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Thai PM gives in, dissolves Parliament
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Mandla Mandela marches along with people outside his grandfather Nelson Mandela’s home in Johannesburg on Monday. AP/PTI
24 Indians held in Singapore after riots
Pak court summons Zardari in 3 graft cases
Pak drops plan to send Abbas as envoy to India
Bangladesh Oppn extends nationwide blockade
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Thai PM gives in, dissolves Parliament
Bangkok, December 9 "After listening to opinions from all sides, I have decided to request a royal decree to dissolve Parliament," Yingluck said in a televised address. "There will be new elections according to the democratic system," said the 46-year-old premier who came to power in 2011. Following Yingluck's sudden announcement, anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban congratulated a crowd of over a lakh people for reclaiming the country with "bare hands". "We should be proud of ourselves that this is the first time the people, owners of the country, reclaimed the country from a corrupt government with our bare hands. We do it today, my fellow Thais," Suthep said. Yingluck, who protesters accuse of acting as a proxy for her fugitive brother and former premier Thaksin Shinwatra, was under pressure to quit and call a fresh poll since late last month, when protests started for her government to be replaced with an unelected "People's Council". Election Commission member Sodsri Sattayatham said the general elections to elect the 500-seat lower house will be held under Thai laws within 60 days, or before February 2, 2014. However, protesters said their rallies will continue. Suthep said demonstrators would "blow the final whistle" in an attempt to uproot the "Thaksin influence" from the country and today's announcement was only the "first step". Protesters besieged Government House this morning, prompting authorities to cancel a plan to invite foreign diplomats to observe the situation there. Yingluck said she will remain the head of the interim government. "The situation seems likely to escalate to violence so the government has decided to return power to the people and let them decide through elections," she said. However, protest leaders Satit Wongnongtaey and Tavorn Senieum demanded her resignation. Satit said the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee led by Suthep wants the "People's Council" to be formed and the caretaker cabinet to resign.
— PTI Fresh polls by Feb
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Mandela funeral: World leaders arrive in S Africa
Johannesburg, December 9 Scores of foreign dignitaries have already arrived in the country for the memorial service at the 95,000-seat FNB Stadium, where Mandela made his last major public appearance during the 2010 football World Cup. President Mukherjee will lead a high-level delegation to the memorial service Mandela, who died on December 5. The delegation will comprise UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury and BSP leader Satish Mishta, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman said in New Delhi. There has been "unprecedented interest" to attend the revered statesman's funeral, South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane told a news conference here. The other dignitaries who have confirmed their attendance include US President Barack Obama, Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff, French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid will also attend the event.
— PTI |
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24 Indians held in Singapore after riots
Singapore, December 9 Besides the Indians, two Bangladeshis and one Singapore permanent resident, whose origin was not known, were also arrested for last night's rioting, triggered by a road accident that killed an Indian worker. At least 18 people, including 10 policemen, were injured when some 400 people attacked the police and damaged 16 vehicles in an Indian district here, police said. The trouble started after a private bus fatally knocked down an Indian pedestrian, 33-year-old Sakthivel Kuaravelu, around 9:20pm at the junction of Race Course Road and Hampshire Road in Little India, a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where most of the South Asian workers take their Sunday break, they said. All the 27 arrested are in the age-group of 23-45 and face charges under "rioting with dangerous weapons", punishable by up to seven years in prison as well as caning. High Commissioner Vijay Thakur Singh said the High Commission was in constant touch with the Singapore authorities to ascertain the facts of the incidents. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong conveyed his deepest condolences to the family of Kuaravelu and ordered a probe into the incident.
— PTI PM orders probe into ‘worst riots in 40 yrs’
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Pak court summons Zardari in 3 graft cases
Islamabad, December 9 The three references were filed by the National Accountability Bureau against Zardari were revived after his presidential immunity ended. "The former president would appear in the court for the next hearing after getting a security clearance," Naek said. Judge Muhammad Bashir of Islamabad's accountability court accepted Zardari's non-appearance application for today's hearing of the trial and asked him to appear before it on December 23. Naek said Zardari had been indicted in all the other cases apart from the polo ground reference case in which he had not been charged. NAB officials gave copies of the Cotecna reference to Naek. The court summoned the witnesses in Societe Generale Surveillance (SGS), Cotecna, Ursus tractor and assets cases.
— PTI Govt finalises treason chargesheet against Musharraf
Verdict reserved on doc who tracked Osama
Islamabad: A Pakistani tribunal on Friday completed hearing a review petition filed by Shakeel Afridi, the doctor arrested for helping the CIA track Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, and reserved its verdict.
— PTI |
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Pak drops plan to send Abbas as envoy to India
Islamabad, December 9 "Yes, Ibne Abbas is not being sent to India. Basit will be the new High Commissioner to India," an official said. The official made it clear that a formal notification about Basit’s appointment is yet to be issued. Asked why Abbas was changed, the official said, “Basit is quite senior and Abbas was quite junior for India.” Basit will take over at a time when PM Nawaz Sharif is pushing for better ties with India. Pakistan has sought the resumption of dialogue to resolve all issues. He earlier served as Director General and Foreign Office spokesman during 2008-09 and as Additional Secretary and spokesman during 2009-12. Abbas, a career diplomat who earlier served as Counsellor (political) at the Pakistani mission in New Delhi, is likely to replace Basit as envoy to Germany.
— PTI |
Israel, Palestinians to sign Red Sea-Dead Sea deal NASA rover finds remnants of lake on Mars Over 15,000 kg explosives seized in Karachi 7 dead, 20 hurt in Jakarta train crash NZ man in custody over Indian-origin woman's murder Spate of bombings in Iraq
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Twenty-seven South Asian workers, including 24 Indians, were arrested today for alleged rioting in Singapore as its Prime Minister ordered a probe into the country's worst outbreak of violence in over 40 years.
Besides the Indians, two Bangladeshis and one Singapore permanent resident,
whose origin was not known, were also arrested for last night's rioting,
triggered by a road accident that killed an Indian worker.
Islamabad: Pakistan government has finalised the chargesheet in a case of treason against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. The government plans to charge him for "abrogating, subverting, suspending, holding in abeyance and attempting to conspire against the 1973 Constitution" by declaring emergency and overthrowing the judiciary in 2007.
— PTI
