Month: October 2013

Israel disagrees with US over Iran: Minister

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Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Wednesday that although relations between Israel and the US were “excellent”, the two countries have disagreements on Iran.

Ya’alon made the remarks during a visit to a military base in northern Israel, following comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly in New York Tuesday.

Prior to his trip to the US, Netanyahu said that his aim was to “expose the truth” about Iran amid its overtures toward the US, and called Iranian President Hassan Rouhani a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” in his speech at the UN.

Attacks leave 16 dead in Iraq

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At least 16 people were killed Wednesday in a string of violent incidents in Iraq, including the shoot-down of a military helicopter, authorities said.

Seven of the deaths took place in Al Sukariat, a village in the northern province of Salahuddin, a source in the interior ministry said.

Three of the dead were gunmen, while the other four were military personnel aboard a helicopter downed by insurgent fire, the source said.

Elsewhere in Salahuddin, a member of a pro-government Sunni militia was fatally shot at a checkpoint.

Yemen’s army recaptures base seized by Al Qaeda

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Yemen’s defence ministry announced Wednesday that it has recaptured a military base in port city of Mukalla after Al Qaeda suicide attackers seized it earlier this week, media reported.

“The army killed all terrorists holed up at the military headquarters in Hadramout province and finished sweeping the site,” Xinhua reported citing an official statement quoted by official Saba news agency.

However, the statement from Yemen’s defence ministry gave no further details on the operation or how many militants were killed.

UN chief welcomes Security Council statement on Syria

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday welcomed a Security Council statement on Syria, which called for unhindered humanitarian access in the war-torn country, Xinhua reported.

“The secretary-general welcomes the presidential statement by the Security Council today that aims to address the horrifying humanitarian situation in Syria and illustrates the commitment of the international community to support the people caught up in the crisis,” said a statement issued by Ban’s spokesperson.

It’s official! Rounded pieces of chocolate taste sweeter than square ones

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A new study has revealed that people tend to relate roundness with sweetness and angular shapes with bitterness.

According to sensory scientist Charles Spence, people make consistent matches between shape properties, and the generalisation that has now been documented across a range of food and beverage products, is that sweet is round while bitter is angular, the Guardian reported.

For the study, participants were asked to taste chocolate samples with varying cocoa content and mark the scale according to how they think it reflects the taste.

Abu Dhabi to have 6 new Indian schools following villa school closures

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Abu Dhabi will have six new Indian schools and offer around 15,000 seats and give a relief to parents of students whose villa schools are facing closures.

The Indian Ambassador to the UAE, M.K Lokesh said that the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) has given an assurance that the interests of the pupils at villa schools will be taken care of.

Lokesh said that as seven Indian villa schools face closure, affecting a total of 5,854 students, the new schools will offer around three times more seats, the Gulf News reports.

Mumbai Indians get big win over Perth Scorchers to reach semi-finals of CLT20

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Mumbai Indians have qualified for the 2013 Champions League Twenty20 semi-finals by beating Perth Scorcher s by 6 wickets and with 40 balls to spare.

Set a target of 150, Mumbai needed to reach the score in 14.2 overs to qualify.

Dwayne Smith (48), Rohit Sharma (51 not out) and Kieron Pollard (23), ensured that the Mumbai team reached the target in just 13.2 overs.

Nathan Coultier-Nile took three wickets earlier for the Mumbai Indians, while Pragyan Ojha sent two batsmen to the pavilion.

‘Dynasty-led’ govt. had no choice but to withdraw ordinance after ‘biggest drama’: Kiran Bedi

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Former Indian Police Service ( IPS) officer Kiran Bedi on Wednesday targetted the Gandhi family, and said that the UPA-led Central Government had no choice before them but to withdraw the ordinance on convicted lawmakers.

“Do you mean to say that there is no coordination between the mother and the son? Don’t they know what they are doing? We are being used by a dynasty, there is no doubt about it. The world’s largest democracy is being ruled by a family. Others are all courtiers,” Bedi alleged.

