MEDIA DOSE OF TODAY

29 11 2013

 

POSTED ON NOVEMBER 29, 2013

US reaffirms defense treaty with Japan covers islands disputed with China

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in a phone call with his Japanese counterpart, Itsunori Onodera, has reaffirmed support for Tokyo. He said that the defense treaty between the two countries covers the group of islands claimed by both China and Japan, where Beijing established a new airspace defense zone last week. Hagel pledged to consult closely with Tokyo to avoid untoward incidents around the islands, a Pentagon spokesman said.

 

2 Sudanese vaccination campaign workers killed in West Darfur

Two Sudanese health workers participating in a nationwide measles vaccination campaign have been killed in West Darfur state. The UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Ali Al-Za’tari, on Friday condemned the killing of two staff of the Sudanese Ministry of Health, a vaccinator and a driver. “I call on all parties to ensure the protection of all personnel working to deliver assistance to populations in need throughout Sudan,” Za’tari said.

UK govt urges Big Six energy companies to freeze prices until 2015

The British government has reportedly called upon energy companies to freeze prices until the middle of 2015. The Big Six firms are urged to commit to an immediate freeze on prices as part of a deal that could cut bills for families, the Daily Telegraph said. Ed Miliband called for a price freeze in September because his Labour party wants energy companies to be legally barred from raising household bills from 2015 until the start of 2017. The Conservative Party, which earlier claimed a freeze on tariffs would be problematic, now appears to be attempting to prevent increases before the next election.

18 people killed execution-style near Baghdad 

Iraqi police have uncovered the bodies of 18 people who were abducted from their homes and killed execution-style, two police sources said on Friday. The corpses were found grouped together and shot in the head in Meshahda, about 32km north of Baghdad, Reuters reported. It is seen as the deadliest in a series of execution-style killings in Iraq.

Turkey sign huge energy contracts with Iraqi Kurdistan – reports

Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan signed a package of landmark contracts earlier this week, sources close to the deal said on Friday. The contracts will see the semi-autonomous region’s oil and gas shipped to international markets via pipelines through Turkey, Reuters said. The deals were reportedly signed during a meeting between the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani , and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday. The move could further infuriate Baghdad, which claims the sole authority to manage Iraqi oil.

‘Catastrophic’ life for Syrian refugee children in exile – UN

Hundreds of thousands of Syrian children are facing a life of “catastrophe” in exile, without normal childhood freedoms, the Guardian said, citing a new report of the UN refugee agency. More than a million Syrian children could miss out on education, and child labor is a big problem for those already traumatized by war, according to the report, the Future of Syria: refugee children in crisis, published by the UNHCR on Friday. The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said in a previous report in March that one in 10 Syrian refugee children in the region is engaged in child labor.

US drone kills 1 alleged militant in Pakistan

A suspected US drone has killed one militant in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region, intelligence officials said Friday. Missiles fired from a suspected drone overnight hit a house in Qazi Kot village in the North Waziristan tribal area, killing an alleged member of the Punjabi Taliban, AP said. Pakistani officials accuse drone attacks of violating sovereignty.

80 injured in Hong Kong ferry collision

Eighty people have been injured after a high-speed ferry hit an “unidentified object” on its way from Hong Kong to Macau in the early hours of Friday. “Information received from the Marine Department suggested that 80 people on the ferry were injured. Among them four were classified as seriously injured,” a spokesman for the Hong Kong government said, AFP reports. There were 105 passengers and 10 crew members aboard, with no reports that anybody was missing, he added.

Egypt arrests top activist amid widening crackdown

Egyptian police have arrested a leading political activist, accusing him of calling for protests in defiance of the country’s new law that heavily restricts demonstrations. Blogger and activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah played a key role in the 2011 uprising that overthrew the regime of Hosni Mubarak. His wife has tweeted that policemen beat and insulted her while arresting her husband, in addition to taking their laptops and cellphones. A new law passed earlier this week gives the Interior Ministry the right to ban any meeting of more than 10 people in a public place.

120 Italian football fans detained in Poland ahead of match

More than 120 supporters of Rome club Lazio were arrested in Warsaw ahead of Thursday night’s European tie with Legia. “Bottles and stones were thrown from the Italian group in the direction of the police cars,” said a police spokesman. Police say the fans may be barred from watching the match at the stadium.

