News-21 Jan 13: SOUTHEAST ASIAN LEADERS SIGN HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION

SOUTHEAST ASIAN LEADERS SIGN HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION

 

Southeast Asian leaders in Phnom Penh, Cambodia endorsed a controversial human rights pact on November 18, 2012 during an annual summit in which they also focussed on bruising territorial rows and deadly unrest in Myanmar.

Heads of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) hailed their declaration on human rights as a landmark agreement that would help protect the region's 600 million people.

"It's a legacy for our children, "Philippine foreign secretary Albert-del-Rosario told reporters after the signing ceremony.

But critics said it allowed too many loopholes for ASEAN, which groups together a diverse range of political systems, from authoritarian regimes in Laos and Vietnam to freewheeling democracies such as in the Philippines.

"Our worst fears in this process have now come to pass," said' Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson.

On the day the pact was signed, leaders had to discuss the ethnic violence in ASEAN member Myanmar, where clashes in Rakhine state between Muslims and Buddhists have left 180 people dead since June.

ASEAN secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said that the violence was disturbing and risked destabilising the region.

ASEAN leaders discussed the bloodshed and included a statement referring to it in their end-of-summit communiqué.

The ASEAN event was expanded into a two-day East Asia Summit starting on November 19 that includes the leaders of the United States, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Russia.

Another point of contention during the three days of top level diplomacy in Phnom Penh was the territorial rows over the South China Sea.

ASEAN members Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, also have sometimes overlapping claims to the sea.

The ASEAN pushes for India's pro-active role. It feels that it will help contain a rampaging China and keep the group cohesive and relevant.

Philippines say no Unity over China Row : Philippines at the Summit vowed to keep speaking out on the global stage over its tense territorial row with China, as an effort by Southeast Asian nations to forge unity crumbled.

Cambodia said all 10 members of the bloc had agreed at the leaders' Summit earlier not to internationalise their disputes over rival claims to the South China Sea.

The apparent deal would have been a victory for China, which has long insisted that countries such as the Philippines should not seek support from the US.

But Philippine President Benigno Aquino insisted he had not agreed and that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen should not have promoted the alleged ASEAN 'consensus'.

"While Philippines was for ASEAN unity, it has the right to defend its national interests when deemed necessary", foreign secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters. Del Rosario said the Philippine had sent a letter to all ASEAN leaders to emphasise that there was no consensus.

ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have claims to parts of the sea, which is home to some of the world's most important shipping lanes and believed to be rich in fossil fuels. But China insists it has sovereign rights to virtually all of the sea.

 

ASEAN Summit and India: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh responded to the urging of Association of South East Asian Nations by promising to finalise the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in services and investment.

Although Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma rolled out figures to assert that trade with ASEAN was growing by leaps and bounds, the fact remains that the $ 75 billion in bilateral trade clocked last year was only 2.9 per cent of this block's total trade. The FTA in goods also covers only 80 per cent of tariff lines compared with 90 per cent found in ASEAN's FTAs with other countries.

"India is prepared to conclude the agreement on trade in services and investment promotion before the commemorative summit in Delhi in December. This will be a strong signal of our deepening economic engagement, and will allow for rapid expansion in trade and investment flows in both directions," Dr. Singh said in his opening  remarks  at  the  India-ASEAN  Summit on November 19. During his response statement later, he felt a comprehensive FTA would be the 'springboard' for rapid expansion in economic relations with ASEAN.

With the US backing the initiative, Dr. Singh said the India-Myanmar-Thailand highway would be operational by 2016, thus opening North East India to South East Asia.

He also spoke about another alternative route through central or north Myanmar to connect Guwahati to Hanoi.

 

PM at East Asian Summit: The Indian Prime Minister on November 20^th, was at the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh. The PM met here US President Barack Obama and congratulated him on his re-election. It may be mentioned that Barack Obama was also attending the East Asia Summit which was an extended affair of the ASEAN Summit. It is understood that a second term in Oval office is unlikely to change US President Obama's positive approach to the bilateral relations with India. Obama said that India is a big part of his plans.

 

Indian PM, Wen Meet, Talk about Need to Balance Trade Relations on the Sidelines of the Summit: The occasion was laced with nostalgia, a sense of achievement while managing a complex relationship and an assurance that the new regime in Beijing is convinced that ties with India are 'important', as Manmohan Singh met with his counterpart Wen Jiabao for around 40 minutes and bade the outgoing premier farewell.

Premier Wen Jiabao recalled that it was the 14th time the two leaders are meeting in the past eight years and it could well be their last. The two leaders fondly talked about the distance they covered and the distrust they tried to address in the relationship marked by cooperation and competition

The Premier, who is also an economic visionary like Prime Minister Singh, under the Chinese system is not so much tasked with dealing with complex political issues. However, the two leaders charted out ways to take the relationship forward despite the strains arising out of border issues and other matters of mutual suspicion.

