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Thai protests ease as cops relent
US urges Japan, China to lower tension over air defence zone
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US debates Amazon plan to deliver packages by drones
India offers help for destruction of chemical weapons in Syria
India refuses to budge as WTO members begin parleys
No change in visa policy on Modi: US
US website regrets ‘confusion’ over Sonia's name in richest list
Apple buys firm co-founded by 2 US-Indians
Political uncertainty deepens in B’desh
Nepali Cong tops tally, but falls short of majority
India 94th on corruption perception index
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Thai protests ease as cops relent
Bangkok, December 3 As the anti-government protesters claimed a symbolic victory, Yingluck sought to use the king’s birthday to launch a fresh effort to resolve the crisis, asking protesters to join a forum for political reform. Hundreds of protesters poured into the lawns of the premier's office after police removed barricades, saying they would no longer use force against activists. The mood in the capital Bangkok was considerably calmer after the surprise move ahead of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 86th birthday on Thursday. The police, who used teargas and rubber bullets against flag-waving protesters over the past few days, handed out roses to them. The protesters mingled with police, shouted slogans and left peacefully. However, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban said the fight to unseat the government was not over. "This is a victory but it’s not a decisive victory,” he said. “It’s a partial victory but it's not final because the Thaksin regime is still in place. You cannot go back home yet...We must continue fighting." The protesters accuse Yingluck of being a proxy for her elder brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2006 by the military and is in self-exile. Media reports said the protesters were unlikely to continue their campaign on King Bhumibol's birthday, which is traditionally a day of prayer and
celebration. Yingluck invited protesters, academics and businessmen to join a forum to bring about political reform. In a brief televised address, she said talks were needed between different sections of society to find a long-term solution.
— PTI All Indians safe: Envoy
Bangkok: All Indians nationals in Thailand are safe and sound, Indian Ambassador Anil Wadhwa said on Tuesday. "All the Indians in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand are safe. We have not received reports of any untoward incident so far. We advise people to continue to watch the situation continuously," Wadhwa said. The envoy said all hotels and major tourist spots are open, but Indians should avoid areas such as police headquarters and Government House, where protests are concentrated.
— PTI
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US urges Japan, China to lower tension over air defence zone
Tokyo, December 3 The United States has made clear it will stand by treaty obligations that require it to defend the Japanese-controlled islands, but it is also reluctant to get dragged into any clash between the Asian rivals. "This action has raised regional tensions and increased the risk of accidents and miscalculation," Biden told a news conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "This underscores the need for crisis management mechanisms and effective channels of communication between China and Japan to reduce the risk of escalation." He said he would raise U.S. concerns directly when he met Chinese leaders. Biden was on the first leg of an Asian trip that takes him to Beijing on Wednesday and then to Seoul. Biden also called for better ties between Washington's Asian allies Tokyo and Seoul. Japan reiterated on Tuesday that Tokyo and Washington had both rejected Beijing's establishment of the zone.
— Reuters Beijing hardens stance Beijing: China has hardened its stance on the creation of the new air defence zone over the disputed islands in the East China Sea saying its military has “unwavering” will to enforce it. “Some people doubt China’s monitoring capabilities in the East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone,” an official statement said on Tuesday. — PTI
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US debates Amazon plan to deliver packages by drones
Washington, December 3 "Before drones start delivering packages, we need the FAA to deliver privacy protections for the American public," US Senator, Ed Markey, said in a statement after the US online retail giant's CEO Jeff Bezos announced that he hopes to deploy small drones to drop packages at customers' doorstep. "Convenience should never trump constitutional protections. Before our skies teem with commercial drones, clear rules must be set that protect the privacy and safety of the public," Markey said. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is scheduled to issue a ruling on the impact of increased use of commercial drones on the US airline industry by 2015. On Sunday, Bezos said in an interview with the 'CBS 60 Minute' that his company could use drones to speed up delivery time in four to five years. This, he said, is a subject of clearance by the FAA. Last month, Markey had introduced the Drone Aircraft Privacy and Transparency Act that would require transparency in the use of domestic drones and privacy protections to ensure that drones cannot be used to spy on Americans. The FAA recently released a drone use "road map" that disregards the need for federal privacy protections for individuals as drones prepare to take flight in US airspace.
— PTI UN launches its first ever surveillance drone
DR Congo: The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo today officially launched a surveillance drone in the strife-torn northeast in the first such move by the United Nations. The Italian-made pilotless aircraft was launched at 12:01 PM (1001 GMT) from the airport in Goma, capital of North Kivu province, at a media event attended by the chief of UN peacekeeping operations, Herve Ladsous and several diplomats. The UN mission in the DR Congo, MONUSCO, currently has two such drones.
