WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With a downward gaze and a brisk walk past the line of camera crews, International Monetary Fund staff stoically reported for work on Monday after their charismatic boss landed in jail on sex charges.

The IMF told workers in a mass e-mail on Sunday to avoid talking to the media about Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s arrest in New York on Saturday for attempted rape of a hotel maid, employees said.

The few who did break the rule of silence outside the headquarters, located blocks from the White House Bandage dress, expressed some shock and regret, but said that they, the rank and file, needed to concentrate on the institution’s work while the upper echelon managed the upheaval.

“It was shocking when I found out what happened this weekend,” said an IMF employee who would not provide his name. “But we all have to come into work today. Everyone is expected to show up like nothing happened.”

Strauss-Kahn steered the 187-member-nation IMF through the 2007-09 global financial crisis and was central in handling the escalating euro-zone debt crisis. He was also considered a front-runner in next year’s French presidential election.

The fund’s No. 2 official, John Lipsky, is acting as managing director during Strauss-Kahn’s absence.

It is not the first time Strauss-Kahn’s character has come under scrutiny. In 2008, the IMF board cleared him of abuse of power over a brief affair he had with a female IMF economist, but warned him against any further misconduct. Strauss-Kahn on that occasion apologized publicly for an “error in judgment.”

But this time, the more serious charges against Strauss-Kahn may force the world’s power brokers into a frantic search for his replacement.

“His time might have just expired,” said Patricia Capers, 52, who works in the Office of Personnel at the IMF.

“It is unfortunate he was accused of sexual misconduct, and from what I’ve heard, it seems like he has done it before,” she added. “I can’t condemn it until all the facts are there, he is tried in court, but people in power should show greater control and restraint.”

The fund itself might have to answer to criticism that it was too soft on the managing director in its handling of the 2008 affair.

“The board ought to be pretty ashamed of themselves at this point. The board let him off with a slap of the wrist before and now we’ve seen allegations of a much more serious offense,” Terry Miller, former U.S. assistant secretary of state, told Reuters Insider.

(Editing by Mary Milliken and Eric Beech)

IMF

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The attacks against Libyan civilians may be “crimes against humanity” warranting prosecution by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, according to a draft U.N. sanctions resolution.

The text, drafted by France and Britain and circulated to other members of the U.N. Security Council on Friday, also calls for an arms embargo against Libya as well as travel bans and asset freezes for the country’s top leaders.

The six-page draft, which was obtained by Reuters, says that “the widespread and systematic attacks currently taking place in Libya against the civilian population may amount to crimes against humanity.”

By some estimates thousands of Libyans have been killed in recent days in clashes between forces loyal to longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-government protesters.

The 15-nation council has only referred one other case to the ICC — the conflict in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

Without mentioning Gaddafi by name, the draft resolution also calls on the “Libyan authorities” to immediately end the violence.

A vote on the draft resolution Bandage dress, which will be amended during closed-door negotiations, is not expected on Friday, council diplomats told Reuters.

(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Eric Beech)

World United Nations Libya

GAZA (Reuters) – Israel and militant factions in the Gaza Strip have agreed to an Egyptian-mediated truce to end four days of cross-border violence in which 25 Palestinians have been killed, a senior Egyptian security official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The official said in a telephone call from Cairo that both sides had “agreed to end the current operations”, with Israel giving an unusual undertaking to “stop assassinations”, and an overall agreement “to begin a comprehensive and mutual calm”.

The agreement was expected to take effect at 1 a.m. local time (2300 GMT). There was no immediate comment from either side on the agreement. Previous ceasefire deals after earlier rounds of fighting have often got off to a shaky start.

Israeli media quoted Israeli officials as reiterating the longstanding policy that Israel would “answer quiet with quiet” but stopped short of providing any guarantees to withhold fire in response to rocket attacks.

An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment.

Gaza’s Hamas leadership, whose own cadres have kept out of the fighting, had confirmed on Sunday that Egypt was working on a deal to stop the violence.

