Home ministry to form working group on security with FICCI

NEW DELHI – The home ministry will form a working group with an industry lobby to explore how modern technology can be used to fight terrorism and other national security challenges.

This was disclosed at a conference on “Science and Technology for Homeland Security” organised by the Federation of India Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry …. Read the original article  : Home ministry to form working group on security with FICCI.

Panel unhappy with Goa’s coastal security measures

PANAJI – A legislative panel in Goa has expressed unhappiness with the security measures taken by the state government along the 105 km long coastline.

The state legislative ad hoc committee on home chaired by Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar has also urged the state home ministry to “have a thoughtful look at the [..] Read the original article: here.

‘Rushdie, McEwan, Barnes arrogant and disappointing’

LONDON – Salman Rushdie, British author of Indian-origin, and his contemporaries like Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes are like prep-school boys, arrogant, self-satisfied and “profoundly disappointing”, a leading literature expert has said.

Gabriel Josipovici, research professor at Sussex University and former professor of comparative literature at Oxford, has condemned the work of “giants of the modern … Read this article on Gaea Times at : ‘Rushdie, McEwan, Barnes arrogant and disappointing’.

Palestinian president says he won’t give in to pressure for direct talks with Israel

Abbas resists push for direct talks with Israel

CAIRO – The Palestinian president is refusing to move to direct peace talks with Israel until it agrees to a complete halt in settlement construction and accepts a Palestinian state in territories seized in the 1967 Middle East war.
Mahmoud Abbas is under strong U.S. pressure to restart face-to-face …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Palestinian president says he won’t give in to pressure for direct talks with Israel.

Price rise forces Parliament to adjourn till Friday

NEW DELHI – The issue of price rise rocked the third day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session on Thursday. Both the houses were adjourned till Friday.

According to reports, the opposition members, demanding a thorough discussion over the price rise issue, said their protests would continue if their demands were not met.

In the Lok Sabha, opposition …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Airspace to be closed near Clinton’s wedding to keep paparazzi at bay

NEW YORK – If media reporters are hoping to catch an aerial view of Chelsea Clinton’s wedding, they better have a contingency plan.

According to The New York Times, The Federal Aviation Administration has decided to ban flights below 2,000 feet for the area surrounding the estate on the Hudson River where Clinton is to be …. Original source  : Airspace to be closed near Clinton’s wedding to keep paparazzi at bay.

Holbrooke says corruption helps Taliban to win recruits

WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama’s Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard C Holbrooke has claimed that rampant corruption in Afghanistan is providing the Taliban with its number one recruiting tool.
The New York Times quoted Holbrooke, as saying that in the light of this, Washington was taking adequate precautions to cut down the misuse … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Holbrooke says corruption helps Taliban to win recruits.

Vatican accused of hypocrisy after skimpy clothing ban

LONDON – The ban imposed by the Vatican on tourists wearing skimpy clothing has been deemed as hypocritical, especially with the Catholic Church battling scandals involving paedophile priests.

Visitors have said that instead of dealing with the scandals and decades of cover-ups, the Vatican is wasting its time on mundane things like skimpy clothing.

Swiss Guards, who … Read more »».

Sohrabuddin case: CBI to quiz Narendra Modi?

AHMEDABAD – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team is likely to seek permission from its headquarters to question Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.

According to television reports, the investigating agency may want Modi to answer some questions in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.

The CBI wants to …. Original article  : Sohrabuddin case: CBI to quiz Narendra Modi?.

52 killed as rains wreak havoc in Pak

PESHAWAR – A fresh spell of monsoon rains has wreaked havoc across Pakistan, as at least 52 people have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in rain-related incidents.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) spokesman Adnan Khan confirmed the deaths of eight people across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

He said …. Original article  : 52 killed as rains wreak havoc in Pak.

Pak’s anti-terror determination should not be doubted: Pak envoy to US

Washington, July 29(ANI): Pakistani Ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, has reiterated that his country’s anti-terrorism determination should not be doubted over the leak of Afghan war documents.

