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South Korea calls North’s missile tests calculated provocation

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 28 Februari 2014 | 17.35

SEOUL: South Korea on Friday labelled North Korea's test firing of four short-range missiles a calculated, provocative act timed to coincide with South-US joint military exercises.

North Korea test-fired the missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, three days after the joint drills kicked off in the face of vocal opposition from Pyongyang.

"With the exercises underway, we see the firings as a calculated, provocative act," defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told journalists.

He noted that the launches also came days after an incursion by a North Korean patrol boat across the disputed Yellow Sea border that has been the scene of brief but bloody naval clashes in the past.

Kim said the tests were of Scud-type missiles at the longer edge of the short-range spectrum, with an estimated reach of 300-800 kilometres (185-500 miles) — capable of striking any target in the South.

"If the North re-engineers Scuds or tests them, we always undertake a serious analysis to consider countermeasures," he said.

Kim stressed that the annual military drills with the United States would continue as planned.

In Washington, state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki urged North Korea "to exercise restraint and take steps to improve its relations with its neighbours".

But Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren acknowledged that such short-range tests did not put the North in breach of international resolutions.

"We view this as an unannounced weapons test that we see somewhat regularly," he told reporters in Washington.

It is not unusual for North Korea to carry out such tests and observers said they were unlikely to trigger a significant rise in military tensions.

Despite the start of the South Korea-US drills on Monday, which the North routinely condemns as rehearsals for invasion, relations between Seoul and Pyongyang are currently enjoying something of a thaw.

This year's drills overlapped with the end of the first reunion for more than three years of families divided by the Korean War — an event that has raised hopes of greater crossborder cooperation.

Pyongyang had initially insisted that the joint exercises be postponed until after the reunions finished on Tuesday. But Seoul refused and — in a rare concession — the North allowed the family gatherings on its territory to go ahead as scheduled.

North Korea has hundreds of short-range missiles and has developed and tested — with limited success — several intermediate-range models.

Its claims to have a working inter-continental ballistic missile have been treated with scepticism by most experts, but there is no doubt that it is pushing ahead with an active, ambitious missile development programme.


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Maoists plan to thwart mobile network ahead of Lok Sabha polls: IB

RAIPUR: Fearing leakage of their strategies ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Naxals are keeping a close watch on people who could act as informers and pass on information using mobile phones in villages of their hot-bed Bastar.

In some pockets of restive Narayanpur district comprising a major part of the Abhujmad region, local cadres are visiting villages and collecting information about mobile users and even asking them to deposit the gadgets with rebels assuring to return them after the Lok Sabha elections.

"The strategy is being witnessed as a part of their plan ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. It could be an attempt to maintain secrecy of their evil design," a senior Intelligence Bureau official told PTI.

"Mobile phone and telecom towers have always been a major target of Naxals in their stronghold of Bastar, but so far such a kind of move of collecting phones from villagers was never witnessed," the official said.

Naxals have taken up the task in Mad region villages — Kutulpara, Orchhameta, Kutul and several others, he said.

Though these areas have less mobile towers, but at some places like in hilly areas, mobile network is there and these areas are frequently used both by villagers and security forces, he said.

Following their failure to execute deadly attempts during the recently-concluded state Assembly elections, Maoist's top leaders believe that the lower rank cadres have failed to maintain secrecy of their operations as the information about gathering of rebels, placement of IEDs and landmines was already leaked to police, he said.

As the rebels are now gearing up to create disturbance ahead of Lok Sabha polls, their top rung has asked them to keep a hawk eye on mobile users, whose numbers have increased in the recent past, and seize mobile phones from those villages where important operations will be held, he said.

The recent crackdown on the urban network of Maoists in the state with the arrest of 17 alleged Naxal conduits has also posed problems for the ultras in monitoring the intelligence channel working inside forests, he said.

When asked about preparations by police department ahead of the polls, the IB official said instructions have already been issued to security personnel to stay alert as Naxal strikes were witnessed more during the Lok Sabha election as compared to Assembly polls in the past.

Every kind of suspicious move is under the scanner in the disturbed zone, he added.


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India, Israel ink anti-terror pacts on cooperation in public and homeland security

KOLKATA: India and Israel have signed a number of agreements on cooperation in legal assistance and public and homeland security.

The pacts are part of the ongoing efforts by both countries in the war against terror and are based on the shared determination to protect citizens, assets and interests.

"We believe that these agreements are another important platform for the cooperation between our countries and we would like to express our appreciation for the leadership of the ministry of home affairs in this regard," Israel ambassador in India Alon Ushpiz said.

Israel's minister of public security Yitzhak Aharonovich said: "Today is an important day. These agreements that were signed are a fine example of our substantial and equal partnership with India. The various types and forms of threats the two countries face make this cooperation an indispensable one. Terror is a global threat and only through cooperation between allies can peace-seeking countries overcome such threats."

