Security beefed up at DMK office, leaders' residences ahead of Jayalalithaa verdict

CHENNAI: Security has been increased at the DMK headquarters and residences of its senior leaders here as a special court in Bangalore is set to deliver verdict in the 18-year-old wealth case against Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Saturday.

On a request from DMK, security had been increased at "Anna Arivalayam", the headquarters of DMK, two residences of the former Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK president M Karunanidhi and the residence of K Anbazhagan, party's general secretary, police said.

It was on Anbazhagan's petition that the case had been transferred to Bangalore by the Supreme Court.

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Delhi court fixes defamation case against Smriti Irani for February 28

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court fixed February 28 next year for hearing a criminal defamation complaint filed by Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam against Union human resource development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani.

Metropolitan magistrate Dheeraj Mittal, who had earlier summoned Irani as an accused asking her to appear today, was on leave and the matter was posted for the next date.

Nirupam, a former Congress MP, had filed the complaint against Irani alleging that on December 20, 2012, when assembly election results of Gujarat were announced, the BJP leader had made "defamatory and scurrilous comments" against him during a TV debate.

"That the accused (Irani), a MP of the BJP defamed the complainant by making direct aspersions on the character of the complainant (Nirupam)," the complaint had said.

"The complainant's (Nirupam) reputation of excellence and integrity has been dented due to the scurrilous, defamatory and derogatory comments made by accused during the said debate," it had alleged.

Nirupam had said that he had sent a legal notice to Irani through his counsel on July 25 last year asking her to tender an "unconditional public apology" for allegedly making defamatory comments against him but she did not reply to it.

Earlier, Irani had also filed a defamation complaint against Nirupam for allegedly defaming her during the same debate on the private news channel and the court had framed charges against him for allegedly using derogatory and indecent language against her.

On Irani's complaint, the court had put Nirupam on trial under sections 500 (defamation) and 509 (uttering any word or making any gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC.

If convicted, section 500 of the IPC entails a simple imprisonment for two years or fine or both. Section 509 of IPC carries a simple jail term of one year or fine or both.

Irani, a Rajya Sabha member, had claimed in her complaint that Nirupam had allegedly questioned her credentials to analyze poll results given her background as a TV actor.

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Iran and six powers make little progress in nuclear talks

UNITED NATIONS: Iran and six world powers made little progress in overcoming significant disagreements in the most recent round of nuclear talks, including on uranium enrichment, Iranian and Western diplomats close to the negotiations said on Friday.

Officials from Iran and the six countries had originally said a breakthrough in New York was unlikely on a nuclear deal to end sanctions on Tehran, although they had hoped substantial progress could be made in narrowing disagreements.

That, the diplomats said, did not happen at talks this week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

"On the core issues we remain pretty far apart," a Western diplomat told reporters on condition of anonymity. "On enrichment, we are not there yet. On sanctions, we are not there yet."

The diplomat said that Iran and the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China would likely meet again in the coming weeks, but no date and venue have been set. The negotiators have set a November 24 deadline for an agreement.

Iran President Hassan Rouhani said at a news conference on Friday in New York that the "progress we have witnessed in recent days has been extremely slow." Rouhani said, "We must look forward to the future and make the courageous decisions vis-a-vis this problem."

Rouhani said any deal without lifting all sanctions against Tehran was "unacceptable."

US secretary of state John Kerry told reporters in New York that an interim deal approved in Geneva last November under which Iran had halted higher-level enrichment in exchange for limited sanctions relief "has made the world safer."

Regarding the pursuit of a long-term deal, Kerry said "it remains our fervent hope that Iran" and the six powers "can in the next weeks come to an agreement that would benefit the world."

Iran and the six hope that a resolution of the more-than-decade-long nuclear standoff with Iran will reduce regional tensions and remove the risk of another war in the Middle East.

At the General Assembly earlier in the week, Rouhani said a deal that ends sanctions will open the door to deeper cooperation on regional peace and stability and the fight against militants such as Islamic State, a group that has seized parts of Iraq and Syria. The United States has made clear it will not link the two issues.

Israel has repeatedly threatened to use military force against Iranian atomic sites if diplomacy fails to defuse what it sees as the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

Iran rejects allegations from Western powers and their allies that it is seeking a nuclear weapons capability but has refused to halt uranium enrichment, inviting multiple rounds of US, European Union and UN Security Council sanctions. Enrichment is a process of purifying uranium for use as fuel for power plants or, if enriched to a very high purity, for bombs.

Mistrust

Senior foreign ministry officials from the six countries and Iran began meeting in New York last week. They are trying to hammer out a long-term deal that would gradually lift sanctions against Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

Despite a generally positive atmosphere in the negotiations, the Western diplomat said neither side has much confidence in the other.

"The level of mistrust is still pretty high," the Western diplomat said.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters there had been "no significant advances" in the latest talks, prompting the parties to cancel a scheduled negotiating session on Friday.

Kerry and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif late on Thursday and again on Friday to discuss next steps in the deadlocked negotiations, the Western diplomat said.

In addition to enrichment, diplomats said the speed of lifting sanctions is a difficult issue, one on which Iranian and Western delegations have sharp differences.

The Western diplomat said the United States and Europeans were prepared to lift their unilateral sanctions very quickly in the event of an acceptable agreement, but UN measures would be ended gradually based on Iran's compliance with any future deal.

"What they would like to see is to get rid of the Security Council sanctions very quickly, immediately," he said. "But this is not exactly how we think." He added, however, that Iran was underestimating the speed at which the Western powers were prepared to move on sanctions relief if an agreement is reached.

The diplomat said Iran's President Rouhani, who held bilateral meetings with top European officials in New York, had nothing to offer to move the talks forward.

"There was nothing really new from him," the diplomat said. "He said we should not miss this historic opportunity over a couple of centrifuges. And by the way, we think the same way."

Iran's enrichment program, above all the number of enrichment centrifuges Tehran would be permitted to keep for the duration of any deal, is one of the major sticking points.

Rouhani, widely seen as a pragmatist, was elected last year on a platform of improving foreign relations. Rouhani and his government have adopted a more conciliatory stance compared to his hard-line predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, raising hopes there might be avenues to reach an agreement.

The head of the US delegation, under secretary of state for political affairs Wendy Sherman, said in an interview with Voice of America that "I believe we are making progress." But she added that there are "still some very crucial decisions that need to be made."

The Western diplomat echoed those remarks, saying: "We are expecting significant moves on the Iranian side" if there is to be an agreement over the next two months.

