Sonia Gandhi targets Modi, says his development promises 'false'

MANDVI: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi today sought to tear into Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's claims on development accusing the state government of completely ignoring the welfare of poor and wondered where all the central funds for the state had vanished.

Addressing an election rally here, Gandhi said the state goverment has failed in almost every field and even the law and order in the state was not good.

"UPA government has been allocating 1000s of crores of rupees to various states, including Gujarat, without any bias. But nobody knows how this money is spent (in Gujarat). They are not bothered about the poor. They are only concerened about themselves," she said.

She said because of the policies of BJP government, the hardships of the common man have increased. "If the government had given attention to your problems, you would not have faced so many problems," Gandhi said.

The Congress chief said the UPA government had waived off loans to the debt-ridden farmers but their condition in Gujarat has not changed because of the "anti-people" policies pursued by the BJP govenrnment.

"Our government is the goverment of the farmers. We have waived off loans to farmers," she said.

Gujarat goes to first phase of polls on December 13.

Sonia Gandhi targets Modi, says his development promises 'false'

MANDVI: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi today sought to tear into Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's claims on development accusing the state government of completely ignoring the welfare of poor and wondered where all the central funds for the state had vanished.

Addressing an election rally here, Gandhi said the state goverment has failed in almost every field and even the law and order in the state was not good.

"UPA government has been allocating 1000s of crores of rupees to various states, including Gujarat, without any bias. But nobody knows how this money is spent (in Gujarat). They are not bothered about the poor. They are only concerened about themselves," she said.

She said because of the policies of BJP government, the hardships of the common man have increased. "If the government had given attention to your problems, you would not have faced so many problems," Gandhi said.

The Congress chief said the UPA government had waived off loans to the debt-ridden farmers but their condition in Gujarat has not changed because of the "anti-people" policies pursued by the BJP govenrnment.

"Our government is the goverment of the farmers. We have waived off loans to farmers," she said.

Gujarat goes to first phase of polls on December 13.

17th International Film fest Kerala begins today

 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 17th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will get underway here on Friday with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of the south Indian Kerala state inagurating the eight-day movie extravaganza.

The annual movie gala will showcase around 200 handpicked movies from 54 countries in 15 different categories in select theatres in the city.

17th International Film fest Kerala begins today

 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 17th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will get underway here on Friday with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of the south Indian Kerala state inagurating the eight-day movie extravaganza.

The annual movie gala will showcase around 200 handpicked movies from 54 countries in 15 different categories in select theatres in the city.

Citigroup to cut more than 11,000 jobs worldwide

NEW YORK: Citigroup said on Wednesday that it will cut 11,000 jobs, a bold early move by new CEO Michael Corbat. The cuts amount to about 4% of Citi's workforce of 262,000.

The bank did not spell out how many of the jobs will be in the United States. Most of them, about 6,200, will come from Citi's consumer banking unit, which handles everyday functions like branches and checking accounts.

Citi said that it will sell or scale back consumer operations in Pakistan, Paraguay, Romania, Turkey and Uruguay and focus on 150 cities around the world "that have the highest growth potential in consumer banking.''

About 1,900 jobs will come from the institutional clients group, which includes investment banking. The company will also cut jobs in technology and operations by using more automation and moving jobs to "lower-cost locations.''

Citi said it expects the cuts to save $900 million next year, and slightly more in the following years. They will be a drag in the short term. Citi said it expects to record pre-tax charges of approximately $1 billion in the fourth quarter.

Job cuts are familiar in banking today as companies struggle under new regulations and deal with nervous customers and ire from both lawmakers and customers miffed about industry sins that helped cause the 2008 financial crisis.

In a statement, Corbat said the bank remains committed to "our unparalleled global network and footprint.'' However, he added: "We have identified areas and products where our scale does not provide for meaningful returns.''

He promised that the bank would reduce "excess capacity and expenses, whether they center on technology, real estate or simplifying our operations.''

Corbat became CEO in October after his predecessor, Vikram Pandit, stepped down. Pandit had reportedly clashed with the board over the company's strategy and its relationship with the government.

While the job cuts are among the first major moves by Corbat, they are in line with Pandit's blueprint.

Citi nearly collapsed during the financial crisis and had to take two taxpayer bailout loans. It has been shrinking ever since, shedding units and trying to find a business model that's more streamlined and efficient.

The paring hasn't always gone as well as Citi hoped. This fall, for example, when Citi negotiated the sale of its stake in the retail brokerage Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, it got far less than it wanted from the buyer, Morgan Stanley.

Corbat said Citi "has come a long way over the past several years.'

'

Citigroup to cut more than 11,000 jobs worldwide

NEW YORK: Citigroup said on Wednesday that it will cut 11,000 jobs, a bold early move by new CEO Michael Corbat. The cuts amount to about 4% of Citi's workforce of 262,000.