Ushpiz further remarked: "The unconditional commitment we share with India to protect the lives of our citizens is the bedrock of these agreements. By joining hands in this important field, whether it is through technology or through investment in the crucial human resource, we will be able also to better ensure the continuing development of our societies and economies."


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Heavy rain lashes many places in Haryana, Punjab

CHANDIGARH: Moderate to heavy rain lashed many parts of Haryana and a few places in Punjab early on Friday.

The minimum temperatures in the two states hovered close to normal limits at most places, a MeT department official said.

Chandigarh received 19.3 mm rain past midnight and the minimum temperature settled at 11.9 degree Celsius.

Neighbouring town of Ambala in Haryana was also lashed by rain and registered a low of 12.4 degree Celsius.

Hisar, too received light rain, and the minimum temperature settled at 10.5 degree Celsius.

Karnal was lashed by heavy showers and the low was recorded at 9.4 degree Celsius.

Among other places in Haryana which were lashed by showers included Panchkula, Kalka, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Panipat.

In Punjab, Patiala was lashed by heavy showers and the minimum there settled at 11 degree Celsius.

Ludhiana also received rainfall, with the minimum settling at 10 degree Celsius.

Amritsar recorded a low of 8.8 degree Celsius.

The MeT official said that the change in weather had been caused by Western Disturbance over the region and more rain is forecast in the two states and Chandigarh until Saturday.


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Govt approves Rs 1,000 minimum monthly pension under EPFO scheme

NEW DELHI: Government approved on Friday the proposal to ensure Rs 1,000 minimum monthly pension under a scheme of retirement fund body EPFO that would immediately benefit 28 lakh pensioners.

The decision to provide the entitlement under Employees' Pension Scheme-95, run by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, was taken by the Union Cabinet in its meeting held here.

The move will immediately benefit about 28 lakh pensioners including five lakh widows. There are 44 lakh pensioners.

Earlier this month the EPFO trustees had approved the proposal. The Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the apex decision making body of EPFO had met on February 5, and decided to amend the EPS-95 scheme for the purpose.

The proposal was placed before the Union Cabinet for approval as the government had made funding provisions for it.

The government would have to provide an additional amount of around Rs 1,217 crore to ensure the minimum pension of Rs 1,000 starting 2014-15.

Pensioners will get the benefit with effect from April 1. The proposal has already been approved by the finance ministry.


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Muzaffarnagar riots accused arrested, sent to judicial custody

MUZAFFARNAGAR: A main accused involved in a Muzaffarnagar riots-related murder case has been arrested here, police said.

Pappu, son of Mahender Singh is one of the eleven accused in connection with the killing of a youth Nazim, was arrested yesterday, according to police.

A local court later sent him to a 14-day judicial custody.

He was sent to the custody by Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar on Thursday.

A pistol was also recovered from his possession, they said.

Resident of Lankh village here, Nazim was killed when he was travelling by roadways bus running between Rehmatpur and Jolly village. He was taken out of the bus by the rioters and shot dead during the communal violence in the district last September, they said.

Meanwhile during an investigation the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has identified the eleven accused including Pappu, who lead the rioters.

"He was involved in 15 different cases and SIT identified him as the main accused in the riots, with ten others still absconding," SIT police officer Sampurnanand Tiwari, said.


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Two killed in Expressway accident

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 27 Februari 2014 | 17.34

AHMEDABAD: Two persons were killed and two others injured in an accident on Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway late in the night.

At 1 am on Tuesday, a truck from Jaipur was headed down the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway when another truck rammed into it from behind near Salun village of Nadiad taluka. The truck that caused the accident suffered maximum damage and two persons — Nanu Ram and Dharmesh Shah — who were sitting in its cabin died on the spot. Driver of this truck however managed to escape after the accident.

Two other people seated in the first truck were also injured in the accident. Truck driver Arjun Gurjar has registered a complaint against the truck driver who rear-ended his vehicle. Nadiad rural police have registered the complaint and the injured have been hospitalized.


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Struggling Australian carrier Qantas to axe 5,000 jobs

AFP | Feb 27, 2014, 06.05AM IST
SYDNEY: Struggling Australian carrier Qantas on Thursday said it will axe 5,000 jobs in a major shake-up after a first-half net loss of Aus$235 million (US$210 million), warning of more pain ahead.

The airline, battling record fuel costs and fierce competition from subsidised rivals, is working to slash costs by Aus$2 billion over three years as it faces some of its toughest ever conditions.

The carrier's underlying loss before tax in the six months to December 31 — the airline's preferred measure of financial performance — came in at Aus$252 million, a figure chief executive Alan Joyce called "unacceptable and unsustainable".

"Hard decisions will be necessary to overcome the challenges we face and build a stronger business," said Joyce, who will take a 36 percent wage cut.

Part of the restructure will see 5,000 full-time positions lost from the carrier's 32,000-strong workforce by 2017, with 1,500 from management or non-operational roles. A wage freeze will be applied across the network until the airline returns to profit.

"I regret the need for these wide-ranging job losses, but we will do everything we can to make the process easier for employees who leave the business," Joyce said.

