Saturday, June 30, 2012

Comments invited on new tax rules, PM to take final call | sarkaritel ...

Home ? National News ? Comments invited on new tax rules, PM to take final call

New Delhi, June 30? The government Friday issued draft guidelines on the General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR), inviting comments from different stakeholders and clarified that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will take final call on the issue after receiving feedback.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) issued the draft guidelines inviting comments and suggestions from different stakeholders.

A clarificatory note released by the Prime Minister?s Office said that Manmohan Singh has not seen the draft guidelines and would take a final call on the issue after receiving feedback from the stakeholders.

Distancing itself from the guidelines, the PMO said it was issued from the ?official level of the finance ministry? and it has no approval from the prime minister, who now holds finance portfolio following Pranab Mukherjee?s quitting to contest the July 19 presidential election.

?The GAAR guidelines that have been put up on the government website from the official level of the finance ministry and shared with some stakeholders are only draft guidelines and have been put out for receiving wide-ranging feedback and for discussion purposes only,? the Prime Minister?s Office said.

?These have not been seen by the prime minister and will be finalised with the approval of the prime minister, who holds the finance portfolio, only after considering the feedback received,? it added.

The draft guidelines are put on the finance ministry and income tax department websites. Comments and suggestions on the issue have been invited till July 20, 2012.

The CBDT clarified that the proposed rules, which aims at checking loopholes in the taxation system and trace tax evaders, will be implemented from April 1, 2013.

Pranab Mukherjee had proposed the new rules in the union budget for 2012-13 presented in March.

However, implementation of the rules was deferred by a year following widespread protests from business community, especially overseas investors.

According to the guidelines, the foreign institutional investors (FIIs) would be exempt from the new rules. The controversial tax avoidance rules will not cover participatory notes, through which many foreign investors invest in India.

The guidelines also calls for a monetary threshold for implementation of GAAR.

?The committee feels that in order to avoid the indiscriminate application of the GAAR provisions and to provide relief to small taxpayers, there should be monetary threshold for invoking the GAAR provisions,? it said.

The draft guidelines have been prepared by a committee chaired by Director General of Income Tax (International Taxation).

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Source: http://www.sarkaritel.com/comments-invited-on-new-tax-rules-pm-to-take-final-call

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A Sound Look at Male Enhancement - Relationship Articles, News ...


Relating to 18 days ago I received an unwanted e-mail from a spammer checking out to market a male enhancement products, this seemed like a dream come correct. However, being the skeptic that I am and going by the concept of "if it sounds to excellent to be real it most likely is," I refused to think any type of tablet or pump or grip gadget can actually make my male a different dimension.

After a couple of days though my interest kicked in and I chose to start a test to discover whether the therefore called best male enhancement products actually produce any results. I started looking into the various male enhancement products available including grip machines, pills/patches and activity shows and recruited a department of 7 good friends to try them. In between us we have actually now checked fifteen of the best selling male enhancement product/programs on the internet and to our shock without a doubt some do actually work I ought to say that not all of the products we have actually tried functioned in fact simply 4 out of the fifteen we tried actually had any consequence some of those more successful than others.

The results showed that grip machines functioned better than any point else It functions by the principle of grip as administered in modern medicine, for the generation of new cells to cover burn wounds or regions of baldness or for the lengthening of bones. I wager you are now considering the distress ... there is none, well a bit of tension when to begin with utilized yet no soreness. Traction machines do have to be worn for at some point just before result are seen generally in between 2-4 hours a day 5 days a week. After a days you really should begin to see some excellent results. The grip system has now been clinically verified to work and with gone on utilization over a couple of days outstanding results can easily be attained.

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Source: http://relationshipsa-z.blogspot.com/2012/06/sound-look-at-male-enhancement-do-these.html

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Report: Ex-PSU president OK'd not reporting abuse

In this photo combo, at left, in an Oct. 8, 2011 file photo, Penn State president Graham Spanier walks on the field before an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa. At right, former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky leaves the Centre County Courthouse in custody after being found guilty of multiple charges of child sexual abuse in Bellefonte, Pa., Friday, June 22, 2012. CNN says it has seen emails showing Spanier agreed not to take allegations of sex abuse against Sandusky to authorities but worried they'd be "vulnerable" for failing to report it. CNN says the emails followed a graduate assistant's 2001 report of seeing Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a shower. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

In this photo combo, at left, in an Oct. 8, 2011 file photo, Penn State president Graham Spanier walks on the field before an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa. At right, former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky leaves the Centre County Courthouse in custody after being found guilty of multiple charges of child sexual abuse in Bellefonte, Pa., Friday, June 22, 2012. CNN says it has seen emails showing Spanier agreed not to take allegations of sex abuse against Sandusky to authorities but worried they'd be "vulnerable" for failing to report it. CNN says the emails followed a graduate assistant's 2001 report of seeing Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a shower. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

(AP) ? Emails show Penn State's former president Graham Spanier agreed not to take allegations of sex abuse against ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky to authorities but worried university officials would be "vulnerable" for failing to report it, a news organization has reported.

CNN says the emails, first obtained by and reported on by NBC, followed a graduate assistant's 2001 report of seeing Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a team locker room shower.

The emails show athletic director Tim Curley and retired vice president Gary Schultz intended to report the allegation, then reconsidered. Spanier responded that he was "supportive" of their plan, but he worried they might "become vulnerable for not having reported it."

Sandusky was convicted this month of 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys. The scandal led to the ouster of Spanier and revered coach Joe Paterno and charges against Curley and Schultz, who are accused of perjury for their grand jury testimony and failing to properly report suspected child abuse. Spanier hasn't been charged.

The CNN report cites an email from Schultz to Curley on Feb. 26, 2001, 16 days after graduate assistant Mike McQueary told veteran coach Joe Paterno about the shower assault. Schultz suggests bringing the allegation to the attention of Sandusky, Sandusky's charity and the Department of Welfare, which investigates suspected child abuse, according to the report.

But the next night, Curley sent an email to Spanier, saying that after thinking about it more and talking to Paterno, he was "uncomfortable" with that plan and wanted to work with Sandusky before contacting authorities, the report said.

