Bangladesh blockade extended
Bangladesh, the 18-party BNP-led Opposition combine has extended the nationwide rail-road-waterways 72-hour blockade by another 49 hours till Thursday evening. The Opposition is demanding postponement of January 5 parliamentary elections till agreement is reached on election-time government. Rail links have virtually been paralysed, while long-distance buses and ferries remain affected. Top BNP leaders have been sued for instigating violence, and police have arrested hordes of activists. The Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed stated last night that elections will not be postponed and that nominations have to be filled within the stipulated date of 2nd December. Meanwhile UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillai have asked Bangladesh leaders to stop brinkmanship, whatever their differences, warning political chaos will lead the country to a dangerous state. At least 28 people have died and hundreds injured in two spells of blockades since November 25th when elections were announced.
NSC accuses US of pressurising it to sign Afghan-US BSA:
Afghan National Security Council (NSC) has accused the United States of pressurising it to sign the Afghan-US Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA). It alleged that the pressure tactcits include cutting the fuel supplies to Afghan Army and the Police. A press statement issued by the the President’s office in Kabul says, the meeting of NSC was held under the chairmanship of President Hamid Karzai and it reviewed the reports presented by the Afghan Defense and Interior Ministries. The Defense and Interior Ministers briefed the meeting about the stopping of fuel supply, delivery and other support services for the Afghan Security Forces by the United States. The statement described the step by the US-led NATO forces to be against the previous commitments by the alliance towards the Afghan security forces. According to the statement the members of the Afghan NSC insisted that the proposed Afghanistan-US bilateral security agreement can only be singed through mutual cooperation and not through pressure.
The UN mandated International Force combat mission in Afghanistan is likely to end by the next year. For the continued presence of some US troops in the war ravaged country after 2014 Afghanistan and the United States are negotiating for the past one year. Although they have ironed out most of their differences, but some issues like the legal immunity to the US troops from prosecution in case of any omission and commission is still hanging on fire. Although the Loya Jirga or the grand council of Afghan tribal elders, held recently in Kabul approved signing of the agreement, President Karzai has said that the agreement will be signed after the presidential election in Afghanistan in April next year. On the other hand the US wants that the agreement should be signed immediately.
Canadian arrested on suspicion of spying for China
Canadian police have arrested a Toronto resident suspected of suspected of seeking to pass classified information to China about Canadian shipbuilding procurement policies, reported Reuters. Jennifer Strachan, a chief superintendent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told reporters that Canadian citizen Qing Quentin Huang, 53, who had worked for a subcontractor involved in ship design was arrested on Saturday. He faces two charges of attempting to communicate with a foreign entity. “In these types of cases, sharing of information may give a foreign entity a tactical, military or competitive advantage by knowing the specifications of vessels responsible for defending Canadian waters and Canadian sovereignty,” she said. Strachan refused to comment on what sort of information the suspect attempted to provide to China, but stated that it posed no threat to public safety.
| India- U.S. Police Chiefs Conference |
| The India-U.S. Police Chiefs conference will be held on 4th and 5th December, 2013 at New Delhi and inaugurated by Union Home Minister Shri Sushilkumar Shinde. The conference will be attended by U.S. delegation consisting of Police Chiefs from major cities and their technology partners. The representatives of Indian delegation with include Indian State Police Forces, Para-military Forces, Technology partners and other law enforcement agencies.The conference aims to open floor for the technology partners of both countries to evolve an institutionalized mechanism so as to work incessantly on sustainable technology up gradation for perceptible reduction in crime and providing more secure and livable environment to citizens. Cyber security and use of Forensic Science to determine accuracy of crime investigation will remain focal point of the conference.
During the two day event, both sides will make presentations on response to mass casualty events, Maritime Security and Law Enforcement (Passenger & Cargo Security), Surveillance and Command Control in Urban Policing, Security and Law Enforcement in Mass Transit System, Lawful Interception (Intelligence) & Investigations, Crime Investigations and Forensics and Community Policing in multi-jurisdictional complex environment.
