NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Taliban attack NATO Supply  Taliban truck bomb and gun attack killed eight people in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, destroying the entrance to a NATO supply company's compound in the latest insurgent assault to shake peace efforts. Four Nepalese and one Romanian were among those killed in the bombing, which came after a series of recent Taliban suicide attacks targeting the Supreme Court, the airport, the presidency and a CIA office. The US has been pushing for peace talks as 100,000 NATO combat troops prepare to leave Afghanistan next year and local security forces take on the fight against the Islamist extremists. "Four Nepalese guards, one Afghan guard and two Afghan civilians have been killed," Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi told the news agency after the attack, which started at about midnight GMT. A Romanian male civilian contractor was also killed and another wounded in the attack, Adrian Kozjacski, the head of the Romanian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan told the news agency. Telecom Commission approves 100% FDI in telecom sector Inter-ministerial body Telecom Commission on Tuesday gave its nod for raising foreign direct investment limit in the sector from 74 per cent to 100 per cent subject to Cabinet approval. "TC has approved raising of FDI limit to 100 per cent from 74 per cent at present where 49 per cent of investment in an entity can be done through automatic route and FIPB approval will be required for raising further stake. The decision will come in force only after cabinet approves it," a senior government official said. The official said that Department of Telecom will send a detailed note to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion which would take it forward for inter-ministerial consultations before moving it to the Cabinet. At present, FDI limit in the sector is at 74 per cent where 49 per cent is done through automatic route and rest requiring nod from Foreign Investment Promotion Board. The idea behind the proposal to increase FDI limit in telecom sector is to help the industry get fresh funds to lower financial burden. Reacting to the proposal, telecom operator Aircel's spokesperson said "the move will help the industry to bring in more FDI to fund the high CAPEX demands of this sector especially in areas where coverage needs to be enhanced , and launch new 3G and BWA services. This will undoubtedly have a huge benefit for our customers and higher licence fee for the government." Malaysian firm Maxis Communication holds 74 per cent stake in Aircel with rest of the stake being held by Sindya Securities & Investments Private Limited. Reacting to the development, Russian conglomerate Sistema controlled SSTL's spokesperson said "Sistema Shyam TeleServices is supportive of 100 per cent FDI in telecom. The much needed policy decision is certainly a pro industry and a pro consumer move." Indian telecom firm Reliance Communications said "100 per cent FDI in telecom will enhance value for all stakeholders." According to a presentation by GSM industry body COAI to DoT, the debt of telecom sector stood at Rs 1,85,720 crore at end of 2011-12. This included debt of Rs 93,594 crore from domestic and Rs 92,126 crore from external sources. "The Commission also discussed creation of Telecom Finance Corporation (TFC) to address the sector's funding challenges and "sought a detailed project report on it". The TFC is proposed to be set up on the lines of sectoral finance bodies such as Power Finance Corporation and Tourism Finance Corporation of India. The proposed TFC is targeting financing Rs 38,000 crore in a five-year period. The issue of lowering government's stake in Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd was also placed before the commission. Food Security Ordinance on Cabinet agenda today

The proposed ordinance on food security is likely to be taken up again at a meeting of the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, when it will consider whether to go ahead with promulgating it or convene a special session of Parliament for its passage. As per the reports the National Food Security Ordinance, 2013 is listed on the Cabinet's agenda for Wednesday cabinet meet. On 13th June, the Cabinet had deferred the proposal amid differences on the issue. Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the UPA government is committed to bringing the food law as promised in the Congress manifesto for 2009 general election. "The Food Bill is a promise made by the UPA and the Congress party. It is one of the promises, we believe, on which the people voted the UPA back to the power. If that is the will of the people that we must have a Food Security Act in place, I think UPA will have an Act, a law in place," he said.

Series of car bombs kills at least 54 in Baghdad

A series of blasts rocked Iraq’s capital Baghdad on Tuesday afternoon killing at least 54 people and injuring dozens of others. The car bombs targeting markets in both Sunni and Shiite areas of the city struck at around 15:00 GMT, according to an official from the interior ministry and medical sources, reported AFP. This comes a day after the United Nations announced that more than 2,500 Iraqis have died in violent attacks since April this year, with May – which saw over 1,000 people killed - being the deadliest month since the height of sectarian bloodletting in 2006-07. In June, 761 people fell victim to militant attacks in different parts of the country.

