Nxg

Just not him

The President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, has asked police to investigate who is impersonating him on Facebook, the social networking website. A government statement said that he was not a Facebook member. The apparent Jagdeo page has more than 170 supporters, and features images of the president as well as his biography. Last year, a Moroccan was jailed for setting up a Facebook profile in the name of a member of the royal family. Facebook also removed two bogus profiles of Bilawal Bhutto, son of the murdered Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto, after an investigation found the entries “not authentic”.

*************************

Kilinochchi captured

Sri Lanka’s military seized control of Tamil Tiger rebels’ de facto capital of Kilinochchi. President Mahinda Rajapaksa described the taking of the northern town as an “unparalleled victory” for government forces. A pro-Tamil website confirmed the news but said the town was mostly empty as the rebel fighters had moved out. A suspected suicide bomber later killed two airmen in the capital, Colombo, the military said. Correspondents say the loss of Kilinochchi will be a heavy blow to the rebel group.

*************************

Chill new year

North India is gripped by an intense cold wave, minimum temperatures in the capital falling to around five degrees and the thick fog has made the matter worse. Uttar Pradesh is witnessing very low temperatures and fog, with Kanpur being the worst hit at five degrees. Over 30 people are reported dead in the State due to the biting cold. Punjab and Haryana are also braving the cold. Amritsar and Bhatinda were cold to freezing point and Rohtak shivered at two degrees. Up north, the dense fog has made it almost impossible to reach Jammu and Kashmir road, rail and air traffic have come to a grinding halt.

*************************

Hooch tragedy

Nineteen people died in Kolkata after consuming poisonous country-made liquor, while several others were battling for their lives. The State government has ordered a probe by the excise commissioner into the tragedy near Khidirpore in south-west Kolkata. The shops selling the liquor were raided and samples were collected to detect the exact nature of poison in them.

*************************

Omar takes oath

National Conference president Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir becoming the youngest CM of the State. Congress MLA Tara Chand took charge as the deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Four MLAs each from Congress and National Conference also took oath. However, the road ahead is not going to be easy for him as the biggest challenge would be to facilitate a dialogue with separatists. He also faces the task of choosing a Cabinet free from tainted ministers. The 38-year-old scion of Kashmir’s “first family”, the Abdullahs, Omar is known for his trademark extempore speeches.

*************************

U.S. embassy in Baghdad

The new U.S. embassy in Baghdad is due to be officially opened, with a dedication service led by Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Security will be tight at the ceremony in the Iraqi capital for one of the biggest and most expensive embassies the U.S. has ever built. On January 1, the U.S. officially handed over responsibility for security in the fortified Green Zone to Iraqi forces. The U.S. also gave back Saddam Hussein’s palace there, which had been their headquarters in the city. The new complex, which will house a total of 4,000 staff, has been built with security very much in mind; even camera crews will not be allowed to film the buildings at the opening ceremony.

*************************

Suzman laid to rest

Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of South Africa’s celebrated anti-apartheid campaigner Helen Suzman, who died on New Year’s Day aged 91. Suzman, who for years was the only lawmaker to openly condemn the whites-only regime, was buried in a private Jewish ceremony in Johannesburg. She first entered the South African parliament in 1953, soon becoming a thorn in the side of the apartheid regime. She was a frequent visitor of jailed African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela when he was held in Robben Island prison for 18 years. Mandela, who was elected South Africa’s first black president in 1994, wrote of her in his biography: “It was an odd and wonderful sight to see this courageous woman peering into our cells and strolling around our courtyard. She was the first and only woman ever to grace our cells.”

Compiled by SUBAJAYANTHI

Popularity: 2% [?]