If Sandusky is cooperative, Curley's email said, "we would work with him. .... If not, we do not have a choice and will inform the two groups," according to the report.

Spanier wrote back and agreed with that approach, calling it "humane and a reasonable way to proceed," according to the report. But he also worried about the consequences.

"The only downside for us is if message isn't 'heard' and acted upon and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it, but that can be assessed down the road," the email said, according to CNN.

Spanier's attorney didn't immediately return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment Saturday.

Schultz and Curley's lawyers on Saturday echoed recent comments by Gov. Tom Corbett about the need for a solid case before charging Sandusky. Corbett began the investigation in 2009 when he was attorney general.

"For Curley, Schultz, Spanier and Paterno, the responsible and 'humane' thing to do was, like Governor Corbett, to carefully and responsibly assess the best way to handle vague, but troubling allegations," the lawyers said. "Faced with tough situations, good people try to do their best to make the right decisions."

Paterno, ousted by the school's board of trustees for what was called his "failure of leadership" surrounding allegations against Sandusky, died of lung cancer in January. After Sandusky's arrest, Paterno said through a spokesman that he reported the allegation to the head of his department and "that was the last time the matter was brought to my attention until this investigation and I assumed that the men I referred it to handled the matter appropriately."

Schultz, 62, and Curley, 58, deny the allegations and have asked a judge to dismiss the charges. A status conference for their case is scheduled for July 11.

Spanier sued Penn State in May to try to get copies of his email traffic from 1998 to 2004, citing the pending investigation being conducted on the university by former FBI director Louis Freeh. Two weeks ago, lawyers for Penn State asked a judge to throw out the lawsuit and said the attorney general's office, which is prosecuting Curley and Schultz, had asked them not to provide Spanier with the emails.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-06-30-Penn%20State-Abuse/id-438b685af4ad4ef48dceb2d01393977b

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Friday, June 29, 2012

Stingy Spain worried about Balotelli, Italy

By PAUL LOGOTHETIS

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 1:56 p.m. ET June 29, 2012

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -Stingy as it may be, Spain's defenders are still a little worried about their rematch with Mario Balotelli and Italy in the European Championship final.

Spain's bid to win a third straight major title comes Sunday at Kiev's Olympic Stadium, where the Mediterranean rivals meet for a second time, after starting Euro 2012 with a 1-1 draw.

Spain hasn't conceded since then and has reached the final with the fewest goals conceded since West Germany went on to win the tournament 40 years ago. In fact, Spain's defense hasn't been breached in its last nine knockout games.

After Balotelli scored twice in his team's 2-1 victory over Germany in the semifinals, defender Sergio Ramos said Friday "it would be a lie to say I'm not worried about them but we are not obsessing over" Italy.

"They are where they are today because of the way they've played," Ramos said at Dynamo Kiev's stadium. "They really took the game to us, led by two strikers as they looked to hit us on the counter. We can't start worrying about them, we have to stay calm and stick to our philosophy of play.

Balotelli's goals against Germany on Thursday saw the mercurial Manchester City striker overcome a poor start to the tournament, which included wasting a glorious opportunity alone in front of goal against Spain.

"He's a great player and he showed that again yesterday," midfielder Cesc Fabregas said. "To score like that in the semifinal against Germany says it all. We have to try and throw him off his game because he is a player who can cause problems."

One advantage for Spain is that Ramos and Gerard Pique have gelled as centerbacks after struggling in their first competitive pairing, which was against Italy.

"That's a positive aspect, it can facilitate things for us," said Ramos, who added that Spain would pay particular attention to Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and Andrea Pirlo.

Spain is on the verge of becoming the first team to retain its European title after winning the World Cup. West Germany had that chance in 1976 but lost to Czechoslovakia on penalties.

The current world champions needed penalties to beat Portugal in the semifinals after the game finished 0-0, despite extra-time. Though Ramos and Fabregas both scored in the shootout, Spain is hoping that its potential place in history is not decided on penalties on Sunday.

And with greatness so near, it's not surprising that the players are all too well aware of the stakes.

"The truth is, yes, it is something we think about," Ramos said. "That's what we're playing for on Sunday, it's something that will never be surpassed as no other national team has managed it before and we have the chance now to do it."

"Whatever happens Sunday, Spain has already made history, but we obviously want to win this European championship again after all the work this team has done," Ramos said.

"It's cost us a lot to get where we are, now we have to show our best level against a great team."

---

Paul Logothetis can be reached at: www.twitter.com/PaulLogoAP

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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More news
Italy has offensive edge

Italy will head into Sunday's European Championship final with one significant advantage over a Spain side that has dominated world football for the last four years.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/47396939/ns/sports-soccer/

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Recipe: The World's Healthiest Vanilla Milkshake | One Green Planet

Recipe: The World's Healthiest Vanilla Milkshake

This calls for celebration.?Let?s get down to business. Milkshake business.?When I was a wee one, the only thing keeping me from bouncing off the walls at the doctor?s office was the assurance that a drug store milkshake was just around the corner.

A woman named Annie, who is quite possibly the sweetest person alive, worked the drug store counter without fail. I was always greeted with a warm smile, a hug, and a milkshake. No wonder I love her so much.

Nowadays, flu shots are subsided by fruit cups because I no longer partake in large quantities of sugary fatty glop. But there is hope yet! Inspired by my recent?DQ-related revelation, I knew I could take on this other extremely delicious frozen indulgence.

So how did I handle it? Like any other sane person would, ?I had this milkshake for breakfast. For testing purposes, of course, because we are all more alert in the morning and I wanted to make sure I could accurately judge the awesomeness of this milkshake. See? I did this because I love you.

One thing I realized via my extreme morning alertness? This thing is big. HUGE. Like, twice the size of a McFlurry huge. I doubted my ability to finish such a thing, but it turns out I encountered no problem in the area. Weird.

But if you?re a person with a semblance of normality in you, you?ll probably be enjoying this milkshake with the help of a friend or enemy. But at only 120 calories for the entire big huge ginormous thing, you might be able to make room.