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Germany supplies arms and ammunition to Kurdish forces in Iraq

BERLIN: Germany delivered arms and ammunition to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq to boost their firepower against the Islamic State militants who have captured large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.

The first transport plane carrying 27 tonnes of weapons landed in the Kurdish provincial capital of Irbil.

Airlifted from Leipzig in eastern Germany, the cargo included "Milan" antitank missiles, machine guns, ammunition and other military goods.

More cargo flights will operate to Irbil in the coming weeks to ferry over 600 tonnes of weapons and ammunition intended to boost the firepower of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, German defense ministry said.

Around 10,000 Kurdish soldiers will be equipped with the military supplies from Germany, which include "Unimog" trucks and offroad vehicles, the ministry said in a press statement.

Germany had also supplied night vision equipment, protective clothing, helmets and other military materials to the Kurdish forces earlier this month.

The German government decided on August 31 to arm the forces of the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq, ending a longstanding ban on the export of arms and ammunition to a conflict region.

The Kurdish forces, who played a key role in the campaign against IS in Iraq, have been asking the West to provide modern weapons to counter the offensive by the jihadists, who have American tanks and other modern weapons captured from the Iraqi army.

In addition to the arms supply, Germany has sent a team of military specialists to train the Kurdish forces in handling some of the weapons and backup systems, besides offering to train Kurdish military personnel in this country.

However, it has ruled out participation in USLed air strikes against IS targets in Iraq and in Syria or sending its troops for a ground offensive.

Defense minister Ursula von der Leyen, who visited Irbil on Thursday ahead of the arrival of the first air cargo from Leipzig, assured the Kurdish leadership of Germany's longterm support in its fight against IS, which captured large territories in Syria and Iraq.

"Germany regards fight against terrorism as a longterm responsibility," von der Leyen said after a meeting with president of the Kurdish regional government Masood Barzani, the statement said.

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Police clear Hong Kong democracy protesters who stormed govt HQ

HONG KONG: Police cleared dozens of protesters who had been holding out at government headquarters on Saturday after storming the complex overnight, as a week-long protest against Beijing's refusal to grant the city unfettered democracy turned angry.

Police escorted the remaining 50 demonstrators from the building's forecourt on Saturday afternoon, hauling some of them away after they refused to leave.

Up to a thousand other protesters remained camped outside the government complex, booing the police through the fence as they began rounding up the remaining demonstrators.

"Police should catch thieves, not students!" the crowds shouted. The early hours had seen the tensest scenes yet in a string of recent protests, with riot police using pepper spray to clear out more than 100 people who had pushed into the grounds of the complex, some of them scaling a high fence.

Police had dragged many away overnight and into the morning, making 13 arrests.

Student groups have been spearheading a civil disobedience campaign this week in response to Beijing's announcement last month that it will choose who can stand in elections for Hong Kong's leader in 2017.

More than 2,000 protesters, many of them secondary school pupils and university students, had protested at the city's main government headquarters on Friday, culminating with around 150 demonstrators breaking through police lines to occupy its forecourt late on Friday night.

Police said the 13 arrested were aged between 16 and 35 and detained for forcible entry into government premises, disorderly conduct in public place and assaulting a police officer.

Among those arrested was a prominent student leader, 17-year-old Joshua Wong.

Protesters had used umbrellas to protect themselves from being pepper-sprayed by police wearing riot gear including helmets and body-length plastic shields.

"This is an amazing turning point," Suki Wong, a recent graduate who works as an accountant, told AFP.

"Hong Kongers usually just lay there and do nothing. This time we're really making an impact."

Lu Yiu, 20, said his throat and nose burned from the pepper spray. "Everyone was crying as we were pushed onto the street from the extreme use of force," said Lu, who spent nine hours caught between police lines unable to use the toilet or sleep.

In a statement, the government "expressed regret" that protesters had stormed the complex, saying security personnel, police officers and protesters had suffered injuries but without giving details.

Friday's action was supposed to be the culmination of a week of protests that began on Monday when 13,000 students gathered on a campus in the north of the city, according to organisers.

On Thursday night, more than 2,000 people took their protest to the residence of Hong Kong's leader Leung Chun-ying with the hope of speaking to him, but he has so far refused to speak to the students or meet their leaders.

The protest comes after China last month said Hong Kongers would be allowed to vote for their leader for the first time in 2017, but that only candidates approved by a pro-Beijing committee could stand.

A protest in July saw half-a-million-people — according to organisers — take to the streets to express their discontent at what they see as China's increasingly tight grip on the city.

Handed back to China by former colonial ruler Britain in 1997, Hong Kong is governed under a "one country, two systems" agreement that grants civil liberties not seen on the mainland, including free speech and the right to protest.

But tensions have been rising in the southern Chinese city over fears that these freedoms are being eroded.

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Pakistani policeman kills Christian accused of blasphemy

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani policeman shot two men in jail on Thursday, killing one accused of blasphemy and wounding another condemned to death on the same charge, lawyers and an activist said.

Christian pastor Zafar Bhatti was killed and 70-year-old Briton Muhammad Asghar, who has a history of mental illness, was wounded in the attack in Rawalpindi, next to the capital, Islamabad.

Bhatti, who worked to protect the human rights of the country's beleaguered Christian minority, was on trial after an Islamic leader accused him in 2012 of sending text messages derogatory to the Prophet Mohammed's mother.

His family say police investigations show the phone was registered to someone else.

In recent weeks, Bhatti had received death threats in prison from both inmates and guards, his family told Pakistan-based human rights group Life for All. He was being held in the same cell as Asghar.

"This is a barbaric act. There had been threats. The court should have instructed police to ensure Bhatti's safety," said Xavier Williams of Life for All.

"Killing of a person who was falsely accused is mockery of the judicial system. The protectors of the innocent have become the predators."

Asghar, from Edinburgh, was arrested in 2010 and sentenced to death in January after a disgruntled tenant presented letters he had written saying he was a prophet.

Asghar had previously been detained under the mental health act in Britain and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, according to documents his lawyers supplied to Reuters.

His lawyers were barred from attending the last few months of his trial.

The law firm asked not to be identified for fear of being targeted by extremists.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Muslim-majority Pakistan.

This year has seen a record number of blasphemy accusations, according to an Islamabad-based thinktank, the Center for Research and Security Studies. Many analysts say the claims are increasingly used to settle scores or grab property.

Blasphemy charges are hard to fight because the law does not define what is blasphemous. Presenting the evidence can sometimes itself be considered a fresh infringement.

