NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD DAILY UPDATE

ROME, ITALY

By ALESSANDRA RIZZO | Associated Press Writer
12:24 PM EST, January 27, 2009

I learned today that the word terrorist existed in 1970. You can run but not hide even in Brazil...He needs to be brought back to Rome and prosecuted for his crime

ROME (AP) — Italy recalled its ambassador to Brazil on Tuesday in an escalating dispute over Brazil's decision to grant asylum to an Italian fugitive sentenced to life in prison for political slayings in the 1970s.

The Italian foreign minister termed as "unacceptable" the decision by Brazil's top prosecutor to ask Brazil's Supreme Court to end extradition proceedings against Cesare Battisti, a former member of a radical Italian leftist group.

"We didn't expect this from Brazil, a country that is a friend," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.

The Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Michele Valensise was being called back from the embassy in Brasilia "for consultations" about what to do next.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry said its decision complied with Brazilian law. But it also reached out to Italy, saying in a statement Tuesday that it was confident "that the historic and cultural ties that link Brazil and Italy will continue to guide our efforts to strengthen even more the solid bilateral relations in many sectors."

Battisti, 54, escaped from an Italian prison in 1981 while awaiting trial on four counts of murder, allegedly committed when he was a member of the far-left Armed Proletarians for Communism.

A court convicted him in absentia for the killings of a prison guard and a butcher.

Battisti, who says he is innocent, lived in Mexico before moving to France in 1990 and reinventing himself as a mystery writer. He later went to Brazil, where he was arrested in 2007 based on an Italian warrant.

Brazilian officials said its Jan. 13 decision to grant Battisti refugee status was based on a fear of persecution if he was sent back to Italy. Italy calls him a terrorist who does not deserve refugee status.

Brazil's top prosecutor, Antonio Fernando Souza, on Monday asked the Supreme Court to end extradition proceedings against Battisti, saying the case was no longer valid now that he had won refugee status. Battisti remains jailed in Brasilia while the Supreme Court weighs the extradition request.

"Battisti is a terrorist. He assassinated innocent people. He's been condemned by Italian courts," Frattini said told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a meeting in Rome. "The Italian government is exploring all the legal opportunities, for example to go before the Supreme Court of Brazil."
http://www.topix.com/it/rome/2009/01/italy-recalls-brazil-envoy-over-fugitives-asylum

T.V. WARS
Today I learnt that Mumbai also has T.V. wars and it takes the women to intervene before the fighting broke out.!!!

Shah Rukh Khan, Salman at war again?

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As is norm nowadays, the Khans are out to one up each other again. Just as Shah Rukh announced two new shows on television, Salman announced that he is all set for his second stint with TV as well.

Branching off from movie production, Shah Rukh has been doing fairly well for himself and his production house Red Chillies Entertainment. He recently produced the show First Ladies on NDTV Good Times and is now about to launch Knights and Angels and Ghar Ki Baat Hai on NDTV Imagine.

Knights and Angels is a reality show that will have King Khan as a judge who is looking for cheerleaders to bring up the spirits of his IPL team the Kolkata Knighter Riders. Ghar Ki Baat Hai on the other hand is a traditional sit-com, a story of the everyday lives of the Yagnik family and their neighbours.

Just as SRK was getting comfortable with his new monopoly of sorts, Salman says his fans won't have to wait long to see him back on the small screen for the second season of the immensely popular Dus Ka Dum.

Few dedicated fans might recall that the infamous spat between these two ruling Khans of Bollywood was actually because of a rising clash of interest thanks to their role on TV shows. Salman Khan, in a somewhat drunken state invited SRK on his show. SRK refused. This stung Salman a great deal as he had appeared on Kaun Banega Crorepati along with girlfriend Katrina when SRK was the host.

As SRK was hosting the not-so-popular Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain at the moment, Salman hit out at the failure of the show and threw the success of his own at Shah Rukh's face.

Some say it seemed fisticuffs were imminent, but were avoided thanks to the women - Katrina and Gauri who intervened and pulled back their significant others.

It seems life has come full circle and history is about to repeat itself. Will the two see this as an opportunity to mend their relationship or will it further deepen the hurt?

More importantly, since war has already been declared, who will emerge the victor?

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http://www.4to40.com/newsat4/index.asp?id=2455&category=entertainment
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Today I learned the Chinese like their beer almost as much as we do...good idea might be to invest in a vice stock...If you have $4000 lying around...it would be a good investment.

Yanjing Brewery Q1 net profits hit RMB 20.9 mlnAuthor: China KnowledgeBeijing Yanjing Brewery (Yanjing Brewery)<000729>, one of the largest beer groups in the country, announced on Monday that its net profits went up 31.42% to RMB 20.9 million in the first quarter.
Apr. 29, 2008 (China Knowledge) - Beijing Yanjing Brewery (Yanjing Brewery)<000729>, one of the largest beer groups in the country, announced on Monday that its net profits went up 31.42% to RMB 20.9 million in the first quarter.

