International news

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Russian troops ‘have not crossed Ukraine border’

Russian troops have not crossed the Ukrainian border, Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said Thursday. The Russian diplomats are examining a report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on the issue, he said, as cited by RIA Novosti. “There have been no troops or any military crossing the border,” he said, adding that “there is no presence of the Russian military on the Ukrainian territory.”

ESA’s Philae probe working on comet as hours left on battery

Europe’s Philae probe was conducting experiments Friday on a comet 510 million km from Earth with just hours of onboard battery life left, AFP reported. It landed at an angle with one leg dangling, likely in a crevice shadowed from battery-boosting sunlight. The robot lab stayed for the second day on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which is racing towards the Sun at 18 km per second. Philae landed on the comet after a seven-hour, 20km descent from its orbiting mothership Rosetta, which had traveled more than a decade and 6.5 billion km.

UN agency halves Kenya refugees’ food rations, cites aid shortfall

Food rations for half a million refugees in Kenya will be slashed in half due to an aid shortfall, the UN said on Friday in an appeal to donors. Food rations, which include grains, pulses and cooking oil, will be cut from around 2,100 to 1,050 kilocalories per person per day, AFP reported. “Cutting rations is the last resort,” UN World Food Program (WFP) deputy chief for Kenya Paul Turnbull said, calling for $38 million more in cash. WFP needs an immediate $15.5 million to feed refugees until January. Most of the refugees in northern Kenya’s camps come from neighboring war-torn South Sudan and Somalia.

Obama to pledge $3bn for UN climate fund

US President Barack Obama will pledge $3 billion to a UN fund aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change in poorest countries, AFP reported, citing a US official as saying Friday. The president was heading to a G20 summit in Australia. “It is in our national interest to helping vulnerable countries to build resilience to climate change,” the administration official said.

India detain drug makers after sterilization deaths

Indian police have arrested the head of a drug manufacturing company and his son after 13 women died after undergoing sterilizations, AFP said. Ramesh Mahawar, the director of Mahawar Pharma, and his son are suspected of destroying evidence related to the deaths, police superintendent Om Prakash Pal said on Friday.

OSCE sees no threats to work of Dutch investigators on МН17 flight crash site

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has described the conditions of work of Dutch investigators at the site of Malaysian Airlines МН17 flight’s crash in Donetsk Region, eastern Ukraine, as safe. The organization’s monitors accompanied the investigators and “would not do so if it was unsafe,” TASS quoted OSCE deputy Chief Monitor in Ukraine Alexander Hug as saying on Friday. The OSCE is assisting the investigators in accessing the site, according to Hug.

Japan plans to give $1.5bn for UN climate fund – sources

Tokyo plans to give up to $1.5 billion to the UN-backed Green Climate Fund to help developing countries fight global warming, AFP said. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to announce the pledge at a gathering of the leaders of the Group of 20 biggest economies in Brisbane, Australia, Kyodo News reported Friday, citing its sources. The cash will come on top of a reported $2.5 billion that Washington is stumping up for the GCF. Its mechanism is designed for wealthy countries to help poorer ones become greener.

Military helicopter crashes in NE Nigeria

A Nigerian Air Force helicopter burst into flames midair and crashed near a university in Nigeria’s northeast, witnesses said on Friday. The crash, which is the second to down a military chopper in a week, happened late Thursday in the city of Yola, initially sparking fears that Boko Haram insurgency was mounting an attack, AFP said. The aircraft was thought to be carrying weapons to troops fighting militants. There was no immediate information on casualties. The explosions caused panic among students.

World leaders gathering in Australia for G20 summit

Thirteen world leaders are due to arrive in Australia on Friday for the G20 summit in the Queensland State capital, Brisbane, to be held this weekend, the BBC reported. The summit will focus on promoting growth, and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said leaders would discuss job creation, identifying tax cheats and strengthening the global economy. Ukraine will also be discussed, and campaigners want climate change on the agenda. Local government workers in Brisbane have been given a day off because of the number of travel restrictions in place.