New Egyptian constitution bans religious parties, preserves army role

A preliminary text of the new Egyptian constitution published in the official al-Ahram newspaper bars any parties “founded on a religious basis” and does away with explicitly Islamic language and statutes in its articles. It also preserves Mubarak-era army privileges, such as its right to pick its own defense minister, and to try civilians in military courts. The constitution, which will be voted on by the public next month, was drafted at the behest of the army-led regime by a constituent assembly made of secularists, which replaced the previous Islamist-dominated drafting body.

​50 police injured in Tunisia strike violence

Fifty Tunisian policemen have been injured ‘to varying degrees’ in clashes with protesters after a strike descended into violence, according to an interior ministry statement released on Thursday. The strike snowballed on Wednesday in the northern town of Siliana after masses gathered to mark the anniversary of riots which left over 3,000 people injured last year. Both police vehicles and public buildings were damaged in the unrest, with the violence running well into the night as participants hurled rocks and burned tires. Police fired teargas to disperse the crowds. An earlier statement said that the number injured only stood at 32.

At least 10 dead in Libyan weapons depot assault explosion – official

At least ten people have died and 15 more have been injured, as a weapons depot in southern Libya exploded during an attack by militants. General Mohamed al-Dhabi, a regional military commander, told AFP news agency that the incident took place in Brak al-Shati, 650 kilometers south of the capital Tripoli. A further three commandos were killed in Benghazi on Thursday during fighting between Libyan special forces and Islamist group, Ansar al-Sharia.

One killed in Egypt protests

One demonstrator has been killed in clashes between police and protesters which shook Egypt’s capital on Thursday, medical sources told Reuters. Supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi and security forces came into conflict outside Cairo University. On Sunday, the army-backed government passed a law restricting demonstrations.

Free Syrian Army to fight as Assad holds power – spokesman

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) will not stop fighting while President Bashar Assad holds power, a spokesman for the rebels’ supreme military council, Louay Mekdad, has said. There will be no talks until all those detained by the authorities are freed and a transitional government is established, he told the Voice of Russia radio on Thursday. The international community has “no leverage” to affect the situation in Syria, and the Geneva 2 conference is “only a means to extend the existence of the Assad regime,” RIA Novosti quoted him as saying. The FSA is ready to take part in the conference, Mekdad said, if it has a clear plan and if the regime “ceases to exist.”

21 female pro-Morsi supporters jailed in Egypt

A court in Egypt has sentenced 21 female supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi to 11 years in prison, the BBC said. The multiple charges included belonging to a terrorist group, obstructing traffic, sabotage and using force at a protest in the city of Alexandria last month. Seven are under 18 years of age. Human rights groups criticized the sentences.

Europe’s top court strikes down sanctions on Iranian power company

Europe’s highest court on Thursday overturned sanctions against Fulmen, an Iranian power company as well as its majority shareholder, Fereydoun Mahmoudian. The US government earlier named the firm as involved in building a secret uranium enrichment plant in Iran, Reuters said. It is the latest legal ruling against measures that the EU has imposed over Iran’s nuclear program, after last Sunday’s agreement between Iran and world powers. A lower EU court had already overturned several sanctions due to the refusal of EU states to disclose evidence. The European Court of Justice also said on Thursday that if a case is to be made, evidence must be presented.

Qatar camels have MERS virus linked to human spread – health officials

Cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have been found in camels in Qatar, health officials said on Thursday. The SARS-like coronavirus emerged in the Middle East last year and has killed almost 40 percent of around 170 people so far infected. It was found in three camels in a herd. A barn was also linked to two human cases of MERS infection, Reuters reported. A scientific paper is still being prepared, but the Qatari health council said that as a precaution, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions should avoid any close animal contact when visiting farms and markets.

