Mamata's honeymoon with Gorkha Janamukti Morcha over: Left Front

KOLKATA: In the wake of the pro-Gorkhaland GJM threatening for a "bloodied" agitation, West Bengal's opposition parties have asked the state government to tread cautiously and sought an all party meeting on the issue.

Expressing concern over the developments, leader of the opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra Wednesday appealed both to the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) and the Mamata Banerjee government to "exercise restraint" so that the situation does not take an unfortunate turn.

"We would urge the chief minister (Banerjee) to have a more cautious approach on this sensitive manner. It would have been better had she not made unnecessary provocations," Mishra said here.

Calling for an "intensified movement", the GJM Wednesday warned of "violence and bloodbath" if their demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland was not met.

"What will they do? Get the police to fire on us? If that be, we are ready to die," GJM chief Bimal Gurung said, adding: "If there be riots, violence and bloodbath, we are ready for it. But we will not sell our conscience."

Mishra also said the "honeymoon" between Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and the GJM is over.

"It is surprising that the state government is firm on issues on which it should remain soft, while it had been soft in dealing with issues it should have dealt firmly," Mishra said, referring to the "hurried setting up" of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) - a hill council armed with more powers than its predecessor, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, formed in the late 1980s.

Accusing the Banerjee government of denying the people of the hills the "self-rule" promised in the GTA, Mishra said it was not the chief minister's "prerogative to make announcements and dole out sops in the region".

"The state government should hold discussions with all parties including GJM on this issue," he said.

Meanwhile the Congress too echoed the need for an all-party discussion on the issue.

"It is not the problem concerning only the state government or any political party but a problem concerning the people of the state," state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya said.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

China sentences two Tibetans for 'inciting' self-immolations

BEIJING: A court in China has handed down heavy sentences to a Tibetan monk and his nephew for inciting eight people to set themselves on fire in anti-Chinese protests, media said on Thursday, the first time punishment has been meted out over such protests.

Nearly 100 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest against Chinese rule since 2009, with most of them dying from their injuries.

Lorang Konchok, 40, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in the Aba prefecture in Sichuan province, while his nephew, Losang Tsering, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Xinhua state news agency said.

In practice, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve is commuted to life imprisonment or reduced to a fixed-term later.

"The two incited and coerced eight people to self-immolate, resulting in three deaths," Xinhua said, citing the Intermediate People's Court in Aba prefecture.

Last December, Xinhua reported that Lorang Konchok, who was detained with his nephew in August, confessed to police that he had followed instructions from exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and his followers.

Lorang Konchok and his nephew passed on information about each self-immolation, including photographs, to overseas contacts belonging to a Tibetan independence organization with mobile telephones, Xinhua said.

China has repeatedly denounced the Dalai Lama and exiled Tibetan groups for fomenting the self-immolations.

Beijing considers Nobel peace laureate the Dalai Lama, who fled from China in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, a separatist. The Dalai Lama says he is merely seeking greater autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.

He has called on China to investigate the self-immolations. He has said he is not encouraging them has called them "understandable".

China has defended its iron-fisted rule in Tibet, saying the remote region suffered from dire poverty, brutal exploitation and economic stagnation until 1950, when Communist troops "peacefully liberated" it.

Tibetan areas in China have been largely closed to foreign reporters, making an independent assessment of the situation there impossible.

Chinese police arrested a Tibetan man last week for allegedly encouraging a monk to burn himself to death, as part of a new tactic to discourage suicide protests against Chinese rule.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

6.7 magnitude quake hits northern Chile: USGS

SANTIAGO: A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake jolted northern Chile on Wednesday, killing a woman, knocking out electricity and phone services, and sending panicked residents running into the streets.

The earthquake occurred at 2015 GMT some 102 kilometers (63 miles) from the mining town of Copiapo, the site of a famous 2010 rescue operation, the US Geological Service said.

The epicenter was about 800 kilometers north of the capital Santiago.

Late Wednesday, Interior Minister Andres Chadwick announced that a woman in her 50s had suffered a fatal heart attack during the quake. The temblor otherwise appeared to have caused only minor damage, with no other reports of casualties.

The quake, which lasted longer than a minute, downed phone service and power in nearby cities, local officials said.

Panicked people ran out into the streets of the town of Atacama, recalling a tsunami that hit the south three years ago. Homes were were damaged in the city of Vallenar, and in Copiapo the quake knocked out windows.

"At city hall, some fragile items were smashed and a television set fell. Some people ran out of the building," Vallenar mayor Cristian Tapia said.

He said stunned residents ran into the streets, and that some of them were treated for panic attacks in local medical centers.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said in a preliminary report that there was no tsunami threat, but that an earthquake of such magnitude could cause localized damage.

In February 2010, a massive 8.8-strength earthquake hit Chile's central Maule region, south of Valparaiso, generating tsunami waves, killing more than 500 people and causing about $30 billion in damage.

But experts said that Wednesday's quake was on a different tectonic plate from the 2010 temblor.

The town of Copiapo attracted global attention two years ago when 33 workers were trapped deep inside a nearby mine for more than two months before being rescued.

It took emergency services 17 days to drill a small shaft to establish contact, and more than two months of painstaking effort before they opened a passageway wide enough to pull them out, one by one.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

SC dismisses plea against Tamil Nadu govt's decision to shift assembly

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea challenging the AIADMK government's decision to shift legislative assembly-cum-secretariat complex back to its old building at Fort St. George in Chennai.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir refused to set aside the state government's decision which was taken after AIADMK came back to power in May 2011.

The bench said these issues should be raised before another forum and the court should not adjudicate them after it was pleaded that the decision was taken only to override the earlier decision taken by the DMK government to shift the assembly to the new building at Omandurar government Estate in Chennai.

The Jayalalithaa government had decided to shift the Secretariat to the Fort St. George and convert the new building constructed by the previous DMK government into a multi-speciality hospital-cum-medical college.

The apex court passed the order on a plea filed by DMK leader R Veeramani challenging the Madras HC decision upholding the shifting of the assembly to the older building.

On June 20, last year, the court had declined to interfere with the plea pending in the Madras HC seeking to restrain the Tamil Nadu government from shifting the secretariat building to Fort St. George.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Time to address disruptions in Parliament, President Pranab Mukherjee says

NEW DELHI:Expressing serious concern over the menace of disruptions in Parliament and legislatures, President Pranab Mukherjee today said time has now come to address the issue which cannot simply be brushed aside as necessary to bring a recalcitrant administration to its knees.

"In my younger days we were taught that the essence of democracy is 3D — debate and discussion, dissent and finally decision. But when I retired from Parliament in July (after over four decades in public life), I find there was another D — disruption of proceedings of the House," he said.

Mukherjee was speaking after inaugurating "The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy" — a think tank on public policies and governance-set up by English daily in Chennai.

The function, in which he inaugurated the centre by unveiling a plaque was attended by a galaxy of personalities that included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, senior BJP leader L K Advani, former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, CPI general secretary Prakash Karat, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Union ministers and MPs.

The President, who had a long distinguished Parliamentary career, also spoke on the need to discuss how institutions of Parliamentary democracy can be strengthened.

Speaking on disruptions, he said, "We cannot simply brush it aside and say it may be necessary. The persons who are doing it, these are persons in Parliament who are equally responsible personalities. Is it not time to find out how to address the issue."

Mukherjee said it is said that sometimes it is necessary to bring around a recalcitrant administration for finding a resolution to issues.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Will ban Vishwaroopam in Uttar Pradesh if found objectionable: Samajwadi Party

LUCKNOW: After the ban in Tamil Nadu, Kamal Haasan's Vishwaroopam may be prevented from screening in Uttar Pradesh if it is found that the film "hurts the sentiments" of Muslims and indulges in "character assassination", the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) said today.

"Officials concerned would see the film thoroughly; if it is found to be good and entertaining (then it is) fine, or else, it would not be allowed to run in UP," Samajwadi Party general secretary Ram Asrey Kushwaha told reporters here.

"If it indulges in character assassination, it would not be screened in the state...," Kushwaha said.

The veteran actor's spy thriller has run into trouble in Tamil Nadu where the high court yesterday stayed its screening over the sensitive content of the film.

"It appears that there are some portions which hurt the sentiments of a religious group or caste... Officials would look into it," the SP leader added.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

No plans to run for presidency in 2016, Hillary Clinton says

WASHINGTON: Virtually putting to rest all speculations about her contesting the next US presidential elections, outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she has "absolutely" no such plans and is just focusing to finish her current term in office.

"Well, I have absolutely no plans to run (for presidency). Right now, I am trying to finish my term as Secretary of State," she told CNN in an interview, when asked about reports of her contesting the elections in 2016.

"I don't know everything I'll be doing. I'll be working on behalf of women and girls, and hopefully be writing and speaking. Those are the things that I am planning to do right now," she added.

Clinton said she does not know what the new life entails for her Monday onwards, when there are no appointments for her.

"I don't know. It's been my whole life. I mean, I've had a job ever since I was 13 years old. When I wasn't in school, I was working," she said.

Clinton said she had been talking to her colleagues who had earlier in the government to know from them the necessary adjustments that are required in life after leaving a job.

"So when I wake up to have the luxury of nowhere to go, nothing to do, no frantic call about calling some leader about some impending crisis, I'm actually interested to see how that goes. It's going to be fun to talk it through and figure out what our next adventures might be," Clinton said.

Responding to questions on her family members, she said her daughter Chelsea wants to lead a life of public service, but she does not know if she (Chelsea) will run.

"I think she is really focused on the philanthropy. She did a great service after Hurricane Sandy through our foundation and through Clinton Global Initiative," she said.

Clinton also appreciated her husband Bill for his works in the field of social service.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indian-origin woman selected for Order of Australia Medal

MELBOURNE: An Indian-origin woman is all set to figure in the prestigious list of people who have received the Order of Australia Medal (OAM).