They famously shared the view that there is enough space in the world for the two countries to grow peacefully and didn't let other issues hamper the growing trade ties.

Singh also talked about the need for a balanced trade and reiterating greater market access for Indian goods and services.

 

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News-20 Jan 13: WITH BULGARIA JOINING, SOUTH STREAM GAS PIPELINE CLEARS LAST HURDLE

WITH BULGARIA JOINING, SOUTH STREAM GAS PIPELINE CLEARS LAST HURDLE

Bulgaria has formally agreed to join the South Stream Gas pipeline project, the last hurdle that needed to be cleared to deliver Russian gas to large parts of Europe.

Bulgaria also signed a new ten-   I' year Russian-gas-supply   contract,   s which foresees a 20 per cent price cut   c from January 1, Prime Minister Boi-ko-Borisov said on November 15, 2012 after signing the documents with Gazprom's CEO Alexei Miller.

The  South  Stream  pipeline— funded  by  Gazprom, Italy's  Enif France's EdF and Germany's Winter shall—is due to start operating in 2015, bringing up to 63 billion cubic meters of gas annually to the Balkans,' Austria and Italy.

The Bulgarian section of the pipeline will be 540 kilometre (335 miles) long and will cost (euro) 3.3 billion ($ 4.2 billion), the government said.  

Gazprom and its partners in South Stream have made a final decision to invest in the 16 billion euro underwater gas pipeline, supporting Russia's dominance of the European market and gaining a jump on rival projects.

The decision late on November 14, 2012 showed Gazprom's determination to hang onto its core European market despite falling demand and pressure from the European Union, which is conducting an antitrust investigation of the Russian gas export monopoly and supports rival projects to carry gas from Central Asia.

Furthermore, the estimated    16 billion euro cost for South Stream is seen as high; and its status is unclear under the European Union's Third Energy Package, which bars suppliers from owning transportation capacity.

Gazprom, which is expected to fund half of the total capital expenditures according to its share in the project, did not disclose the financial outlays, which according to some analysts may exceed 25 billion euros once the onshore sections are built.

The pipeline was designed to reduce the risks of shipping gas across Belarus and Ukraine, which have had a number of price disputes with Russia, some of which have led to cuts in supplies to Europe through existing pipelines.

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News-19 Jan 13: XI JINPING TO HEAD BOTH PARTY AND MILITARY IN CHINA

XI JINPING TO HEAD BOTH PARTY AND MILITARY IN CHINA

Xi Jinping, the 59-year-old 'princeling' son of a former politburo member, was on November 15, 2012, pronounced the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
and the head of the party's Central Military Committee, marking an end to a once-in-a  decade  leadership transition process. Mr. Xi and six other leaders to constitute the Party's highest body— The Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC)—were presented as the faces of the next generation of leaders as outgoing leader Hu Jintao relinquished his posts as Head of the CPC and Chairman of the military. The party has reduced the size of the elite inner circle from nine to seven, underscoring long-standing moves, analysts said, to make the top body more efficient and nimble, and less riven by competing factional interests  seen  as  stalling  reform moves.

The composition of the PBCS was along expected lines, filled by four officials close to former leader Jiang Zemin and two others who rose under the outgoing General Secretary Hu Jintao.

This reflects  the continuing  influence the two leaders will wield from behind the scene, as   Mr. Xi, known as a pragmatic and consensus building leader, looks to make his mark. Mr. Hu will continue serving as President until March, 2013.

Mr. Xi was flanked by second-ranked Li Keqiang (57), who will take over as Premier when Wen Jiabao steps down at the March Parliament session.

The other members, in order of rank, were announced, as: Zhang Dejiang (66), Chongqing Party Secretary; Yu Zhengsheng (67), Shanghai Party Secretary;  Liu Yunshan (65), a senior propaganda official; Wang Qishan (64), a Vice Premier in charge of economic affairs and Zhang Gaoli (66), Party Secretary in Tianjin.

The selection of the seven leaders and the 25-member Politburo was approved at a meeting of the newly appointed 376-member 18th Central Committee, which was chosen at the closing session of the week-long National Congress.

The approval was seen as a formality, with the list of leaders thought to be finalised after months of bargaining among the Party's various interest groups. Mr. Hu and Mr. Jiang have both been pushing for their allies to secure posts.

 In his first speech as the head of the Party, Mr. Xi thanked the CPC for the trust placed in the new leadership and spoke of 'severe challenges' the new generation of leaders will face.

"Our people yearn for better education, more stable jobs, more income, greater social security, better medical and healthcare, improved housing conditions, and a better environment", he said, "The people's desire for a better life is what we shall fight for".

Mr. Xi made three references in his brief address to "the great renewal of the Chinese nation" and the Party's role in China's revival, suggesting that the theme—popular with Chinese nationalists - might emerge as a rallying point under his leadership as the CPC looks for ways to renew its legitimacy amid rising concerns on inequality and corruption.