Syria army recaptures Deir Attiyeh on strategic route

Syria’s army recaptured Deir Attiyeh on Thursday, state television said. Jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Nusra Front seized the town on the strategic highway between Damascus and the central city of Homs six days ago. The army “has taken total control of the town of Deir Attiyeh in Damascus province after it crushed the terrorists’ last enclaves there,” the broadcast said. A high-ranking security official in Damascus confirmed the report, AFP said. Operations to expel the terrorists from nearby areas were ongoing, he said. Deir Attiyeh, in the Qalamoun region north of Damascus and along the Lebanese border, is home to around 10,000 people.

Pope nominates personal secretary for 2 committees on Vatican’s finance reform

Pope Francis on Thursday named his personal secretary, Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, to be his delegate on two commissions of inquiry he set up this year. The Vatican said Xuereb was tasked with keeping his eye on the committees and keeping the Pope informed on their working procedures and possible initiatives. The reform concerns the troubled Vatican Bank and the Holy See’s finances.

IAEA warns of suspected activity at N. Korea reactor

Activity at a North Korean nuclear site is consistent with an effort to restart a reactor, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said on Thursday. The IAEA is continuing to monitor developments at Yongbyon, mainly through satellite imagery. Activities “are consistent with an effort to restart the 5MW(e) reactor,” Amano told the IAEA’s 35-nation board. North Korea said in April that it would revive its aged research reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex to seek a deterrent capacity.

6 units off after S. Korea nuclear reactor shutdown

Operation of the 587-megawatt Kori No. 1 reactor, over 300km southeast of Seoul, was suspended early on Thursday morning after it was shut down automatically as a result of a “safety-related action.” The reactor, which started operation in 1978, had recently come back on stream after nearly 180 days of scheduled maintenance, Reuters reported. The tally of the closed reactors has now been brought to six, and South Korea faces severe power shortages again this winter due to cuts in nuclear power.

Australia’s Russell granted bail, last from Arctic Sunrise crewmembers to be released

The St. Petersburg City Court on Thursday granted bail to Australian national, Colin Russell, the radio officer of the Greenpeace vessel, Arctic Sunrise. He was detained with 29 others after a protest in the Pechora Sea and was the only Arctic Sunrise crewmember remaining in custody. The court set bail for Russell at 2 million rubles ($60,600), Interfax reported. The activist himself took part in the hearing through a video link with the detention center, which he will leave as soon as the money is transferred.

Putin among top 5 nominees for Time Magazine’s 2013 Person of the Year poll

Singer-actress Miley Cyrus has become the front runner of Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ online poll. Cyrus, 21, garnered 28 percent of the votes as of November 27. She is ahead of the chief minister of Gujarat state in India, Narendra Modi, former NSA defense contractor Edward Snowden, and Syria’s president, Bashar Assad. Russian President Vladimir Putin ranked fifth in the poll. This year, Time has added Twitter to encourage more participation.

Tehran invites UN watchdog to inspect nuclear-linked heavy water facility

Iran has invited UN inspectors to visit a nuclear-related heavy water facility on December 8, Reuters reported. The move is seen as a first concrete step under a new agreement with world powers. The International Atomic Energy Agency was looking into how Sunday’s deal to curb Tehran’s atomic activity could be “put into practice,” IAEA director general, Yukiya Amano, said on Thursday.

Iran to produce more low-enriched uranium – official

Tehran plans to increase production of low-level enriched uranium, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s nuclear department, has said. Machines which were earlier producing 20 percent enriched uranium will be engaged in producing low-level enriched uranium, he was quoted by state media as saying. “Hence, the production of five percent enriched uranium will increase,” he said. Nuclear facilities will continue their work, and “only production of 20 percent enriched uranium will halt,” according to Salehi. Last weekend, Iran agreed to freeze part of its nuclear activities in exchange for an easing of Western sanctions.

S. Korean plane defies China’s new air defense zone – military

A South Korean plane has flown through China’s newly-declared air defense zone in the East China Sea without informing Beijing, the military in Seoul said Thursday. “We did not notify China,” a Defense Ministry spokesman said. The flight on Tuesday was part of a regular military surveillance exercise around a submerged, South Korean-controlled rock known as Ieodo, AFP reported. The place has long been a source of diplomatic tension with Beijing. China unilaterally declared a new “air defense identification zone” on Saturday. The area includes Ieodo, as well as a set of islands at the center of a territorial dispute between China and Japan.

