India deploying more troops in Ladakh due to threat: Farooq Abdullah

NEW DELHI: India is befriending China on one hand and remaining "cautious" on the other by deploying more troops in Ladakh region due to "threat" perception, having learnt lessons from the past, Union minister Farooq Abdullah said on Monday.

Addressing young students, scholars and scientists at the Northern Regional Science Congress here, Abdullah broached the topic when he was referring to the abundant wind energy resources available in Ladakh region.

"We people have Army there (in Ladakh). (We have) one full division there and now we are putting another division there because we have threat from China and I don't say that outside but I am telling you because you are Indians.

"I want to tell you that in one place we are befriending China but we have also learnt a lesson from China and that is why we remain cautious as well because we had one division we will be keeping another one there," he said.

The minister also noted that China was indulging in huge infrastructure building on the Arunachal Pradesh border while "we are still thinking."

On energy, he said India will be a power surplus country by 2030 and the government is looking forward to produce energy through clean coal and nuclear energy as well.

Abdullah said the government has set the target of producing 22,000 MW of energy through renewable sources by 2022.

He said the government is offering subsidies for using solar power water heaters at homes and would also provide loans to buy appliances run on solar power and urged people to adopt solar and other alternative energies.

The minister blamed the US for global warming and said that India is one of the lowest producers of global gases even lower than China.

He also motivated young students and scholars to take up sciences and research as it is the only way to progress forward.

The Northern Regional Science Congress was organised by Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) and Department of Science of Technology , government of India.

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No proof of UFOs flying over India-China border: Antony

NEW DELHI: There is no conclusive proof of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) flying over the India-China border, but government is monitoring all developments in the neighbourhood which could have a bearing on national security, defence minister A K Antony on Monday said.

He gave the information in a written reply in the Lok Sabha to a question as to whether Army's Leh-based 14 Corps had reported about mysterious UFOs flying over the India-China border during the last three years.

Assuring the House of the measures taken by government, Antony said, "Required measures have been initiated through development of infrastructure and operational capabilities to achieve desired levels of defence preparedness to safeguard the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of India."

To a separate question on situation in Jammu and Kashmir, he said it has stabilised due to persistent anti-terrorist operations carried out by the government. "The situation in J&K has stabilised due to the persistent proactive counter terrorist operations carried out by the government," he said.

For return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants to the Valley, he said, "A comprehensive package of Rs 1618.14 crore was announced by Prime Minister in 2008... Government acts as facilitator for making all facilities available to migrants for their permanent rehabilitation in the Valley."

Antony also provided details of civilians and terrorists killed in J&K during last three years. While 13 civilians were killed between 2009 and October 2012, 58 terrorist were gunned down during the corresponding period last year. The highest number of 245 terrorists were killed in 2009.

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Mauritius, Bihar to jointly host 'Bhojpuri Mahotsav' annually

PATNA: Mauritius and Bihar which share historical bonds have decided to organize 'Bhojpuri festival' every year to keep the language alive.

The festival would be organized jointly by government of Mauritius and Bihar tourism department and both Mauritius Prime Minister Rajkeshwar Prayag and state chief minister Nitish Kumar have consented to holding the festival, state tourism minister Sunil Kumar Pintu told reporters here.

Prayag would be visiting Patna in the first week of January on Kumar's request, he said.

Pintu, who visited the south east Asian country recently to attend a tourism meet, said Bhojpuri is still spoken by the elder generation in Mauritius but the younger people hardly speak in the language.

The people there had requested him to open a Mauritius information centre at Patna where they could get the details of their forefathers and Kumar had given his consent for it, he said.

About 70 per cent of the population of Mauritius is of Indian origin and almost half of them hailed from Bihar.

Pintu, who had also visited England recently in connection with a tourism festival, said British Royal army officials signed an agreement with Bihar tourism department as part of which 4000 of its officials with their families would visit Bodh Gaya in January.

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Direct cash transfer facility for UID cardholders: Nilekani

NEW DELHI: The Unique Identification project has enrolled 270 million people in last three years and the data collected through it can be used to provide various benefits like direct cash transfer to cardholders, UID project chief Nandan Nilekani said on Monday.

Addressing a gathering here, Nilekani also expressed the need to make the project irreversible by providing "compelling services" to the people.

"This is three years since we launched this project. We have enrolled 270 million people into the system and issued unique numbers to 220 million people. We enroll at the rate of over a million people a day. So lets say we can do Finland in a week and Australia in three weeks," he said.

Replying to a question on the future of the project under a new government after the 2014 general election, Nilekani said, "What is required is to make it irreversible, that is the way to look at this problem."

"In our view, if half a billion people in this country have this identity number and if they are getting a couple of very compelling services through this number then their voices will speak for it," he said.

Nilekani described the UID project as a platform which can be used to provide various benefits to the people.

