Brazil busts $625 mn tax-evasion racket
Rio de Janeiro: A racket that allowed nearly 300 Brazilian firms to evade 1 billion reais ($625 million) in taxes was dismantled Wednesday, authorities said.
“Operation Alchemy” involved arrests, searches and asset seizures in 18 of Brazil’s 27 states, Federal Police said.
The sweep followed a nine-year-long investigation by a federal judge, who ordered 31 people jailed, another 63 detained for questioning and the freezing of the assets of 195 companies and 62 individuals.
The suspects will face charges of tax evasion, money laundering, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
Some of the firms involved in the alleged fraud have their headquarters in offshore tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands.
Among the assets seized or frozen are industrial plants, aircraft, boats, luxury autos and a private island off the coast of the northeastern city of Salvador.
While Brazil’s tax agency estimated the amount of taxes evaded at 1 billion reais, Federal Police said the actual sum could be larger.
The head of Federal Police in Minas Gerais state, Fernando Duran, said the ring established shell companies to generate phony transactions with the legitimate chemical firms taking part in the scheme.
Russian first lady to lead rally of blondes
Moscow: RIA Novosti) Svetlana Medvedev, wife of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, will head a rally of blondes in September.
The event will be held in Sochi city Sep 23-25, the yuga.ru website reported.
A “parade of blondes” is planned and a cornerstone is to be laid at the construction sites of a restaurant and a museum for blondes.
Participants at the event will hold a massive game of tic-tac-toe with the goal of entering the Guinness Book of Records.
“A real blonde, in our opinion, should be like this – beautiful, elegant, intelligent, good-natured, and should have Russian charm,” project organiser Vlad Kopylov said.
“Therefore, Svetlana Medvedev has the greatest chance of receiving the title ‘Blonde 2011’,” he added. (IANS)
UFO seen at China airport
Beijing: Air traffic at an airport in China was restricted for about an hour after a UFO was spotted over it, media reports said Thursday.
The UFO was seen over the runway at Chongqing Municipality’s Jiangbei International Airport, following which flights were disrupted, Shanghai Daily reported.
Air traffic was restricted for about an hour from 12.30 p.m. The restriction was lifted after the UFO left, the news daily said.
Authorities in Chongqing have not offered an explanation for the unusual phenomenon.
Airport officials, however, were of the opinion that it could be a sky lantern or a large balloon. A sky lantern is used by Chinese when they pray for good luck. (IANS)
Honeymooning bride loses hubby in shark attack
London: A newly-wedded British bride on her honeymoon was left in utter disbelief as she watched a shark killing her husband who was swimming in the sea.
The man, known as Ian Redmond, 30, from Nelson, Lancashire, was swimming in the idyllic seas off Anse Lazio beach on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles when he was attacked by the 6 foot beast, Daily Express reported.
Horrified holidaymakers along with the 27-year-old bride Gemma Houghton were left helpless as the man screamed for help.
Ian had been snorkelling only 20 yards from the beach while she was sunbathing.
One American tourist said he heard shrieking and saw people running to the water. Someone grabbed his bride to try to keep her away.
Chantal Andre, who works at a nearby restaurant, said: “I went to the hospital with the man’s wife and it was just awful.
“She wasn’t crying at all, she just couldn’t believe he was dead. I suppose she was in shock.”
Ian was pronounced dead at hospital as he lost massive amounts of blood. One of his legs was torn off and his arm was savaged. (IANS)
Useless degrees making British youth unemployable
London: Millions of school passouts and graduates in Britain have “fairly useless” degrees that make them unemployable as they lack elementary skills, a business lobby group has observed.
A report by the British Chambers of Commerce says small businesses are frustrated at the quality of applicants, who they say can barely concentrate or add up, Daily Mail reported.
About half of the 2,000 firms surveyed said they would be “fairly or very nervous” about hiring someone who has just finished his or her A-levels.
The report warns: “Too many people (are) coming out with fairly useless degrees in non-serious subjects.”
The report’s findings raise serious questions about the nature and standard of education and skills training in Britain.
“In general, younger people lack numerical skills, research skills, ability to focus and read, plus written English,” says the report.
According to Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, the fault lies with the education system, not with youngsters themselves.
He said new courses spring up as there is demand from would-be students, but not necessarily from businesses.
“There may be a course in underwater basket weaving, but that does not mean anybody will actually want to employ you at the end of it,” Marshall said.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, despite doubling its education expenditure since 2000, from 35.8 billion pounds to 71 billion pounds, Britain has plummeted in world rankings in the sector. (IANS)
Woman kills husband as he forgets her birthday
Astrahan: A woman in Russia stabbed her husband to death as he forgot her birthday and returned home from work empty-handed, it was reported here.
Lyalya Tupikova, 45, said that her husband Khalpik didn’t remember her birthday.
When he returned home from office in Astrahan in southern Russia, she expected a bunch of flowers and a present. But, Khalpik got nothing for her.
She had cooked a candlelight dinner for two, said the Daily Mail.
“It was all too much for her and suddenly during the meal she seized a kitchen knife and stabbed him just above the heart,” a police spokesman was quoted as saying. Khalpik, 50, collapsed and died soon afterwards. (IANS)
Mystery woman in iconic Elvis photo identified
NEW YORK: A US magazine has identified the mystery woman seen kissing singer Elvis Presley in a backstage theater stairwell in an iconic 1956 photograph. Barbara Gray, now 75 and living in Charleston, SC, told Vanity Fair magazine that she didn’t reveal her identity for the money or fame. (Reuters)