US mulls putting NK on terror list

President Barack Obama has said the US is considering putting North Korea back on its list of terrorism sponsors after the hacking of Sony Pictures.

A decision would be taken after a review, he said, calling the attack an act of cyber-vandalism, not of war.

North Korea denies the attack over The Interview, which depicts the fictional killing of its leader Kim Jong-Un.

Sony cancelled the Christmas Day release after threats to cinemas. It is considering "a different platform".

Costly

In a CNN interview, President Obama described the hacking as a "very costly, very expensive" example of cyber-vandalism.

The film had been due to open during the holiday season

He said US officials would examine all the evidence to determine whether North Korea should be put back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

"I'll wait to review what the finding are," Mr Obama said, adding that he did not think the attack "was an act of war".

North Korea had been on the US list for two decades until the White House removed it in 2008, after Pyongyang agreed to full verification of its nuclear sites.

On Saturday, the US also asked China to curb North Korea's cyber-attacks.

So far there has been no response from Beijing - North Korea's main ally. North Korea's communications run through China.

The FBI said on Friday that North Korea had carried out last month's cyber-attack, in which script details and private emails were leaked.

The US defended its findings on Saturday, with US National Security spokesman Mark Stroh saying: "We are confident the North Korean government is responsible for this destructive attack."

"If the North Korean government wants to help, they can admit their culpability and compensate Sony for the damages this attack caused," he said.

The cyber-attack has left Sony Pictures reeling from a massive leak of information

The Interview saga

• 22 November: Sony computer systems hacked, exposing embarrassing emails and personal details about stars

• 7 December: North Korea denies accusations that it is behind the cyber-attack, but praises it as a "righteous deed"

• 16 December: "Guardians of Peace" hacker group threatens 9/11-type attack on cinemas showing film; New York premiere cancelled

• 17 December: Leading US cinema groups say they will not screen film; Sony cancels Christmas-day release

• 19 December: FBI concludes North Korea orchestrated hack; President Obama calls Sony cancellation "a mistake"

• 20 December: North Korea proposes join inquiry with US into hacks, rejected by the US.

The Interview features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists who are granted an audience with Mr Kim. The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him.

The film's cancelled release drew criticism in Hollywood, with some calling it an attack on the freedom of expression.

Sony says it made the decision after most US cinemas chose not to screen the film, following the threats.

BBC © 2014

Indian ruling party lawmaker seeks law for forced religious conversion

NEW DELHI: India's ruling party chief on Saturday, called for a law to ban “forced religious conversions” amid increasing uproar over the right-wing government's perceived pro-Hindu tilt.

India's parliament has been paralysed by opposition lawmakers protesting mass conversions to Hinduism which is the country's majority religion.

They have demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power, make a statement on reports of impoverished Muslims being coerced into converting.

“The BJP is against forced conversions and that is why we want to bring in a law,” the party's leader Amit Shah was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying.

“So-called secular parties should support BJP's move,” Shah added.

“Forced conversion” is a phrase used in India to cover a wide range of methods of gaining religious converts from offers of free food and education to threats and violence.

The world's most-populous democracy, while 80 per cent Hindu according to census figures, is a secular country under the constitution and religious freedom is considered a fundamental right.

Shah, a key confidante of Modi, was credited for helping engineer the BJP's landslide victory in May elections but faces many criminal charges, including inciting religious tensions that he has denied.

A hard-line group linked to the BJP was accused of converting some 50 slum-dwelling Muslim families about a week ago in the Taj Mahal city of Agra.

One of the converts told AFP they were promised ration cards and other financial incentives if they converted.

A BJP lawmaker subsequently announced plans for an even bigger Hindu conversion event of Christians and Muslims on Christmas Day in the northern town of Aligarh. It was later called off by Hindu groups.

Critics say Hindu hard-line groups have become more emboldened since the BJP was elected, stoking religious tensions.

Modi, who spent his early years in a Hindu hard-line nationalist group, has made no public comment on religious issues since becoming premier. He was himself accused of failing to curb 2002 anti-Muslim riots that claimed at least 1,000 lives when he was chief minister of Gujarat state.

He has always rejected the accusations, and India's Supreme Court found no evidence to prosecute him.

Alongside the 80 per cent Hindu majority, Muslims make up 13.4 per cent of India's 1.2 billion population, with Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and other religions accounting for the rest.

AFP

Pictures of terrorists, Dr Usman (right) and Arshad (left) hanged in the District Jail Faisalabad

Pictures of terrorists, Dr Usman (right) and Arshad (left) hanged in the District Jail Faisalabad 

The 7 things successful people never say

By Ilya Pozin

You want to be successful. Everyone does. But your actual words might be undermining your chances of success. The things you say in the office, no matter how innocuous they seem to you, might be knocking you down the career ladder and putting the top position you dream about out of reach.

Your career is too important to be tanked by a few negative phrases. Here are the seven things you should strike from your workplace vocabulary if you want to achieve the success you richly deserve:

1. “That’s not in my job description.”

When you accepted your current position, you had a good idea of what the responsibilities and workload of the role would entail. Throughout the months or years since you settled into your job, however, your role has expanded and changed shape. Some of these changes have probably been good, while others have made you wish for simpler times. When a boss or manager piles another responsibility on your already sore shoulders, it might be tempting to pull out this classic gem of work avoidance.

