At least 10 killed in Pakistan train accident: Officials

LAHORE: At least 10 people including two children were killed on Saturday after a train collided with a packed motorcycle rickshaw in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, officials said.

A high-speed train traveling from country's largest city Karachi to the capital of Punjab province Lahore crushed the rikshaw on a road crossing which had no barrier.

"The accident occurred in Khanpur town of district Sheikhupura, around 40 kilometres northwest of Lahore," Salim Niazi, a local police official said.

The rescue officials said that at least two children were also among the dead.

"Our staff are busy in evacuating the injured and dead bodies. So far, we can confirm the death of at least 10 people including two children," Jam Sajjad, a spokesman for the rescue department said.

Police said that the motorcycle rickshaw was crammed with 16 people and drove onto the train track moments before the Lahore bound train passed through, smashing into it.

"There was no gate at this crossing, (nor) a man to stop the traffic to clear way for the train," said Niazi.

Pakistan maintains a poor railway system based on British era track and old coaches. Many Pakistanis avoid traveling by train due to the low safety standards and unsatisfactory facilities.

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Thousands of Tibetans celebrate as Dalai Lama turns 78

BYLAKUPPE (India): Thousands of Tibetans have waved banners and danced at a Tibetan university in southern India in celebration of the Dalai Lama's 78th birthday.

Speaking after an interfaith meeting on Saturday, the Tibetans' spiritual leader called for love and compassion to promote world peace.

Turning to a Muslim priest, the Dalai Lama said the real meaning of jihad, or holy war, was "to combat our negative emotions." He said, "Jihad is not beating or killing (others)."

He said 150,000 Tibetans living abroad represent "6 million Tibetans (in China) who have no freedom or opportunity to express what they feel."

The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since 1959. Beijing accuses him of seeking to separate Tibet from China, but he says he wants only wide autonomy under Chinese rule.

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Rain-triggered mudslides block 1,500 people in Tibet

BEIJING: Over 1,500 people and 300 vehicles were stranded after rain-triggered mudslides halted traffic in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

Two rain-triggered mudslides, which occurred successively after 9:30pm (local time) on Friday, stopped traffic on a road section in Bomi's Niutagou region, rescuers said on Saturday.

The mudslides blocked over 1,500 people and 300 vehicles on the road, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

There were no reports of casualties so far. The debris flow, about 12,000 cubic meters, covered a road section of about 120 meters.

Rescuers and large equipment have been sent to clear the road.

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1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar's acquittal challenged

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's acquittal in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case was today challenged in the Delhi high court by members of the victims' family who contended that the trial court failed to appreciate the large number of legally admissible evidence in its verdict.

The appeal filed by Jagdish Kaur and Nirpreet Kaur, who had lost their close relatives in the carnage following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, sought setting aside of the trial court's April 30 judgement.

They contended that the verdict was "erroneous" as the trial court had failed to appreciate that there were ample legally admissible evidence against Kumar to show that he had allegedly "engineered" the murders of five Sikh persons in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment.

They also submitted that the trial court ignored the statements of Jagdish Kaur, Jagsher Kaur and Nirpreet Kaur who were direct witness to Kumar's presence and "speech of hatred" given by him on November 2, 1984.

On April 30, allowing Kumar to walk free in the case, the trial court in its 129-page verdict said the subsequent testimony of victim Jagdish Kaur that she had seen him instigating a mob with his provocative speech was "not acceptable and believable".

The court had acquitted Kumar, a former Lok Sabha MP from Outer Delhi, but convicted five others -- Balwan Khokkar, an ex-councillor, Mahender Yadav, an ex-MLA, Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal -- for their involvement in the case.

The case relates to anti-Sikh riots that had broken out after the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. Gandhi was shot dead by two of her bodyguards at her residence here.

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Siddaramaiah urges police to deal firmly the incidents of moral policing in Karnataka

MYSORE: Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said police officers in the state should have zero tolerance for the activities of moral policing and his government is the last one to support such anti-social elements.

Addressing a batch of Dy SPs who passed out of the Karnataka Police Academy after a rigorous training, CM said it has become trend in the parts of the state for the people to take law into their hand in the guise of enforcing morality. "Who allowed and authorized them to indulge in such illegal activities" he asked, urging the police officials to deal firmly with the moral policing activities and organized crimes.

He said Karnataka police has it's own history and known for dealing sternly with illegalities. But in the recent past its image has received a jolt and dented and this has to be rectified and set right, he suggested.

Urging the new police officers to abide by the constitution and resist all kinds of pressures. "Though women are joining police force in the state, their number is not enough and there is a need to carry out special recruitments to increase the number of women in police department" he pointed out and disclosed that he has given a green signal to recruit 8000 policemen and the process will start soon.

Referring to the facilities provided to the police, he said despite police department having an exclusive housing corporation only 40 % of the police have the housing facilities where as the others make their own arrangements to reside. "My endeavor is to increase this percentage of housing facility from 40 to 80% in the coming five years" he said, adding that he is determined to provide good facilities to the police.

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Air India plane skids off runway while taxiing at Bagdogra airport

SILIGURI (WB): An Air India plane with 140 people on board on Friday skidded off the runway shortly after landing at Bagdogra airport in Darjeeling district, airport sources said.

All passengers and crew members on board are safe and there is no significant damage to the aircraft, an airline official said.

The Delhi-Bagdogra flight 880 landed at 2.15pm but while taking a turn during taxiing one of its rear wheels veered off the tarmac and was stuck in the soft mud in a field beside the runway, the sources said.

The passengers and crew members have alighted but the plane is still stuck there.

However, normal traffic was not affected due to the incident, the sources said.

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Introduce human rights education among security forces: SHRC

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has asked the state government to introduce human rights education among the security forces for upholding human rights.

Citing observations of the Supreme Court and considering the material on file, SHRC member Rafiq Fida said that he was left with no option "but to recommend the government through principal secretary home department to introduce human rights education among the paramilitary forces including J&K police so as to make them rights and people friendly."

Disposing off a three-year-old petition filed by two local journalists, the SHRC said the forces should show utmost restraint even when provoked, in order to inflict minimum damage to life and property of the public.

"The government is impressed upon to direct security forces to regard curfew passes issued to mediapersons by competent authority to cover the event or incidents during the course of their professional duties," the commission said in its recommendations.
The journalists had complained that reporters from print and electronic media fear for their safety and are being harassed and persecuted by the local police and paramilitary forces.

