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Iran N-talks extended till July after deadline expires
Won’t stop island project in disputed sea: China to US
Iraqi troops retake two towns from IS militants
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Hagel, sole Republican in Obama’s team, resigns
Indians make a splash in Oz state elections
UK unveils tough new anti-terror Bill
Security up in Kathmandu for SAARC summit
Decks cleared for Zia’s trial on graft charges
Teen’s killing: Missouri jury’s verdict ready 2 Indian-origin ex-officials jailed in Fiji
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Iran N-talks extended till July after deadline expires
Vienna, November 24 Under the terms of limited agreements reached after a frenetic six days of talks in Vienna, a political accord is to be completed by March 1, with final details contained in annexes to be sealed by July 1, the diplomats said. Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany had set a deadline of midnight tonight to come to a final agreement on a mechanism whereby Iran's pathways to develop a nuclear weapon would be closed in return for relief from international sanctions. Instead, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said it "was not possible to meet the deadline" due to wide gaps on well-known points of contention, including levels of uranium enrichment and the number of centrifuges Iran would be allowed to operate. He stressed that while July 1 was the new deadline for a comprehensive deal, the expectation was that broad agreement would be in place by March 1. In the interim, expert level talks will resume in December at an as yet undetermined venue and Iran will receive about $700 million per month in frozen assets, Hammond said. Today's result matched earlier word that negotiations had turned two-track, with the sides still racing to reduce differences at the negotiating table but also working on how long to extend the talks. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif agreed yesterday to start discussion on the extension as it became clear that it would be hard to bridge the differences between them in the time before the deadline. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today said negotiators were still having "consultations" on a final agreement that meets both US demands for strict curbs on Tehran's nuclear program and Iran's push for sanctions relief, also suggesting that moves toward an immediate deal had not yet been abandoned. International negotiators are worried that Iran is using its nuclear development program as a cover for developing nuclear weapons, and they have imposed economic sanctions on Tehran.
— AP Iran cuts uranium gas stockpile, says IAEA
VIENNA: Iran has reduced its stockpile of low-enriched uranium gas and taken other action to comply with the terms of last year's interim nuclear agreement with world powers, a UN nuclear agency report showed on Monday. The International Atomic Energy Agency issued a monthly update on the preliminary accord’s implementation on the same day as Iran and the six global powers agreed to extend it after they failed to settle a 12-year dispute over Tehran’s atomic ambitions. |
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Won’t stop island project in disputed sea: China to US
Beijing, November 24 China lays claim to almost all of the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich with minerals and oil-and-gas deposits and one of Asia`s biggest possible flashpoints. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have claims. The comments by China`s foreign ministry signal that Beijing would firmly reject proposals by any country to freeze any activity that may raise tension. Media reports over the weekend cited US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Pool as urging China "to stop its land reclamation programme and engage in diplomatic initiatives to encourage all sides to restrain themselves in these sorts of activities". China reiterated that Beijing had "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands, where most of the overlapping claims lie, especially between China and the Philippines. “I think anyone in the outside world has no right to make irresponsible remarks on China-related activities," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing. "The construction-related activities undertaken by China on the islands are primarily to improve the living conditions of personnel stationed there and to better fulfil our international responsibilities and obligations in terms of search and rescue and the provision of public services." A leading defence publication said on Friday that satellite images showed China was building an island on a reef in the Spratly Islands large enough to accommodate what could be its first offshore airstrip in the sea.