"The first big application we are doing on this is direct cash transfer. Government spends billions of dollars in giving benefits to people like pensions, scholarships etc. We are building a system along the banking sector to electronically credit money into people's bank account," he said.

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Car bomb rocks church in Nigerian military barracks

KADUNA, Nigeria: A car bomb was detonated at a church inside military barracks in Jaji in Nigeria's Kaduna state on Sunday, two military sources said.

"A car drove into the church premises ... then detonated the bomb," one of the military officers told Reuters, asking not to be named.

The National Emergency Agency confirmed there had been an explosion inside the barracks and said it was "likely at a worship centre".

Kaduna state in northern Nigeria has been the target of several bomb attacks this year, including on churches. Some have been claimed by Islamist sect Boko Haram, a group which has killed hundreds in an insurgency this year

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Syrian rebels say that they have captured helicopter base in east of Damascus

AMMAN: Syrian rebels said on Sunday that they had captured a helicopter base 15 km (10 miles) east of Damascus after an overnight battle, the second military facility on the outskirts of the capital to fall to President Bashar al-Assad's opponents this month.

An Internet video which activists said was filmed at the Marj al-Sultan base showed rebel fighters carrying AK-47 rifles touring the facility. An anti-aircraft gun could be seen positioned on top of an empty bunker and a rebel commander was shown next to a helicopter.

"With God's help, the Marj al-Sultan airbase in eastern Ghouta has been liberated," the commander said in the video. Eastern Ghouta, a mix of agricultural land and built-up urban areas, has been a rebel stronghold for months.

Activists said two helicopters were destroyed in the attack as well as a radar station, and that 15 personnel were taken prisoner.

With severe restrictions by Syrian authorities on non-state media, independent verification was not possible.

Footage from Saturday evening showed rebels firing rocket-propelled grenades at the base, and what appeared to be a helicopter engulfed in flames.

Last week rebels briefly captured an air defence base near the southern Damascus district of Hajar al-Aswad, seizing weapons and equipment before pulling out to avoid retaliation from Assad's air force.

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12 die after drinking adulterated cough syrup in Pakistan

LAHORE: At least 12 men died and several others were in a serious condition after drinking adulterated cough syrup in this eastern Pakistani city today, police said.

The men had drunk the cough syrup to get intoxicated, police said.

Doctors at a state-run hospital said the men fell ill as the medicine was adulterated.

Over 20 men fell ill or fainted after drinking the cough syrup in Shahdra Town of Lahore.

Four of them died instantly while eight more died in hospital.

At least seven men were being treated in hospital and several of them were in a serious condition, police said.

Police claimed most of those who fell ill after drinking the cough syrup were drug addicts.

Officials said they had registered a case against several dealers and two stores that sold the syrup.

Bottles of the same cough syrup were found in the possession of the men and the factory where the drug was made had been sealed, officials said.

Several stores were selling the cough syrup for Rs 25 to Rs 40 a bottle, they said.

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Hundreds of gay rights activists march through New Delhi on Sunday

NEW DELHI: Hundreds of gay rights activists marched through New Delhi on Sunday to demand that they be allowed to lead lives of dignity in India's deeply conservative society.

Dozens of demonstrators carried a nearly 15-meter (50-foot) -long, rainbow-colored banner and waved placards demanding that the government extend the scope of anti-discrimination laws to schools, workplaces and public and private spaces.

Activists said that three years after the Delhi High Court made changes in India's colonial-era law that made gay sex a crime, homosexuals are still not socially accepted in India.

In 2009, the court decriminalized gay sex, which until then had been punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Conservative groups have asked India's top court to overturn the lower court's order, and Supreme Court judges are currently hearing opinions from a range of people, including conservative groups and gay rights activists. It's unclear when the court will make a ruling.

"If only the Supreme Court comes out on our side, and if gay marriage became legal, what could be better," said Zorian Cross, a New Delhi-based theater actor and playwright at the parade.

"Queer and loving it" and "Give us your support" read some of the placards carried by the activists as they marched to the beat of traditional drums and music. Other supporters distributed badges and rainbow-colored flags and scarves.

The march ended in a public meeting at Jantar Mantar, the main area for protests in the heart of the capital. Many gay rights group members and their families danced and sang as drummers and musicians performed.

Vimal Kumar, an activist with the National Alliance of People's Movements, said the government had to ensure that all forms of discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgenders are ended.

"The government has to listen. Our struggle has gone on for very long, and we are hopeful the government will listen and act on our demands," Kumar said.

Gay rights activists are demanding that the government allow people to record the gender of their choice in the national census, voter identity cards and all other government documents.

"We are demanding that all people be allowed to exercise their right to live their lives with dignity and freedom, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation," said a statement issued by rights groups at the parade.

Kumar said people's attitudes were gradually beginning to change and there was greater understanding among families in urban areas as television campaigns and gay parade marches caught on. But the pace of change is slow, he said.

In some big cities, homosexuality is slowly gaining acceptance, and a few high-profile Bollywood films have dealt with gay issues.

