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Thai flood toll rises to 506 |
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IAEA report on Iran set to raise Middle East tension
US BASHING: Iranian students holding pictures of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stand
in front of an anti-US mural in Tehran. — Reuters
BEML seeks entry into China market
JuD not on new list of banned terror groups in Pakistan
Five Indian sailors dead as ship sinks near Oman
Over 2,500 tourists stranded near Everest base camp
Picture password to protect your online account!
Pak rejects reports of nuclear insecurity
Nigerian forces hunt killers
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Thai flood toll rises to 506
Bangkok, November 6 The Thai Disaster Relief and Mitigation Department said the flooding has wreaked havoc in 25 provinces including Bangkok and nearby provinces. Authorities ordered evacuations for residents in eight of Bangkok's 50 districts by today. Floodwaters were approaching a main road near Bangkok city's Mo Chit bus terminal, a major gateway to northern Thailand, traffic police chief Uthaiwan Kaewsa-ard said. Across the country, the flooding, now in its third month, has affected 25 of Thailand's 64 provinces. Bangkok's central business district is still dry but other parts of the bustling metropolis of 12 million people are inundated. In Bangkok, floodwater on the Vibhavadi-Rangsit road just a few miles from downtown was 70-80 cm high in the afternoon. At least 20 per cent of the mega city is already submerged in floodwater raising fears about outbreaks of water borne diseases in the densely populated metropolis. Efforts are on to steer the floodwaters through canals in the east and west of Bangkok out to the river. The floodwaters have already inundated the busy Lat Phrao intersection on the fringe of the city centre while the hugely popular weekend market Chatuchak, which has been hit by flood waters, remained open today though many traders stayed away. The floods are a result of unusually heavy monsoon rains that began three months ago.
— PTI
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IAEA report on Iran set to raise Middle East tension
Vienna, November 6 Western powers are likely to seize on the International Atomic Energy Agency document, which has been preceded by media speculation in Israel of military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, to press for more sanctions on the oil producer. But Russia and China fear the publication of the IAEA's findings can hurt any chance of diplomacy resolving the long-running nuclear row and they have lobbied against it, signalling opposition to any new punitive UN measures against Iran. Iran rejects allegations of atomic weapons ambitions, saying its nuclear programme is aimed at producing electricity. The report is tentatively scheduled to be submitted to IAEA member states on November 9 before a quarterly meeting the following week of the agency's 35-nation board of governors in Vienna. It "will be followed by a US-European Union push for harsher sanctions against Iran at the UN Security Council, where Western powers will meet stiff resistance from Russia and China," said Trita Parsi, an expert on US-Iran relations. The document is expected to give fresh evidence of research and other activities with little other application than atomic bomb-making, including studies linked to the development of an atom bomb trigger and computer modelling of a nuclear weapon. Sources briefed on the report also say it will include information from both before and after 2003, the year in which US spy services estimated, in a controversial 2007 assessment, that Iran had halted outright "weaponisation" work. Many conservative experts criticised the 2007 findings as inaccurate and naive, and U.S. intelligence agencies now believe Iranian leaders have resumed closed-door debates over the last four years about whether to build a nuclear bomb. "The primary new information is likely to be any work that Iran has engaged in after 2003 ... Iran is understood to have continued or restarted some research and development since then," said Peter Crail of the Arms Control Association, a US-based advocacy group. The sources familiar with the document said that among other things it would support allegations that Iran built a large steel container for the purpose of carrying out tests with high explosives applicable to nuclear weapons. "This is not a country that is sitting down just doing some theoretical stuff on a computer," a Western official said about the IAEA's body of evidence, which is based on Western intelligence as well as the agency's own investigations. The report will flesh out and expand on concerns voiced by the IAEA for several years over allegations that Iran had a linked programme of projects to process uranium, test high explosives and modify a missile cone to take a nuclear payload. It is not believed to contain an explicit assessment that Iran is developing a nuclear weapons capability. "The IAEA's report will not likely contain any smoking guns," said Mark Hibbs of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. But Western diplomats say the dossier will be incriminating for the Islamic Republic and present a compelling case that it is carrying out weapons-relevant work. Iran says the accusations of military nuclear activity are forged and baseless, showing no sign of backing down in the face of intensified international pressure. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said he did not fear possible revelations, saying on Saturday: "They are claiming that they are going to publish new documents. We know what the truth is. Let them publish them and we'll see what happens. Will they not be called into question as an agency that is under pressure by foreign powers?" In the run-up to the report there has been an escalation of rhetoric on both sides. A senior US military official said on Friday Iran had become the biggest threat to the United States and Israel's president said the military option to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons was nearer.