The complaint maintained that several journalists have been injured and their curfew passes, issued by the competent authorities, were not honoured by the security forces.

Fida said enquiry in this regard was also conducted by the police investigating wing of the commission.

"Upon perusal and after analysing the reports, it is crystal clear that Saeed Bashir, a photo journalist of 'Mouj Kashmir' had been beaten and injured when he was performing his professional duty, and he was booked with sole purpose of covering the misdeeds of men in uniform," he observed.

Fida also observed that although the state constitution does not contain a separate guarantee of freedom of press, it is well recognized that the press provides the principal vehicle of expression for the views of the citizens.

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Bad weather hampers cremation of bodies in Kedarnath

DEHRADUN: Inclement weather badly hampered cremation of bodies and removal of debris at Kedarnath on Friday besides affecting distribution of relief in over 200 segregated villages where people have lost their homes and are faced with acute foodgrain shortage.

Though a 200-member team of experts drawn from different departments is already at the Himalayan shrine to speed up removal of debris and disposal of already decomposing bodies, they have not made much headway so far with only 59 bodies visible on the surface cremated in over a week's time in the valley including those disposed of within premises of the shrine.

While 36 bodies were cremated in shrine area earlier, 23 more bodies were cremated at Gaurikund and Junglechatti close to the temple on Wednesday after a gap of several days due to bad weather, DIG Amit Sinha told .

However, not much has been done since morning today with rains lashing Kedarghati.

Most of the officials admitted that the weather is hampering the exercise.

Distribution of relief in about 240 villages totally cut off is another headache for the administration with major roads in the worst hit Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts still closed for traffic and choppers being the only means to transport relief to affected people.

Tons of relief material provided by the administration, different states, political parties and NGOs are still stuck in government godowns of Guptkashi and Joshimath from where they are yet to be flown to people who need them badly as they face foodgrain shortage 19 days after the tragedy.

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Narendra Modi to be videoconferencing in Nitish's turf Bihar tomorrow

PATNA: BJP campaign committee chief Narendra Modi will be giving election tips to party workers in Bihar through video conferencing on Saturday.

Through the first of its kind high-tech exercise, Modi will be addressing 1,500 BJP workers from the state level down to the panchayat level to discuss election strategy in Bihar, where the party has been left alone after JD(U) snapped ties with it, state BJP president Mangal Pandey said.

Pandey said that the teleconferencing will be for one hour from 6pm.

There would be three groups comprising 500 BJP workers of different levels in each.

In each group, five persons would be talking to Modi and others would listen to the conversation.

The first group will comprise state working committee members and district party office bearers. The second will have district and block level presidents and the last group will have party members at panchayat level and those belonging to social organisations, the Bihar BJP chief said.

The interaction programme would only be for organisational workers. Senior leaders like former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly Nandkishore Yadav would not be involved, he said.

This would be Modi's first foray into Bihar politics, seen as an opportunity for him to settle score with rival Nitish Kumar, whose party JD(U) severed ties with BJP over his elevation as campaign committee chief on June 16.

Narendra Modi had kept off from Bihar in 2009 parliamentary polls as well as 2010 assembly elections.

BJP has 12 Lok Sabha members from Bihar at present while its erstwhile partner JD(U) has 20. RJD has 4, Congress 2 and as many others are Independent.

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Step up security for Ramzan and Sawan, UP govt directs DMs, SSPs

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has directed district magistrates and police chiefs to take the steps necessary for maintaining peace and order during the coming holy months of ' Ramzan' and 'Sawan'.

District authorities have been asked to maintain utmost vigil and precautionary steps to maintain peace and order in view of Ramzaan beginning July 10 and Sawan from July 23, IG, Law and Order, R K Vishkarma told reporters here on Friday.

The authorities have been asked to identify places that have a history of communal tension and deploy adequate security at such locations, Vishkarma said.

Special security arrangements should be made on the routes taken by the "kanwariyas" during this period besides special monitoring around temples, mosques and places of worship so as to see that anti-social or mischievous elements do not get chance to create problem, he added.

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HC extends Om Prakash Chautala's interim bail on medical grounds

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Thursday extended till July 22 the interim bail of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala in the JBT teachers' recruitment scam on medical grounds.

Justice Siddharth Mridul perused the status report filed by the CBI with regard to the present health condition of Chautala and also the medical documents filed by the INLD chief while extending his interim bail, which was to expire on Thursday.

On May 21, the court had granted six week interim bail to Chautala to undergo the pacemaker implant.

While extending his interim bail on Thursday, the court asked Chautala to obtain an elaborate report on his health condition from the hospital and furnish the same before the court in the next ten days.

The court, in its order, said, "...in the meanwhile, the interim medical bail granted to the applicant (Chautala) shall remain extended, in the same terms and conditions mentioned in the earlier order, till July 22."

Chautala's counsel U U Lalit submitted that at the moment his client is undergoing treatment in Medanta Medicity Hospital in Gurgaon where he was operated upon and the doctors have advised him three-month post-surgery follow up.

However, CBI counsel Rajdeepa Behura sought the court for an order to examine the private hospital's report by a medical board.

To this submission, the court did not pass any order but accepted the CBI's status report and the hospital's medical report.

78-year-old Chautala had sought extension of his interim bail, saying he continues to be in a fragile state of health, besides being severely handicapped by various disabilities. He had said he required constant extra care during the period of three months and constant follow up and clean and stress free environment.

The chief of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), along with 54 others, had been sentenced to ten-year imprisonment by a trial court in the 2000 teachers' recruitment scam.

He had moved high court challenging his conviction and also sought bail for undergoing pacemaker implant.

A medical board was also constituted on court's direction.

The board, which comprised a doctor from Tihar Jail and one specialist each from AIIMS, RML Hospital and GB Pant Hospital here, in its report had suggested that the veteran Haryana politician needs a pacemaker implant in his heart.

On January 22, the trial court had convicted and sentenced Chautala and nine others, including his son Ajay Chautala, to 10 years jail term for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior teachers in 2000.

Among other convicts, 44 have been sentenced to four years in jail and one was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the case.