Those accused of blasphemy are often lynched and lawyers in defending those accused of blasphemy cases have frequently been attacked. Judges have been attacked for dismissing cases and many of the accused face years in jail as their trials drag on.

At least 48 people accused of blasphemy have been extrajudicially killed, including seven in prison or outside court, according to Life for All.

Earlier this year, a prominent human rights lawyer representing an English professor accused of making a blasphemous Facebook post was shot dead after prosecution lawyers had threatened to kill him in front of a judge.

Last week, gunmen shot dead a liberal professor of Islamic law in the southern city of Karachi. The killing followed years of threats from his colleagues and allegations of blasphemy.

Two prominent politicians who suggested reforming the law have been killed — one by his own bodyguard. Another politician who discussed reforming the law on television is now facing blasphemy charges.

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Prime Minister Modi arrives in Frankfurt enroute to New York

FRANKFURT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Frankfurt enroute to a five-day high-profile visit to the US during which he will address the UN general assembly, hold talks with President Barack Obama and meet top American corporate honchos besides series of other engagements.

Modi will spend the night here and will leave on Friday morning for New York where he will have a gruelling schedule including a rally at the famous Madison Square Garden on Sunday, which is likely to be attended by around 20,000 people from Indian-American community.

In New York, Modi will deliver his maiden address at the 69th session of the UN general assembly on Saturday.

Obama will host a rare private dinner for Modi at the White House on September 29, so as to establish a personal relationship with the PM ahead of summit talks the next day. The two leaders are meeting for the first time.

The Prime Minister said he will discuss with Obama how India-US ties can be taken to a "new level" in the interest of the two countries as well as of the world.

In a pre-departure statement in New Delhi, Modi said he will call for a stronger global commitment and more concerted multilateral action in addressing challenges of fragile global economy, turbulence and tension in many parts of the world, growth and spread of terrorism in his address at the UN.

The PM will be meeting as many as 11 top corporate honchos over breakfast on September 29 apart from one-on-one meetings with six more business captains same day in New York.

They include Google's executive chairman Eric E Schmidt, Carlyle Group co-founder and co-CEO David M Rubenstein, Cargill president and CEO David W MacLennan, Merck & Co CEO Kenneth C Frazier, Hospira chairman John C Staley, Citigroup CEO Michael L Corbat, Caterpillar chairman and CEO Dough Oberhelman, MasterCard president and CEO Ajay Banga, Pepsico chairman and ceo Indra Nooyi.

The Prime Minister will also attend one-on-one meetings with six other senior executives. Besides Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO Lloyd C Blankfein, Modi will meet Boeing chairman and CEO W James McNerney Jr, BlackRock chairman and CEO Laurence D Fink, IBM chairman and CEO Ginni Rometty, General Electric chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt, among others.

In New York, Modi will pay a visit to the 9/11 memorial on Saturday following which he is expected to drive down to the United Nations headquarters to address the 69th annual session of UN general assembly. He will also meet UN general secretary Ban Ki-moon.

Modi will also be participating in a business meet, to be organized by the USIBC, expected to be attended by 300-400 businessmen in Washington on September 30.

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Arab resolution on Israel defeated at IAEA meeting

VIENNA: An Arab-backed resolution singling out Israel for special attention over its alleged nuclear arsenal was defeated on Thursday at an annual conference of the UN atomic agency.

Nations meeting at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) general conference voted 58-45 against the resolution, while 27 abstained.

Backed by 18 Arab states, including Syria, the resolution expressed concern "about the Israeli nuclear capabilities," urging Israel to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and put its nuclear facilities under international oversight. Israel has never acknowledged that it possesses nuclear weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the outcome of the vote, calling the resolution an effort "to harm Israel."

Separately, the conference voted 117-0, with 13 abstentions, in favor of a resolution submitted by Egypt that called on "all states in the region" to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

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Rebel artist Ai Weiwei condemns life sentence for Uighur scholar

BEIJING: Chinese rebel artist Ai Weiwei has condemned the punishment given to Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti, awarded life imprisonment for involvement in alleged terrorist activities.

"I think it's a shame. He is an intellectual and a rational person," said the artist, whose next show is due in London. Asked about the Chinese government's view that he is a terrorist, Ai said, "Oh, come on! He is not a terrorist."

Ai's remarks came as reports surfaced that Tohti, who championed the cause of the Uighur community, has decided to appeal against his sentence. The European Union has demanded Tohti's immediate release, which led to China coding EU for interfering in its internal affairs.

At the court hearing, prosecutors cited a speech in which Tohti, a university professor, said Uighurs should resist Chinese authorities in the same manner as some brave Chinese opposed Japanese repression during the Second World War. This was cited as evidence that he was inciting violence.

"As a professor, he can have all kind of views. This is personal opinion. If he is state official, he can be asked to step down from his position. But as an individual, he is free to air his views," Ai said.

"Why do you have to censor everybody who has a different view," he asked of the government. "No one should be sent to jail for this reason, not for one day."

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Five lakh acre ready-to-use land available in Telangana: Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Sep 26, 2014, 07.03PM IST

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government on Friday said it has made about five lakh acres of land readily usable for setting up industries and other commercial activities in the state.

Speaking at the inaugural function of Schulich School of Business here, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said his government is bringing out a new industrial policy aiming to put Telangana on top of investors' choice.

"We have 5 lakh acres of readily usable land with us. Very shortly, we will be coming with new industrial policy which will be really inspiring. The new state of Telangana requires blessing of people like Ratan Tata. We welcome the corporate and industries from across the country and globe to set up industries here," Rao said.

The GMR Group today officially inaugurated a building for Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada. The GMR group and Schulich School of Business have jointly established the campus at Hyderabad airport.

GMR Group chairman G M Rao asked the central and state governments to ensure the passage of Foreign Universities Bill for the promotion of higher education in the country.

"I sincerely request the state and central governments to support the foreign educational institutions bill as early as possible which will provide strong support for improvisation of Indian higher education sector," G M Rao said.

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Appoint doctors immediately in tribal areas: HC to Maharashtra govt

MUMBAI: As the state prepares of assembly polls, the plight of tribal children in Melghat area remains dire with an acute lack of doctors in place. With more than 200 deaths in the last five months, a bench of Justices V M Kanade and P D Kode in the Bombay high court directed the Maharashtra goverment on Thursday to immediately appoint paediatricians there.

The HC, underscored the seriousness of the issue, as deaths of children due to malnutrition continues in the tribal region and directed the state to hold core committee meetings to assess the problems.

The HC was hearing a bunch of PILs alleging lack of facilities in tribal areas resulting in death of children due to malnutrition.