Israel said Gaza militants had fired about 150 rockets at its southern towns and cities from Gaza since fighting flared on Friday after Israel killed a senior militant it accused of plotting to attack Israel from Egyptian territory.

Eight Israelis were injured by the rockets, dozens of which were shot down harmlessly by Israel’s “Iron Dome” missile interceptor system.

Twenty of the Palestinians killed since fighting flared in the Hamas-controlled enclave were militants and five were civilians, according to medical officials.

At least 80 Palestinians Bandage dress, mostly civilians, have been wounded in the violence which also paralyzed life in much of southern Israel, forcing schools to close and hundreds of thousands to remain indoors.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; Editing by Andrew Roche)

World Egypt

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland should target the maximum amount of cutbacks and tax increases in next year’s budget and give consumers certainty by spelling out its medium fiscal plans in October’s fiscal update, a government-funded research body said on Thursday.

Ireland’s finance minister has said he may bump up the 2012 consolidation target to 4 billion euros from the 3.6 billion agreed under an EU/IMF bailout and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said a larger adjustment would give Ireland important leeway in a challenging global environment.

Dublin has also promised its creditors it will outline the composition of revenue and expenditure changes planned from 2012 to 2015 by end-October and the ESRI said detailing exact plans would allow the private sector to plan accordingly.

“At present you have simply no idea what those tax changes and charges for services are likely to be and introducing more certainty earlier will help people make sensible decisions,” Joe Durkan, associate research professor at the ESRI, told a news conference.

“I think that has bedevilled this year and in hindsight when the government came in and announced the recapitalization of the banks, they should have simultaneously announced … the changes in taxes and expenditure and that would give individuals certainty.”

The ESRI is independent but partly funded by the Irish finance ministry.

GETTING BACK TO MARKET

The institute’s previous quarterly report said that the government should target an adjustment of up to 5 billion euros in 2012 and aim to cancel its budget deficit entirely in 2014 but it said on Thursday that improvements to Ireland’s bailout deal fundamentally changed that view.

Euro zone leaders agreed to cut the cost and extend the maturity of existing bailout packages for Ireland and Portugal when they agreed a second rescue package for Greece in July, handing Ireland an annual saving of around 900 million euros.

The ESRI said that in light of the revised agreement it no longer advocated Ireland accelerate its efforts so much but said the government could still reduce its deficit to 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2015, compared to the 3 percent currently committed to.

The thinktank said going above and beyond the bailout terms would strengthen the case for tapping European partners for further funding if it could not regain market access as planned in late 2012.

“I’m not that pushed about getting back to the markets that early,” Durkan said, pointing to the fact that, according to Dublin, euro zone countries have agreed to keep funding Ireland past 2013 if it is unable to access debt markets.

“I think if we concentrate on our objective of reducing the deficit then if we do get back to the markets well and good, if you don’t, the facility will be there and remember we’re borrowing at rates that are quite favorable.”

The ESRI trimmed its growth forecasts but remained more upbeat than official forecasts and the median forecast of economists polled by Reuters, citing export volumes growing 7 percent this year and 7.4 percent next.

The ESRI sees GDP growing 1.8 percent this year and 2.3 percent next year compared with estimates of 2 percent and 3 percent in its previous quarterly update, adding the caveat that a dip in the U.S. and UK economies would adversely affect the figures.

The ESRI expects that Gross National Product (GNP), viewed as a more accurate picture of the domestic economy because it strips out the profits of multinationals, is expected to grow by 0.2 percent this year and 0.7 percent next year.

Durkan said, however Bandage dress, that the economy still faced a series of major restructuring problems including a “nightmare” unemployment situation that was structural as well as cyclical and this week pushed the numbers claiming unemployment benefit to the highest level since records began.

(Reporting by Carmel Crimmins; editing by Patrick Graham)

Ireland

2/22/2012 - KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) – On Feb. 16, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz announced that Kadena’s 67th Fighter Squadron earned the Raytheon Trophy for 2011.