Thai PM calls for dialogue to avert confrontations

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday called on anti-government demonstrators to cease their protests and hold dialogue. A few hours after easily winning a confidence vote in parliament, Yingluck said on television that the rallies were hurting the economy. The premier urged her opponents to agree to join a panel to find a way out and to avert street confrontations, Reuters reported.

China encourages public to file complaints over internet

China plans to reform its decades-old civil petitioning system so that grievances by members of the public can be better resolved, AP reported. Zhang Enxi, deputy director of the State Bureau for Letters and Calls, said the country will aim to refer more such complaints to the courts. The bureau has also encouraged the public to file complaints over the internet to boost transparency. Local officials are being urged to be more proactive in addressing letters. Residents currently often go to Beijing to appeal to the central government over complaints in their regions.

Embattled Thai PM easily survives no confidence vote

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra easily survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Thursday as the nation is swept by massive anti-government protests. Yingluck won 297 votes, with 134 votes against her. She required 246 of the 492 votes in the lower house to prevail in the no-confidence vote. Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators rallied outside four Thai government ministries, a major state office complex and 24 provincial halls as opposition protests gained momentum.

France evicts 800 people from Roma camp

French police cleared one of the largest Roma camps in the country on Wednesday, evicting around 800 people, including children, just outside of Paris, AFP reported. 300 police officers took part in the operation, while some of the residents evacuated on their own ahead of time after receiving a warning. About 250 remained at the camp and were cleared from wooden shacks, 70 of which were children. Police stated the operation went ahead “without incident”. Only a minority of those evicted will receive temporary housing for the night, while others will probably move to other Paris-area Roma camps. France has been proceeding with the controversial policy of evicting Roma from camps outside major cities and in most instances even paying migrants to return to their country of origin (often Romania and Bulgaria).

Greece to remain in recession through 2014 – OECD

Greece will stay in recession in 2014 and might need another bailout, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Wednesday. According to the organization, the country’s economy will likely contract by 0.4 percent. “The need for further assistance to achieve fiscal sustainability cannot be excluded,” the OECD said. “If negative macroeconomic risks materialize…serious consideration should be given to further assistance to achieve debt sustainability.” This projection contradicts most recent Greek estimates that projected the recession would end next year, as the country’s economy would grow 0.6 percent in 2014, according to the budget unveiled last week.

Militant gang leader killed in a security raid in southern Russia

Security forces established the identity of two militants that were killed after a raid on Wednesday in Plievo settlement in the republic of Ingushetia, southern Russia, according to the National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC). One of them was a gang leader Murad Pliev, or ‘Moussa’, wanted by federal forces since 2010. He specialized in killing law enforcement officers, shelling houses, manufacturing homemade explosives. In addition, two homemade explosive devices equal to 12 kilograms of TNT each, four machine guns, a Kalashnikov, a grenade launcher, a suicide belt, grenades and more than 7,000 rounds of ammunition were found, said the NAC statement.

Italy Senate approves expulsion of Berlusconi from Parliament

The Italian Senate has expelled ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi from Parliament with immediate effect over his tax fraud conviction. Together with his position in Parliament, the ex-premier also lost his immunity. However this decision does not mark the end of his political career. The three-time former prime minister relaunched his Forza Italia party in September. Berlusconi is currently appealing other convictions for having sex with an underage prostitute, abusing his powers and leaking a confidential police wiretap to damage a political rival.

US regulator says Boeing icing problems could lead to forced landings

Icing problems that have occurred on Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 aircraft, using engines made by General Electric, could lead to forced landings, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Wednesday. The airworthiness directive from the US aviation regulator had been expected after a series of incidents this year, Reuters reported. The problems affected nine flights and in two cases affected both engines on the flight, the FAA said. Icing could occur in high-altitude thunderstorms and “could lead to a forced landing,” it added.