— Reuters |
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Iraqi troops retake two towns from IS militants
Baghdad, November 24 "Iraqi army, police, Shia militias and Kurdish security forces, known as Peshmerga, freed the towns of Saadiyah, some 120 km northeast of Iraq's capital Baghdad, and nearby Jalawlaa, after fierce clashes with the IS militants," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. During the day, the troops continued fighting a few pockets of resistance at the edges of the two towns, while explosive experts are defusing dozens of roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings, the source said. Early Sunday, the security forces entered the two towns and gained footholds after fierce clashes with the IS militants, and later the troops fully seized the towns after they managed to drive the extremist militants out of the towns. In the morning, Jamil al-Shimary, provincial police chief, told Xinhua that the two towns have been announced as military zones and their displaced families will not be allowed to return until the security forces end their campaign to clear the towns' houses and roads from hundreds of mines and roadside bombs. Al-Shimary gave no details about casualties among the Iraqi security forces and allied militiamen, but he said that dozens of IS militants were killed and many others fled their positions in the towns. A medical source from the main hospital in the predominantly Kurdish city of Khanaqin told Xinhua that a total of 17 Peshmerga members were killed and some 31 others injured in the battles in Saadiyah and Jalawlaa. — IANS 40 IS militants killed in Syria
Beirut: At least 40 members of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group have been killed over the past 24 hours in clashes and airstrikes in the Syrian enclave of Kobani and the province of Deir al-Zur in the northeast of the country. At least 18 jihadis died in fighting against Kurdish forces in Kobani. |
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Hagel, sole Republican in Obama’s team, resigns
Hagel, who had struggled to improve his ties with Congress after a contentious 2013 confirmation hearing, submitted his resignation letter after lengthy discussions with Obama that began in October, officials said. The removal of Hagel - the sole Republican on his national security team - is the first cabinet-level casualty of the collapse of Obama's Democratic majority in the Senate. The New York Times quoted senior administration officials as saying Obama's decision to remove
Hagel, 68, was due to a recognition that the threat from the Sunni radical group Islamic State would require a different kind of skills than those that Hagel has brought on to employ.
Obama accepted his resignation and would formally announce the decision at 11.10 am EST (1610 GMT), officials said. “A successor will be named in short order, but Secretary Hagel will remain as Defense Secretary until his replacement is confirmed by the United States Senate," a senior Obama administration official said. Top potential candidates to replace Hagel include Michele
Flournoy, a former under secretary of defense, and Ashton Carter, a former deputy secretary of defense, who were rumored to be contenders for Hagel's job before he was named. Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, is another possible contender.
— Agencies First to go after Democrats’ poll rout
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Indians make a splash in Oz state elections
Melbourne, November 24 Victoria, home to over 110,000 people of Indian-origin, is set to hold its next elections on November 29. With Indians seen as the fastest growing community in the state, Punjabi emerging as the fastest-growing language and Hinduism being the fastest-growing religion, the diaspora is becoming an active player in politics at all levels. This year, a dozen Indians would be in the fray from many suburbs, representing several political parties including Liberal, Labor, Greens, Australian Christians and even as an independent candidate. Sanjay Nathan would represent the Labor Party while the Liberal party has nominated over six candidates, including Amita Gill, Moti Visa, Phulvinderjit Singh, Gandhi Bevinakoppa and George Varughese. Three Indians are representing Australian Greens party -- Raj Nayak, Gurm Sekhon and Alexandra Bhathal. Australian Christians have recruited Gurmender Grewal and Chandra Ojha is contesting as an independent candidate. A record 896 candidates will be standing this year in the state election and there are 21 registered political parties in Victoria. There are 789 endorsed candidates of registered political parties standing and 107 independent candidates.
— PTI No Indian has ever made to Parliament
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UK unveils tough new anti-terror Bill
LONDON, November 24 Among the new measures is a ban on UK-based insurance companies covering the cost of terrorist ransoms. The government hopes firms and families will be deterred from paying ransoms if the money cannot be claimed back. According to UK Home Office estimates, Islamic State (IS) has raised 28 million pounds in the past 12 months. While current laws criminalise terrorist financing, the Home Office feels there has been an element of "uncertainty" about whether insurers were prohibited from paying claims made by companies and families who had met ransom demands. Among other key measures announced by UK Home Secretary Theresa May include barring jihadists from returning for at least two years and stripping teenage jihadists of their passport. "Our position is clear - ransom payments to terrorists are illegal under UK and international law," May said. "Agreeing to meet the demands of barbaric groups like [Islamic State] would only put many more lives at risk. These measures will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of global efforts to put an end to the practice," she added. — Agencies Facing bigger threat than 9/11: Home Secy
