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PM Shinzo Abe wins big in Japan upper house poll
Across US, people rally for ‘Justice for Trayvon’
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Were you consulted on visa bonds, British MP panel asks Manmohan
Nawaz for dialogue with neighbours
Peace talks will be tough: Netanyahu
B’desh to seek extradition of ’71 war crimes accused
17 Egyptian soldiers killed in road accident
Egypt begins amending constitution
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PM Shinzo Abe wins big in Japan upper house poll
Tokyo, July 21 The projected victory means both chambers will be under governmental control, unblocking the bottleneck that has hampered legislation for the last six short-term premiers. That will strengthen Abe's hand as he tries to push through painful, but necessary, structural reforms aimed at dragging Japan out of two decades of economic malaise. "A majority of voters wanted politics that can make decisions, and wanted stability in politics," Masahiko Komura, vice president of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, told national broadcaster NHK. "That must have brought about this result." Exit polls by NHK showed the LDP and its junior partner New Komeito claimed at least 71 of the 121 seats that were being contested, and possibly as many as 80. Other television stations predicted a similar margin of victory. There are 242 legislators in the upper house, serving six-year terms. Elections are held for half of the seats every three years. Since romping to power in December's vote for the more powerful lower house, the hard-charging Abe has unleashed a wave of fiscal spending and pressured the central bank to flood the market with easy money. The moves — the first two "arrows" of a project dubbed "Abenomics" — sent the yen plunging, to the delight of exporters, and the stock market soaring. This, coupled with some feel-good figures on GDP growth, powered 60-percent-plus public approval ratings for the prime minister, whose disastrous first turn in the top job until September 2007 has paled in the public mind. The third arrow of Abe's policy programme remains a little hazy, but will include corporate tax breaks, special business zones, plans to boost female participation in the workplace and Japan's participation in a mooted free trade area that encircles the Pacific. However, observers say these reforms will be tough. Superannuated farmers tending tiny plots make up a powerful lobby group that has already made clear its unease about the extra competition this free trade pact would bring. The fact that these rural voters also form the backbone of support for Abe's LDP could prove a problem for the premier. Pundits say a big public endorsement will protect the prime minister from the powerful vested interests inside the party that will agitate against the structural changes which economists agree the country badly needs. Japan's dishevelled opposition barely put up a fight in the election. The main oppo“2sition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, is in disarray after three years of confused governance were capped with a drubbing in December's poll. They and other smaller parties had united around one thing -- the need for Japan to graduate from nuclear power generation, a popular stance in a country badly scarred by the 2011 disaster at Fukushima. But even Abe's pro-nuclear stance, and his vow to switch back on Japan's 48 mothballed reactors when they have passed rigorous new safety checks, was not enough to dampen enthusiasm for his economic trump card. — AFP
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Across US, people rally for ‘Justice for Trayvon’
New York/Miami, July 21
Hundreds marched in the summer heat to rally at federal courthouses in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities, demanding "justice for Trayvon" and an end to racial profiling that they said was at the heart of the case. The rallies came one week after a Seminole County, Florida, jury returned verdicts finding 29-year-old George Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the February 2012 death of Martin. Critics contend Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, wrongly suspected Martin, 17, of being a criminal because he was black. The neighborhood watch volunteer called police to report Martin, then left his car with a loaded handgun concealed in his waistband. A fight ensued in which Zimmerman suffered a bloody nose and head injuries before he shot Martin once in the heart. In New York, scene of one of the largest rallies, roughly 2,000 protesters, some carrying "Boycott Florida" signs or wearing T-shirts with Martin's picture, were led by an emotional Sybrina Fulton, the slain teenager's mother. — Reuters
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Were you consulted on visa bonds, British MP panel asks Manmohan London, July 21 Under the pilot scheme announced by British Home Secretary Theresa May last month, citizens of India, along with those of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ghana and Sri Lanka, could be asked to pay a 3,000-pound cash bond in a bid to prevent them overstaying their visa. The House of Commons' Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) -- a group of cross-party MPs chaired by British-Indian Labour MP Keith Vaz -- has been looking into the proposed visa and immigration system that will be enforced from November this year. "I would be most grateful if you could clarify if your government has been consulted by the UK Government on the bonds pilot. As part of the committee's remit, we have an ongoing inquiry into the work of UK visas and immigration," wrote Vaz, who has previously categorised the scheme as "unfair and discriminatory". Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma had raised India's concerns over the issue with his British counterparts while on a visit to the UK soon after the policy was announced. Since then, the UK Government has stressed that the scheme will affect only a handful of high-risk individuals and will be fully re-assessed at the end of the pilot in 2014. Responding to a similar letter form HSAC, Nigeria accused the UK of racial discrimination. The Nigerian Ambassador to Britain said his country is "not favourably disposed to the proposal as it will affect a good number of Nigerians visiting the UK, even in spite of assurances to the contrary”. "We view it as discriminatory and targeted at only non-white members of the Commonwealth," ambassador Dalhatu Sarki Tafida said. Meanwhile, the HASC is conducting its own inquiries into the workings of Britain's visa and immigration system. — PTI Controversial scheme * From November, citizens of India, along with those of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ghana and Sri Lanka, could be asked to pay a 3,000-pound cash bond to prevent them overstaying their UK visa * The House of Commons' Home Affairs Select Committee, a group of cross-party MPs chaired by British-Indian Labour MP Keith Vaz, has been looking into the proposed visa system * Though affected nations have accused the UK Government of racial bias, it has stressed that the scheme will affect only a handful of high-risk individuals
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Nawaz for dialogue with neighbours
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been holding a series of meetings with various key arms of the government, arrived at the foreign office on Saturday, with his national security and foreign affairs advisers in tow for an in-depth briefing. During the briefing, the Prime Minister has termed evocative dialogue with India and Afghanistan a need of the hour and directed the foreign office to chalk out a strategy to initiate a comprehensive dialogue between the two nations.
