Amber Smith
Crew of plane carrying North Korean arms may face death sentence
The Kazakh and Belarusian crew of a plane caught transporting arms from North Korea may face the death penalty, a Thai paper said on Wednesday, citing police.
The Il-76 cargo plane, carrying about 40 tons of weaponry, was seized after landing for refueling at Bangkok's Don Muang airport on December 12. Officials said the weapons included missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.
The paper quoted a senior police official as saying that the crew would be charged with the illegal possession of explosives, punishable by "from two years to death."
The plane's five crew members, one Belarus national and four Kazakhs, were taken to Bangkok's Klong Prem Central Prison after their arrest.
The Bangkok Post quoted investigators as saying the crew were planning to offload part of their cargo in Sri Lanka and the Middle East. However, the suspects reportedly refused to name the buyers or locations.
The plane's Belarusian commander earlier said that the plane had flown from Ukraine, and claimed that neither he nor the other crewmembers knew of the military nature of the cargo.
Mikhail Petukhov was earlier quoted by the Thai news agency TNA as saying the aircraft refueled in Azerbaijan, then in the United Arab Emirates, and then in Thailand while en route to Pyongyang. The plane's commander said the aircraft was scheduled to refuel in Thailand and Sri Lanka on its way back, after which the cargo was expected to be delivered to Ukraine.
Source:en.rian.ru
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VK Pandey
Australia introduces web filters
Australia intends to introduce filters which will ban access to websites containing criminal content.
The banned sites will be selected by an independent classification body guided by complaints from the public, said Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.
A seven month trial in conjunction with internet service providers found the technology behind the filter to be 100% effective.
However, there has been opposition from some internet users.
Twitter users have been voicing their disapproval by adding the search tag "nocleanfeed" to their comments about the plans.
"Successful technology isn't necessarily successful policy," said Colin Jacobs, a spokesperson for Electronic Frontiers Australia, a non-profit organisation that campaigns for online freedom.
"We're yet to hear a sensible explanation of what this policy is for, who it will help, and why it is worth spending so much taxpayers' money on."
Mr Conroy said the filters included optional extras such as a ban on gambling sites which ISPs could choose to implement in exchange for a grant.
"Through a combination of additional resources for education and awareness, mandatory internet filtering of RC (refused classification)-rated content, and optional ISP-level filtering, we have a package that balances safety for families and the benefits of the digital revolution," he said.
The filter laws will be introduced in parliament in August 2010 and will take a year to implement.
'noble aims'
"Historical attempts to put filters in place have been effective up to a point," Dr Windsor Holden, principal analyst at Juniper Research, told BBC News.
The "noble aims" of the filter could be lost in its implementation, he warned.
"Clearly there is a need to protect younger and more vulnerable users of the net, but one concern is that it won't just be illegal websites that will be blocked," he added.
"You have to take extreme caution in how these things are rolled out and the uses to which they're put."
(From BBC)--
With Regards;
VK Pandey
India's bizarre sex surveys
It's that time of the year when Indian magazines publish sex surveys mapping the carnal capabilities of a billion people. It has become an annual ritual of sorts: the magazines presume that since India is changing rapidly, the sexual habits of its people must be following suit.
I love the way the surveys are packaged. One, this year, calls itself the Beta Male Special. Others have been called The Naked Truth, Sex and the Single Woman and the more prosaic What Men Want.
I also love the questions and the answer options. "What was your first time like?" asked a survey last year. "Mind blowing, terrible or don't remember?" We were relieved to learn that, for the overwhelming majority, it was "mind blowing". Who says Indians are prudish about sex?
The certitudes on sexual behaviour in these surveys would put Gay Talese to shame. One showed a "more sexually carnivorous urban Indian willing to break taboos and batter boundaries". But, it moaned: "The appetite is clearly greater than the menu". Phew.
A recent one says that in 2009, Indian males have suddenly become more gender sensitive and turned into Beta Males, whatever that means. "Not the dominating, growling, impatient bedroom partner but a clever young man, quickly aroused and usually satiated. He now understands that sex, like anger, politics or the handling of a TV remote control needs some strategy, some fair play," says the survey. Sounds like Neanderthal man has finally grown up into a sexual savant of sorts.
I still don't know how the Indian male is "strategising" through the minefield of amour and sex because the magazine never told me. I look forward to clues in next year's survey, unless Indian man slips back into Neanderthal mode again.
But what I love most is the heart of the survey: the cold statistics.
Some 47% of respondents in the Punjabi city of Ludhiana, famous for its hosiery and cycle-making, say they have committed adultery. In Nagpur 25% of men apparently prefer one-night stands. In historic Lucknow, 32% of men are sexually attracted to Westernised women "with an independent attitude". Some 37% of men belonging to Le Corbusier's noveau riche Chandigarh and 26% from crummy Patna say they masturbate because it helps to relieve stress.
My favourite: one survey rated Hyderabad the kinkiest Indian city - 45% of respondents approved of kinky ways to woo their spouses and partners. The last I heard about the city, a battle-weary politician demanding a separate state had ended a hunger strike, and there was a political crisis going on. Anything kinky about that?
Of course, sex surveys have a mystery about them, so there is no explanation for these bizarre 'findings'. Don't ask frivolous questions about why Nagpur men prefer one-night stands, while Mumbai men love long-term relationships. And before I leave, did you know that 72% of women in Mumbai and 83% of women in Chennai say they are more likely to kiss a shaved man? Don't ask me why. But if you live in either city, you might want to get rid of that moustache and stubble. Fast.
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With Regards;
VK Pandey
Nepali private sector to support highest-altitude cabinet meeting
According to Monday's myrepublica.com, several institutions like Everest Summitteers' Association, Nepal Mountaineering Association, Trekking Agents' Association of Nepal, Expedition Operators' Association, Himalayan Rescue Association, 14 domestic airlines operating in Nepal, and a few other agencies have joined hands with National Trust for Nature Conservation to generate the fund for the historic cabinet meeting.
Suman Pandey, the coordinator from the private sector's side, was quoted by the website as saying that the cost has gone up as two choppers will be mobilized for aerial survey for transportation and emergency evacuation.
"We have to ensure safe movement, navigation, landing and takeoff of the VIPs and the accompanying delegates," Pandey said at a press conference here on Sunday.
Pandey informed that a doctors' team fully equipped with regulators and oxygen cylinders will be placed there to ensure health safety and to take care of emergency cases.
He added weather monitoring for the event is on in coordination with the weather bureau. "We can safely say that the weather is going to be clear for at least another 10 days. But constant monitoring is on," Pandey said, adding, "The situation is quite safe and we have enough medical back-up."
The cabinet meeting of the Nepali government to be presided by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on the laps of the majestic Himalayas is a step further to express its commitments to safeguard the environmental sanctity of the Himalayas for the common interest of local to global communities.
The meeting, which will be held at the sand ground at Gorakshepat the height of approximately 5,164 meters, where table and chairs will be placed, is said to last for 20 minutes. Everest Base Camp is two hours' trek from Gorakshep.
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VK Pandey
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