MORE ROHINGYA REFUGEES FLEE MYANMAR
Tens of thousands more Rohingya people have crossed by boat and on foot into Bangladesh in the last 24 hours as they flee violence in western Myanmar.
The UNHCR Refugee Agency spokeswoman Vivian Tan said today that roughly 60,000 have arrived in Bangladesh since the violence erupted on 25th August.
Both Myanmar’s security officials and insurgents from the Rohingya ethnic minority are accusing each other of burning down villages and committing atrocities in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The military has said nearly 400 people, most of them insurgents, have died in armed clashes.
The violence has triggered a flood of refugees crossing mostly on foot into Bangladesh, though some were fleeing in wooden boats.
JUSTER TO BE AMBASSADOR TO INDIA
US President Donald Trump will nominate Kenneth Juster to be ambassador to India, the White House said on Friday.
Juster was a deputy assistant to Trump for international economic affairs and the deputy director of the National Economic Council until June.
From 2001 to 2005 he was under secretary of Commerce under former president George W. Bush.
The position has been lying vacant since January 20 when Mr Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Juster has previously served as Under Secretary of Commerce from 2001-2005, Counselor of the State Department from 1992-1993 and Deputy and senior Adviser to the Deputy Secretary of State from 1989-1992.
Media agencies
BENAZIR MURDER CASE VERDICT, ZARDARI TO APPEAL & PERVEZ THE FUGITIVE
Pakistan’s former president Asif Ali Zardari said today he will appeal against the judgment in the 2007 Benazir Bhutto murder case. Zardari was quoted as saying by Pak news channels in Nawabshah in Sindh Province after offering Eid prayers.“We are not satisfied with the verdict, we will appeal against it,” he said.
He said that he was not satisfied with the verdict that acquitted five Pakistani Taliban suspects. The anti-terrorism court, ATC, this week acquitted five Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan suspects due to lack of evidence in the case.
The court however, sentenced two senior police officers to 17 years in jail and declared former dictator Pervez Musharraf a fugitive and ordered authorities to seize his properties.
A joint investigation team had implicated Musharraf in the case, saying his government did not provide adequate security to Bhutto during the rally despite her repeated
requests.
requests.
Bhutto, the Pakistan Peoples Party chief and a two-time prime minister, was killed along with more than 20 people in a gun and bomb attack in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh during an election campaign rally on 27th December 2007. She was 54.
PPP earlier this week rejected the Anti-Terrorism Court’s (ATC) decision in the Benazir murder case as “disappointing” and said that it will explore legal options to challenge the decision.
A meeting presided by party chairman Zardari held consultations on the verdict and expressed shock and disappointment at the decision.
The party in a statement said that justice was not done in the case, adding that acquittal of Al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects despite evidence is shocking and apparently a victory for the Al-Qaeda militants.
CABINET MINISTERS RESIGN, EASE FOR RESHUFFLE SUNDAY
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Kalraj Mishra has resigned ahead of the Cabinet Reshuffle tomorrow. Earlier Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Minister of State for Water Resources Sanjeev Balyan, Minister of State for Human Resources Development Mahendra Nath Pandey and Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh Kulaste had resigned from their posts.
There are reports that some more ministers will resign before tomorrow’s reshuffle. Official sources said, the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers will take place at Rashtrapati Bhawan around ten in the morning. Several new faces, including from the BJP’s allies, are expected to join the Narendra Modi Cabinet.
PM’S FIFTH INTERACTION WITH ADDITIONAL SECRETARIES AND JOINT SECRETARIES
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, on Friday met and interacted with a group of over 90 Additional Secretaries and Joint Secretaries serving in the Government of India. This was the last of five such interactions.
During the interaction, officers shared their experiences on subjects such as governance, social welfare, tribal development, agriculture, horticulture, environment and forests, education, project implementation, urban development and transportation.
The Prime Minister urged the officers to work towards simplification of governance processes. He said well executed projects and schemes should serve as case studies, so that their success can be emulated.
Highlighting the current positive global environment in favour of India, the Prime Minister asked officers to work with clear objectives towards creating a New India by 2022.
PM MODI LEAVES FOR TWO NATION TOUR OF CHINA, MYANMAR
Facebook posts from his account, the Prime Minister said:
“I will visit Xiamen, China for the 9th BRICS Summit from 3-5 September 2017.
“I will visit Xiamen, China for the 9th BRICS Summit from 3-5 September 2017.
Prime Minister visiting the state visit of Myanmar from 5-7 September 2017.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave on a two nation tour to China and Myanmar tomorrow. In the first leg of his three day tour to China, Mr Modi will visit coastal and commercial town of Xiamen to attend attend the 9th BRICS Summit.