The bank did not spell out how many of the jobs will be in the United States. Most of them, about 6,200, will come from Citi's consumer banking unit, which handles everyday functions like branches and checking accounts.

Citi said that it will sell or scale back consumer operations in Pakistan, Paraguay, Romania, Turkey and Uruguay and focus on 150 cities around the world "that have the highest growth potential in consumer banking.''

About 1,900 jobs will come from the institutional clients group, which includes investment banking. The company will also cut jobs in technology and operations by using more automation and moving jobs to "lower-cost locations.''

Citi said it expects the cuts to save $900 million next year, and slightly more in the following years. They will be a drag in the short term. Citi said it expects to record pre-tax charges of approximately $1 billion in the fourth quarter.

Job cuts are familiar in banking today as companies struggle under new regulations and deal with nervous customers and ire from both lawmakers and customers miffed about industry sins that helped cause the 2008 financial crisis.

In a statement, Corbat said the bank remains committed to "our unparalleled global network and footprint.'' However, he added: "We have identified areas and products where our scale does not provide for meaningful returns.''

He promised that the bank would reduce "excess capacity and expenses, whether they center on technology, real estate or simplifying our operations.''

Corbat became CEO in October after his predecessor, Vikram Pandit, stepped down. Pandit had reportedly clashed with the board over the company's strategy and its relationship with the government.

While the job cuts are among the first major moves by Corbat, they are in line with Pandit's blueprint.

Citi nearly collapsed during the financial crisis and had to take two taxpayer bailout loans. It has been shrinking ever since, shedding units and trying to find a business model that's more streamlined and efficient.

The paring hasn't always gone as well as Citi hoped. This fall, for example, when Citi negotiated the sale of its stake in the retail brokerage Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, it got far less than it wanted from the buyer, Morgan Stanley.

Corbat said Citi "has come a long way over the past several years.'

'

Islamists clash with anti-Mursi group in Egypt

Cairo: Clashes broke out Wednesday night between Muslim Brotherhood members and opposition supporters in front of the high-security Egyptian presidential palace here where the two groups assembled for rival demonstrations after Islamist President Mohamed Mursi returned to the complex.

The anti-Mursi protesters were staging a sit-in outside the palace when they were attacked. Earlier U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said that the situation in Egypt is critical and said that a dialogue is ‘urgently needed’ keeping in scenes in the streets of Cairo. 

Former presidential candidate Amr Moussa, who is also chairman of the Egyptian National Congress, warned that the clashes will further heat up the situation. 

The Constitution Party also warned of "dire consequences" for what it described assaults on peaceful protesters in Tahrir Square and outside the palace. 

"We are warning of dire consequences for mounting calls by figures affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamist current," the party said in a statement, which claimed that the president's supporters had called for massive protests "and even jihad, according to Al-Misry-al-Youm. 

The clashes came after Mursi, who yesterday left the Palace through back gate, today returned to the complex. 

Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Talaat Ibrahim Abdallah yesterday ordered a probe against three former presidential candidates accusing them of espionage and conspiring a "Zionist plot" against the Islamist government. 

Abdallah referred to the State Security Prosecution a complaint accusing Mohamed ElBaradei, Hamdein Sabahy and Moussa of spying and inciting the overthrow of the President. 

Founder of the Constitution Party ElBaradei, Moussa and founder of the Popular Current Party Sabahy have declared their support to the ongoing anti-Mursi protests after the latter assumed absolute power through a decree last month, sparking the current crisis. 

Hamed Sadeq, a lawyer who filed the complaint, also accused Wafd Party president Al-Sayed al-Badawy and Judges Club head Ahmed al-Zend of espionage and sedition. 

Sadeq claimed that Moussa met with former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni and agreed with her to fabricate internal crises, and that all of the politicians named in his complaint then met at the Wafd Pary headquarters here to implement the "Zionist plot." 

He requested that the accused be banned from travel and that the Wafd Party headquarters be confiscated for probe. 

Filing criminal charges against opposition figures was a common practice during ousted president Hosni Mubarak's era. 

Ghad al-Thawra Party leader Ayman Nour was sentenced to five years in prison in December 2005 for allegedly forging signatures to enable him to register the Ghad Party. 

The party had been approved in 2004. Nour was released from prison in February 2009. 

Nour finished second after Mubarak in the presidential election in September 2005. Some observers argued that the case was punishment for his unexpected bid for presidency.

Islamists clash with anti-Mursi group in Egypt

Cairo: Clashes broke out Wednesday night between Muslim Brotherhood members and opposition supporters in front of the high-security Egyptian presidential palace here where the two groups assembled for rival demonstrations after Islamist President Mohamed Mursi returned to the complex.