Israel to allow men of all ages to attend Al-Aqsa mosque prayers

Israel is lifting an age barrier for the main weekly Muslim prayers Friday at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound for the first time in months, according to a police spokesman. “No age limit on the Temple Mount, we’re hoping things will be calm and quiet today,” spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told AFP. Extra police units were deployed in Jerusalem in the morning to prevent any incidents in and around the Old City. The decision to lift age restrictions is linked to talks in Jordan on Thursday. US Secretary of State John Kerry said steps were agreed between King Abdullah II and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lower tensions at the mosque compound.

​Seventh Russian aid convoy to go to E. Ukraine on Friday

The Russian Emergencies Ministry said it is to send its seventh convoy of humanitarian aid for the Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Lugansk. So far, more than 8,000 tons of food, medicine, fuel, building materials, and other essentials have been sent by Russia to the war-torn breakaway region of eastern Ukraine, the ministry added. Earlier, the Foreign Ministry said it requested assistance from Ukraine for the delivery, adding that it hopes the International Committee for the Red Cross will participate as well.

Burkina Faso factions agree to transitional government following coup

Political forces in the West African nation of Burkina Faso agreed on a framework for a transitional government following talks between opposition parties, the military, religious leaders, and civil society groups. The decision comes two weeks after President Blaise Compaore was ousted in a military coup. The transitional government will be tasked with bringing the country back to civilian rule and getting it ready for elections. Compaore was forced to resign on October 31 following mass protests against a move to change the constitution in order to extend his long-standing leadership. “Today was the day of compromise,” Herve Kam, a member of the Balai Citoyen civil society group, said. “Both soldiers and civilians agree on a civilian transition. The institutions of the transition will be led by civilians.”

New counter-terrorism bill bans British jihadists, some airlines from UK

British Prime Minister David Cameron revealed some details about the nation’s new counter-terrorism bill, which will be officially presented later in November. One of the measures includes a right to refuse British nationals returning to the UK after being involved in jihadist fighting abroad, Cameron said in an address to Australia’s parliament on Friday. Other parts of the bill will deal with airlines – such as not allowing certain airlines to land on UK territory if they do not comply with British no-fly lists and security screen procedures. Cameron made the first mention of the laws in September. Britain raised its security threat level to the second-highest in August due to increasing danger posed by returning Islamic State fighters from Iraq and Syria. “We have to confront this threat at its source,” Cameron said in Canberra.

EU leaders to make decision on more Russia sanctions

The decision on whether to impose more economic sanctions against Russia will likely be made by EU leaders in mid-December, rather than by foreign ministers who are meeting in Brussels on Monday, Reuters quoted diplomats as saying. The foreign ministers may produce a list of Ukrainian rebel figures and possibly some Russians to be added to the list of personal sanctions already in place, according to an internal paper seen by the news agency. They will be required to keep in mind “that the main separatist leaders are already listed…and the fact that the targeted separatists could be at some point agents in the implementation of the peace plan.”

Former Saakashvili minister dies of heart attack in London

Former Georgian economy minister and wealthy businessman Kakha Bendukidze has died in Britain, Georgia’s First Radio reported on Thursday, along with several other sources. He was staying in a London hotel when he suffered an apparent heart attack, reports said. He had recently returned from Switzerland, where he was treated in a cardiology clinic. Bendukidze, who earned a fortune in Russia, served as Georgia’s economy minister and minister for reform coordination in President Mikhail Saakashvili’s government following the Rose Revolution in the country. His latest political activity included serving as an advisor to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic urges Minsk group meeting

Representative of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic, Denis Pushilin, has urged an immediate resumption of talks on settlement in eastern Ukraine. The group should summon a meeting with the participation of the OSCE, Ukraine and Russia, according to his statement published on the republic’s official website. Donetsk and Lugansk republics are ready to send their representatives for talks, he said, adding that any attempts to settle the conflict without them will not improve the situation.

France calls on Israel to reverse decision on 200 settlements in E. Jerusalem

France has called on Israel to “immediately” reverse a decision on the building of 200 new settlements in East Jerusalem. “The decision by the Israeli authorities approving the construction of 200 new homes in the Ramot settlement again directly threatens a two-state solution,” French Foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said. The new housing is slated for a sprawling hillside complex of apartment buildings and private homes at the northern edge of Jerusalem. It will be built on land Israel captured in the 1967 war and annexed to the city, a move never recognized internationally.