Miraculous, I know. In more ways than one.

The World?s Healthiest Vanilla Milkshake (Vegan, Low Carb, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Sugar Free, Low Calorie)

Ever wanted to slurp down a huge milkshake only to not have it go straight to your hips? Me too! And now you can with this amazing vanilla milkshake. Please forgive the infomercial type introduction. If you were to split the milkshake in half, it would only have 60 calories. A 60 calorie milkshake? Yes please!

Adapted from my?Homemade DQ Cookie Dough Blizzard

Nutritional Comparison

McDonald?s Vanilla McCafe Shake

Serving size: 24 fl oz

Calories: 1060

Fat: 34 grams

vs.

World?s Healthiest Vanilla Milkshake

Serving size: 24 fl oz (1 recipe)

Calories: 120

Fat: 10.5 grams (healthy almond fats!)

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of unsweetened almond milk, divided (I suppose you could substitute your milk of choice, but I haven?t tried it.)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • stevia or other sweetener, to taste (I?use 1-2 packets of stevia)

Preparation:

Combine 1.5 cups of almond, vanilla extract, and sweetener (I use a glass measuring cup for this).?Pour into an ice cube tray (or other plastic container) and stick it in the freezer until it is completely firmed up and frozen.?Once the almond milk mixture is frozen, blend in a blender (go Vita!) along with the remaining 1.5 cups of almond milk until evenly blended and creamy. You can add more or less almond milk depending on how thick you like your shake. You can also add more sweetener at this point if you are so inclined.

Huge? Yes. Hard to finish? Not at all.

Enjoy!

-Kelly M.

Kelly is a fourteen year old foodie, photographer, yogi, writer, and student in the beautiful Los Angeles, CA. After a life-changing weight loss, I have discovered love for yoga and healthy, cruelty free eating. My specialty is scrumptious, easy, low calorie, low carb, low fat, grain free, gluten free, and vegan recipes. I hope you enjoy!

Source: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/recipe-the-worlds-healthiest-vanilla-milkshake/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=recipe-the-worlds-healthiest-vanilla-milkshake

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Thursday, June 28, 2012

'All Shook Up' at Davis Center for the Performing Arts | The Salt Lake ...

Musical theater ? Elvis meets Shakespeare meets music in CenterPoint Legacy?s production.

Shakespeare directors have put "Hamlet" in holster and spur, so why not play "Twelfth Night" to an Elvis soundtrack?

That?s the premise behind Joe DiPietro?s "All Shook Up" played to a song-list made famous by Elvis Presley. The 2005 Broadway musical won the 2005 Theatre World Award, and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award?s Outstanding Set Design that same year, so it?s good enough for the cast of CenterPoint Legacy Theatre. The characters Chad, Natalie and Dennis play out this rockin?, 1950s musical somewhere in the United States? Midwest with CenterPoint Legacy?s rotating cast of Spencer Hunsicker, Luke Monday and Madison Hanson (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) and Heather White, Jake Taylor, and Austin Singley (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).

?

?All Shook Up?

When ? July 9-Aug. 4, Monday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where ? Davis Center for the Performing Arts , 525 N. 400 West, Centerville

Info ? $17-$20. Call 801-298-1302 or visit www.centerpointtheatre.org for more information.

Every song from "Jailhouse Rock" to "Heartbreak Hotel" and the title track get a full hearing, all to the plot of Shakespeare?s best comedy.

Shakespeare fans who also adore The King will rejoice. Theater fans who like either will no doubt also have a good time.

bfulton@sltrib.com

Twitter:@Artsalt

Facebook.com/nowsaltlake

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, click the red "Flag" link below it.
See more about comments here.

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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Factbox: Major political handshakes

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Astin, Eaton, Hollingsworth to star in "Cabin Fever" reboot

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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Spain's crisis turns families into squatters

Xavier Cervera / Panos for msnbc.com

Tony Cortes, who has been out of work for almost three years, and his partner Ana Valderrama have occupied an empty home in Terrassa, Spain, with their young daughters Jennifer and Ariadna.

By F. Brinley Bruton, msnbc.com

TERRASSA, Spain -- Ana Valderrama and Tony Cortes do not look like squatters.

The?suburban apartment they've illegally occupied since December is free of clutter.?Its stone floors shine while two?poster-sized pictures of daughters Jennifer, seven, and Ariadna, 11, hang on gleaming white walls.

Twelve months ago, life was very different.


Valderrama, 36, and Cortes, 38, had both been out of work for more than two years.?Unable to maintain payments on their 102,000-euro (around $128,000 at today?s exchange rates) mortgage, the couple?lost their home in this commuter town about 12 miles north of Barcelona.

"I was very depressed when I realized I may be on the street with my two girls," Cortes told msnbc.com.?"It?s a depression the whole family feels, a sort of Chinese torture."

Desperate to ensure they had a roof over their head, Valderrama, Cortes and 10 other families took possession of an empty apartment building. But life is still precarious. The family of four?now lives on 641 euros ($800)?a month in public assistance and they could face eviction at any time.

Destitution
While sophisticated and fun-loving Barcelona serves as the country's showcase to the world, Terrassa is?among the?many towns hiding Spain's shame: Despite boasting Europe's fourth-largest economy, hundreds of thousands have been forced into destitution by the country's?housing crash.

Photos: Faces of Spain's economic crisis

Many Spaniards?now exist on the margins of a society that just a few years ago promised them easy access to cars, holiday homes, trips abroad and regular tickets to professional?soccer games.

The crisis?was born out of?a mighty housing and construction bubble that saw house prices triple between 1995 and 2007. They've?fallen by at least a quarter since then.

'The country is on its knees': Ireland grapples with economic collapse

About one out of every four people in Spain is without a job, according to government statistics. However,?the large so-called "gray economy" mitigates the effects of unemployment, the IMF says.

In 2010, court evictions hit 100,000 ? four times the total?in 2007. About 200 homes are repossessed every day?across Spain, according to the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH) campaign group.

