Category: World News
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REVIEW: Modi’s Pied Piper act in Japan
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Biswajit Choudhury says Modi seen as Pied Piper for Japanese investments in India India Inc sees a big leap in Japan’s business interest in India, with the commitment of $35 billion in infrastructure a case in point, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home Wednesday after a five-day visit to this East Asian nation. This…
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Indian speaker in Geneva
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Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said men and women should participate equally for inclusive growth’ Men and women should participate equally in the development process as it contributes to inclusive growth, sustainable development and long-term prosperity, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said at an event in Geneva. Participating in the Ninth Annual Meeting of Women Speakers…
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Holland to lead European Hindus
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For the first time in the History of the umbrella for Hindus of Europe, the presidency has slipped from the hands of the British. Mr Radj Bondoe, president Emeritus of the Hindu Raad Nederlands has been voted in as President, This makes him the third president of the organisation. The first two were both British. The…
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NATO agrees on collective defence
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NATO leaders Friday agreed on a readiness action plan to strengthen the bloc’s collective defence and deal with any challenge, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. The NATO allies face a security environment which is more unpredictable than ever, including Russia’s “aggression” against Ukraine, violent extremism in the Middle East and instability in North…
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Wardrobe & Health Risks
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Naveen Ram looks in to the link between stylish wardrobes and health issues Do not follow fashion trends blindly. Consider the long and short-term health risks associated with the latest fashion trends, says leading Orthopaedic Surgeon, Simon Moyes. As a specialist sports injury orthopaedic surgeon, Moyes is no stranger to the aches and pains of professional athletes that…
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Family dinner – Stressful?
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Ishaq Mohin says even as benefits of home-cooked meals gain currency among parents, researchers have found that home cooking and family meals place a significant stress on many families – and are simply impossible for others “This idea of a home-cooked meal is appealing, but it is unrealistic for a lot of families,” said study…
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Currency Corner by Vatsal
Vatsal Srivastava in his weekly column Currency Corner says ECB has gone all out to fight Europe’s economic woes It’s official – the zero-interest rate policy (ZIRP) era is here to stay. After the US Federal Reserve, Bank of England and the Bank of Japan, ECB president Mario Draghi made it clear that it too would undertake…
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Supermassive dinosaur unearthed
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At 85-feet long and weighing about 65 tonnes, scientists have discovered a new supermassive dinosaur species with the most complete skeleton ever found of its type. Found in southern Patagonia in Argentina, Dreadnoughtus schrani is the largest land animal for which a body mass can be accurately calculated. “It weighed as much as a dozen…
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US concerned over Al Qaeda
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The US has expressed concern over the reported creation of a new Al Qaeda wing in the Indian subcontinent but said it did not regard it as an indication of any new capabilities by the terror group. The US had not been “able to verify those reports yet,” State Department spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters…
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Cameron talks of new Russia sanctions
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Russia might face more economic sanctions unless it ceases its attempts to destabilise Ukraine, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday. In an interview with the BBC, Cameron said the measures taken against Russia, which is accused of supporting separatist insurgents in eastern Ukraine with weapons and uniformed Russian troops, were beginning to show results.…
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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir’s Special Report on Middle East
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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, comments on the latest developments on Israel-Palestine issue – Reckless Policies, Dire Consequences The Netanyahu-led government’s announcement of its decision to annex nearly 1,000 acres of Palestinian land in the West Bank between the Etzion settlement block and Jerusalem amounts to nothing less…
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Cameron & Obama show unity
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President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have emphasised the importance of unity to deal with violence by the Islamic State (IS) following the murder of two American journalists by the Sunni militant group. In a joint opinion piece published Thursday in The Times of London newspaper to mark the beginning of the…
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Christian Aid calls for end to Iraq violence
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The recent upsurge in violence in Iraq has led to a major new humanitarian crisis with more than 1.45 million people forced to flee their homes since the start of the year, many of them from persecuted religious minorities including Yazidis, Shabak and around 100,000 Christians. Following the launch of a Christian Aid crisis…
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Will ‘Degrade and Destroy’ ISIS: Obama
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The US has confirmed that the beheading video of a second American journalist was authentic, as President Barack Obama Wednesday vowed to punish the Islamic State terrorist group, saying America would not be intimidated. “Those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget… that our reach is long and…
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World set to meditate for Peace
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in World NewsIn this year of World War 1 Centenary, the World Peace Meditation (WPM) is a new powerful and exciting initiative employing mobile app technology to bring people together for a global peace program. The key event is a worldwide peace meditation on 21 September, 2014 – the UN International Day of Peace. This is a…
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Aussies dumps Russia, opts India
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Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday he hoped to sign a deal this week to sell uranium to India for peaceful power generation, but halted uranium exports to Russia over Moscow’s role in Ukraine. Work on an India-Australia agreement has been underway since Australia, which has 40 percent of the world’s known uranium…
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Global languages under threat