The company realized a beer sales volume of 740 thousand kiloliters in the first quarter, up 9% from the same period of 2007. Its sales income rose 16.42 % to RMB 1.71 billion. Its total assets amounted to RMB 11.5 billion, up 5.6% over the previous year. Basic earnings per share increased 100% to RMB 0.02, according to its quarterly report.

Yanjing Brewery also revealed that despite the surging raw material prices, the company further promoted its brand construction, marketing and cost management in the first quarter, resulting in efficient energy consumption and cost saving.



www.chinaknowledge.com

Today I learned that the Kenyans are no better off with their new coalition government

Ordinary Kenyans are suffering from their coalition government's lack of focus, writes George Nyongesa. High food prices, the attempted stifling of the media and increases in the cost of fuel all conspire to aggravate the hardship felt around much of the country, the author contends, a hardship that is all the more unpalatable in the face of tax exemptions for MPs. From the grassroots perspective, Nyongesa maintains, the coalition government looks decidedly out of touch.

One year on, as Kenyans look back, there is one question we must ask: how has the coalition government performed?

Following the national reconciliation dialogues held in January and February 2008, Hon. Kibaki and Hon. Raila, signed the National Accord which, amongst other things, created a new constitutional office - that of the prime minister, and set up a power sharing arrangement between the Party of National Unity (PNU) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) - the grand coalition government. In forming the coalition government, aside from traditional government functions, President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga also assumed an extraordinary mandate clearly defined as a product of the preceding national reconciliation dialogues. In addition to the traditional seating-government mandate, the National Accord mandate included: exposing the past wrongs and punishing the wrongdoers; examining the election process; looking into post-election violence; and addressing long term social injustices.

WHAT IS THE SCORECARD OF THE COALITION GOVERNMENT?

Apart from ensuring the government works, it is difficult to pinpoint any achievements by the two principals. Kenyans face the same problems they faced in the pre-election and pre-National Accord period, if not worse. When our country spirals downwards unmitigated it is hard to think of positives to the Kibaki-Raila leadership worth writing home about.
Over 10 million Kenyans are 'hungry and angry' - suffering under famine they are reduced to eating wild berries, rats and tubers, and to feeding their children alcohol in order to cheat hunger pangs. Ethnic tensions over resources remains a reality whilst thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) still languish in camps. The IDPs are cold, hungry and forgotten - the women forced to exchange sex for food. Kenya remains trapped by the high crime rate that stems from massive unemployment and underemployment among its youth.

Kenyans labour under untenably high prices for food, basic commodities and fuel. There is continued instability within the informal settlements. Teachers are on strike over pay, triggering unrest in schools, as political elites invest their energies in power struggles. Political impunity has escalated the endemic grand corruption scandals. This impunity is also articulated by the refusal of legislators to join the taxpayers' army, the passing of the media gag law, and involvement of politicians in maize cartels (as Kenyans starve to death).


http://allafrica.com/stories/200901300624.html

Sunday 01st February, 09:26 AM JST
DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF JAPAN DPJ

today I learned the Japanese government wants a hand in getting us out of Afghanistan...Kudos to them

TOKYO —
The Democratic Party of Japan is looking to take an active role in brokering a ceasefire in Afghanistan between U.S.-led forces and Taliban militants if it topples the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and takes power at the next election, according to a draft plan obtained by Kyodo News on Saturday. With public support for Prime Minister Taro Aso plummeting to historically low levels, the main opposition party has been compiling its own foreign policy goals as it sets its sights on the election, which must be held by September.

The DPJ-led government will call on the United Nations to press for the withdrawal of U.S., NATO and Pakistani forces stationed in Afghanistan and instead set up an international team of truce monitors including Japan and several Arab countries not involved in the conflict, the draft said. The envisioned ceasefire surveillance team would not carry arms and would support Afghan police and Pakistani paramilitary forces to maintain security. Japan would send its Self-Defense Forces, while calling on Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and Jordan to participate.

‘‘We will make it clear that this will be different from the past involvement of foreign troops,’’ a member who participated in compiling the draft said.

Under the scheme, a non-partisan group of lawmakers would be established so that working-level talks between Taliban representatives and Afghan and Pakistani ministerial-level officials can be held, according to the draft.

Japan would also host an international conference in Tokyo to find a path toward achieving peace in Afghanistan and ultimately invite Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Zardari to the nation’s capital to ink a formal agreement on the termination of conflict in Afghanistan, according to the plan.

The plan may still face opposition within the DPJ, given the low possibility of a ceasefire being reached during the current unstable conditions in Afghanistan. It may also risk damaging Japan-U.S. relations since newly elected U.S. President Barack Obama has vowed to increase U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

‘‘The United States is beginning to study an exit strategy and there is still ample room for talks,’’ another official in charge of compiling the draft said, arguing that U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan are becoming increasingly weary of fighting.

DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa has previously expressed his intention to dispatch the SDF to the U.N.-authorized and NATO-led mission of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. But observers said he seems to have switched to a dialogue-based policy to establish peace as such a dispatch looks increasingly difficult amid the deepening tensions.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/dpj-sees-japan-brokering-afghanistan-ceasefire-if-it-wins-power