These repossessions continue despite a voluntary ethical code signed by many?banks that is intended to delay evictions by two years in cases of families with no income.?Still, an estimated 20 percent of the country?s unoccupied homes are now owned by banks, The Economist reported.

You don?t have to look very far to see the toll the crash has taken on people who have worked all their lives. ?

Before the crisis Juan Antonio Pache, 67, did not think of himself as poor.

His construction business once employed nine people. He borrowed money to build a house on land he already owned, and a few years later he borrowed more to extend it.

Xavier Cervera / Panos for msnbc.com

Juan Antonio Pache, 67, who lost a construction business that once boasted nine employees, is now receiving help from Catholic organization Caritas.

Pache's company thrived, he said, until 2007 when he noticed a fall-off in new business. By April 2008, income had decreased "vertically," he said.

"I made proposals, proposals and proposals but no projects came," he said. He fell behind on payments to Spain's equivalent of Social Security. Soon he could not afford his mortgage payments of around 3,000 euros a month.

Now the bank has seized?his house and land. He has lost his business and lives with his son in Sabadell, a city northwest of Barcelona.? ?

He doesn't receive a state pension, and his wife has moved in with family in another town.?

"All I've done is work. I've worked day and night on the highways. And after so much work I have no house and no pension," he said, standing very straight. "I don't know what kind of country this is."

Greek tragedy: Economic crisis sparks brain drain

With banks in a fierce competition for new customers and mortgages easy to come by, some borrowers doubtless took on too much debt during the boom years. But even as the crisis hit, politicians assured the public that all would be well.

In 2008, former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero declared that Spain had "perhaps the most solid financial system in the world."

Infant malnutrition
The fact the crisis is taking a toll in a relatively wealthy part of Spain surprises those who work with the most vulnerable.

"We have noticed a huge increase in people asking for food assistance ? around three times more than a year ago," said Ester Soto, a manager at Terrassa's Red Cross homeless shelter.

Xavier Cervera / Panos for msnbc.com

Aida Abello and Ester Soto work at a Red Cross homeless shelter in Terrassa, Spain.

Fraying family networks and swinging cuts in social programs, as well as the worsening crisis, are the likely reasons for this growth, she said.

More startlingly, the Red Cross is also seeing evidence of infant malnutrition for the first time in decades, Soto added.

"And this is not a poor town," she said.

Spain's financial plight has taken center stage for European Union leaders who are tackling long-term plans for closer fiscal and banking union in a bid to strengthen the euro's foundations, after bailouts for Greece, Ireland and Portugal failed to end a 2-1/2-year old debt crisis.

On June 9, the European Union stepped in with the promise of a bank-bailout plan of up to 100 billion euros ($125 billion) and Spain formally requested the rescue on Monday. The original announcement failed to calm nerves as investors worried that it might not be enough and a wholesale bailout of Spain could be in the offing.

Spain to seek bailout; up to $125 billion on table

Paul De Grauwe, a prominent economist and professor at the London School of Economics, said that not only would the bailout announced in early June probably be inadequate, it was unlikely that European Union?s response would help ease the suffering of millions of Spaniards.

He also said the European Union's decision-making process, which is propelled by economic powerhouse Germany, is deeply undemocratic.

"Today it is a German politician who decides about Spain," he said. "They couldn?t care less about the Spanish unemployed. They will only care about unemployment if it is German unemployment. They will only care about youth unemployment if it is German youth unemployment."

Germany grows weary of being Europe's crutch

'I want to work'
Spanish youth unemployment stands at 50 percent, the highest in Europe. Such statistics are a fact of life for university student Marisol Martin.

"I want to work, have money, be independent and have my own place," the 19-year-old said. "I go on the Internet, send out resumes and resumes but nothing."

The only opportunities for people like her, she said, are unpaid work experience positions or poorly paid jobs in bars or restaurants.

So she is taking English classes and hopes to one day leave Spain.

Xavier Cervera / Panos for msnbc.com

Marisol Martin, right, has been encouraged by her father to leave Spain. Her friend Laia Moreno also has little optimism about the future in her homeland.

"My dad?s told me and my sister that what I have to do is get out and go to England," she said.

Martin's friend Laia Moreno, 18, lives with her mother. "I would like to have my own place and my own life," she said.

"I wanted to be a teacher," she adds. But for now, that dream has died and she's trying to get a driver's license so she can deliver pizzas.

'I had to sell everything'
Life isn't much better for many immigrants, with the unemployment in these communities hovering at around 35 percent. ?

Wilson Lopez left Ecuador more a decade ago in search of a better life for his wife and son. Nine years ago, he took on a mortgage of 109,000 euros, on which his wife Isabel and he made interest-only payments, Lopez said.

"I paid my mortgage loyally for nine years," the 63-year-old native of Guayaquil said during a protest organized by the PAH in Barcelona.

CSM: As Europe peers into economic chasm, Africa is rising

In 2010, Lopez lost his job as a security guard in a local hotel.

"I had to sell everything ? my wife's jewelry, our television, clothes ? everything," he said.

Lopez would like to hand over the apartment's keys to the bank and have done with it, he said. But he can't because most homeowners in Spain can be pursued for mortgage debt even after their properties have been repossessed.

Xavier Cervera / Panos for msnbc.com

Wilson Lopez, 63, is originally from Ecuador.

Instead, Lopez felt forced to extend the loan for another 40 years. He pointed out wryly that he will be over 100 when it runs its course.

"The government works for the banks but it does not help the people," he said.

This sort of disillusionment has grown as people impacted by the crisis watch the government bailing out banks while imposing widespread cuts to public services.

Amid this backdrop, the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH) has sprouted branches throughout the country.

In the last six months, PAH has suspended or delayed dozens of evictions by protesting outside foreclosed homes and helping people negotiate with their banks. Their highly public campaign has fed a wave of defiance and forced the government to promise relief for borrowers.

But the organization is not "superman," warned PAH organizer Guillem Domingo.

"This country?s politicians need to step-up, be courageous," he said.