The annual award, originally started by the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1953, is now sponsored by Raytheon Systems Corporation and is given to the top air superiority or air defense squadron in the Air Force.

“The 67th Fighter Squadron clearly displayed its superior ability to dominate the sky anywhere in the world,” Schwartz said. “My congratulations to the men and women of the 67th Fighter Squadron.”

The Raytheon Trophy is the most prestigious award that can be bestowed upon any fighter squadron, said Lt. Col. Robert Cioppa, the 67th Fighter Squadron commander.

“Based on our competition, I feel extremely fortunate and honored the 67th FS was selected above all the truly outstanding squadrons in the Combat Air Forces,” Cioppa said.

In the past, he said, only fighter intercept units could compete for the trophy, but in 1970 the challenge was opened to any squadron performing air defense as their primary mission Bandage dress, including the Air National Guard as well as the active duty Air Force.

Units are graded on air defense and air superiority mission performance; operational mission performance; organizational readiness inspection results; training exercise participation; unit achievements and awards; individual achievements and awards; and unit incentive programs.

Cioppa said the praise for the award should be given to the Airmen from the squadron and aircraft maintenance unit.

“The credit for this award truly belongs with the men and women of the 67th FS and AMU,” he said. “In my career, I have never seen any fighter squadron endure the operations tempo the 67th FS had in 2011. We answered the call on two short-notice, real-world deployments, deployed aircraft and personnel to three different continents and ten different countries while supporting multiple joint and international exercises. When (U.S. Central Command) called for air superiority, the 67th FS and AMU were in place and stood up operations within three weeks.

“In my opinion, the U.S. Air Force has never had a finer or more expeditionary fighter squadron than the 67th Fighter Squadron Fighting Cocks,” he added. “I am pleased all their hard work, outstanding performance and sacrifices in 2011 didn’t go unnoticed by our senior Air Force (leaders).”

As a power projection platform for the Pacific Air Forces, Cioppa said winning the trophy further proves the squadron’s significance in today’s Air Force, but also said it couldn’t have been won without the Airmen’s unwavering dedication to the mission.

“Winning the Raytheon Trophy recognizes the 18th Wing as PACAF’s and the U.S. Air Force’s most essential asset for airpower projection,” he said. “This award recognizes the intense work, diligent efforts and professionalism of not only the 67th, but also the supporting organizations vital to accomplishing our mission. We could not have won this award without the extraordinary teamwork between operations, maintenance and support functions.”

Schwartz said the competition this year was keen, with the 493rd Fighter Squadron, from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, and the 77th Fighter Squadron, from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., also competing.

“Each nominated squadron demonstrated the best our Air Force has to offer, and I am proud of all of their accomplishments,” he said.

Breaking News! Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy has submitted the documents and evidence in the court against Union Home Minister P Chidambaram claiming his involvement in the 2G spectrum scam.

Swamy claimed the documents are the evidence against Chidambaram that will prove that the then finance minister had played a key role in the massive multi-crore scam.

The documents include memos of the Finance Ministry Herve Leger, the CIT and copies of letters exchanged between Chidambaram, former telecom minister A Raja and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Swamy alleged that Chidambaram was involved in criminal breach of trust and had compromised the national security. Even he had argued with Raja over the fixing of the spectrum and allowed two companies Unitech and Swan to be the most benefited firms.

Swamy will argue on issuing summon to Chidambaram on January 21.

Earlier Bandage dress, Swamy had urged the Special CBI court to make Chidambaram a co-accused in the 2G case for his role to allow two telecom firms to earn more profits from after they sold their shares to foreign firms.

Breaking News Bandage dress! The Kingfisher Airlines, which is going through a turmoil these days, has reported a loss of Rs 469 crore in the second quarter, ending September 2011.

