banks to start lending again.

“Barack Obama thinks he can charm his adversaries into changing their ways but his personality can’t change the dynamics,” said Tom Edmonds, a Republican consultant.

“Carter [president from 1977 to 1981] had the same belief in naive symbolism. Their styles are very different but the political similarities are there.”

The Republicans are in fighting mood after Obama failed to secure a single vote on their side for his $819 billion financial stimulus package in the House of Representatives, despite intensive wooing.

The bill came laden with spending on Democratic pet projects, including $50m for the arts and $400m for global warming research that critics said had little to do with boosting the economy. It also contains “buy American” protectionist provisions that have alarmed trading partners, including Britain.

Obama is striking back with an audacious bid to acquire a “liberal super-majority”, giving the Democrats untrammelled power in the White House, the Senate and House of Representatives. He hopes to appoint Judd Gregg, a Republican senator, as commerce secretary, leaving Gregg’s Senate seat at the disposal of the governor of New Hampshire, a Democrat.

If Gregg is appointed and Al Franken wins a disputed Senate recount battle in Minnesota, as seems likely, the Democrats will attain a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate, allowing them to push through policies without obstruction.

“This is about as strong a power play as you can make in politics,” said Tad Devine, a Democratic consultant. “It would give Barack Obama the political dominance that Karl Rove talked about the Republicans achieving.”

A Diageo/Hotline poll last week found that 75% of voters are “confident” that Obama will bring “real change to the way things are done in Washington” - a rise of nine points since the election.

“He is no Jimmy Carter,” said Devine, who added that Clinton supporters had made the same mistake of underestimating Obama.

However, Republicans believe he could be ejected in four years if they can portray him as the creature of spendthrift Democrats, with an ineffectual plan for dragging the US economy out of recession.

“This is the Republicans’ way back. They have to return to their core values of cutting spending and taxes,” said Edmonds. “If the stimulus package doesn’t work, it is Obama’s failure. It’s got his name on it.”

Obama continued his charm offensive with Republicans this weekend by inviting a group of senators and congressmen from both parties to the White House to watch the Super Bowl - the biggest match in American football.

Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate last year, was due to share his spotlight last night at the Alfalfa dinner, a black-tie affair where business leaders and politicians exchange jokes and insults.

Palin said Obama’s presence had drawn her to the event: “How often will I have an opportunity to have dinner with the president? I will take up that offer to do so.”

Peggy Noonan, the conservative commentator, warned that Obama’s star power was being overplayed. “He is never not on the screen. I know what his people are thinking. Put his image on the age. Imprint the era with his face. But it’s already reaching saturation point,” she wrote in The Wall Street Journal.

Obama runs the risk that every rebuff is regarded as a personal setback. His first full week in power has been clouded by the farcical presence of Rod Blagojevich, the impeached former governor of Illinois, and revelations that Tom Daschle, his choice for health secretary, had failed to pay more than $128,000 in taxes.

The president’s foreign policy offensive also got off to an uncertain start. Critics claim there are too many czars and special envoys at the White House and State Department, who will end up fighting rather than problem solving.

George Mitchell’s first foray into the Middle East as special envoy last week was greeted by the Israeli bombing of tunnels on the Egypt-Gaza border.

America’s European allies, including Britain, have shown little interest in helping to close Guantanamo Bay by taking detainees, nor in stumping up the money and troops for a surge in Afghanistan. At home there has been an outbreak of nimbyism over the housing of Guantanamo detainees at US mainland prisons.

Obama’s offer of talks with Iran in his first interview as president on al-Arabiya, an Arab television station, prompted a demand from Ahmadinejad that America apologise for its “crimes”.

Michael Rubin, an expert on Iran at the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said Obama’s approach to Iran was similar to that of Carter, who wrote a personal letter to Ayatollah Kho-meini after a term of office marred by the storming of the US embassy in Tehran and a failed attempt to rescue 52 diplomatic staff held hostage.

“It is a little bit naive. The problem hasn’t been a lack of dialogue or the policies of George W Bush. It’s not all about us,” said Rubin.