Activist Purnima Upadhaya, a petitioner who highlighted the troubles of tribal kids in Melghat, told the court that there were no gnaecologists and paediatricians in Melghat. Children remained malnourished and get no medical attention, she said. She said that in the last five months, 123 children died of malnutrition in two blocks of Melghat and 113 children died in 12 blocks of Amravati.

The committee appointed pursuant to earlier court orders has not met since March the court was told. It was meant to meet once every month. The HC directed the committee to meet within four weeks now. The Chief Secretary is on the committee. But his preoccupation cannot prevent the meeting, the court said and directed the health secretary to convene in the Chief secretary's absence.

The HC also asked the government to file an Action Taken Report (ATR) by November 18.

"We are surprised by the fact that there is no effort to address the preventive aspects of under nutrition by the department of health or that of women and child development. "It is a matter of great shame that 70 per cent of women and girls continue to be anaemic, as a result, more vulnerable and at high risk during pregnancy and delivery," the petitioner said. The state has made no effort to educate girls and women, the court was told. All that was done was distribution of iron tablets and some posters.

"While there are lots of resources flowing into the health systems through National Rural Health Mission the permanent structures and human resources seems to be a constant challenge in most of the areas. A course correction is highly essential or else crores of rupees will go waste," Upadhaya said.

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PeTA calls attack on women members in Bhopal 'double whammy'

BHOPAL: Mob attack on PeTA activists outside Bhopal's biggest mosque for demanding vegan Eid has snowballed into a raging controversy with the animal rights body demanding action against mobsters who attacked women activists on Monday. The organization has called it a double whammy — first police allowed them to launch the campaign and then booked their women members for hurting religious sentiments while letting attackers roam scot free.

PeTA India's CEO Poorva Joshipura said, "We have a tendency to blame women. Anyone who is justifying the attack is justifying violence against women. Police have the responsibility to identify and bring attackers to justice. There is no shortage of live footage of the incident." The PeTA team is working on filing a counter FIR in the case.

"We informed police about the location of our awareness programme on vegetarianism. That's the information cops sought and that's what we provided," said Joshipura.

Speaking to TOI, inspector-general of police, Yogesh Chaudhary, said, "Three PeTA activists were arrested and released." But he refused to comment on action against those who assaulted the animal rights activists.

She said PeTA had issued an invite about the invite, which was well publicised. At no point did anyone contact us or raise concern about the programme. "We would have changed the location, depending on what they were objecting to," she said.

PeTA has been critical of police investigation into sequence of events that triggered violence even as Bhopal district administration drew flak for allowing PeTA hold an event that could hurt sensitivities. Soon after the incident, Bhopal police registered a case against three PETA activists for outraging religious feelings.

"Providing information on vegetarian diet is not a crime, attacking women is. Why should it be a communal issue," said Joshipura. Asked if the programme could have sparked off violence, she said, "I cannot agree with you. That is not what it was. It's same as asking people not to celebrate Diwali without firecrackers. We were asking a community to think about an issue. If someone does not want that information they can say 'No Thank You'."

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Office-of-profit case: High court notice to Azam Khan

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Thursday issued a notice to Azam and sought a reply from him within six weeks on whether, being a state cabinet minister, he can hold the office of the chancellor of Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. The court fixed the next date of hearing after two months.

However, the court refused to accept a prayer for issuing directions for the lodging of an FIR against him over an alleged hate speech. A division bench of justices Devi Prasad Singh and Arvind Kumar Tripathi passed the order on a writ petition filed by two persons seeking a direction in the nature of quo warranto against Azam asking him to explain. A direction was also sought in the plea for the lodging of an FIR against the Minister in connection with an alleged hate speech by him targeting a cleric.

The petitioners' counsel Ashok Pandey alleged that despite being a cabinet minister, Azam was holding the post of chancellor of Jauhar University, which is an office of profit and hence against the law.

On behalf of the state government, additional advocate general Bulbul Godiyal contended that the petition was not maintainable and that the writ of quo warran to could not be issued in the matter of an alleged hate speech. Godiyal also submitted that Azam does not comes under the purview of office of profit as the chancellor.

The court provided six weeks to Azam and the government to file their response in the matter. The petitioners may file their rejoinder affidavit within two weeks thereafter.

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Propriety cloud over President Pranab Mukheejee's Bodh Gaya visit

The author has posted comments on this articleAbdul Qadir, TNN | Sep 25, 2014, 04.55PM IST

GAYA: Propriety cloud hovers over President Pranab Mukherjee's Bodh Gaya visit scheduled for 1November'2014. The President is scheduled to participate in a function organised in the Bangladesh monastery. What has added to the discomfiture of the officials is the status of the monastery, the location where the function will be held, has been built in alleged violation of the building construction laws and the status of the land on which construction has taken place is also shrouded in mystery as laws governing the acquisition of land by foreign nationals and trust have not been properly followed.

A criminal case is pending against Bangladesh monastery officials for indulging in an unlawful activity by getting construction work done in explicit violation of the order of the local municipal body which passed order banning construction on account of the violation of law. The case was instituted in the Bodh Gaya police station on 20 December'2013. The case was lodged in the police station on the basis of a written complaint made by Sanjay Lal, Executive officer of the local municipal body. Asked about the status of the case a senior police officer told TOI on Thursday that investigation of the case was under progress.

Sources also say that central intelligence agencies have already informed the Union Home Ministry about the action of the Monastery officials who not only went ahead with construction work in violation of the explicit orders of the Municipal body but even blocked the entry of officials who visited the construction site to execute the construction ban. Now it is for the President's office to take a call in the matter.

In view of the recommendation of the UNESCO, construction activity stands prohibited in a 500 metre radius from the outer wall of the Buddha shrine. Height of buildings stands limited to three metres in the area between 500-1000 metres of the shrine outer wall and no construction beyond a height of 10 metres was permissible in the area between 1000-2000 metres of the shrine. UNESCO made the recommendation while granting World Heritage Site status to Buddha shrine in June'2002. The Bangladesh monastery falls in the prohibited zone, maintain municipal officials who got the case instituted in the police station.

Bodh Gaya watchers recall two similar situations in which VVIPs refrained from visiting disputed sites. During his 2004 visit President Abdul Kalam, known for affinity with children wanted to visit an orphanage located in Cherki village of the district. The then President was advised against the orphanage visit as the orphanage was involved in some land dispute. Again a couple of years back, Srilankan President Rajpaksha cancelled the foundation laying schedule in Bodh Gaya, on account of the questionable nature of land on which construction activity was to take place.