Quantum of sentence on Lalu to be pronounced tomorrow

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The quantum of sentence to be served by RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, who has been convicted in a fodder scam case, would be announced tomorrow after arguments in a Special CBI court here.

“The court has fixed tomorrow for arguments on why the quantum of sentence should be less and for the pronouncement (against Lalu),” said one of the counsels for the former Bihar chief minister.

The court of Pravas Kumar Singh, which had found Lalu guilty along with 45 others in case RC 20A/96 on Monday, would hear the arguments before handing out the quantum of sentence.

Toilets first, temples later, says Narendra Modi

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Build toilets first and temples later, said Hindutva icon and BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Speaking at a function organised here for the youth, Modi said he dared to say so even though his image as a Hindutva leader did not allow him.

“I am known to be a Hindutva leader. My image does not permit to say so, but I dare to say. My real thought is– Pehle shauchalaya, phir devalaya’ (toilet first, temple later),” he said.

Jootey bhi khaye, pyaz bhi khaye – Modi’s answer to PM’s ‘onslaught’

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Narendra Modi Wednesday hit back at the Prime Minister for questioning his secular credentials saying he was talking “the language of the 1980s”.

He also accused the government of not reading the pulse of the nation. “Otherwise, it would not have committed the mistake of bringing an ordinance to protect convicted lawmakers,” Modi said.

Recipe: Crispy Bhindi

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Ingredients

• 250 g Ladyfingers (chopped)
• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 1 stalk of Curry Leaves
• 3 tbsp grated Coconut
• ½ tbsp Coriander (chopped)
• ½ tsp grated Ginger
• 1 tbsp broken Cashew Nuts
• 5 whole Red Chilies
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp Urad Dal
• ¾ cup Curd (beaten)
• ¼ Red Chili (crushed)
• ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
• Salt (to taste)
• 2 tbsp Oil

How to make

Grind coconut and cashews together.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry ladyfingers until crusty. Drain and keep aside.

Totally agree with Rahul on ordinance issue: Scindia

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Ahead of the meeting of the Union Cabinet, Congress leader and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said he was “100 per cent in agreement” with the views of Rahul Gandhi on the issue of controversial ordinance on convicted lawmakers.

“I would like to say only one thing that I agree 100 per cent with Rahulji. There is a need for clean politics,” Scindia said.

“Whatever Rahulji has felt on the issue, it is very encouraging,” he said.

Scindia declined to answer further queries on the issue saying the Union Cabinet will deliberate on it.

Sonia, Rahul enquire about Antony’s health

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As Cabinet grappled with the issue of ordinance on convicted lawmakers, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi visited the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital to enquire about the health of Defence Minister A K Antony.

Antony had undergone a prostate surgery at the hospital here recently.

Sonia and Rahul were with Antony for 50 minutes. The senior Congress leader is a trusted associate of both the leaders who often consult him on various issues.

South West monsoon accounted for 98 percent rains between June, August

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The south West monsoon, which accounted for the country’s 98 per cent rainfall between June and August, is expected to continue the momentum this month as it enters its last phase.

Rainfall for the country during September is likely to be “normal” at 96 per cent, the Indian Meteorological Department says in its long range forecast.

Army launches major anti-infiltration operation along LoC

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The Army has launched a major anti- infiltration operation against militants and suspected Pakistan special troops holed up in an area in Keran sector along Line of Control in which five Indian soldiers have been injured.

“We are in total control of the operation which was launched on September 24. The reports of our posts being captured by the infiltrators are absurd,” General Officer Commanding of the Army’s 15 Corps Lt General Gurmit Singh told reporters here today.

New sanctions likely despite thaw in US-Iran ties

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A war-weary Congress generally backs President Barack Obama’s outreach to Iran, but with tougher US economic measures against Tehran on the way, the president’s diplomatic task could get harder if he doesn’t make quick progress.