In a facebook post Prime Minister said, he looks forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the Chairmanship of China. He said, the leaders will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captions of industry from all five countries.
Briefing the media on the BRICS summit in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar yesterday said that the member countries will also share views to accelerate growth and forward the agenda of development.
Replying to a query on China opposing discussion on Pakistan and terrorism issue, Mr. Raveesh Kumar said, it is not possible to pre-empt what Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak during deliberations at the BRICS Summit.
Replying to a query on China opposing discussion on Pakistan and terrorism issue, Mr. Raveesh Kumar said, it is not possible to pre-empt what Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak during deliberations at the BRICS Summit.
He said that it is a leader’s intervention and he is free to speak whatever he wants. However, whether that issue will find a place in the final document is a different thing because that is finalised through consensus. Mr Kumar said that India’s position on terrorism is very clear and it has condemned it in strongest words in all forms and manifestations. India has also raised the issue at several fora.
Replying to another query about bilateral meetings of Mr Modi with Chinese President XI Jinping on the sidelines of the Summit, Mr Kumar said, it is natural to have bilateral meets on sidelines of multilateral fora. He said, at this stage, it is still developing and there are several factors involved.
Our correspondent covering the summit reports, security has been tightened at and around the summit venue. Hoardings are placed at major public places in the town with the slogans of BRICS summit Openness, Inclusiveness and Win Win Cooperation and Mutual beneficial Cooperation for Common Development.
On Tuesday afternoon the Prime Minister will embark on the second leg of his tour to Myanmar. It is Mr Modi’s first bilateral visit to neighboring country with which India has ties of kinship and culture.
SWAKSHATA ABHIYAN AT INDIAN COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS-DELHI
On Saturday the 2nd of September 17, Coast Guard Officers, Enrolled Personnel, Civilian staff, all decided to put an end to their dust woes. The Coast Guard Headquarters is located in midst of the vehicular traffic all around which makes it dust prone area of Delhi. The dust enters and accumulates in the crevices and inaccessible areas of the machines, be it computers, key boards, Xerox machines, electrical appliances like fans, switch boards, desk tops, work stations, furniture etc, besides lot of shrubs and plants also grew up due to monsoon on unwanted spaces which needed weeding out.
All Officers including senior officers were assigned to remove the tables and chairs and dust up, dismantle the portable fans and dust up, clean up the almirahs and weed out the old and dilapidated thrash piled up for a long time and carry out thorough dusting up followed by wet cloth clean ship. All enrolled personnel and civilian staff were assigned to dust up and clean up the surroundings including verandahs and trim the wild trees and shrubs all around the premises besides cleaning their own work places. For three long and continuous hours ( 0700 hrs to 1000 hrs ) 400 hundred of them donated their time and labor towards sprucing up the area and making it spic and span.
when ADG Indian Coast Guard took rounds of the premises during and after the clean ship drive he remarked’’ I was tremendously impressed by the will power of the officers and men , they instill hope in me and i am positive they will continue with this practice in future also,,,,.
At the end of the swakchatta abhiyan one full truck load of muck, dust, waste, trimmed branches and shrubs were disposed off through the support staff of municipality.
take away….. As Long as We Work Together , We can fix anything.
IS INDIA’S 8TH NAVIGATION SATELLITE A SUCCESS.
India’s eighth navigation satellite imploded shortly after lift off on Thursday, state-run Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said.
The forty first flight of India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C39), conducted today (August 31, 2017) evening from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, was unsuccessful. PSLV-C39 had a normal lift-off at 1900 hrs IST (7:00 pm) and all the flight events took place exactly as planned, except heat shield separation.
This resulted in satellite separation occurring within the heat shield. The satellite is inside the heat shield resulting in the unsuccessful mission.
Detailed analysis is under progress to identify the cause of the anomaly in the heat shield separation event.
The IRNSS-1H satellite had been expected to join seven others in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) to take the country a step further to developing its own global positioning system.
“Satellite got separated internally but it imploded within the heat shield, in the fourth stage itself,” ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said. The heat shield is meant to protect the satellite from the heat generated by the friction against atmosphere during take-off.
Once a satellite is placed into orbit, it is expected to separate and fall off. The IRNSS-1H satellite had been released from the Sriharikota Space Centre in southern India
FRANCE UNVEILS LABOR REFORMS
French President Emmanuel Macron’s government has announced reforms to loosen labor regulations and drive down unemployment, drawing criticism from unions.
After weeks of negotiations with unions over the summer, the centrist government revealed measures including a cap on payouts for dismissals adjudged unfair and greater freedom to hire and fire.