"At the end of this transformation, Qantas will remain an employer of more than 27,000 people, the vast majority based in Australia — and we will be a better and more competitive company."

The carrier also flagged "significant changes" to its fleet plans and network and a reduction in capital expenditure of Aus$1 billion across the next two financial years.

This will see the selling or deferred delivery of 50 aircraft, including the early retirement of some of its Boeing 767-300s and six oldest Boeing 747-400s. Delivery of the eight remaining A380s it has on order will be put off to an unspecified date.

Qantas said it will also axe its Perth to Singapore route and suspend new growth plans for its budget offshoot Jetstar in Asia.

"When it comes to Jetstar in Asia, we need to take the right decisions in accord with current market circumstances and our balance sheet," said Joyce.

"In Singapore, growth has been suspended by the Jetstar Asia board until such time as conditions improve."

Following an interim profit warning in December, Moody's and S&P both downgraded Qantas' credit rating to "junk" status, increasing the cost of financing for the carrier and restricting access for investors who do not put their money in lower-rated companies.

Qantas has since been working to convince the government it deserves a debt guarantee while lobbying Canberra for a relaxation of the Qantas Sale Act, which limits foreign ownership in the airline to 49 percent.

Joyce argues that the cap is hurting Qantas' ability to compete by restricting access to capital, particularly against domestic rival Virgin Australia, which is majority-owned by state-backed Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Etihad.

Australia's conservative government said this week it was drafting laws to allow Qantas to be majority foreign-controlled while allowing a single foreign shareholder to own more than 25 percent.

But it faces problems passing through the upper house Senate with Labor and the Greens vowing to block legislation that allows majority overseas ownership while remaining open to an assistance package.

Joyce said the action Qantas was taking was "unprecedented in scope and depth" and warned of more difficult decisions ahead.

"To reach Aus$2 billion in cost cuts over three years, we have to work our assets harder, become more productive, retire older aircraft, and make sure that our fleet and network are the right size," he said.

"We must defer growth and cut back where we can, so that we can invest where we need to. We have already made tough decisions and nobody should doubt that there are more ahead."


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Arizona governor Jan Brewer vetoes religious freedom bill

PHOENIX: Governor Jan Brewer on Wednesday vetoed a Republican bill that set off a national debate over gay rights, religion and discrimination and subjected Arizona to blistering criticism from major corporations and political leaders from both parties.

Loud cheers erupted outside the Capitol building immediately after Brewer made her announcement.

"My agenda is to sign into law legislation that advances Arizona," Brewer said at a news conference. "I call them like I see them despite the tears or the boos from the crowd. After weighing all the arguments, I have vetoed Senate Bill 1062 moments ago."

The governor said she gave the legislation careful deliberation in talking to her lawyers, citizens and lawmakers on both sides of the debate.

But Brewer said the bill "could divide Arizona in ways we could not even imagine and no one would ever want". The bill was broadly worded and could result in unintended negative consequences, she added.

The bill backed by Republicans in the legislature was designed to give added protection from lawsuits to people who assert their religious beliefs in refusing service to gays. But opponents called it an open attack on gays that invited discrimination.
The bill thrust Arizona into the national spotlight last week after both chambers of the state legislature approved it. As the days passed, more and more groups, politicians and average citizens weighed in against Senate Bill 1062. Many took to social media to criticize the bill, calling it an attack on gay and lesbian rights.

Prominent Phoenix business groups said it would be another black eye for the state that saw a national backlash over its 2010 immigration-crackdown law, SB1070, and warned that businesses looking to expand into the state may not do so if bill became law.

Companies such as Apple Inc. and American Airlines and politicians including GOP Senator John McCain and former Republican presidential nominee were among those who urged Brewer to veto the legislation.

Brewer was under intense pressure to veto the bill, including from three Republicans who had voted for the bill last week. They said in a letter to Brewer that while the intent of their vote "was to create a shield for all citizens' religious liberties, the bill has been mischaracterized by its opponents as a sword for religious intolerance".

SB 1062 allows people to claim their religious beliefs as a defence against claims of discrimination. Backers cite a New Mexico Supreme Court decision that allowed a gay couple to sue a photographer who refused to document their wedding, even though the law that allowed that suit doesn't exist in Arizona.

Republican Senator Steve Yarbrough called his proposal a First Amendment issue during a Senate debate.

"This bill is not about allowing discrimination," Yarbrough said. "This bill is about preventing discrimination against people who are clearly living out their faith."
Democrats said it was a veiled attempt to legally discriminate against gay people and could allow people to break nearly any law and cite religious freedom as a defence.
"The heart of this bill would allow for discrimination versus gays and lesbians," said Senator Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix. "You can't argue the fact that bill will invite discrimination. That's the point of this bill. It is."

The bill is similar to a proposal last year brought by Yarbrough but vetoed by Brewer, a Republican. That legislation also would have allowed people or religious groups to sue if they believed they might be subject to a government regulation that infringed on their religious rights. Yarbrough stripped that provision from the bill in the hopes Brewer will embrace the new version.

