CURRENT AFFAIRS: 07/21/11

Thursday, July 21, 2011

WRAPUP 1-US debt talks begin critical phase

* Obama pushes for big debt deal
* Resistance in Democratic and Republican ranks
By Matt Spetalnick and Alister Bull
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) - Efforts to avoid an unprecedented U.S. default enter crunch time on Friday, with President Barack Obama and top lawmakers engaged in a sometimes chaotic drive to strike a sweeping deficit-reduction deal.

The bones of Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, have been removed from their grave in a small Bavarian town that had become a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis.
Before dawn Wednesday, workers exhumed Hess's bones from the grave in the Wunsiedel cemetery, then cremated the remains and scattered them secretly in a lake, whose name and location are not being divulged, cemetery administrator Andreas Fabel told The Associated Press.
"The grave is now empty," he said on Thursday. "The bones are gone."

He was on the run for seven years, the last Serbian fugitive sought by the U.N.'s Balkan war crimes tribunal.
Goran Hadzic, the former leader of Croatia's ethnic Serbs, was arrested Wednesday by black-masked Serbian secret police in a hilly forest as an accomplice delivered cash to him -- the end of a money trail that began with a photo of a Modigliani painting.

Authenticity of Painting Questioned in Capture of Serbian

PARIS — Questions arose on Thursday about the role of a stolen painting in the arrest of Goran Hadzic, the war crimes suspect who was apprehended near Belgrade, Serbia, this week after seven years in hiding.

Politika Newspaper,via European Pressphoto Agency

Syrian army steps up camapaign in Homs

The Syrian army stepped up its military operation in the central city of Homs which has become a focal point for pro-democracy protests, activists and residents said on Thursday.
Shooting and explosions were heard in the old district of Bab Sbaa, residents said.

	Syrian anti-government protesters tearing down a portrait of late president Hafez Assad, right, and his son, President Bashar Assad, in Hama, April 29, 2011.

"There are casualties and many people have been arrested - we are very scared," a resident in Homs, who asked to be referred to as Ahmed.
A resident in another neighborhood said local hospitals were calling for blood donations after they received wounded people from Bab Sbaa.

More killings in Syria's Homs, group says

(CNN) -- Syrian government forces killed about 10 people Thursday in the besieged western city of Homs, according to a statement from the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an affiliation of groups that organizes and reports on protests in Syria.
In the Bab Sbaa neighborhood near the center of Homs, shooting continued for hours before tapering off, the statement said. Communications lines were cut in many places and it was not possible to deliver medical aid to the wounded, the LCC said in its statement.

Egypt’s new cabinet led by prime minister Essam Sharaf has promised to fight corruption under pressure from protesters demanding faster change and the removal of those linked to the ousted regime of former president Mubarak.
Mr Sharaf also said he would work to end Egypt’s emergency laws, which empower authorities to arrest and detain people without charge.

The United States has eased restrictions on funding food appeals for famine-hit Somalia, as warnings grew of a hidden hunger crisis in Eritrea.

A woman holds her malnourished child on arrival at Banadir hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, July 7, 2011

An international aid agency said a massive and immediate humanitarian response is needed to save the lives of millions of Somalis who are at risk of hunger and disease because of the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa.

MADRID (AP) — Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi's troops have boobytrapped petroleum installations in the strategic oil port of Brega so they can be blown up if his regime loses the town, a top rebel official said Thursday.

The Libyan leader also delivered yet another defiant speech in which he didn't foresee any talks with rebels between now and the end of time.

James (L) and Rupert Murdoch are questioned by the British parliamentary committee.

James Murdoch gave "mistaken" testimony to a British parliamentary committee, two senior ex-News of the World executives said overnight, the most direct accusation made so far against News Corp's heir apparent in a phone-hacking scandal.
Mr Murdoch said he stood behind his testimony to the committee, which had asked what he knew of a scandal that has forced senior News Corp executives and two senior police chiefs to quit and raised questions over press barons' influence on politicians.

Two former senior News Corporation executives have accused James Murdoch of giving "mistaken" testimony to a British parliamentary committee.