The better option, however, is to schedule a time to talk to your boss about your role. A specific conversation about your place in the organization is a good time to bring up the particulars of your job description, not when you’re asked to get something accomplished. No matter how stressed you are or how valid the complaint, dropping this phrase only makes you look lazy and unmotivated.

2. “It can’t be done.”

Throwing in the towel makes you look like a quitter — and quitters don’t get promoted. Instead of giving up on a project entirely, frame your response in terms of alternative ways to get the work accomplished. Very little is truly impossible, and most managers and executives want forward-thinking problem solvers to climb the corporate ladder. If you offer solutions instead of giving up, you’ll be seen as a valuable member of the team.

3. “It’s not my fault.”

No one wants to work with a blame shifter. After all, it’s just a matter of time before this person eventually shifts the blame onto you. Take ownership of your mistakes instead of pointing out where others have fallen short. Admitting to a mistake shows character and the ability to learn and grow from problems. Pointing the finger at someone else strongly implies you’ll never truly learn from your errors.

4. “This will just take a minute.”

Unless something will literally take only 60 seconds, don’t overpromise and underdeliver. Saying something will only take “a minute” also has the side effect of undermining your efforts. Most likely the reason the particular task won’t take long is due to the benefit of your professional experience and acumen. By saying it will “just” take a minute, you’re shortchanging what you bring to the table.

5. “I don’t need any help.”

The rugged lone wolf type might be the hero of most action movies, but they’re unlikely to become the hero at your company. You might think you can go it alone on a project or in your career, but teamwork is essential. Being able to work with others is the hallmark of a good leader; you’re unlikely to climb your career ladder always flying solo.

6. “It’s not fair.”

Life isn’t fair, and often your career won’t be as well. Instead of complaining, you should look for specific and actionable workarounds to the problems you encounter. Is it unfair a coworker got to run point on the project you wanted? Maybe, but instead of complaining, work harder and go the extra mile. Finding a solution will always be preferable in your professional life to whining about a problem.

7. “This is the way it’s always been done.”

Doing things the way they’ve always been done is no way to run a business. Just ask some of the companies which toed the line, accepted the status quo, and went under. Adapting to an ever-changing marketplace is really the only way to survive in an economy constantly being disrupted by the next big thing.

You don’t have to be a slave to the trends, but you also can’t stick your head in the sand and hope things go back to normal. Instead, come up with creative solutions to new problems and innovate, and you’ll soon be in the driver’s seat taking your organization into the future.

Everyone wants to be successful, so make sure your words aren’t holding you back. These seven phrases are career kryptonite — by avoiding them, you can fly into your future and become a successful superstar.

This article is published in collaboration with LinkedIn. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

Peshawar spurs Pakistan executions

Pakistan has carried out two executions, the first since a death penalty moratorium was lifted after a deadly attack on a Peshawar school.

One of those executed was convicted over an attack on Pakistan's Army HQ in 2009, the other over an assassination attempt on ex-leader Pervez Musharraf.

The UN had earlier urged Pakistan not to resume its executions.

Some 141 people, all but nine of them children, died in the Taliban attack on the Army Public school in Peshawar.

Pakistan's military carried out operations against Taliban units in areas near the border with Afghanistan on Friday, saying it had killed 59 militants.

'Different crimes'

The two executions were carried out in the central city of Faisalabad late on Friday, officials said.

Pakistani media named the two executed men as Aqeel, alias Dr Usman, and Arshad Mehmood.

Usman was arrested during the raid on the Rawalpindi HQ and sentenced to death in 2011.

The executions were carried out at the central jail in Faisalabad jail

One of the executions involved an assassination attempt on Pervez Musharraf

Mehmood was sentenced to death over the attempt on Mr Musharraf's life in the same city in 2003.

The home minister for Punjab province, Shuja Khanzada, told Associated Press: "Today's executions of terrorists will boost the morale of the nation, and we are planning to hang more terrorists next week."

The Pakistani army chief has so far reportedly signed the death warrants of six terrorism convicts.

UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville had earlier urged Pakistan not to resume executions.

He said: "To its great credit, Pakistan has maintained a de facto moratorium on the death penalty since 2008," he said, adding that those at risk of imminent execution were unconnected to the "premeditated slaughter" in Peshawar.

Candles and roses are held at a rally in Karachi for the victims of the Peshawar massacre

"We urge the government not to succumb to widespread calls for revenge, not least because those at most risk of execution in the coming days are people convicted of different crimes."

The human rights organisation Reprieve warned that innocent people could be executed as a result of the government's decision, accusing the authorities of routinely overusing anti-terrorism laws to secure convictions.

It said Pakistan had the world's largest number of death-row inmates - with more than 8,000 people awaiting execution.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted the moratorium on executions in terror cases amid outrage at the massacre of the children.

The country's de facto foreign minister, Sartaj Aziz, said the Peshawar attack was his country's own "mini 9/11" and required a sea-change in its fight against terrorism.

Special classes were held in Pakistan on Friday in which schoolchildren chanted prayers in memory of the victims of the massacre.

The Taliban said that the attack was an act of revenge for its own losses in the army's military offensive.

BBC © 2014