85-year old Krishna Arora, who has been running a community service was selected for this year's awards for her contribution to the Indian community.

"When I came here, I found the only thing that needed attention was loneliness of new migrants. Someone said to me Australians pass their time by doing community work. I thought it was a great idea and then there was no looking back," said Arora, former principal of a Delhi-based catering college.

Arora, also popularly known as 'Auntieji', runs a hotline tele service offering cooking tips.

"For a newly arrived person, it is very, very important they get in contact with the right type of people who will be able to tell them the little customs and traditions of Australia and get on with life" said Arora.

She has also been teaching Asian cooking to Australians for two years at one of the Community Centre in Western suburb of Victoria.

"I feel extremely pleased and encouraged to work more for the community" she said.

The other Indian-origin women who had earlier received the honour include Joyce Westrip (2000), Mala Mehta (2006) and Vettath Rajkumar (2009).

In November last year, iconic Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was also conferred with the prestigious award.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Japanese airlines replaced many Boeing Dreamliner batteries

TOKYO: Japan's two major airlines said Wednesday they had replaced a number of batteries in their Dreamliners ahead of the worldwide grounding of Boeing's next generation aircraft earlier this month.

A spokeswoman for All Nippon Airways said 10 batteries on its fleet had been switched, while a representative of rival Japan Airlines (JAL) told AFP "quite a few" had needed changing.

The lithium-ion batteries, made by Japanese manufacturer GS Yuasa, have been at the centre of a probe into the Dreamliner's airworthiness since a fire on a JAL plane in Boston and an emergency landing on an ANA flight in Japan.

ANA, a key customer for Boeing's lightweight plane, had to replace batteries 10 times ahead of the January 16 emergency landing forced by smoke apparently linked to the powerpack, a company spokeswoman said.

"Batteries in general have to be replaced as frequently as need arises," a spokeswoman told AFP, without providing further details.

It was not immediately clear if all 10 replacements had been carried out on different planes, or if the same aircraft had seen multiple changes.

A JAL spokeswoman said it had "quite a few cases" where Boeing 787 batteries had to be replaced before the aircraft's worldwide fleet was grounded.

ANA and JAL are important Dreamliner customers who have so far ordered a combined 111 aircraft.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nitish Kumar best prime ministerial candidate, JD(U) leader says

PATNA: Following some senior BJP leaders backing Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate, a senior Janata Dal-United leader on Wednesday made a strong pitch for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for the post.

"There are several names doing the rounds for the post of PM. But Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is best among them," JD(U) legislator from Chandi, Hari Kishore Singh told IANS by telephone.

"Going by the reputation and experience of governance with justice, Nitish Kumar ranks first among those in the race for the post," added Singh, who is also vice chairman of the Bihar State Planning Board.

He said that without Nitish Kumar's support, no party would be able to form a government at the centre.

Singh criticized Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha for supporting Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The JD(U) is the second-largest party in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Last year, panchayati raj and rural works minister Bhim Singh had triggered a controversy when he asked the BJP to declare Nitish Kumar as the NDA's prime ministerial nominee.

However, later the minister expressed his regret after Nitish Kumar aired his unhappiness over his remarks. Nitish Kumar has repeatedly said that he is not in race for the PM post.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Govt will be prompt in pursuing Verma panel recommendations on rape laws: PM

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said that the government will be prompt in pursuing the recommendations of J S Verma Committee to amend the law to deal effectively with cases of sexual assault against women.

In a letter to Justice Verma, former Chief Justice of India, Manmohan Singh thanked him and other two members of the committee--Justice (retd) Leila Seth and former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian--for completing within a short period of 30 days the work of the panel, set up in the wake of the brutal gang rape and assault of a 23-year-old here on December 16 2012.

"That the committee submitted its report within a short period of 30 days is testimony to your commitment and concern for the public good...

"On behalf of our government, I assure you that we will be prompt in pursuing the recommendations of the committee," the Prime Minister said in the letter.

Singh also thanked the committee members for their "labour of love" in pursuing their job to recommend amendments to the law to deal effectively with cases of sexual assault of extreme nature against women.

The Verma Committee has recommended enhancing punishment to up to 20 years imprisonment for rape and murder and life term for gang rape but refrained from suggesting death penalty for the guilty.

In its 630-page report submitted to the government on January 23, the Committee suggested various amendments to the criminal laws to provide for higher punishment to rapists, including those belonging to police and public servants.

New offences have been created and stiffer punishment has been suggested for those committing such offence that left the victim in a vegetative state. The new offences include disrobing a woman, voyeurism, stalking and trafficking.

The present statute provides for punishment of imprisonment ranging from seven years to life for rapists. The panel was constituted in the wake of national outrage over the gang rape in a moving bus in south Delhi. The victim died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Deadly chemical leak at Samsung plant in South Korea, one killed

SEOUL: A toxic chemical leak at a Samsung Electronics chipmaking plant in South Korea left one worker dead and four injured, the company said Tuesday.

The five repair workers were called in Sunday night to stop the leak of diluted hydrofluoric acid at the plant in the city of Hwaseong, 43 kilometres (26 miles) southwest of Seoul, a Samsung spokesman told AFP.

One was taken to hospital Monday with pains in his throat and chest but died hours later. The remaining four were also treated in hospital but released, the spokesman said.

The leak involved about two to three litres of acid and was contained early Monday morning, he said.

The acid is an acute poison that can damage lungs and bones and affect the nervous system, as well as burn the skin.

"The situation has been contained and Samsung will be investigating the circumstances of this unfortunate incident," the company said in a statement, offering its "deepest condolences" to the dead man's family.

Samsung is the world's top maker of smartphones, memory chips and flat-panel TVs.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

We are capable of securing our citizens, India tells Pakistan

NEW DELHI: India is capable of securing its citizens, home secretary R K Singh said on Tuesday in response to Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik's statement that the Indian government should provide security to actor Shah Rukh Khan.

"We are quite capable of looking after security of our own citizens... let him (Malik) worry about security of his own," R K Singh told reporters here.

Shah Rukh found himself in the thick of another controversy after his comments on being a Muslim led to Jamaat-ud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed saying the star could move to Pakistan.

The 47-year-old actor wrote: "I sometimes become the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make me a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in India."

"There have been occasions when I have been accused of bearing allegiance to our neighbouring nation rather than my own country - this even though I am an Indian, whose father fought for the freedom of India. Rallies have been held where leaders have exhorted me to leave and return what they refer to my original homeland," added the superstar of Hindi cinema.

He went on say that he became so sick of being mistaken for some crazed terrorist, "who co-incidentally carries the same name as mine that I made a film subtly titled 'My Name Is Khan' (and I am not a terrorist) to prove a point".

"Ironically, I was interrogated at the airport for hours about my last name when I was going to promote the film in America for the first time," said the filmstar.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

RBI rate cut will catalyze economic growth, Anand Sharma says

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Jan 29, 2013, 01.23PM IST

AGRA: The cut in key policy rates by the central bank will improve liquidity and catalyze economic growth, commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma said Tuesday.

"It is a positive step which will infuse liquidity and help catalyse economic growth," Sharma said while reacting to the monetary policy announced the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

In its third quarter review of the monetary policy for the financial year 2012-13, the RBI cut key policy rates for the first time in nine months.

The repurchase rate, the interest charged by RBI on short-term borrowings by commercial banks, has been cut by 25 basis points to 7.75%. This has the potential to lower the cost of borrowings for banks.

Also, the cash reserve ratio, or the money against deposits which commercial banks have to retain in liquid assets, has been lowered from 4.25% to 4%.

Sharma, who is here to attend Partnership Summit, said the RBI move was balanced and it would help revive growth.

The central bank's move will make home, auto and other loans cheaper and reduce the cost of borrowings. This is expected to help revive the sluggish economic growth, which fell to nearly a decade low of 5.4% in the first half of the current financial year.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Train services affected by rail blockade in Assam districts

GOALPARA/RANGIYA: Train services were affected in Goalpara and Kamrup (Rural) districts of Assam following the rail blockade called by the All Rabha Students' Union (ARSU) to protest against holding of panchayat elections in Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council areas.

ARSU activists blocked rail tracks at several places in Goalpara and Kamrup (Rural) districts today to protest holding of panchayat elections in villages which fall under RHAC areas.

The Bongaigaon-Haibargaon Chilarai Express was stopped in Goalpara station this morning with activists resorting to stone pelting in which the train driver was injured.

Police rushed to the spot and resorted to a mild lathicharge to disperse the protestors.

The train later resumed its onward journey but was again stopped at Bamunigaon in Kamrup (Rural) district by the picketers.

ARSU activists and members of several organizations representing the Rabha community have resorted to widespread protests in the districts during the last fortnight protesting holding of panchayat elections in villages within RHAC.

Assam State Election Commission has notified holding of panchayat elections prior to the Rabha-Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) elections in the two districts.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

DMK angry over posters put up for Alagiri's birthday in Chennai

CHENNAI: DMK on Tuesday warned of disciplinary action against those responsible for putting up posters carrying inappropriate words across the city in connection with the birthday celebrations of Union minister M K Alagiri.

"In the name of greeting Alagiri, posters carrying inappropriate words have cropped up which bring bad name to the party...strict action would be taken against those responsible for such acts," the party said in a statement.

The posters did not carry any name of the person or from where they were printed.

The city was full of posters of Alagiri for his 62nd birthday celebrations tomorrow.

Sibling war came to the fore after party chief M Karunanidhi made it clear that his younger son M K Stalin would be his successor and Alagiri indicating that he would oppose the decision saying, DMK was "not a mutt".

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Vishwaroopam' released in Karnataka, police assures full security

BANGALORE: Kamal Haasan's controversial film "Vishwaroopam" was finally released today in Karnataka after the state police gave an assurance of providing adequate security for the multi-lingual film.

"Vishwaroopam has been released in 40 theatres across the state, including 17 in Bangalore from the matinee show today. All 17 theatres screening the film are already going housefull," sole distributor of the film in Karnataka, H D Gangaraju told PTI.