Irish lawmakers vote in favor of bill legalizing abortions for medical emergencies

Irish lawmakers have voted in 138-24 in favor of a bill legalizing abortions for medical emergencies. It was the first of several votes aimed at ending decades of confusion surrounding the right to receive an abortion in Ireland. The bill will face final passage next week. Ireland officially bans abortions in all circumstances, even when the life of the mother is in danger, but the Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that terminations should be legal if doctors deem one essential to safeguard the life of the mother – including from her own suicide threats. The vote comes just eight months after a 31-year-old Irish woman died after being declined an abortion at a Galway hospital.

US trade talks should go ahead despite spying scandal - EU

Free-trade talks between the European Union and the United States can go ahead next week despite a report that Washington is spying on the 28-nation bloc, the European Commission said on Tuesday, calling for "transparency and clarity". "The beginning of EU-US trade negotiations should not be affected," said Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen. The first round of negotiations on the world's most ambitious free-trade agreement is due to start next Monday in Washington. Some EU officials have suggested the forthcoming trade talks with the United States should be suspended until Washington accounts for its activities. Relations between the US and Europe plummeted as new disclosures emerged of the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US spying on its European allies.

Canadian police foil ‘al-Qaeda-inspired’ terror attack plot

Canadian police have foiled an al-Qaeda-inspired terror plot that involved pressure cooker bombs similar to those used in the Boston Marathon bombings, reports Reuters. A man and a woman, both Canadian-born, were arrested and charged in connection with a conspiracy to detonate three explosive devices on a on Canada Day in the capital of the Pacific province of British Columbia. The suspects allegedly planned for the bombs to explode on Monday outside the province's legislature in Victoria. The contents of the improvised bombs included nuts, bolts, nails, washers and other items intended to kill or injure people, according to CBC. Officials said they had no evidence to suggest the planned attack had foreign links and described the two as “self-radicalized.”

254 news websites blocked in Jordan due to lack of license

The Jordanian government has blocked 254 unlicensed news websites, 16 of them in the last two days. On June 3, authorities said they would block nearly 300 of 400 local news websites “for failing to obtain the necessary licensing,” under a 2012 law criticized as a threat to freedom of expression, AFP reported. The law gave the government powers to regulate “electronic publications,” requiring them to register and obtain a license. It also stipulates that the chief editors of news websites must be members of the Jordan Press Association, giving the government the right to censor content and hold journalists liable for comments posted on web pages.

2,500 civilians trapped in city of Homs in Syria – UN

Some 2,500 civilians are trapped in the Syrian town of Homs, the spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement on Tuesday. The UN called on the warring sides to do their utmost to avoid civilian casualties where there is heavy fighting, Reuters said. The UN chief is also concerned about threats to seize two Shiite villages in the northern province of Aleppo.

Russian parliament approves fines, 7-year bans for sports hooligans

The lower house of the Russian parliament approved on Friday in the third reading amendments allowing convicted hooligans to be banned from sports events for up to seven years. Sports hooligans will be fined 1 thousand roubles ($30) or compulsory work from one to six months and a minimum ban set at six months. The amendments were submitted to the State Duma by the government in November 2012. More than 14,000 offenses have been committed at Russian sporting events over the last three years.

US, Russia remove 16kg of highly enriched uranium from Vietnam

The US and Russia have helped ship out nearly 16 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from Vietnam as part of a global campaign to reduce the use of nuclear fuel that could also provide material for bombs, Reuters reported. Vietnam has become the 11th country from which all highly enriched uranium has been removed in the last four years. With this, “we will have removed nearly all highly enriched uranium from Southeast Asia,” US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said during a meeting in Vienna. The material will be down-blended into low-enriched uranium to fuel power reactors, Moniz said, adding that “highly enriched uranium still exists in too many places where there are viable alternatives.”

Iran could build new nuclear power plant with Russian help - Ahmadinejad

Tehran and Moscow could boost cooperation and build a new nuclear power plant in Iran, the country’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in Moscow on Tuesday. Preliminary discussions have already taken place, and with the necessary Russian presidential decree work could start on planning the project, Ahmadinejad said during talks with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. The Iranian president also said the construction of the Bushehr plant has been completed. “The nuclear power plant in Bushehr is producing electricity and has turned into a good symbol of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Iran,” he said.

Russian businessman Lebedev found guilty in TV assault case

Moscow’s Ostankinsky District Court on Tuesday found businessman Aleksandr Lebedev guilty of beating another businessman Sergey Polonsky during the recording of a television program on Russian channel NTV and sentenced him to 150 hours of compulsory work, Itar-Tass reported. The prosecutor’s office earlier struck down the charge of hooliganism against Lebedev, opting to press ahead with the battery case. Lebedev said he regretted the incident, but did not plead guilty.

