Month: December 2013

Modi bats for holistic approach for healthy society

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Advocating holistic approach for creating a healthy society, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said desired results cannot be achieved without a clear road map and proper mobilisation of resources.

“Without proper mobilisation of resources and lack of clear road map, desired results for creating a healthy society cannot be achieved,” Modi said in his inaugural address at a day-long conference on ‘Healthy Gujarat: Agenda for Action’ at Mahatma Mandir here.

Rajnath defends Modi, hits out at Congress

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BJP chief Rajnath Singh today came out in defence of Narendra Modi on the snooping row saying while the Gujarat CM himself has ordered a probe into the matter, a “depressed” Congress is busy leveling baseless allegations.

“Congress leaders are giving wayward statements under depression. Their national president Sonia Gandhi terms BJP as a party of poisonous people and its Vice President (Rahul Gandhi) term it as thieves. This is the result of their depression,” he alleged.

Rajnath said Modi himself has constituted a commission to probe into the snooping charges.

Communal violence Bill facing opposition from non-Cong states

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The controversial communal violence bill, which aims at protecting minorities from targeted attacks, is facing stiff opposition from non-Congress state governments and BJP even before its proposed introduction in the winter session of parliament beginning Thursday.

Following a directive from Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami today held a meeting with Home Secretaries of all states as part of the government’s bid to build a consensus on the proposed bill.

Indian couple arrested for illegally bringing workers to US

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An Indian couple in Kentucky has been arrested for illegally bringing Indians into the US and making them work long hours for low wages at their fast food restaurants.

Federal prosecutors have charged Amrutlal Patel and his wife, Dakshaben Patel, both 46, with housing, transporting and employing illegal aliens.

The couple operates four Subway restaurants in Lexington and employed undocumented Indian nationals who worked 10-12 hours a day throughout the week for little pay, a statement said.

Enhanced India Pak trade a win win for both countries: US

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The US has maintained that there has been no change in its policy on Kashmir, which it considers is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and said the two should now work to encourage cross-border trade.

“There has not been any change in the long-held US policy that with respect to relations between India and Pakistan, and particularly with respect to issues regarding Kashmir, that it is for India, Pakistan to set the pace, the scope and really the nature of those conversations and that process,” Assistant US Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal said.

US halts cargo shipment from Afghanistan through Pakistan

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The United States has temporarily halted shipment of its “retrograde cargo” from Afghanistan in view of the anti-America demonstrations in Pakistan which it believes puts at risk the safety and security of the truckers.

“We have voluntarily halted US shipments of retrograde cargo through the Pakistan Ground Line of Communication (GLOC) from Torkham Gate through Karachi to ensure the safety of the drivers contracted to move our equipment,” the Pentagon spokesperson Mark Wright said.

US urges for united effort to break political logjam in B’desh

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The US has called for concerted effort at dialogue to bring the two major political parties of Bangladesh close together to find a way out for holding free, fair and peaceful elections there.

“While we really welcome the announcement of elections on January 5th, we do think that there is an urgent call for concerted efforts at dialogue to bring the two major political parties closer together,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal told foreign journalists at a news conference.

Asian nations dominate international test

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Teens from Asian nations dominated a global exam given to 15-year-olds while US students showed little improvement and failed to reach the top 20 in math, science or reading, according to test results.

Students in Shanghai, China’s largest city, had the top scores in all subjects, and Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong students weren’t far behind.

Even Vietnam, which had its students participate for the first time, had a higher average score in math and science than the United States.

Latin America minorities face discrimination: UN

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Despite a decade of economic growth across most of Latin America, people of African descent throughout the region still face discrimination and earn less, a UN agency has said.

“Across Latin America there is widespread discrimination based on the color of one’s skin,” said Silvia Garcia with the UN Development Programme.

Discrimination and unfair pay plagues regional residents even though up to 30 per cent of Latin Americans — not including the Caribbean where the numbers are higher — are of African descent.

Obama’s Kenyan-born uncle allowed to remain in US

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President Barack Obama’s Kenyan-born uncle, who ignored a deportation order more than two decades ago, has been granted permission to stay in the US.

Judge Leonard Shapiro made the decision after Onyango Obama, 69, testified that he had lived in the US for 50 years, been a hard worker, paid income tax and been arrested only once.

Asked about his family in the US yesterday, he said, “I do have a nephew.” Asked to name the nephew, he said, “Barack Obama, he’s the president of the United States.”

Mahatma Gandhi’s march of 1913 re-enacted in South Africa

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Hundreds of people joined a special commemoration of the centenary of what is now known as The Great Transvaal March by Mahatma Gandhi and his followers in 1913 at the town of Volksrust in South Africa.

A special train was organised from Durban to Newcastle via Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith and other cities on the way for this historic event.

Hundreds of people began their journey at about 2 am from Durban to reach Newcastle for the march at 1.30 am on Sunday.

Americans see US power on the wane

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For the first time in nearly 40 years, most Americans believe their country’s influence is on the decline and that the United States wields less global power than it did a decade ago.

A majority also believes for the first time that America should “mind its own business,” while faulting President Barack Obama for his foreign policy, especially over Syria.

The findings are the result of a Pew Research Centre poll of some 2,003 people carried out in conjunction with the Council on Foreign Relations between October 30 and November 6.