All of them were held guilty of cheating, forgery, using fake documents as genuine, conspiracy under the IPC and for abusing their official position under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

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Bus service from Kargil to Jammu started by J&K govt

SRINAGAR: The first ever bus service from Kargil to Jammu has been started by the Jammu and Kashmir government fulfilling the long pending demand of the people of the region.

The Kargil-Jammu bus service was flagged off by Qamar Ali Akhoon, advisor to chief minister Omar Abdullah, yesterday, in the presence of chief executive councillor Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan, an official spokesman said here.

The service is being operated by Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC), the spokesman said, adding the "high-tech" bus is equipped with all the latest facilities and will charge Rs 1,000 per passenger.

"The service was the need of the hour which will help particularly the student community studying in Jammu, Delhi and other cities of the country and the businessmen in general," the spokesman quoted Akhoon as saying.

"It was also long pending demand of the people of Kargil. The JKSRTC purchased two high-tech buses to ply on Kargil-Jammu route, keeping in view this necessity of bus service on the said route," Akhoon said.

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Antony leaves for China on his first official visit

NEW DELHI: Defence minister AK Antony on Thursday left for China on a four-day official visit during which he is slated to have talks on Sino-Indian border and discuss regional and global security.

During the visit, Antony will have delegation-level talks with his counterpart, State Councillor and minister of National Defence Chang Wanquan.

Both ministers are expected to discuss a number of issues, including those related to maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border, interactions between the armed forces of both sides, and matters relating to regional and global security.

The last defence minister to visit China was Pranab Mukherjee in 2006.

Antony is accompanied by senior defence ministry officials and senior officers from the armed forces.

Officials said that a border defence cooperation agreement first proposed by China is likely to figure in the talks during Antony's visit.

Antony's visit to China comes within days of border talks between the two countries.

The talks, held in Beijing June 28-29, concluded in a "productive, constructive and forward-looking atmosphere", including emphasis on maintaining peace on the nearly 4,000 km boundary that had seen a three-week standoff earlier this year.

The border talks were led by India's national security advisor Shivshankar Menon and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited India in May and incursion by Chinese troops that began April 15 figured prominently in his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Chinese troops had intruded 19 km inside India and pitched tents, raising tension between the two countries. The row ended May 5 after many rounds of negotiations.

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Setback to Mamata, court says all leading newspapers to be available in libraries

KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court on Thursday directed the West Bengal government to incorporate names of all leading newspapers in the list of publications to be available in state-run and aided libraries.

A division bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi directed the government to notify within two weeks the names of leading newspapers, many of which had been struck off from the list of publications available in state-run and aided libraries by the Trinamool Congress government in April, 2012.

Passing the order on a PIL in this regard, the court also said that if the government fails to take the step within two weeks, then the court would be compelled to take necessary action.

The matter would come up for hearing again on July 17.

Counsel Basabi Rai Chowdhury had filed the petition before the high court claiming that the action of the government amounted to violation of Article 19 of the Constitution which provides for freedom of speech and expression.

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Air India to launch Amritsar-Delhi-Birmingham flight from August 1

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Jul 4, 2013, 07.14PM IST

NEW DELHI: Expanding its global network with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, Air India will be launching its Amritsar-Delhi-Birmingham flight from August 1.

The flight, which would operate four days a week, would be the fourth between India and the United Kingdom.

The national carrier had introduced its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on Delhi-London route, which was the third flight to the city from India.

"Air India's direct flight from Delhi to Birmingham will not only fulfill the needs of the ethnic community to fly to India direct but also help to develop better tourism and trade relations in general," an Air India spokesperson said.

The new flight would operate on the Amritsar-Delhi- Birmingham-Delhi-Amritsar route with Dreamliner aircraft on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, he added.

Air India is also offering attractive inaugural fares on the Delhi-Birmingham-Delhi sector for a limited period with a free add on sector from Delhi to Ahmedabad, Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.

The airline presently operates 21 flights to London per week, seven on the Mumbai-London sector and 14 on Delhi-London sector.

AI also plans to connect Sydney-Melbourne from August, Rome and Milan from October and Moscow from early next year with its Boeing 787s.

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Ecuador says it found a hidden microphone at its London embassy

LONDON: Ecuador has found a hidden microphone inside its London embassy, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is living, and will disclose on Wednesday who controls the device, its foreign minister said.

Ricardo Patino said the microphone was found inside the office of the Ecuadorean ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ana Alban, at the time of a visit to the embassy by Patino to meet with Assange on June 16. Assange lives and works in a different room within the embassy.

The Foreign Office in London declined to comment immediately on the allegation and Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said he did not comment on security issues.

Assange has been living inside the embassy for more than a year to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations by two women of sexual assault and rape, which he denies.

He fears that if sent to Sweden he could be extradited from there to the United States to face potential charges over the release of thousands of confidential US documents on WikiLeaks.

Assange's group is trying to assist Snowden, who is believed to be stranded at a Moscow airport and is seeking asylum in a variety of countries including Ecuador.

"IMPERIAL ARROGANCE"

"We regret to inform you that in our embassy in London we have found a hidden microphone," Patino told a news conference in Quito on Tuesday. Footage of his appearance is available on the website of the Ecuadorean foreign ministry.

"I didn't denounce this at the time because we didn't want the theme of our visit to London to be confused with this matter," said Patino, who met during his time in London with British Foreign Secretary William Hague to discuss Assange.

"Furthermore, we first wanted to ascertain with precision what could be the origin of this interception device in the office of our ambassador," he said.

"We are sorry to say so, but this is another instance of a loss of ethics at the international level in relations between governments," he added.

Ecuador's protection of Assange has strained relations with Britain. The Foreign Office said after the meeting between Hague and Patino on June 17 that no substantive progress had been made to break the legal and diplomatic deadlock.

WikiLeaks used its Twitter account to condemn the hidden microphone.

"Sieging/bugging of Ecuador's London embassy and the blockading of Morales jet shows that imperial arrogance is the gift that keeps on giving," the anti-secrecy group said.

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Former MP and senior Forward Bloc leader Amar Roy Pradhan dies

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Jul 3, 2013, 06.45PM IST

JALPAIGURI (WB): Former MP and senior Forward Bloc party leader Amar Roy Pradhan died at a Nursing Home here on Wednesday, party sources said.

Roy died of old age related problems at the Nursing Home, the sources said.