Spanish bailout may prove to be stopgap measure

Spain's "indignados" or M-15, which helped spark the global "Occupy" movement, is also flexing its muscles. While huge public protests have largely died down, the group, along with the PAH, has seen an opportunity in the country's estimated one million empty homes for the growing number of homeless.

And on June 15, activists filed a case against the former management of one of the largest lenders Bankia, whose partial nationalization helped push Spain to seek the EU bailout.

The mass movement has helped raise tens of thousands of euros via crowdsourcing to bring a case against the bank.?

Ghost towns tell the story of Ireland's faded dream

The apartment illegally occupied by Cortes and Valderrama?is owned by CatalunyaCaixa, a regional bank. The unofficial residents' offers to pay rent to the bank have so far gone unanswered, PAH organizer Domingo said.

CatalunyaCaixa did not respond to a request for information or comment on their plans for the apartment building.

Still, defying the powers-that-be has energized Valderrama and Cortes.

"Every day that passes I feel stronger," Valderrama said. "I have gone through so much, and every time you do you become more powerful."

"I lost my shame many years ago," Cortes added and smiled.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world

?

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Ryan Lochte Beats Michael Phelps At U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials

OMAHA, Neb. -- Ryan Lochte still has Michael Phelps' number.

Phelps, though, has put himself in position to go for another gaudy number: eight gold medals at the London Olympics.

Lochte won his latest showdown with the winningest Olympian ever, beating Phelps for the first time in the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. swimming trials Monday night.

In taking the first spot on the Olympic team, Lochte extended his dominance of Phelps that goes back to last year's world championships, where the 27-year-old Floridian won five gold medals and both head-to-head races against Phelps.

"The first race is always the hardest," Lochte said. "I can take a deep breath now, relax and whatever happens, happens."

Phelps started strong on the butterfly leg, his best stroke, but Lochte took command when they switched to the breaststroke. He built a lead of about a half-body length and held off Phelps in the freestyle finish, cruising to the wall with one arm extended to post a time of 4 minutes, 7.06 seconds.

He got a kiss from his dad, Steve, as he came off the deck and a huge cheer from the crowd of more than 11,000 ? including a group behind the starting block that waved "Ryan" signs and giant cardboard cutouts of his face.

Phelps claimed the second Olympic spot in 4:07.89, setting himself up for another eight-event program in London ? something he insisted he wouldn't do again after the Beijing Games.

"I was very pleased with that," Phelps said. "I said if I went 4:07, I'd be happy."

Tyler Clary, who took second at the 2011 worlds, won't even get a chance to swim the event in London. He faded to third in 4:09.92 and was so upset he didn't bother stopping by the mixed zone.

Phelps plans to retire after the Olympics and is clearly eager to end his career with another dazzling performance. He already has won 14 gold medals, more than any other athlete.

That he is even swimming the 400 IM shows Phelps has regained the focus and dedication that faded away after the 2008 Olympics. At those games, he won his second straight gold medal in the grueling race, then insisted he was done with it. Over the past few months, however, he quietly put the event back in his repertoire ? and now he'll be swimming it again in London.

Going forward at the trials, Phelps will be heavily favored to claim a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in four other individual events: the 100 and 200 butterfly, 200 free and 200 individual medley. If he swims on all three American relays, as expected, that adds up to eight ? the number of golds he captured in 2008 to eclipse Mark Spitz's iconic Olympic record.

"Now we kind of know where he is and we feel pretty good about it," Phelps' coach Bob Bowman said. "This is the catalyst for everything else. When this goes well, everything else goes well."

A Beijing repeat? Could be, though it will be much more difficult to win eight events in London.

Lochte is standing in the way this time.

"Obviously, that's some pretty good competition," Bowman said. "He just kicked our (butt)."

Lochte is determined to repeat ? even exceed ? last year's brilliant performance in Shanghai, where he surpassed Phelps as the world's top swimmer. He keeps saying "this is my time," and his first event in Omaha shows he's still the man to beat.

"I'm definitely ready to tear it up in London," said Lochte, who is heading to his third Olympics.

This will be No. 4 for Phelps, who became the first American male swimmer to qualify for a fourth Olympic team. There's plenty of room for improvement before he gets to London, according to Bowman.

"His turns were horrendous," the coach said. "That's 2 seconds there. His breaststroke leg has got to be better. There are any number of things he can work on."

Plus, he'll have plenty of motivation to go faster because of the guy he's chasing. Phelps is surely getting tired of losing to Lochte, who now has the upper hand in the 400 IM after beating his rival in the 200 IM and 200 free at the 2011 worlds.

Before Monday, Phelps had whipped Lochte nine straight times in the longer medley race going back to 2002.

"We knew that (losing) was a distinct possibility in this event," Bowman said. "I don't think we had any illusions. He knows that he's in the range. He knows he can get better."

In other finals on the opening night of the trials, Peter Vanderkaay became a three-time Olympian by winning the 400 free, while 19-year-old Elizabeth Beisel earned her second straight trip to the Olympics in the 400 individual medley.

Vanderkaay won with a time of 3:47.67, while hard-charging Conor Dwyer settled for the second spot on the Olympic team in 3:47.83.

"I just tried to get my head down and get my hand on the touchpad," Vanderkaay said. "Both Conor and I were able to do that and punched our tickets" for London.

Beisel won her event easily in 4:31.74, more than 2 seconds ahead of Caitlin Leverenz.

"This is definitely a big confidence boost," the winner said. "Before the race, I was a mess. I was so nervous. I'm so glad it's over and went well. No complaints."

Dana Vollmer, a 2004 Olympian who failed to qualify for the Olympic team four years ago, set an American record in the semifinals of the 100 butterfly. The defending world champion put up a blistering time of 56.42 to edge the mark she set a year ago (56.47).

Brendan Hansen also was impressive in the semifinals. The former world-record holder broke a minute in the 100 breaststroke, going into Tuesday night's final as the top qualifier. Eric Shanteau, who competed in Beijing after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, also advanced.

"I went out there and hit the first five strokes and I was like, `I'm gone, later,' and just took off," said Hansen, who quit after Beijing but returned to the pool looking to make up for disappointments at the last two Olympics. "You have no idea how hard it is to break a minute."