Obama’s phone conversation last week with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was a groundbreaking conversation. It was the first contact in more than 30 years between the leaders of the two countries and an about-face from when Obama’s predecessor, George W Bush, included Iran in his “axis of evil” with North Korea and Iraq.

Hamas executes prisoner for murder: Interior Ministry

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The Gaza Strip’s Islamist rulers Hamas on Wednesday hanged a prisoner who had been convicted of murder, its interior ministry said.

“At 4:30 pm (2000 IST) on October 2, the death penalty was carried out against Hani Mohammed Abu Aliyan from Khan Yunis for his crime of killing Hazem Hassan Barham,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The Khan Yunis court (in the north of Gaza) sentenced the aforementioned for the crimes he committed (which included the murder and illegal possession of a knife) to death by hanging”.

ID checks on minorities are legal: French court

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A French court has ruled that police acted lawfully when conducting identity checks on 13 people who say they were targeted for their skin colour or ethnic origins.

The verdict on Wednesday upends an unusual bid to rein in law enforcement officers often accused of racial profiling.

The case was billed as the first of its kind in France.

Anti-racism groups say non-white French, particularly blacks or those of Arab origin face routine discrimination.

The state argued that the ID checks are not illegal.

Lankan Muslim party demands undiluted provincial powers

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Emboldened by the historic provincial election in the Tamil-dominated north, the Assembly in Sri Lanka’s eastern province has adopted a resolution calling for undiluted powers to the island’s provinces.

The resolution moved by Mohamed Jameel, a councillor of the main Muslim party Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, sought undiluted powers to the provinces as stipulated in the 1987 India-backed 13A amendment and rejected proposals to dilute the amendment as attempted by the government in May.

8 killed in suicide blast on Pak-Afghan border

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An Afghan suicide bomber on Wednesday struck a border crossing in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, killing at least eight persons and wounding 16 others including seven soldiers.

According to Pakistani security officials, the suicide bomber sitting on donkey cart with two other people entered from Afghanistan and detonated his explosives when Frontier Corps soldiers approached him.

The bomber’s head and body parts were later found at the site of the attack at Chaman border crossing.

Disputes threaten post-2014 US-Afghan pact: Kabul

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A planned deal to let US forces stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014 to fight al Qaeda remnants is under threat because of disagreement over the Americans’ right to conduct military operations, Kabul says.

President Hamid Karzai is now directly leading the talks after they ground to a halt despite US pressure to complete the security agreement by the end of this month, said Karzai’s spokesman Aimal Faizi.

No plans to reduce workforce: Ranbaxy

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Pharmaceuticals major Ranbaxy Laboratories Wednesday said it has no plans to reduce its workforce and is focusing on improving performance and productivity.

“Ranbaxy has no plans to reduce its workforce either in the next 3 or 12 months,” a Ranbaxy spokesperson said.

The company has been reported to be retrenching staff.

Denying that any such step was taken or planned, the spokesperson added: “We will continue to improve our productivity and performance and ensure optimal use of resources for sustainable, long-term growth.”

‘India’s economic turmoil resulted from neglect of inflation’

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India’s recent economic turmoil is due to a neglect of inflation and budgetary discipline and “serious” fiscal adjustments are needed to fix the problem, a noted Indian economist has said.

“As a result of this domestic instability, India’s middle class has been exporting capital in the form of buying gold,” Arvind Subramanian, Peterson Institute’s Dennis Weatherstone Senior Fellow, said.

We forced Shinde to write letter: CPI-M

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Welcoming union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s missive to state chief ministers urging them to ensure that no Muslim youth is wrongfully harassed in terror cases, the CPI-M Wednesday said it forced Shinde to take that stand.

“We raised the issue several times. We raised it at the Sep 23 National Integration Council meeting also. We forced the home minister to write such a letter,” Communist Party of India-Marxist central committee member Mohammed Salim said here.