Siddis plan a bash to celebrate Obama 2.0

MANGALORE: Gollehalli, 7 km from Haliyal town in Uttara Kannada, will reverberate to the beats of a special Siddi drum 'Dhamal' on Sunday, to mark the ascent of Barack Obama as US President for the second time in a row.

Disappointed with their earlier effort at not being able to send honey to Obama when he was elected to the White House for the first time, the Siddis this time will send him a letter wishing him success in his second term.

Diog Bastaon Siddi, president of the Large Agriculture Multipurpose Society run by Siddis, said: "We will remind Obama of our common ancestry and urge him to have closer ties with India. We will also remind him of our condition and seek his help for our social and economic uplift and progress."

Bureaucratic red tape had prevented the Siddis from sending hand-collected natural raw honey from the forests to Obama. "The then deputy commissioner had told us there were several restrictions in sending food items. So it wasn't sent,'' Diog said. Besides, Siddis are making special arrangements to celebrate Obama's swearing-in ceremony on Sunday. "We've organized a function where over 1,000 Siddis from different parts of Uttara Kannada and elsewhere will participate," said Diog.

The proudest moment for Siddis was when anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela reciprocated their wishes on him being set free from prison in South Africa after 27 years. "Mandela reciprocated our wishes and assured us he would visit us when he came to India," said Diog.

The day-long function on Sunday will commence with a cake-cutting ceremony, coupled with Dhamal (traditional Siddi) dances. The morning will be spent educating Siddis about their legal rights and various schemes available to them through the government. "The afternoon cultural function will set off the celebratory mood of dance and music," said Diog. "We've been assured by the US consulate authorities at Chennai that the letter will be sent to the US President,'' said a joyful Diog.

The Siddis, numbering around 25,000, belong to a tribe of African ancestry. They've basically been forest-dwellers spread over thickly-wooded mountainous terrains of Haliyal, Yellapur and Ankola taluks for centuries. According to historians, the Siddis reached India as slaves of invading armies who struck the Indian west coast.

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Attack at Algeria Gas Plant Heralds New Risks for Energy Development

The siege by Islamic militants at a remote Sahara desert natural gas plant in Algeria this week signaled heightened dangers in the region for international oil companies, at a time when they have been expanding operations in Africa as one of the world's last energy frontiers. (See related story: "Pictures: Four New Offshore Drilling Frontiers.")

As BP, Norway's Statoil, Italy's Eni, and other companies evacuated personnel from Algeria, it was not immediately clear how widely the peril would spread in the wake of the hostage-taking at the sprawling In Amenas gas complex near the Libyan border.

Map by National Geographic

Algeria, the fourth-largest crude oil producer on the continent and a major exporter of natural gas and refined fuels, may not have been viewed as the most hospitable climate for foreign energy companies, but that was due to unfavorable financial terms, bureaucracy, and corruption. The energy facilities themselves appeared to be safe, with multiple layers of security provided both by the companies and by government forces, several experts said. (See related photos: "Oil States: Are They Stable? Why It Matters.")

"It is particularly striking not only because it hasn't happened before, but because it happened in Algeria, one of the stronger states in the region," says Hanan Amin-Salem, a senior manager at the industry consulting firm PFC Energy, who specializes in country risk. She noted that in the long civil war that gripped the country throughout the 1990s, there had never been an attack on Algeria's energy complex. But now, hazard has spread from weak surrounding states, as the assault on In Amenas was carried out in an apparent retaliation for a move by French forces against the Islamists who had taken over Timbuktu and other towns in neighboring Mali. (See related story: "Timbuktu Falls.")

"What you're really seeing is an intensification of the fundamental problem of weak states, and empowerment of heavily armed groups that are really well motivated and want to pursue a set of aims," said Amin-Salem. In PFC Energy's view, she says, risk has increased in Mauritania, Chad, and Niger—indeed, throughout Sahel, the belt that bisects North Africa, separating the Sahara in the north from the tropical forests further south.

On Thursday, the London-based corporate consulting firm Exclusive Analysis, which was recently acquired by the global consultancy IHS, sent an alert to clients warning that oil and gas facilities near the Libyan and Mauritanian borders and in Mauritania's Hodh Ech Chargui province were at "high risk" of attack by jihadis.