Roy was 82. He was born on August 15, 1930 and is survived by two sons. His wife Santilata Roy Pradhan had predeceased him.

His younger son Arghya Roy Pradhan is the MLA from the Tufanganj assembly seat.

Roy was elected to the Lok Sabha for eight times from the CoochBehar parliamentary seat.

He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977. He then won the seat eight consecutive times till 1999.

Before becoming a MP, Roy was first elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from the Mekhliganj assembly constituency in 1962.

He also won the Mekhliganj seat in 1967 and 1969 assembly elections.

Roy had participated in the freedom struggle. He had also participated in the movement for merger of Cooch Behar State with the Indian Union and in various other workers and peasant movements.

He led people's demonstration before Parliament House, New Delhi, 1960 (on the issue of Berubari) and in 1970 demanding Master Plan for North Bengal.

Roy also led Tinbigha movement demanding exchange of Indian enclaves with Bangladesh in 1974, 1981 and 1992.

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Three policemen arrested for raping mentally disturbed woman in Himachal

MANDI ( HIMACHAL PRADESH): Three policemen posted in Mandi police lines were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly raping a 32-year-old mentally disturbed woman.

The gang-rape victim is the daughter of a retired police official and resident of Ladbdhol area of Mandi district.

The three accused policemen, posted in police lines Mandi took the woman to a private quarter of one of the accused and allegedly raped her yesterday, SP Mandi, R S Negi said.

On the statement of the victim, a case has been registered against the accused, he said.

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FIR lodged against UP MLA, 6 others in murder case

LUCKNOW: An FIR was registered against sitting Uttar Pradesh MLA Mukhtar Ansari and six others after a distant cousin of his rival and mafia Brijesh Singh was on Wednesday allegedly shot dead in Varanasi, a senior police official said.

Satish Singh (45), a history-sheeter, was shot dead by four motorcycle-borne people while he was going to buy newspaper on Wednesday morning in Darhara Bazar in Chaubeypur area, IG (law and order) RK Vishwakarma told reporters here.

He said that Singh was a distant cousin of mafia Brijesh Singh, who is currently lodged in jail.

The IG said that an FIR has been lodged against seven people, including Ansari, who too is in jail under the charges of MCOCA.

Ansari, an independent MLA, was charged under section 3(4) of Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) for being a member of an organized crime syndicate run by his co-accused Prem Prakash alias Munna Bajrangi, who had lost Assembly election from Jaunpur last year.

Vishwakarma added that four persons have been booked on the charges of murder, including Indoadeo Singh alias BKD, Vinopd Bharadwaj, a corporator from Bhelupur, Harihar and an unidentified person.

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Egypt's Princess Fawzia dies at 92 in Alexandria

CAIRO: Princess Fawzia, a member of Egypt's last royal family and the first wife of Iran's later-deposed monarch, has died, Iranian opposition groups said. She was 92.

Fawzia died on Tuesday in Egypt's Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, the Paris-based opposition groups said, but no cause of death was immediately known.

She was the daughter of Egyptian King Fuad I, who ruled until 1936. Her brother and nephew later rose to the throne before the monarchy was toppled in 1953.

In 1939, Fawzia married Iran's then-crown prince, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. They divorced in 1945 after having one daughter.

Fawzia remarried in 1949 to an Egyptian army officer. She was to be buried today in Cairo.

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Not in the race for MP chief ministership, Jyotiraditya Scindia says

NEW YORK: Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that he is not in the race to become the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and has ruled out contesting the upcoming assembly polls there.

"I have no plans to contest the assembly elections from Madhya Pradesh and would remain as Member of Parliament. However, Congress will come back to power in the state. I am a worker of the Congress and I do not think that I am in the race," Scindia said here.

With Madhya Pradesh slated to go for assembly elections later this year, Congress general secretary and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh has recently said that Scindia is the front-runner for the post of chief minister, if Congress emerges victorious.

"I have no doubt in my mind that Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is the front-runner for the post of the chief minister in Madhya Pradesh if the party wins this year's assembly elections," said Singh.

Scindia, 42, added that he is confident that Congress will return to power in MP.

"I was not confident six months or a year ago but now the tide is turning in favour of the Congress. People have become much more vocal and in many ways the frustration is being felt at all levels. Corruption, misrule and lack of development are there for all to see and I am confident that Congress will return to power in this important state of India," he said.

The Union minister of state (independent charge) for oower said that he was given the responsibility at the centre by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his focus is on working on his assignment to the best of his ability.

The three-time MP from Guna, Madhya Pradesh added that he has been doing his best for his state for the past decade, first as a member of Parliament and later as an Union minister.

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Will sweep floor of party office, if asked to do so: Madhya Pradesh minister

INDORE: Joining the league of political sycophants, industry minister of Madhya Pradesh KailashVijayvargia on Tuesday said he is ready to sweep the floor of party office if party ask him to do so. Claiming to be an obedient worker of BhartiyaJanata Party (BJP) the minister said he is ready to perform any duty on the instruction of party.

Vijayvargia, who is on tricky ground in his current constituency Mhow, is looking for a safer seat for ensuing assembly election. So when he was asked about his alleged efforts to change his constituency for up coming assembly election, Vijayvargia said, "It is up to the party, I will contest from any seat given to me by the party. If party ask me to contest for assembly I will do, if party ask me to contest for parliamentary seat I will do, if party ask me to contest municipal corporation election I will follow the order and I will even sweep the floor of the party office if party ask me to do so."

Vijayvargia further said he is obedient and dedicated worker of BJP and it is his duty to follow the instruction of party.

Earlier on June 18, newly-appointed Chhattisgarh Congress chief Charandas Mahant had given a similar statement in which he had said, "If Congress president Sonia Gandhi asks me to pick up a broom and sweep state Congress office in Chhattisgarh, I would do it."

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing, Dr Charandas Mahant, was appointed as the new acting president of Chhattisgarh State Congress Committee, after Congress leaders were killed in a Maoist attack in tribal district of Basatar on May 25.

He had further said that he will always do whatever is ordered by my party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, their order is supreme.""

Mahant statement was reminiscent of former President Gyani Zail Singh's remarks after he was nominated by Indira Gandhi almost thirty years ago.

With the latest statement of BJP leader it seems that BJP that claimed to be party with difference is dissolving all its difference to become like Congress.

