TEPCO President under fire from legislators in the Japan

TOKYO: Japanese lawmakers grilled the President of the company at the centre of the worst crisis the world since Chernobyl nuclear, requiring it take responsibility for the disaster.

Appearing in Parliament for the first time since a massive earthquake and tsunamis crippled its Fukushima Daiichi plant, the head of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) faced a barrage of criticism on the part of politicians.

One opposition legislator "what do you do to take ultimate responsibility (the crisis)?" asked the President TEPCO Masataka Shimizu, 66, who was rarely in public since the tsunami flooded the plant on the northeast coast of the Japan.

"These documents contain very strict security rules," said Shuichi Kato party new emphasis, brandishing a copy of the regulations on the safety of the company of the opposition. "This says that the President in which concerned nuclear safety as the priority. In this spirit, let ask me what you feel now? »

Shimizu appearance came a day after said TEPCO would be nine months before six reactors can be put into "cold shutdown" - a stable State where temperatures drop and radiation leaks fall considerably.

Tens of thousands of people who live near the factory have had to evacuate their homes since the disaster March 11, which triggered a series of explosions that caused radiation to seep into the air, ground and sea.

Shimizu delivered a brief excuses in the crisis, March 13, but then fell ill and was heard steps again until about a month later when he visited Fukushima, meeting local officials, but not residents made homeless by radiation-spewing the plant.

"If you do your best, then why did it explode?" asked Parliament Communist Party Mikishi Daimon, accusing the company of failing to prepare for such an event and pressing Shimizu "admit that TEPCO has caused the accident."

Shimizu, who has repeatedly presented his apology during the crisis, has defended the performance of the TEPCO, saying that the devastating tsunami was "beyond our expectations." "As the person who assumes final responsibility to coordinate the strategy of nuclear safety, I recognize the seriousness of the incident," he said. "I do not find words enough to express my apology."

TEPCO shares are down nearly 80 percent since the earthquake and tsunami on the expectations that he will face huge claims for a total of about 10 billion yen (120 billion dollars) according to some estimates.

The TEPCO President appeared Monday as a witness at the hearing of the Finance Committee of the cross-party in Parliament, which also grilled Prime Minister Naoto Kan on the management of his Government to the nuclear crisis.(AFP)

Ten Iranian engineers were abducted in Afghanistan

Kabul: Twelve Iranian engineers and five of their Afghan colleagues were abducted by armed men Taliban Monday in a region remote from the Afghanistan near its border with the Iran, local officials and the Iranian Government said.

Men working on a road construction project, were snatched at the gun, in the province of Farah Post-i road district, which borders the Iran, the spokesman for the provincial government Naqibullah Farahi told AFP.

Tehran confirmed the kidnapping of 12 Iranians, while the Afghan provincial authorities had said earlier that the number was 10.

"We are closely following the issue," said Ramin Mehmanparast, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, quoted by the State of the Web site of the Iran diffuser.

Afghan in Tehran Embassy press "Kabul authorities to exercise their responsibilities for Iranian nationals and to take firm measures and swift on this abduction", he added. (AFP)

More than 100 dead in the district of West Libya

BENGHAZI: more than 100 people were killed in 24 hours in a given rebels Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi district the West Libya of Tripoli after it was beaten by the forces of Gaddafi, residents said Monday.

"Battalions of Gaddafi did not cease typing on the region, including the Yafran and Nalut, with Grad rockets," said a resident Yafran. "On 110 deaths (from Sunday), civilians and rebels, in two cities."

A resident of Nalut, near the border with the Tunisia, accused forces loyal to Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi to "carry out a massacre" in the mountainous region.

"It has at least 100 dead in two days," said the resident. "They are taking of Grad rockets hospitals and homes." "Several families had to flee to the Tunisia".

Yafran is 130 kilometres (80 miles) southwest of Tripoli, while Nalut, a city of 66,000 inhabitants, is 235 kilometres (145 km) West of the capital. (AFP)

Pak hopes to resume India hockey links

LAHORE: Pakistan hopes to resume ties of hockey with the India later this year, an official said Monday, as the links between the two rivals athletes continue to thaw.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation Secretary Asif Bajwa said journalists there is hope of arranging a series against the India earlier in December.
"On the directive of the Prime Minister, Youssouf Raza Gilani, we hope to resume ties of hockey with the India in December of this year or January 2012," he said.

Sporting links between the two neighbours were frozen after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, which has left 166 dead people and that India blame on militants based in Pakistan.

But the two countries have shown willingness to renew their rivalry on the sports ground, since they met in the semi-final at Mohali in India cricket World Cup last month.

Gilani attended correspondence - which was won by hosts - at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, and they pledged to improve relations.

Councils of cricket in the two countries are in talks to hold a series later this year or early 2012.

Bajwa said that his Federation would seek advice from Government on the hockey tournament.

"We will meet with Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who will guide us on the series and we hope to host the games in Lahore, Karachi and Faisalabad, said Bajwa."

Chances of Pakistan of hosting international sports are also related to the improvement of the security situation in the country.

Pakistan has been a virtual "no go" for international sports since the terrorist attacks on the cricket team Sri Lankan bus in Lahore in March 2009.

The country has not hosted international sport events since the terrorist attacks, including eight people left killed and wounded of the seven players Sri Lanka and their assistant coach.

A the intention to withdraw the troops from Sui CoA

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army (CoA) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani recalled that not even a single army unit conducting an operation in Baluchistan.

The CoA has also expressed its intention to withdraw troops currently stationed at Sui soon after that the responsibilities are taken there by Frontier Corps of Balochistan.

CoA Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visited military college Sui, Balochistan and attended the opening ceremony of its first entry. The College was inaugurated on January 3, 2011 to provide quality education, particularly students of Baluchistan and Dera Bugti District.

He appreciates the creation of the College in a record time and hoped that the College will soon be joining the ranks of higher educational institutions of the country.

Speaking to elders and representatives of the public, he noted the importance of national harmony for the defence of the country. Develop the concept of comprehensive security, he pointed out the essential requirement of national support unified armed forces, without which no force can fulfill the mission of defending a State / nation. He says that popular support is real strength of the army.

Earlier, he inaugurated Institute of Technology, established by the army with the investment of the Government of Balochistan, provide technical education to local youth in Gwadar.

Collapse of the roof of the Faisalabad police station

FAISALABAD: Several police officers have been buried in the debris under the roof of the post of civilian police lines collapsed, Geo News reported.

According to police, the police station roof had bad state after the suicide bomb attack on her.

Rescue and relief activities were undertaken after the incident.

Honey, secret energy booster

KARACHI: Did you know that athletes in the ancient Greece is based on the contribution of honey to improve their performance in the Olympic sport?

Honey made their secret recipes, because they contain glucose and fructose which are capable of producing reserves of glycogen in the liver.

For this, it is any wonder that eat a tablespoon of honey before bed may also increases fingsi brain. Because fructose is stored as energy reserves in the liver and the brain will work during the night.

In addition, honey can stimulate the immune system and has antibacterial effects both internally and externally so that helps accelerate the recovery of the body.