He also outlined several 'severe challenges 'the new leadership will face, highlighting "problems among Party members of corruption, taking bribes, being out of touch with the people, and an undue emphasis on going through formalities and bureaucratism".

The Party, Mr. Xi said, had "every reason to be proud" of its accomplishments in leading a revival of the Chinese nation. 'Proud', he added, 'but not complacent'.

China, Taiwan Extend Olive Branches after Xi's Promotion

The leaders of China and long-time rival Taiwan had rare direct political contact on November 15, 2012 after Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou sent congratulatory messages to China's new and outgoing Communist Party leaders, Xi Jinping and Hu Jintao. China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since defeated. Nationalist forces fled to the island at the end of a civil war in 1949. China has never ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Relations have improved dramatically since Ma's election in 2008, with a series of trade and tourism deals signed. There has been no progress towards political reconciliation or a lessening of military distrust.

 

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News-18 Jan 13: OBAMA WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF AMERICA FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE TERM OF 4 YEARS

OBAMA WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF AMERICA FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE TERM OF 4 YEARS

US President Barack Obama on November 6, 2012 won a second term and immediately promised to unify a country bitterly divided along political lines, exacerbated by a hard fought campaign.

He won 303 of the 538 electoral votes to Republican Mitt Romney's 206. His victory was much less spectacular in popular votes. The Republican Party retained control of the House of Representatives in parallel  congressional elections and US President Barack Obama with his Democrats held on to the Senate.

In his victory speech at campaign headquarters in Chicago the President wasted little time acknowledging that he needed to build bridges to bipartisan consensus, if he had any hope of pressing on with reforms in his second term, including in contested areas such as comprehensive immigration reform and stimulus type policies for economic growth and job creation.

While Mr. Obama's dramatic win will stall any further efforts to repeal his landmark healthcare reform package at the national level, he may well need to quickly reach  out to House Speaker John Boehner and his colleagues to urgently find a solution to the fiscal cliff that the U.S. economy is set to go over if deficit-reduction measures are not put in place in good time.

With a long list of heavy lift to do items on the medium-term agenda for the 45th President of the U.S., Mr. Obama is however likely to take a few moments to savour his victory and deliberate on the highly divided state of the union before the new year begins.

RECORD BREAKING POLL

$712 million spent by Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on their campaign.

$260 million spent by Romney

 

Reasons behind Obama’s win 

Rainbow Coalition—Obama's team ensured his coalition of young voters, Hispanics and African Americans, as well as the educated white middle-class, showed up for him like in 2008.

93% Afro-Americans, 69% Hispanics and 70% Jewish voters supported Obama.
           

Economy—Improved steadily over the year. Historically, voters have given a  second term to Presidents who oversee modest growth in a poll year.
Over the past few months, the unemployment rate dipped below the psychological barrier of 8%.

 

Romney's Bain—Obama ads branded Mitt Romney, co-founder of Bain Capital, as a corporate vulture who bought and sold firms for his own profit.
           

Bin Laden Boost—Killing of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden bolstered the President's image

Clean Bill of Help—Ex-President Bill Clinton, remembered for leading an era of economic prosperity, often made the case for Obama better than the Prez himsel

Campaign Team—Positioned Obama as a populist warrior for the American middle classes.

Whether I earned your vote or Not, I have Listened to you. I have learned from you. You've Made me a better President      —Barack Obama ,

 

 

 

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News-17 Jan 13: BRITISHERS WANT NOBEL PEACE NOMINATION FOR MALALA (A PAKISTANI GIRL SHOT)

BRITISHERS WANT NOBEL PEACE NOMINATION FOR MALALA (A PAKISTANI GIRL SHOT)

 Tens of thousands of Britons called on the government to nominate Malala Yousufzai, a Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating girls' education, for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The 15-year-old girl was receiving specialist treatment in Birmingham after gunmen  shot her on October 19, 2012  for  standing against  the Taliban and openly advocating education for women. The attack has drawn international condemnation and Yousufzai has become a powerful symbol of resistance to the Taliban’s attempts to supress women’s rights.

On November 9, 2012 a campaign led by a Pakistani and British woman urged PM David Cameron and other senior government officials to nominate Yousufzai for the Nobel Peace Prize.

"Malala doesn't just represent one young woman, she speaks out for all those who are denied education purely on the basis of their gender," campaign leader Shahida Choudhary said.

More than 30,000 people have signed the petition in Britain as part of a global push by women's rights advocates to nominate her for the prize. Similar campaigns have sprung up in Canada, France and Spain.

Under the Nobel Committee's rules, only prominent figures such as members of national assemblies and governments are able to make nominations.