He said the state police had assured it would provide security for peaceful screening of the film.

"Acceding to the request of a delegation of Muslim leaders who met city police commissioner Jyothiprakash Mirji and appealed that a line stating 'all Muslims are not terrorists' be inserted in the film, I have decided to insert the line in the credits as it cannot be inserted in the film since it is a digital production," Gangaraju said.

Mirji who viewed the film on Jan 27, the day it was to be released in Karnataka, felt there was nothing objectionable in it, Gangaraju claimed.

The film, facing a two week-ban in Tamil Nadu due to its alleged anti-Muslim content, hit screens worldwide on Jan 25 but its release was deferred in Karnataka following a police suggestion in view of "Milad-un-Nabi" and Republic Day and later in the wake of a group clash in Bhadravathi on Jan 26 over screening of the film.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Venezuela govt making 'bald-faced lies' over Chavez: Opposition

CARACAS: Venezuela's government is flat-out lying to its people about cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez's health, the country's leading opposition figure charged on Sunday.

"The people are being told bald-faced lies about the situation the president is in," Henrique Capriles, who lost last October's presidential race to Chavez, said at a ceremony in Miranda state of which he is governor. Longtime leader Chavez, 58, is convalescing from cancer surgery in Cuba and has not been heard from since his latest operation December 11.

Venezuela's government has said the absent leader suffered a lung infection following his treatment that he subsequently conquered. Officials have also said that Chavez is signing documents, and even cracking jokes with aides.

For many Venezuelans, however, the idea of Chavez — a garrulous and bombastic leader who typically is seen for several hours at a time every day, without fail, on state radio and television, in addition to being a big Twitter user — choosing to be silent is simply unthinkable.

"The government is lying right in your face, telling bald-faced lies, because why would a person who can sign letters, who can tell jokes, not speak to the nation?" Capriles asked in damning tone.

Foreign minister Elias Jaua said on Thursday that Chavez was making progress in his recovery from cancer surgery, but faced a tough battle ahead.

And on Saturday, Venezuelan vice-president Nicolas Maduro said Chavez had entered a phase of "complementary treatment to combat his illness."

Maduro, Chavez's handpicked political heir, did not say if that meant more radiation therapy, chemotherapy or some alternative cancer care and no date was given for when the president will return to Caracas.

The vice president on Friday showed a series of documents signed by Chavez and on Saturday he headed to Chile with a letter for regional leaders he said was handwritten by Chavez.

The president is a former paratrooper who first came to power in the oil-rich South American country in 1999.

He won another six-year term in October's election, despite questions about his health.

Throughout his illness, first detected in June 2011, Chavez has refused to relinquish the powers of the presidency, even when leaving for Cuba last month.

He was too sick to attend his own January 10 inauguration, prompting the government to delay the swearing-in indefinitely under an interpretation of the constitution that was heavily criticized by the opposition.

The Chavez-controlled National Assembly and Supreme Court both approved the arrangement, which keeps his administration in place under Maduro until the president can take the oath of office for his fourth term.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hillary Clinton coy about political future in joint interview with Obama

WASHINGTON: Outgoing US secretary of State Hillary Clinton sidestepped questions about whether she would run for president in 2016 in a CBS television interview done jointly with President Barack Obama, her rival in the 2008 race.

Clinton, 65, denied there were any political tea leaves to read in the unusual joint interview for the CBS show "60 Minutes," and acknowledged that she still has "some lingering effects" from a recent concussion and blood clot that she said doctors expect to disappear over time.

"The president and I care deeply about what's going to happen for our country in the future. And I don't think, you know, either he or I can make predictions about what's going to happen tomorrow, or the next year," Clinton said, according to a transcript of the interview, which was taped at the White House on Friday and aired on Sunday.

Obama beat Clinton in a bitter Democratic primary campaign to run for president in 2008. He surprised many by choosing her as his secretary of state, a job she said she initially turned down.

Clinton traveled to a record 112 countries as secretary of state. She has said she wants to take a break from public life, but has not said she will retire.

Democratic Senator John Kerry, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2004, is expected to be confirmed as Obama's new secretary of state as early as this week.

After Obama heaped praise on Clinton's diplomatic achievements, he chided the show's host, Steve Kroft, who asked about "the date of expiration on this endorsement" of Clinton.

"You guys in the press are incorrigible. I was literally inaugurated four days ago. And you're talking about elections four years from now," Obama said.

Clinton has been in the public eye for 34 years, since her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was governor of Arkansas.

Her cautious answer about her future on Sunday was less definitive than one she gave in an ABC interview in December, when she said in reference to another bid for the presidency: "I've said I really don't believe that that's something I will do again."

Many Democrats hope that Clinton will run in 2016. Vice-president Joe Biden's name has also been frequently mentioned among Democrats. He has said he has not decided whether to run.

Clinton also addressed a recent health issue: a concussion and blood clot that sent her to the hospital.

"The doctors tell me that that will all recede. And so thankfully I'm, you know, looking forward to being at full speed," she said.

She said she had since been wearing glasses instead of contact lenses because of "lingering effects" from the concussion "that are decreasing, and will disappear."

Clinton returned from a European tour on Dec. 7 suffering from a stomach virus. On December 15, the state department announced she had become dehydrated, fainted and suffered a concussion.

During a check-up afterwards, she was diagnosed with the blood clot, hospitalized and treated with blood thinners.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Temperatures rise in J&K, minimum temperature remains sub-zero

SRINAGAR: Night temperatures across Kashmir rose by several degrees, much to the relief of residents of the Valley, but the minimum temperature stayed sub-zero.

Kashmir Valley shivered for the last few days as the minimum temperatures hovered several degrees below the freezing point. As dry weather prevailed, water supply lines and water bodies, including the world famous Dal Lake, froze under the intense chill.

However, the spell of dry and intense cold conditions was broken as some parts of the Valley received light snowfall last night, bringing considerable improvement in the temperatures.

Leh town in the cold desert of Ladakh continued to be the coldest place in the state, despite the night temperature showing an increase of over seven degrees registering a low of -11.2 degree Celsius as against the previous night's -18.4 degree Celsius, a spokesman of the Met department said.

The minimum night temperature in the summer capital Srinagar was just a little below the freezing point at -0.4 degree Celsius, an increase of over four notches from the previous night, he said.

The minimum temperature on the previous night was -4.8 degree Celsius. Srinagar had recorded the coldest night of this winter on Saturday with a low of -5.8 degree Celsius.

The minimum night temperature in Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir jumped up by over six degrees to settle at -5 degree Celsius from the previous night's -11.4 degree Celsius, the spokesman said, adding the resort received a snowfall of 4 cm.

The ski-resort of Gulmarg, which shivered at a low of -8 degree Celsius the previous night, recorded a low of -6 degree Celsius, he said.

The minimum night temperature in the highway town of Qazigund in south Kashmir was -2.4 degree Celsius as against yesterday's -8.2 degree Celsius, almost up by six notches, the spokesman said.

The night temperature in Kokernag settled at a low of -3.3 degree Celsius, up by five notches from yesterday's -8.3 degree Celsius, he said, adding that Kokernag received light snowfall equivalent to 1 cm of rain.

In north Kashmir's Kupwara town, where the previous night's minimum was -5.3 degree Celsius, the minimum temperature settled at a low of -2.9 degree Celsius during the night, he said.

The night temperature in Kargil, also in the frontier region of Ladakh, settled at a minimum of -10 degree Celsius, an increase of 4.4 degrees from -14.4 degree Celsius the previous night.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Disqualify MLAs backing Yeddyurappa MLAs, BJP tells Speaker

BANGALORE: The ruling BJP on Monday sought to turn the tables on former party strongman B S Yeddyurappa by seeking the disqualification of 12 MLAs who have thrown in their lot with him, for 'anti-party' activities.

The petition on behalf of the BJP signed by two ruling party MLAs -- Beluru Gopalakrishna and M V Nagaraju -- was submitted to the Secretary of the Legislative Assembly, P Omprakasha. Speaker K G Bopaiah was not present.

"We have filed the petition on anti-party activities of the 12 MLAs in the last two-three months and requested their disqualification", Gopalakrishana told reporters, adding, a CD and documents on their 'anti-party' activities was submitted along with the petition.

Last Thursday, 13 BJP MLAs loyal to Yeddyurappa, chief of the recently launched Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), went to the Speaker's office to submit their resignations from the Assembly but could not do so as Bopaiah was out of station. They then trooped into the Raj Bhavan and appealed to Governor H R Bhardwaj to intervene and ensure that their resignations are accepted by the Speaker. The 13 later also sent their resignations to Bopaiah by e-mail.

Two MLAs -- Thippeswamy and Vittala Katakadonda (who were part of the 13 MLAs who wanted to resign last Thursday) -- did not figure in the list of 12 MLAs submitted to the Speaker's office. But the name of Sunil Valyapure, who the KJP claimed had also resigned taking their grouping's strength to 14, was included.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dead rat in dinner makes nine students ill in UP

BANDA, UP: A dead rat allegedly found in the dinner served to students of a government residential school in Hardauli village in the district made nine children severely ill, a government official said.

The students in the age group of five to 12 years, started vomiting as one of them found a dead rat in the food served to them last night, Government medical officer, Dr R S Verma said.

On being informed about the incident, a team of doctors rushed to the school, Verma said, adding, all the children are better now.

Meanwhile, official sources said an enquiry has been ordered into the incident.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jaipur lit fest organisers asked to stay in city till Ashis Nandy probe ends

JAIPUR: Police on Monday asked the organisers of Jaipur Literature Festival not to leave the city till investigation into the case against author Ashis Nandy is over.

Additional commissioner of police Biju George Joseph said the organisers were asked to remain in the city as a probe is going on against Nandy and festival producer Sanjoy Roy.

"We asked the organisers to not leave the city in order to complete the probe," Joseph said.