Civil liberties and secular groups countered that Yarbrough and the Center for Arizona Policy, a powerful social conservative group that backs anti-abortion and conservative Christian legislation in the state and is opposed to gay marriage, had sought to minimize concerns that last year's bill had far-reaching and hidden implications.

Yarbrough called those worries "unrealistic and unsupported hypotheticals" and said criminal laws will continue to be prosecuted by the courts.

The Center for Arizona Policy argues the law is needed to protect against increasingly activist federal courts and simply clarifies existing state law. "We see a growing hostility toward religion," said Josh Kredit, legal counsel for the group.

Similar religious-protection legislation has been introduced in Ohio, Mississippi, Idaho, South Dakota, Tennessee and Oklahoma, but Arizona's plan is the only one that has been passed by a state legislature. The efforts are stalled in Idaho, Ohio and Kansas.

The push in Arizona comes as an increasing number of conservative states grapple with ways to counter the growing legality of gay marriage. Arizona's voters approved a ban on gay marriage as a state constitutional amendment in 2008. It is one of 29 states with such constitutional prohibitions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Federal judges have recently struck down those bans in Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia, but those decisions are under appeal.


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Two killed in Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway accident

AHMEDABAD: Two persons were killed and two others injured in an accident on Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway late in the night.

At 1 am on Tuesday, a truck from Jaipur was headed down the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway when another truck rammed into it from behind near Salun village of Nadiad taluka. The truck that caused the accident suffered maximum damage and two persons — Nanu Ram and Dharmesh Shah — who were sitting in its cabin died on the spot. Driver of this truck however managed to escape after the accident.

Two other people seated in the first truck were also injured in the accident.

Truck driver Arjun Gurjar has registered a complaint against the truck driver who rear-ended his vehicle. Nadiad rural police have registered the complaint and the injured have been hospitalized.


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Two killed in Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway accident

AHMEDABAD: Two persons were killed and two others injured in an accident on Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway late in the night.

At 1 am on Tuesday, a truck from Jaipur was headed down the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway when another truck rammed into it from behind near Salun village of Nadiad taluka. The truck that caused the accident suffered maximum damage and two persons — Nanu Ram and Dharmesh Shah — who were sitting in its cabin died on the spot. Driver of this truck however managed to escape after the accident.

Two other people seated in the first truck were also injured in the accident. Truck driver Arjun Gurjar has registered a complaint against the truck driver who rear-ended his vehicle. Nadiad rural police have registered the complaint and the injured have been hospitalized.


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BJP urges people of Bihar to avoid travel by train tomorrow

PATNA: The BJP on Thursday appealed to commuters to avoid travelling by trains on Friday in view of the party's 'rail roko' stir to demand special status for Bihar.

Regretting that the agitation may cause inconvenience to the public, party leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi urged the people of the state against travelling by trains.

"Those commuters, having booked tickets in trains for tomorrow, are requested to consider cancelling the same to avoid facing difficulties due to the 'rail roko' stir," he said.

Modi also asked railway authorities to stop all trains entering Bihar on Friday to the border areas as a precautionary measure.

The senior BJP leader also slammed the UPA government for ignoring Bihar's long-pending demand for grant of special status, echoing chief minister Nitish Kumar, as UPA took no time in giving similar incentive to Seemandhra after creation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh last week.

Sushil Modi promised that the BJP-led NDA under the leadership of Narendra Modi will provide special status and package to Bihar upon coming to power at the Centre.

If elected, the NDA government at Centre will also set up the Central University of Bihar at Motihari about which the UPA government had taken a decision, but failed to enact legislation during the 15th Lok Sabha, he said.


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UN: Syrians to be world's biggest refugee group

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 26 Februari 2014 | 17.34

UNITED NATIONS: Syrians could soon overtake Afghans as the world's biggest refugee population, with their numbers expected to pass 4 million by year's end, a top UN official said on Tuesday.

High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres spoke as the international community sharply urged Syria to comply with a new Security Council resolution demanding that President Bashar Assad and the opposition provide immediate access for humanitarian aid.

Opposition activists say more than 140,000 people have died in the conflict, which enters its fourth year next month. The UN says 9.3 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The number of Afghan refugees was 2.6 million at the end of 2012, UNHCR says. Syrians, with nearly 2.5 million registered as refugees, should overtake that long before the end of the year. About one-half of the refugees are children.

"It breaks my heart to see this nation that for decades welcomed refugees from other countries ripped apart and forced into exile itself," Guterres told the UN General Assembly. Just five years ago, Syria hosted the world's second-largest number of refugees, he said.

Syria's neighbors now plead for assistance as hundreds or thousands of people flee into their countries every day.

The number of Syrian refugees now registered in far smaller Lebanon, for example, is the equivalent of having 71 million of them registered in the United States or almost 15 million in France, Guterres said.