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Economic growth is the main driver of language extinction, says a study that also identified the global “hotspots” where languages are under threat. Levels of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita – GDP divided by mid-year population – correlated with the loss of language diversity, the findings showed. The more successful a country was economically,…
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Global response against Ebola
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The head of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tuesday warned of the risk that the Ebola outbreak could get out of control without a greater worldwide response. “This is not just a problem for Africa. This is a problem for the world, and the world needs to respond,” Efe quoted CDC…
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White House in crisis mode
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As the beheading of a second American journalist by the Islamic State (IS) terror group sent shock waves through the nation, US President Barack Obama authorised 350 additional troops be deployed to Iraq The additional troops were being sent to protect American diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad at the request of the US Department…
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Israel ‘stands by’ new land grab
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Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman Tuesday said his country “stands by its decision” to appropriate 1,000 acre land in the West Bank. “Gush Etzion settlement bloc reflects a wide consensus in the Israeli society and it is clear to everyone that as part of any (possible future peace) agreement, Gush Etzion would remain a part…
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ISIS beheads second US journalist
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Days after the beheading of American photojournalist James Foley, Sunni militant group Islamic State (IS) has posted a video showing the beheading of another kidnapped American journalist Steven Sotloff, CNN reported. Titled “A second message to America”, the video also threatens the life of British captive David Haines. Sotloff speaks to the camera before he…
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Was China visit dropped to please Japan?
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Even as prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Tokyo for summit talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, India has quietly called off a meeting with foreign ministers of Russia and China in Beijing. Though, officially no one was available to explain the cancellation of Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Beijing to attend the…
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Anti-terror plans hit legal hurdle
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David Cameron’s plan to fight the terrorist threat posed by Islamic State got off to a stuttering start when he was forced to shelve key proposals amid legal uncertainty, Liberal Democrat objections, and even doubts within the security services, the Guardian reported. The prime minister unveiled a package of anti-terror measures in the Commons on…
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“Use Japan to counter China”
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India should deploy counter-constraint policies against Pakistan since historic reconciliation is not a “credible possibility”, eminent diplomat Shyam Saran, former foreign secretary and chairman of the National Security Advisory Board, has said. In an indirect reference to Pakistan’s overtures to separatist leaders, which led to cancellation of foreign secretary-level talks with the country last month,…
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Iran vows to free Al-Aqsa
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Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani Monday vowed to liberate the Al-Aqsa mosque in the old city of Jerusalem from the Israeli forces and spare no efforts to help the Palestinian people, state-owned Press TV reported. “The administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran, like in the past, will use all tools at its disposal to save…
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SAARC centres to be slashed
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Anil Giri says number of SAARC regional centres will be slashed SAARC member states have agreed to bring down the number of the association’s regional centres from 11 to five in order to end the duplication of work and to reduce expenditure. A meeting of the SAARC Programming Committee that concluded in Kathmandu on Monday has proposed…
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Tips to tame water scarcity
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Curbing water scarcity possible by 2050: Study Despite what appears to be an insurmountable problem, researchers have found that it is possible to turn the situation around and significantly reduce water scarcity in just over 35 years. With strong commitment and strategic efforts such as increased water-recycling and improved irrigation techniques it is possible to…
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Acts of terrorism as diplomacy
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Colum by Saeed Naqvi The ISIS threat has been around for months. Why was it not nipped in the bud? Obama’s response in the course of a conversation with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times is revealing. “We did not start airstrikes all across Iraq as soon as the ISIS came in because that…
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Saeed Naqvi on ISIS
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Saeed Naqvi says terrorism a diplomatic asset: Fair is foul, foul is fair The ISIS threat has been around for months. Why was it not nipped in the bud? Obama’s response in the course of a conversation with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times is revealing. “We did not start airstrikes all across Iraq…
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Erdogan sworn in as President
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in as president of Turkey at the Parliamentary General Assembly. Representatives of some 90 countries from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe, including the emir of Qatar and Iran’s foreign minister, attended the swearing-in ceremony, Xinhua reported citing Erdogan’s office. “In my capacity as president, I swear upon my…
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Australian PM to visit India
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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced that he will travel to India and Malaysia next week.On Abbott’s first visit to India as prime minister, he said he will visit New Delhi and Mumbai to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, reported Xinhua.India is Australia’s fifth largest export market with total exports of 11.4…
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Mary Kom seeks help for elephants
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Glaring into the camera with fierce determination, covered with scars and struggling to break her chains, Olympic medallist and five-time undisputed World Amateur Boxing champion Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom is featured in a striking new ad from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, just in time for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival and…
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Elitist Britain?