Confirming the development, Roy said, "I have signed the papers on behalf of the JLF team to comply with the orders."

An FIR was lodged against Nandy and Roy last Saturday by Rajpal Meena, chairperson of the SC/ST Rajasthan Manch, after Nandy stoked a controversy with comments that people from OBC, SC and ST were the "most corrupt".

Nandy left Jaipur yesterday skipping the rest of the literature festival, which ends today.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Landslide in Indonesia's Sumatra island kills four, leaves 18 missing: Official

JAKARTA: Landslides triggered by heavy rain killed four people and left 18 others missing on Indonesia's Sumatra island while burying more than a dozen houses, an official said on Sunday.

"Heavy rains caused landslides in Agam district in West Sumatra," National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a text message.

"Four people were found dead, three others were injured and sent to hospital... Search is ongoing for 18 (missing) people," he added.

Fifteen houses were also buried by the landslide, Nugroho said.

Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia, which is prone to frequent bursts of heavy rain.

Heavy rain in the capital Jakarta this month caused 32 deaths and at its peak forced nearly 46,000 people to flee their inundated homes, Nugroho said earlier.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Major floods hammer northern Australia

SYDNEY: A man was missing in raging floodwaters and hundreds of homes were evacuated in northeastern Australia as storms pelted Queensland state Sunday, with the army put on standby as the weather worsened.

Towns and cities devastated by floods in Queensland two years ago which claimed 35 lives were bracing for another devastating inundation as ex-tropical cyclone Oswald hammered the northern state.

A 27-year-old man was missing after he attempted to cross a swollen creek near Gympie north of Brisbane and a swift-water rescue team lost their boat trying to retrieve him, according to the town's mayor Ron Dyne.

Dyne said a number of people had been forced to retreat to the roofs of their homes to await rescue from the rising waters, with the centre of Gympie expected to flood later Sunday.

"At this stage, we've got major concerns," said Dyne.

"Everything's occurred rather rapidly given the amount of rain we've had."

Further north, major flooding was expected in the towns of Bundaberg and Gladstone, with hundreds of homes and businesses at risk, some of which had only just been rebuilt following the 2011 floods.

An emergency evacuation warning was issued in Bundaberg after the Burnett River broke its banks on Sunday afternoon. It was expected to peak at more than nine metres, well in excess of the devastating 7.92m seen in 2011.

In Biloela, west of Bundaberg, a woman had to be plucked to safety after spending eight hours clinging to the branches of a tree.

The Insurance Council of Australia declared a statewide catastrophe, noting there had already been "severe inundation... in several towns and cities" and that major flood warnings had been issued.

"Unfortunately, this catastrophe declaration is the result of the first cyclone to come close to the coast this season, and the weather bureau has warned it's highly possible we will see more before the end of summer," said ICA chief Rob Whelan.

At least one international flight was diverted from Brisbane to Sydney due to the high winds and Qantas has cancelled a number of domestic services, with the Sunshine Coast regional airport shut down.

About 900 homes had been evacuated in the Gladstone region and about 100 backpackers were sheltering in a community centre at Rainbow Beach after being removed from Fraser Island according to Dyne.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said the army was on standby to assist in the unfolding emergency.

"The challenge now is that we've got multiple events going on," Newman told reporters, adding that he had spoken with Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

The weather bureau said there had been reports of "possible tornado activity" throughout southeastern Queensland overnight and warned that further storms were likely, bringing "significant damage or destruction to homes and property".

Cyclones and floods are common in Australia's northeast during the warmer summer months. A massive inundation of Queensland in 2011 killed 35 people and brought Brisbane to a standstill for several days, swamping some 30,000 homes.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Successive governments neglected Netaji mystery: Anita Bose

KOLKATA: NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose's daughter Anita Bose Pfaff feels that the inquiry commissions set up to investigate his whereabouts following his disappearance in 1945 were handicapped for want of enough government support.

"I don't know how much support the inquiry commissions had received, but I think in some ways it (government) was supportive and in other ways they (commissions) also had their handicaps," Anita told in an interview here.

Citing an example, she said the first commission was not allowed to go to Taiwan to investigate the so-called plane crash because it was politically "inopportune".

"I have a feeling that the last commission ( Mukherjee Commission) did not really get prompt support in terms of documents being supplied," Anita said.

"That seems to be a bit sort of lagging, but I cannot tell you beyond that what they have written or what were their personal experiences," Anita said.

Since Bose's mysterious disappearance on August 18, 1945, three commissions had been set up by the central government since 1947 to find out his whereabouts after the alleged plan crash.

Although the first two commissions supported the theory of plane crash and the death of Bose, the third one set up in 1999 did not and asserted that on that day, no air crash had taken place in Taiwan.

The Mukherjee commission's final report was submitted in Parliament in 2006 which was rejected by the Congress-led UPA regime.

Asked if she believes in the plane crash theory, Anita said, "I think it is the most likely thing. I have talked to several eyewitnesses myself, especially some of the Japaneses eyewitnesses. And by and large this seems to be the most persistent theory."

She went on to say, "I agree that he is no longer alive."

Bose was 48 years old when he disappered.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Veteran Telugu director Sattiraju Lakshmi Narayana hospitalised

HYDERABAD: Just a day after being named for the Padma Shri, veteran Telugu director Bapu aka Sattiraju Lakshmi Narayana was hospitalised after he complained of uneasiness. However, his brother said there was nothing to worry.

The 79-year-old was on Saturday night admitted to the Star Hospital here after he said that he was feeling uneasy.

"There's absolutely nothing to worry. People thronged to his house in Hyderabad after they came to know that he was awarded the Padma Shri. He couldn't take so much of attention and thus started feeling uneasy," Shankaranarayana, a brother of Bapu said.

"I spoke to my brother this morning and he is doing fine. The doctors have advised him day-long rest in the hospital," he added.

Bapu is likely to be discharged on Sunday evening.

Tourism minister and actor Chiranjeevi and veteran producer Allu Aravind visited Bapu in the hospital.

Bapu started making films in 1967, a year when he made his first Telugu movie "Sakshi" with superstar Krishna.

In a career spanning over four decades, he has directed many Telugu films and five of them - "Mutayala Muggu", "Balaraju Katha", "Andala Ramudu", "Pelli Pustakam", and "Sri Rama Rajyam", won National Awards.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Khurshid to visit Germany, Belgium; push trade accord with EU

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Salman Khurshid will undertake visit to two important European Union countries --Germany and Belgium-- from Monday where he will have discussions on enhancing common approaches to address new and emerging challenges apart from ways to push long-pending India-EU trade accord.

Khurshid will be holding discussions with German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle and would call on the chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel during his two-day visit on January 28-29.

Germany is India's largest trading partner in Europe. Indo-German bilateral trade has registered an increase of 20.8 per cent to reach Euro 15.18 billion during Jan-Oct 2011. Indian exports grew over 25.93 per cent over the same period of 2010 to reach Euro 6.37 billion, while its imports registered an increase of over 17.39 per cent to reach Euro 8.81 billion. The trade surplus is in favour of Germany of about Euro 2.44 billion.

The two countries also have several institutionalised arrangements like a strategic dialogue, foreign office consultations, joint commission on industrial and economic cooperation, defence committee dialogue and a joint working group on counter- terrorism to discuss various bilateral and global issues of interest.

During his visit, Khurshid is expected to review the status of talks between India and EU on Free Trade Agreement which were launched in June 2007 and have been witnessing differences over the level of custom duty cut on some exports like autos and wines to India and visa to Indian professionals to EU.

Khurshid, who will be in Belgium on January 30-31, will hold bilateral discussions with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and with the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Baroness Catherine Ashton.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

No public access to 2G documents till JPC completes probe: CIC

NEW DELHI: Documents related to 2G spectrum allocation cannot be accessed by public till the joint parliamentary committee completes its probe and submits its report, the Central Information Commission has held.

The JPC which is probing the high profile scam, in which the then telecom minister A Raja is the main accused, has directed the finance ministry not to reveal any information till it completes the probe.

The case relates to an RTI application filed by Vikas Saluja who sought from the department of economic affairs, finance ministry the details of meetings between Raja and then finance minister with respect to 2G spectrum allocation.

Saluja had asked from the ministry the dates of meeting between the two and agenda and minutes of these meetings but the department did not provide them to him.

The department told Saluja that documents have been provided to JPC and cannot be disclosed as doing it would be violation of parliamentary privileges.

Section 8(1)(c) of the RTI Act exempts disclosure of information which would cause a breach of privilege of parliament or the state legislature.

When the matter reached the CIC, chief information commissioner Satyananda Mishra concurred with the view of the central public information officer of the department.

"We have considered the case on merits. We do not find anything wrong in the response of the CPIO.

"The desired information has been specifically prohibited by the joint parliamentary committee from disclosure.

"Therefore, disclosure of such information would lead to the breach of privilege the Parliament, a sufficient ground for not disclosing the information under the provisions of subsection 1(c) of section 8 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act," Mishra said.

He asked Saluja to wait till the JPC submits its report to Parliament and apply for the same information again.

The 2G spectrum scam involves charges of last moment tweaking of date of allocation of spectrum and other irregularities allegedly committed by Raja in collusion with Telecom Ministry officials and executives of beneficiaries telecom companies in 2008.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

North Korea threatens rival South Korea over UN sanctions

SEOUL: North Korea on Friday threatened "physical counter-measures" against rival South Korea - the latest in a series of bellicose warnings sparked by a tightening of UN sanctions against Pyongyang.

"If the South Korean puppet regime of traitors directly participates in the so-called UN 'sanctions', strong physical countermeasures would be taken," the North's Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Fatherland said.

The warning, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, came a day after North Korea's top military body threatened to conduct a third nuclear test and boost its ability to strike the United States.

The latest warning re-focused Pyongyang's anger from Washington to Seoul.

