Briefly World

An Indian-origin British national is among 22 executives of military and law enforcement suppliers arrested by FBI on charges of attempting to bribe the Defence Minister of an African country....

Man of Indian origin among 22 held in FBI sting operation

Washington: An Indian-origin British national is among 22 executives of military and law enforcement suppliers arrested by FBI on charges of attempting to bribe the Defence Minister of an African country in what is being described as the largest ever corruption expose of its kind in the US. Forty-three-year-old Pankesh Patel and two more Britons David Painter 56 and Lee Wares 43 were among 22 people arrested,the US Department of Justice said. The defendants allegedly agreed to pay 20 per cent commission to a sales agent,who they believed represented the Defence Minister of an African state,to win a portion of a 15 million deal to outfit the countrys presidential guard.

US: China priority 2 for intelligence gathering

Washington: The White House has directed US spy agencies to lower the priority placed on intelligence collection on China,resulting in opposition from top sleuths who fear the move would badly hit efforts to obtain secrets about Beijings military programme and cyber attacks,a media report said on Wednesday. The National Security Council of the White House recently decided to downgrade China from Priority 1 status along side Iran and North Korea to Priority 2,The Washington Times said.

US ex-convicts joining radicals in Yemen

Washington: Some American former convicts who converted to Islam in prison have moved to Yemen and a few may have joined extremist groups there,according to a new Senate Foreign Relations Committee report. It says that as many as 36 American Muslims who were prisoners have moved to Yemen in recent months,ostensibly to study Arabic,and that several of them have dropped off the radar and may have connected to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Chaos if Kim dies: S Korea think-tank

Seoul: North Koreas ailing leader Kim Jong-Il may die in two or three years and this could spark upheavals such as a coup,mass unrest or massacres in the communist nation,a South Korean state think-tank says. In a rare report forecasting possible regime collapse in the North,the Korea Institute for National Unification also warned that such internal unrest could prompt the North to start a limited war on the peninsula.

Ready to hand over Hakimullah

Peshawar: Elders of the Mehsud tribe on Wednesday said they would hand over 378 men,including Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud,to restore peace in South Waziristan. As a January 20 deadline set by the government to respond to its demands ended on Wednesday,the decision to hand over the wanted men was made at a jirga or council of the Mehsud tribe which is linked to Hakimullah.

Oldest remains of UK royal family found

London: Oldest remains of the English royal family granddaughter of Alfred the Great have been unearthed in Germany,more than 1,000 years after her death. British archaeologists found an intact skeleton of Queen Eadgyth,a Saxon princess who married one of the most powerful men in Europe,inside a lead coffin bearing her name from Magdeburg Cathedral in southern Germany.

British public cant tolerate Bono

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London: Legendary music producer Brian Eno says that he is convinced U2 frontman Bono is hated in Britain,because the public cant stand seeing a pop star meddle in international affairs. The Irish rocker is well known for his humanitarian work and philanthropic efforts over the years and has met with high profile world leaders. Bono commits the crime of rising above your station. To the British,its the worst thing you can do, Eno told BBC TV show Arena.