With local officials keeping mum on the issue, all eyes are now fixed on the response of the President's office. There is near unanimity among knowledgeable officials that the President's visit, if it actually materialises will provide some kind of legitimacy to the controversial structure and may even influence the course of the ongoing police investigation.

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Modi's close Chintan Joshi from Kalyan may rebel against BJP

KALYAN: Kalyan based BJP leader Chintan Joshi who had been closely associated with PM Narendra Modi and also founded a front called Namo Janhit Sangh 12 years back has rebelled against the party.

Joshi who was only invited person for the PMs Oath taking ceremony from Thane district has been upset with the party as he was not awarded the ticket for the assembly seat. Joshi who belongs to Gujarati community got pamphlets distributed in city where he has mentioned that Gujarati and Marwari community in Kalyan had been used and remembered only when the party needed funds for elections and later have been side-lined.

Joshi who has stronghold in 2 lakh Gujarati voters in Kalyan (West) assembly constituency claimed that if this time seat was given to Sena on which BJP has stronghold as in past had won all four assembly election except last election when Sena was given the ticket and lost against MNS candidate, then he will contest election as an independent candidate.

Joshi who distributed pamphlets in city said that since last many years Gujrati community from Kalyan city helping BJP- Sena by giving their votes but party never given them any post or opportunity to contest election in city.

In pamphlets Joshi clearly mentioned that Sena and BJP used community for the party funding but this time if they do not given ticket then he will contest as an independent candidate. If sources to believe then from the seat, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray had ordered Sena leader Vijay Salvi to get ready to contest from the seat and this reason Joshi who is interested to contest election from BJP seat have started attracting Gujrati and Marwari community from city who is major winning deciding factor in city.

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Drone strike kills suspected militants in Pakistan, officials say

BANNU: A US drone strike killed at least five suspected militants near the Afghan border in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, intelligence officials said, amid a rise in such attacks since after the military announced an anti-Taliban offensive.

Four intelligence officials said the strike killed between five and eight militants.

Six locals and two foreigners were killed in the strike in the district of Datta Khel in the mountainous region of North Waziristan, an intelligence official said.

The death toll could not be independently confirmed because North Waziristan has been off limits to journalists since the military announced an anti-Taliban offensive there in June.

Even before the operation, the military and militants often prevented journalists from visiting the sites of drone strikes.

The United States has long urged Pakistan to crack down on the Taliban stronghold in North Waziristan. The Taliban use the region to prepare bombs, hold kidnap victims, stage public executions and as a launching pad for attacks on Afghan and NATO troops across the border.

The military says it has killed hundreds of militants in its North Waziristan operation, including a senior commander that the Taliban eulogized in a press release this weekend. But no bodies, photographs or names have been provided to the media.

The United States halted drone strikes for the first six months of the year as Pakistan attempted to negotiate peace with Taliban insurgents, who want to overthrow the civilian government and put in place a strict Islamic state.

But the talks failed and drone strikes resumed a few days before the military announced its offensive. Since then, there have been at least seven attacks, excluding the one reported on Wednesday, according to the Bureau for Investigative Journalism, which tracks the strikes based on media reports.

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EPFO's Rs 1,000 minimum pension to benefit 32 lakh immediately

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Sep 24, 2014, 03.47PM IST

NEW DELHI: Government's decision to amend the Employees Pension Scheme, 1995 (EPS-95) run by EPFO to provide minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000 will immediately benefit around 32 lakh pensioners who get less than this.

Earlier, estimates of EPFO had suggested that the immediate beneficiaries who were getting less than Rs 1,000 every month would be 28 lakh while the total number of pensioners under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS-95) of Employees Provident Fund (EPFO) were 44 lakh.

"Out of the present 49 lakh pensioners of EPS-95 approximately 32 lakh pensioner are drawing less than Rs 1000 per month with a large number of them drawing less than Rs 500 per month," an EPFO order said.

Though the entitlement provided by the government under the EPS-95 was made effective on September 1, the pensioners getting less than Rs 1000 per month would be paid this much amount from next month onwards.

In a bid to make the event a memorable one, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has asked its field offices to organise a facilitation programme on September 30.

The EPFO head offices wants the field formation to invite and felicitate those people who were issued the oldest pension payment order (PPO) by the respective offices and were paid least amount under the EPS-95.

The field officers have also been asked to participate in radio and TV programmes on social security to create awareness about the government's initiative.

The order also provides that the field office will incur expenditure on the facilitation function under the head of publicity. Moreover if the additional funds are required under the head, the matter may be taken up with the Finance Wing at the head office, the order said.

The field offices are to make an impact through this felicitation function and invite 100-150 pensioners.

Besides the field offices would have a separate time slot for redressing grievances of pensioners and pension claim applicants during the event.

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Train services affected in New Delhi-Agra section after overhead wire snaps

BHOPAL: More than two dozen trains in the busy New Delhi-Agra railway section were severely affected when an overhead electric cable near Agra Cantonment railway station snapped.

The incident occurred around 2am on Wednesday during shunting of Jhansi Passenger Express when the cable in level crossing pole hit the train and snapped.

The trains are running late by 4 to 10 hours. Many of them are stranded at Jhansi, Morena, Gwalior stations.

According to railway sources, the down line (from Jhansi to New Delhi) was partially restored around 9am. However, the up line is yet to be restored.

The incident shows a severe lapse on the part of railways as the pole was very close to the track and during shunting the cable snapped and fell.

Railways is working on war-footing to restore the busy rail section.

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Special trains to ease festive rush

BHOPAL: Railways has decided to introduce premium and special trains to ease the festive rush during Diwali and Durga Pooja, a railways spokesman said on Tuesday.

Among these are train nos 04406/04405 New Delhi-Shirdi-New Delhi premium superfast weekly special that will run from September 24 to October 31 via Habibganj. Train no 09411/09412 Ahmedabad-Patna-Ahmedabad weekly special train will run from October 5 to October 28 via Bairagarh (Bhopal).

Superfast special train 09571/09572 Rajkot-Rewa-Rajkot and premium superfast special train 09055/09056 Surat-Patna-Surat that would run in the month of October would pass through Itarsi in Bhopal railway division.

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Green activists cheer SC verdict, saying 'dirty coal is shown red card'

NEW DELHI: Green activists on Wednesday cheered the Supreme Court's decision to cancel 214 coal blocks across many states and urged the government to spare forest areas from mining while auctioning new blocks in future.