Top UN officials offered a bleak outlook on the overall humanitarian crisis Tuesday as pressure mounted on Syria and the opposition to comply with the new Security Council resolution. The legally binding measure threatens "further steps" if the resolution's demands aren't fulfilled.

The European Union warned that "deliberate denial of humanitarian aid is a war crime." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, Britain's UN Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant and others demanded that the Syria situation be referred to the International Criminal Court, which investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

US ambassador Samantha Power said the number of Syrians needing aid has grown by one-third since the Security Council issued a nonbinding presidential statement in early October on the humanitarian crisis.

"Unfortunately, history teaches us to be skeptical that the terms of this resolution will be observed," she said.

Syria's UN ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari, insisted that his government "has spared no effort" in addressing humanitarian needs and is "perfectly capable of dealing with our own crisis."

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said the Syrian government should allow more humanitarian workers into the country, which UN officials have called a major issue in reaching an estimated 3.3 million people in isolated areas.

"It is not credible to cite bureaucratic procedures as reasons for delay when it is the government itself that controls those procedures," he said.


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Eyeing Afghan exit, US intensifies campaign against Haqqani militants

KABUL/WASHINGTON: The United States has intensified its drive against the Taliban—linked Haqqani network in an attempt to deal a lasting blow to the militants in Afghanistan before foreign combat forces depart this year, according to multiple US officials.

The effort is taking on added urgency as the clock ticks down on a NATO combat mission in Afghanistan set to end in December, and as questions persist about whether Pakistan will take action against a group some US officials believe is quietly supported by Pakistani intelligence.

The Obama administration has created a special new unit based in Kabul to coordinate efforts against the militant group, according to officials familiar with the matter. It was set up late last year, as part of a new strategy that involves multiple government agencies,

The unit, headed by a colonel and known in military parlance as a "fusion cell," brings together special forces, conventional forces, intelligence personnel, and some civilians to improve targeting of Haqqani members and to heighten the focus on the group, the officials said.

"Things are coming together in terms of the more comprehensive approach (against the Haqqanis). So, there's a lot of focus — there's a lot of energy behind it right now," said a US defense official, who asked not to be identified.

It was not immediately clear whether the intensified focus on the Haqqanis has led to increased strikes on the group by the US military or the CIA, which operates drones over Pakistan's tribal areas.

And it remains to be seen, this late in the NATO combat mission, how much damage the United States can inflict on the Haqqani network, which has proven resilient and uses Pakistan's tribal areas as a sanctuary.

Audacious attacks

The White House announced on Tuesday that President Barack Obama had ordered the Pentagon to prepare for a possible complete withdrawal of troops following Afghan President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign a bilateral security pact.

The Haqqani network, which professes obedience to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, is believed to have been involved in some of the most audacious attacks of the Afghan war. These include assaults on hotels popular with foreigners, a bloody bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul, a 2011 attack on the US embassy, and several massive truck bombing attempts.

The group is also believed to be holding Bowe Bergdahl, the only known US soldier missing in the war in Afghanistan.

Some US lawmakers have complained that the Obama administration has dragged its feet in cracking down on the group after designating it a "foreign terrorist organization" in September 2012.

For example, it is unclear what diplomatic pressure Washington is putting on Islamabad to arrest individuals connected to the group, the lawmakers say.

Earlier this month, the US Treasury froze the US assets of three suspected militants linked to the Haqqanis, the Obama administration's first significant non—military move against the network since that 2012 designation.

The Pentagon has regarded the Haqqanis, seen as more skilled in attacks on foreign targets than other militants in Afghanistan, as an acute threat to its soldiers for years.

US General Joe Dunford, who commands US and allied forces in Afghanistan, told Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel of his concern about the state of the current US effort against the group in a private letter last November, sources familiar with the matter said.

During a recent visit to Washington, Dunford told senior White House officials that the group was a top priority for him, the sources said.

'Pervasive, virulent entity'

Retired General John Allen, who commanded US and NATO forces in Afghanistan from 2011—2013, said he initiated the request to designate the Haqqanis as a terrorist group in spring 2012 because military efforts alone were insufficient.

"My reason for doing that was that it is simply such a pervasive, virulent entity," Allen said in an interview.

"I was going to pressure them in every possible way inside the country, but I wanted them to feel it at a strategic level, to include attacking their finances, their assets — pressuring the entire nervous system of the Haqqanis."

Some Afghan and US officials remain skeptical that the United States can seriously weaken militant groups such as the Haqqanis unless Pakistan cracks down on them from within or better controls its borders.

"Until the Pakistanis do something about the safe havens, that's going to be a problem. (Militants) can recruit and train and equip and prepare to launch in Pakistan," said Major General Stephen Townsend, who commands US and NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan.

Townsend was speaking about the array of militants who infiltrate the border with Pakistan, not just the Haqqanis.

The former top US military officer, Mike Mullen, told US lawmakers in 2011 the Haqqanis were a "veritable arm" of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, which some US officials believe seeks to strengthen the Taliban and its allies as a means of ensuring that archenemy India does not wield influence in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies such charges.

