Pakistan team to probe attacks

Pakistan said on Thursday it has detained or kept under surveillance over 100 people linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba/Jamat-ud-Dawah in connection with the Mumbai attacks, and constituted a three-man team of its Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe the incident.

Pakistan said it needed more information from India to proceed with its investigation, including access to the site of the terror attacks, and reiterated its offer of a joint probe.

The FIA team will comprise Additional Director-General Javed Iqbal, the head of the Special Investigation Group of the FIA’s anti-terror unit Khalid Qureshi and Liaquat Ali Khan, a director in the agency, reports said.

At a press conference, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik listed the actions taken by the government since the Mumbai attacks: shut down 20 offices of the JuD, 87 schools linked to it, two libraries, seven seminaries, eight other “small organisations” about which he did not give any more details, and seven websites.

Also shut down are 13 disaster relief camps run by the JuD. But Mr. Malik did not specify if the JuD’s Muridke headquarters had been sealed. He also left the number of individuals detained rather unclear.

At first, Mr. Malik said 124 people had been detained, including Hafiz Mohammed Saaed, the head of the JuD, Mufti Abdulrehman, Colonel (retired) Nazir Ahmed, Amir Hamza, and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

Asked about Zarar Shah, an LeT operative who is said to have played a key role in the attacks, Mr. Malik, without answering the question, said 71 people had been detained, and 125 kept under surveillance “since the last six months.”

Pakistan was “fully committed” to helping India with the investigations into the Mumbai attacks, Mr. Malik said.

He said in order to convert the “information” given by India into “evidence” that could be presented in a court of law, including in a Pakistani court, “counterparts” in India need to give the FIA team access to the Mumbai sites where the attacks took place.

Mr. Rehman parried a question on whether the action that Pakistan was taking meant that the government now agreed with the Indian allegation that LeT was involved in the Mumbai attacks.

The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, dubbed as “unfortunate” recent remarks by Home Minister P. Chidambaram that India could sever trade, transport and tourist links with Pakistan.

I was terrified before Globes: Rahman

Music maestro A.R. Rahman, who scripted history by becoming the first Indian to get the Golden Globes honour for Slumdog Millionaire has revealed that he was terrified just before the awards as he did not want to disappoint one billion Indians. “Somewhere I think I was terrified on Monday. I didn’t want to let down a billion people there and say ohh! he said. Rahman bagged the Golden Globes award for Best Original Music Score for Slumdog Millionaire. Directed by British filmmaker Danny Boyle, the film bagged four prestigious awards including the Best Motion Picture.

Rahman said his award is dedicated to one billion Indians. “For me it is an award, but for Indians it is a great deal. I feel proud about it. After all those low in the last couple of months it is great to see all the happiness and positivity,” the musician said referring to the recent terror attacks on Mumbai. “I have never been so excited for any other award,” he said. He also revealed that he was uncertain about taking up the project initially due to his busy schedule “but something told me that it will be great to work with such a legendary director like Danny Boyle,” he said.

Oz offers ‘best job in world’

An Australian state has launched a global search for candidates for “the best job in the world” — earning a top salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months. The job pays AU$150,000 ($105,000 ) and includes free airfares from the successful applicant’s home country to Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland’s state government announced on Tuesday.

In return, the “island caretaker” will be expected to stroll the white sands, soak up the sun, snorkel the reef, “maybe clean the pool” — and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates. The winner, who will stay rent-free in a multi-million dollar three-bedroom beach home complete with plunge pool and golf buggy, must be an excellent communicator and be able to speak and write English. The campaign was a drive to protect state’s tourism industry

India can snap Pak ties

The Union home minister, Mr P. Chidam-baram, has said that India would break off business, transport and tourist links with Pakistan and isolate it from the rest of the world if it fails to help to investigate the 26/11 terrorist attacks, according to a report here. Accusing Pakistan of doing nothing to assist India in the investigation into the Mumbai terrorist attacks, Mr Chidambaram told London’s Times in an interview that Islamabad had done nothing to help. “Zero. What have they provided? Nothing,” he said.

Indicating the line of act-ion India would take against Pakistan, Mr Chidambaram, who took over as the home minister after 26/11 attacks, said: “There are many, many links between India and Pakistan, and if Pakistan does not cooperate and does not help to bring the perpetrators to heel, those ties will become weaker and weaker and one day snap.”