The allegations come as an editor at The Sun newspaper was sacked amid the phone-hacking scandal.
Four security guards marched up to the desk of the features editor Matt Nixson last night and announced his contract was terminated, secured his computer and told him to leave.

BALI, Indonesia—Peacefully resolving maritime disputes between China and its smaller neighbors, drawing North Korea back into nuclear disarmament talks and human rights concerns in military-run Myanmar will top U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's agenda at a Southeast Asian regional security forum Friday.

WASHINGTON - The FBI arrested Kashmiri leader Ghulam Nabi Fai on Tuesday, accusing him of getting money from ISI and using it to lobby for the Pakistani government inside the United States, according to US media reports, citing an unnamed federal law enforcement official.
Fai, executive director of the Washington-based Kashmiri American Council (KAC), was arrested on charges of being an unregistered agent of a foreign government, the reports said. India has for many years alleged that the Council was working as a front for the Pakistani government. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is currently on a visit to India.

A trove of gold and silver treasures found in a 16th century Hindu temple will be unearthed and cataloged by antiquities experts under tight security, with the media and public barred from the site in southern India, the Supreme Court said Thursday.
The recent discovery of the treasure - including bagfuls of coins, crowns, precious gems and golden statues of gods and goddesses studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds - made the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple the richest known religious institution in India. Its unofficial $22 billion valuation based on an incomplete inventory is expected to rise as the list of centuries-old items expands.

Noting that “speculative and unverified” reports in the media about the value of the treasure found in Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is “disturbing” to its sanctity and security, the Supreme Court on Thursday set up a five-member expert committee to organise and supervise a detailed inventory of ornaments and other valuable articles found in the vaults of the shrine.

The inventory will be conducted in kallara (vaults) A and C to F. On the opening of the sixth vault or kallara B, around which rumours of bad omen swirl owing to a model of a snake inscribed on the door, the court said the committee would decide after considering opinions from various quarters.
A bench of Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik ordered the formation of a committee under the chairmanship of C V Ananda Bose, Director General of National Museum and Vice-Chancellor of National Museum University (deemed), to conduct the inventory in a way not to disturb the current environment in the vaults of the temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Other members are National Museum Conservation Department head M V Nair, a nominee of the Archeological Survey of India, a Reserve Bank of India nominee with knowledge about security vaults, and the temple executive officer.

Women to get 50 per cent quota in Panchayats

NEW DELHI: Having failed in its endeavour to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and Assemblies, the Centre on Thursday approved the proposal to amend the Constitution 110th Amendment Bill for enhancing reservation for women at the Panchayat level to at least 50 per cent to ensure better representation particularly of those belonging to SC and ST categories.The meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the proposal for addition of 'rural' before 'population' in the Bill.

The Constitution 110th Amendment Bill, 2009 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on November 26, 2009.Briefing the media on the decisions of the Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said, "That official amendment proposes to add the word 'rural' before the word 'population' as and where the same occur in first proviso of clause 2 (iii) of the Constitution 110th Amendment Bill, 2009."She said that the intention of making the change in the wording was to reflect the appropriate demographic representation of categories of the population for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, for whom especially the reservation was made.The amendment was suggested by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development.At present, out of the total elected representatives of Panchayats numbering approximately 28.18 lakh, 36.87 percent are women. With the proposed Constitutional Amendment, the number of elected women representatives is expected to rise to more than 14 lakh.Having more elected women representatives in Panchayats is expected to benefit the entire population of the States and Union Territories where Panchayati Raj is in existence. States states, like Bihar, have already made suitable amendments to increase the reservation for women from 33 to 50 per cent.

Maharashtra ministry mooted to manage Mumbai's security

MUMBAI: With political pressure building on Maharashtra Government over mismanagement of various issues related to Mumbai city, the state government is seriously considering formation of a separate ministry to handle all subjects related to Mumbai's security and infrastructure.

Two Army officers were charred to death and four others were injured when their bunker caught fire in Siachen area on Friday.