A foreign policy expert who has advised Obama said the president was being challenged on “multiple fronts” - from Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan to Iraq and Iran: “It is a test of his strength and wisdom. The Republicans found a way to posture against the stimulus bill and it’s even easier to posture against his foreign policy. There is pressure to craft his foreign policy so that it is not seen as weak.”

According to the adviser, the public offer to talk to Iran has given opponents such as Ahmadinejad the opportunity to grandstand. “It would be helpful to begin talks privately, as Henry Kissinger did with China before [President Rich-ard] Nixon’s visit,” he said.

In the months to come, this may be the course that Obama takes as he switches out of campaign mode and begins governing. The first lesson will be that he cannot please all the people all the time.

Drug arrest

The half-brother of Barack Obama has been arrested in Kenya for possession of marijuana and resisting arrest, writes Sarah Baxter. George Obama, 26, will appear in court in Nairobi tomorrow. Police claim he was found with one joint.

Obama told CNN from behind bars that he was innocent. “They took me from my home. I don’t know why they are charging me,” he said.

Computer Worm Goes Out Of Control

2009-02-01T00:20:00.000-08:00

Experts say the worm has "skyrocketed" in recent days.

It is sweeping through thousands of offices in the UK and has affected computers at the Ministry of Defence.

The virus - known variously as Conficker, Kido or Downadup - burrows deep into the operating system and tricks the machine into running the infected program.

Once the worm is running on the computer it automatically starts to download more malicious programs from hackers' websites, with devastating effects.

The majority of computers infected by the worm, which was first identified in October, are in Russia, China, Brazil and India. But the virus is now taking hold in the UK.

The worm has password cracking capabilities, often successful because company passwords sometimes match a predefined password list that it carries.

Eddy Willems, a security analyst with anti-virus firm Kaspersky Labs, said that a new strain of the worm was now causing additional problems.

Computer users are advised to ensure their anti-virus software, operating system and firewall is up to date, and that they have installed a Microsoft patch designed to combat the problem.

Experts have also warned the virus could spread by copying itself to USB memory sticks shared between computers, and urged users to use caution.

Warning as snow storms loom

2009-02-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

Wintry weather moving in from the east will bring freezing temperatures, biting winds and snow to the eastern half of the UK, forecasters said.

Weather forecaster Stephen Davenport said temperatures would barely get above freezing, with icy winds making it feel even colder.

He said: "There are snow storms growing over the North Sea that will hit the eastern half of the UK tonight. The maximum temperatures will barely get above freezing and in some places it will feel several degrees below because of wind chill."

Up to 10cm of snow could fall in places, with Lincolnshire and Yorkshire likely to be worst affected.

"There will also be drifting because of the strong winds," he added.

The winds, which will generally be around 25-30mph, could get close to gale force in some places, according to forecasts.

The AA has warned motorists to ensure they keep warm clothes in the car after dealing with unprepared drivers "flirting with hypothermia" at breakdowns during the last big freeze.

Andy Taylor from the AA said: "People often treat their car as an overcoat.

"But when you break down you are suddenly vulnerable to the weather.

"If you break down on a motorway, the safety advice is to get out of the car and wait behind the barrier. Unless you have extra clothes you really are flirting with hypothermia."

In January, temperatures plunged to lows of minus 13C during a three-week freeze.

World growth 'lowest in 60 years'

2009-01-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

The organisation predicted that banking industry losses may reach $2.2 trillion [EPA]

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed its economic growth forecasts, predicting global growth is set to fall to its slowest pace in six decades.

"World growth is projected to fall to ... its lowest rate since World War II, [reaching] 0.5 per cent in 2009," the organisation said in a sharp downward revision of its November forecasts.

It also predicted that banking industry losses may reach $2.2 trillion, sharply worsening its previous estimate of $1.4 trillion.

The IMF said in two reports published on Wednesday the ongoing financial crisis was restricting credit for companies and consumers and was the primary reason the global economy was in dire straits.

'Uncertain outlook'

The 185-nation-member institution said: "Despite wide-ranging policy actions, financial strains remain acute, pulling down the real economy."

It warned its projections were made in a "highly uncertain outlook" and that "the timing and pace of the recovery depend critically on strong policy actions".

