News around the globe

30072013

 Taiwan defence minister resign

Taiwan’s defense minister steps down

Taiwan’s defense minister Kao Hua-chu has stepped down amid public furore over the alleged cover-up of a soldier’s death.

Hung Chung-chiu died on July 4th while serving his term as a conscript.

Hung was sent to confinement for bringing a mobile phone with a camera onto base.

Officials acknowledged he died of heatstroke after being forced to do exercises without drinking water.

Explosions rock city in Nigeria’s

At least 15 people were killed in a series of explosions in a Christian area of the Nigerian city of Kano on Monday night. “In all bomb attacks 15 were killed,” a policeman in Kano told Reuters, asking not to be named. Meanwhile, a mortuary attendant at a local hospital had told AP that at least ten bodies were recovered from the scene following the attack – one of which appeared to have been planted in a parked Mercedes-Benz. “There is confusion all over the place. There were four huge explosions, so huge that they shook the whole area. Everywhere is enveloped in smoke and dust,” fruit vendor Chinyere Madu told AFP. The blasts took place in the Sabon Gari neighborhood and reportedly targeted Enugu Street – a strip filled with outdoor bars and eateries. Resident Kola Oyebanji told AFP that she believed the explosions focused on the “beer parlors,” although authorities did not comment. At least 22 people died when the same area was attacked by Boko Haram Islamists last March. Kano is the largest city in Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north, where Boko Haram has been fighting to create an Islamic state.

US condemns rising death toll in Egypt protests

The White House has condemned violence in Egypt which left at least 80 Muslim Brotherhood supporters dead over the weekend, although it noted that it has not taken steps to suspend US military assistance to the country. “The United States strongly condemns the violence and bloodshed in Cairo and Alexandria over the weekend that claimed the lives of scores of Egyptian demonstrators,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a Monday briefing. Security forces fired on protesters Saturday morning, following a day of rival mass rallies in Cairo, Reuters reported. Journalists pressed Earnest on whether the rising casualties in the clashes following Morsi’s removal from office would prompt the United States to pull back any portion of its annual $1.55 billion aid to Egypt. In response, Earnest said the White House had no “change in our posture to report.” Current US law requires eliminating aid in the event of a military coup, though officials said last week it is not in the national interest to make such a determination, while publicly avoiding the use of the word “coup” to characterize the removal of the Islamist president by the Egyptian military.

Militants breach Pakistani jail free Taliban members

Gunmen disguised in police uniforms attacked the Central Jail in the Pakistani city of Dera Ismail Khan late Monday evening, in an apparent attempt to free some of the 250 militants currently housed in the facility – members of various terrorist groups including the Taliban and banned sectarian groups. Pakistani security forces struggled against the armed assailants for control of the prison, which was rocked by a series of heavy explosions followed by rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire, district police chief Sohail Khalid told Reuters. An intelligence official told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper that the attacking militants were heard shouting, ”God is great” and ”Long live the Taliban.” A Reuters correspondent in Pakistan said that militants breached the outer wall of the jail, and the city remained under lockdown. Dozens of prisoners are said to have escaped so far.

Gunfight between street vendors and shopkeepers in Cairo

Fifteen people have been killed in a gunfight between street vendors and shop owners in the central Cairo district of El-Moski, state news agency MENA reported. One of the shops was set on fire. Firefighters contained the blaze before it spread to any nearby buildings, but many of the victims died inside the shop, AFP reported. The gunfight was allegedly caused by a dispute between street vendors and shop owners over trading spaces.

Tunisian PM refuses to step down, sets general election date for December

Tunisia’s Islamist government will not resign in the midst of the political crisis that has broken out following the murder of a secular politician, Prime Minister Ali Larayedh said in a press conference on Monday. “We are not clinging to power, but we have a duty and a responsibility that we will exercise to the end,” declared Larayedh, leader of the Ennahda Party. Larayedh has also announced that the new president will be chosen in a public vote on December 17. Leftist deputy Mohamed Brahmi was gunned down last week in similar circumstances to opposition leader Chokri Belaid in February. Belaid’s death led to a change of government.