Stating that the "dirty coal is shown the red card today", the Greenpeace India that has been protesting against clearances to the Mahan coal blocks of Madhya Pradesh said, "The SC verdict is a victory for the environment and the people of India against rampant corruption and crony capitalism rife in the resource extraction industry".

The green group claimed that the forest communities in Madhya Pradesh "are jubilant as the Court ruled that the Mahan coal block be cancelled due to a lack of transparency when it was granted".

Mahan Sangharsh Samiti and Greenpeace had been engaged in a long battle over the proposed open cast coal mine, which, the activists claimed, would involve the destruction of half a million trees, rob over 50,000 people from 54 villages of their livelihoods, and destroy habitat.

Reacting to the SC verdict, the Greenpeace said it believed that the Court's ruling will spell the end of cheap coal in India with serious ramifications on the new government's excessive reliance on coal power as the engine of economic growth.

"The forests of Mahan got a reprieve from the SC order today when the allocation to Essar and Hindalco was cancelled on grounds of illegality", it claimed in a statement.

"This landmark decision is a wake-up call for the Modi government that came to power on an anti-corruption and economic growth agenda. Today's ruling calls the bluff on coal's dirty secret and should signal the end of complicity between the state and corporate players. It's a strong message from the highest court in the country to the government and industry that the laws of the land cannot be circumvented and disregarded. The government has a stark choice — whether to develop a pro-people, pro-green economic model, or stick with corrupt, expensive, dirty energy," said Vinuta Gopal, climate and energy campaigner of Greenpeace India.

Gopal said, "Mahan forests are one of the richest Sal forests in the country. Mining in Mahan would mean loss of livelihoods and rich biodiversity. The government should review the criteria on which coal blocks are allocated and spare the blocks in the forest areas".

The Greenpeace India also demanded that government must not take dangerous short cuts to achieve a double digit growth figure at the cost of India's rich biodiversity and people's rights.

"The government must not sway from its promise of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' by lining the pockets of a selected few corporate and go back into the vicious cycle of crony capitalism brought out by the SC verdict today", it's statement said.

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Israel shoots down Syria warplane on Golan Heights: Army radio

JERUSALEM: Israel shot down a Syrian fighter jet on Tuesday as it attempted to fly over the ceasefire line into the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights, army radio reported.

"This Syrian aircraft, apparently a MiG-21 (fighter jet), which was approaching the Israeli side of the Golan, was shot down by a surface-to-air Patriot missile," the radio said.

The wreckage of the aircraft landed on the Syrian-controlled side of the strategic plateau, it added.

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyib Erdogan indicates Islamic State prisoners swap

NEW YORK: Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan has indicated that his country may have traded Islamic State group prisoners it held captive in exchange for 49 Turkish hostages held by the militants.

Asked about it in New York on Monday, Erdogan said "such things may be possible". He said Israel released 1,500 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one Israeli hostage.

The hostages were returned to Turkey on Saturday after more than three months in the hands of the Islamic State group. The hostages were seized in Mosul, Iraq, when militants overran the city.

Turkish government officials have not revealed how they managed to secure the release of the captives. Erdogan denied paying a ransom but has been vague on whether there was a prisoner swap.

Erdogan spoke at the council of foreign relations in New York.

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Arab role may be key to US strikes in Syria, US officials say

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama wants some Arab participation in air strikes against the Islamic State in order to expand the campaign to Syria, reflecting US concerns that any long-term campaign must count on regional involvement, US officials say.

Obama authorized air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria almost two weeks ago and was briefed on US war plans last week by the US military's Central Command. But Obama held off on approving those plans as diplomats pushed ahead with efforts to forge a coalition.

Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Arab participation was essential for Obama as he looked to expand the American campaign of air strikes to Syria from Iraq, where the US military has already carried out 190 strikes as of Monday.

Several Arab countries have offered to join the United States in air strikes against Islamic State targets, a senior US official told reporters on September 14.

But the United States has so far refused to detail which nations have given private assurances to Washington that they would join in air strikes in Syria, part of a broader strategy against the Islamic State that includes training and arming moderate Syrian opposition fighters.

US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said in television interviews over the weekend that other nations were willing to join air strikes in Syria.

"I will make you a prediction," Power said on ABC. "We will not do the air strikes alone if the president decides to do the air strikes."

Several Arab states have powerful air forces, including Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia, for example, has also already agreed to host US training of Syrian opposition fighters.

But many Gulf Arab states have been reluctant to be seen aggressively joining the US campaign in Iraq and Syria, fearing in some cases reprisals by extremists or forces loyal to the Syrian government.

The White House last week declined to "telegraph" when strikes might occur or what preconditions stood in the way.

Obama will give a speech at the UN general assembly on Wednesday to make the case again for world action against Islamic State.

He will also chair a meeting with global leaders to develop a strategy for preventing foreign fighters who have sworn allegiance to Islamic State from returning to their home countries to launch attacks against civilians.

While Americans support air strikes, there is little appetite for a long campaign against the group, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed. Still, U.S. officials suggest any campaign against the group in Syria will take years.

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India to seek re-election to UNHRC next month

UNITED NATIONS: India will seek re-election to the UN's main human rights body for a second consecutive term in a vote to be held next month.

India is currently a member of the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council and its term ends on December 31, 2014.

It is seeking re-election to the UN body for the period of 2015-17 and the elections will be held in October during the ongoing 69th session of the UN General Assembly, according to the Indian mission to the UN here.

India will compete in the Asia group in which four seats will be up for election.

The other countries in the Asia group that will be candidates in the election are Bangladesh, Qatar, Thailand and Indonesia.

"The support of member states for India's candidature in the human rights council elections would be greatly appreciated," a note from the Indian mission said.

The council members are elected for a period of three years by the majority of members of the General Assembly through direct and secret ballot.

They have the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year.

Last year, the General Assembly had elected 14 countries, including China, Saudi Arabia and Russia to serve on the council.

According to the council website, the General Assembly takes into account the candidate states' contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard.

While members of the council serve for a period of three years, they are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.

The council's membership is based on equitable geographical distribution, with 13 seats each for African and Asia-Pacific states, eight seats for Latin American and Caribbean states, seven for Western European and other states and six for Eastern European states.

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Income tax dept opposes Jayalalithaa's non-appearance in court

CHENNAI: The Income tax department went hammer and tongs at a trial court hearing the income tax returns cases against Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa and her friend N Sasikala, saying it had acted like an advocate of the accused.

Senior prosecutor of the income tax department K Ramasamy told the Madras high court that the economic offences court at Egmore here had granted more than 100 adjournments to the duo thus far and even the Supreme Court order directing it to complete trial within a time limit had not improved the situation.