Nasrallah says Saudi behind blasts at Iran’s Beirut embassy

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Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has blamed Saudi Arabia for a twin suicide attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut that killed 25 people last month.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an Al-Qaeda affiliate that claimed responsibility for the attacks, “has an emir and he is Saudi, and I am convinced that it is linked to the Saudi intelligence services, which direct groups like this one in several parts of the world,” Nasrallah yesterday told Lebanese broadcaster OTV.

Britain an ‘old country’ for tourists, students: China media

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Britain should recognise it is not a big power but “just an old European country apt for travel and study”, Chinese state-run media snapped today as Prime Minister David Cameron visits.

“China won’t fall for Cameron’s ‘sincerity’,” the headline of the sharply-written editorial in the Global Times newspaper said, after Beijing was outraged by Cameron’s meeting with the Dalai Lama last year.

The meeting had led to a diplomatic deep-freeze between the two nations.

Patience with Sri Lanka could ‘wear thin’: US

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International patience could wear thin with Sri Lanka unless it takes action to address allegations of atrocities during the island nation’s civil war, the top US diplomat for South Asia said today.

Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal stopped short of endorsing a deadline set last month by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he would call for a UN-backed inquiry into allegations of war crimes unless there was progress on postwar reconciliation by March.

Bolshoi dancer gets six years for acid attack

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A Russian court on today sentenced a Bolshoi dancer to six years in a penal colony for masterminding an acid attack that nearly blinded the famed company’s artistic director.

Former soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko and two co-defendants were found guilty of carrying out a premeditated attack on Sergei Filin in a case that exposed vicious infighting at the storied institution.

The January attack left Filin, 43, nearly blind as the acid flung in his face caused severe injuries to eyes and skin. He underwent dozens of operations and is continuing treatment in Germany.

149 cartons of liquor, Rs 26 lakh seized ahead of polls

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With only a few hours left for the polling day in Delhi, police have seized 149 cartons of liquor and over Rs 26 lakh in cash from different parts of the national capital.

Police, along with flying squads and Excise Department officials, have seized cartons of liquor while being distributed by political parties in areas like Badarpur, Kalyanpuri, Sari Rohilla, Bindapur, New Ashok Nagar, Narela, Sitaram Bazaar and Anand Parvat.

British envoy makes first Iran visit for two years: Foreign

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Britain’s new envoy to Tehran visited Iran today, becoming the first British diplomat to travel to the country since ties were severed in 2011, the Foreign Office in London said.

Ajay Sharma, who is making his first trip in his new role as non-resident charge d’affaires, held “detailed and constructive” talks with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Habibollah-Zadeh and other officials.

Bangalore attack: Banks asked to focus on ATM security

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Banks will be asked to compulsorily install CCTV cameras inside and outside their ATM kiosks by January-end and provide round-the-clock guards, a move that comes in the wake of the attack on a Bangalore woman last month inside a cash dispensing centre which had no security.

This was decided at a high-level meeting attended by top officials from RBI, apex banking body, Maharashtra Police and State Government here today. The meeting was chaired by Maharashtra Minister of State Home Satej Patil at his office.

Maha minister’s son, 8 others held for toll plaza attack

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Maharashtra Minister and Congress leader Narayan Rane’s son Nitesh was today arrested along with eight others by Goa Police for allegedly vandalising a toll booth near here and attacking its staffers.

The incident took place on Maharashtra-Goa border and created tension in the area. Nitesh and the others, all his supporters, were booked for alleged rioting, damaging public property and assaulting public servants, police sources said.

A Goa-bound group, led by Nitesh and travelling in a convoy of private cars, refused to pay toll fee at the plaza in Pernem village, they said.

Navy has much better maritime awareness: Sinha

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Indian Navy has implemented a slew of measures, including grooming of fishermen, to safeguard the sea post the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, chief of Western Naval command, said today.

The Navy has set up four joint operation centres, one each in the four naval commands.

“Joint Operation Centres get inputs from all sensors established by various agencies like the Port Trust, Police, Intelligence, Shipping etc,” Sinha told reporters.

The officer said the Navy has a much better maritime awareness.

HC asks Himachal govt to reply to PIL on school infrastructure

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The Himachal Pradesh High Court today directed the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Education), Director of Higher Education and the Director of Elementary Education to file a reply within four weeks to a petition on upgradation of schools without requisite infrastructure.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Kuldip Singh passed the orders on a PIL taken up by the court suo motu, following a letter by one Ashok Kumar from Hamipur to the Chief Justice regarding the upgradation of schools by the state in violation of rules.

No change in visa policy on Narendra Modi: US

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There is no change in the US’ visa policy with respect to the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, the Obama administration said today and noted that it looks forward to working with India, irrespective of the outcome of next year’s general elections.

“I would just note that there has been no change in US rules or regulations, with respect to its visa policy. That is that all individuals apply and have to undergo a review process,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal, said at a news conference.

US issues alert to citizens travelling to B’desh

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The United States has issued a travel alert to its citizens travelling to or living in Bangladesh in view of protests in the country ahead of the January 5 general elections there.

“The US Department of State alerts US citizens travelling to or living in Bangladesh to the upcoming national elections that are scheduled for January 5, 2014,” the State Department said, adding that the alert expires on January 7, 2014.

Bangalore techie rape: Two migrants from Assam arrested

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Two migrant workers from Assam were arrested for allegedly raping a Bangalore-based woman IT professional in a backwater island resort at Pozhiyur near here last month.

Police identified those arrested as Lakinath (20) and Persuanagam (22), both from Jorhat district in Assam. They were engaged for maintenance works at the resort by a contract firm.

According to police, they had marks of scuffles on their body and the two confessed to the crime during interrogation.