LONDON: Britain is facing the biggest terrorism threat in its history and has foiled around 40 major plots since suicide bombers attacked London in 2005, Home Secretary Theresa May said on Monday. "When the security and intelligence agencies tell us that the threat we face is now more dangerous than at any time before or since 9/11 we should take notice," May said. |
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China defends dams on Brahmaputra
Beijing, November 24 “On the exploration and utilisation of trans-boundary rivers, China has been adopting a responsible attitude and we ensure that exploration goes hand in hand with the protection,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hu Chunying said, responding to questions on yesterday’s commissioning of the first phase of the largest hydropower station at Zangmu in Tibet. The first generating unit of the 9.6 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) Zangmu Hydropower Station, which is positioned over 3,300 metres above sea level on the “roof of the world”, went into operation yesterday with five other generating units due for completion next year. “We have taken full account of the concerns of the downstream areas,” she said, referring to apprehensions of India and Bangladesh which are the downstream countries of the Brahmaputra. China has three more such projects in the pipeline. “The hydropower stations China built will not affect the flood prevention and ecological system of the downstream areas. We have been in close communication and cooperation with them,” Hua said. “The communication is sound. We bear in mind the bigger picture of China-India good relationship and have been providing hydrological data and emergency management to the Indian side and has played important role in flood prevention and disaster relief in the downstream areas,” she said. Citing the joint statement issued during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India in September, she said the “Indian side thanked China for the provision of hydroilogical data and the assistance in emergency handling.” “The facts have shown that our assistance in this areas are effective and channels are smooth,” she said. Referring to India-China agreement on the Trans-border Rivers signed in 2013, Hua said since then the two sides are in communication on this issue. |
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Security up in Kathmandu for SAARC summit
Kathmandu, November 24 Hundreds of armed commandos of Nepal Army have been deployed along all the arterial roads as well as prominent places in the city which have been decked up to greet the leaders of the eight-member grouping. The two-day SAARC Summit, beginning on Wednesday, is expected to deliberate on a range of issues including liberalising trade, enhancing cooperation in the fields of education, healthcare, ensuring energy security and to deal with challenges of climate change. The army today carried out motorcade rehearsal outside the City Hall at Bhrikutimandap where the 18th SAARC Summit will take place. Since becoming PM Modi has been stressing the need for strengthening the SAARC and he is likely to lay out his vision for regional cooperation in South Asia and India’s approach to harnessing the developmental potential of the region. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The Foreign Secretaries of all SAARC member countries today held deliberations for a second day to enhance cooperation.
— PTI |
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Decks cleared for Zia’s trial on graft charges
Dhaka, November 24 “The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court rejected her leave to appeal petitions...now there is no legal barrier in trying her on corruption charges,” Deputy Attorney General Ekramul Haque Tutul told reporters. A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice M Muzammel Hossain delivered the order upholding a previous identical decision by the High Court, saying she must face trial in the lower court on the graft charges over the orphanage, which was named after her slain husband ex-president Ziaur Rahman. Tutul said the court also resumed hearing another appeal filed by Zia against a High Court ruling that validated her indictment by the lower court in a separate corruption case involving Zia Charitable Trust, a philanthropic organisation.
— PTI |
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Teen’s killing: Missouri jury’s verdict ready
FERGUSON, November 24 St Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch's office was due to make an announcement on the grand jury, the Post and CNN reported, citing sources. A spokesman for McCulloch did not immediately respond to a request
for comment. Activist groups have pledged fresh street protests if officer Darren Wilson is not indicted in the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown, 18, while the state has been planning a massive police presence to quell violence. President Barack Obama urged protesters to remain peaceful following the grand jury announcement, a White House spokesman said. Brown's parents, ministers and community leaders have urged sympathizers to remain peaceful, whatever the outcome.
— Reuters
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Bus attack: Kenyan forces gun down 100 militants Afghan suicide attack toll 57; Haqqani blamed Morocco flash floods toll climbs to 28 Last of British troops leave Afghanistan Italy gets its first Ebola case
Boy with fake gun shot by US officer; probe ordered Women not equal to men: Turkish President Jailbreak in Argentina, 32 inmates escape
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deal that would ease international concerns about Iran's atomic programme and are poised to extend the negotiations for a comprehensive agreement until July 2015, diplomats said.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has resigned, US officials said on Monday, ending nearly two years in the Pentagon's top job after a bruising mid-term election that undermined President Barack Obama's Democrats in
Congress. Hagel, who had struggled to improve his ties with Congress after a contentious 2013 confirmation hearing, submitted his resignation letter after lengthy discussions with Obama that began in October, officials said.
Washington, November 24