Lochte and Phelps got a bit of a shock during their race when flames leaped up from the side of the pool ? part of the pyrotechnics that organizers put in place to jazz up the event. They were only supposed to go off beforehand, but someone set them off inadvertently while the swimmers were doing the breaststroke.

"I'm like, `What's going on?'" Lochte said with a smile.

But he never slowed down.

___

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Employment Key to Helping Veterans Adjust to Life Back Home

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From CIA asset to solitary cell in Pakistan

There can be few jail cells in Pakistan as lonely as the one occupied by Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden.

He is kept in solitary confinement to protect him from hundreds of convicted militants eager to avenge their hero's death. He may not be safe even from the guards ? only two trusted officials are allowed to see him.

Beyond the walls, Afridi is as much a prisoner of Pakistan's growing resentment of the United States as he is a victim of his own dalliance with high-stakes espionage.

No wonder then that he finds solace in the story of Younus in the Quran, almost identical to that of Jonah in the Old Testament, a prophet whose faith in God delivers him from the belly of a whale.

"My brother was confident that he will be released very soon. He said: 'I'm innocent, I've done nothing wrong,'" Afridi's brother Jamil told Reuters in a recent interview after visiting the jail in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

"There is a prayer said by one of the famous prophets, when he was eaten by a fish," Jamil added. "Dr Shakil is reciting that same prayer for his safety."

Pakistan jails doctor who helped CIA find Osama bin Laden

The history of U.S. spycraft has seen few faster reversals of fortune than Afridi's journey from a participant in one of the most dramatic covert operations of modern times to isolation in the forbidding confines of the colonial-era Peshawar Central Jail, with red-brick walls and watch towers.

A small-time country physician long dogged by allegations of medical malpractice, Afridi, now 48, was recruited by the CIA some years ago, according to several U.S. and Pakistani officials. One Pakistani intelligence source said he was talent-spotted while working in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Peshawar in 2009 and used to gather intelligence on militants in the border area.

Later, he was asked to scout bin Laden's compound in the garrison town of Abbottabad, near the capital Islamabad, under the cloak of an anti-hepatitis campaign.

'A victim of the US game'
U.S. officials say Afridi provided important information on activity at the compound. Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. Navy SEAL raid in Abbottabad in May last year that was conducted without informing Pakistani authorities.

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Three weeks later, Afridi was picked up, interrogated for months and, in May this year, sentenced to 33 years in jail.

When he was led to a warder's office for the meeting with his brother on June 4, Afridi wore no shackles or handcuffs and was clad in the shalwar-kameez, the loose-fitting trousers and flowing shirt popular in Pakistan.

Jamil Afridi noticed he had gained weight - perhaps because conditions had improved since his transfer to the jail from detention centers used by intelligence agencies.

Jamil, a village schoolteacher, says he himself has been forced to adopt a rudimentary disguise, dark glasses and a cap, to ward off unwanted attention since appearing on TV to defend his younger sibling.

Slideshow: Pakistan: A nation in turmoil (on this page)

"My brother has become a victim of the U.S. game," said Jamil, who spends much of his day worried that passersby are actually security agents tailing him. He used the term "angels" for the agents, as many Pakistanis do because they are believed to be everywhere but remain invisible.

"If my brother had really played a role for America, I think the Americans should have kept it secret."

Afridi meanwhile has become a new irritant in the complex ties between Washington and Islamabad, that have been deteriorating over the past 18 months despite Pakistan's pivotal role to U.S. interests in Afghanistan, counter-terrorism and nuclear security.

Afridi's incarceration fueled suspicions in the Obama administration that elements in Pakistan secretly sympathized with the militants the United States is trying to catch. Pakistan's failure to prosecute a single suspect accused of helping facilitate Bin Laden's stay near a military academy in Abbottabad has only sharpened the rancor.

The day after Afridi was sentenced, the Senate expressed its anger by voting to dock Islamabad $33 million in aid ? $1 million for every year of the term.

Senate panel votes to cut $33M in Pakistan aid over bin Laden doctor's conviction

To Pakistan's powerful military, which was enraged by the bin Laden raid, Afridi is a traitor. Critics in the tribal areas on the Afghan border say he deserves to be punished, not for helping the CIA but for his lack of scruples as a doctor.

Elders and former officials say he made money by performing unnecessary operations on unsuspecting villagers and that he was accused of sexual harassment by nurses.

Jamil Afridi dismisses the allegations as baseless. Some former colleagues have described Afridi as a diligent professional and U.S. officials have also leapt to his defense.

Video: U.S.-Pakistan rift over conviction of doctor (on this page)

"Available information showed Afridi was a respected member of the Pakistani health care community," said a senior U.S. official in Washington. "We are aware of efforts, put in place since Dr. Afridi's arrest, to denigrate his character."

U.S. officials say they offered to relocate Afridi and his family after the bin Laden raid, but that the doctor declined.

There was no way to independently confirm that account.

Jamil Afridi said he did not know whether his brother had received such an offer, but he believed Afridi would have been reluctant to take his two sons and a daughter out of Pakistan, where he had a stable job and his wife was working as the principal of a government college.

Panetta: Only a 'small handful' of top al-Qaida targets left

"He had a good future," Jamil Afridi said. "Why would he move to the U.S. to live there?"

Naseem Bibi, a nurse who worked on his immunization drive in Abbottabad, also defended Afridi. "He was very nice to all the people in the team and did his job very diligently," she said.

Shakil Afridi was born in a modest home in a village in southern Punjab, a vast flatland of wheat, rice and cotton fields that is Pakistan's breadbasket.

Afridi's father had retired to Punjab after serving as a sergeant in the Frontier Corps, a paramilitary unit deployed to protect Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The family hailed from the Afridi tribe, part of the fiercely independent Pashtun community that straddles the frontier.

His grandfather, Mir Dast, had won the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military award, in 1915 for valor at Ypres, Belgium, the site of some of the most intense fighting in World War 1.