Machiavellianism means ‘employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct’. Today, the 16th century Italian diplomat, Niccolo Machiavelli, who formulated this art, would have admired some of India’s proponents of cunning.

If the Jan Lokpal Bill comes into force with all its provisions, the use of corrupt money will be at stake. Therefore, the fight and struggle is to protect the corrupt. During their meeting in a five-star hotel on June 3, Kapil Sibal told Swami Ramdev that the government would not allow the Jan Lokpal Bill to be passed but his demands would be met.

Washington: With the rapid expansion of India-US ties, which are expected to deepen in the coming years, it is time to upgrade the India Desk at the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department to a full fledged India Office, an official report has said.

In its latest report, the State Department's Inspector General has also recommended the reunion of the South and Central Asia Bureau with that Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) that was carved out when US President Barack Obama appointed Richard Holbrooke as his point man for Afghanistan and Pakistan. But, such a move only created duplicity, it said.

World views Jayalalithaa as a leader: Clinton

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton

Chennai: US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has hailed Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa as a "wonderful woman who is viewed as a leader around the world".

At a closed door interaction with the members of Working Women's Forum (WWF) on Wednesday night, excerpts of which were released on Thursday, Clinton said: "I want to thank my friend and your friend, a wonderful woman who is viewed as a leader around the world, Jaya."

Appreciating the self help group and panchayat members for their work in promoting democracy, Clinton said, referring to the chief minister: "This is a woman who has worked so hard. And all of you will have to decide how you can follow her model, so that you not only help yourselves and your families but you spread the word about microfinance, about bank accounts, about starting businesses, about getting health services, about empowering the women of this state, and giving everyone a chance to live up to your god-given potential."

New Delhi: The Income Tax department today raided multiple offices and residences of South superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal.

The raids are based on a tip off that the IT returns filed by the superstars were not directly proportionate to their income.

NEW DELHI/HYDERABAD: Suicide politics returned on Thursday to set Telangana back on hair-trigger, TRS MLA T Harish Rao bashing up a minion of AP Bhavan who wouldn’t let his fellow MLAs parade the body of a Telangana martyr at the state facility in Delhi.

A former Member of Parliament and three MLAs of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) were booked by the Delhi Police for allegedly beating up an official at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan here on Thursday.

According to the police, senior TRS leader Harish Rao stormed into the Bhavan around 1.30 p.m., grabbed Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Chander Rao and slapped him. He was apparently upset at the official showing “disrespect” to the body of Mandadi Adhi Reddy, who had committed suicide in the capital on Wednesday in support of a separate State of Telangana.

* Says it is time to forget politics of ‘us’ and ‘them’; highlights govt’s achievements

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asked all political parties to come forward and work together to build a new Bengal — the No. 1 state in the country.

“We will have a meeting of all political parties who have representations in the state Assembly on August 3 as to how we can proceed with the development of the state,” said Banerjee, while addressing the party’s victory rally at Brigade Parade Ground on Thursday.

'Lokayukta court can take cognisance of charges against him and others in land scams'

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa suffered a setback, with the Karnataka High Court on Thursday upholding the Special Lokayukta Court's order to take cognisance of charges against him and others in alleged land scams and allowing the Lokayukta police to inquire into them.

This comes a day after a leaked Lokayukta report on illegal mining indicted Mr. Yeddyurappa.

However, the High Court said the Lokayukta police could not arrest the persons against whom allegations were made without a warrant from the magistrate.

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa can enjoy his vacation in Mauritius for a few more days, as the BJP high command is in no hurry to take action against him in the wake of the leaked report, wherein Lokayukta Santosh Hegde has indicted him.

Apparently no senior BJP leader appeared surprised by the leaked report. “It’s not a new disclosure, the matter is already in the High Court,” stated a senior BJP leader.

Stir not to stall dam project

Guwahati, July 21: Assam power minister Pradyut Bordoloi today categorically said the state government would not concede to the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) demand to halt construction of the 2,000MW Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project.

He said the Assam government was not in favour of halting construction of the project and castigated KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi for allegedly spreading misinformation, creating a fear psychosis in the minds of people about the project. "The fear psychosis is uncalled for. The ideology of Akhil Gogoi is to create anarchy," Bordoloi told reporters.