The plan would also give companies more flexibility to adapt pay and working hours to market conditions.
For decades, governments of the left and right have tried to reform France’s strict labor rules, but have always diluted them in the face of street protests. “All of our fears have been confirmed,” said Philippe Martinez, head of the hard-left CGT union, after the government presented the decrees to unions and employers. He said the union would press ahead with its plan for a protest on September 12. Media agencies
FRANCE : N. KOREA CLOSE TO LONG-RANGE MISSILE CAPABILITY
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France’s foreign minister said on Friday that North Korea would have capability to send long-range ballistic missiles in a few months and urged China to be more active diplomatically to resolve the crisis.
“We see North Korea setting itself as an objective to have tomorrow or the day after missiles that can transport nuclear weapons. In a few months that will be a reality,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told RTL radio.
“At the moment, when North Korea has the means to strike the US, even Europe, but definitely Japan and China, then the situation will be explosive,” he said. Le Drian said everything had to be done to ensure a latest round of UN sanctions was implemented and urged China, Pyongyang’s main trade partner, to do its utmost to enforce them.
Media agencies
MUKESH KUMAR PULLS FIVE CLEAR 65 IN ROUND TWO
Mukesh Kumar pulls five clear with breathtaking 65 in round two of TAKE Classic
Anura Rohana and Abhijit Singh Chadha are joint second
Ahmedabad, August 31, 2017: The seasoned Mukesh Kumar completed his second round in dramatic fashion making a 15 feet par putt in virtual darkness to grab a five-shot clubhouse lead at 11-under-133 at the TAKE Classic. The Mhow golfer shot a breathtaking bogey-free seven-under-65 on a day that witnessed two rain delays and a loss of more than two hours of play at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens in Ahmedabad.
Sri Lankan Anura Rohana and Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha fired scores of 69 and 71 respectively to be tied for second at six-under-138.
Play was suspended at 7 pm local time with 31 players out of 125 yet to complete the second round. The second round will resume on Friday at 7:30 am with the third round not likely to commence before 9:30 am.
The 52-year-old Mukesh Kumar (68-65) came out firing on all cylinders on Thursday as he sank five consecutive birdies from the 10th to the 14th converting putts from five to 10 feet with relative ease on the stretch.
Mukesh, who began the round in tied second, picked up two more strokes on the front-nine including one courtesy a brilliant up and down from the bunker on the fifth. He then made a dramatic closing par from 15 feet on the ninth in near darkness.
The winner of over 100 titles including one on the Asian Tour is now bogey-free for the first two rounds.
Mukesh said, “The rain and the wind didn’t make it easy out there. The harsh conditions meant that the course played three to four clubs longer than usual. But I was in the zone from the very start as the putter was hot. I also made 17 greens in regulation today.
“I missed a few easy birdie opportunities after the early birdie blitz. However, I was delighted to complete the day with a top-class par-save. I’ve never played well on this course, so the effort will be to set the record straight this time around.”
Anura Rohana (69-69), the winner of PGTI’s last event played in Pune in April, continued his good form after a second straight 69. Anura, fresh from a joint runner-up finish at the Sri Lankan Open (a non-PGTI event) last week, garnered all of his five birdies from a range of five to seven feet. He also recovered well for a bogey after finding the water on the seventh.
Rohana said, “It was a terrific putting day for me. I missed only two putts, that’s where I dropped my two bogeys of the day. I attacked the lines on the greens and that paid off. I kept creating chances by landing it close as my approach shots were pretty accurate throughout.
“My target would be to try to play seven to eight under in the next two rounds in order to have a good chance of winning.
“I feel I’ve been in great touch since my Pune win. The joint second finish last week in Sri Lanka also added to my confidence. If I win here, I have a great chance of taking a shot at the PGTI Order of Merit title. I’ve been playing professional golf in India for the last 15 years and my best Order of Merit ranking on the Indian circuit has been fifth. Thus winning the Order of Merit title would mean a lot to me.”
Round one leader Abhijit Singh Chadha (67-71) slipped to tied second on day two. Chadha’s challenge seemed to be fading away when he dropped a disastrous quadruple bogey on the 15th after finding the OB twice. However, he made an exceptional recovery on the front nine, following up an eagle on the fifth with birdies on the next three holes.
Among the other prominent names, Delhi duo of Shamim Khan (Order of Merit leader) and Chiragh Kumar shot a second straight 72 to be tied 11th at two-under-142.
Panchkula-based Shubhankar Sharma (even-par-144) and Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi (one-over-145) were placed 19th and tied 20th respectively.
BURMESE MILITARY OFFENSIVE AGAINST ROHINGYA
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