The anti-Mursi protesters were staging a sit-in outside the palace when they were attacked. Earlier U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said that the situation in Egypt is critical and said that a dialogue is ‘urgently needed’ keeping in scenes in the streets of Cairo. 

Former presidential candidate Amr Moussa, who is also chairman of the Egyptian National Congress, warned that the clashes will further heat up the situation. 

The Constitution Party also warned of "dire consequences" for what it described assaults on peaceful protesters in Tahrir Square and outside the palace. 

"We are warning of dire consequences for mounting calls by figures affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamist current," the party said in a statement, which claimed that the president's supporters had called for massive protests "and even jihad, according to Al-Misry-al-Youm. 

The clashes came after Mursi, who yesterday left the Palace through back gate, today returned to the complex. 

Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Talaat Ibrahim Abdallah yesterday ordered a probe against three former presidential candidates accusing them of espionage and conspiring a "Zionist plot" against the Islamist government. 

Abdallah referred to the State Security Prosecution a complaint accusing Mohamed ElBaradei, Hamdein Sabahy and Moussa of spying and inciting the overthrow of the President. 

Founder of the Constitution Party ElBaradei, Moussa and founder of the Popular Current Party Sabahy have declared their support to the ongoing anti-Mursi protests after the latter assumed absolute power through a decree last month, sparking the current crisis. 

Hamed Sadeq, a lawyer who filed the complaint, also accused Wafd Party president Al-Sayed al-Badawy and Judges Club head Ahmed al-Zend of espionage and sedition. 

Sadeq claimed that Moussa met with former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni and agreed with her to fabricate internal crises, and that all of the politicians named in his complaint then met at the Wafd Pary headquarters here to implement the "Zionist plot." 

He requested that the accused be banned from travel and that the Wafd Party headquarters be confiscated for probe. 

Filing criminal charges against opposition figures was a common practice during ousted president Hosni Mubarak's era. 

Ghad al-Thawra Party leader Ayman Nour was sentenced to five years in prison in December 2005 for allegedly forging signatures to enable him to register the Ghad Party. 

The party had been approved in 2004. Nour was released from prison in February 2009. 

Nour finished second after Mubarak in the presidential election in September 2005. Some observers argued that the case was punishment for his unexpected bid for presidency.

NASA releases satellite imagery of India on Diwali night

WASHINGTON: NASA, the national space agency of the US, released a black and white satellite imagery of India this Diwali night, cautioning people against the fake image in circulation on the social media. "On November 12, 2012, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime view of southern Asia," NASA said releasing a picture of India on this Diwali night. "The image is based on data collected by the VIIRS 'day- night band', which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared. The image has been brightened to make the city lights easier to distinguish," it said. NASA said most of the bright areas in the imagery released by it are cities and towns in India, the country with the world's largest Hindu population. "India is home to more than 1.2 billion people and has 30 cities with populations over 1 million. (For comparison, China has 62 cities with more than 1 million residents and the United States has 9)," it said. Cities in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan are also visible near the edges of the image. "An image that claims to show the region lit for Diwali has been circulating on social media websites and the Internet in recent years. In fact, it does not show what it claims. That image, based on data from the Operational Linescan System flown on US Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites, is a color-composite created in 2003 by NOAA scientist Chris Elvidge to highlight population growth over time," NASA said. "In that image, white areas show city lights that were visible prior to 1992, while blue, green, and red shades indicate city lights that became visible in 1992, 1998, and 2003 respectively," it said. "In reality, any extra light produced during Diwali is so subtle that it is likely imperceptible when observed from space," NASA said.

NASA releases satellite imagery of India on Diwali night

WASHINGTON: NASA, the national space agency of the US, released a black and white satellite imagery of India this Diwali night, cautioning people against the fake image in circulation on the social media. "On November 12, 2012, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime view of southern Asia," NASA said releasing a picture of India on this Diwali night. "The image is based on data collected by the VIIRS 'day- night band', which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared. The image has been brightened to make the city lights easier to distinguish," it said. NASA said most of the bright areas in the imagery released by it are cities and towns in India, the country with the world's largest Hindu population. "India is home to more than 1.2 billion people and has 30 cities with populations over 1 million. (For comparison, China has 62 cities with more than 1 million residents and the United States has 9)," it said. Cities in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan are also visible near the edges of the image. "An image that claims to show the region lit for Diwali has been circulating on social media websites and the Internet in recent years. In fact, it does not show what it claims. That image, based on data from the Operational Linescan System flown on US Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites, is a color-composite created in 2003 by NOAA scientist Chris Elvidge to highlight population growth over time," NASA said. "In that image, white areas show city lights that were visible prior to 1992, while blue, green, and red shades indicate city lights that became visible in 1992, 1998, and 2003 respectively," it said. "In reality, any extra light produced during Diwali is so subtle that it is likely imperceptible when observed from space," NASA said.