Although the family was by no means wealthy, Jamil Afridi said his parents were the first in their village to obtain a refrigerator when electricity arrived there in the early 1960s.

Interactive: A timeline of Osama bin Laden's life (on this page)

A dedicated student, Shakil Afridi qualified as a doctor in Peshawar before taking a series of government jobs as a health officer in the rugged land of monumental landscapes and scattered villages hugging the Afghan border.

For years, Afridi was trailed by accusations that he had sought to make easy money by convincing patients to go under his scalpel for unnecessary procedures at his private clinic.

Mohammed Yousaf, an elder from Khyber, said his sister had suffered months of complications and remained bed-ridden after Afridi performed surgery to treat her fever.

"We are illiterate villagers and thought whatever the doctor advised would be good," Yousaf said. "Dr Shakil used to advise surgery to every patient."

Allegations of medical malpractice are not unusual in Pakistan's tribal areas, and it is impossible to verify the validity of the claims.

What is certain is that Afridi rankled his superiors. "Keeping in view his extreme lust for money, I am ashamed to even call him a doctor. He is a corrupt, unreliable and low category officer," wrote the author of a provincial health department report on his performance in March 2002.

In the rough-and-tumble tribal areas, where militants often hold greater sway than the government, the allegations came to the attention of Mangal Bagh, a bus driver-turned warlord who commands an armed group known as Lashkar-e-Islam.

Papers released by the tribal court that sentenced Afridi last month said he had been found guilty of aiding the group, and not for treason for his role in helping the CIA, as Pakistani officials had initially stated.

Lashkar-e-Islam, which does nothing to hide its contempt for Afridi, has denied the court's finding. The group said it would try the doctor itself under Shariah law for working with the CIA to find bin Laden.

Video: Officials demand end to CIA drones in Pakistan (on this page)

Lashkar-e-Islam does, however, acknowledge that its fighters kidnapped Afridi for several days in April 2008 to investigate the allegations of medical malpractice made by locals.

"He was not a surgeon but conducted surgeries and deprived many people of their body organs," said Abdur Rashid Lashkari, spokesman for Lashkar-e-Islam.

Jamil Afridi said his brother had been forced to pay a one million rupee (now about $10,650) ransom to Lashkar-e-Islam to secure his release and rejected the allegations that his brother had performed improper surgeries.

Brother of doctor who worked with CIA in bin Laden hunt seeks US protection

The year after that ordeal, Afridi decided to visit the United States, a vacation that seemed to lodge an admiration for the country in his mind.

In a move that perhaps suggests he was facing some financial strain, Afridi sold his car and a plot of land near Peshawar to fund the trip, his brother said.

He returned with fond memories. "He would tell us that people were so good in the U.S.," Jamil Afridi said.

Afridi was approached by the CIA through an Afghan agent while he was working at the Shamshatoo camp near Peshawar for refugees from Afghanistan in 2009, according to the Pakistani intelligence source, although the claim could not be independently verified.

It seems likely that Afridi would have been a prize catch for CIA agents desperate for an informant who could move freely in the tribal areas, a global hub for militant groups and al-Qaida fighters that is virtually sealed to outsiders.

As the operation to find bin Laden gathered pace, Afridi was set to work organizing an immunization drive in Abbottabad, 95 miles of Peshawar, the site of the compound where U.S. officials suspected he was hiding.

The aim was to obtain DNA samples from children living in bin Laden's compound to prove their father's identity, according to a former Pakistani security official.

Accompanied by three health workers, Afridi went to bin Laden's house and told his wives that an anti-hepatitis drive was underway in the area, the former security official said. He took cheek swabs from the children under the pretext of the campaign.

Video: From the archives: Osama Bin Laden profile

"A woman went in (to the house) and said 'bring the children out, the doctor is waiting and he will give them the drops'," the former official said. "That's when he used the swabs."

It was unclear whether the CIA used the swabs to determine if the children were bin Laden's. But the doctor did provide intelligence on tight security arrangements at the house.

The raid that killed bin Laden sent shockwaves through Pakistan. The government was at a loss to explain how the al-Qaida chief could have been hiding in Abbottabad, or how U.S. helicopters had managed to slip into the country undetected.

As Pakistani intelligence agents scrambled to decipher what had happened in the months leading up the raid, the net began to close on Afridi.

Pakistan lawmakers to US: Stop drones and apologize for deadly airstrike

Intelligence officers learned that a doctor had visited the bin Laden compound, and got Afridi's name from district medical authorities. On May 23, Afridi was picked up while driving to his home in Peshawar.

A convoy of three double cabin pickup trucks forced his car to a halt and black-clad security agents jumped out and began to rifle through the doctors' identity cards, according to an account of the arrest by his brother.

"This is the one," said one of the security men and Afridi was blindfolded and taken to an anonymous holding cell.

Afridi had seemed oblivious to the dangers of falling into the hands of Pakistan's notorious intelligence services. His brother said Afridi was preparing for the sacred hajj pilgrimage along with his wife and had paid a deposit for the journey.

Video: Death of bin Laden: One year later (on this page)

Instead, he found himself languishing in jail, unable to reach out to the U.S. agents who used him in the closing stages of one of the longest and most expensive manhunts in history.

Afridi's lawyers, who talk strategy in their cramped office in a partly disused building in Peshawar's run-down commercial district, have lodged an appeal against his sentencing.

But there seems little prospect of a quick end to their client's ordeal. Jamil Afridi, who appeared on Pakistani television to defend his brother, says his own eight children now fear for his safety.

"For the first time when they saw me on different TV channels they were crying and telling me: 'We have already lost our uncle,'" he said. "'If we lose you, what will happen to us?'"

Additional reporting by Jibran Ahmad in Peshawar and Mark Hosenball in Washington; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan.

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

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Whatever Happened to Google?s Android@Home?

android_HOMEWith just a few days to go before Google's annual I/O developer conference kicks off on Wednesday, it's time to take a look back at last year's event. Besides announcing Ice Cream Sandwich, Google Music and a number of other new projects, one announcement that stood out from the slew of releases last year was Android@Home, Google's entry into the home automation market. Google, at the time, said that it wanted to create a service that would turn your entire home into a network of Android accessories, with Android as "the operating system for your home." Since then, though, neither Google nor its partners have said anything about this initiative.