 

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News-16 Jan 13: PAKISTAN LAUNCHES EDUCATION PLAN FOR CHILDREN WITH FOCUS ON GIRLS

PAKISTAN LAUNCHES EDUCATION PLAN FOR CHILDREN WITH FOCUS ON GIRLS

 

As the world heeded to U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown's call to observe November 10 as 'Global Action Day for Malala Yousufzai', Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari warned that attack on Ms. Yousufzai was an attack on the future of the region as a whole, as the terrorists would not stop at Pakistan to show Pakistan's commitment to Ms.  Yousufzai's dream of educating the 32 million out-of-school girls across the world, the federal government launched the Waseela e-Taleem programme to educate three million children, especially girls, from the poorest of poor families. Mr. Zardari said the programme seeks to reinforce the idea that Ms. Yousufzai represents.

 

"The more the militants strike, the more we will rebound with determination, defiance and courage. Let there be no doubt or mistake about it."

According to the President, the observance of Malala Day by the international community was a demonstration of the realisation that the attackers of Ms. Yousufzai would not stop at Pakistan and would threaten the whole world. "Malala has transcended from an individual to an idea," he added.

 

Meanwhile, an online petition started in Canada to mobilise  support  across  the  world  to nominate Ms. Yousufzai for the Nobel Peace Prize gathered momentum and now has over a lakh signatories including Ministers from different countries.

It may be recalled that Ms. Yousufzai was shot at and grievously injured by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on October 9, 2012 while on her way back from school in Mingora in Swat Valley.

15 'Malala Scholarships' in Pak College from Women

 

In a move to acknowledge the efforts of 15-year-old Taliban victim Malala Yousufzai who promoted female education in Pakistan's Swat Valley, a women's college in Lahore has

decided to award the 'Malala Yousufzai Scholarship' every year to 15 students. "The 15 scholarships will be awarded on the request of the Student Council. 10 scholarships will be for four-year BS programme and five for the MS-PhD programme." Sabiha Mansoor, Vice Chancellor of Lahore College for Women (University (LCVVU), said, to a Pakistani daily.

 

November 10 to be Celebrated as Malala Day : UN United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has announced that November 10, 2012, will be celebrated as Malala Day the world over, as it marks the 30-day anniversary of the Taliban attack on the 15-year-old education campaigner from Pakistan.

On November 9, 2012 the UN special envoy for global education visited Pakistan and presented President Asif All Zardari with a petition signed by over one million people asking that he make girls' education a reality in Pakistan.

Ki-Moon hoped that observing Malala day will build on the momentum of UN's Education First initiative and show that education is a right of everyone, and not a privilege for a few.

Pak Teen Grateful for Global Support

Malala, the teenager being treated in Britain for gunshot wounds inflicted by the Taliban in Pakistan, on November 9, 2012 thanked her global supporters, one month on from the brutal attack.

"She wants me to tell everyone how grateful she is and is amazed that men, women and children from across the world are interested in her well-being," s'd her father Ziauddin Yousufzai, on behalf of the 15-year-old

"We deeply feel the heart-touching good wishes of the people across the world of all castes, colour and creed," he said in a statement issued by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where Malala is being treated.

He added, "I am awfully thankful to all the peace-loving well-wishers who strongly condemn the assassination attempt on Malala, who pray for her health and support the grand cause of peace, education, freedom of thought and freedom of expression."

 

 

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News-15 Jan 13: SYRIAN OPPOSITION IN UNITY DEAL

SYRIAN OPPOSITION IN UNITY DEAL

Syrian opposition groups meeting in Qatar, Doha on November 11, 2012 inked a hard-won unity deal and agreed to form a national coalition to fight   against President Bashar al-Assad, delegates said.

The groups signed a 12-point agreement to establish a coalition, said the leading dissident Ria Seif.
            The deal came after the Syrian National Council, which had formerly been seen as the main representative of the opposition, heeded Arab and Western pressure to embrace other groups. Together, they formed the "National Coalition of Forces of the Syrian Revolution and opposition."

The coalition agreed not to take part in any negotiation with the regime and to form a provincial government after gaining international recognition.

Mr. Seif is one of the leaders of the Damascus Spring protest movement of a decade ago and now touted in Washington as a potential new opposition chief.

 

 

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News-14 Jan 13: MISCELLANEOUS NATIONAL NEWS

• India okays  Project  worth  $ 100 million  in Afghanistan

India on November 8, 2012 approved small-scale projects worth 100 million dollars for implementation in strife-torn Afghanistan.

The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the third phase of the Small Development Projects (SDP) in Afghanistan. The outlay for the third Phase of the Small Developmental Projects is 100 million dollars or approximately 540 crore, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi.

The SDP directly impact local communities and support social-economic development and facilitate community life through creation of infrastructure in various sectors including education, health, agriculture and Small Development Projects.

"Local communities of Afghanistan would directly benefit from the Small Development Projects which will cover all 34 provinces of Afghanistan," he said.

• Elizabeth Thabethe, South African Minister visits India

Elizabeth Thabethe, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry (South Africa) led a high power business delegation to the inauguration of Techmart India 2012 (NSIC—Virtual Techmart India 2012 display).