"A Hot Place to Drill"

The attack at In Amenas comes at a time of unprecedented growth for the oil industry in Africa. (See related gallery: "Pictures: The Year's Most Overlooked Energy Stories.") Forecasters expect that oil output throughout Africa will double by 2025, says Amy Myers Jaffe, executive director of the energy and sustainability program at the University of California, Davis, who has counted 20 rounds of bidding for new exploration at sites in Africa's six largest oil-producing states.

Oil and natural gas are a large part of the Algerian economy, accounting for 60 percent of government budget revenues, more than a third of GDP and more than 97 percent of its export earnings. But the nation's resources are seen as largely undeveloped, and Algeria has tried to attract new investment. Over the past year, the government has sought to reform the law to boost foreign companies' interests in their investments, although those efforts have foundered.

Technology has been one of the factors driving the opening up of Africa to deeper energy exploration. Offshore and deepwater drilling success in the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil led to prospecting now under way offshore in Ghana, Mozambique, and elsewhere. (See related story: "New Oil—And a Huge Challenge—for Ghana.") Jaffe says the Houston-based company Anadarko Petroleum has sought to transfer its success in "subsalt seismic" exploration technology, surveying reserves hidden beneath the hard salt layer at the bottom of the sea, to the equally challenging seismic exploration beneath the sands of the Sahara in Algeria, where it now has three oil and gas operations.

Africa also is seen as one of the few remaining oil-rich regions of the world where foreign oil companies can obtain production-sharing agreements with governments, contracts that allow them a share of the revenue from the barrels they produce, instead of more limited service contracts for work performed.

"You now have the technology to tap the resources more effectively, and the fiscal terms are going to be more attractive than elsewhere—you put these things together and it's been a hot place to drill," says Jaffe, who doesn't see the energy industry's interest in Africa waning, despite the increased terrorism risk. "What I think will happen in some of these countries is that the companies are going to reveal new securities systems and procedures they have to keep workers safe," she says. "I don't think they will abandon these countries."

This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.

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Algeria Hostage Crisis Over, One American Dead

After the Algerian military's final assault on terrorists holding hostages at a gas complex, the four-day hostage crisis is over, but apparently with additional loss of life among the foreign hostages.

One American, Fred Buttaccio of Texas, has been confirmed dead by the U.S. State Department. Two more U.S. hostages remain unaccounted for, with growing concern among U.S. officials that they did not survive.

But another American, Mark Cobb of Corpus Christi, Texas is now confirmed as safe. Sources close to his family say Cobb, who is a senior manager of the facility, is safe and reportedly sent a text message " I'm alive."

Inside Algerian Hostage Crisis, One American Dead Watch Video

American Hostages Escape From Algeria Terrorists Watch Video

In a statement, President Obama said, "Today, the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the families of all those who were killed and injured in the terrorist attack in Algeria. The blame for this tragedy rests with the terrorists who carried it out, and the United States condemns their actions in the strongest possible terms. ... This attack is another reminder of the threat posed by al Qaeda and other violent extremist groups in North Africa."

According to Algerian state media, 32 militants are dead and a total of 23 hostages perished during the four-day siege of the In Amenas facility in the Sahara. The Algerian Interior Ministry also says 107 foreign nationals who worked at the facility for BP and other firms were rescued or escaped from the al Qaeda-linked terrorists who took over the BP joint venture facility on Wednesday.

The Japanese government says it fears "very grave" news, with multiple casualties among the 10 Japanese citizens working at the In Amenas gas plant.

Five British nationals and one U.K. resident are either deceased or unaccounted for in the country, according to British Foreign Minister William Hague. Hague also said that the Algerians have reported that they are still trying to clear boobytraps from the site.

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Earl Smith is the man behind a military patch that President Obama prizes

AUSTIN — That February morning in 2008 found Barack Obama decidedly out of sorts.

He was locked in one battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination that showed no signs of ending — and another with a vicious cold that felt the same way.

As he rode the service elevator in the backway of a convention hotel here, the snowy-haired African American operating it turned suddenly. He held out a black-and-gold bit of fabric embroidered with a screaming eagle.

“Senator Obama, I have something I want to give you,” the man said. “I’ve carried this military patch with me every day for 40 years, and I want you to carry it, and it will keep you safe in your journey.” Obama tried to refuse, but the older man persisted.

Big endeavors can find their meaning in small moments.

Later that day, Obama and his aides discussed the encounter. The future president pulled the patch from his pocket, along with about a dozen other items people had pressed upon him.

“This is why I do this,” he said. “Because people have their hopes and dreams about what we can do together.”