Pakistan envoy to UN calls for end to US drone strikes

Pakistan has reportedly called for the immediate cessation of “illegal” US drone strikes on its territory. The UN General Assembly Third Committee adopted a resolution on Tuesday that underscores the need for an agreement on legal questions involving the use of such aircraft. “When armed drones kill unarmed, innocent civilians, there is a clear breach 

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CONGRESS ENTANGLES NATION IN THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF POVERTY,

29 11 2013

CONGRESS ENTANGLES NATION IN THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF POVERTY, CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY-SUKHBIR

·        ‘Big push Modi’ is required to break this vicious circle into virtuous circle

New Delhi, November 28

Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, President Shiromani Akali Dal and Deputy Chief Minister Punjab today lashed at Congress party for entangling the nation in the vicious circle of poverty, corruption and economic crisis. He said that NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate Mr. Narinder Modi would prove to be a Big Push to break this vicious circle into virtuous circle.

Addressing an election rally in the favour of BJP candidate from Tilak Nagar Mr. Rajiv Babbar at Santgarh, SAD President said that  Congress always mislead people by showing farce dreams. He said that since independence people repeatedly voted Nehru-Gandhi family led Congress keeping faith on their promises that they would remove poverty. “Congress a poll season party used to make false promises to attain power and used this power for looting the natural resources and hard earned money of tax payers through various scams instead of framing concrete policies to eradicate poverty”, he added.

Describing Modi as a Big Push required to break the vicious circle into virtuous circle, Mr. Badal said that now it’s time for Delhi voters to remove Congress from Delhi to make a better ground for Modi as next PM. He said that Modi known for his leadership and management would act as a stimulus for overall and rapid development of the nation. He said that it was during the NDA era that the world saw India as a nation scaling new heights of socio-economic development but these dreams shattered after the NDA lost office. “India is rich in resources but still its people are poor only because of Congress governments. One should visit states being governed by Shiromani Akali Dal or BJP to see the difference. We are bleeding our finances to enable our people to cope with the inflation caused by the mismanaged policies of Congress led UPA. Even Congress copied the Atta-Dal scheme of SAD-BJP government and renamed it as food security eyeing the 2014 Lok Sabha elections”, he added.

Later, Mr. Badal also addressed massive rallies in the favour of Shiromani Akali Dal candidates from Rajouri Garden Manjinder Singh Sirsa at Chaukhandi and from Hari Nagar Shyam Sharma at Fateh Nagar.

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RULING CONGRESS USING POLICE TO TERRORISE WORKERS : SAD

29 11 2013

· COMPLAINS TO ECI DEMANDING ACTION AGAINST MAYAPURI SHO FOR INTIMIDATING PARTY WORKERS.
New Delhi November 29—
The Shiromani Akali Dal complained to Election Commission of India to immediately transfer the Maypuri SHO Mr. Som Nath from the Mayapuri police station for intimidating party workers and illegally interfering in the election campaign of Shiromani Akali Dal in Hari Nagar Assembly Constituency. In a written complaint submitted to Chief Election Commissioner of India, Chief Electoral Officer, NCT Delhi and Returning Officer of the Hari Nagar Assembly Constituency the party Secretary and Spokesman Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema alleged that in order to help the ruling party candidate and to demoralise our party cadres the SHO is misbehaving and threatening the Shiromani Akali Dal leaders and workers.
Quoting the today’s incident of Khajan Basti in which the SHO stopped Mr. Narinder Kumar Sharma Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab and other party workers to do door to door campaigning, Dr. Cheema said that this action of police officer is totally illegal, unjustified, politically motivated and biased. “First they were stopped from campaigning and then two of our party workers namely S. Harijinder singh rajji and Mr. Bhupinder Sharma were illegally taken to Mayapuri police station and threatened to leave the constituency,” added Cheema.
In the statement Dr. Cheema further said that on the instructions of Delhi Congress Government similar things are happening in other parts of Delhi also. He alleged that at some places permissions to hold public meetings are being cancelled at the 11th hour as happened in Kalkaji yesterday. Similarly vehicles bearing Punjab numbers plates are being illegally detained and workers are being harassed.
Dr. Cheema informed the Election commission of India that such pressure tactics being used by the ruling congress party are aimed at demoralizing our party cadres. He urged Election Commission of India that such illegal activites should be stopped forthwith, so that elections are held in a free and fair atmosphere.
(Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema)
Secretary & Spokesman

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29 11 2013

Barack Obama

“Michelle and I send warm wishes 

“Michelle and I send warm wishes to all those celebrating Hanukkah.” —President Obama

 

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