Arrest warrants issued for Pakistan protest leaders Khan, Qadri

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has issued arrest warrants for opposition leader and former cricketer, Imran Khan and cleric Tahir ul-Qadri, Reuters said. The warrants issued late on Wednesday accused their supporters of storming parliament and the state television building on September 1. Opposition leaders reacted with outrage on Thursday, and the move is feared to provoke fresh unrest. Media agencies

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Categories : Business, Politics

Does Cameron Agree With Aung San Suu Kyi That Reforms Have Stalled?

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Burma Campaign UK

To

me

Nov 13 at 11:50 PM

View this email in your browser Dear friend Burma Campaign UK has been saying for a long time that the British government has been looking at Burma through rose-tinted glasses. They have downplayed human rights problems and talked up positives, ignoring the reality on the ground. Last week Aung San Suu Kyi publicly said what has been clear for some time, the reform process in Burma has ‘stalled’. The number of political prisoners is going back up, repression of the Rohingya is increasing, new laws are being proposed to restrict the right of women to marry non-Buddhists, Burmese Army attacks in ethnic states continue, as has the use of rape and sexual violence. Any vague hope that the Constitution might be changed to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to stand for the Presidency has faded. This week US President Obama is in Burma. He has also warned that there has been ‘backsliding’ on reforms.  The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma has repeatedly warned of ‘backtracking’ of the reform process. The response of the British Prime Minister David Cameron and his government has been to play Ostrich, sticking his head in the sand and pretending it isn’t happening.  Two years ago he was issuing regular gushing statements praising President Thein Sein, now things are going badly he is silent. When Foreign Office ministers are questioned in Parliament about ongoing human rights abuses, they avoid giving straight answers or admitting statistics such as the number of political prisoners doubling, or that ethnic cleansing is taking place against the Rohingya. It is time that David Cameron and his government take off their rose-tinted glasses and publicly admit that reforms have stalled. They must accept that their policy of befriending the military-backed government has not delivered improvements in human rights as they claimed it would. Instead it has had the opposite effect. They relaxed too much pressure too soon and reduced the motivation for the military-backed government to introduce deeper, more fundamental reforms. Please click here to email Prime Minister David Cameron, calling on him to admit that Burma’s reform process has stalled, and to change Britain’s policy towards Burma so that it is no longer based on the lies and broken promises of President Thein Sein. Thank you for your support. Anna Roberts Burma Campaign UK Take action and email David Cameron here.

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Categories : Uncategorized

Nehru ‘Leader and Architect’ of India – Modi ‘Just Arrived’

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November14, 2014 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.com

On 125th birth anniversary its time recall contribution of Architect
of India, Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru. His greatest Contribution was Free &
Compulsory Education, Free Healthcare, Secularism & Socialistic
Economic Policy, Rights to Women and to lessen Social Inequalities.
His is Dream of India has been Compromised like Free & Compulsory
Education, Socialist Wealth Distribution. Nehru led India from 1929 to
1964 continuously.

Indian National Congress ruled India for latest ten years didn’t
seriously implement Nehru’s ideas. Gulf between Rich & Poor had
widened in last two decades. When price of wheat is $540-$860 in
international market Indian farmers are paid just $200. Average adult
wealth in India is $4645 but Median wealth is $1006 only. With better
income distribution majority of Indians Would Have Been Thrice Richer
than today. Industry workers are paid just 1% of GDP as wages and
Employers earn 4.5 Times than wages to Workers which was 59% in
1988-89.

Chacha Nehru ‘Nehru also outlined a commitment in his five-year plans
to guarantee free and compulsory primary education to all of India’s
children. For this purpose, Nehru oversaw the creation of mass village
enrolment programmes and the construction of thousands of schools.
Nehru also launched initiatives such as the provision of free milk and
meals to children to fight malnutrition. Adult education centres,
vocational and technical schools were also organised for adults,
especially in the rural areas.’

‘He declared that the aims of the congress were freedom of religion,
right to form associations, freedom of expression of thought, equality
before law for every individual without distinction of caste, colour,
creed or religion, protection to regional languages and cultures,
safeguarding the interests of the peasants and labour, abolition of
untouchability, introduction of adult franchise, imposition of
prohibition, nationalisation of industries, socialism, and
establishment of a secular India.’ – 1929

“The spectacle of what is called religion, or at any rate organised
religion, in India and elsewhere, has filled me with horror and I have
frequently condemned it and wished to make a clean sweep of it. Almost
always it seemed to stand for blind belief and reaction, dogma and
bigotry, superstition, exploitation and the preservation of vested
interests.”