Founded by mujahideen leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, the group fought the 1980s Soviet occupation of Afghanistan with varying levels of support from Pakistani, Saudi and US policy—makers.

In November, six members of Congress sent Obama a letter calling efforts against the Haqqanis "woefully insufficient", according to a copy of the letter obtained by Reuters.

"It is past time for the administration to comprehensively address the threat posed by the Haqqani network's deadly attacks," Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Reuters in a statement.


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For US and China, Dalai Lama dance becomes routine

WASHINGTON: When the Dalai Lama came to Washington in 2009 on one of his frequent lecture tours, Barack Obama didn't invite him to the White House as the new president sought to start on the right foot with China.

More than four years later, Obama went ahead last week with his third meeting as president with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. China called in a US diplomat to protest but the encounter appeared almost routine, with no stronger repercussions immediately by Beijing.

The episode represents a subtle shift in the complex relationship between the world's two largest economies as both sides cut through the veneer of hope for broad cooperation and prioritize key interests.

Obama, who came under domestic criticism for not seeing the Dalai Lama in 2009, has been increasingly unabashed about taking actions that irk China. The Obama administration has challenged China over maritime disputes with neighbors, earlier this month questioning the legal basis for Beijing's claims in the tense South China Sea.

"President Obama refrained in his first year from meeting the Dalai Lama and from doing other things in the hope that he was going to build a stable foundation and more trust in the US-China relationship," said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"I ultimately think that didn't pan out and I think President Obama learned from that experience," she said.

Obama voiced support for protection of human rights of Tibetans living under Chinese rule. But the White House also took pains to show that the meeting was private, with Obama meeting the Dalai Lama in the mansion's residence and press barred.

Despite demanding that Obama call off the Dalai Lama meeting, China went ahead with talks Friday with the visiting US army chief of staff, General Ray Odierno, as the two powers work to improve military communication.

The Dalai Lama, who fled his homeland for India amid an abortive uprising in 1959, already enjoys a worldwide following and it is doubtful that a single meeting would move the needle on Tibet. But Glaser argued that the reverse — Obama not seeing the Dalai Lama — would have had "profound" consequences.

"A failure to have this meeting, or going through Obama's second term without a meeting, would have made other countries' leaders far less willing to stick their necks out to see the Dalai Lama," she said.

China has taken much stronger action against other countries in its efforts to sideline the Dalai Lama. In 2008, China canceled an EU summit over then French president Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to meet the Nobel Peace laureate.

Matteo Mecacci, a former Italian lawmaker who is now president of the International Campaign for Tibet advocacy group, said that the lack of retaliation over Obama's Dalai Lama meeting showed that China valued relations with Washington and understood that Tibet was a "consistent US interest."

"European countries should learn from the US experience and coordinate a joint policy on Tibet to avoid the individual pressure coming from Beijing," he said.

Robert Barnett, director of Columbia University's Modern Tibet Studies Program, said that Obama's latest meeting with the Dalai Lama represented a shift as many Americans now perceived China's responses as just "theatrical." But Barnett said that China believed it has had success in forcing other countries to tread carefully on Tibet.

"For China, the fire-breathing strategy has been incredibly effective with certain powers, particularly in Western Europe," he said.

China brands the Dalai Lama a "wolf in sheep's clothing" and has not met his envoys since 2010, leading some observers to believe that Beijing is simply waiting for his death in hopes that the Tibetan rights movement will fizzle out without the charismatic leader. The Dalai Lama is 78, although he keeps a rigorous schedule.

But Barnett said there were signs of a quiet policy debate in Beijing, with some officials looking for ways to address Tibetan grievances. More than 120 Tibetans have set themselves ablaze in recent years to protest what they call political, religious and cultural oppression by China.

"We do see signs of small experiments in local areas. You never know with China — it's not the kind of political system that wants to flag a change," Barnett said. "Its interests are to do the opposite, to make everything look like continuity."


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Govt launches school leadership programme to improve quality of education

NEW DELHI: In order to push for quality in school education, HRD ministry has launched a massive school leadership programme that would eventually train principals of nearly 12 lakh primary and secondary schools in the country.

To be executed by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration through its National Centre for School Leadership and state level institutions like State Councils of Educational Research and Training and similar bodies, leadership programme's ultimate aim is to empower schools.

Simultaneously, HRD ministry has also finalized parameters on which school's performance would be evaluated either through self-assessment or outside agency.

Training principals is the first step towards infusing schools with quality. Senior HRD officials said the programme is likely to be completed within three years. Pilot of the leadership programme was carried out in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Other states like Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh also partook of the exercise. Leadership programme has been drawn after a close study of best international and national practices.

Leadership programme is geared towards decentralization of school administration and empowering school principals to take administrative, pedagogic and financial decisions. They will be trained in six critical areas ranging from innovations, teaching-learning process, school leadership and developing self. Stress will not only be on school quality but also equity. The framework on school leadership also takes into account context-specific needs of school heads and is not one-size-fits-all recipe to improve workings of school.