The participants will deliberate on the key areas of internal security and explore future perspective of collaboration for building strategic alliances through the use of effective techniques for professional excellence of the police forces.
A delegation of MHA officials headed by Union Home Minister Shri Sushilkumar Shinde had visited the USA in May, 2013 to discuss various issues of internal security. The focus of discussion remained on the operational coordination between the law enforcement agencies of both the countries. The Indian side had proposed to organise the Police Chiefs’ conference at New Delhi to share and exchange knowledge on success, best practices and lessons learned in the context of mega city policing, critical infrastructure protection, cyber security and other matters pertaining to internal security.
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Thai PM rejects protesters’ demands
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Yingluck Shinawatra says demands to dissolve parliament and establish a “people’s council” are unconstitutional.
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Libya ready for re-opening of Russian embassy in Tripoli
Libya is ready for the re-opening of the Russian embassy in Tripoli, Libyan Foreign Minister Muhammad Abdel-Aziz has said. “We are having intensive consultations with the Russian government, primarily with the Foreign Ministry, on the return of the embassy to Libya,” he told Voice of Russia radio. “We were told that a decision has been made on its return,” Interfax quoted him as saying.
Scotland helicopter crash death toll rises to nine
Police have discovered the body of one more victim in the debris of the Clutha Vaults pub in Glasgow, Scotland, bringing the total number of people killed in Friday’s crash to nine. The name of a fifth victim has also been released. “We can now confirm that Samuel McGhee died during the incident on Friday,” Detective Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said. “Sadly I can also confirm the discovery of a further body.” She added that the investigation is ongoing. The police helicopter crashed into the roof of the crowded pub on Friday night, killing all three people on board the vehicle in addition to the five previously confirmed dead who had been in the building.
China’s lunar probe with first moon rover blasts off
China’s Chang’e-3 lunar probe with its first moon rover “Yutu” (Jade Rabbit) aboard took off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China, Xinhua state news agency reported. This is the first time China has sent a spacecraft to the surface of moon. The rover is to soft-land on the Earth’s satellite in mid-December to conduct surveys. If the mission is successful, China will become the third country to have landed on the moon, after the US and Russia.
120 killed in clashes in northern Yemen
Around 120 people have been killed and dozens wounded in northern Yemen as fighting erupted between Shiite Houthi rebels and Sunni Salafis, reports meedia. Clashes started after the Houthis, who control most of Saada province, accused the Salafis of massing thousands of fighters, including foreigners, in a religious school in Damaj with the aim of attacking them. The Salafis argued that the foreigners were religious students studying Islamic theology at the Dar al-Hadith academy. A government official, Amin al-Hemyari, who was in charge of enforcing a ceasefire reached last month, accused the Houthis of breaking the agreement. He said that no casualty figures were available for the Shiite rebels following the Sunday violence outbreak.
Ukrainian Interior Minister apologizes for crackdown on protesters
Ukrainian Minister of the Interior Vitaly Zakharchenko apologized for excessive use of force by the Berkut special police force division, while dispersing a pro-EU protest in the center of Kiev, the Ukrainian UNN news agency reports. Zakharchenko emphasized that he was totally against brutal crackdowns and had informed his subordinates of his position. The minister added he would insist on an investigation into the incident. The head of the Kiev police, Valery Koryak, who ordered the Berkut forces to disperse the crowd, reportedly earlier resigned from office.
Al-Qaeda claims presence in the West Bank
A group associated with Al-Qaeda has confirmed that three militants killed by Israeli forces in the West bank last week used to belong to an Islamist network that appeared in Palestine. In a statement posted on an Islamist web forum, a Majles Shura al-Mujahideen, or Holy Warriors’ Assembly, mentioned that “the global jihadi doctrine has reached the bank of pride, the West Bank.” Earlier Israeli officials accused the three killed Palestinians of plotting attacks against Israel. The three men, suspected of belonging to an Al-Qaeda-linked cell, violently resisted their arrest and were shot dead by Israeli troops.