 

 

 

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News-13 Jan 13: PAK PANEL AGAINST MOST FAVOURED NATON TAG FOR INDIA

PAK PANEL AGAINST MOST FAVOURED NATION TAG FOR INDIA SAYS THAT THE MOVE WILL HARM COUNTRY'S FARM SECTOR)

A top Pakistani Parliamentary panel has expressed reservations about the government's move to grant the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India, claiming that the measure would 'destroy' the domestic agriculture sector.

Members of the Public Accounts Committee, which is headed by the ruling PPP lawmaker Nadeem Afzal Chan, voiced their reservations during a meeting and sought a detailed briefing on the matter from the commerce ministry.

The PPP-led government has repeatedly said it is committed to phasing out a negative list regime for trade with India by December 31 and granting MFN—status by the beginning of next year.

The two countries have taken several steps in recent months, including the signing of three agreements, to boost bilateral trade to US D six billion by 2014.

However, members of the Public Accounts Committee expressed concern over the move to do away with the negative list regime during a meeting on November 16 and some even claimed it would destroy the domestic agriculture industry.

 

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News-12 Jan 13: EX INDIAN PRIME MINISTER MR. I.K. GUJRAL PASSED AWAY

EX-PRIME MINISTER INDRA KUMAR GUJRAL PASSES AWAY

Former Prime Minister I. K. Gujral, died on November 30, 2012 after a brief illness.

Gujral, who migrated from Pakistan after partition, rose to become the Prime Minister with a slice of luck after he came up through the ranks—starting as Vice-President in the New Delhi Municipal Committee (NDMC) in the Fifties to later become a Union Minister and then India's ambassador to the USSR.

Educated at DAV College, Haily College of Commerce and Forman Christian College, Lahore, Gujral took active part in student politics. After the tumultuous events that rocked the sub-continent in the wake of partition in August 1947, Gujral crossed over to India.

He was the Information and Broadcasting Minister when Emergency was imposed (on June 25, 1975), which brought in arbitrary press censorship. Since he refused to kowtow to the powers that be, he was taken out of the ministry and sent by Mrs. Gandhi as ambassador to Moscow, a post he handled with tact and finesse. He continued even during the tenures of her two successors, Morarji Desai and Charan Singh.

He had left the Congress to join the Janata Dal in the late 1980s. He became external affairs minister in the V. P. Singh led National Front government in 1989.

He had a second stint in the ministry in the United Front government under H. D. Deve Gowda, whom he later replaced as Prime Minister after the Congress withdrew support in the summer of 1997.

In a condolence message, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh termed Gujral as "an intellectual, a scholar statesman and a gentleman politician" who left a mark in every position he held.

In external affairs he is known for his famous Gujral Doctrine which essentially stood for good and cooperative relations with its neighbours and the southeast Nations. In the world of foreign policy he was eminently an idealist.

Friends Across the Spectrum

He was a gentleman to the core. If there is a key to understanding Mr. Gujral's life, it was that he had friends in virtually every political party, and across the social spectrum, something he makes it a point to underscore in his Matters of Discretion: An Autobiography. The 'old friends' who helped him become India's 12th Prime Minister (pipping Moopanar and Mulayam Singh Yadav to the post) included the CPI (M)'s Jyoti Basu, former Vice-President Krishan Kant (who was Andhra Pradesh Governor at the time), a group of powerful journalists and an influential newspaper group.

 

 

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News-11 Jan 13: INDIA TESTS ITS INTERCEPTOR MISSILE SUCCESSFULLY

INDIA TESTED ITS INTERCEPTOR MISSILE SUCCESSFULLY

India on November 23, 2012 successfully test-fired an indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile capable of destroying a hostile ballistic missile from a test ranges, off the Odisha coast.

The test was conducted to validate various parameters of the interceptor in flight mode, said a defence source.

The 'hostile' ballistic missile, a modified surface-to-surface 'Prithvi', mimicking an incoming enemy weapon, first lifted off from a mobile launcher at around 12.52 hours from the launch complex-3 of integrated test range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-Sea.

Within about four minutes, the interceptor, advanced air defence (AAD) missile positioned at Wheeler Island, about 70 km from Chandipur, after getting signals from tracking radars, roared through its trajectory to destroy the incoming missile mid-air, in an 'endo-atmospheric' altitude.

The interceptor is a 7.5-metre-long single-stage solid rocket, propelled guided  missile  equipped  with  a navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electromechanical activator, the sources said.

It will act as a Shield for the Nation

ü  An interceptor is fired to counter an incoming enemy missile. The interceptor destroys the incoming missile before it lands on the ground.

ü  The previous interceptor trial conducted on February 10, 2012 from the same base was also successful.

ü  India also has an existing ballistic missile defence programme to develop and deploy a multi-layered missile defence system to protect the country from ballistic missile attacks.