Eight injured in Philadelphia housing explosion

Eight people were injured when a row house collapsed in Philadelphia on Monday. Locals reported the incident as a gas-related explosion. A baby and a contractor were both among the victims. The accident happened at approximately 11am local time (1500 GMT) at an unoccupied home which was undergoing structural renovations. The contractor had been employed to undertake the task. Gas and electric crews rushed to the scene to determine the cause of the accident, as gas services were switched off. The area was evacuated, with residents taking temporary shelter in a nearby school.

Seven inbound flights canceled as Egypt clashes intensify

Cairo airport officials have reported the cancelations of seven flights to Egypt as a result of low occupancy. Several flights have arrived in the country less than half full, after clashes over the weekend left 84 people dead. Passengers from Italy and a range of Middle Eastern countries – including Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen – have been rerouted on account of low passenger numbers. The officials confirmed to AP that around 55 per cent of airline seats to Cairo have been left empty over the past three days. There has been a decline in passengers arriving from both Damascus and Beirut, as Syrians fleeing their war-torn home country now need visas to visit Egypt. Tourism in Egypt has suffered over the past two and a half years as tensions have escalated. Media agencies

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Categories : Politics, Uncategorized, world News

30072013

India and Senegal sign Executive Programme for Cultural Cooperation

India and Senegal enjoy age-old friendly relations and to reaffirm their commitment to have sustained cultural exchanges by signing “Executive Programme for Cultural Cooperation” between India and Senegal for the period 2013-2015 on 29th July 2013 at New Delhi. The Executive Programme for Cultural Cooperation was signed by Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch, Minister of Culture on behalf of Government of India and by H.E. Mr. Adboul Aziz Mbaye, Minister of Culture, on behalf of Government of Republic of Senegal. The Executive Programme for Cultural Cooperation is valid for three years. Thereafter, however, it will continue to be in force till a fresh Exchange Programme is signed. 

The Executive Programme for Cultural Cooperation seeks to: 

• Exchange the Experts in the field of theatre. 
• Encourage Training in the areas of artistic heritage, creative activities, audio visual, music, dance, theatre and puppetry 
• Exchange the publications on cultural heritage. 
• Exchange canvas works and grounding mats for exhibition. 
• Exchange experts in the field of prehistoric archaeology; provide Laboratory training in the field of restoration of cultural properties and monuments. 
• Exchange experts reciprocally with a view to promoting library activities and expertise in the fields of publishing, printing and binding. 
• Exchange programmes depicting various facets of life and culture in the two parties through their respective Radio and TV organizations. 
• Exchange experiences in the field of sports and explore the possibilities of exchanging sports teams/coaches in diverse disciplines. 
• Organize cultural week featuring various aspects of its culture 
• Exchange1-2 experts in the field of Performing Arts and literature. 

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One dead, many injured as two trains collide head-on in Switzerland

30072013

Two passenger trains collided in Switzerland early Monday evening, leaving several dozen wounded – at least five of whom are in serious condition. The body of one of the drivers has been recovered from the rubble, local media reported.

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30072013

Bus crash in southern Italy

 Italian tour crushed through a sidewall of a highway bridge in southern Italy, and plunged some 30 meters (100 feet) into a wooded ravine, killing at least 38 people, authorities said on Monday.

Rescuers wielding electric saws cut through the twisted wreckage of the bus overnight, looking for survivors after it had plunged to the ground on Sunday night.

At least 10-meters of the wall was torn away, large chunks were visible in a clearing below.

The bus lost control near the town of Monteforte Irpino in Irpinia, a largely agricultural area about 40 miles (60 kilometres) inland from Naples and about 250 kilometres (160 miles) south of Rome, hitting several cars before plunging off the viaduct.

Traffic on the stretch was slowed due to road work, officials said.

State radio quoted a local police chief as saying the bus driver was among the dead.