Justice K B K Vasuki, who is hearing four petitions filed by Jayalalithaa and Sasikala to stay the ongoing proceedings in the economic offences court at Egmore here, said she would pass orders on the matter on Wednesday.

The two are facing cases for their alleged wilful failure to file tax returns for the years 1992-93 and 1993-94, which is a punishable offence under Section 276(CC) of the IT Act. The cases were filed in the year 1996. After inordinate delay, the case bounced back to life after the Supreme Court on January 30 directed the trial court to complete the trial within four months. By another order, the court extended the date till September 6, 2014.

As they have been asked to be present in the trial court on October 1, they have filed the present petition saying their applications for compounding the offences were pending before the income tax department and that the trial court should not hear the case until a decision was taken on their applications. The outer time limit for processing compounding applications is 180 days, which would expire only on December 24 this year, their senior counsel B Kumar said.

Another senior counsel and party MP, A Navaneethakrishnan, representing Sasikala, said it was a compoundable offence and hence the benefit should be given to the applicants.

However, Ramasamy said neither the trial court nor the high court had any jurisdiction to entertain any petition seeking extension of deadline laid down by the Supreme Court and said a remedy for the two was to approach the apex court and obtain some direction or the other. He wondered as to why they were afraid of approaching the Supreme Court.

Noting that the compounding an offence was departmental proceedings and hence not binding on criminal proceedings in courts, Ramasamy said both could proceed parallel and independent of each other. Wishing the two leaders all the best in compounding the offence, the veteran prosecutor said if they succeeded, the benefit would go to them. But anticipating any order or progress, the criminal proceedings should not be held up, he said.

Assailing the trial court and its indifferent approach to the deadline stipulated by the Supreme Court, Ramasamy said the income tax department had already constituted a committee involving three chief IT commissioners to handle the applications, but made it clear that even compounding of the offence would be done only after obtaining necessary instructions from the apex court. "The Supreme Court is monitoring the case," he said.

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SC relief for filmmaker Subhash Ghai's Whistling Woods

MUMBAI: In a relief to filmmaker Subhash Ghai a three judge bench of the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a special leave petition filed by the state against a Bombay high court order that had in July permitted his film school Whistling Woods to continue running at Goregaon in Mumbai. Ghai had filed a review plea in the HC and in July had got interim orders which the state sought to challenge in the SC.

The SC however allowed the state to argue on the point of maintainability of Ghai's review plea in the HC.

The state of Maharashtra argued that the order dated July 30, 2014 passed by the HC had in effect wiped out the earlier order of 2012. The 2012 order was against Ghai.

The SC said that the HC order is only interim order and dismissed the state's SLP by confirming the HC order. It gave liberty to the state to argue the issue of maintainability if it wants to.

IN July a bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Mahesh Sonak had admitted a review petition filed by the institute against a 2012 verdict of the HC in a PIL against the land allotment. The 2012 order setting aside a joint venture between the state film corporation and Whistling Woods required it to surrender the land by July 31.

The HC had directed the institute to pay Rs 1.38 crore out of Rs 10.38 crore it has to pay as licence fees by August 11 as a condition to continue at its present location. The remaining sum was to be paid in installments. State advocate general Darius Khambata had pushed hard to have the review plea dismissed and had questioned it's maintainability. Ghai's legal team comprising Aspi Chinoy, Janak Dwarkadas and Rui Rodrigues in the HC however had said the State film corporation had passed a valid resolution based on which it had entered into an agreement to set up the film school.

In the SC too Khambata appeared for the state.

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Fire in Tamil Nadu secretariat, no damage reported

CHENNAI: A fire broke out at the secretariat here on Monday, but it was immediately extinguished, officials said.

The fire broke out following a suspected short circuit in the AC unit of the information department, fire and rescue department officials said, adding, there were no casualties nor any major damage to property.

Government officials said it was a minor fire which was put out immediately and there was no need for any concern.

Six fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze, officials added.

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Barack Obama readies climate change push at UN summit

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will seek to galvanize international support in the fight against climate change on Tuesday when he addresses the United Nations, with time running out on his hopes of leaving a lasting environmental legacy.

Obama has warned that failure to act on climate change would be a "betrayal" of future generations, but faced with a Congress reluctant to even limit greenhouse gas emissions -- let alone ratify an international agreement — his options appear limited.

Tuesday's climate summit in New York kicks off a process that will culminate in Paris at the end of 2015, where the world's powers will hope to seal a new global climate change pact.

"Internationally, this is the opportunity for the president to leave his mark on the issue," said Alden Meyer, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a Washington-based think-tank.

Obama's last meeting with heads of state to try to strike a climate deal, in Copenhagen five years ago, ended in bitter disappointment.

"I think that people are justified in being disappointed about the outcome in Copenhagen," Obama said at the time, lamenting the failure to agree a timetable to reduce emissions over the coming decades.

Five years after that setback, the landscape remains complicated. "I think that there is some greater sense of perhaps realism as well as ambition among parties than perhaps there was in 2009," said Todd Stern, the United States top climate negotiator.

"I think, at the same time, these negotiations are always difficult," he said in a recent conference call.

In the short term, it remains highly unlikely that the 120 heads of state and government due to attend Tuesday's one-day meeting in New York will meet the expectations of UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who has called for "bold pledges" to be made.

The White House has said it will not announce its post-2020 goals in New York this week, but rather plans to roll an out ambitious target early next year according to John Podesta, Obama's adviser on climate and energy.

"You can expect the US to make public by the first quarter of 2015 a strong national target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the post-2020 time frame," Podesta said.

"The President will use his speech at the Climate Summit to call on other leaders to keep their ambition high and to work toward a strong global framework to cut emissions."

For the time being, the Obama administration will highlight the measures it has taken in recent months to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.

And activists may be gearing up to push harder: celebrities, political leaders and the masses rallied in New York and across the globe on Sunday demanding urgent action on climate change, with organizers saying 600,000 people hit the streets.

In June, Obama unveiled new standards aimed at achieving a drastic reduction in carbon emissions from all existing power plants -- a 30 percent reduction of 2005 levels by 2030.

But the White House has delayed addressing the difficult debate surrounding the legal nature of the agreement that 195 nations in the UN Convention on Climate Change will hope to reach in Paris at the end of next year.

The US constitution states that all legally binding treaties must be ratified by two thirds of the US Senate, an unthinkable prospect in the current political climate. Memories of the Kyoto Protocol, negotiated and signed in 1997 but never ratified by the United States, also loom large.

