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Monday, April 20, 2009

 

Shashi Tharoor takes the rough road to parliament, through Kerala

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If you're an overseas Indian planning to blitz your way into public life back home, nothing helps like a little grime and sweat, impressive professional credentials, and a smattering of the vernacular.

That, at least, was the expectation in the case of former United Nations Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor, who is running as the Congress Party's candidate for the lower house of parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.

"I am not a newcomer here. I've a house here - my mom lives here. I'll use all my contacts to bring in investments to my constituency. This is a vote for a stable government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," Tharoor was quoted as saying during a roadside stop in a BBC news report.

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Sunday, July 27, 2008

 

Victory Vote clears way for nuclear deal with United States

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The Indian government survived a crucial vote of confidence on July 22, clearing the way for the contentious nuclear energy deal with the United States, after a debate peppered with dramatic allegations of backroom lobbying and bribery.

The vote concluded a bitter nine-month battle in support of the deal by the now-beleaguered coalition government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The agreement, which would give India access to the world market for nuclear fuel and technology, must now be approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which governs the trade of nuclear materials. The U.S. Congress would then vote on the accord.

"This vote gives a clear message to the world that India's head and heart are sound and India is prepared to take its rightful place in the comity of nations," said a beaming Singh, whose supporters burst firecrackers and beat celebratory drums in the streets of New Delhi. "I have always said the deal was important and now we know it."

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Thursday, July 17, 2008

 

Group of Eight wants broad United Nations deal to halve emissions

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T he G8 rich countries said on July 8 they want to work with the nearly 200 states involved in U.N. climate change talks to adopt a goal of at least halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The final climate communique agreed by the Group of Eight leaders at a summit in northern Japan also said mid-term goals would be needed to achieve the shared goal for 2050, but gave no numerical targets.

The statement puts the focus of fighting global warming on U.N.-led talks to create a new framework for when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, and papers over differences inside the G8 itself. The U.N. talks are set to conclude in Copenhagen in December 2009.

The careful wording of the statement -always the most contentious part of summit negotiations -- was also unlikely to satisfy those seeking much more specific targets.

Last year, the G8 club of rich nations -Japan, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Russia and the United States -- agreed merely to "seriously consider" a goal of halving global emissions by mid-century.

The European Union and Japan have been pressing for this year's summit to go beyond that, and Brussels wanted clear interim targets as well.

But U.S. President George W. Bush has insisted that Washington cannot agree to binding targets unless big polluters such as China and India rein in their emissions as well.

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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

 

Focus on renewable energy for sustainable development

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India on June 30 unveiled national plan to deal with the threat of global warming, focusing on renewable energy for sustainable development while refusing to commit to any emission targets that risk slowing economic growth.

The National Action Plan identified harnessing renewable energy, such as solar power, and energy efficiency as central to India's fight against global warming and said a climate change fund would be set up to research "green" technologies.

The national policy reflected India's current stand on climate change and would not please rich western countries asking for more commitment from one of the world's top polluters, experts said.

"Our vision is to make India's economic development energy efficient," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on releasing the national plan. "Our people have a right to economic and social development and to discard the ignominy of widespread poverty."

In spite of its pledge to clean technology, coal remains the backbone of India's power sector -accounting for about 60 percent of generation -with the government planning to add some 70,000 megawatts in the next five years.

In a report released this month, Goldman Sachs said climate change could deplete India's cultivable land area and productivity, reduce labor productivity and increase the threat of toxic and chemical waste in the environment."

Although such dire prognostications are premature, urbanization, industrialization and ongoing global climate change will take a heavy toll on India's environment, if not managed better," it said.

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Monday, May 19, 2008

 

Nine bombs ripped through Jaipur streets - 63 killed

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Nine bombs ripped through the crowded streets Jaipur on May 13 evening, killing around 63 people in markets and outside Hindu temples.

The bombs, many strapped to bicycles, exploded within minutes of each other in Jaipur's pink walled city, a magnet for foreign tourists.

It was the deadliest bomb attack in India in nearly two years. Around 216 people were wounded and local television stations broadcast appeals for blood donations.

Television channels quoted government and intelligence officials as blaming Pakistani or Bangladeshi Islamist militant groups.

"At around 7.30[p.m.] there was a big noise and suddenly I found people in a pool of blood," said Govind Sharma, a priest at a Hindu temple, through tears. "I've lost my father in the bomb blast."

Officials said the apparent motive for the bombs was to undermine a peace process between India and Pakistan or foment communal violence in India.

Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee is due to visit Islamabad in just over a week to review the four-year-old peace process, his first since a new, civilian government took over in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed for calm. The British and U.S. governments said there could be no justification for killing innocent people.

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Tuesday, December 4, 2007

 

Manmohan Singh accepts Harpers invitation to visit Canada

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper invited India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to visit Canada, an invitation Singh accepted at their one-on-one meeting on Nov. 24, in Kampala, Uganda. Harper praised India's frontline role in the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan but reiterated Canada's position that New Delhi should put more pressure on the Burmese junta to abide by human rights.

"Both leaders expressed pleasure at the opportunity to meet and Prime Minister Harper extended an invitation to the Indian Prime Minister to visit Canada, which the latter said he would be delighted to accept given his personal links to Canada, including a university scholarship in his name," a read-out from the Prime Minister's office said.

The meeting took place in Kampala, Uganda on the edges of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting where Indian High Commissioner Kamlesh Sharma (formerly India's Permanent Representative to the UN in New York) was confirmed as Commonwealth Secretary General.

"Reflecting the diverse nature of Canada India relations, Prime Minister Harper and Prime Minister Singh had a warm discussion of a broad range of issues," the Harper communications office said in a release after the meeting.

According to news reports, the two also talked about Pakistan. But the Harper-Singh read-out on the Kampala meeting makes no mention of that.

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Image and Article source: News India Times
Article taken from the issue: 7 Dec, 2007

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