"Sanctions amount to a declaration of war against us," said the committee, which is the prime state body responsible for inter-Korean dialogue and exchange.

"As long as the South Korean puppet traitors' regime continues with its anti-DPRK (North Korea) hostile policy, we will never sit down with them," it said.

The current upsurge in tensions has its roots in Pyonyang's defiant decision to push ahead with a long-range rocket launch on December 12 - insisting it was a peaceful mission to place a satellite in orbit.

The rest of the world saw it as a banned ballistic missile test and on Tuesday the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that expanded sanctions imposed on North Korea after its nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

The United States, supported by Japan and South Korea, spearheaded the UN resolution.

Pyongyang reacted furiously, vowing to boost its nuclear arsenal and to conduct a third nuclear test and even longer-range rocket launches in an "all-out action" against its "sworn US enemy".

The North's reaction poses an early challenge to both US President Barack Obama at the start of his second term, and to South Korean president-elect Park Geun-Hye, who takes office in one month's time.

Park has promised to push for further engagement with North Korea after a virtual five-year freeze in North-South relations during the term of outgoing President Lee Myung-Bak.

But the hawks in her ruling conservative party will leave Park little room for manoeuvre in the current climate, especially if Pyongyang follows through with a third nuclear test.

In Washington on Thursday, White House spokesman Jay Carney criticized the North Korean threat as "needlessly provocative" and stressed that any test would be a "significant violation" of UN Security Council resolutions.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Suicide bomber misses Nato, kills 5: Afghanistan police

KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghan Police say a suicide car bomber has killed five civilians and wounded another 25 in a botched attempt to hit a convoy of Nato supply trucks in eastern Afghanistan.

Gen. Faziluddin Ayar, who is responsible for the east, says the bomber missed the convoy, which suffered no damage. The attack took place Friday in the Tagab district of eastern Kapisa province.

The ministry of interior says in a statement that the bomber instead rammed into a residential home, killing those inside. It says four of the dead were from the same family.

The Taliban claimed responsibility in a text message sent to news media.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

China urges Japan to cooperate in resolving islands dispute

BEIJING: Chinese Communist Party Chief Xi Jinping said on Friday that China's position on a series of islands disputed with Japan is clear and consistent and urged Japan to cooperate in resolving the issue.

Japan should respect the feelings of the Chinese people and "correctly handle" historical problems, Xi told Natsuo Yamaguchi, a visiting lawmaker and head of the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition.

"The Japanese side ought to face up to history and facts, take practical step and work hard with China to find an effective way to appropriately resolve and manage the issue via dialogue and consultations," Xi said, according to a statement on the foreign ministry's website.

The islands are called the Diaoyu in Chinese and the Senkaku by Japan. Relations between the countries are at a low after the Japanese government bought three of the islands last year, sparking widespread, violent anti-Japan protests across China.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

UP's laptop scheme to give jobs to 2000 hardware engineers

LUCKNOW: Close to 2000 engineers will get a job under UP government's endeavour to distribute laptops to students in the state.

The government, which cleared the rules for procurement of laptops earlier this week, is expected to distribute some 25000 laptops in the first phase stating sometime next month.

Sources in the government said that a pre condition for awarding of contract to company to supply bulk order of laptop is to set up service centers in important tehsils. As a part of the same, 331 service centers are to come up.

Each service centre is expected to appoint five engineers. And to run these centers the company will need around 2000 engineers. It has been decided that the contract would be awarded to Hewlett Packard and the memorandum of understanding would be signed very soon.

Meanwhile, secretary, secondary education department, Parth Sarthi Sen Sharma has asked the district magistrates to furnish information needed to roll out the scheme. the points include availability of warehouses to store the laptops at tehsil level among others.

The laptop scheme is a flagship programme of the Akhilesh government and the Samajwadi Party had promised to distribute laptops to youth in their poll manifesto.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Maruti Suzuki Q3 net profit surges over two-fold to Rs 501.29 crore

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Jan 25, 2013, 02.18PM IST

NEW DELHI: The country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India today reported an over two-fold jump in net profit at Rs 501.29 crore for the third quarter ended December, 2012.

The company's net profit stood at Rs 205.62 crore during the same period last fiscal.

Net sales during the period under review stood at Rs 10,956.95 crore, up 45.57 per cent from Rs 7,527.10 crore in the year-ago period, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement.

Sales volume stood at 3,01,453 units during the quarter as compared to 2,39,528 units in the corresponding period of previous year.

Shares of MSI were trading at Rs 1,569.95 apiece during the afternoon trade on the BSE, up 2.18 per cent from their previous close.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jaipur literature festival to lose money, sponsors exit

JAIPUR: The sixth edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival is running on a negative budget of over Rs.1.5 crore (approx $278,000) with several sponsors pulling out in the last three weeks citing financial constraints, said organisers.

"Our budget for this year is between Rs.5 crore-Rs.6.8 crore but we managed to garner only Rs.4 crore in sponsorships," festival producer Sanjoy K. Roy told IANS.

He said they had covered the budget for this year through sponsorships. "But in the last three weeks, many pulled out. And by that time, it was too late find new sponsors."

"Looks like we will lose money," he said, adding that they had last year managed to recover the cost of the event, billed as the largest literary festival in the Asia-Pacific region. He said his entertainment company Teamwork Production would have to foot the unrecovered bill.

Festival co-director and writer Namita Gokhale had also said in her opening speech that they were "Rs.1.5 crore behind budget".

"It is a bad financial year," she said.

Asked if the negative balance will affect the festival plans next year, Roy said: "We have to find new ways to get money."

He said it was hard to downsize the festival. "People come with big expectations. The festival has become one of five largest in the world. We have no choice."

According to estimates till Thursday, he said, the footfall at the event was likely to cross 97,000. The five-day festival ends Monday. The 2012 edition had seen 120,000 footfalls.

Over 280 authors from across the world are attending the festival this year. Entry to all the venues is free.

Asked if sponsors seek presence of celebrities at the festival for more crowds, Roy said: "It's not about celebrities anymore."

People came anyway because of the event's popularity, he said.

On adding naming of the sponsors to session venues, he said: "They want returns! Since they cannot get tangible returns, like real sales, but only brand returns, so we try to invent new branding opportunities."

He said one sponsor wanted to have a session on arts or an English newspaper wanted a session on international relations or another on language writers. "We have to understand the needs of the sponsors. They are not doing charity. They have to get something out of it and we have to meet their requirements."

The two consistent sponsors of the event continue to be infrastructure company DSC Ltd and Diggi Palace, the heritage resort in this Rajasthan capital that has been hosting the literary carnival. The other big sponsors are Tata Steel, Google, Airtel and Coco-Cola.

DSC group's Surina Narula said in her speech Thursday that "financially they (organisers) were not getting much" but "the company will continue to support the fest as long it was open to public and people kept coming".

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Taiwan, Hong Kong activists head for disputed isles, Japan coastguard says

TOKYO: A boat with seven Hong Kong and Taiwanese activists on board was Thursday heading for islands at the centre of a bitter international wrangle, a report and Japan's coastguard said.

By around 7:00am (2300 GMT Wednesday) the vessel was 107 kilometres (66 miles) away and "sailing towards the Senkakus", Japan's coastguard said, when asked about a report from Jiji of a vessel that left Taiwan earlier.

China and Taiwan both claim the island chain, which is controlled by Tokyo.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

North Korea to target US with nuclear, rocket tests

SEOUL: North Korea said Thursday it planned to carry out a nuclear test and more rocket launches aimed at its "arch-enemy" the United States in response to tightened UN sanctions, but offered no timeframe.

"We do not hide that the various satellites and long-range rockets we will continue to launch, as well as the high-level nuclear test we will proceed with, are aimed at our arch-enemy the United States," the National Defence Commission said.

The mention of the test, which would mark the North's third detonation of a nuclear device, came towards the end of a commission statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The statement was entitled: "Enter all-out confrontation to safeguard the sovereignty of the nation and people."

It gave no indication of when the test might be carried out, or explain the meaning of "high-level". The North's two previous nuclear tests were held in 2006 and 2009.

Much of the statement was devoted to condemning Tuesday's announcement by the UN Security Council of expanded sanctions against Pyongyang in response to its long-range rocket launch last month.

"We absolutely refute all the illegal and outlawed resolutions adopted by the Security Council," the commission said.

Tuesday's resolution, proposed by the United States, was adopted unanimously by the 15-nation council, including the North's sole major ally China.

North Korea's foreign ministry had denounced the move on Wednesday, when it also gave the first hint that Pyongyang would react with a nuclear test, saying the country would take "physical actions" to boost its nuclear deterrent.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing a South Korean intelligence source, reported that Pyongyang had finished technical preparations and could conduct an atomic test within days of a decision by leader Kim Jong-Un.

Last month, a US think-tank reached a similar conclusion based on satellite photos, suggesting the North had repaired rain damage at its nuclear test site and could conduct a detonation at two weeks' notice.

China, which had sought to shield North Korea from harsher sanctions sought by the United States and its allies, appealed on Wednesday for restraint and diplomatic efforts to avoid a dangerous escalation of tensions.

"The DPRK's (North Korea's) satellite launch as well as speculation of a nuclear test highlight the urgency and importance of settling relevant issues on the Korean peninsula," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.

"We hope all parties will bear in mind peace and stability of the Korean peninsula, exercise calmness and restraint and avoid actions that might escalate tension."

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Finance minister P Chidambaram looks at more tax on the rich

"We should consider the argument whether the very rich should be asked to pay a little more on some occasions," Chidambaram told the news channel.

The author has posted comments on this articleReuters | Jan 24, 2013, 10.45AM IST

NEW DELHI: The government should consider charging the very rich more tax, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said in an interview with a news channel aired on Thursday, but emphasized that he believed in " stable tax rates."

"We should consider the argument whether the very rich should be asked to pay a little more on some occasions," Chidambaram told the news channel.