— Reuters
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BEML seeks entry into China market
Beijing, November 6 The 13th China Mining Congress & Expo, a two-day event, has attracted about 4,800 participants from over 50 countries and regions. The exposition of the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) was also visited by Chinese Vice Minister of Land and Resources, Wang Min, who evinced interest, saying the equipment stood good chance in Chinese market. BEML's huge machines including dumpers, excavators and motor graders constituted a "dominant display" at the Indian Ambassador to China, S Jaishankar told PTI. The capacity of the BEML's five machines displayed at the expo was not available in Chinese market, which presented good prospects for its entry in the market here, Jaishankar said. Later Wang and S Vijay Kumar, Secretary of Mines, who is heading the Indian delegation at the Mining Congress discussed cooperation between the two countries for institutional interaction between India and China in mining technology and equipment production. Later, the Indian delegation held talks with the top officials of the Tianjin unit of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). BEML's huge equipment has drawn considerable attention among the Chinese and international dealers and buyers, Nag Naidu, Counsellor at the trade wing of the Indian Embassy in Beijing, who took part in the meeting said. He quoted Wang as saying that he was amazed by India's participation. China is a major market in mining and the Chinese Congress provides a large platform, Naidu said. The participation not only drew the attention of local dealers and buyers but also mine officials from over 50 countries who were taking part in the Congress, he said. Addressing the event, Wang said in spite of the uncertainty of the world's economy recovery, the mining industry is now showing good development potential. It is expected that in 2011 the global investment on mining exploration for the non-fuel solid minerals will reach $13 to 14 billion which shows global mining is back to its healthy ways, he said. Global petroleum demand is now growing at a rate of one per cent per year, and some institutions predict that the demand in 2011 will exceed previous years, Wang said. Developed countries are also looking for strategic layout on new resources, which extends the research on mineral raw material for the new technology, Xinhua quoted Wang as saying. In the first half of 2011, 1,379 mergers and acquisitions took place in the global mining industry, with the trading volume at a record-high of $71 billion, an 80-per cent increase compared with the figure in the same period in 2010, Wang said. These mergers and acquisitions are still dominated by Canada, Australia and European countries and concentrated on coal, iron, copper, gold and potassium. In the first three quarters, China has seen the investment of the mining industry reach about $410 billion, which is a 27.9-per cent increase year-on-year, said statistics released by the land and resources ministry. China's mining industry has seen smooth progress on mineral exploration, steady growth on mine production and improvement on the mine environment, Wang said. Moreover, the price on mineral products has been gradually stabilised with active imports and exports. "China will deepen the pragmatic cooperation in global mining industry and oppose the trade protectionism. China will also facilitate to establish a fair and rational system for international mining products trade and investment," Wang said.
— PTI
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JuD not on new list of banned terror groups in Pakistan Islamabad, November 6 The Interior Ministry released the list of banned organisations yesterday as part of efforts to bar such groups from collecting the hides of animals sacrificed during the Eid-ul-Azha festival. Hundreds of hides collected every year by members of the groups are sold to raise funds. Though the Lashkar-e-Toiba was included in the new list, the JuD was not on it. In the wake of the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 persons, the UN Security Council had declared the Jamaat-ud-Dawah a front organisation of the LeT. After the Mumbai attacks, Pakistani leaders like Interior Minister Rehman Malik insisted that the JuD had been banned. However, during a hearing in the Lahore High Court in 2009, a senior law officer admitted that no notification had been issued to ban the JuD. The new list of banned groups includes Jaish-e-Mohammed and its front organisation Khuddam-ul-Islam, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and its front organisation Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan, Al-Qaida, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Jaafria Pakistan, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi and Hizb-ut-Tahrir. Other groups on the list are Tehrik-e-Islami, Jamiat-ul-Ansar, Jamiat-ul-Furqan, Khair-un-Naas International Trust, Islamic Students Movement of Pakistan, Islami Tehreek Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Islam, Ansar-ul-Islam, Haji Namdar Group, Balochistan Liberation Army, Balochistan Republican Army, Balochistan Liberation Front, Lashkar-e-Balochistan, Balochistan Liberation United Front and Balochistan Musallah Difa Tanzeem. New additions to the list included People’s Aman Committee of Karachi, Shia Tulaba Action Committee of Gilgit, Markaz Sabeel Organisation of Gilgit and Tanzeem-e-Naujawanan-e-Sunnat of Gilgit-Baltistan. The Interior Ministry warned that any members of the banned groups found collecting animal hides during Eid-ul-Azha would be booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Members of the banned groups cannot assemble, maintain offices, continue their activities and operate bank accounts, an official statement said.