Maoist rebels kill 4 policemen 

More than 50 Maoist guerrillas in eastern India ambushed a police patrol on Tuesday, killing the district police chief and three other officers. The rebels opened fire on vehicles carrying police superintendent Amarjeet Balihar in Dumka district in Jharkhand, an impoverished state home to a large Maoist movement. Two policemen were injured, AFP reported. The revolutionaries have waged a decades-long battle across the country’s central and eastern states, saying they are fighting for the rights of poor and landless farmers in India.

N. Korea says US must accept offer for dialogue

North Korea’s top diplomat said Tuesday that the US must accept its offer for dialogue without preconditions.“The US must accede to our courageous decision and goodwill gesture… if it is truly interested in ending the vicious circle of intensifying tension on the Korean Peninsula and safeguarding peace and stability,” Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun said, adding that Washington must normalize relations with Pyongyang and lift sanctions against the country. The US says Pyongyang must move in the direction of denuclearization before it will agree to talks.

Egyptian tanks amassing on Gaza-Sinai border

At least 30 Egyptian tanks were deployed to the Gaza-Sinai border on Monday, RIA Novosti reports, citing Palestinian witnesses. It is the “first time in years” that the Egyptian army has dispatched tanks in the region, according to the report. Under the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, Egypt is obligated to coordinate the movement of military vehicles and weapons in Sinai with Israel. Israel has not officially commented on the tanks’ transfer to the border area.

Turkish deputy PM blames foreign powers, Jewish diaspora for unrest

Foreign powers and the Jewish diaspora have triggered the recent unrest in Turkey, Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay has said. He also said Monday that the international media had played a key role in “the conspiracy,” adding that “they bought it and started broadcasting immediately.” The nationwide protests, which began on May 31, were triggered when police cracked down on activists staging a sit-in demonstration to save Gezi Park, located near Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square.

German couple accused of spying for Russia sentenced

A German court has convicted Andreas and Haydrun Anshlag for spying on behalf of Russia, sentencing the couple to 6.5 and 5.5 years in prison respectively. The sentence can be appealed in Germany’s top court, an official from the Stuttgart court told RIA Novosti. The couple was also ordered to pay a 500,000 euro fine and to surrender property confiscated during the course of the investigation. Neither the defendants nor Russia have acknowledged that they were engaged in espionage. Russian authorities provided consular assistance to the couple throughout the course of the trial, which started in January.

US May be Spying Russian Diplomats

Russian President Vladimir Putin pictured at a meeting in Moscow on July 1

US spying on the European Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United States could also be spying on Russian diplomats.

“These reports contain no information about attempts to wiretap Russia’s official missions [in the US]. I do not rule out that this is possible. We used to have evidence of it in the past,” the Russian president said. “But, in fact, we have no reliable information about who wiretapped whom and for what reasons.”

“The fact that the allies are eavesdropping on each other is not our business. Let them do what they want,” he said. “Let our [US and EU] colleagues decide between themselves who is guilty, who is not and what should be done about it.”

Many EU states have earlier requested explanations from Washington about media reports that US special services wiretapped telephone communications and infiltrated computer networks in EU offices in Washington and New York.

Last week, The Guardian published a document allegedly provided by fugitive US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. The document, dated September 2010, identifies 38 embassies and diplomatic missions, including the European Union, France, Italy, Greece, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, India and Turkey as “targets” for US special services.

Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine said on Sunday, also citing “secret documents” obtained by Snowden, that bugs were installed in its office in Washington, allowing “access to discussions in EU rooms as well as emails and internal documents on computers.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Monday that Berlin felt surprised and "alienated" by the reports. He said his country would seek an explanation and, if necessary, a “single and unambiguous reaction” from the EU.

"If it is confirmed that diplomatic representations of the European Union and individual European countries have been spied upon, we will clearly say that bugging friends is unacceptable," Reuters quoted Seibert as saying. "We are no longer in the Cold War."

The US ambassador in Berlin was “invited” for discussions with a senior official on Monday afternoon, German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said. He also said that German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle would raise the issue in a conversation with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton later in the day.

French President Francois Hollande demanded that the United States “immediately stopped” the alleged surveillance, adding that his country "cannot accept this kind of behavior from partners and allies."

