Political News – Newsletter for November 28, 2010

South Korea asks China to intercede in Korean conflict

SEOUL – South Korean President Lee Myung-bak Sunday asked China to take a “fair and responsible” attitude toward aggressive actions by North Korea that have heightened the risk of war, Lee’s office said.

Lee conveyed the message to Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo, who arrived in Seoul as a special envoy of President Hu Jintao … Read more : South Korea asks China to intercede in Korean conflict.

How Brown used Sarkozy to wreck Blair’s dream of becoming Euro Prez

LONDON – Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrecked Tony Blair’s dream of becoming President of Europe by provoking a heated row with Nicolas Sarkozy, reveals a book.

The French President was so angry that he refused to take phone calls from Brown. His attitude from that moment on was said to be ‘**** the Brits’.

Sarkozy …. Source  : How Brown used Sarkozy to wreck Blair’s dream of becoming Euro Prez.

WikiLeaks Intimation Given To India

NEW DELHI, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com)- The Pentagon and US government are getting sleepless nights ever since WikiLeaks, the whistle blower web site’s founder Julian Assange has declared that a huge set of sensitive documents containing U.S. diplomatic cables will be made available soon. This can definitely make the US government red faced. In fact, this … Read more >>>.

Hasina decries opposition’s strike call

DHAKA – Ahead of Tuesday’s general strike called by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to protest its leader Khaleda Zia’s eviction from a house, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that Zia has no right to make people suffer.

Zia had no right to cause sufferings to people by calling hartal (strike) just to …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Brown Govt. was paranoid, weak and unstable: US diplomats

LONDON – Secret briefings by US diplomats to President Barack Obama have described the government of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as paranoid, weak and unstable.

According to the Daily Express, the diplomatic cables were more about Labour. Brown was seen as paranoid and weak and unstable. These files to be revealed by the …. Source  : Brown Govt. was paranoid, weak and unstable: US diplomats.

Berlusconi’s babes”vicious catfight’ shakes up coalition

LONDON – Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition is under threat following a vicious catfight between two of his most glamorous allies.

Mara Carfagna, a former topless model appointed equal opportunities minister two years ago, and Alessandra Mussolini, an MP who is not only the grand-daughter of the fascist dictator but also the niece of …. Read the original article  : here.

Most of the WikiLeaks cables date from 2004: Report

WASHINGTON/BERLIN – The first details of the illicit publication of US classified diplomatic cables and documents were leaking Saturday on the internet.

The US State Department was bracing for the publication by WikiLeaks of millions of confidential messages and reports sometime in the coming days. Germany’s Der Spiegel, London’s Guardian and the US’s New York … Read : Most of the WikiLeaks cables date from 2004: Report.

Ombudsman seeks Yeddyurappa’s response to land scam

BANGALORE – Karnataka Lok Ayukta (ombudsman) N.Santosh Hegde Saturday said that there appears to be a prima facie case in allegations of improper land deals against Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa and has sought his response.

Hegde, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, told reporters here that he has issued notice to Yeddyurappa to …. Source article  : Ombudsman seeks Yeddyurappa’s response to land scam.

Pakistani president starts four-day visit to Sri Lanka

COLOMBO – Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari began a four-day visit to Sri Lanka Saturday, officials said.

The president is due to call on his Sri Lanka counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa Sunday for talks on a range of topics, including trade and defence.
“The visit is aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties between the peoples of …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Pakistani president starts four-day visit to Sri Lanka.

BJP accuses Congress of cover-up in Adarsh scandal

NEW DELHI – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday accused the Congress of being engaged in a cover up operation in Mumbai’s Adarsh Cooperative Housing scandal to shield some key people involved in it.

BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said that reports of some important papers relating to the scandal missing could be a part of …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : BJP accuses Congress of cover-up in Adarsh scandal.

UAE daily praises country’s nuclear strides

Abu Dhabi, Nov 27 (IANS/WAM) A UAE daily Saturday praised the country’s nuclear agreement with Britain, saying it was a “noteworthy event” and shows the “world’s confidence in the country for being a progressive and responsible state”.

“A number of world powers have now entered into significant agreements with the UAE to share expertise in … Read this article on Gaea Times at : UAE daily praises country’s nuclear strides.

Kiran Reddy meets Sonia, PM; Congress warns Jagan (Evening Lead)

NEW DELHI – Newly-appointed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy met Congress president Sonia Gandhi here Saturday to finalise the list of his ministers, even as the Congress leadership warned defiant MP Jaganmohan Reddy with a “serious view of his activities”.

Reddy, who also called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, consulted Gandhi on … Read : Kiran Reddy meets Sonia, PM; Congress warns Jagan (Evening Lead).

Sonia soothes Omar on coalition concerns

JAMMU – Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Saturday met Congress chief and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and was assured of full support to their coalition government in the state.

“The two leaders discussed various matters relating to the general situation and development of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K),” …. Original article  : Sonia soothes Omar on coalition concerns.

BJP women activists clash with Jammu police

JAMMU – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) women protestors clashed with the Jammu Police on Saturday during a three-hour-long demonstration against the surrender policy passed by the provincial cabinet recently. The Act allows the youth who had crossed into the Pakistan-Occupied -Kashmir (PoK) between 1989 and 2009 for arms training to return.

Several protestors got injured in … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : BJP women activists clash with Jammu police.

India opens consulate in Jaffna, launches Northern Railway line

COLOMBO – Pushing for national reconciliation in Sri Lanka, India Saturday opened its consulate in Jaffna, the Tamil heartland, and inaugurated the Northern Railway lines for which New Delhi has pledged a $800-million credit that will spur the reconstruction of the war-ravaged northern region.

On the penultimate day of his four-day visit here, Indian External … Read more >>>.

Jharkhand panchayat polls record 64 percent voting (Third Lead)

RANCHI – The first phase of Jharkhand’s maiden panchayat elections concluded Saturday with around 64 percent balloting, an official said. The voting was largely peaceful barring stray incidents of violence.

“According to reports, 64 percent polling has taken place in the first phase. Maoists tried to disrupt polling at a few places, but it was …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Yeddyurappa, Kumarawamy continue trading allegations

BANGALORE – Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader H. D. Kumaraswamy Saturday claimed that an emissary of Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa tried to broker a deal between them to end the land grab allegations against the latter.

“A close associate of Yeddyurappa telephoned me two days ago saying the chief minister wants to work out …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Yeddyurappa, Kumarawamy continue trading allegations.

Buddhadeb lambasts Mamata for making ‘false’ promises

BASIRHAT – West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Saturday alleged that the railways neither had the money nor managed to draw entrepreneurs to build factories as announced by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

“How is the railways being run? The less said the better. Every day, factories are being announced. Big advertisements are being splashed in … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Buddhadeb lambasts Mamata for making ‘false’ promises.

India lauds SCO’s role in regional security

NEW DELHI – India has reiterated its commitment to the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and lauded the emergence of the intergovernmental military alliance as a dynamic regional grouping.

Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde represented Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the SCO summit in the Tajik capital Dushanbe Thursday.
In his address, … Read more : India lauds SCO’s role in regional security.

US warns Britain, India over new WikiLeaks revelations

LONDON/WASHINGTON – Whistleblower website WikiLeaks is set to release some three million documents online, and some of these could potentially damage the US relations with many countries, including Britain and India, according to reports Saturday.

It is not known what the documents are about, or whether India is mentioned. But State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley …. Source  : Gaea News Network.