His comments in the lead up to his 2013/14 budget, due to be presented to Parliament on Feb. 28. The Prime Minister's economic advisor recently recommended higher tax rates for the very rich at a time when India is trying to reduce a wide fiscal deficit.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

FIR against SP MLA for assaulting scribe

AZAMGARH (UP): An FIR has been registered against a SP MLA for allegedly assaulting a local scribe here, police said on Thursday.

Acting on the orders of a court, police had on Wednesday registered the FIR against SP MLA from Mehnagar, Brijlal Sonkar, for allegedly assaulting local scribe Vinod Singh, they said.

Singh had alleged that the MLA assaulted him on October 9 last year.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

2 passengers killed, 36 injured as bus falls into drain in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: Two persons, including a woman, were killed and 36 others injured when their bus fell into a drain in Gariyaband district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said.

Four of the injured were reported to be critical. "The ill-fated vehicle, carrying 38 passengers, was on its way from Gariyaband to Deobhog when the driver failed to negotiate a curve near Bindranawagarh. The bus skidded off the road and fell into the drain at around 9am," Gariyaband superintendent of police Ramgopal Garg said.

"One of the deceased was identified as Kishore Tehlani, a native of Gobranawapara in Gariyaband, while the identity of the deceased woman was yet to be ascertained," Garg said.

Out of the 36 injured, four critically wounded were referred to Raipur for treatment while the others were rushed to a hospital in Gariyaband, he said.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nothing wrong in Shinde's Hindu terror comment: Narayanasamy

NEW DELHI: There was nothing wrong in union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde's statement on "Hindu terror", his colleague V Narayanasamy said Thursday while describing as unwarranted the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) protests on the issue.

"People who were arrested in the Malegaon incident and the Samjhauta Express blast were found to be members of some of the Hindu fundamentalist groups and it was in that context the home minister said this. I don't see any kind of objection to any part of his statement," Narayanasamy told reporters.

"Terrorism is terrorism; whether Hindu fundamentalism or Muslim fundamentalism, it is condemnable," he said even as the BJP pressed for Shinde's removal as home minister.

"Our country is a secular country and we are a secular government. We carry all religions together and what the home minister said was that we should not allow any terrorism in any part of the country," he said.

He said the BJP's nationwide protest was "unwarranted" and "unnecessary".

Shinde had said Sunday: "Whether it is the BJP or RSS, their training camps are promoting Hindu terrorism."

Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi had said Tuesday that it was a "slip of the tongue" by the home minister and the Congress did not believe in identifying terror with religion.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

At least 15 killed in road accident in Gaya after a bus rammed into iron bars at checkpost

GAYA, BIHAR: At least 15 people were killed and ten others injured on Wednesday when a speeding bus rammed into thick iron bars at a revenue checkpost amid heavy fog at Dobhi in Bihar's Gaya district.

The accident happened at Dobhi integrated revenue checkpost under Barachatti Police Station early Wednesday morning.

The bus was going from Kalipahari in Gurwa Police Station area to Rajrappa Temple in neighbouring Jharkhand's Ramgarh district when the driver lost control over the vehicle due to fog and hit the iron bars of the checkpost, Superintendent of Police Akhtar Hossain said.

He said a police rescue team has reached the spot and the injured people are being rushed to local hospitals.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cold conditions continue in Punjab, Haryana; Karnal coldest place

CHANDIGARH: There was no respite from cold conditions in Punjab and Haryana as mercury dropped by up to five degrees below normal in several places in both states.

Thick fog enveloped plain areas of Punjab and Haryana, affecting road traffic, while a few trains were running late because of reduced visibility.

Karnal in Haryana was the coldest place in the region with minimum settling at 1.8 deg C, five notches below normal, the MeT office said here on Wednesday.

Narnaul braved cold at 2.7 deg C, down by two degrees below normal, while Hisar had a low of 2.9 deg C, dipping by three notches.

Ambala and Bhiwani shivered at 6.1 deg C and 3.8 deg C respectively.

UT Chandigarh experienced cold at 5.8 deg C.

In Punjab, Amritsar recorded minimum at 2.2 deg C, while Ludhiana and Patiala had a low of 4.8 deg C and 5.2 deg C respectively.

The MeT Department in its forecast said dry weather conditions will continue to prevail in Punjab and Haryana while fog and mist may occur at several places during morning and night in both states. Ground frost may also occur at isolated places during next two nights.

The maximum temperature in Punjab and Haryana were also hovering below 20 deg C.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

FIR against BSP candiate and three party MPs for violating model code of conduct

DEORIA (UP): An FIR has been registered against three BSP MPs and its candidate for Bhatpar Rani by-election for allegedly violating the model code of conduct, officials said here on Wednesday.

The FIR has been registered against MPs Gorakh Prasad Jaiswal, Ramashankar Rajbhar and BSP Rajya Sabha member Salim Ansari and BSP candidate for Bhatpar Rani by-election Brinda Kushwaha for using red beacon light while campaigning, they said.

The FIR was registered at Khampur police station on Tuesday after the matter came to light, returning officer RD pandey said.

The by-election to the seat was necessitated after death of sports minister Kameshwar Upadhyay on October 29. His son Ashutosh Upadhyay is the SP candidate from the seat.

The polling for the seat would be held on Febraury 23.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thai activist and former magazine editor jailed for 11 years over royal insult

BANGKOK: A prominent Thai political activist accused of insulting the monarchy was jailed for 11 years on Wednesday in the latest tough sentence under the kingdom's controversial lese majeste law.

The criminal court in Bangkok convicted former magazine editor Somyot Prueksakasemsuk in connection with two articles deemed offensive to the royal family.

"We accept the ruling but we will appeal," his lawyer Karom Polpornklang said after the verdict.

"I can confirm that he did not intend to violate article 112," he said, referring to the lese majeste legislation. "He was doing his job as a journalist. We will seek bail for him."

Rights campaigners denounced the conviction of Somyot, who was brought to court in shackles having been held for more than a year without bail.

"The courts seem to have adopted the role of chief protector of the monarchy at the expense of free expression rights," said Brad Adams, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"The court's ruling appears to be more about Somyot's strong support for amending the lese majeste law than about any harm incurred by the monarchy."

Somyot, who was arrested in April 2011, is a supporter of the "Red Shirt" protest group, which is broadly loyal to ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The royal family is a highly sensitive subject in politically turbulent Thailand. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 85, is revered by many Thais but has been in hospital since September 2009.

Rights campaigners say that the lese majeste law has been politicised, noting that many of those charged are linked to the Red Shirt movement.

Under the legislation, anyone convicted of insulting the Thai king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.

Thailand has been riven by political divisions since Thaksin was topped by royalist generals in a coup in 2006.

Two months of mass street protests by the Red Shirts against the previous government in early 2010 triggered the kingdom's worst civil violence in decades with 90 people killed, mostly in a bloody military crackdown.

Many Red Shirts seek the return of Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon who lives overseas to avoid a prison sentence for corruption that he contends is politically motivated.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

BJP thanks Nitin Gadkari for expanding party's support base

NEW DELHI: The BJP parliamentary board thanked the party's outgoing president Nitin Gandkari on Wednesday, saying he immensely helped in expanding the party's support base.

The parliamentary board met at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in the capital on Wednesday.

"The parliamentary board places on record its deep sense of appreciation of leadership provided by Nitin Gadkari as the president of BJP," senior party leader Ananth Kumar read out a statement after the meeting.

"Gadkari's dynamism, good work, and open mindedness helped immensely in expanding the support base of the party. He displayed qualities of an ideal 'karyakarta' (party worker) and was always available to party workers," he said.

The BJP parliamentary board meeting was attended by senior party leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu among others.

The board also endorsed the name of Rajnath Singh as new party president.

Gadkari made an announcement on Tuesday evening saying he would not seek a second term as he wanted his name cleared of the corruption charges.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

BJP to hold countrywide protests against Shinde's 'Hindu terror' remarks

NEW DELHI: The BJP will hold countrywide protests from Thursday against home minister Sushilkumar Shinde's "Hindu terror" remarks, Rajnath Singh said after being elected as the party president on Wednesday.

"The recent statement of Shinde shows the government is not serious on its fight against terrorism," Rajnath Singh said, addressing party workers here.

"Just for vote bank politics, they are poisoning the atmosphere of the nation with communalism. We condemn the statement," he said.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would hold countrywide protests against Shinde's comments.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cold wave continues to sweep Rajasthan

JAIPUR: Cold wave conditions on Tuesday continued to sweep Rajasthan where Sriganganagar recorded a low of 2.3 degrees Celsius.

Churu, Pilani, Chittorgarh, Dabok and Jaipur shivered at 2.8, 3.1, 3.5, 3.8 and 4.4 degrees Celsius respectively.

Other places recorded a low between 4.5 and 9 degrees Celsius, according to a MET report here.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Girl aged 8 killed in quake off Indonesia, 15 injured

BANDA ACEH: A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Aceh province on Tuesday, killing an eight-year-old girl and leaving 15 people injured, officials said.

The quake struck 112 kilometres (70 miles) southeast of the provincial capital of Banda Aceh at 22:22 GMT, at a depth of 37 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

"An eight-year-old girl in Pidie district was killed after a cupboard in her bedroom fell on her when the quake shook the ground," the district's disaster management agency chief Apriyadi, who goes by one name, said.

He added that 15 people were injured, five of them seriously, due to collapsing walls.

At least 50 houses in the district were also damaged with walls partly collapsed, he said.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology Agency (BMKG) issued no tsunami alert.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

12 Indian fishermen injured in Lankan navy attack

RAMESWARAM: Twelve fishermen were injured on Tuesday when they were attacked allegedly by Sri Lankan naval personnel for fishing in Lankan territorial waters, officials said.

It was a mistake by the fishermen who had gone as far as Iranatheevu, once a camp of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, to net fish there, officials said.

Of the 664 boats, 600 had ventured into several points within Lankan territorial waters, including Iranatheevu, Kundu and Talaimannar, officials said.