Still, many marchers Sunday covered their faces with scarves or wore masks because they have not told their friends and families about their sexuality.

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Two suicide car bombs kill nine at military church in Nigeria

KADUNA: Two suicide car bombs were detonated at a church inside the Jaji military barracks in Nigeria's northern Kaduna state on Sunday, killing at least 9 people and wounding dozens, a military source said.

"A Kia branded car drove into the church premises ... and detonated," a military source who witnessed the bombings told Reuters, asking not to be named.

"Then an ash-coloured Toyota Camry drove in and exploded while people came to help after the first bomb. Most people died from the second blast," he said.

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Gaza crowds surge at Israel's border fence, 1 dead

GAZA CITY: Israeli troops fired on Gazans surging toward Israel's border fence on Friday, killing one person but leaving intact the fragile two-day-old cease-fire between Hamas and the Jewish state.

The truce, which calls for an end to Gaza rocket fire on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, came after eight days of cross-border fighting, the bloodiest between Israel and Hamas in four years.

In a letter to the UN Security Council, the Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour called the situation in Gaza "extremely fragile" and said Israel's cease-fire violations and other illegal actions risk undermining the calm that was just restored.

Hundreds of Palestinians approached the border fence on Friday in several locations in southern Gaza, testing expectations Israel would no longer enforce a 300-meter-wide (300-yard-wide) no-go zone on the Palestinian side of the fence that was meant to prevent infiltrations into Israel. In the past, Israeli soldiers routinely opened fire on those who crossed into the zone.

In one incident captured by Associated Press video, several dozen Palestinians, most of them young men, approached the fence, coming close to a group of Israeli soldiers standing on the other side.

Some Palestinians briefly talked to the soldiers, while others appeared to be taunting them with chants of "God is Great" and "Morsi, Morsi," in praise of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, whose mediation led to the truce.

At one point, a soldier shouted in Hebrew, "Go there, before I shoot you," and pointed away from the fence, toward Gaza. The soldier then dropped to one knee, assuming a firing position. Eventually, a burst of automatic fire was heard, but it was not clear whether any of the casualties were from this incident.

Gaza health official Ashraf al-Kidra said a 20-year-old man was killed and 19 people were wounded by Israeli fire near the border.

Mansour, the Palestinian UN observer, said Israeli forces fatally shot Anwar Abdulhadi Qudaih in the head and injured at least 19 other Palestinian civilians in a border area east of Khan Younis.

During the incidents, Hamas security tried to defuse the situation and keep the crowds away from the fence.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, a top Hamas official at the ongoing negotiations in Cairo, told Associated Press that the violence would have no effect on the ceasefire.

The crowds were mainly made up of young men but also included farmers hoping to once again farm lands in the buffer zone. Speaking by phone from the buffer zone, 19-year-old Ali Abu Taimah said he and his father were checking three acres of family land that have been fallow for several years.

"When we go to our land, we are telling the occupation (Israel) that we are not afraid at all," he said.

Israel's military said roughly 300 Palestinians approached the security fence at different points, tried to damage it and cross into Israel. Soldiers fired warning shots in the air, but after the Palestinians refused to move back, troops fired at their legs, the military said. A Palestinian infiltrated into Israel during the unrest, but was returned to Gaza, it said.

The truce allowed both Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step back from the brink of a full-fledged war. Over eight days, Israel's aircraft carried out some 1,500 strikes on Hamas-linked targets, while Gaza fighters fired roughly the same number of rockets at Israel.

The fighting killed 166 Palestinians, including scores of civilians, and six Israelis. Mansour, the Palestinian UN envoy, said more than 1,230 Palestinians were injured, predominantly women and children.

In Cairo, Egypt is hosting separate talks with Israeli and Hamas envoys on the next phase of the cease-fire — a new border deal for blockaded Gaza. Hamas demands an end to border restrictions, while Israel insists Hamas halt weapons smuggling to Gaza.

Mansour also accused Israel of intensifying its use of "excessive and lethal force" against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in recent days and of arresting at least 230 Palestinian civilians since the Gaza fighting began, including several members of the Palestinian Legislative Council who were detained at dawn on Friday.

The Palestinian UN observer called on the Security Council and the international community "to remain vigilant in their demands for a complete cessation of hostilities and for compliance by Israel."

A poll Friday showed about half of Israelis thinks their government should have continued its Gaza offensive.

The independent Maagar Mohot poll showed 49 percent of respondents felt Israel should have kept pursuing squads that fire rockets into Israel, 31 percent supported the decision to stop and 20 percent had no opinion. Twenty-nine percent thought Israel should have sent ground troops into Gaza. The poll of 503 respondents had an error margin of 4.5 percentage points.

The same survey showed Netanyahu's Likud Party and electoral partner Israel Beiteinu losing some support, but his hard-line bloc was still favored to form the next government after Jan. 22 elections.

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