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Gunshots fired near White House; suspect at large 

Washington: Gunshots were fired on Saturday near the White House following which the US Secret Service recovered an AK-47 from an abandoned vehicle, but the suspect remained at large.

The shots were heard 9.40 pm local time Friday night (8.10 am IST Saturday), the US Secret Service said. The suspect was seen running away and remains at large. The Secret Service said its officials posted on the 16th Street and Constitution Avenue heard the shots. They also saw two vehicles heading west.

US President Barack Obama is currently in California on his way to Hawaii to attend the APEC Summit there.

 Manmohan Singh addresses Maldives Parliament

Male: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on Saturday accorded the "unique" honour of being the first foreign dignitary to address the multi-party 'People's Majlis', Maldives' Parliament, after it came into being in 2009.

Singh read out his speech outlining the "time-tested" relationship India had with this picturesque island nation as all the 75 MPs of the Majlis listened in rapt attention.

On his first visit to Maldives as the Prime Minister, Singh said it was an "unforgettable journey" to the country for him which he will cherish.

"I am overwhelmed by the breathtaking beauty and serenity" of this country, he said.

Majlis Speaker Abdullah Shahid welcomed him saying that his country has lot to learn from India, a leading economic giant and the largest democracy in the world. Singh acknowledged that it was a unique honour for him to address the Majlis.

"I am truly honoured by this gesture accorded to me and my country," he said. The Prime Minister also conveyed belated greetings to the people of Maldives on their Republic Day, which was celebrated on Friday. Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur and Maldivian President Mohammed Nasheed's wife Laila Ali Abdullah were present at the Majlis during the address.

India, Maldives ink framework accord on
development cooperation

Male: Taking their bilateral ties to a new high, India and Maldives on Saturday inked six agreements, including a historic framework accord on development cooperation with a Standby Credit Facility of $100 million to help stabilise Maldivian fiscal position and another to jointly combat terrorism.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on his first state visit to Maldives, held discussions with President Mohammed Nasheed in the Presidential Palace and signed with him the Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development.

The agreement is a blue print for cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, food security, fisheries development, tourism, transportation, information technology, new and renewable energy, communications and enhancing connectivity by air and sea.

Singh is also the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Maldives in 8 years after his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee's trip. Total trade between the two countries stood at Rs 395 crore in 2009-10.

As part of a multi-pronged approach to deal with the security issues and problems on account of terror and piracy, India will support the construction of a National Police Academy for capacity building of Maldives.

After the signing ceremony, Singh told a joint press conference that the two leaders discussed all issues, including the future cooperation in the bilateral partnership as also the cooperation which was already on a high growth trajectory. On his part, President Nasheed thanked the Prime Minister for the framework agreement of cooperation on a number of areas that will be beneficial to both the countries and go a long way in Indian assistance to Maldives' development and progress.

Recognising the fact that the two countries face the common challenges of extremism and religious fundamentalism, they also signed agreements on combating terrorism, drug trafficking, disaster management and coastal security and transfer of sentenced persons. The agreements were signed by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and Maldivian Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Nasir. The pacts signed included one on renovation of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, the main referral hospital in the country. Singh said work would be taken up on full swing and India expects to hand over the renovated facility by May 2013.

Show-cause notices to TV channels for showing
 Bhanwari Devi CD

New Delhi: Government has taken a serious note of the telecast of a CD purportedly showing nurse Bhanwari Devi and former Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna in a compromising position and issued show-cause notices to two news channels why action should not be taken against them.

Official sources said that the notices have been sent to news channels P7 and Sahara Samay who have also been directed not to repeat telecast of the same.

The charges against the two channels are showing content which is against good taste and decency, not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition, contains obscenity and is not meant for viewing by children.

The two channels have been given time till 4 pm on November 14 to show cause why action should not be taken against them. They can also present their case to an inter-ministerial committee at 4 pm on November 14 if they want.

"It has come to the notice of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that two television channels namely, P7 News and Sahara Samay, have shown a programme allegedly involving Ms Banwari Devi," the sources said Friday night. 

Hazare made demi-god by Team Anna members: Blogger

New Delhi: Seeking to put Team Anna members on the backfoot, the Gandhian's former blogger Raju Parulekar has accused a 'gang of four' in Anna Hazare's core team of using the activist as a demi-god to further their interests and hold government to "ransom".

Parulekar, who fell out with Hazare after the latter publicly snubbed him on the issue of restructuring of Core Committee, alleged that Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan and Manish Sisodia had "free reigns" and had free run in media by becoming "experts" on various subjects which gave them also the "stature of being virtuous and demi-gods".

He sought answers from Hazare as to who "pressurised" him not to show the door to Bhushan from the Core team for his controversial comments on plebiscite in Kashmir, saying who will understand the legal loopholes in the bill and whether he was aware of the financial transactions of Kejriwal and Sisodia and their "ambitions".

He also questioned the entire Jan Lokpal Bill movement in his blog posting late Friday night to put his side of the story claiming that he had not manipulated Hazare's blog postings.

He said the "disillusioned" countrymen have been misled to believe that this self-centered movement will "create heaven for them" and a stricter Janlokpal Bill (law) can abolish more than 50 per cent of corruption from their life.

"...truth lies somewhere else," he said, adding "this bunch of 20-plus people and 'gang of four' among them take the country for a ride and hold the government for ransom...are we going to place our country in the hands of these four-five people and their salaried gang members?

"How difficult will it be for the agitation to sustain and pull ahead alone on Anna Hazare’s moral strength? Which direction it is heading to? Are any of us Indians familiar with the other members of Team Anna except for Bhushan father-son-duo, Bedi, Sisodia and Kejriwal? Who has selected these 21 people to represent the 120 crore people in India?" he asked.

CWG: Australia's Gold Coast named 2018 host 

Sydney: Australia was celebrating on Saturday as the Commonwealth Games Federation named Queensland's Gold Coast as the host of the 2018 Games, over Sri Lanka's Hambantota.

"See you in Gold Coast in 2018!!!" the federation said on Twitter, following a vote of its general assembly in the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis on Friday evening local time -- this morning in Australia.

Gold Coast, a sub-tropical tourist hotspot that is home to more than 500,000 people, promised to provide a stark contrast with last year's host, India's teeming capital New Delhi.

The 2010 Delhi Games proved troubled, with the sporting headlines stolen by venue delays, shoddy construction and budget overruns that saw the cost of the event triple to US$6 billion.

Australia said hosting the Commonwealth Games for the fifth time, becoming the only nation to ever do so, would allow it to showcase its ability to host major international sporting events.

"This morning's victory was a fantastic result for the Gold Coast, Queensland and Australia," Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan and Sport Minister Mark Arbib said in a joint statement.

"It will provide a big boost to tourism and jobs on the Gold Coast, both in the lead up to the Games and during the event."