GDP growth was slow during Nehru’s rule because of Very Low Tax
Collection and No Control over Banks, Zero INVENTING, Black Money
Generation etc which hurt India even today. In last 14 years wealth
contribution of India was up from 1% to 1.4% to the world GDP in per
capita terms is just 20% growth over world average in 14 years or just
1.5% above world average.

Modi has just arrived – His Main IDEA of ‘Unearthing Black Money’ is
going nowhere.

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Categories : CSR, culture, Education

Hungarian Vadocz replaces John Goossens at FC Pune City

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Guwahati, 14 November 2014: FC Pune City, the Pune franchise of the Indian Super League has signed Hungarian midfielder Krisztian Vadocz as an injury replacement to Dutch John Goossens. The 29-year-old centre midfielder Vadocz who joined the team here in Guwahati ahead of their match against NEUFC, has plied his trade for Odense Boldklub (in Denish Superliga) and CA Osasuna (in La Liga).

Born in Budapest, Vadocz made his professional debut aged 17, with hometown’s Budapest Honvéd FC, and caught the eye of Ligue 1 outfit AJ Auxerre in the 2005 summer. In June 2007 AJ Auxerre released Vadócz and he joined NEC Nijmegen.

Later he went on to represent La Liga outfit CA Osasuna. In his first season, he did score some important goals for Osasuna, against UD Almeria and at Atlético de Madrid (4–2).  In his three years with the Spanish outfit, Vadocz scored 9 goals in his 71 appearances.

He made his debut for both Hungary’s under-21 and the full side in 2004. He netted his first goal for the latter a year later, in a 3–2 friendly win over Antigua and Barbuda in Miami, Florida.

On this development, FC Pune City CEO Gaurav Modwel said, “John Goossens’ presence will be sorely missed in the camp as well as on the field. But I have full confidence in Krizstian Vadocz’s ability to fit into our setup.”

Head coach Franco Colomba too sounded optimistic. “Goossens has been a remarkable player, but then we have the season to look forward to and Vadocz’s vast experience as a midfielder across various international leagues and at the international level shall bring the right balance to the FC Pune City team.”

Dutch national Goossens has been ruled out for the rest of Indian Super League season, suffering injury to his ribs during Match 24 on November 7th, 2014 match against Atletico de Kolkata at Salk Lake Stadium, Kolkata.

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Categories : sports

SONY SIX set to redefine tennis viewership in India with Champions Tennis League’s (CTL) novel format

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New Delhi, November 14, 2014: SONY SIX, India’s premier sports and entertainment channel has acquired the broadcasting rights for Champions Tennis League, a pan-India city-based tennis championship league set to take place from November 17 to November 26, 2014.

The television-friendly format of CTL lends itself to the taste and sensibilities of the Indian audience, who have been generally seen to enjoy watching fast-paced sports like the T20 cricket. The ‘each set is a match’ structure is already being talked about amongst national and international tennis fraternities alike. Also renowned names like Mark Woodforde, Louise Pleming, Luke Jensen and Prakash Amritraj will be seen keeping the viewers engaged with their quick witted and insightful commentary on the game. Apart from the pacey and competitive tennis, the tournament will feature after-match parties, fashion shows and interactions with the fans on the rest days; thereby acting as a ‘carnival of tennis’ for both tennis fans and the general match-goers.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, SONY SIX said, “The format for CTL is tailor made for television. The short and exciting structure of the matches will ensure that audiences are entertained and engaged throughout the course of the tournament. Also, with the entry of CTL, the viewership for tennis in our country should finally extend beyond the Grand Slams and select ATP and WTA tournaments.”

With CTL, SONY SIX will further add to its exciting mix of entertainment-based sports programming led by global phenomena such as the NBA, the FIFA, the Pepsi IPL and the Ultimate Fighting Championship among others. The inaugural CTL not only boasts of a first-of-its kind format but will also be the first international tennis tournament to be held in cities like Pune and Chandigarh, which have traditionally not been the bastions for the sport in the country.