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News-10 Jan 13: KASAB HANGED, BURIED IN YERWADA JAIL

KASAB HANGED, BURIED IN YERWADA JAIL

 

Was Taken to Pune in top secret 'Operation X’

In a top secret operation, 25-year-old Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving gunman of the 26 / 11 Mumbai terror attack was hanged in Pune's Yerwada Jail on November 21, 2012. Police sources said that Kasab was buried on the jail premises.

The execution came five days before the fourth anniversary of the attacks that began on November 26, 2008.

The only terrorist to be caught alive, out of the 10 men who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, Kasab was sentenced to death by the special court on May 6, 2011 after a trial that lasted for more than 14 months. The Supreme Court upheld the  Capital punishment on August 29, 2012.

Official sources said that 'X', the code name, was set in motion on November 12, after President Pranab Mukherjee  turned  down Kasab's mercy petition  on November 5, 2012.

 

On 26-11-2008, India went to Sleep with Horrific Images of the Terrorist Attack on Mumbai. On 21-11-2012, it Awoke to the News of Kasab's Hanging

 

Nov. 26, 2008 : Ten Pakistani gunmen including Ajmal Kasab launch attacks on multiple   locations in Mumbai, leaving 166 dead

Nov. 27 : Kasab is nabbed

Nov. 29 : Remaining 9 terrorists killed

Nov. 30 : Kasab confesses before police

Jan. 16, 2009: Arthur Road Jail selected for his trial

Feb. 20/21: Kasab makes confession before magistrate

Feb. 22 : Ujjwal Nikam appointed Special Public Prosecutor Dec. 16 : Prosecution completes its case

Dec. 18 : Kasab denies all charges May 3, 2010: Kasab convicted

May 6 : Kasab sentenced to death by trial court

Feb. 21, 2011 : Bombay HC upholds death sentence

July 29 : Kasab challenges sentence in Supreme Court

Oct. 10 : Tells SC he was brainwashed; says he is too young to deserve capital punishment

Aug 29, 2012: SC upholds death sentence

Oct. 16 : Home ministry recommends rejection of mercy plea to President

Nov. 5 : President rejects Kasab's mercy petition

Nov. 8 : Maharashtra govt. signs death warrant

Nov.17: Kasab told that he will be hanged

Nov. 19 : Shifted to Yerwada jail in Pune in early hours

Nov. 21 : Kasab hanged at 7:30 a.m. Buried in an undisclosed spot in the prison compound

 

The X Factor

Kasab's hanging — codenamed Operation X — was carried out in total secrecy. Only those who needed to know knew about it. The identity of the hangman, who was paid 5,000 for the job, has also been kept a secret.

Speed Factor

Kasab's is the second-fastest mercy petition decided in India, the first being that of a young man called Raovji alias Ramchandra, who was hanged in 1996, less than three years after he had murdered his family.

Gallows Gallery

Kasab's hanging comes 8 years after the execution of Dhananjoy Chatterjee, a security guard convicted for the murder of 14-year-old Hetal Parekh in March 1990 in Calcutta. Before him, serial killer Auto Shankar was hanged in Salem jail in 1995.

 

 

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News-9 Jan 13: AUNG SAN SUU KYI VISIT TO INDIA

MYANMARESE OPPOSITION LEADER AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S VISIT TO INDIA

 • India, Suu Kyi look to bury the past.

• Her party is tipped to sweep the 2015 polls.

• She says: Mahatma would have insisted India stand by us.

 

Myanmarese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi paid a goodwill visit to India in the second week of November, 2012. It was a homecoming as well as a reconciliation. The iconic Myanmar democracy leader, she caught up with friends in India, visited her alma mater, Lady Sri Ram College, even the Myanmar embassy where she stayed with her mother who was Burma's ambassador to India.

In her first visit to India in over 40 years, Suu Kyi and India both tried to put an uncomfortable past behind them. Suu Kyi's imprisonment shut off Myanmar from the rest of the world as condemnation was heaped on the military regime. India, though, engaged the Tatmadaw extensively, so much so that after China, India has become one of Myanmar's most important partners.

To that extent, it has been a hurdle that India, a beacon of democracy itself, should abandon the world's greatest living champion on democracy next door. It has been a difficult decision for India, and one that has antagonised the western world.

India's awkwardness with Suu Kyi was evident in June, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Yangon. Not wanting to annoy the military, the PM's office insisted that Suu Kyi call on Singh, even though a long line of world leaders had visited her in her now famous house by the lake. It was clumsy move, and India's explanation that protocol triumphed everything found few takers.

Therefore, it was really important for a big reconciliation process, especially after Suu Kyi herself described India's actions as 'disappointing'. That week, Suu Kyi received a reception reserved for a head of state as she arrived for a six-day visit. From a private dinner by the PM to a public lecture and scores of high-level interactions in between, Suu Kyi was feted in a particularly special way. India remains actively engaged with the military in Myanmar, because the government believes it will remain the most important player in Myanmar for some time to come.

In the next round of elections in 2015, Suu Kyi's party NLD is expected to sweep.