"A sustained economic recovery will not be possible until the financial sector's functionality is restored and credit markets are unclogged," the Washington-based organisation said.

The United States, the epicentre of the financial crisis, was predicted to endure a 1.6 per cent contraction, well down on the organisation's prior estimate of 0.9 per cent.

Japan's economy would shrink by 2.6 per cent in 2009, instead of the former estimate of 0.2 per cent, while the 27-member eurozone economy would hit a wall, suffering a two per cent contraction after growing one per cent in 2008.

The previous 2009 estimate was for a 0.5 per cent contraction.

The IMF offered some light at the end of the tunnel, saying it saw a gradual recovery in the global economy in 2010 of growth of three per cent, spurred by "continued efforts to ease credit strains as well as expansionary fiscal and monetary policies".

'Toxic effects'

Developing countries were forecast to have relatively weak growth of 3.3 per cent in 2009, about half the 6.3 per cent expansion of last year.

China would remain the world's fastest-growing economy with a 6.7 per cent increase, down from nine per cent in 2008.

India's economic growth would slow to 5.1 per cent after 7.3 per cent.

The IMF cautioned that "the uncertainty surrounding the outlook is unusually large".

"Downside risks continue to dominate, as the scale and scope of the current financial crisis have taken the global economy into uncharted waters," the organisation said.

"The main risk is that unless stronger financial strains and uncertainties are forcefully addressed, the pernicious feedback loop between real activity and financial markets will intensify, leading to even more toxic effects on global growth."

Russia 'halts' missile deployment

2009-01-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

Russia has halted a plan to respond to a proposed US missile-defence shield by stationing its own missiles near Europe's borders, the Russian military says.

The tactical-response missiles were to be deployed in a Russian exclave wedged between Nato and EU members Poland and Lithuania, in the Western outpost of Kaliningrad.

"Russia does not need to place Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad if a US missile defence shield is not going to put fear into Eastern Europe," a military official told Interfax news agency on Wednesday.

"The realisation of these plans has been suspended in connection with the fact that the new American administration is not speeding up its plans" for missile defence facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Kurt Volker, the US ambassador to Nato, said: "If true, this would of course be a very positive step."

Barack Obama, the US president, spoke to Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, by telephone on Monday, in their first contact since the US inauguration.

The two men agreed to stop the "drift" in their countries' relations, the White House said on Tuesday.

Softer stance

The administration of George Bush, the former US president, angered the Kremlin with its push to deploy interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic.

It said the system was needed to protect from potential missile strikes by what it called "rogue states" - specifically Iran and North Korea.

Bush, left, angered the Kremlin with its push to deploy missiles in Poland [AFP]

Russia has argued that the proposed system would threaten its own national security and was further evidence - along with the eastward expansion of the Nato alliance - of Western military influence encroaching near its borders.

Medvedev later qualified his remarks on deploying Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad, saying that would only go ahead if Washington made the first move by starting work on its missile shield installations.

The row over the shield has helped drive diplomatic ties between Moscow and Washington to their lowest level since the end of the Cold War.

But Russian officials have said they are encouraged by early signals from the Obama administration and hopeful of a fresh start in their relations.

It is possible the Kremlin will be seeking a reciprocal concession from the White House when Medvedev meets Obama on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in London on April 2.

Budget likely to show Mugabe's desperation

2009-01-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe will present its annual budget this week, which analysts expect to contain desperate measures in the wake of economic collapse amid political crisis.

President Robert Mugabe's acting Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa will unveil the 2009 budget in parliament Thursday most likely in U.S. dollars because soaring hyper-inflation has left the Zimbabwean dollar virtually worthless.

Analysts say the budget -- coming two months later than usual -- would be both a number-crunching exercise and a confirmation that Zimbabwe has been forced to use foreign currencies after the spectacular collapse of its own currency.

The Zimbabwean dollar currently trades at anything up to 40 trillion to the U.S. dollar, despite being re-denominated through the removal of 10 zeroes in August. An average worker earns trillions, but struggles to buy a loaf of bread in the few shops that still accept the local unit.

"The situation is so desperate and I think, outside the usual statements about political enemies, we are going to see some desperate proposals to try to get the economy out of this mess," said John Robertson, an economic consultant.