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Afghan talks must not undermine legitimacy of state: India

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN ( Brunei): India on Tuesday supported Afghanistan's reconciliation process with the Taliban, but warned that it must not undermine the legitimacy of the Afghan government and should be within the internationally accepted "red lines".

"We support the efforts made by the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to establish a peaceful dialogue with all armed opposition groups," external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said in his intervention at 20th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting here on Tuesday.

"But this must be a broad based Afghan-led Afghan-owned reconciliation process, within the framework of the Afghan constitution and internationally accepted red lines. This dialogue must involve all sections of the Afghan society and armed opposition groups, including the Taliban," he said.

Afghan Taliban last month opened a political office in Qatari capital Doha and expressed willingness to hold peace talks with Afghan government and other stakeholders.

The possibility of talks faded after Taliban opened office under the name "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" and the flag it used while ruling Afghanistan before the 2001 US-led invasion.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai reacted sharply, saying that agreements had been violated and that the office was more akin to a rival embassy than a bureau for peace negotiations.

"The reconciliation process must not undermine the legitimacy of the Afghan state and government and the political, social and economic progress witnessed in Afghanistan over the past decade, to which members of the international community have contributed in great measure," he said, emphasising that "India's Afghanistan policy does not have an exit policy."

India has played an important role in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan, Khurshid said.

He also expressed concern over the universal scourge of terrorism unleashed by terror groups with global reach.

"The global regime against terrorism needs to be hinged on a holistic framework for which the Comprehensive Conventional on International Terrorism at the UN requires early conclusion," he said.

"We must practically enhance our cooperation by pooling our information and resources, not only to prevent terrorist attacks but also to apprehend and bring terrorists to justice and so demonstrate our commitment to combat terror," Khurshid said.

He said terrorism poses the main threat to peace and stability in Afghanistan and there was a need for joint and concerted efforts to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens beyond Afghan borders and disrupt all financial and tactical support for terrorism, in an apparent reference to Pakistan-based militant training camps.

"We must assist Afghanistan in its efforts to become a stable, democratic and pluralistic state. The international community must stay committed to Afghanistan in the form of development and security assistance during this period of transition and transformation," he said.

He also raised the issue of clandestine proliferation of WMD technologies, which poses a grave threat to international security.

"With a view to address the risk of nuclear weapons, materials and technology falling into the hands of terrorists, India has been piloting a UN resolution in this regard for the past several years," he said, adding that India supports the objective of de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

"We are heartened by the signs of deepening economic interdependence and cooperation within the Asia Pacific region. With globalisation, inter-twining of economies has become a reality," the minister said.

Such interdependence contributes significantly towards our shared goals of peace, security and prosperity, he added.

08.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama, Bush together pay homage at embassy bomb memorial in Tanzania

DAR ES SALAAM: US President Barack Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush stood side-by-side in Tanzania on Tuesday to commemorate the victims of the al Qaida bombing of the US embassy 15 years ago - an attack that foreshadowed the United States' present military build-up in Africa.

The two men bowed their heads in silence at a memorial stone in the new embassy compound in Dar es Salaam to the 10 Tanzanians killed and 85 Americans and Tanzanians wounded in the bombing on Aug 7, 1998.

They then briefly spoke to survivors. But there was little personal interaction between the two men.

The ceremony took place at a time when the United States is stepping up its role in the fight against Islamist militants in Africa.

Washington supports African forces in stabilizing Somalia and Mali, deploys dozens of training teams to African nations, provides intellignce and has struck at militants with drones.

With up to 5,000 personnel on the ground, the United States now has more troops in Africa now than at any point since its Somalia intervention two decades ago.

On the same day as the Tanzanian attack, al Qaida also bombed the US embassy in Kenya. Those assaults proved a precursor to the Sept 11, 2001, al Qaida attacks on US cities and the subsequent US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq ordered by Bush.

Obama has spent his tenure winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and reacting to an economic downturn that Democrats blame on Bush's policies. Republicans in turn say Obama's actions have been bad for growth.

But on his three-nation African tour, Obama offered praise for the former president and described Bush's programme to battle HIV/AIDS there as a "crowning achievement."

Bush is highly regarded in much of Africa for his legacy of support, while Obama has disappointed many by paying it little attention, security concerns aside, despite his African heritage.

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ISRO sets target of twelve missions in 2013-14

Uncertainty regarding second moon mission due to a lander to be supplied by Russia

CHENNAI: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set a target of completing 12 missions this fiscal (from April 2013 to March 2014). It includes projects like Mars orbiter mission, Geosynchronous launch vehicle (GSLV) using the Indian cryogenic stage and Polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) missions.

"Missions have grown from 1 in few years to 12 missions in one year while the workforce has remained more or less around 16,000 people," said Dr K Radhakrishnan, chairman of ISRO.

Part of this would be two communication satellites - GSAT 15 and 16 to augment the capacity. The cost of these two satellites are Rs 859 crore and Rs 865 crore. This is also to fill the void which will be created when three satellites in the INSAT 3 series go out of service over the next couple of years. Besides, INSAT-4B suffered a power failure in 2010 which reduced its capacity by nearly 50%. GSAT-7, another communication satellite, will be launched later this year from French Guiana spaceport.

Monday night marked the yet another successful launch of PSLV, India's most reliable launch vehicle. This time it was PSLV-C22 carrying IRNSS-1A, a satellite which is the first of the seven satellites which will be launch in the next year or two to complete India's own satellite navigation system.

IRNSS, short for Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, will put India in the league of select nations which have navigation systems. The whole constellation of seven satellites is expected to be put in space by around 2015. The total cost of the IRNSS project is Rs 1,430 crore with Rs 1,120 crore allocated for satellites and the remaining for development of ground segment.

The launch of next iteration of INRSS satellite is expected in another 6 months. "After 6 months of in-orbit testing of INRSS-1A, a decision will be taken regarding the launch of next INRSS satellite - INRSS-1D," said Radhakrishnan. "The good thing is that all the seven satellites are identical. So we will see if one works fine and then we can go ahead with the same design."

The system will be functional with 4 satellites and another 3 will enhance its reliability and accuracy.

Referring to the much anticipated launch of the Indian cryogenic stage on the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) whose earlier flight had met with failure, he said that "the next launch will be in 40 days time" from the INRSS-1A launch and it will have GSAT-14 on board.