— PTI
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India offers help for destruction of chemical weapons in Syria New Delhi, December 3 New Delhi also offered a financial contribution of $1 million for destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons and related facilities by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). India would also offer services of its experts to be used by the OPCW in the destruction verification activity as well as training slots for personnel participating in the UN/OPCW mission for the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons, the External Affairs Ministry said. India is an original state party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and as a possessor state it has fully completed the destruction of its chemical weapons in accordance with the convention. India also welcomed the progress on the time-bound destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons and its accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
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India refuses to budge as WTO members begin parleys
Bali, December 3 "The outcome of the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the WTO is the collective responsibility...and a fair, balanced result would be possible only if the genuine concerns of developing countries, including India, are satisfactorily addressed," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said, a point that was backed by Brazil and South Africa. Sharma made India's position clear during bilateral talks with trade ministers of various nations on the sidelines of the World Trade Organisation meet. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo emphasised, "We cannot put this (negotiations) off for another day...It is now or never." Indonesia, the Chair of the Ministerial Conference and a key member of the G33 group, also called upon members to show some "flexibility and compromise" for a positive outcome. "India comes strong in terms of linking the interim solution to the permanent solution but we also understand where the other guys are coming from. I think, there needs to be flexibility from some sides for this to work. "It is inconceivable to find a permanent solution here. “We can only strike an interim solution here but it's a question of how the shape of the interim solution that will link itself to the permanent solution. I am suggesting not a longer peace clause but a better defined mechanism of linking the interim to the permanent," Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan told reporters here. Sharma, however, emphasised that ensuring food security for large populations was a common concern shared by developing countries, including India and China. G33 members are demanding amendments in the WTO accord on agriculture to smoothly implement the food security programme without attracting any penalty even if the 10 per cent farm subsidy cap is breached. — PTI
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No change in visa policy on Modi: US
“I would just note that there has been no change in US rules or regulations, with respect to its visa policy. That is that all individuals apply and have to undergo a review process,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal, said at a news conference. “So the point at which there is an application, there will be a review process, and I can’t speak to what the outcome of that process would be.” “So as far as I’m concerned, there’s no news there,” Biswal said when asked about the US visa policy with regard to Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister. — PTI
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US website regrets ‘confusion’ over Sonia's name in richest list
The removal of the name occurred shortly after the Congress derided the website for the "absurd and ridiculous" item. "Our editors have been unable to verify the amount, removed the link, and regret any confusion," the Huffington post said, four days after it listed Gandhi as the 12th richest world leader putting her asset to USD 2 billion. “Sonia Gandhi and the former emir of Qatar Hamid bin Khalifa al-Thani have been removed from this list," the editor of Huffington Post wrote on its website last evening after the list of the world's richest leader was updated. "Gandhi was originally included based on a listing on a third party site which was subsequently called into question," said the editor without giving name of the third-party site.
— PTI
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Apple buys firm co-founded by 2 US-Indians
New York, December 3 The company tracks trending topics on microblogging site Twitter and other social media networks. Topsy has analysed all tweets since 2006 and recently announced a free search engine for tweets. While neither company gave details of the deal’s cost, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple dished out over $200 million for Topsy. Among the features that made Topsy attractive to Apple is that it tracks what users are saying on Twitter as it happens, it also tracks how often terms are being tweeted. While Apple confirmed to WSJ the acquisition, it did not say why it was interested in Topsy. “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” said Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet. — PTI
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Political uncertainty deepens in B’desh
Dhaka, December 3 Political violence during opposition protests for postponing the polls continued unabated, claiming five lives today and taking the overall toll to 35. Jatiya Party, the country's third largest party and a key ally of the Awami League, said it would not participate in the elections, attributing its sudden decision to lack of "proper atmosphere". "It's final that we will not go to the polls," former president and chief of Jatiya Party, Hussain Muhammad Ershad, told reporters. "I promised earlier that I will not take part in the elections unless all major political parties contest the polls ... I kept my promise," he said. "I am not going to contest the election. The country is at the brink of disaster. We're heading towards uncertainty," Ershad said. The former military ruler, said the party candidates who have submitted their nomination papers were asked to withdraw their candidature ahead of last date of withdrawal set by the Election Commission.
— PTI
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Nepali Cong tops tally, but falls short of majority Dhaka, December 3 The Election Commission (EC) said the Nepali Congress led by Sushil Koirala won maximum number of seats under the Proportional Representation (PR) category and direct voting. Jhalanath Khanal-led CPN (UML) won 175 seats, followed by Prachanda's UCPN-Maoist with 80 seats in the November 19 vote to elect the 601-member Constituent Assembly. The NC has gained 91 PR seats, followed by the CPN (UML) with 84, UCPN-M with 54 and Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N) with 24 seats. — PTI Rigging complaint against Prachanda Kathmandu: A complaint of vote rigging was on Tuesday filed against Prachanda by a CPN-UML candidate who lost narrowly to the Maoist supremo in the November 19 polls. Prachanda secured 15,244 votes, just 900 more than his rival Lilanath Shrestha of CPN-UML, in Siraha 5 constituency. — PTI
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India 94th on corruption perception index Berlin, December 3 While India's rank has remained unchanged from the last year, it has emerged as more corrupt than three of its BRICS peers - China (80th), South Africa and Brazil (both ranked 72nd) - but better than Russia (127th) in this annual list of 177 countries compiled by Transparency International. India has scored 36 points on a scale of 0-100, where 0 means that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 means it is perceived as very clean. Top-ranked Denmark and New Zealand have scored 91 points each to share the first place on the list. Somalia shares lowest rank with North Korea and Afghanistan with eight points each. India has done better than its neighbour Pakistan (ranked 127th), as also countries such as Thailand (102nd), Mexico (106th), Egypt (114th), Nepal (116th) and Vietnam (116th). — PTI
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Mexico finds 64 bodies in mass graves Ukrainian government survives no-confidence vote Indian diplomat writes anthem for SAARC Guardian editor to be grilled by MPs over Snowden Indian woman found dead in UAE Vatican, Oxford put ancient manuscripts online Bolshoi dancer gets six years for acid attack 
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Washington, December 3
Washington, December 3