 

 

'Mahatma would'nt have Favoured India's Stand' said Suu Kyi  

Myanmar's prodemocracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said that had Mahatma Gandhi been alive he would have been 'vocal' about his 'disapproval' of India's stand regarding her country.

For the Nobel Prize winner Suu Kyi, Gandhi has been one of the greatest influences. "I think he (Gandhi) would have stood by us...he would have insisted that India stand by us because that was the kind of man he was," she said.

Suu Kyi said she felt 'saddened' about India's stand particularly because she felt close to India and hoped New Delhi will stand by her country in achieving democracy.

However, Suu Kyi later that one has to be pragmatic about it because "I know that governments sometimes take a path which is best for their country rather than best for others."

Asked if she felt betrayed given her long association in India, the chairperson of the National League for Democracy replied in negative.

To a poser, Suu Kyi, who has strongly advocated amendments in Myanmar's constitution for free and fair elections, said she has no hesitation for standing for the presidency in next polls.

 

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News-8 Jan 13: 10TH HINDUSTAN TIMES LEADERSHIP SUMMIT IN NEW DELHI KICKED OFF

10TH HINDUSTAN TIMES LEADERSHIP SUMMIT IN NEW DELHI KICKED OFF

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra kicked off the 10th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on November 16, 2012, stating that businessmen dreaming of a political career should drop their commercial interests to avoid giving fodder for criticism to their opponents.

"If  you  really want to enter politics, then wash your hands of your business,"   Shinawatra said at the Summit's first session.

The former Thai PM, currently living in self-imposed exile in Dubai since being ousted from power in 2006, was asked whether his being a telecom czar made him vulnerable. Shinawatra advocated a degree of caution with regard to the growing anti-corruption movements in different parts of the world including India.

"It sometimes becomes a good excuse to accuse others of corruption," he said, using the example of his own political career in Thailand. "Allegations were used to keep me out of Thailand." Eminent personalities from different fields including politics, business and sports were invited to participate in the Summit.  The personalities included former US Defence Secretary William S. Cohen. The former Thai PM praised his family, particularly his younger sister and the present Prime Minister of Thailand Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra.

Mention may be made of former Indian Cricket captain Kapil Dev, player Jadeja, CNN IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, batsman Suresh Rana, Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar, tennis star Boris Bakar, Dr. Abhijit Banerjee, Ford Foundation International economist, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, industrialist Kumarmanglam Birla, Ajit Kumar Doval, former IB Director, Minister of State for Power Jyotiraditya Scindia. Heritage activist Rajiv Sethi, senior surgical oncologist Dr. Sameel Kaul, cricketer Yuvraj and former Pakistan President Gen. Parvez Musharraf who attended the Summit.

 

 

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News-7 Jan 13: JAPAN SIGNS PACT TO IMPORT RARE EARTHS FROM INDIA

JAPAN SIGNS PACT TO IMPORT RARE EARTHS FROM INDIA

India and Japan on November 16, 2012 inked two agreements, including one that will enable Tokyo to import rare earths minerals,, which is expected to ease Tokyo's dependence on China for the key material that is vital for producing a range of high tech products.

The agreements, both of which were supposed to be signed during the later cancelled trip of Prime Minister Manmohan  Singh,  were  inked by Japanese  Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and India's Ambassador to Japan Deepa Wadhwa in New Delhi.

The signing of these agreements will strengthen the India-Japan strategic and global partnership, a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The other deal—Social Security Agreement—will benefit about 30,000 citizens of both countries. About 22,000 Indians working in Japan and about 8,000 Japanese are employed in India and their social security contributions won't be deducted in both countries.

 

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News-6 Jan 13: TWO INDIANS IN FORBES TOP 15 EDUCATIONISTS

TWO INDIANS IN FORBES TOP 15 EDUCATIONISTS

Indian-origin CEO of Datawind, the maker of India's low-cost tablet Aakash, Suneet Singh Tuli and Massachusettes  Institute  of  Technology  Professor  Anant Agarwal have been named by Forbes magazine among the 15 'classroom revolutionaries' who are using innovative technologies to reinvent education for students and teachers globally.

The Forbes list names 15 education innovators who are "harnessing a slew of disruptive technologies to change everything from the way we teach grade school math to how we train the next generation of teachers."

The publication said Tuli (44) is the 'mastermind' behind the world's cheapest tablet computer Aakash, "which has the potential to revolutionise educational access in the developing world."

Datawind has a backlog of 'millions' of orders for the 35 dollar Aakash tablet. The publication quoted Tuli as saying that "I don't care about creating the iPad killer. I care about the 3 billion people who can afford this device."

 

 

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News-5 Jan 13: UNION CABINET CLEARS SPECTRUM FEE ON TELECOM FIRMS

Union Cabinet Clears Spectrum Fee on Telecom Firms

The Union Cabinet on November 8, 2012 approved the proposal  of  an  Empowered  Group  of Ministers (EGOM) to levy a one-time spectrum charge of about Z 31,0000 crore on all existing telecom operators in the country.