According to fishermen, the Lankan navy surrounded their boats, cut the fishing nets of more than ten vessels, and pushed four fishermen into the sea, and asked them to swim to their boat. Later the fishermen were asked to kneel down and were beaten up with lathis by the naval men, they alleged.

The Lankan navy reportedly detained the four fishermen for a while before releasing them, the fishermen said.

The naval men also hurled stones and other missiles including bottles, injuring eight of them but they managed to escape, the fishermen told fisheries department officials here.

Officials said the 12 fishermen suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Meanwhile, coast guard officials said they have received a letter from the Sri Lankan Fishermen's Association stating that the Indian fishermen were fishing in Lankan waters and it has affected their livelihood.

The association also complained that the Indian fishermen were using banned fishing nets, affecting marine ecology. They asked the officials to take action against the fishermen who ventured into their territory.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Haryana CM appeals for peace after Chautala ruling

NEW DELHI: Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda appealed for peace on Tuesday as supporters of former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala staged violent protests over the 10-year jail sentence given to him and his son in a corruption case.

"All are equal for court, and we have faith in the judiciary. We will appeal to the people to maintain peace, Haryana is a peaceful state," Hooda, who is presently in Delhi, told reporters after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Rohini gave its ruling on the teachers' recruitment scam.

"There are legal processes, if anyone has objection they can follow legal procedures," he added.

Over 600 supporters of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Chautala and his legislator son Ajay gathered outside the court in Rohini and tried to enter the premises of the court. Delhi Police fired teargas shells, used batons and water cannons to disperse them.

INLD legislator Col. Bir Singh said the central government had manipulated the CBI and Chautala was innocent.

"Several former CBI directors have accepted that CBI works under the pressure of central government. The case of bribery has not been proved here... it is only recruitment of teachers, and none of them have been fired from their job so far," he said.

"We will go to the high court and, if needed, the Supreme Court," he said.

"The supporters are peace loving. Delhi Police resorted to lathi-charge and we condemn it," he said.

Haryana Janhit Congress leader Kuldip Bishnoi welcomed the court decision.

"I welcome the decision of the court. There is no future for INLD in Haryana now. This judgment will not only have an impact on Haryana but all over the country," he said.

He also ruled out the Chautala family getting any sympathy from the people.

"There will be no sympathy factor. What kind of sympathy will they get? They are going to jail for corruption," he said.

Chautala and others were convicted for bribery and tampering with lists to accommodate their favourites and those who had paid money to get recruited as teachers in Haryana's government schools. The recruitment was done for over 3,200 teachers in 1999-2000, when Chautala was chief minister.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi gang-rape case: SC to hear plea to shift trial tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court said that it would hear on Wednesday a petition by one of the accused in the December 16 gang-rape seeking the transfer of the trial outside Delhi.

Accused Mukesh sought the shifting of the case to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh or any other state, as he apprehended he would not get free and fair trial in the city.

Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court had said it would hear the petition on Tuesday but could not take up the matter due to lack of time. The case came before it on Tuesday just before the lunch break, so it was not able to take it up.

An apex court bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, Justice J Chelameswar and Justice Vikramajit Sen directed the listing of the matter on Wednesday.

The trial in the case commenced in a fast track court in Saket in south Delhi on Monday.

The petition said that Mukesh did not expect a free and fair trial in Delhi as the judiciary was under tremendous pressure because of personal interest shown by chief minister Sheila Dikshit and others.

Besides the public pressure and unending public agitations over the incident, the petition drew the apex court's attention to some of the statements made by the serving and retired judges of the higher judiciary who sought changes in the law for an expeditious trial of rape accused.

The petition said the attitude of police and jail authorities was totally biased against the petitioner.

Ram Singh, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur were charged with gang-raping and brutally assaulting a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus Dec 16. The victim died in a Singapore hospital December 29.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Molestation case: Assam CM to seek review of 'lenient' punishment to armyman

GUWAHATI: After an armyman was demoted and given three months in jail for molesting a village woman, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said on Tuesday the Army court had taken a "lenient" view of the crime.

Gogoi would urge the defence ministry to review the case to ensure proper justice to the 19-year-old victim, a statement from the chief minister's office said.

"The army court has been insensitive to the seriousness of the crime and has taken a lenient view," the statement said.

"Imprisonment for only three months is far less than the heinous crime committed by the armyman. The army court must have meted out deterrent punishment against the accused," it said.

An Army court had on Monday sentenced Anil Kumar Upadhaya, a lance naik with 287 Field Regiment, to three months of rigorous imprisonment in military custody and demoted him to the rank of sepoy.

Upadhaya arrested after he was caught attempting to molest a woman in Dolopa village in Sivsagar district in July last year.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

France says military goal is 'total reconquest of Mali'

PARIS: French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said today the end goal of France's military action in Mali was to retake control of the whole country from Islamist militants who have seized the north.

"The goal is the total reconquest of Mali. We will not leave any pockets" of resistance, Le Drian said on France 5 television.

"The goal is to ensure that AFISMA, the African force, can take the baton from our own intervention," he said.

Asked if French forces could move as far north as Timbuktu, Le Drian indicated that it was up to African forces to get there first.

"If necessary, the African forces can appeal for support from French forces when they arrive in Timbuktu," he said.

Le Drian also said Malian forces had not yet been able to retake the town of Diabaly, seized nearly a week ago by Islamists and then heavily bombed by French planes.

"At this moment the city of Diabaly has not yet been retaken by Malian forces," he said, adding, the situation there should improve "in the hours to come".

"The Malian army with the support of French ground forces are approaching Diabaly," the minister said.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Suicide bomb attack on traffic headquarters in Kabul

KABUL: A suicide car-bombing followed by several other explosions and gunfire rocked western Kabul around dawn on Monday, police and witnesses said, as Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack.

A large pall of smoke was rising from the vicinity of a police complex on the road to the parliament and the road had been sealed off, residents in the area told AFP.

A local police official told AFP the first large explosion was a suicide car bomb and was followed by several other blasts and gunfire.

"A group of terrorists, two or three or four, tried to enter the traffic police building, Kabul CID chief Mohammad Zahir said.

"Two of the bombers were shot dead at the entrance and one has likely entered the building and is shooting sporadically. Our security forces are in the area."

A witness said the top floor of the building was on fire. He said the initial explosion "very very big -- it was massive", and was followed by several other explosions and gunfire.

"There are firefighter trucks, ambulances and police all over the place. The gunfire comes from that direction and the building's top floors are on fire," he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP in an SMS message that the insurgents were behind the attack.

"Today at around 5:00 am a large number of fedayeen (suicide bombers) entered a building in Dehmazang and are attacking an American training centre, a police centre and other military centres and have caused heavy casualties on the enemy," he said.

Last Wednesday, a squad of suicide bombers attacked the Afghan intelligence agency headquarters in heavily fortified central Kabul, killing at least one guard and wounding dozens of civilians.

All six attackers were killed in that brazen midday attack on the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

Taliban insurgents, who have waged an 11-year war against the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai, also claimed responsibility for that attack.

Afghan police and other security forces are increasingly targets of Taliban attacks as they take a bigger role in the battle against the insurgents before NATO withdraws the bulk of its 100,000 combat troops by the end of 2014.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Taliban attack rocks Kabul, 2 suicide bombers shot dead

KABUL: A suicide car-bombing followed by several other explosions and gunfire rocked western Kabul around dawn on Monday, police and witnesses said, as Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack.

A large pall of smoke was rising from the vicinity of a police complex on the road to the parliament and the road had been sealed off, residents in the area told AFP.

A local police official told AFP the first large explosion was a suicide car bomb and was followed by several other blasts and gunfire.

"A group of terrorists, two or three or four, tried to enter the traffic police building, Kabul CID chief Mohammad Zahir said.

"Two of the bombers were shot dead at the entrance and one has likely entered the building and is shooting sporadically. Our security forces are in the area."

A witness said the top floor of the building was on fire. He said the initial explosion "very very big -- it was massive", and was followed by several other explosions and gunfire.

"There are firefighter trucks, ambulances and police all over the place. The gunfire comes from that direction and the building's top floors are on fire," he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP in an SMS message that the insurgents were behind the attack.

"Today at around 5:00 am a large number of fedayeen (suicide bombers) entered a building in Dehmazang and are attacking an American training centre, a police centre and other military centres and have caused heavy casualties on the enemy," he said.

Last Wednesday, a squad of suicide bombers attacked the Afghan intelligence agency headquarters in heavily fortified central Kabul, killing at least one guard and wounding dozens of civilians.

All six attackers were killed in that brazen midday attack on the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

Taliban insurgents, who have waged an 11-year war against the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai, also claimed responsibility for that attack.

Afghan police and other security forces are increasingly targets of Taliban attacks as they take a bigger role in the battle against the insurgents before NATO withdraws the bulk of its 100,000 combat troops by the end of 2014.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi gang-rape case: SC agrees to hear plea on shifting of trial

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Tuesday the plea of one of the six accused in the December 16 gang-rape and murder case for shifting the trial to a place outside Delhi.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir listed the matter for Tuesday after the advocate for accused Mukesh pleaded for an urgent hearing on the ground that free and fair hearing is not possible here because of strong public sentiment against him.

Mukesh, who has been charged with murder, gang-rape and unnatural offences, submitted in his petition that in view of regular agitation, police and judicial officials are allegedly under pressure to pass orders according to the demands of the agitators and fair hearing is not possible.

"The sentiment has gone into the root of each home in Delhi by which even the judicial officers and the state are not spared and in these circumstances, he cannot get justice in Delhi at all," the petition, filed through his advocate, said.

The case has been assigned to the fast track court where the day-to-day proceedings begin on Monday.

The petition said that "due to media reports and agitations and due to political statements and personal interest shown by the chief minister as well as various cabinet ministers, judiciary is under pressure to work against the petitioner".