Two American stories intersected that morning in that elevator. The more famous, of course, is the one that begins its next chapter on Monday, as the nation’s first black president takes the oath of office for a second term.

But the other story also tells a lot about where this country has been and how far it has come.

No one in Obama’s small party that day noticed the man’s name tag or, if anyone did, the fact that it said Earl Smith was quickly forgotten.

No one knew how much of Smith’s life had been woven into a patch that, over four decades, found its way from the shoulder of an Army private to the pocket of a future commander-in-chief.

It was the only shred of cloth he had saved from the uniform of a nightmarish year in Vietnam. Smith fired artillery with a brigade that suffered 10,041 casualties during the course of the war. The brigade’s soldiers received 13 Congressional Medals of Honor.

The patch was waiting among his possessions when Smith was pardoned by the state of Georgia in 1977 after spending three years in prison for a crime he claimed was self-defense.

Smith kept it close as his lucky charm while he rebuilt his life and his reputation, starting with a job vacuuming hallways and changing sheets in an Atlanta Marriott. He carried it with him as he traveled halfway around the world again, to positions in hotels far from home, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Along the way, as he tended to travelers and made sure VIP gatherings went smoothly, he met three U.S. presidents.

His instincts told him Obama would make it four.

Like just about anyone else who was alive on Nov. 22, 1963, Smith can describe exactly where he was when he heard the horrific news: He was coming off a high school football practice field in his home town of San Benito, Tex.

Though not yet old enough to have voted for the man slain in Dallas, “I was devastated — a lot of us young people were — because John Kennedy was the young president,” recalled Smith, now 68.

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Boeing suspends 787 Dreamliner deliveries

NEW YORK: US aerospace giant Boeing said late Friday it had suspended deliveries of its new 787 Dreamliner jet until a battery problem is resolved, but continues to build the plane.

"We will not deliver 787s until the FAA approves a means of compliance with their recent Airworthiness Directive concerning batteries and the approved approach has been implemented," a Boeing spokesman said in an email.

"Production of 787s continues," he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday ordered the grounding of US-operated 787s to address the battery problem after a damaged battery on an All Nippon Airways 787 forced an emergency landing.

The risk of fire from overheating power packs has emerged as a major concern for Boeing's cutting-edge new planes since the incident on the domestic flight in Japan, prompting airlines around the world to ground all 50 of the 787s in service.

- AFP/de

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Bangalore student commits suicide in Germany

BANGALORE: A Bangalore student enrolled in a post-graduate course in Siegen University, Germany, died under mysterious circumstances. While German authorities said it was a clear case of suicide, the youth's family expressed doubts about it.

The body of Likhith Shashidhar, 24, who was found hanging in his apartment in Kreuztal, allegedly by a computer cable tied around his neck on January 8, was brought to the city on Thursday night and cremated on Friday.

Likhith graduated from Jain Engineering College, Bangalore. After working for a couple of years here, he joined for the MS course in Mechatronics at Siegen University. He is survived by his parents and a younger sister.

His parents SV Shashidhara and Siddalingamma were told by German authorities on January 9 that their son had committed suicide. But papers accompanying the body were vague about the cause of death. A 'no-objection certificate for dead body clearance' issued by the Indian consulate in Frankfurt cited the death certificate and mentioned the cause of death as "unknown". Immigration authorities at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) ascribed the death to an "accident".

Likhith's family suspect Likhith's death was linked to alleged harassment meted out to him by his seniors. Siegen University authorities dismissed these charges as mere rumours and said Likhith was depressed.

Lekha, Likhith's younger sister and engineering student, told reporters her brother had told her that some seniors at the university had posted some of his pictures on Facebook and harassing him about it.

The family last spoke to Likhith on January 7. "He told me he was being harassed by his seniors and he was fed up. He said he wanted to return home. As he didn't seem too well, I called one of his roommates, also a Bangalorean from Yelahanka. He told me Likhith had been depressed for some time and promised he would talk to him. Then came the news of his death," said Siddalingamma, a school librarian.

On January 8, Siddalingamma got a missed call from Likhith. "Generally when he gave me a missed call, it meant he wanted me to log on to Skype. I was in school when I got the call. I got back home and found he wasn't online. A day earlier, he asked what we wanted from Germany. I can't understand why he committed suicide," she said.

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Hunting for Quail Eggs? Mind Your Steps

Female Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) lay their eggs on the ground where they can make tempting meals for rodents, snakes, and deer. But as new research published in the journal Current Biology shows, these mothers choose areas on the ground that best match their eggs' patterns.

