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India wants genuine ethnic reconciliation in Sri Lanka
Italian cruise ship captain grilled, rescue ops on
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Protest against US anti-piracy bills
Martin Schulz
Indian-origin woman gives birth to ‘Jhatpat’ on US train
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India wants genuine ethnic reconciliation in Sri Lanka Colombo, January 17 President Mahinda Rajapaksa conveyed his government’s resolve to implementing the 13th Amendment to External Affairs Minister SM Krishna who stressed that political settlement of Tamils and a solution that answers the genuine aspirations of the community was the “most important” issue before the country. Rajapaksa’s assurance came as his Foreign Minister GL Peiris rejected reports that the talks with the Tamil National Alliance for arriving at a political solution had been called off, saying on the contrary government was focusing on making the dialogue more constructive. During the meeting, Rajapaksa and Krishna reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral ties, ways to evolve the political solution to resolve the Tamil question and the progress in relief and rehabilitation of war-displaced Tamil civilians, sources said. “I discussed this (political solution) matter with His Excellency the President this morning. The President assured me that he stands by his commitment to pursuing the 13th Amendment plus approach,” Krishna said. The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution envisages devolution of powers to the Tamil-dominated Northern Province, which India feels will meet the “genuine aspirations” of the ethnic Tamils. — PTI India, Lanka ink five pacts n
An MoU for a housing project, which involves the construction of about 50,000 houses for vulnerable sections of Internally Displaced Persons. n
India to extend a line of credit worth over $382 million for the restoration of Northern Railway services. n
A buyer’s credit agreement for $60.69 million and will be used to finance the Greater Dambulla Water Supply Project. n
Both sides decide to extend cooperation in agriculture. n
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka to work to establish a mechanism of technical and institutional cooperation in the field of telecommunication.
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Italian cruise ship captain grilled, rescue ops on
Giglio Island, January 17 A black box transcript showed Francesco Schettino, who is reported to have sailed so close to the shore to please a local crew member, ignored a port official’s order to return on deck after abandoning the stricken ship. The huge Costa Concordia cruise liner hit rocks and pitched over off the picturesque Tuscan island of Giglio on Friday, leaving at least six people dead, and survivors have recounted scenes of chaos after the disaster struck. Of the more than 4,200 people on board when the ship went down, 12 Germans, six Italians, four French, two Americans, one Hungarian, one Indian and one Peruvian remain missing. There were also reports of a missing five-year-old Italian girl. “It was bravado, Schettino was showing off, clowning around, it was incredibly stupid. I would sentence him not once but 10 times,” said a former captain who worked with the ship’s owne.— AFP
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Protest against US anti-piracy bills New York, January 17 “In an unprecedented decision, the Wikipedia community has chosen to blackout the English version of Wikipedia for 24 hours, in protest against proposed legislation in the United States - the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the US House of Representatives, and PROTECTIP (PIPA) in the US Senate,” said a statement by Wikimedia Foundation’s Head of Communications Jay Walsh. Walsh said the legislation will “harm the free and open Internet and bring about new tools for censorship of international websites in the US.” The decision to “go dark” came after three days of discussions by 1800 Wikipedians over proposed actions that the community could take against SOPA and PIPA, illustrating the “level of concern” Wikipedians feel about the proposed legislation. “The overwhelming majority of participants support community action to encourage greater public action in response to these two bills. Today Wikipedians from around the world have spoken about their opposition to this destructive legislation,” said Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia. The California-based Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organisation that operates Wikipedia. — PTI
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Schulz is EU Parliament president
Strasbourg (France), Jan 17 Martin Schulz replaces Poland’s Jerzy Buzek, who did not seek re-election. He handily defeated two British legislators Nirj Deva and Diana Wallis in the first round of balloting on Tuesday. Schulz gained international prominence in 2003 when Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called him an ideal choice for a Nazi concentration camp guard. Berlusconi was forced to apologize later. The long-time socialist leader in the legislature, Schulz plans to use his new position to seek more European integration and more political power to help tackle the financial crisis. — AP
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Indian-origin woman gives birth to ‘Jhatpat’ on US train New York, January 16 At first, Rabita Sarker, 31, of New Jersey said she thought she was experiencing false labour pains as she boarded the train run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in Jersey City. But as the Manhattan-bound entered New York, Sarker knew her baby could not wait any longer. As she went into labour, few passengers helped her panicked husband deliver the baby boy they nicknamed “Jhatpat” — the Hindi word for “fast” — a report in the New York Daily News said. “He decided to come and that was it. Nothing could stop him. Nothing could keep him inside for longer,” the report quoted Sarker as saying. She was later admitted to a New York hospital. “I don’t think anybody could actually dream of such a delivery,” she added. Sarker and her 30-year-old husband, Aditya Saurabh, were already on their way to the hospital for a medical check-up. “We were coming here to check if it was false labour or not,” she said. “I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just doing it for peace of mind’”. Wanting to avoid the always-crowded Lincoln Tunnel, they decided to take the commuter train ‘PATH’ that runs from New Jersey to New York. Sarker said she knew something was wrong shortly after boarding the train. She said she couldn’t believe the baby was really emerging. An elderly woman seated in front of her volunteered to help.When the baby was born, Saurabh placed him on her stomach. Other passengers alerted the conductor, who radioed ahead for an ambulance to meet the train, the report added. “As the train came into the station, the woman had already given birth,” said Port Authority Police Sergeant Mike Barry. — PTI
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econciliation through recommendations of a post-war panel, as Colombo assured it of its commitment to resolve the long-standing ethnic conflict by devolving powers to the Tamil-dominated provinces.
An Indian-origin woman gave birth to her first child during the train ride from New Jersey to New York, in what would be her most unforgettable journey.
At first, Rabita Sarker, 31, of New Jersey said she thought she was experiencing false labour pains as she boarded the train run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in Jersey City.
The Congressional bills — the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the US House of Representatives, and PROTECTIP (PIPA) in the US Senate — aim to curtail copyright violations on the Internet but have seen strong protests from the technology industry