The accused has sought transfer of the case to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Swiss government to accept group requests for banking information from February

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Jan 21, 2013, 12.29PM IST

DAVOS: Switzerland will be able to provide banking and other details sought by other countries, including India, from next month about a 'group of persons' even without their individual identification, provided the information has not been requested as part of some 'fishing expedition'.

A new Tax Administrative Assistance Act will come into force on February 1 and a resolution to this effect has been passed by the Switzerland's Federal Council, a senior official in Swiss finance ministry said here.

The development follows intensified global pressure on Swiss authorities in the past couple of years to act against the secrecy walls of Swiss banks, which have been often accused of providing safe haven to illicit wealth from abroad and not sharing the account details citing their client confidentiality provisions.

While the Swiss government provides assistance to those foreign countries with whom it has relevant information exchange or tax treaties, which includes India, but requests for a 'group of persons' not accepted so far.

With the new Tax Administrative Assistance Act (TAAA) coming into force next month, group requests in accordance with the international standards will now be possible as well, said the official who is here for the annual meeting of World Economic Forum.

Such requests would require a detailed description of the actions taken by any Swiss bank's clients "to avoid taxation and must be clearly distinct from fishing expeditions," the Swiss Federal Council has said in its resolution for the TAAA.

Fishing expedition is a term used for information requests without concrete indications of tax avoidance or other crimes and is generally undertaken with an aim to find something interesting.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

UP govt employees go on flash strike, allege assault by BJP workers

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh government employees who are opposing reservation in promotions went on a flash strike on Monday after they were allegedly beaten up by BJP workers at the airport here.

"We had gone to submit a memorandum to senior BJP leaders against the passage of the bill in Rajya Sabha as the party's national president Nitin Gadkari, too, was present when the incident happened," convenor of Sarvjan Hitay Sanrakshan Samiti, Shailendra Dubey, said.

The BJP brass is in the city to preside over former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh's re-entry into the party.

Dubey alleged that former state president Surya Pratap Shahi had instigated BJP workers to carry out an unprovoked attack on the employees' group.

Dubey said that the incident took place in the presence of Gadkari, state president Laxmi Kant Bajpai and senior leader Kalraj Mishra.

"I have given a call for boycott of work and will hold a protest meeting in the afternoon," he said.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Government likely to reduce number of centrally sponsored schemes to 59 in coming Budget

NEW DELHI: To streamline expenditure, the government is likely to reduce the number of centrally sponsored schemes from 147 to 59 in the next Budget in line with recommendations of B K Chaturvedi Committee.

"The committee headed by Planning Commission Member B K Chaturvedi has suggested that the number of CSS should be reduced from 147 to 59. It is being considered by the government," a source privy to the development said.

With a view to streamlining public expenditure and improving efficiency, the panel has also recommended changes in the fiscal norms and normal central assistance, besides suggesting classification of such schemes into flagship, sub-sectoral and umbrella schemes.

The committee has suggested that schemes with less than Rs 100 crore annual outlay should be weeded out.

The centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) are referred to various schemes of the central government which are operated with a view to achieve social objectives like poverty reduction, improving health services and raising food production.

The states, it said, should be provided greater flexibility in utilisation of funds and implementation of schemes. It would help states to modify the schemes to suit their specific needs.

The suggestions include review of financial norms of all centrally sponsored schemes once in two years and independent evaluation and monitoring of these schemes.

As per the report, the first category flagship schemes should include programmes in sectors like education, health, irrigation, urban development infrastructure, rural infrastructure, skill development and employment.

In the second category, major sub-sectoral schemes to address developmental problems of sub-sectors of major sectors like agriculture, education and health should be included.

The third category would have umbrella schemes which seek to address the sectoral gaps to help improve effectiveness of Plan expenditure.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Foreign ministers of Australia, Lanka and Turkmenistan to visit India

NEW DELHI: India will host foreign ministers of three important countries -- Australia, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan -- this week.

During his meeting with Australian foreign minister Bob Carr, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid is expected to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in key areas of trade and investment and review of civil nuclear cooperation pact negotiations.

Khurshid and Carr, who is here on a four-day visit, will hold talks on entire gamut of bilateral ties during the 8th India-Australia framework dialogue to be held on Monday, officials said.

"The two ministers are expected to review outcomes of the visit of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in October 2012 and chart the way ahead," an official said.

During Gillard's visit here, India and Australia agreed to launch negotiations on Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.

The bilateral ties have been expanding in several areas, including trade and investment, energy and resources, science and technology, and education, the officials said.

Australia is an important trade partner of India. Trade in goods and services stood at $21 billion in 2011-12.

Education is another important sector with as many as 36,000 Indian students currently studying in Australia. Fifteen Australian universities also offer joint degrees with Indian varsities.

The week will also see a visit by Sri Lankan foreign minister G L Peiris, who will arrive here on Monday to co-chair with Khurshid the 8th India-Sri Lanka joint commission meeting on Tuesday.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Six Naxalites killed in encounter in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli

NAGPUR: C-60 commandos from Pranhita headquarters in Aheri in South Gadchiroli gunned down six Naxal cadres, including senior leaders, in an encounter in the jungle near Govindgaon village in Jimulgatta in the wee hours of Sunday.

Gadchiroli police sources claimed that divisional committee member Shankaranna, Aheri dalam commander Vinod and his wife Geeta were among the shot dead. Identities of one more female and two male cadres were yet to be established. Police said that the Naxals were addressing a meeting in the village when the security forces reached the place. There were around two dozens Naxals present.

Preliminary probe suggested that the members were from Jimulgatta platoon. While a group fell in the trap laid by the C-60 commandos, some others managed to sneak away.

Deputy inspector general of police, Naxal range, Ravindra Kadam, said that the district police's special commando team had taken strategic positions waiting for the Naxals to come towards the forest before launching the operation. "It was an information based operation for which the commandos were sent," said Kadam.

Following the encounter, police has recovered one self-loading rifles, one .303 and two 12-bore rifles.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fire at spinning mill in Tamil Nadu, nine lakh bales of cotton gutted

ERODE (TN):More than nine lakh bales of cotton and yarn worth crores of rupees were burnt to ashes when a fire swept through a private spinning mill in the district in the early morning hours on Sunday.

The fire broke out at the mill in Suriampalayam in Gobichettipalayam taluka, 50 km from here, past Saturday midnight and started spreading to all areas, including the godown where huge quantities of cotton and yarn were stocked, police said.

However, there was no casualty as there were no workers present in the mill at the time of the mishap, they said.

More than nine lakh bales of cotton and yarn kept in the mill and godown were gutted in the fire, they said.

Fire and rescue service personnel with fire tenders rushed to the spot from nearby towns and doused the blaze after more than ten hours of battle, they said.

The cause of the fire was immediately not known.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Four dead, four missing as fumes fill Russian coal mine

MOSCOW: At least four miners died when fumes filled the shaft where they were working in Russia's main coal-producing region on Sunday, Russian news agencies reported.

Searches for another four missing men had to be suspended after levels of methane in the mine in the Kuznetsk Basin reached dangerous levels, the RIA and ITAR-Tass news wires said. Sixty-nine miners managed to escape, they added.

Russia's coal mines have a poor safety record and President Vladimir Putin warned operators to improve standards as he announced a multi-billion dollar investment in the sector last year.

Moscow has ambitious plans to boost coal output despite weak world prices and competition from cheap natural gas resources from shale.

The Kuznetsk Basin in west Siberia, about 3,500 km (2,200 miles) east of Moscow, mined 192 million tonnes of coal in 2011, about 57 percent of Russia's total output.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Algeria hostage crisis: Death toll may go up, minister says

ALGIERS: Algeria's government said on Sunday the death toll from the gas plant attacked in the Sahara desert would rise from the 23 hostages initially thought.

"I am afraid unfortunately to say that the death toll will go up," minister of communication Mohamed Said was quoted as saying by the official APS news agency, adding that a final death toll would be released in the coming hours.

The previous death toll given by Algeria's interior ministry on Saturday was 23 hostages and 32 militants killed during the assault launched by Algerian special forces to end the crisis, with 107 foreign hostages and 685 Algerian hostages freed.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

US welcomes direct talks between India and Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The US on Saturday welcomed direct talks between India and Pakistan on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

"We think the best way to work through the issues on the Line of Control is for India and Pakistan to work through this directly. They are in direct talks now, and that's something that we welcome," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters.

"We very much value the progress that the two countries have made on the economic side, on the visa side, on the trade side, and we would hate to see that jeopardized because it's in the interest of India and Pakistan and all of us who care about that region," she said in response to a question.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi: Suspected criminal shot dead, 4 injured in shootout with police

NEW DELHI: An alleged criminal was shot dead while four others of a gang were injured early on Saturday morning in a shootout with police in outer Delhi.

The incident took place near Peetampura at around 2 m in which one policeman also suffered bullet injuries.

A senior police official said they had information about 7-8 criminals from Haryana's Mewat region moving in outer Delhi in a mini-truck.

"They were moving towards Peetampura from Rohini. We intercepted them near Peetampura. They did not stop the vehicle. Instead they opened fire and pelted stones at us. We also retaliated. One of the criminals was killed," he said.

Four other alleged criminals were also injured in the incident and were admitted to hospital. Some others managed to flee.

A policeman was injured in the firing incident while some others in the stone pelting by criminals.

On Janaury 15 night, four policemen were injured and two police vehicles damaged in outer Delhi when a group of criminals from Haryana's Mewat region opened fire and pelted stones at personnel who were chasing them. The gang was fleeing in a mini truck after stealing animals.

They opened fire at the police party in their attempt to dodge arrests. In retaliation, police personnel too fired at them, police said on Saturday. Nobody was injured in the firing incident but four policemen were injured in stone pelting.

Police could not arrest the criminals, who abandoned the mini-truck in Narela, but managed to rescue the some of the stolen animals.

17.34 | 0 komentar | Read More