The airliner had suffered a loss of Rs 231 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal. The company is now reeling under a high debt of Rs 7 Evening Dress,000 crore. Even though there has been a rise in revenues, it was not enough to cover the expenses and debt.

Kingfisher Airlines Chairman Vijay Mallya has called a press conference today to discuss the company’s finances. The Kingfisher Board will meet a consortium of 13 banks tomorrow to discuss about its debt and finance options.

Bangalore, Aug 23(IANS) Kannada superstars Vijay Raghavendra, Srinagara Kitty Bandage dress, Shivaraj Kumar, Ganesh and Vijay Tuesday participated in anti-corruption rally to support Anna Hazare, whose fasting in New Delhi entered its eighth day.

‘We need to pass the Jan Lokpal bill and pave the way for reducing corruption levels substantially. I am prepared to extend all form of support for the passage of this revolutionary bill,’ said 49-year-old Shivraj Kumar, who has worked in movies like ‘Om’ and ‘Jogi’.

The rally was organised by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) to express solidarity with Hazare, who began his fast Aug 16 to press for a stronger Lokpal bill.

The rally wound its way from the KFCC office to the Freedom Park. Apart from film and television personalities, members of the Karnataka Film Directors’ Association, the Kannada Film Producers Association and the Karnataka Cine Workers Federation joined it and hailed Hazare’s efforts to weed out corruption from the system.

Veteran actor Master Hirannaiah has full faith in Hazare and wants the Jan Lokpal bill to be passed for the betterment of the society.

‘There seems to be a vacuum of intelligent leadership in the country who have not really understood the benefits of Jan Lokpal bill,’ said the actor, known for movies like ‘Yaksha’.

‘The corrupt politicians will not allow the passage of the bill as it would expose their dubious deals. It is for the people to take the movement forward. I have full faith in Anna Hazare and this movement should continue till the bill is passed,’ he added.

Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, a well-known theatre, film and television personality, said that more and more youngsters should join the movement to pressurise the government to pass the Jan Lokpal bill that is more powerful than the government-sponsored bill.

Adele has been nominated for a total of four American Music Awards. The singer could be taking home the Artist of the Year award.

English singer and song writer Adele is leading the pack with four nominations for this year’s upcoming 2011 American Music Awards.  The Someone Like You singer was nominated for ‘Artist of the Year’, ‘Favorite Female Artist’, ‘Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist’, and ‘Favorite Album’ for 21 Bandage dress, per Timeslive.

21, which debuted in January 2011, and includes popular songs such as Rolling in the Deep and Set Fire to Rain, has already managed to sell well over 10 million copies on a global scale, while securing Adele’s place in music history, and landing her ahead of her musical peers.

Adele once explained in a recent interview that her second studio album, 21, comes from the mixed emotions and heart ache over a break-up.  A relationship she says she would have given up everything for.  “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for not making my relationship with my ex on 21 work because he’s the love of my life.”  Adding, “well, I would still be singing in the shower, of course, but yeah – my career, my friends, my hobbies.  I would have given up trying to be the best.”

The American Music Awards Nominations were announced this past Tuesday by rappers Nicki Minaj and Pitbull, who were both nominated in two categories.  Other artists to make the list with three nominations include twenty-one year old Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, The Band Perry and Rihanna.

Scoring two nominations is Beyonce, who says she was inspired by Adele while working on her album entitled 4, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, LMFAO, Kanye West and country singer Jason Aldean.

Artists all competing in the category of ‘Artist of the Year’ alongside Adele include rapper Lil Wayne, Taylor Swift, Last Friday Night singer Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.  The 39^th annual American Music Awards will air live at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on November 20^th on the ABC Network.

Currently Adele is said to be taking it easy after suffering from vocal chord hemorrhage.  “Have absolutely no choice but to recuperate properly and fully, or I risk damaging my voice forever,” she wrote on her blog.

Written on Oct 14 2011 by Sarah Luoma (Google+ profile), writer at KOvideo. Tags:
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Adele
American Music Awards
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