Jamshedpur, July 21: Jharkhand is set to experience heavy rains from tomorrow, continuing its spread across the state in the next couple of days, signalling a revival of sorts for the monsoon that was dormant for over a week.

Met office sources identified a low-pressure zone across Gangetic West Bengal as the trigger for the heavy showers predicted in the next 24 hours.

BALI, Indonesia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's is praising a preliminary agreement between China andSoutheast Asian Nations to peacefully resolve competing territorial claims in the strategic South China Sea.

Kolkata, July 21 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said her government has fulfilled most of its election promises in the first two months of its tenure and promised to create 'a million' employment opportunities in the next two years.

'Our 'Maa Mati and Manush' (Mother, land and people) government has fulfilled most of its promises it had made during the assembly election campaign. We had said that our new government will reclaim the Singur land, we have done it.'

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) In a major setback for Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh, Defence Minister A.K. Antony has ruled that his year of birth will be fixed as 1950, as per the records with the military secretary's branch, meaning he will retire on May 31, 2012.

Government sources said here Thursday that after prolonged consultations with the law ministry and the defence ministry's legal advisers, Antony arrived at his decision and it will be communicated to the army headquarters to set their records straight.

Gorakhpur/Mau (Uttar Pradesh), July 21 (IANS) Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, on a two-day tour of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Thursday slammed the Mayawati government over alleged bungling of rural health funds and urged the youth to take interest in the state's affairs to ensure that central funds meant for development are 'utilised properly'.

Court allows separate jail van for Kalmadi, five others

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) A Delhi court Thursday directed the Tihar Jail authorities to arrange a separate van for transporting to court former Commonwealth Games (CWG) organising committee (OC) chief Suresh Kalmadi and five other accused of corruption in the preparations for the Games.

Special Judge Talwant Singh accepted Kalmadi and others' petition and allowed a separate van for their transportation between jail and court.

Congress not involved in cash-for-votes: Police

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) Giving a clean chit to the Congress and the Samajwadi Party in the 2008 cash-for-votes controversy in parliament, the Delhi Police Thursday told a court here that arrested middleman Sohail Hindustani, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, was the 'mastermind' of the scandal.

'During investigation it has come on record that neither any leader of the Congress nor any leader of the Samajwadi Party tried to contact Sohail Hindustani to strike a deal for buying the support of three BJP MPs in a trust vote in 2008,' police said.

As the Lokayukta time bomb ticks away, and Karnataka readies for a political explosion, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is doing something totally uncharacteristic: holidaying in Mauritius.

Every time he faces trouble, he goes away on a pilgrimage to remote Kerala, faraway Vaishnodevi, but this time, he isn't being so pious. As we write, he is busy fishing in a tiny, picturesque country, far away from home.

Many people look at the ratings of a mutual fund before investing in them. This is what is the intention of the rating agencies! However they will tell you that ratings are backward looking (there is only Mercer which does forward looking ratings, but obviously available at a very high fee — which is fair enough).

After garnering revenues at the box office, the Zindegi Na Milegi Dobara’ team wants to do something special for the victims of the bomb blast that occurred on the 13th July.

Excel Entertainment’s film had done exceptionally well at the box office in India and Overseas. It has collected over 30 crore in the three days and over 5 crore on Monday in India and 3.5 million in the overseas market on weekend.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) - Seventeen people were indicted on Wednesday on charges of running a high-end prostitution ring that catered to Wall Street clients who often spent more than $10,000 in a night, authorities said.

The ring pulled in more than $7 million over three years, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said at a news conference.

"The business of high-end prostitution is enormously profitable," Hynes said.

According to a new survey, female bosses are less likely to help women workers get promotions, and are "easily threatened and emotionally unpredictable . True or just plain sexist? Two professionals debate it out...

NO!
Nandita Rao, Lawyer, 36

A clinical research company in Visakhapatnam has come under the scanner of the police and the Drug Control Administration ( DCA) after it allegedly conducted trials of various drugs on several engineering students without the knowledge of their parents.