The PM spent several hours in the foreign office for briefing on various facets of foreign policy. National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz was present at the briefing. Nawaz outlined his vision for the nation’s foreign policy and gave specific directions in this regard. He emphasised the imperatives of promotion of trade and pursuit of economic diplomacy, a statement said. Besides Aziz, the Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, and the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Tariq Fatemi, were present at the meeting along with other officials. |
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Philippe-I crowned king of Belgium
Brussels, July 21 Philippe, 53, took his oath in Belgium's three official languages — Dutch, French and German — two-and-a-half weeks after King Albert, 79, announced that he would abdicate after 20 years on the throne. Albert could be seen mouthing the words "Vive le roi" (Long live the king) at the swearing-in ceremony in parliament. Before signing a legislative act in the royal palace to step down, Albert thanked his wife, who wiped away tears, and said his son had all the qualities to serve the country well. "My final recommendation to all those gathered here is to work without rest in keeping Belgium together," he said. Philippe returned to the subject in his address to parliament, saying Belgium's richness lay in its diversity. Philippe is the seventh king of the 183-year-old country which is split across the middle. Many Dutch speakers seek greater autonomy for Flanders in the north and are wary of a monarchy seen to be rooted in the once powerful, but now poorer French-speaking Wallonia in the south. — Reuters
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Peace talks will be tough: Netanyahu
Jerusalem, July 21 Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday at his weekly Cabinet meeting, his first on-camera remarks since US secretary of state John Kerry announced the resumption of peace talks over the weekend, ending a five year deadlock. Netanyahu said his main guiding principles will be to maintain a Jewish majority in Israel and to avoid a future Palestinian state becoming an Iranian-backed "terror state.'' Final status negotiations aim to reach a deal on the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees and security arrangements. — AP
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B’desh to seek extradition of ’71 war crimes accused
Dhaka, July 21 The reaction came a day after Choudhury Muenuddin in an interview with the Al Jazeera declined to appear before the Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal saying "the tribunal in Bangladesh is a joke, it’s a sham trial." "Choudhury Mueenuddin himself is an accused who is wanted particularly for the systematic killings of top intellectuals just ahead of the December 16, 1971 victory against Pakistan. Don't you think it is natural on his part to make such claims about the trial," attorney general Mahbubey Alam told PTI. Alam said, Mueenuddin, a former journalist, and his fellow war crimes accused Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Khan alias Nayeb Ali would be tried in absentia if they could not be brought back. "We know one of them (Mueenuddin) is living in Britain and the other is in the US. We will do all we can to return them home to be exposed to justice," a foreign ministry spokesman told PTI. Mueenuddin also denied involvement in "any criminal activities of any nature" in the 1971 liberation war or since, saying, "In fact, I was not even a supporter of military action and I resigned my political posts after the military crackdown." Mueenuddin and Khan were two leaders of the infamous Al-Badr militia manned mostly by students of radical Jamaat-e-Islami party which was opposed to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan and they fled the country when Pakistani troops surrendered after their defeat in the war. Prosecution lawyers said they had gathered specific evidence that Mueenuddin played a crucial role in the massacre of intellectuals opposed to the Islamists on December 14, 1971 just before the war ended while archival media documents revealed he had acted like a secret killer. — PTI
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17 Egyptian soldiers killed in road accident
Cairo, July 21 An initial toll had said the crash killed 15 soldiers but two others died in hospital of their injuries. The bus had been travelling on the El-Alamein highway when the accident took place. The lorry driver survived the crash. After the accident, the army sent a plane to transport the victims to a military hospital. Bad driving and lax enforcement of traffic regulations are often blamed for the high frequency of road accidents in Egypt. Egyptians have also long complained that the government has failed to deal with chronic transport problems, with both roads and train lines poorly maintained. —
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Egypt begins amending constitution Cairo, July 21 The 10-member panel of legal experts and senior judges met on Sunday in parliament building to propose changes for many controversial provisions in the constitution drawn up last year by an Islamist-dominated Assembly and passed in a referendum. As the military-backed interim leadership pushes its fast-track timetable for a return to democracy, thousands of women held a protest against Morsi's overthrow outside the Defence Ministry office here. — AP
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US jets accidentally drop bombs on Great Barrier Reef
Child molestation: Death for Chinese man 6.5 magnitude quake rattles New Zealand HPV virus behind throat cancer threat US jets accidentally drop bombs on Barrier Reef |
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Voters gave Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a resounding victory in upper house elections today, exit polls showed, likely ushering in a new period of stability for politically volatile Japan.
The projected victory means both chambers will be under governmental control, unblocking the bottleneck that has hampered legislation for the last six short-term premiers.
