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Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Britain, Bill Gates boost child vaccine funding

01:49 rabiul islam No comments

Britain and Bill Gates joined forces yesterday to pledge more than half of the $3.7 billion sought to vaccinate nearly 250 million children against preventable diseases.

Prime Minister David Cameron told a donors' conference in London that Britain would contribute a further £814 million ($1.3 billion, 920 million euros) to GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation), an aid group backed by the Microsoft tycoon.

Cameron said the extra funds would help treat 80 million children against pneumonia and diarrhoea, and save 1.4 million lives.

Gates followed Cameron's pledge by saying his charitable foundation would commit an additional one billion dollars over five years.

It is expected that by the end of the one-day summit donations should exceed the $3.7 billion target.
Cameron said: "Today we come together because we have the chance to save another four million lives in four years.

"Frankly, the idea of children dying from pneumonia and diarrhoea should be absolutely unthinkable in 2011.
"But for many parents in the developing world it is a devastating reality."

The pledges have gone a long way towards making up the $3.7-billion funding shortfall as GAVI aims to immunise 243 million more children and avert four million deaths by 2015.

M.F. Husain dies exiled from his homeland

06:10 rabiul islam No comments

aqbool Fida Husain, who was hailed as the Picasso of India but was forced to live in self-imposed exile from his homeland due to death threats from Hindu radicals, died in London Thursday. He was 95.
Husain was ailing from age-related problems for some time and breathed his last in a London hospital after suffering a heart attack, family sources in New Delhi said. His family members were with him when he died.
His last rites would be conducted in London and not in India, the sources said.
Husain, who once painted cinema hoardings and rose to become one of the world's most celebrated artists, was forced to leave India in 2006 after his paintings of Hindu gods in the nude triggered attacks on his works and police complaints against him by rightwing Hindu organisations.
While the Indian government failed to bring him back when he was alive, his death was widely mourned in the country.
"A man of multi-dimensional talent, his death would create a deep void in the world of art and creativity," said President Pratibha Patil.
"It is a national loss," said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Husain had accepted Qatari citizenship last year.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told that "It is true that he was upset with the government on some issues and efforts were made by the government and NGOs to address those issues.
"It's unfortunate that some narrow-minded people tried to judge his creativity and artistic works," she said.
Husain was born in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, Sep 17, 1915 to Zunaib and father Fida. His tryst with painting began when he learnt the art of calligraphy.
He moved to Mumbai, India's entertainment capital, at a young age to become an artist and painted cinema billboards to make a living. He went on to be part of the progressive school of artists in he late 1940s.
Controversy and fame went hand in hand for the lanky and silver-maned Husain. He was known to move around barefoot, even in elite circles. He made a name for himself with his paintings on horses and figurative drawings. His untitled work in Christie's fetched $2 million in 2006.
Husain had a keen interest in films and was fascinated by actress Madhuri Dixit. He made movies with her and Tabu and he was keen to make a film with Vidya Balan.
But Husain, who was a Muslim, could never come back to India due to repeated threats from the Hindu rightwing.
The artist fraternity in India said it was shameful that he couldn't live in his own country.
Actor Rahul Bose tweeted, "Husain passes away. We hang our heads partly in grief and partly in shame for not being able to let him spend his last days in this country."

Australian Stock Market Report

01:42 rabiul islam No comments

the us employment trends index fell from a downwardly-revised reading of 100.1 in April (previously 100.5) to 99.7 in May.

The broader measure of European shares fell for a fourth straight day on Monday on continued concerns about the health of the global economy. There was also an element of caution ahead of the European Central Bank meeting on Thursday. But mining shares rose with BHP Billiton up 0.9pct in London trade and Rio Tinto up 1.0pct. The FTSEurofirst index fell by 0.6pct but while the German Dax was down by 0.3pct, the UK FTSE gained 0.1pct.

US sharemarkets fell again on Monday. Investors continue to fret about the softening economy. And airline stocks fell after global industry body, IATA, halved its profit expectations for 2011. Shares in Delta Airlines lost 3pct. The Dow Jones fell by 61pts or 0.5pct with the S&P 500 down by 1.1pct and the Nasdaq lost 30pts or 1.1pct.

US treasury prices ended little-changed on Monday. There was no major economic data to provide guidance and traders were not keen to take positions ahead of auctions later in the week. Treasury will sell $32 billion of 3-year notes on Tuesday, $21 billion of 10-year notes on Wednesday and $13 billion of 30-year notes on Thursday. US 2yr yields were flat at 0.429pct and US 10yr yields rose 1pt to 3.00pct.