US negotiator Stern said the terms of any new climate agreement "is a matter that is completely open for question and for discussion," noting that in Durban in 2011 the countries had agreed only to negotiate a "protocol, another legal instrument or agreed outcome with legal force."

"That is a very elastic phrase," Stern said. Obama's climate team is reportedly working to put together a "politically binding" deal which would combine voluntary pledges with legally binding conditions from already existing treaties. Any such pact would avoid the need to seek ratification from the US Senate.

"Unfortunately, this would be just another of many examples of the Obama administration's tendency to abide by laws that it likes and to disregard laws it doesn't like -- and to ignore the elected representatives of the people when they don't agree," US senate Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell said in response to reports outlining the administration's strategy.

Jennifer Morgan of the World Resources Institute said any international agreement faced a "very challenging road" in the United States.

"It's also a narrow road, because for most other countries around the world, having an agreement that is legally binding is a top priority," she said.

"They want to know that the US and other countries are going to implement their commitments. It will one of the big challenges of president Obama to navigate that with other countries."

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New Zealand prime minister aims for flag change vote next year

WELLINGTON: New Zealand may vote next year on changing its flag, newly re-elected prime minister John Key said on Monday, as the country looks to assert an identity independent of colonial ties to Britain.

Key's centre-right government was returned for a third three year term on Saturday in a resounding win, promising to continue steady economic management and controls on spending, and possible tax cuts in three years.

Asked about his promise of a referendum on a change of flag, Key said he wanted it to be the subject of a referendum next year, including finding an alternative and then putting that up against the current flag.

"I'm obviously a big supporter of the change, I think there are a lot of strong arguments in favour of the change," he said on the Radio Live network.

Key has previously said he wants a flag uniquely New Zealand in character that would be recognisable around the world.

The current flag was adopted at the start of the 20th century and features the British Union Jack in the top-left corner with the four red stars of the Southern Cross on a blue background.

It is often confused with the similar looking Australian flag.

Key, who has backed a new flag with a silver fern on a black background, acknowledged there would be strong arguments to retain the current flag.

The group representing returned soldiers has been a vocal opponent of change, saying the move would disrespect those who had fought and died defending it.

New Zealand sports teams, notably the world champion All Blacks rugby team, often compete under a silver fern motif, and the national carrier Air New Zealand has put it on its aircraft tails.

A survey in March showed 52 percent of respondents did not see any need to change the flag.

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Will leave no stone unturned to safeguard borders: Rajnath Singh

NEW DELHI: The government will leave no stone unturned to safeguard borders and will address all important issues related to security, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said here on Monday.

He was addressing senior officers of the Border Security Force (BSF) during a review meeting.

He added that he had been apprised of the major issues concerning border security.

"We believe that security is the first and foremost requirement for development. Therefore our borders should always be safe and secure," he said.

The minister added that the BSF has always played a "pivotal role" in safeguarding borders and said that its performance has been "outstanding and excellent".

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UB Group's Prakash Mirpuri resigns

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Sep 21, 2014, 12.34PM IST

MUMBAI: UB Group Vice-President for Corporate Communications Prakash Mirpuri has resigned after over seven years of association with the Vijay Mallya-led conglomerate, sources said.

"UB Group Vice-President for Corporate Communications Prakash Mirpuri has put in his papers and is currently serving the notice period. He is expected to take up another assignment very soon," industry sources told .

Mirpuri, who had moved to the UB Group in April 2007 had quit the company in July, but was persuaded by Mallya to stay put, sources said adding, "However, this time round, his resignation has been accepted by the management".

Confirming the development, Mirpuri said that he would leaving the group on September 30.

"Yes, indeed. I have put in my papers at the UB Group and September 30 will be my last day here," Mirpuri told in response to a text message.

Mirpuri said he would take up a new assignment soon, without divulging further details.

A text message sent to Mallya did not elicit any response.

After United Bank of India declared Kingfisher Airlines, promoter Vijay Mallya and three other directors wilful defaulters, country's largest bank SBI had recently sent a notice to tag them as "wilful defaulters". Some other banks are also in the process of doing the same.

Debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines has contested UBI's decision to declare it as a wilful defaulter.

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AN Dar, veteran journalist, dies at 80

NEW DELHI: Former editor in chief of National Herald AN Dar died here on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 80.

Dar had also served as the Resident Editor of Indian Express in New Delhi.

He worked as the Cairo correspondent of the newspaper in 1960s.

Dar is survived by his wife Shyma Dar and two children, Ajay Dar and Anjana Bhan, both doctors.

His cremation will be held tomorrow, according to family members.

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Long distance, suburban train services hit at Mumbai's CST

MUMBAI: Long distance train services from Mumbai CST has been hit due to an overhead wire problem outside CST station early morning.

Sources said that ten long distance trains have been held back/rescheduled and there could be further delays.

Sources also stated the some of the fast trains to CST on the suburban line have also been suspended.

Hundreds of commuters have been inconvenienced, it is learnt.

The overhead equipment problem occurred between CST and Masjid stations. Senior officials were unavailable for comment.

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AN Dar, veteran journalist, dies at 80

NEW DELHI: Former editor in chief of National Herald AN Dar died here on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 80.

Dar had also served as the Resident Editor of Indian Express in New Delhi.

He worked as the Cairo correspondent of the newspaper in 1960s.

Dar is survived by his wife Shyma Dar and two children, Ajay Dar and Anjana Bhan, both doctors.

His cremation will be held tomorrow, according to family members.

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France asks India to finalize joint missile project soon

NEW DELHI: France has asked India for early finalisation of the long-pending Rs 30,000-crore project for joint production of short-range surface-to-air missile (SR-SAM) systems.

In a letter, the French defence ministry has told its Indian counterpart that "it will carry out substantial transfer of technology and know-how, especially in the field of missile guidance".

The French side has proposed that the project "would enable India to get in a few years in areas of strategic missile, the maximum autonomy you have called for".

SR-SAM is proposed to be a joint venture between India and France and they have nominated the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and a French multinational firm for the programme.

The deal has been under negotiations for over five years and has been awaiting final clearance after French President Francois Hollande and then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2013 announced that talks have been concluded between both the sides on the missile development project.

The IAF had raised certain objections over the programme but the defence ministry has to take a final call on the programme after holding discussions with all stakeholders.

The French defence ministry said it wants to actively participate in new Indian government's plans to achieve autonomy in field of military hardware production.

It has said that the missile programme would help in meeting India's domestic market and can also be supplied to future export markets.

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