Ministry officials also said the entire exercise will not be limited to training alone but there will be impact evaluation also. Feedback will be taken from the principal as well as from outsiders. In the ultimate analysis it has to be seen if school's performance has improved or not. "Evidence-based feedback will be required," a senior ministry official said.


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Singapore panel recommends use of ‘lathi’ during violence

SINGAPORE: A committee constituted to probe Singapore's worst riot in 40 years in the Little India precinct has recommended police here to carry a "lathi" in handling violent street protesters, according to a media report today.

The chairman of the state-appointed committee of inquiry (COI) into the December riot has recommended police here to carry a 'lathi' (baton) in handling such street protesters, The Straits Times reported.

"Although you have a gun, you don't use it (and) this (lathi) might be more useful," the Singapore daily quoted, COI chairman G Pannir Selvam, as saying during a public hearing yesterday on how police initially faced the riots on the night of December 8 last year.

"When you go to a riot, you should not just have a defencive weapon," Selvam told assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Jonathan Tang who was explaining how the riot was handled by the police officers who were first to arrive at the scene at Little India.

Giving evidence during the hearing, ASP Tang said gun was not fired on the rioters for safety reasons as well as considering the bystanders.

Tang said discharging firearms would have reminded the crowd that the police was armed and they (rioters) would have attacked the officers and seized the arms.

But among the police weapons were T-baton, which was designed to be a defencive tool and effective against close range attacks, he said.

At that point, Selvam asked Tang if he knew what a "lathi" was.

And to show Tang what he meant, the retired Judge handed the officer a copy of an Indian newspaper showing pictures of the "lathi" being used by the Indian police to successfully put down a recent protest march outside its Parliament.

According to the report, Selvam has brought up the use of "lathi" to quell riot crowds at least on three occasions since the COI public hearing began last Wednesday.

Last Friday, Selvam recommended to the deputy commissioner of police T Raja Kumar that the Singapore police force should procure the instruments (lathis).

Earlier in the day, the COI heard that police was outnumbered by the riot crowd and officers at the scene had tried to contain the violence in the Little India, a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs.

Tang said the crowd of 200 soon swelled to some 400 with 150 to 200 throwing projectiles, shouting and instigating others.

The rioters injured 49 police and security officers and damaged more than 650,000 Singaporean dollars worth of properties including 23 emergency cars, five of which were set on fire.


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Govt committed to provide best facilities to forces: Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government is committed to providing the best possible facilities to the Central Armed Police Forces personnel who are serving the nation in very adverse conditions, risking their lives.

After laying the foundation stone for the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS), Singh said men and women of these Forces — CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles and NSG — work in very adverse conditions, often at considerable risk to their lives.

"The Institute exemplifies our Government's commitment to provide the best possible facilities to the Central Armed Police Forces," he said.

The Central Armed Police Forces personnel are deployed in some of the most difficult places in the country including the Left-Wing Extremism affected States, the North-Eastern States and Jammu and Kashmir.

"Today marks a very important step forward towards the establishment of the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS). It is a matter of great happiness for all of us that this project has finally reached the implementation stage," the Prime Minister said.

Singh said the CAPFIMS will serve a long-felt need. It will ensure better health care for the families of the Central Armed Police Forces personnel, who spend much of their time away from home discharging their arduous and onerous responsibilities.

"This will, in turn, lead to higher morale and more efficient functioning of these Forces," he said.

Singh said the central government had sanctioned 126 additional battalions in these Forces, out of which 71 battalions have already been raised and the remaining are expected to be raised within the current financial year.

"We have also given focused attention to strengthening infrastructure and building capacity. The 12th Plan outlay for strengthening infrastructure for Central Armed Police Forces is more than Rs 12,500 crore. Since the year 2008, 24 new training institutes have been sanctioned for these Forces," he said.


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Kolkata: EMU local derails, suburban train services hit

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 01 Februari 2014 | 17.35

KOLKATA: An EMU local train on Saturday derailed at Dum Dum station disrupting traffic on the route for some time, railway sources said.

Six coaches of Naihati-Sealdah EMU local derailed this morning immediately after it left the platform number 2 of Dum Dum station at 6.05 AM, Eastern Railway spokesperson said.

Nobody was injured in the incident, the spokesperson said, adding that Dum Dum-Sealdah line was affected as a result of the derailment.

The suburban train services to Sealdah station were affected but the services on the main line from Sealdah was normal, officials said.


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Devyani Khobragade's claim of immunity challenged by US prosecutors

NEW YORK: Devyani Khobragade, the Indian diplomat whose December arrest led to a major international dispute, holds no immunity from US prosecution and should continue to faces charges of visa fraud, Manhattan federal prosecutors said in court papers filed on Friday.

Khobragade was arrested on December 12 on charges that she lied to US authorities about what she paid her housekeeper. She was stripped-searched while detained in Manhattan federal courthouse, which led to a diplomatic firestorm between India and the United States that continued for weeks.