"There can be no negotiations or transactions in all areas until we have obtained these guarantees, for France but also for all of the European Union, for all partners of the United States," Agence France-Presse quoted the president as saying.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was to discuss the situation in a phone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry later in the day.

“There can be no justification on the grounds of security for spying on diplomats and diplomatic representations of friendly countries,” the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted him as saying.

Italian Defense Minister Mario Mauro suggested that the affair, if proven to be true, could force the EU to take a bold unified position. "Perhaps for the first time we'll see if such a thing as European foreign policy exists. Europe tends to grow up when its back is to the wall," Italian media quoted him as saying.

US President Barack Obama, who is currently on a visit to Tanzania, sought do defend the US surveillance program and ease growing tensions by saying that it's no surprise that governments spy on each other and that Europeans probably spied on him too. He said that his country would provide all the information that his European allies are asking for in connection with the accusations and assured that if he wanted to know what a European leader was thinking, he would call that person himself.

Media agencies

Media Biased Negative & Nonsense

Vulture Media, Biased, Negative, Astrology, Films & Total Nonsense

Posted on July 2, 2013 by sagarmedia

Standard

Vulture Media, Biased, Negative, Astrology, Films & Total Nonsense June30, 2013 Press and TV Media is considered fourth pillar of our constitution, instead of making positive contribution in every sphere it is Grossly Incompetent, Bias and Irresponsible behaved like Vultures – first to the dead was the claim made by all. Dubbed Vulture Media is Biased, Negative, Total Nonsense – Astrology and Film Based stories dominate – Weather Forecast is covered by a Unitech Cement Truck giving Max Temperature of few cities. 24 hour coverage of Horror & Terror & Destruction & Deaths hurts all Human Minds – children are not permitted to see horror movies. Even after Uttarakhand Tsunami there was no Weather Forecast by TV Media. Shockingly entire News Media didn’t report factually about the rainfall and IMD misled it. As given in the tables, only two stations received over 15 cm or six inches rainfall in 24 hours on 14th, 15th and 16th, Dehra Dun 22 cm and Purola 17 Cm by 16th night. So it was totally false reporting. Similarly it was found NGOs who lied to Media day and night about Construction of Large Dam – far away from sites of Destruction – were themselves engaged in cutting Mountain Slopes in over 500,000 hectares under dubious ‘Watershed Development Program’ that actually triggered Land Slides. Map of the Phase-1 is attached here and Phase – II on for one year is even 120% larger. Press and TV media have Zero capability in all fields, economics, engineering, science, disasters, infrastructure except films rape & murder – in politics either it picks up dirty gossips or invite politicians to argue on the agenda set for hours by the News Producers. Foreign media is imbedded in all critical operations like wars and cover the war live or join the Hunt for on the run criminals in helicopters. None of the News Channels own a light helicopter that was deployed to cover the Uttarakhand Tragedy. Even though they travelled in AF helicopters for hundreds of hours but have very poor quality of visuals. Press was able to reach Kedarnath on third or fourth day or 2-3 days after the ITBP Jawans were deployed. Media and Press failed to discharge its duty ought to have over flown the area in light helicopter or some private aircraft immediately sky opened. Even as 3.5 crore visit Uttarkhand every year but none of Media reported Travel Conditions and Travel kits to carry with them like Rain Coats, Woolens and Thermals, Dry Ration, Trekking Shoes, Torch and Spare Batteries, Personal IDs etc. and People travelling in groups to take a small tent for protection of children and senior citizens. It was very poor show. Even nursery school children carry photo ID Card why can’t trekkers and tourists wear it for their own benefit. This is essential from security point of view also in a border state. Biggest and most shameful – it is Media & Press that is to warn public of Severe Weather Conditions but there was no weather bulletin released by any News Channels except DD. It was pathetic to see none of our Pressmen in dangerous situations was wearing Life Jackets, Helmet, – most old footage was repeated for weeks as Fresh Visuals. This Inventor and Engineer find Press & Media coverage of all events D grade and most irresponsible. NDMA, CWC, IMD are too poor grade. NDMA should have installed Automatic Weather stations monitoring Rainfall during monsoon on 15 minutes basis at all important stations. This is more reliable than Doppler Radar – one Scandinavian country was offering for Rs.25,00,000 per unit. Similarly installed some thousand more automatic Flood Monitoring Gauges also. VULTURE MEDIA On 16 when entire North India received heavy rains Media was all there to Record flooding of IG Airport flooding but none reported floods in Uttarkhand. The kind of warning given by IMD is like the following clipping – very unintelligent and totally useless. Severe Weather Warnings DATE : JUNE 30,2013 HEAVY RAINFALL WARNING HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD OCCUR AT A FEW PLACES OVER EAST UTTAR PRADESH AND GANGETIC WESTBENGAL DURING NEXT 48 HR. HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD OCCUR AT ONE OR TWO PLACES OVER ASSAM & MEGHALAYA, ARUNACHAL PRADESH, MADHYA PRADESH,CHHATTISGARH,KONKAN & GOA, COASTAL KARNATAKA, KERALA AND SUBHIMALAYAN WEST BENGAL & SIKKIM DURING NEXT 48 HOURS.HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD OCCUR AT ONE OR TWO PLACES OVER HIMACHAL PRADESH, UTTRAKHAND, BIHAR, JHARKHAND AND ODISHA DURING NEXT 48 HOURS http://www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/dynamic/allindianew.pdf http://www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/dynamic/weeklypress.pdf IMD was never serious – Tsunami hit India after Four hours of Mega Earthquake in Indonesia coast but there was no warning issued by IMD. Rainfall warnings are all Hotch Potch and not precise. Utarakhand Rainfall Top 10  IMD 14th June 15th June 16th June Dehra Dun - 9 Kosani (U Prob) – 4 Purola – 3 Jakholi – 3 Bhatwari – 2 Mussoorie – 2 Landsdown – 2 Almora – 1 Bageshwar (Thmo) – 1 Nainital – 1 Mukteshwar – 1 Dunda – 8 Jakholi – 7 Kashipur -7 Dehra Dun - 5 Uttar Kashi (CWC) – 5 Mussoorie – 4 Chamoli – 4 Purola -  4 Uttar Kashi – 3 Tehri – 3 Joshimath  - 3 Dehra Dun - 22 Purola – 17 Deoprayag – 13 Uttar Kashi – 13 Tehri (CWC) – 12 Tehri – 12 Uttar Kashi (CWC) – 12 Dunda – 12 Barkot – 11 Hardwar - 11 Jakholi – 11 Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant , progressindia008@yahoo.com