6.3 quake strikes off Indonesian island
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake has struck at sea off the coast of Indonesia’s Barat Daya islands, the US Geological Survey reported. The quake struck in the early hours of Sunday morning. The epicenter of the tremor was located at a shallow depth of 10km not far from a small island called Damar. There have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties, nor reports of a tsunami warning.
6.2-magnitude quake strikes off Sumatra
An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale has struck off the coast of Sumatra Island in Indonesia, reports the US Geological Survey. The epicenter of the quake was 260 kilometers west of the town of Sibolga in the Indian Ocean. No damage has been reported and a tsunami warning has not been issued.
5 dead in Italian factory fire
At least five people have been killed and three injured after a clothing factory caught fire in the town of Prato near Florence, according to fire service officials who spoke to media. The five charred bodies were recovered from what appeared to be an improvised dormitory on the site, and local media confirmed that at least 11 workers had been living in a small structure made out of cardboard walls above the warehouse. The factory is an area known to a number of Chinese-owned textile businesses.
Egypt police use tear gas against Pro-Morsi students on Tahrir square
Police in Cairo have used tear gas to disperse about a thousand students, supporters of the ousted president Mohammed Morsi, marching from Cairo University to the capital’s iconic Tahrir Square, Ahram Online reports. Protesters reportedly retreated to the Talaat Harb entrance to the square, heading for side streets. Islamist protesters rallied on Sunday against “the military rule” in Egypt and, also, to condemn the killing of a student by security forces during a demonstration on Thursday. Sunday’s rally has become the first time in over a month that Islamist anti-government protesters managed to enter the square that was the epicenter of previous uprisings.
SHOWCASE YOUR PRODUCTS IN IRAN
Exhibition & Buyer Seller Meet (BSM)
Dec 15-19, 2013: Tehran & Isfahan
Dear Sir/ Madam,
We are delighted to inform you that Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in association with Ministry of Commerce & Industry, GOI, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Tehran Chamber of Commerce and Embassy of India is organising Three days Exhibition and Buyer Seller Meet (BSM) in Tehran and one day BSM in Isfahan from Dec 15 – 19, 2013.
India-Iran economic and commercial ties have traditionally been buoyed by Indian import of Iranian crude oil. India’s exports to Iran include Rice, Machinery & Instruments, Metals, primary and semi finished Iron & Steel, Drugs/Pharmaceuticals & Fine Chemicals, Processed Minerals, Manmade Yarn & Fabrics, Tea, Organic/Inorganic/Agro Chemicals, Rubber Manufactured Products, etc.
This exhibition would provide an excellent opportunity for Indian Business Commodities to showcase their products & services in Iranian Market.
This Exhibition & Business Meetings endeavors to bring together leading businessmen, Sr. Govt Officials and Policy Makers from Iran, to enable future business cooperation. There would be exclusive Business-to-Business (B2B) meetings with Iranian companies during the exhibition.
Highlights of the Event
o Three days Exhibition: Showcasing best of India’s Products/ Services/ Technologies
o India – Iran Business Forum.
Thousands rally in Pakistan against US drone attacks
Around 5,000 people took to streets on Sunday in Pakistan’s second-largest city of Lahore, in protest of continued American drone strikes in the northwest of the country. The attacks have allegedly killed hundreds of civilians, including children. Chanting anti-US slogans and holding banners, demonstrators demanded an immediate end to the deadly assaults that have been regularly occurring since 2004 as part of the so-called “war on terror.”The rally was organized by the Defense of Pakistan Council (DPC) – an umbrella coalition of around 40 religious and political parties.Its leader, Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, called on all political parties, religious scholars and members of civil society to unite against the drone strikes
Media agencies
Participants in a rally in support of Ukraine’s integration with the EU, near Kiev’s city hall occupied by protesters on December 2, 2013.