The firm lured the unsuspecting students with money and conducted the tests slyly.

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP and former high-profile Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Amar Singh will be questioned by the Delhi Police today for allegedly buying the support of three parliamentarians during the 2008 trust vote necessitated by the Left parties withdrawing support to the government over the India-US nuclear deal.

Kareena Kapoor Vs. Priyanka Chopra: The History of Their Rivalry

Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are reported to have embarked on a new journey of rivalry with regard to Madhur Bhandarkar's controversy ridden project 'Heroine', which was shelved after reports of Aishwarya Rai's pregnancy came around.

Though the two have been known as the most bitter rivals of Bollywood since years, there isn't one reason that gave rise to the animosity between them. MensXP tries to look at the history of their rivalry which seems to have peaked at the moment.

Space shuttle Atlantis crewmembers (L-R) Mission Specialist Rex Waldheim, Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Commander Chris Ferguson stand together with firefighters after landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, July 21, 2011

Royal Enfield is an iconic brand and long after the UK company went down under the onslaught of Japanese manufacturers, not only is the brand is alive and kicking in India but also, it is the brand that has made many generations of India feel 'Macho'. Anamit Sen asked the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Enfield, Venki Padmanabhan (Dr Venki), a few questions on what makes the brand and the bikes tick. This is what he said...

The start up
There weren't many career options I explored beyond academics growing up. I went to school at Delhi Public School RK Puram, New Delhi. We grew up in a middle class family and there was no concept of pocket money. But, if we wanted something, it was usually not refused, as long as the request was reasonable.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Iran has upped the ante in an oil payments row with India and halted crude supplies in August, company sources said on Thursday, forcing Indian refiners to seek shipments from alternative suppliers including top exporter Saudi Arabia.

Since December, India and Iran have struggled to find ways for New Delhi to pay for 400,000 barrels per day or 12 percent of its oil demand after the Reserve Bank of India halted a clearing mechanism under U.S. pressure.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold fever is gripping Asian investors and could spread to central banks as global growth uncertainties tarnish the appeal of other assets, putting bullion on course for more gains but also provoking fears about supply.

Spot gold surged more than $100 in 11 straight days to Tuesday, its longest winning streak in four decades, hitting a record $1,609.51 an ounce, as debt default fears in the United States and Europe drove investors to seek safety.

In an interview to Simi Garewal in the show India's Most Desirable , Abhay Deol candidly spoke about his relationship with Preeti Desai. " I am in a relationship at the moment with Preeti Desai, Miss Britain," Abhay said.I usually like to keep quiet about my affair, that is why they are never blown out of proportion," he said in the interview.Abhay, who is currently living in with his girlfriend, says: " Now that is something we'd surely agree to.

Guwahati, July 21 (IANS) A Jet Airways flight with 134 passengers on board narrowly averted a mid-air collision Thursday, triggering panic aboard, passengers said.

Jet Airways Flight No 9W 2280 from New Delhi to Guwahati was probably flying over Patna when it abruptly lost control, leading to chaos inside.

Human rights activists and residents of Homs, Syria's third largest city, are reporting intense gunfire as security forces conduct raids and arrests.
A resident told the Reuters news agency by phone that the army fired at worshippers in eastern Khalidiya district as they left the Khaled Ibn al-Walid mosque in the early hours of the morning on Thursday.

(Reuters) - Russia will hold 2012 presidential elections on March 4, a Central Election Committee official said on Thursday.

Current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his successor as president, Dmitry Medvedev -- whom Putin steered to power when facing a constitutional ban on a third presidential term in 2008 -- have both indicated they could run next year.

Two US men have been charged in the US with operating an illegal front group for the Pakistani government.

The two used at least $4m (£2.5m) in Pakistani funds in a bid to influence the US position on the disputed territory of Kashmir, prosecutors said.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

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Politika Newspaper,via European Pressphoto Agency

The United States has eased restrictions on funding food appeals for famine-hit Somalia, as warnings grew of a hidden hunger crisis in Eritrea.

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