The US dollar clawed back some of its recent losses against major currencies in European and US trade on Monday. The Euro eased from highs near US$1.4655 to US$1.4560, before ending US trade near US$1.4670. The Aussie dollar eased from highs near US107.65c to near US106.90c before ending US trade near US107.05c. And the Japanese yen held between 79.95 yen per US dollar and JPY80.35, ending US trade near JPY80.15.

Crude oil prices fell on Monday in choppy trade on expectations that OPEC oil ministers will raise production quotas at their meeting on Wednesday. On-going instability in the Middle East and North Africa limited losses. The Nymex crude oil contract fell by US$1.21 or 1.2pct to US$99.01 a barrel after trading from US$98.64 to US$100.68 a barrel. And London Brent crude fell by US$1.36 to US$114.48 a barrel.

Base metal prices were mixed on the London Metal Exchange on Monday. The tin price fell 1.5pct and nickel lost 0.8pct but other metals rose 0.4-0.9pct except lead which gained 2.7pct. And the gold price also edged closer to record highs on Monday with Comex gold futures up by US$4.80 an ounce to US$1,547.20.

Ahead: In Australia, the Reserve Bank Board meets to decide interest rate settings. In the US, the Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke is expected to deliver a speech. Data on consumer credit and weekly chain store sales are also due.

Taliban co-founder tipped off US on Osama bin Laden hideout

01:13 rabiul islam No comments

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar leaked the whereabouts of the al-Qaida chief to American investigators under a "deal" with US.

LONDON: A Taliban leader tipped-off the US about where Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan, a media report here said.

The mirror.co.uk cited secret papers found at Osama's high-walled compound in Pakistan's Abbottabad city as suggesting that the al-Qaida chief's cover was blown by his trusted ally, Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Baradar.

Washington, in return, offered to take back its troops from Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan after Osama was either killed or captured.

Osama was gunned down May 2 by US commandos.

Till now, it was believed that Osama was traced after the US intercepted a phone call made by his courier Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti.

But new reports in Pakistan suggest it was Baradar who told the US where he was hiding, mirror.co.uk said.

Baradar, an ally of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was arrested last year when he was on a visit to Karachi. He was questioned in prison before being released last October.

"Baradar is in the frame as he has been in negotiations with the Afghan government and is closely linked to both Mullah Omar and bin Laden," security expert Neil Doyle was quoted as saying.

"The US has announced that it is scaling back its military operations in Pakistan following the killing of bin Laden. That will fuel speculation about whether this is the start of the pay-off for insurgents who are willing to cut a deal," he added.

"Military officials in Pakistan have also said there was a rift between bin Laden and some of his allies."

Hillary Clinton in Islamabad, Pakistan, for surprise visit

07:22 rabiul islam No comments

Clinton makes a surprise trip to Pakistan to sooth tensions between the two countries.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a press conference in London on May 23, 2011. (Ian Nicholson/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday morning on a surprise visit aimed at soothing tensions between the two allies, BBC reports.
The trip comes at a time of particularly heightened tension between the United States and its ally Pakistan.
A U.S. raid that captured and killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on May 2 frayed relations between the two countries. The finding of bin Laden just 30 miles from Pakistan's capital Islamabad raised concerns about Pakistan's competence and credibility as a partner in U.S. efforts to fight Islamic militancy.
Pakistan welcomed the death of bin Laden but criticized the United States for breaching its sovereignty.
Clinton's visit is the first such high-level visit to Pakistan since the killing.
Clinton has pressured Pakistan to act more decisively against terrorists, but she has also stressed that the United States needs it as an ally, calling Pakistan a "good partner," Reuters reports.
"We do have a set of expectations that we are looking for the Pakistani government to meet but I want to underscore, in conclusion, that it is not as though they have been on the sidelines," Clinton said in Paris on Thursday, it states.
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has accompanied Clinton on the visit, and the two leaders are expected to put more pressure on Pakistan to support the United States as it fights Al Qaeda and Taliban militants, reports BBC.
The pair will meet with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pervaiz Kayani and Lt. Gen. Shuja Pasha, head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency, states CNN.

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Officials told CNN Clinton and Mullen will demand that Pakistan go after senior Al Qaeda targets, take action against factors producing explosive devices used against American troops and support Taliban reconciliation.