Manhattan US attorney Preet Bharara's office argues in the court filings that Khobragade is a former diplomat and not immune from prosecution.

Khobragade "currently enjoys no diplomatic status, and at the time of her arrest, the defendant's position as a consular official gave her immunity from prosecution for official acts only," assistant US attorneys Kristy Greenberg and Amanda Kramer wrote.

As Indian officials demanded her release, Khobragade's New York attorney argued that her status as a consular official granted her immunity.

Khobragade was accredited as a member of India's mission to the United Nations earlier this month, one day before she was indicted and asked to leave the country.

The accreditation was part of a deal to allow her to leave the country.

On January 14, with Khobragade back in India, her New York-based attorney filed a motion asking a US judge to throw out those charges.

In court papers, Khobragade attorney Daniel Arshack said that diplomatic immunity granted to her by the US State Department gave her absolute immunity from US prosecution, even for suspected acts committed earlier.


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Young woman hit by 25,000-volt shock after climbing on freight train in London

A young woman was in a serious condition in hospital today after leaping on to a freight train in London ad being burnt by live overhead cables.

The 22-year-old sparked an explosion by touching the 25,000-volt wires and was thrown 20ft on to the platform where her friends had stood watching, the London Evening Standard reported.

Her actions were branded a "moment of madness" as rail chiefs warned the public against copycat stunts.

Witnesses told the Standard that the woman, who appeared intoxicated, removed her high heels before climbing onto the carriage of the train as it waited at Hackney Wick station in east London on Wednesday night.

She spent 15 minutes dodging between the carriages, even stopping to pose spread-eagled while laughing to her friends below.

However, an explosion, accompanied by a bright flash of light, caused the woman to fall backwards on to the platform. Her condition today was described as serious but stable.

A witness, who didn't want to be named, told the Standard: "We saw her climb up from a ladder at the side of one of the carriages and thought, 'This girl is an idiot'. We all thought it was stupid, madness, and that she was going to get arrested.

"She looked wasted and was clambering about up there, then it was like a bright flash of light with sparks and parts of her clothes were on fire.

"Then she just froze for a couple of seconds and went super-stiff and fell on to the platform. The flash hurt your eyes. It went from that to fire.

"I think she might have ended up between the wires and then went into one of them. The explosion was so loud you couldn't hear if she screamed or said anything at all. The whole thing probably lasted about 15 minutes.

"We ran over to the other side of the platform where she was and couldn't believe she was conscious and breathing. We thought she'd be dead."

Other rail users rushed to the woman's aid while a group of friends stayed with her until ambulance crews arrived and rushed her to hospital.

Network Rail said: "The railway is a dangerous place, with trains travelling at high speeds and power lines carrying more than 25,000 volts of electricity. What might have seemed a harmless prank very nearly ended in tragedy."

British Transport Police said an investigation was continuing. A spokeswoman said: "Officers were called to Hackney Wick station at 11.06pm to a report a woman had been injured.

"It is believed the woman, who fell from the roof of a train, came into contact with electricity from the overhead power lines.

"Officers are now working to establish how she came to be on the train."


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Shots fired outside US school, no one injured

PHOENIX: Authorities say several gunshots were fired on Friday night outside a US school as a basketball game was being played inside, but no one was hit.

Police spokesman Steve Martos confirmed that there were no injuries, but he did not release other details.

The Arizona Republic reports that police said 15 shots were fired.

The paper reports that hundreds of people had been attending the game, and students said the gym was evacuated.

Lt Tom Van Dorn says officials are looking for three people.

He says paramedics evaluated three people for other medical conditions.


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Assam: Four NDFB(S) militants arrested, arms recovered

DIPHU (Assam): Four NDFB (Songbijit) militants were arrested and several arms and ammunition recovered in Karbi Anglong district on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested four militants from Lahorijan area and their interrogation led to the recovery of several arms and ammunition from Hamren area.

The recovered arms and ammunition were two AK-56 rifles, one pistol, three magazines and 33 rounds of ammunition, police said.


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South African woman held with party drug worth Rs 13 crore at Delhi airport

NEW DELHI: A South African woman has been arrested at IGI airport in New Delhi for allegedly trying to smuggle out of the country a party drug worth about Rs 13 crore in the international market.

The accused had come to Indira Gandhi International Airport to board a flight to Johannesburg via Nairobi on Tuesday, a customs official said.

She was intercepted by customs officials and on examination of her baggage, 16 kgs Methaqualone was found in it, the official said.

Methaqualone, a controlled substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, is a sedative used for medical purposes. However, it is commonly abused as party drug.

The value of the seized goods in the international market is Rs 12.80 crore, the official said, adding that the passenger was arrested and is being interrogated.

In a separate incident, two Delhi nationals were arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold worth about Rs 64 lakh, a customs official said.

The duo, who hail from Chandni Chowk area of the national capital, were intercepted by customs officials after their arrival from Dubai yesterday, the official said.

On detailed examination of their baggage, gold wires weighing 2.5 kgs were recovered from them, he said.


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