News emanate
9 02 2015Australian PM survives leadership spill motion
The Australian Liberal Party voted to keep PM Tony Abbott as the leader of the party on Monday, with 61 to 39 members voting against a leadership spill motion. Earlier, Liberal Party members called for what was effectively a no-confidence vote against Abbott after weeks of backdoor discussion. The prime minister reportedly sought to solve the leadership crisis by pledging to support a $20 billion tender for South Australian shipbuilder ASC. Abbott has come under a barrage of criticism lately, ranging from how he has handled the nation’s economic problems to granting an Australian knighthood to Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip.Jordan Air Force carries out 56 raids in 3 days on ISIS targets
The head of Jordan’s Air Force says they have made 56 raids in three days targeting Islamic State strongholds in the northeast of Syria, according to Reuters. The missions were carried out in response to the brutal killing of a Jordanian pilot, who was burned alive by the militant group on February 3. “We achieved what we aimed at. We destroyed logistics centers, arms depots and targeted hideouts of their fighters,” General Mansour al Jbour, head of the Jordanian Air Force, told a news conference.21 police officers detained in Turkey wiretapping probe
A Turkish court ordered the arrest of 21 police officers on Sunday for their involvement in the illegal wiretapping of politicians, civil servants and business men, according to the Dogan News Agency. The move is part of President Tayyip Erdogan’s ongoing campaign against his archrival, cleric Fethullah Gulen, and his supporters. Erdogan has accused US-based Gulen of attempting to set up a parallel state. Last December, a Turkish court issued a warrant for the cleric’s arrest and revoked his passport.Referendum on same-sex couples rights fails in Slovakia
A Slovakian referendum intended to strengthen bans on same-sex marriage and same-sex adoption failed on Sunday due to low turnout, the country’s election commission reported. Less than a half of 50 percent of eligible voters required for a valid ballot cast their votes, with the turnout being just 21.4 percent. A large majority of those who took part in the referendum supported the country’s existing constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union of a man and a woman, which bans same-sex marriages and adoptions. The referendum in the eastern European country with a predominantly Catholic 5.4 million population was initiated by the “Alliance for family” organization. Gay rights activists have been reportedly trying to encourage people to boycott the vote, and welcomed its outcome.Middle East Quartet calls on restart of Israel-Palestine talks
The “Quartet” of Middle East peace mediators urged a prompt resumption of talks between Israel and the Palestinians after Sunday’s meeting in Munich, Reuters reported. “The Quartet underlined the importance of the parties resuming negotiations as soon as possible,” a group comprising the US, EU, United Nations and Russia said in a joint statement. Talks collapsed last April with the Palestinians slamming ongoing construction of Jewish settlements in occupied territory and Israel decrying attempts to bring Hamas, which officially denies Israel’s right to exist, into the Palestinian government.Ukrainian journalist accused of treason and espionage – family
The Ukrainian Security Service has detained an independent Ukrainian journalist, Ruslan Kotsaba, after he said he wasn’t ready to join the army because he “would have to kill his countrymen.” The journalist has been accused of treason against the state and espionage, Kotsaba’s wife revealed on Facebook. According to Mrs Kotseba, police searched their house and the journalist’s personal belongings were seized. Kotseba revealed his stance on military service in a video clip published in his YouTube channel in mid-January, saying that the “Kiev authorities are not worthy of being obeyed.”Air Asia X flight forced to turn back to Kuala Lumpur after malfunction
The pilots of an Air Asia X flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah were forced to abort the journey and turn back to Malaysia Sunday, Air Asia’s CEO Tony Fernandez said.Fernandez said in a text message to AFP that one of the auto-thrusters was not working properly, and that although it was ok to fly the pilots took the precaution of turning back. Flight tracking websites showed flight D7172 flying wide circles over the Strait of Malacca to burn off fuel, which was described by Fernandez as “routine”. The incident comes after Air Asia flight QZ8501 went down in stormy weather in late December between Surabaya in Indonesia and Singapore killing all on board.Moscow demands copies of ‘Russian soldiers IDs’ shown in Munich
Kiev hasn’t provided Moscow with copies of documents it describes as proof of Russian military presence in Ukraine, said Viktor Sorokin, director of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) department within the Russian Foreign Ministry. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko showed the audience at the Munich Security Conference several passports on Saturday, saying they belonged to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. “We asked the Ukrainian side to give us copies of the documents containing last names, because such IDs, as were shown yesterday, could easily be bought. There’s no real proof, as of today, the Ukrainian side has not been able to give us the copies of these documents,” Sorokin said, as cited by RIA Novosti.