It was not immediately clear why the bus driver lost control of the vehicle, but prosecutors were investigating technical problems and had ordered an autopsy on the driver.

A reporter for Naples daily Il Mattino, Giuseppe Crimaldi, told Sky TG24 TV from the scene that some witnesses told him the bus had been going at a “normal” speed on the downhill stretch of the highway when it suddenly veered and started hitting cars.

Some witnesses thought they heard a noise as if the bus had blown a tire. The bus was carrying a group of weekend holidaymakers from the Naples.

The group had arrived from small towns near Naples at a hotel at a the thermal spa on Friday afternoon, and had spent the weekend visiting the spa and an early home of Padre Pio, a late mystic monk popular among Catholics, Michele Montagna, the manager of the hotel told Sky TG24. 

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Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry

30072013

Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry met today to discuss issues concerning the Indian economy. The agenda focused on measures to correct the Current Account Deficit; the slowdown of industrial growth and measures to revive it; depreciation of the Rupee and its impact on trade and industry; skill development and development of industrial corridors.

                The meeting was attended by the Finance Minister, the Commerce & Industries Minister, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Chairman of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, Chairman of PM’s Economic Advisory Council, senior officials of the government and from the industry, Shri Rahul Bajaj, Dr. Ashok Ganguly, ShriMukesh D. Ambani, Shri Narayana Murthy, Shri Azim Premji, Ms. Swati Piramal, Shri Deepak Parekh, Shri Jamshyd N. Godrej, Ms. Chanda Kochhar, Shri Venu Srinivasan, Shri Sunil Kant Munjal, Shri S. Gopalakrishnan, Dr. Rana Kapoor, ShriSunil B. Mittal, Smt. Naina Lal Kidwai.

                The Prime Minister welcomed the gathering and invited the captains of industry to give suggestions to improve the economy and remove the mood of pessimism that has unnecessarily spread in some quarters.  The Finance and Commerce Ministers then briefed the Council on the government’s thoughts on the agenda.

                There was a detailed and lengthy discussion on the issues.  While some expressed their concerns, some gave concrete suggestions on how to improve matters.

                The overall sentiment was on the need to bring back the mood, converting decisions to action and taking the country back to a growth path of 8% or more.

                The Prime Minister concluded by thanking the Council for its suggestions.  He said it was a rewarding discussion.  The Prime Minister wanted a report to be submitted within one month on what can be done in the next 2-3 months.

Some of the major issues discussed were:-

S.No	CAD	Reviving growth	Industrial Corridors	Skill Development
1.	Raising duties on consumers and luxury goods	Focus as much on growth as on inclusion	Have sector specific zones and clusters	Need good certification on a vast scale
2.	Innovative ways of reducing gold imports through bonds, etc	Extend accelerated depreciation to SMEs	Have effcientsingle window clearances and good facilitation	Focus on home service market
3.	Reducing conditions on FDI and speed up FIPB	Removing bottlenecks ofpharma sector and increasing R&D	Give out pre-cleared projects	Using NREGA for skill development
4.	Have a sovereign bond and reciprocalswaplines	Moratorium on loan repayment for delayed projects	Accelerate the Amritsar-Delhi-Kolkatta Corridor as this region is vital for growth
5.	Accelerate software exports by easing domestic movement of people, resolve the tax issues, make inward visas easier and taking up the Visa Bill with USA	Focussing on annuity based PPP Projects.
6.	Raise easy resources by selling SUUTI, BALCO, HZLshares.	Restore cash flows of firms by paying receivables
7.	Boost agriculture exports	Boosting domestic electronic manufacture
8.	Bringing off shore Rupee market on shore	Use PSU land for industrial parks
9.	Improve Coal India operations through PPP	Restart renewable energy projects
10.	Boost textile exports	Focus on incumbent investors for the short run
11.		Resolve the tax issues and remove tax uncertainty
12.		Using Government procurement to boost local Industry
13.		Focusing on urban infrastructure

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