Radhakrishnan said that there was some uncertainty regarding the second moon mission since it's not clear when the lander, to be provided by Russia, will be delivered. India is developing the rover and satellite for the mission which are on schedule, he said. "The target date for the mission is 2014 aboard a GSLV so we want to do some flights (of GSLV) before that," he said. An experimental flight of GSLV Mark III is scheduled for January 2014.

The next few missions also include the two PSLV missions - PSLV-C25 and PSLV-C23 and the Mars Orbiter Mission which is scheduled for launch on any date on or after October 21. It is expected to be shipped to Sriharikota in September. INSAT-3D, a meteorological satellite will also be launched later this month.

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JBT scam: OP Chautala moves HC seeking extension of interim bail

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Monday sought CBI's response on former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's plea seeking extension of his interim bail on medical grounds.

Justice Siddharth Mridul issued notice to CBI and sought its response by July 4 on Chautala's application for extension of his interim bail, saying his pacemaker implantation was done on June 3 and the doctor had advised him to come for regular checkups for three months.

He was granted interim bail on May 21 and it expires on July 4.

In his application, Chautala said, "He continues to be in a fragile state of health, besides being severely handicapped by various disabilities. He required constant extra care during the period of three months and constant follow up. He requires a clean and stress free environment."

Chautala, chief of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), along with 54 others, was awarded jail term in the 2000 teachers' recruitment scam and was later granted interim bail for six weeks by the high court to undergo the pacemaker implant.

The 78-year-old leader also sought court's permission to visit his native village Chautala in Haryana.

"It is prayed that the interim bail granted to appellant (Chautala) be suitably extended and he may be permitted to reside with his family at his native village Chautala in Sirsa district of Haryana after discharge from the hospital," he said in the plea. Chautala is undergoing treatment at Medanta Medicity Hospital in Gurgaon. Apart from heart ailment, he said he is also suffering from several old-age problems.

Chautala has moved the high court challenging his conviction and 10-year jail term awarded in the Junior Basic Trained (JBT) teachers case.

08.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Court orders framing of charges against BJP leader Vijender Gupta on Sheila Dikshit's plea

NEW DELHI: Spelling trouble for BJP leader Vijender Gupta, a court here on Monday ordered framing of charges against him in a criminal defamation complaint lodged against him by Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

Metropolitan magistrate Namrita Aggarwal said "prima facie" an offence of defamation is made out against Gupta and fixed the matter for July 27 for formally framing charges against him.

"Even the contention of counsel for accused (Gupta) that since the editor, publisher or the reporter of the referred newspapers have not been examined, no case is made out against the proposed offender is premature.

"The complainant has a liberty to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt at a stage subsequent to framing of notice in a summons triable case. In this case, prima facie offence under section 500 (punishment for defamation) IPC is made out against the accused.

"To come up on July 27 for framing notices under section 500 IPC against the accused," the court said.

The magistrate also directed Gupta to personally appear in the court on the next date of hearing.

During the hearing, the court granted exemption from personal appearance to both Dikshit and Gupta for the day.

The court had on May 15 reserved its order on whether to frame charges against Gupta when Dikshit had also appeared before it.

Dikshit had appeared in the court on May 30 last year for recording her statement, after which Gupta was summoned as an accused in the case.

Dikshit had filed the criminal defamation case against Gupta alleging that the BJP leader used "uncivilised" language against her in the run up to the MCD polls last year.

08.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chidambaram dismisses Jaitley charge on CBI autonomy as 'premature'

NEW DELHI: Finance minister P Chidambaram on Monday dismissed as "completely premature and ill-advised" the charge by BJP leader Arun Jaitley that the Cabinet's decision on greater autonomy for CBI is "farcical" and a remedy "worse" than the problem.

Expressing surprise at the statement, Chidambaram said he should have waited for the Centre's affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court on July 3 before using such "strong" words like "farcical" on the government's action in this regard.

Without getting into the contents of the affidavit to be filed in the court, he made it clear that the government before granting autonomy to CBI intended to bring the issue in the form of a Bill in Parliament and that it is "not doing anything by bypassing Parliament".

"I am totally surprised by that statement. I think it is completely premature and ill-advised statement," Chidambaram told PTI.

"Let the affidavit come and then you can tell us which part of the affidavit is farcical. Farce is a strong word. Which part is farcical?...Well, hard words break no bones," Chidambaram said responding to the statement by the leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha.

Jaitley, in an article, had yesterday termed the Cabinet's decision on CBI autonomy as a "camouflage" and said it creates an 'illusion' by replacing political executive with its proxy institution and asked all to oppose the move.

"The recent decision of the Union Cabinet based on GOM recommendations is a camouflage. It creates an illusion by removing the political executive and creating a proxy institution instead. The government's decision is a remedy worse than the existing problem," Jaitley said in the article.

Chidambaram said the affidavit to be filed in the court sets out the intentions of the government on what it plans to do on the issue.

"But we have made it very clear that it has to eventually become a Bill. It has to go to Parliament. It has to go through a Parliamentary Standing Committee. It has to come back to Parliament and only Parliament can amend the law.

"I'm sure, Mr Jaitley and his friends will continue to remain in Parliament when the Bill comes up and they can make their suggestions there. We are not doing anything by bypassing Parliament.

08.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Coalgate: Naveen Jindal group misrepresented facts, says CBI

NEW DELHI: The Naveen Jindal group had allegedly "misrepresented" facts and was shown favour by the Jharkhand government which dropped other firms from its recommendation for allocation of coal blocks in the state in 2007, the CBI has said in its FIR filed before a court here in connection with the coal scam.

The FIR is categorical that ministry of power was against the proposal for allocating Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to Jindal group firms -- Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt Ltd (GSIPL) -- which have been named as accused along with Congress MP Naveen Jindal.

However, former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao, also an accused in the FIR, had written a note to the then coal secretary and showed "undue favour" to Jindal's firm which had misrepresented the facts regarding its "preparedness in setting up their proposed end used plant (EUP)".

"Enquiry further revealed that Government of Jharkhand vide its letter dated June 20, 2007 recommended the allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to three companies namely (1) M/s Lanco Infratech Ltd (40 per cent), (2) M/s JSPL (30 per cent) and (3) M/s GSIPL (30 per cent).