09:15
26yo US female aid worker ‘sentenced to death’ by ISIS last year – activist
The American hostage Kayla Mueller, seized by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) militants in Syria in 2013, was initially given a “life sentence” but was then told she would be executed, Muslim activist Mauri Saalakhan said. The militants claimed the 26-year-old hostage from Prescott, Arizona, was killed in a Jordanian fighter jet airstrike on Friday. Earlier her family had received threats of her execution, though US authorities couldn’t confirm this information. Mueller volunteered in the Syrian war zone, as well as in India, Israel and Palestine, and was the last known American held hostage by IS.40 homes destroyed in Northern California wildfire
Heavy winds fanned a wildfire that swept through two small towns at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains on Friday. Up to 150 people had to be evacuated as 39 houses burnt down in Swall Meadows and one in the town of Paradise. The blaze came under control when rain started to fall in the area. “We had to take defensive positions to protect as many structures as we could while protecting ourselves,” said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. Liz Brown. “We did what we could.” The state of California is suffering historic drought, making timber that fueled the wildfire extremely dry.
08:38
Kerry gives Iran end of March nuclear deadline
The US Secretary of State John Kerry has held two talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Munich. The pair discussed Tehran’s nuclear program, as Kerry “reiterated our desire to move toward a political framework by the end of March,” a senior US official said, AFP reports. After missing two previous deadlines, the group known as the P5+1 – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, set a March 31 deadline for a political agreement.Russian convoy delivers aid to eastern Ukraine
Russia has sent yet another aid convoy to provide humanitarian support for the people of Donetsk. “All the trucks have passed through customs and have started to head for Donetsk and Lugansk,” said the deputy head of the national center for crisis situations for the Russian Emergencies Ministry, Oleg Voronov. More than 170 lorries are bringing 1.8 tons of aid, which include food and building materials. The Russian Emergencies Ministry has made deliveries of more than 16,000 tons in aid since August.12 miners kidnapped in Mexico
A group of around a dozen workers at the Canadian mine, Media Luna, were driving in a car near the Mexican city of Cocula, when they were attacked and kidnapped, RIA-Novosti reported on Sunday. Officials have made no comments on the situation so far. According to the general prosecutor’s office, it wasn’t far from Cocula in western Mexico, where the remains of 43 students, who disappeared last September, were discovered.
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Categories : Business
Putin, Poroshenko, Hollande, Merkel plans for Minsk meeting
9 02 2015
A ‘Normandy Four’ meeting may be held in the Belarus capital as
early as Wednesday, the German government said, following a phone call
between Vladimir Putin, Petro Poroshenko, Angela Merkel and Francois
Hollande.
The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany held a joint telephone call this morning, the German government says.
“In [the call] they worked further on a package of measures in the context of their efforts on a comprehensive settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine,” Steffen Seibert, Germany’s government spokesperson, said in a statement.
“This work will be continued tomorrow in Berlin with the goal of holding a ‘Normandy Format’ summit on Wednesday in Minsk,” he added.
Signatories of last year’s Minsk deal, including representatives of the OSCE, Russia and Ukraine and rebel forces would join the meeting in Minsk.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said the meeting will take place “if by then we manage to agree our positions, which we have been discussing very intensively in recent days.” According to diplomatic sources, Moscow may be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin.
Hopes for breakthrough: Moscow talks on Ukraine ‘constructive,’ joint doc ‘possible’
The plan was also confirmed by President Petro Poroshenko’s press service who said the leaders hope the talks will lead to “a swift and unconditional” ceasefire on both sides.
The phone call follows Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande’s visit to Moscow, where they attempted to hammer out a peace plan with Vladimir Putin.
Their surprise visits to the capitals of Ukraine and Russia, with new peace proposals, were announced while US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Kiev, speaking of possible weapons supplies to Ukrainian government troops.
Political analysts believe the dispute inside the US on whether to arm Ukraine could actually trigger the Franco-German peace initiative, because Europe is reluctant to have a full-blown war on its doorstep.
The details of the Franco-German peace initiative have not been disclosed, though Francois Hollande said on Saturday the Franco-German peace initiative would feature a 50- to 70-kilometer demilitarized zone on each side of the current line dividing militia-held and Kiev-controlled territories.