“Why would we entertain Pakistani business people? Why would we entertain tourists in India? Why would we send tourists there?” he said. However, Mr Chidamb-aram did not reveal when India might introduce these measures against Pakistan. He only said: “We need cooperation soon.” The newspaper also quoted an unnamed senior government source in India as denying any link between Kashmir and the Mumbai terror attacks

Satyam may get Rs 2,000cr

The corporate affa-irs minister, Mr Prem Chand Gupta, in a high level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmo-han Singh, informed that Satyam may need Rs 500 crore immediately to meet salary and other working liabilities of the company, said sources. Further, over a period of four months it may need an assistance of Rs 2,000 crore from the government. During the meet at the Prime Minister’s residence, among the options, apart from government funding, the leaders also deliberated over the possibility of selling Satyam’s assets to raise funds, sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said adding that Dr Singh was closely monitoring the Satyam developments.

Among the leaders who attended the meeting were the external affairs minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, the home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, the commerce and industry minister, Mr Kamal Nath, the corporate affairs minister, Mr P.C. Gupta and the deputy chairman of planning commission, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Probe panel finds evidence

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has affirmed that the Satyam management led by Mr B. Ramalinga Raju was involved in conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, forgery, cheating and violations of the Companies Act and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) rules.

Officials of the SFIO, which comes under the ministry of corporate affa-irs, found prima facie evidence of mammoth fraud during the inspections they carried out in Satyam offices on Tuesday. The SFIO, set up in 2003, is a multi-disciplinary agency having experts from financial sector, capital market, accountancy, forensic audit, taxation, law, IT and investigation.

An SFIO team led by Mr Puneet Rastogi has been in the city from January 8. Sources said nearly half of the SFIO staff, including top experts, is part of the team. The SFIO additional director, Mr K.V.S. Singh and joint director (banking), Mr Sudhir D. Sam-ant, also arrived in the city for the probe. Meanwhile, the ministry issued a formal order under Section 235 and 237 of Companies Act to investigate the Satyam fraud case based on the preliminary report of the Registrar of Companies.

The corporate affairs minister, Mr Prem Chand Gupta, said in Delhi the SFIO had been asked to submit its probe report in three months. A senior official said it was clear that the Raju brothers and promoters forged documents and cheated the investors who lost Rs 10,000 crore in the market. “They will be probed under Section 628 of Companies Act for falsification of balance sheet and under Sebi Act for fraudulent practices and insider trading,” he added.

“All of them — the brothers, CFO and regular directors—will face prosecution.” However, the 20-member SFIO team in the city will not look into the assets and liabilities of Satyam and its promoters. It will be focused on the account books. An official said that SFIO will not make any arrests in the case. “The CID will continue its probe and the court may merge both the cases when the charge-sheet is filed,” he added. This is the first time the SFIO is taking up a case of this magnitude. It usually takes up cases of closed down companies.

Israeli troops enter into populated areas of Gaza

Israeli ground forces were involved in fierce clashes with the Hamas as troops tightened their hold around Gaza city on Tuesday with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warning that the Hamas face an "iron fist".

As the Israeli offensive against Hamas entered its 18th day, ground forces tightened their hold around the Gaza. Israeli military said troops were "tightening the encirclement of the city" as forces pushed deeper into the populated areas of the enclave where more than 900 Palestinians, nearly half of them women and children, have been killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert threatened to hit Hamas with an "iron fist" if it did not end the rocket attacks which Tel Aviv aims to end.

Olmert said Israel's key demands were non-negotiable. "We want to end the operation when the two conditions we have demanded are met: ending the rocket fire and stopping Hamas's rearmament. If these two conditions are met, we will end our operation in Gaza," he said. "Anything else will meet the iron fist of the Israeli people, who are no longer ready to tolerate the Qassams (rockets)."

Israeli military spokesman said nearly 30 missiles had been launched from Gaza yesterday, but no casualties were reported.

"We are tightening the encirclement of the city," the offensive's commander, Brigadier Eyal Eisenberg, told reporters. "We are not static. We are careful to be constantly on the move."

The defiant Hamas showed no signs of wavering. Gaza's Hamas prime minister said they were "closer to victory."

The fighting, which began on December 27, has killed more than 900 Palestinians, about half of them civilians, according to Palestinian medical officials. Thirteen Israelis, including 10 soldiers, have been killed.