WEB BUZZ MAFIA

Supporters of former Ukranian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko chant slogans during a protest in Kyiv on July 12. The imprisoned Tymoshenko has written an open letter to President Viktor Yanukovych accusing him of videotaping her every move as she serves a seven-year sentence for abuse of office. The presidential press service did not respond as of Oct. 25 to the allegations in the letter.  Imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko Editor’s Note: The following is an English-language translation of an Oct. 17 open letter written by imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to President Viktor Yanukovych.  The Presidential Administration on Oct. 29 responded to the allegations raised in the letter. Yanukovych’s press service said that the prosecutor general has ordered the state penitentiary service to conduct an internal investigation of Tymoshenko’s ward.  The...

MQM Chief Altaf Hussain KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has urged the government and security agencies to devise a coordinated plan to rid Karachi of ‘extortion mafia’ . Addressing a reception from London by telephone on Monday, Mr Hussain said he had drawn the attention of Interior Minister Rehman Malik and President Asif Ali Zardari to the criminal activities of extortion mafia and incidents of kidnapping for ransom and urged them to take steps for protecting the life and property of citizens. While the MQM chief had on Saturday asked the establishment to “find out the elements within its ranks which were harbouring criminals”, he sent a message to the army, ISI, Rangers and police on Monday to “come forward and embrace us”. He asked the MQM coordination committee to seek permission from the government to set up a shelter home for those who were victims of karo-kari incidents. ALTAF-ZARDARI CONTACT: During a telephonic conversation,...

Champion of the south ... Rosario Crocetta is congratulated as the results of the election come in. ROME: A gay man who shrugged off three mafia plots to kill him is poised to become Sicily's first homosexual governor in elections that show the centre left advancing at the expense of Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing party. Representing a coalition of Italy's centre-left Democratic Party and the Catholic UDC party, Rosario Crocetta is leading against the candidate of Mr Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) and a contender representing the maverick movement of the comedian Beppe Grillo, who trailed in third place. After leaving prison in England, Oscar Wilde took refuge in Palermo.   With more than 50 per cent of votes counted, Mr Crocetta had 30.88 per cent of the vote, ahead of the PDL’s Sebastiano Musumeci with 24.90 per cent, robbing him of what was once the centre-right’s stronghold on the Mediterranean island.The outsi...

ISLAMABAD: Despite remarkable cut in the prices of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), the transport fares could not be reduced in the country as transport mafia flatly disregarded the idea of Supreme Court to provide some relief to the masses. The Supreme Court’s Eid gift to the general public has been stolen by the transport mafia as transporters have not yet reduced its fares despite massive reduction in the prices of CNG last week. The commuters who were returning from their native lands to their places of duties/businesses paid high fares. Rickshaw and taxi drivers were also compelling the commuters to pay their demand fares, as they also want to make most on the eve of Eid at the cost hapless public. The general public has urged the government to take stern action against the transport mafia and force them to slash the transport fares in proportion to the low cost of CNG. They demanded that the Regional Transport Authorities and the Traffic police should be given clea...

The openly gay, anti-mafia campaigner Rosario Crocetta took 31 per cent of the votes Former bastion of homophobia has overtaken north on equality, says Milanese newspaper. The stereotype of the macho southern Italian is fading fast. To the amusement of commentators in northern Italy, the victor in Sicily's regional election on Sunday was the openly gay, anti-mafia campaigner Rosario Crocetta. One of the oddest regional elections in recent times reflected the turbulent state of Italian politics. Apart from a gay winner in deeply conservative Sicily, the centre-right received a drubbing, almost half the population abstained, and the enormous protest vote will see dozens of people in the Five Star Movement, with no political experience, take up councillor seats in Palermo's Palazzo dei Normanni. Mr Crocetta, 61, who has an armed-escort because of his high-profile campaign against Cosa Nostra, said his victory meant "the Mafia can back its bags". The outg...

For the past few weeks, phases V and VI of Defence have been facing an acute water shortage, a CBC official has said. Because of lack of water and a huge demand in these areas, residents are forced to call in a private tanker, which deliver water at the doorstep for Rs500 or 1,000 per trip. Recently, a five-day strike by the Karachi Water Tankers Welfare Association hit the area hard as the absence of tankers kept thousands of residents bereft of basic water for days. Cantonment Board Clifton member Aziz Suhrawardy has said that there is an acute problem in the area. He is of the view that the practice of taking help from “illegal water tankers” is not appropriate, but the job of the water board is to provide that service to people, which it is not. Specifically speaking about the Defence and Clifton areas, Suhrawardy says: “Collusion between power elements and corrupt staff in the water board [are] making millions of rupees and handing it over to tanker mafia...

Lucknow : Attacking the Samajwadi Party government over the law and order situation in the state, BSP President Mayawati said the current regime has created massive insecurity and panic among the people. A BSP release quoting the former chief minister said that communal tension in different parts of the state has not only resulted in loss of life and property but has also harmed amity and brotherhood in society which is very unfortunate and a matter of grave concern. She said that crime control and law and order has been bad ever since Samajwadi Party came to power but now it is complete jungle and mafia raj in the state and the government appears to be totally inadequate to deal with it. Referring to clashes in Mathura, Bareilly, Pratapgarh and Faizabad in the recent past, she said, since these places are very sensitive, strict measures should have been in place in these districts. “But it is most unfortunate that the government remained impassive and lax on suc...