French President Hollande calls for broader autonomy for E.Ukraine
Calling on Kiev to grant east Ukraine more powers, Hollande said the plan could be “one of the last chances” for peace in Ukraine.
Angela Merkel also ruled out the option of arming Ukrainian army as a possible solution to the crisis. “I understand the debate [on weapons supplies] but I believe that more weapons will not lead to the progress Ukraine needs. I really doubt that,” she said.
The spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, would only describe the deal as “constructive.”
Sergey Lavrov has lashed out at the US for their double standards over Ukraine and taking steps that “only promoted further aggravation” of the conflict. He added Russia is ready to guarantee agreements between Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics.
The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany held a joint telephone call this morning, the German government says.
“In [the call] they worked further on a package of measures in the context of their efforts on a comprehensive settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine,” Steffen Seibert, Germany’s government spokesperson, said in a statement.
“This work will be continued tomorrow in Berlin with the goal of holding a ‘Normandy Format’ summit on Wednesday in Minsk,” he added.
Signatories of last year’s Minsk deal, including representatives of the OSCE, Russia and Ukraine and rebel forces would join the meeting in Minsk.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said the meeting will take place “if by then we manage to agree our positions, which we have been discussing very intensively in recent days.” According to diplomatic sources, Moscow may be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin.
Hopes for breakthrough: Moscow talks on Ukraine ‘constructive,’ joint doc ‘possible’
The plan was also confirmed by President Petro Poroshenko’s press service who said the leaders hope the talks will lead to “a swift and unconditional” ceasefire on both sides.
The phone call follows Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande’s visit to Moscow, where they attempted to hammer out a peace plan with Vladimir Putin.
Their surprise visits to the capitals of Ukraine and Russia, with new peace proposals, were announced while US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Kiev, speaking of possible weapons supplies to Ukrainian government troops.
Political analysts believe the dispute inside the US on whether to arm Ukraine could actually trigger the Franco-German peace initiative, because Europe is reluctant to have a full-blown war on its doorstep.
The details of the Franco-German peace initiative have not been disclosed, though Francois Hollande said on Saturday the Franco-German peace initiative would feature a 50- to 70-kilometer demilitarized zone on each side of the current line dividing militia-held and Kiev-controlled territories.
French President Hollande calls for broader autonomy for E.Ukraine
Calling on Kiev to grant east Ukraine more powers, Hollande said the plan could be “one of the last chances” for peace in Ukraine.
Angela Merkel also ruled out the option of arming Ukrainian army as a possible solution to the crisis. “I understand the debate [on weapons supplies] but I believe that more weapons will not lead to the progress Ukraine needs. I really doubt that,” she said.
The spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, would only describe the deal as “constructive.”
Sergey Lavrov has lashed out at the US for their double standards over Ukraine and taking steps that “only promoted further aggravation” of the conflict. He added Russia is ready to guarantee agreements between Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics.
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Categories : Business, world News
Liberal Party get over with the spill motion
9 02 2015
Earlier today, I welcomed to the Parliament the men and women held in
the Lindt Cafe as well as the families of Tori Johnson and Katrina
Dawson.
The Parliament has declared its deep repugnance towards terrorism in all its forms; and affirmed its unity and resolve to protect our citizens and our democratic freedoms.
The Parliament has declared its deep repugnance towards terrorism in all its forms; and affirmed its unity and resolve to protect our citizens and our democratic freedoms.
The Liberal Party has dealt with the spill motion and now this matter is behind us.
We are absolutely determined to work for you, the people, who elected us.
We want to end the disunity and the uncertainty which destroyed two Labor governments, and give you the good government that you deserve.
We are absolutely determined to work for you, the people, who elected us.
We want to end the disunity and the uncertainty which destroyed two Labor governments, and give you the good government that you deserve.
We think that when you elect a government, when you elect a prime
minister, you deserve to keep that government and that prime minister
until you have a chance to change your mind.
So, the focus now is once more on jobs, families, a stronger economy and a secure nation.
We do face many challenges.
At heart, we are a highly successful country, justifiably proud of what we’ve achieved.
In essence, we are a strong economy with so much creativity and dynamism, and the challenge for government is to work with you, not against you.
I love this country, and I will do my best to help our country to succeed.
So, the focus now is once more on jobs, families, a stronger economy and a secure nation.
We do face many challenges.
At heart, we are a highly successful country, justifiably proud of what we’ve achieved.