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Pakistan's gun-slinging chief justice faces backlash

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - To his admirers, Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry is a hero whose relentless pursuit of a money-laundering case against the president is teaching a generation of the country's leaders a long-overdue lesson in respect for the law.

To his critics, he is a runaway judge in the grip of a messiah complex whose turbo-charged brand of activism threatens to upend the power balance underpinning Pakistan's precarious embrace of democracy.

Last week, Chaudhry made his boldest move yet by disqualifying prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani as punishment for his repeated refusal to obey court orders to re-activate a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Gilani's downfall marked a watershed in a long-running showdown between the judiciary and the government that has laid bare the institutional tensions plaguing a country that has test fired ballistic nuclear missiles, but has yet to agree on how it should be run.

"In practical terms, democracy is finished because the balance of power between the parliament, the executive and the judiciary has been ruined," said a senior member of Zardari's ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

The military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half of its 65 years as an independent nation, has also not hidden its disdain of Zardari's government, but has made it clear it does not wish to seize power. And it has its own problems with Chaudhry's activism.

The drama has been spiced by allegations of bribe-taking brought against Chaudhry's son by a billionaire property developer, who has himself been accused of land-grabbing and fraud. The controversy briefly put the stern-faced judge on the defensive before he regained the initiative by disqualifying Gilani.

The next chapter in the saga could start as early as Wednesday, when the Supreme Court holds its latest hearing in more than two years of legal wrangling aimed at forcing the government to re-open proceedings against Zardari.

Pakistan's political class is now transfixed by the question of whether Chaudhry will opt to pause in the wake of his victory over Gilani, or press home his advantage by demanding that Raja Pervez Ashraf, the new prime minister, re-activate the case.

Zardari, a consummate political survivor, has already sacrificed Gilani in his determination to ensure the money-laundering case, which falls under Swiss jurisdiction and dates back the 1990s, remains closed.

While many Pakistanis are happy to see his unpopular government on the ropes, the pugnacious chief justice is facing a growing backlash from those who fear his court-room victories are being bought at the price of Pakistan's stability.

"We all have a problem with corruption, we all want these guys taken to task," said Mehreen Zahra-Malik, a columnist with The News. "But I don't think it should be at the expense of the entire house falling apart."

GRIDLOCK

Opposition parties have exploited the crisis to pile pressure on Zardari, raising the risk that the government might be forced to call general elections before its term expires in March.

Whatever the president may decide, the stage is set for a new bout of institutional gridlock at a time when Pakistani needs agile leadership to face a host of challenges, from a chronic power crisis to Islamist militancy and tense relations with Washington.

The source of Chaudhry's zeal is to be found in one of the more turbulent episodes in Pakistan's recent history, according to lawyers and commentators who have tracked his ascent.

Appointed in 2005, Chaudhry became embroiled in a confrontation with Pervez Musharraf, then Pakistan's military leader, who removed him from office after he opposed plans to extend the general's term in office.

Huge crowds poured onto the streets to support Chaudhry's stand against the generals. Zardari's government, which took power in 2008, was forced to re-instate him the following year after an outpouring of street protests by lawyers.

The heady victory seems to have shaped the judge's self-image as a champion sent to right the wrongs inflicted on ordinary Pakistanis by a self-serving elite and an over-privileged military.

He has since used his powers to investigate everything from petrol and sugar prices to cases of people whose relatives say they have been abducted by Pakistan's intelligence services.

The judge's eagerness to rewrite the rules of Pakistan's power game have won him support among those who see the judiciary as the only realistic hope of holding their leaders to account.

Zardari's choice of Ashraf as prime minister may only reinforce Pakistanis' sense of despair in their government. As a former power minister, many Pakistanis hold Ashraf partly responsible for the chronic electricity shortages that triggered a fresh bout of violent protests last week.

But Chaudhry, too, has got his fair share of criticism. Some say the decision to disqualify Gilani smacks of a grudge match cheered on by his allies in Pakistan's boisterous media.

Legal experts have questioned whether Chaudhry may have exceeded his powers by ousting the prime minister, arguing that there were other options available to resolve the stand-off with Zardari's government.

"It's my impression that the judgments are highly politicized," said Asma Jahangir, a respected human rights lawyer. "The populist approach of the chief justice will destabilize the democratic process."

The ruling PPP believes Chaudhry is deliberately fast-tracking corruption proceedings against its members, while leaving cases against opposition politicians to gather dust.

The media frenzy triggered by Gilani's ouster also eclipsed a sub-plot that had, days earlier, put Chaudhry in the spotlight over allegations that his son had accepted huge bribes from Malik Riaz, a business magnate.

Malik Riaz said he had given almost $3.6 million in bribes to Arsalan Iftikhar, the chief justice's son. Iftikhar has denied any wrongdoing.

The growing backlash against Chaudhry in some parts of the political sphere may temper his next move.

While Zardari's government is widely tarnished with allegations of cronyism and incompetence, it also stands at a unique juncture in Pakistan's evolution from an army-dominated to a civilian-led system.

Before he was ousted, Gilani had been on course to become the first prime minister to lead a democratically elected civilian government to the completion of a five-year term.

The government has often sought to deflect criticism of its record by portraying itself as a "martyr" to a conspiracy by its opponents in the judiciary and military.

That narrative gained more credence in the eyes of many last week when an anti-narcotics court run by the military issued an arrest warrant for Makhdoom Shahabuddin, a former health minister, who had been Zardari's first pick to replace Gilani.

Should Chaudhry attempt to disqualify Ashraf, the prime minister, if he also refuses to re-open the graft case against Zardari, then the unease over his no-holds-barred activism is only likely to grow.

"The Supreme Court will be under tremendous pressure not to send two prime ministers home," said Babar Sattar, a legal commentator.

"Irrespective of the legalities of the issue, I just don't think people will have the patience to live through that drama."

(Editing by Michael Georgy and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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