"However vide its letter dated July 30, 2007, Government of Jharkhand changed its recommendation and recommended the allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal block to only the two Naveen Jindal Group companies i.e. JSPL (70 per cent) and M/s GSIPL (30 per cent)," the CBI said in its 12th FIR filed till date in the coal blocks allocation scam before the special CBI court.

The agency alleged that both SPL and GSIPL misrepresented the facts to the coal ministry but the screening committee, which used to recommend for allocation of coal blocks to the shortlisted applicant companies, in its meeting held on September 13, 2007, had recommended allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block jointly to these two firms.

"Enquiry further revealed that both M/s JSPL and M/s GSIPL misrepresented in its application/feed back form on the count of their preparedness in setting up their proposed EUP as well the previous allocation of coal blocks to their group companies," it said.

The FIR further said, "Despite not being recommended by the ministry of power and the companies having misrepresented on the aforesaid counts, the Screening Committee in its meeting held on September 13, 2007 recommended the allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block jointly to M/s JSPL and M's GSIPL."

The CBI said that power ministry had not recommended allocation of coal blocks either to JSPL or GSIPL as they did not "meet the criteria of preparation adopted by Central Electricity Authority which shortlisted the companies on behalf of Ministry of Power."

Regarding Rao, the agency said that in order to influence the decision of the Screening Committee in favour of JSPL and GSIPL, the then minister of state for coal had written a note on July 27, 2007 to the coal secretary, who was also chairman of the screening committee.

Referring to the note, CBI said, "He (Rao) mentioned that he had come to know through the media reports that Ministry of Power/CEA had been appraising various applications received in the Ministry of Coal on the criteria of net worth of applicant, progress regarding land acquisition and water tie up etc."

"However, the Screening Committee should evaluate various applicants as per the past practices."

It said on a representation by another firm Bhushan Energy Ltd (BEL) seeking 50 per cent share in Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block, Rao "again showed undue favour" to Jindal's firms and justified the decision of Screening Committee recommending the allocation of coal blocks to the two companies.

It said that JSPL had submitted its application for coal block allocation in January 2007 to the Coal Ministry for securing few blocks earmarked for power sector, including Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand for its proposed 1000 MW captive power plant to be set up at Patratu.

GSIPL also submitted its application dated January 10, 2007 to the ministry for its 1000 MW independent power plant in Dumka district in Jharkhand, the CBI said, adding that the allocation letter was issued to the two firms on January 17, 2008.

Besides Jindal, Rao, JSPL and GSIPL, the accused named in the FIR, lodged under provisions of the IPC dealing with the offence of conspiracy to cheat and under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, are -- members of the 35th Screening Committee, Jindal Realty Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Exim Pvt Ltd, Sowbhagya Media Ltd, Directors of GSIPL and other unknown persons.

08.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Billionaire Saudi prince grilled in UK court over Gaddafi jet

LONDON: A billionaire Saudi prince told a London court on Monday that "each dollar counts" as he was cross-examined over his sale of an opulent private jet to Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The appearance by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, was a rare instance of a senior Saudi royal being subjected to a hostile public grilling.

The prince is being sued by Daad Sharab, a Jordanian businesswoman who says she was not paid a promised $10 million commission for brokering the sale of the jet to Gaddafi, which was completed in 2006 for $120 million after years of delays.

At number 26 on the Forbes global ranking of billionaires, Prince Alwaleed is worth $20 billion according to the US magazine and closer to $30 billion by his own estimate.

At one point when asked in court about a $500,000 commission he had paid Sharab for a previous Libyan deal, it was suggested to him that this was a small amount relative to his fortune.

"Each dollar counts for me," the prince responded. He told the court he had asked Sharab to "open the door" to Gaddafi over the jet sale but had never agreed a figure for her commission. He said he did not pay her anything in the end since in the course of the sale, she had "moved to the Libyan camp".

The prince was addressed as "Your Highness" by his lawyer and by Judge Peter Smith, but his royal status did not shield him from the robust questioning style of Sharab's lawyer, Clive Freedman, who accused him of minimising Sharab's role, contradicting himself and evading questions.

"Would you please answer my question? I have asked it twice and I will ask it again," Freedman told the prince at one point.

BRIBE The Airbus A340 at the centre of the dispute was used by Gaddafi in 2009 to pick up Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi when he was freed from a Scottish jail.

In 2011, it became a trophy for rebels who toppled Gaddafi and were photographed on its silver-coloured leather sofas.

The prince said the jet, which boasted a king-size bed and a meeting room with a throne-like leather armchair, was only one item on a huge business agenda he had with the Libyan leader.

"I used to call him personally by the way," he told the court, saying that in the era when Gaddafi sought international rehabilitation, he had seen Prince Alwaleed as someone who could help him bridge the gap between the Arab world and the West.

The prince said the sale of the Airbus had run into trouble because after the Libyans had paid him an initial $70 million in 2003, Ahmad Qadhaf Al-Dam, a cousin of Gaddafi, demanded a bribe before arranging the payment of the remaining $50 million.

The prince refused to pay and kept the plane in Riyadh, leading to several years of deadlock until he personally resolved the issue with Gaddafi in 2006, he said.

He said Sharab had played no part in the final deal and that any gratitude he may have felt for her earlier role had gone since she had "stabbed him in the back" to work for the Libyans.

He also denied proposing marriage to Sharab during the process, as she alleged in her evidence last week.

"I can only assume that (Sharab) is seeking to gain some advantage in the proceedings by attempting to embarrass me," he said in his written witness statement.

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Tropical Storm Dalila forms in Pacific off southwest Mexico

MIAMI: Tropical Storm Dalila has formed in the Pacific off southwest Mexico and authorities have issued a tropical storm warning for a swath of that country's coastline.

The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said the fourth tropical storm of the season formed Sunday about 260 miles (420 kilometers) southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, and is moving northward at 10 mph (17 kph). The storm has top sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph).

Mexico's government issued a tropical storm warning for its Pacific coast region from Punta San Telmo to Manzanillo. The Miami center says the storm is expected to strengthen in the next 48 hours.

Forecasters say tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the coast early Monday with 1 to 3 inches of rain expected over some areas.