In essence, we are a strong economy with so much creativity and dynamism, and the challenge for government is to work with you, not against you.
I love this country, and I will do my best to help our country to succeed.
As you know, two of my
colleagues have called for a leadership spill of the two senior
positions in our Party. They’ve called for a spill of my position as
leader and they’ve called for a spill of Julie Bishop’s position as
Deputy.
The first point to make is that they are perfectly entitled to call
for this, but the next point to make is that they are asking the Party
Room to vote out the people that the electorate voted in in September
2013.
It was great to speak with Paul Murray about
our plans for 2015. Our focus this year will be jobs, families, a
stronger economy and a secure nation – that’s what people want.
Over the summer, I’ve been talking to hundreds of
Australians from all walks of life – in the street, on the beach, in
cafes, even at the pub; and I’ve been talking with my colleagues. Read
more…
liberal.org.au
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Categories : Business
Forthcoming 2015 Events at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library cid:image001.jpg@01D02E75.76D471F0 21015 Forthcoming Events at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library_
9 02 2015
All are welcome.
Those wishing to have their names added to the email list may please email us at nmmldirector@gmail.com/eventsatnmml@gmail.com
Web links to programmes for 2015: http://www.nehrumemorial.nic.in/en/events/month.calendar/2015/02/05/-.html
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Categories : CSR, culture, Education
35th National Games Shooting Medals Tally
9 02 2015
Smit Singh’s Skeet Double Helps Punjab Pip Maharashtra to Second Place in the 35th National Games Shooting Medals Tally
New Delhi, 08 Feb 2015: Smit
Singh of Punjab, bagged a Golden Double in the Men’s Skeet, on the
concluding day of the Shooting competitions, here at the Kerala Police
Academy Range at Ramavarmapuram, on day nine of the 35th
National Games, to help Punjab edge out Maharashtra and finish second in
the Shooting Medals Tally. Smit won the individual Gold with a combined
finals score of 28 with the more fancied Mairaj Ahmed Khan of U.P
finishing second with an identical combined score, but losing out on a
low score of 13 in the final round. Angad Vir Singh Bajwa of Punjab won
the Bronze with a combined score of 27.
Smit
and Angad also teamed up with Karam Sukhbir Singh to help Punjab bag
the Men’s Team Gold in Skeet. Their finals tally of 329 was better than
the 327 that the troika of Parampal Singh Guron, Rajpal Singh Kocchar
and Mohd. Hamza Shiekh of Chattisgarh managed to win the Silver Medal.
The Services Team finished in Bronze Medal position in the event.
Services comfortably finished on top of the 35th
National Games Shooting Medals Tally with a total haul of 26 medals,
including 15 Gold, four Silver and seven Bronze Medals. Punjab won a
total of 15 medals from the Shooting ranges including seven Gold, six
Silver and two Bronze Medals. Maharashtra finished third with 13 Medals
including six Gold, three Silver and four Bronze.
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Categories : sports
Govt to infuse Rs. 6,990 crore in nine public sector banks
9 02 2015
Government will infuse Rs. 6,990 crore in nine public sector banks including SBI, Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) for enhancing their capital and meeting global risk norms.
This is the first tranche of capital infusion for which the government had allocated Rs. 11,200 crore in the budget for 2014-15.
Among the beneficiaries, SBI leads the pack with a capitalization of Rs. 2,970 crore, followed by BoB Rs. 1,260, PNB Rs. 870 crore and Canara Bank Rs. 570 crore.
The finance ministry in a press release said, the capital infusion has been decided based on the performance of the bank.
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Categories : Business
30 killed in clashes between football fans in Egypt
9 02 2015
In Egypt, at least 30 people have been killed while several others injured in stampede and clashes between the supporters of rival teams in Cairo yesterday. The incident took place ahead of a game between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI at the Air Defense Stadium in Cairo. Health authorities said most of the deaths took place due to suffocation and stampede.
Interior ministry said police had to use tear gas to disperse members of the Ultras White Knights fans as they tried to attend the game without buying tickets and were engaged in clashes. Only 10,000 supporters were allowed to attend the match since a league crowd ban had been in place after the Port Said tragedy in 2012 , which left 74 fans of Ahly dead. Meanwhile, Egypt’s cabinet has suspended the football league competition for an indefinite period after the latest tragedy. It said that fans failed to adhere to the safety procedures required to enter the stadium.
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Categories : Football, Legal, sports
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