Quail eggs have a pale yellow or beige background, but their appearance varies because of the amount of darker splotching—meaning there is no one-size-fits-all area for egg laying. Instead, researchers suggest that female quail "know" what their own eggs look like and will lay their eggs where they will be best camouflaged.

The birds seem to use two types of camouflage, said the study's lead author P. George Lovell, of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland—background matching and disruptive coloration.

Background matching is just what it sounds like; the pattern of an object to be camouflaged matches the pattern of its background, as when a peppered moth disappears on a tree branch.

Disruptive coloration, seen in zebras, works by visually breaking up the edges of the object being camouflaged. This "makes the outline harder to find because the contrasting edges may be mistaken for parts of the background," said Lovell. (Related: "Fish Mimics Mimic Octopus That Mimics Fish.")

The quail seem to use both techniques. Lovell and his collaborators offered the birds four different colors of sandy surfaces on which to lay their eggs. Birds whose eggs had more splotching tended to lay their eggs on the background that matched the splotches—employing disruptive camouflage.

However, birds whose eggs had smaller amounts of markings tended to choose surfaces that matched the background color of their eggs, perhaps because the lack of splotching on the edges of the egg would make disruptive camouflage difficult.

"Quail aren't any more clever than any other species," said Lovell, and all species make decisions as they try to successfully reproduce. "What we have found here is how finely scaled these decisions might be." (See pictures of cuttlefish that can mimic photos.)

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One American Confirmed Dead in Algeria

U.S. officials told ABC News that at least one American has been killed in the hostage standoff at an Algerian gas plant, and the family of the deceased American has been notified.

An al Qaeda-linked group called the Masked Brigade and led by the one-eyed jihadi Mokhtar Belmokhtar raided the BP joint venture facility in In Amenas on Wednesday, taking an undetermined number of hostages from more than half a dozen nations, including at least two Americans.

On Friday, the group demanded the release of two convicted terrorists held in U.S. prisons, including the "blind sheikh" who helped plan the first attack on New York's World Trade Center, in exchange for the freedom of two American hostages, according to an African news service.

The terror group reportedly contacted a Mauritanian news service with the offer. In addition to the release of Omar Abdel-Rahman, who planned the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, they demanded the release of Aifia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist who shot at two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan in 2008.

Asked about the unconfirmed report of a proposed swap, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said firmly, "The United States does not negotiate with terrorists." She repeated the statement again when questioned further. She also said she was not prepared to get into any details about the status of Americans in "an ongoing hostage situation."

At least three Americans were being held hostage by the militants when the Algerian military mounted a rescue operation at the facility Thursday that reportedly resulted in casualties.

Five other Americans who were at the facility when it was attacked by the terrorists are now safe and believed to have left the country, according to U.S. officials.

Algeria Hostage Situation: Military Operation Mounted Watch Video

Reports that dozens of hostages were killed during the Algerian military's attempt to retake the compound have not been confirmed, though Algeria's information minister has confirmed that there were casualties. It's known by U.S. and foreign officials that multiple British, Japanese and Norwegian hostages were killed.

According to an unconfirmed report by an African news outlet, the militants said seven hostages survived the attack, including two Americans, one Briton, three Belgians and a Japanese national. U.S. officials monitoring the case had no information indicating any Americans have been injured or killed, but said the situation is fluid and casualties cannot be ruled out.

On Friday, a U.S. military plane evacuated between 10 and 20 people in need of medical attention, none of them American, from In Amenas and took them to an American medical facility in Europe. A second U.S. plane is preparing to evacuate additional passengers in need of medical attention.

British Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament today that the terror attack "appears to have been a large, well coordinated and heavily armed assault and it is probable that it had been pre-planned."

"The terrorist group is believed to have been operating under Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a criminal terrorist and smuggler who has been operating in Mali and in the region for a number of years," said Cameron.

Cameron said Algerian security forces are still in action at the facility. On Thursday, he said that the situation was "very bad … A number of British citizens have been taken hostage. Already, we know of one who has died. ... I think we should be prepared for the possibility for further bad news, very difficult news in this extremely difficult situation."

The kidnappers had earlier released a statement saying there are "more than 40 crusaders" held "including 7 Americans."

U.S. officials had previously confirmed to ABC News that there were at least three Americans held hostage at the natural gas facility jointly owned by BP, the Algerian national oil company and a Norwegian firm at In Amenas, Algeria.