The decision is expected   to   hit market leaders Bharti Airtel and Vodafone the most, as well as two-state owned operators — Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and 'Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) proposed that GSM-based telecom companies pay for all their 2G spectrum holdings beyond 4.4 MHz, while CDMA players were to pay the Levy beyond 15 MHz holding prospectively for the remaining period of their licences.

·         Telcos argue that it will hurt them when their profits are under pressure.

·         GSM above 6.2 MHz will be levied one-time fee from July, 2008.

This charge, EGoM had proposed, was to be linked to the price at which spectrum is sold in the auctions.
            However, the telecom department will decide a benchmark later for CDMA players, as there is no company in the fray to buy CDMA spectrum. The government had planned to hold two separate auctions for spectrum used by GSM and CDMA-based mobile phone carriers, hoping to reap a combined 40,000 crore revenue.

 

Level-Playing Field

The country had traditionally bundled airwaves with telecom permits. This is the first time the government has auctioned off second-generation airwaves, since the 2G spectrum scam made the headlines in 2008.

Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said the surcharges are aimed at creating a level-playing field between old and new operators.

 

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News-4 Jan 13: CANADA CLOSE TO RESUMING NUCLEAR SUPPLIES

Canada Close to Resuming Nuclear Supplies

India and Canada on November 6, 2012 concluded negotiations for operationalization of civil nuclear deal signed in 2010 which is expected to ensure supply of uranium to India even though there was no formal signing of any agreement. After meeting with his counter-part Dr. Manmohan  Singh, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on the Appropriate Arrangement and looked forward to its early coming into effect.

India and Canada have been negotiating administrative arrangements for supply of uranium under the pact signed in 2010 but it has taken time with Canada insisting on a monitoring mechanism or a 'reporting approach' for its uranium exports. The Indian side has tried to convince the Canadians by reiterating India's commitments to IAEA transparency measures for use of nuclear fuel. The two countries will still have to sign an agreement which would see Canada resume nuclear supplies in almost four decades.

 

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News-3 Jan 2013: INDIAN INKS PROTOCOL WITH UNITED KINGDOM TO AMEND TAX PACT

INDIAN INKS PROTOCOL WITH UK TO AMEND TAX PACT

In its continuing drive to check tax evasion and proliferation of black money, India has signed a protocol with United Kingdom for amending the convention between the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital gains. The protocol—signed in London on October 30 by India's High Commissioner to the U.K., Jaimini Bhagwati, and U.K.'s Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, on behalf of the two countries—amends the earlier Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) that was inked on January 25, 1993.

According to an official  statement,the  protocol streamlines the provisions relating to partnership and taxation of dividends in both countries. "Now, benefits of the Convention would also be available to partners of the U.K. partnerships to the extent incomes of U.K. partnership are taxed in their hands. Further, the withholding taxes on the dividends would be 10 per cent or 15 per cent and would  be equally applicable in the U.K. and in India", it said.

More importantly, the protocol incorporates in the DTAC provisions for effective exchange of information between the tax authorities of India and the U.K. in line with the latest ,international standards, including exchange of banking information and supplying of information irrespective of domestic interest. "It now also provides for sharing of information to other agencies with the consent of the supplying state," the statement said.

Tax Collection

In the amended DTAC, there would now be a new article on assistance in collection of taxes. The article also includes provision for taking measures of conservancy. The protocol also incorporates into the convention antiabuse (limitation of benefits) provisions. Further, both countries are to enter into MoUs to expedite exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes.

Following the amendment, the DTAC will provide tax stability to residents of India and the U.K.

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NEWS-2 jan 2013: Russia built multirole stealth frigate INS Tarkash Commissioned into Navy (the fifth such vessel, it is armed with the BrahMos supersonic missile)

Russia built multirole stealth frigate INS Tarkash Commissioned into Navy (the fifth such vessel, it is armed with the BrahMos supersonic missile)

India took delivery in November of the fifth Russia built multirole stealth frigate. INS Tarkash was commissioned by Vice-Admiral Shekhar Kumar Sinha, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, at a ceremony at the Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia, attended by senior Indian and Russian officials.

Tarkash belongs to the second batch of the three modified Krivak-III (Talwar) class frigates India ordered from Russia in 2006 under a $ 1.6 billion contract. The first frigate of the batch, INS Teg, was delivered in April and the third one, INS Trikand, is undergoing dock trials and is expected to be handed over next summer after completing sea trials in the Baltic Sea.

Each of the new frigates is armed with eight BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missiles instead of the less potent Club-N missiles installed on the first three frigates, which were delivered to the Indian Navy in 2003-04.

Speaking at the induction ceremony, India’s Ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra described INS Tarkash as a fine example of the evolution of Indo-Russian defence cooperation  from buyer-seller relationship to joint research, development  and production of advanced weapon system.

 

 

 

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