Croatia becomes 28th EU Member

Croatia became the 28th EU member, the bloc’s first addition since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007.

Though enthusiasm for the country’s achievement has been dampened by the EU’s financial turmoil, it is a historic turning point for the small Balkan nation of 4.2 million, which endured years of carnage after declaring independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

“As midnight struck, your country crossed an important threshold,” European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told the cheering crowd in Croatia’s capital Zagreb. “It will change the life of this nation for good.”

“In the history of a nation, there are a few events such as this one,” Croatia’s President Ivo Josipovic said. “The accession of Croatia to the European Union is confirmation that each one of us belongs to the European democratic and cultural set of values.”

A decade back, when Croatia started negotiating the entry, the once war-torn country was overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a member of the European elite. With the EU in deep financial trouble and Croatia’s own economy in recession for five consecutive years, the excitement has dimmed.

Thousands of people waving small EU and Croatian flags nonetheless joined celebrations across the country, including in Zagreb’s main square. There, artists performed for some 100 visiting foreign leaders until midnight when big fireworks and the singing of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, EU’s anthem, marked the official entry into the bloc.

Customs posts were removed from Croatia’s borders with EU neighbours Slovenia and Hungary, while EU signs and flags were put on its borders with non-EU states Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro. The festivities were much more modest and less jubilant than when Bulgaria and Romania, currently EU’s poorest states, became members.

With the entry, Croatia becomes the third poorest country in the EU. “There are not too many festivities because the general situation is not brilliant,” Josipovic said in a recent interview. “We have to develop our economy, take care of those people who are jobless now, and there is no time and money for big celebrations.”

However, with an unemployment rate hovering at around 20 percent, plunging living standards, alleged corruption among its political elite, many Croats are not in the mood to celebrate.

Croatia will be officially recognized as a European Union member at midnight on Sunday, becoming the 28th state to join the bloc. Over 170 foreign officials, including 15 heads of state and 13 prime ministers, are expected to attend the grand ceremony in the capital, Zagreb. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy are expected to be among the speakers at the event. “We also believe that the EU has a future,” Ivo Josipovic, Croatia’s president, told local Nova TV. But the mood is far from festive among Croatian populace as the country endures its fifth year of recession and record unemployment of 21 percent. Many believe the former Yugoslav state will become a burden to the EU, which has economic problems of its own, and repeat the sad fate of the bloc’s southern members Greece, Portugal and Spain.