08.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel sweetens deal for 930 east Jerusalem homes: Report

JERUSALEM: Israel is poised to approve incentives for buyers of nearly 1,000 new homes in annexed east Jerusalem despite a major US push to revive peace talks, reports said on Sunday.

The plan, which will offer prospective buyers a huge discount on 930 new homes to be built in Har Homa, will be discussed by Jerusalem municipality's finance committee on Monday, army radio and the Maariv newspaper reported.

The reports emerged as US secretary of state John Kerry was wrapping up an intensive four days of shuttle diplomacy toing and froing between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in a bid to coax them back to direct negotiations.

If approved, the plan will lower the price of each new home by 100,000 shekels ($27,500 or 21,000 euros) in a move which will be funded by the housing ministry.

Har Homa is located on east Jerusalem's southern outskirts, and construction there is likely to have a serious impact on the sector's boundary with the rest of the West Bank, analysts say.

Last week, on the eve of Kerry's arrival, the municipal planning committee granted final approval for a further 69 new homes in another area of Har Homa.

The plan to build more than 900 houses in Har Homa was approved in 2011, with tenders issued and construction companies waiting in the wings to start work, but it has been on hold because of its sensitivity, Maariv said.

Jerusalem councillor Elisha Peleg, a member of Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party, made no effort to hide his delight.

"The temporary suspension of construction in east Jerusalem is over, despite the visit of Secretary of State Kerry," he told army radio.

"There is no reason to halt construction any more, because it is now proved that stopping construction in east Jerusalem has not brought about a renewal of negotiations with the Palestinians but has caused a severe shortage of housing," he said.

The reports were not well received in Ramallah, where chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said it proved how serious Israel was about restarting talks.

"This is Netanyahu's response to everything Kerry said, to his ideas and to all his efforts," he told AFP, noting that the news emerged "before Kerry wraps up his tour".

"We on the Palestinian side tried every possible effort to help Kerry succeed, but it is obvious today... that Netanyahu is putting 930 obstacles in front of secretary Kerry's efforts," he charged.

"Netanyahu alone is responsible for ruining Kerry's efforts and trying to abort his mission and destroying the two-state solution which is supported by the entire international community."

Earlier this month, housing minister Uri Ariel, himself a hardline settler, implied that there had been a de facto freeze on new housing projects in the West Bank including east Jerusalem since the start of the year.

And in May, settlement watchdog Peace Now said that no new tenders had been issued for West Bank homes as press reports suggested Netanyahu had agreed to "rein in" construction to help Kerry's efforts.

Israel seized east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never accepted by the international community. It does not see construction there as settlement building.

But the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

They have said they will not return to direct talks unless Israel completely halts settlement construction and accepts the 1967 lines as the basis for negotiations.

Although Israel has expressed a willingness to talk, it has insisted it would only do so if there were no such "preconditions".

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Nawaz Sharif to send Pak power minister to India to tackle energy crisis

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed his water and power minister to India to address the severe energy crisis facing the country.

"We are facing acute electricity shortage and any assistance in the power sector will help us in addressing the problem," Sharif said while speaking to members of the Pak-India Joint Business Council at the Prime Minister's Office yesterday.

Sharif told the meeting that he had directed Khawaja Muhammad Asif, minister for water and power, to visit India and explore potential areas of cooperation between the two countries, the official APP news agency reported.

Earlier, Asif had said that the energy crisis in Pakistan will take at least two years to be resolved.

Asif said that due to shortage of power the country had sustained a huge loss of Rs 1,000 billion in the last five years. Pakistan is currently facing a power deficit of 4,000-5,000 megawatts per day.

Earlier this month, Pakistan had sought 500 MW of electricity from India by laying a transmission line from Punjab into Lahore. The proposal to buy power was made when an expert group visited Pakistan to discuss energy cooperation.

India is willing to help and is exploring the points which can be used to hook-up to the grid in Pakistan through a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line, government sources in New Delhi has said.

Sharif has earlier said that tackling the energy crisis will be among the top priorities of his government.

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Incessant rains claim four lives in UP, major rivers flow above danger mark

LUCKNOW: Incessant rains lashed various parts of Uttar Pradesh, with four people losing their lives in incidents of building collapse, even as major rivers continued to flow above the danger mark.

According to a report by the Central Water Commission, Ghaghra, Sharda, Quano, RaandBudhiRapti rivers remained swollen and were flowing above danger level.

Quano river was flowing one metre above the danger mark at Chandradeepghat in Gonda, and has crossed the red mark at Mukhlispur in Sant Kabir Nagar.

Ghaghra was flowing above danger at Elgin Bridge in Barabanki and Turtipar (Ballia), and has reached near red mark at Ayodhya.

Similarly, Sharda was flowing above danger at Paliakalan, whereas Budhi Rapti has crossed red mark at Kakrahi in Siddharth Nagar district.

Four persons, including two children, died in incidents of building collapse due to heavy rains during past 24 hours.

In Faizabad, a 32-year-old man and his two daughters Ananya (4) and Neha (6) died after their house situated in Ramjabmbhoomi area collapsed due to heavy rains.

A 55-year-old woman died in Azamgarh district in a similar incident.

Basti received the maximum rainfall of 19cm, Mukhlispur 17cm, Kakrahi 15, Uskabazar and Rigauli 14 each, Ankinghat 12 and Bansi 11cm.

According to Met department, monsoon remained active across the state and all divisions received good rainfall in the last 24 hours.

Rain and thundershowers will continue to occur at many places in the state.

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At least 30 killed by fuel tanker explosion in Uganda

KAMPALA: At least 30 people were killed and scores more injured when a fuel tanker exploded on a highway in Uganda, a major transit route for fuel heading from Kenya to land-locked east African states, a police spokesman said on Sunday.

The truck exploded late on Saturday a few miles north of the capital Kampala after it had stopped when it was involved in an accident with another vehicle and people nearby crowded round trying take fuel from the tanker, the spokesman said.

The practice of taking fuel from stricken trucks is not uncommon, although what caused the blast was not immediately clear.

The leaders of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, who met in Kampala this month, agreed that a fuel line that already runs inside Kenya from its Mombasa port would be extended to Uganda and Rwanda. That would reduce transport costs and improve safety.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is on a visit to nearby Tanzania, sent condolences and said he was monitoring the work of police and medical workers.

08.20 | 0 komentar | Read More