Besides "dollarization," Mugabe's government is expected to introduce some new taxes in foreign currency -- including income and capital gains -- to try to boost empty state coffers.

"The simple change of currency is not going to save the economy, but may actually create more problems by getting the whole country, workers across the board, to believe they can get foreign currency without production," Robertson said.

"What is going to save the economy is an acceptance that we are in this mess because of bad policies and bad politics and that we have to change those to have a foundation for recovery."

John Makumbe, a veteran political analyst and Mugabe critic, also said the 2009 budget would -- as with others in the last 10 years -- not be able to pull Zimbabwe out of its deep troubles.

"Mugabe has turned Zimbabwe into a pariah state, and the economy stands condemned and is not going to get any substantial foreign investment or foreign aid until the political crisis is sorted," he said.

Zimbabwe's economic data is anyone's guess at the moment.

The government has not released any official inflation figures since July when annual inflation stood at a staggering 231 million percent -- the highest in the world -- while state spending figures have also not been disclosed.

In its 2008 budget, Mugabe's government forecast that the Zimbabwe's gross domestic product (GDP) would grow by four percent after nearly a decade in decline and that inflation -- which stood at 8,000 percent in November 2007 -- would average below 2,000 percent in 2008 on increased farming output.

Instead, the economy has plumbed deeper into recession and what had been dubbed "the mother of all farming seasons" turned into another disaster.

Mugabe's disputed re-election in a violent campaign last year worsened the country's crisis which, following a collapse in agriculture, includes shortages of food and fuel, power cuts and lately a cholera outbreak that has killed over 3,000 people.

About half Zimbabwe's 13 million population is surviving on food handouts, and international aid agencies say a lack of funds combined with projections of more food shortages this year could make the crisis worse.

Mugabe, who turns 85 next month and has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980, accuses Western countries of sabotaging Zimbabwe's economy.

"In Zimbabwe's position, you are going to need a budget that is going to address this man-made disaster, and I don't think that's what we are going to get," Robertson said.

Obama urges passage of stimulus bill

2009-01-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pitched his $825 billion (507 billion pound) economic stimulus plan to business leaders on Wednesday, as the House of Representatives debated the legislation it was expected to pass later in the day.

Amid attacks from Republicans in Congress that Obama and his fellow Democrats have composed a package too flawed to save the stumbling economy, the new president got a boost from corporate heads he met with at the White House.

"The message has to be that the situation is dire," said David Cote, chief executive of Honeywell. "It needs to get done fast," he added, referring to the Democrats' economic stimulus plan. "Everybody is being touched by this."

Obama said the 13 CEOs were "on the front lines in seeing enormous problems in our economy right now." It is important "that we act and act swiftly in order to get this economy back on track," he said, and predicted success in winning passage of one of the most expensive single bills ever considered by Congress.

But it is widely acknowledged that righting an economy that has been in recession for more than a year will be difficult.

On Friday, the government is due to release an estimate of economic performance that economists expect will show the economy contracted at an annual rate of 5.4 percent last year. That would put the U.S. economy closer to the 6.4 percent contraction in 1931, which was followed by 13 percent in 1932, during the Great Depression.

Other executives who met with Obama included the head of Corning Inc, which this week announced 4,900 job cuts, and Xerox Corp, which cut 3,000 late last year.

The House debated legislation written by Obama's fellow Democrats that would spend $825 billion over the next few years with a combination of emergency spending and tax cuts to create and save up to 4 million jobs.

"This $825 billion package is not too large ... in fact it's probably smaller than it ought to be," House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey said, noting the horrible shape of the U.S. economy.

REPUBLICANS OPPOSED

Most House Republicans planned to oppose the legislation. and thus cast votes against some of the Democrats' pet projects such as new money for education and alternative energy.

They will offer a competing plan, which is expected to fail, that would scrap the Democrats' hundreds of billions of dollars in spending to jump-start the economy and instead call for a series of tax cuts.

Representative David Dreier, a conservative Republican from California, said the "growth-oriented tax cuts" that members of his party are seeking would be better at jump-starting the economy.