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The UK is “deeply elitist” according to an analysis of the backgrounds of more than 4,000 business, political, media and public sector leaders, BBC reported. Small elites, educated at independent schools and Oxbridge, still dominate top roles, suggests the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission study. It says key institutions do not represent the public they…
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Court asks DLF to pay Rs 630 crore
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The Supreme Court penalised real estate giant DLF Rs.630 crore for exploiting its dominant position to the disadvantage of its customers in three projects in Gurgaon. The bench of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice N.V. Ramana said DLF would furnish an undertaking to pay Rs.170 crore interest on the penalty of Rs.630 crore or the…
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Fiji military says no to politics
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Fiji’s military will support the elected government and accept the outcome of the 2014 general election, the Fijian military commander said Wednesday. Addressing military personnel who have just returned from the UN mission in Syria, Brig. Gen. Mosese Tikoitoga urged the 196 officers and others to remain apolitical at all times, Xinhua reported. “We should…
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Pak govt polishes US shoes: Imran
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Parliament rallied behind Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as an unrelenting opposition leader Imran Khan warned the US not to interfere in Pakistan’s domestic politics. Many thousands of opposition activists continued their protest in the heart of Islamabad for the seventh straight day demanding the resignation of Sharif, saying the 2013 election he won was rigged. Cricketer-turned-politician…
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Brits top list of ‘suicide tourists’
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The numbers of ‘suicide tourists’ going to Switzerland to take their own lives has doubled within the sace of four years, reports a study published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics. Citizens from Germany and the UK make up the bulk of the numbers, with neurological conditions, such paralysis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s, and…
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Fareed faces new plagarism charges
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Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria, who two years ago got away from a plagiarism controversy claiming he made a “terrible mistake”, is facing fresh plagiarism charges from anonymous internet watchdogs.The website “Our Bad Media” in a Tuesday report by @blippoblappo and @crushingbort cited 12 instances where Zakaria appears to have lifted passages wholesale from other authors.“Their…
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US welcomes Modi despite opposition
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The US has reiterated that it looks forward to welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite an online petition seeking cancellation of his visit.An online “We the People” petition to the White House initiated by US based Sikhs for Justice had demanded that instead of hosting Modi at White House, President Barack Obama should condemn…
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Can you ignore Rajan’s call?
Vatsal Srivastava looks into Indian Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan’s call for coordinated global monetary policy a distant dream . Rajan earlier predicted the meltdown in the US banking sector which triggered the global recession RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has been constantly urging major central banks, particularly the US Federal Reserve, to keep in mind…
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Assange “to leave” embassy
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Wikileaks founder and whistleblower Julan Assange has sais that he will be leaving Ecuadorean embassy after tow years of stay there, the BBC reported. He gave no more details but said he understood Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson had “said that he can confirm I am leaving the embassy soon”. Mr Hrafnsson later said Mr Assange…
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Obesity sparks 10 types of cancers
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Obesity puts people at greater risk of developing 10 of the most common cancers, according to research in the Lancet medical journal. Scientists calculated individuals carrying this extra weight could contribute to more than 12,000 cases of cancer in the UK population every year. They warn if obesity levels continue to rise there may be…