"I want to assure the American people that the United States will take all necessary and proper steps that are required to deal with this situation," said Panetta. "I don't think there's any question that [this was] a terrorist act and that the terrorists have affiliation with al Qaeda."

He said the precise motivation of the kidnappers was unknown.

"They are terrorists, and they will do terrorist acts," he said.

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Euro gains despite US economic data; yen loses

NEW YORK: The US dollar slipped against the euro Thursday despite encouraging US data on housing and jobs, while the yen slumped to new multi-year lows on speculation of new easing.

The euro benefited from more positive remarks from regional leaders and solid results of a Spanish bond auction, analysts said.

"The Euro rallied to 1.3376 as the European Central Bank and European Union President Herman Van Rompuy stirred hopes of seeing the euro-area return to growth in 2013, but optimism surrounding the single currency may fail to materialize as the debt crisis continues to drag on the real economy," said David Song of DailyFX.

Also helping was strong investor enthusiasm at a US$4.5 billion Spanish bond auction, pushing the troubled government's borrowing costs lower.

At 2200 GMT the euro was at US$1.3375, compared to US$1.3286 late Wednesday.

The US dollar failed to get a boost from a strong fall in weekly jobless claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, and a rebound in housing starts in December, showing sustained strength in the housing sector.

The yen meanwhile fell to a fresh 30 month low. The dollar topped the 90 yen level briefly before slipping back to 89.86 yen, compared to 88.37 a day earlier.

The euro rose to 120.20 yen, its best level since April 2011, up from 117.42 Wednesday.

David Gilmore of Foreign Exchange Analytics, said speculation was rising that the Bank of Japan could add to stimulus measures in its next policy meeting on January 21-22.

The British pound fell to US$1.5992 from US$1.6006, while the US dollar gained to 0.9322 Swiss francs from 0.9309 francs.

- AFP/jc

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Mulayam threatens changes in LS candidate list

LUCKNOW: In yet another denunciation of AkhileshYadav governance in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, on Thursday, said there were instances of those in power serving their "own interest" rather than focusing on "public interest". He also hinted the party may give a re-look to the list of 63 candidates it announced for the LokSabha elections scheduled in 2014.

"I am aware of what is going on in the state government," said the SP national president. Yadav's stern observation came during the party's state working committee meeting, attended not only by SP's top leaders including general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, but also MLAs who are cabinet/state ministers in the Akhilesh's cabinet. This is the second time that Mulayam red-flagged working of the present dispensation headed by his son.

It was only three days ago, during a function in Saifai on January 14, that Mulayam had questioned the working of the state government saying it was being run by some handpicked bureacrats instead of the ministers. He also pointed out how some of the babus were handling more than one important department. The SP chiefs' observation led to a sudden reshuffle as in transfer of senior IAS officers Anil Kumar Gupta and Sanjeev Saran. Both these officers were considered to be one of the most powerful administrative officials in the Akhilesh Yadav team. While Gupta was shunted out as IIDC and principal secretary (energy) to an insignificant post, member revenue board, Saran, who was CEO of Noida, was put on the waiting list.

On Thursday, Yadav, reportedly went a step ahead and criticised even MLAs and MPs of ignoring the interests of party workers. His observation comes in the midst of raging speculation about some of the party workers getting restless and causing embarrassment to the leadership. Though the party assuaged some workers giving them chairman/vice-chairmanship of different boards and corporations, it left quite a few of them seething.

Speaking to reporters, SP general secretary Ram Asrey Kushwaha said: "Netaji (Mulayam) does have the right to assess the working of the state government as well as party affairs. It is our responsibility to see his observations are given full regard."

At the same time, the SP chief also asked workers not to get into the business of transfer and posting of officials and instead concentrate on problems faced by people in their respective areas. SP national general secretary, Ram Gopal Yadav had recently admitted that aspirations of the workers had risen significantly.

During the meeting, he was assured by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav that efforts will be made to make improvements in governance, said sources. At the meeting, the party also reviewed preparations for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and discussed names of candidates. Later, SP's spokesperson, Rajendra Chaudhary said Mulayam Singh Yadav emphasised the state government to meet the target set in the election manifesto. He also gave necessary directions on how party workers should go about in a bid to achieve success in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, SP announced Kameshwar Upadhaya's son Ashutosh Upadhayay as candidate for by-elections in Bhatpar Rani constituency in Deoria district. The seat fell vacant following death of Kameshwar Upadhyay, a five times MLA from the seat in October last year.

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