Once the House votes, action moves to the Senate, which is considering a more expensive bill. Its price tag is now about $887 billion because it will include a one-year fix to insulate middle-class taxpayers from the Alternative Minimum Tax, which originally was aimed at the wealthy but is affecting a growing number of middle-class taxpayers because of inflation.

Democrats want to send Obama a bill he can sign into law by mid-February. The bill could change by then, especially if Obama strives to get Republican support.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday on optimism that the new administration was moving quickly to stabilise banking and hopes for a stimulus package soon.

The bill the House is debating combines $275 billion in temporary tax cuts to spur spending and business investment, along with hundreds of billions of dollars for job creating investment projects, health industry improvements, expanded aid for the poor and unemployed, and improving education.

While Obama wants a strong bipartisan vote on final passage, that will depend on whether Republicans think they have gotten at least some of what they want, such as more business tax breaks in the bill.

Egypt attacks Iran and allies in Arab world

2009-01-28T12:52:00.000-08:00

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt aired its grievances against Iran, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, saying they worked together in the fighting over Gaza to provoke conflict in the Middle East.

"(They tried) to turn the region to confrontation in the interest of Iran, which is trying to use its cards to escape Western pressure ... on the nuclear file," Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in an interview with Orbit satellite channel broadcast Wednesday.

Aboul Gheit also said that Egypt undermined Qatar's attempts to arrange a formal Arab summit on Gaza earlier this month, arguing that it would have damaged "joint Arab action."

"Egypt made the summit fail... This summit, if it had taken place as an Arab summit with a proper quorum, would have damaged joint Arab action. We can see what others do not see," he said.

The interview was broadcast Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning and the state news agency MENA carried excerpts.

The comments are the first acknowledgement by Egypt that it actively sought to prevent the Doha summit on January 16, which was the subject of a bitter tug-of-war between rival Arab states.

It also indicated that a reconciliation meeting in Kuwait last week between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on one hand, and Qatar and Syria on the other, had only a short-term effect.

Qatar failed to win enough support to hold a formal Arab League summit on Gaza but it went ahead anyway with an informal consultative meeting of Arab leaders.

The wrangling reflected deep divisions between Arab governments. On one side Saudi Arabia and Egypt, wary of the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, favored discussing Gaza at a separate economic summit in Kuwait a few days later.

Diplomats say Egypt resents the Qatari challenge to its traditional role as leading Arab mediator and dislikes the influence of the satellite television channel Al Jazeera, which is based in Doha and owned by the Qatari government.

"Some people imagined that a satellite channel could bring down the Egyptian state, without realizing that Egypt is much stronger than that," Aboul Gheit said.

"Egypt is very big and has extensive influence despite attempts to influence this stance and role, whether in the Al Jazeera channel or other channels," he added.

The Egyptian minister also criticized Hamas for what he called its coup against the forces of the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip in 2007.

Pirates release Super-tanker

2009-01-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

Sirius Star, the oil-laden supertanker seized in the Indian Ocean in November, is now released by its captors, the Somali pirates said today that they had released it, in return for a $3.2 million ransom.

Photos taken by the US Navy appeared to show to the ransom payment being parachuted on to the deck of the Sirius Star from a light aircraft.

Satyam Founder faces fraud investigation

2009-01-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

B. Ramalinga Raju, the disgraced IT mogul behind India's largest-ever corporate fraud, will appear before the country's market regulator tomorrow amid doubts the company he founded has enough money to pay its 50,000 staff this month's wages.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) will ask just how the former chairman of Satyam, India's fourth-largest outsourcing company, was able to orchestrate a £1 billion fraud by wildly overstating the group's profitability, cash reserves and other assets for several years.

Mr Raju faces up to ten years in prison under Indian law if found guilty of misleading investors. The Indian Government has demanded that he is punished to the full extent possible for destroying confidence in the country's coprorate governance system.

Gaza Grave

2009-01-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

250 children are now killed, among nearly 800 now killed in Gaza & 1080 children injured in Gaza compared to 13 Israelis killed, out of which 10 are military personnels, and 3 civilians. Humanitarian body, the Red Cross says that they were prevented from entering three houses where 15 people died, and children were left huddled up next to their dead mothers.