— PTI
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Five Indian sailors dead as ship sinks near Oman Dubai, November 6 Six sailors were rescued after the Omani coast guards and naval vessels launched a rescue operation but nine others are still missing, the Gulf news reported. The southern Dhofar region was hit by torrential rains this week, flooding the region and killing 12 people. The Met authorities in the region had on Friday cautioned fishermen and other seafarers to check the condition of the sea over the next 24 hours before venturing out. The rescued sailors were initially taken to the Sadah Hospital. They were being kept at the police station in Sadah city, which is located around 140 km from Salalah in southern Oman as the rescuers searched for the missing. The nine missing sailors were identified as Captain Prabhulal, Engineer Suresh, Lalji, Bharat, Mohan Mehta, Ashraf Asam, Yusuf Saamra, Suleiman Haji Sumara and Hussain Sumaraa. The Indian sailors had travelled from Gujarat to Dubai and were headed towards Salalah when they were caught up in strong winds around the time tropical cyclone Keila passed through. "It seems their boat was damaged by the strong wind and sank," the Gulf News quoted a source as saying. Omani vessels were guarding the coastal area following the tropical storm when the boat sank. All the rescued sailors were from Gujarat. "It is strange that the rescued sailors have been locked up and I have urged the Indian embassy to take up the matter with the local authorities," P M Jabir, Indian Social Club Welfare Secretary, was quoted as saying by the Gulf News.
— PTI
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Over 2,500 tourists stranded near Everest base camp Kathmandu, November 6 With the help of private airlines operating small helicopters some 500 tourists stranded in Lukla, gateway to Mt Everest, have been rescued over the past three days beginning from Friday. Lukla, which lies at a height of 2,800 metres (9,186 feet), is located 125 km (78 miles) northeast of the Nepali capital. Hundreds of foreign tourists have been stranded in the remote mountain region for about a week due to bad weather and their number had climbed to over 3,000 with daily hundreds of tourists coming to Lukla from various trekking routes. More than 2,500 tourists, including Americans, Britons and Germans, are still waiting to be airlifted from Lukla as Nepal Army's MI 17 helicopter could not land in the Lukla Airport today for the second time. Nepal Army has said that bad weather and low visibility had hampered rescue operation. However, an official at Himalayan Rescue Association expressed dissatisfaction over the army's rescue works. Some private organisations with their limited capacity area doing whatever they can to rescue the stranded passengers, said Bikram Neupane, president of Himalayan Rescue Association. The prices of daily commodities have soared up and the stock of meat and vegetables is running empty. Many tourists are forced to sleep in small tents, open ground of the airport and even dining halls of Lukla hotels. The Everest base camp is a big draw with tourists visiting Nepal, with thousands flocking to the region during the current peak season. Around 700 travellers fly in and out of Lukla on a normal day, when weather condition is good.
— PTI
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Picture password to protect your online account!
London, November 6 An international team says that it’s actually a new kind of login which relies on the fallibility of human memory to prevent phishing attempts at stealing one’s account details, the New Scientist reported. The researchers at Stony Brook University in New York have, in fact, come up with a system, called PhorceField, which makes it almost impossible to login without viewing the correct images. PhorceField asks users to create a graphical password by choosing four images in a particular order from a set of 12 and you might choose pictures of a loaf of bread, a candle flame, and two more. These images are stored in a secret file on computer that only the legitimate website can access. When one logins, one simply remembers which images to click on among a set of others that aren’t part of one’s password. A phisher who wants to trick you into giving up your PhorceField password knows nothing about the secret images. This means that one will struggle to identify the correct ones — one might remember that the password includes a loaf of bread, but was it round or oblong? Eventually, after a number of failed logins, you will just give up and leave the phishing site without ever having revealed your password, say the researchers.
— PTI
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Pak rejects reports of nuclear insecurity
Islamabad, November 6 A statement issued by Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said the article "The Ally From Hell" in The Atlantic journal was "baseless and motivated". She dismissed the article as "pure fiction, baseless and motivated". "It is part of a deliberate propaganda campaign meant to mislead opinion. The surfacing of such campaigns is not something new. It is orchestrated by quarters that are inimical to Pakistan," she said. Janjua said: "No one should underestimate Pakistan's will and capability to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity." The article had accused Pakistan of lying to the US administration in the campaign against terrorists and failing to detect the presence of Osama bin Laden.
— PTI
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Nigerian forces hunt killers
Kano, November 6 The Boko Haram Islamist sect claimed responsibility for multiple gun and bomb attacks in the city of Damaturu on Friday evening that left bodies littering the streets and police stations, churches and mosques reduced to smouldering rubble. "We are ready for them, we are going to comb every place in the state to until we find and deal with them. Our men are ready," the police commissioner for Yobe state, said.
— Reuters
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Bangkok, November 6
Vienna, November 6