Haqqani said that Pakistan’s current unified efforts should be taken into account, which has been marked by Islamabad’s “countless sacrifices and unprecedented level of cooperation with the US … Read : Pak’s anti-terror determination should not be doubted: Pak envoy to US.

Sarah Palin encounters brown bear on fishing trip

LONDON – Sarah Palin had an encounter with a brown bear while she was on a fishing expedition in Alaska.

Palin saw a mother bear with her cubs during her salmon fishing expedition in Alaska, reports the Telegraph.he 46-year-old politician was on a boat with her husband, Todd, their nine-year-old daughter, Piper, and friends in Wolverine … Read : Sarah Palin encounters brown bear on fishing trip.

Kiwi school has two students – they belong to principal!

MELBOURNE – A school in New Zealand is struggling to stay open after the number of students dropped to just two – the principal’s children.

Paerau School in Central Otago, New Zealand, has only two students who are the children of principal Steve Harley.he board of the school is now planning to offer a year …. Read the original article  : Kiwi school has two students – they belong to principal!.

US rejects motion for withdrawal of ’secret’ American troops operating in Pak

WASHINGTON – US lawmakers have rejected a blunt challenge to President Barack Obama’s war strategy, defeating a resolution calling for American troops’ removal from Pakistan by a crushing 38-372 margin.

The resolution proposed by Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich and Republican Representative Ron Paul would have required the Obama administration to pull American military trainers out of …. Original article  : US rejects motion for withdrawal of ’secret’ American troops operating in Pak.

The WikiLeaks expose: A wake up call for India

NEW DELHI – The international flavour of the week seems to be the WikiLeaks expose of the documents concerning the operations against the Al Queda and its allies in Afghanistan.

The New York Times reported on Sunday, July, 18, 2010, that military field documents included in the leak suggest that Pakistan has been allowing “representatives of … Original source on Gaea Times at : The WikiLeaks expose: A wake up call for India.

Islamabad crash plane’s ‘no-fly zone’ route puts doubts over Pak air defence system

ISLAMABAD – The speculation that a Pakistani domestic airliner entered a no-fly zone in Islamabad before crashing on Wednesday morning, and the failure of the authorities concerned to react for intercepting the plane has raised question marks over the country’s air defence system.

When asked to comment as to why the authorities did not intercept …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Pentagon reviewing leaked classified documents to minimise risks to Afghans

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is reported to be reviewing tens of thousands of classified battlefield reports made public this week about the war in Afghanistan to determine whether Afghan informants were identified and could be at risk of reprisals.

Pentagon spokesman, Col. David Lapan, said that a Pentagon assessment team had not yet drawn any conclusions, … Read more >>>.

‘No evidence of Sikh militants operating from Kuala Lumpur’

KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Police has rebutted Punjab Police accusations that the Sikh separatist group, Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), has set up a base outside Kuala Lumpur.

There is no evidence to support a recent claim by Punjab Police that the KLF is operating from here, said a high-ranking police officer.

“We can confirm there is …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : ‘No evidence of Sikh militants operating from Kuala Lumpur’.

Restoration for Konkan Railways Interrupted by Rain

MUMBAI, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com) — Normal railway movement along the Konkan Railway will be not possible before July 31th.Reports suggest that the tracks are heavily damaged at Nivsar in Ratnagiri district.
The managing director of the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, expressed concerns that the restoration work may be delayed further owing to heavy rainfall in the [..] Read the original article: here.

Karzai says release of secret US documents by WikiLeaks endangers Afghans helping coalition

Karzai: Release of secret docs endangers Afghans

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the release of secret documents have endangered the lives of Afghan citizens who have cooperated with the international forces.
Karzai said Thursday that he has ordered his Cabinet ministers to study the more than 90,000 secret U.S. military documents on the Afghanistan … Original source on Gaea Times at : Karzai says release of secret US documents by WikiLeaks endangers Afghans helping coalition.