Envoys of 8 nations present credentials to President Mukherjee

NEW DELHI, Jan.22: Envoys of eight nations presented their credentials to the President, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan today.

The envoys, who presented their credentials, were: Mr. Ali Abd-Al-Aziz-Isawi, Ambassador of Libya, Mr. Rizali Wilmar Indrakesuma, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Gholamreza Ansari, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Ndubuisi Vitus Amaku, High Commissioner of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Daniele Mancini, Ambassador of the Republic of Italy, Mr. Viljar Lubi, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia, Mr. Wei Wei, Ambassador of the People Republic of China and Mr. Patrick Michael Suckling, High Commissioner of Australia, according to a release issued by the Press Secretary to the President of India.

0ver 240 killed in Brazil Nightclub fire

SANTA MARIA (Brazil), Jan 27: At least 245 people died early Sunday when a fire tore through a nightclub packed with university students in the southern Brazilian city of Santa Maria, police said.

The death toll from the inferno rapidly increased as firefighters searched the charred remains of the "Kiss" club, believed to have been packed with 300-400 revelers at the time of the blaze.

The tragedy appeared to be the deadliest such blaze in more than a decade, since a fire at a shopping center and discotheque in the central Chinese city of Luoyang killed more than 300 people in 2000.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff cut short a visit to Chile, where she was attending a European and Latin American summit, to head to Santa Maria and oversee the response to the tragedy.

"It's a tragedy for all of us, and I cannot continue here at the summit, because my priority is the Brazilian people," she told reporters traveling with her in Santiago.

She said federal and local authorities are mobilizing "all resources, so that we do not just recover the bodies but also support families at this time and provide very efficient care to the injured."

It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze, but media reports said the fire broke out after 2:00 am (0400 GMT) when the nightclub was hosting a university party featuring a rock band using pyrotechnics.

"Everyone was pushing and shoving... The fire started out small, but in a matter of seconds it exploded," Taynne Vendruscolo, one of the survivors, told reporters.

"Those who were close to the stage could not get out."

"It was a very small door for so many people to get out," added Luana Santos Silva, another survivor, interviewed by TV Globo.

Santa Maria fire chief Guido de Melo said the fire caused widespread panic, and that many revelers were trampled or died from smoke inhalation.

"The main cause of death was asphyxiation," de Melo was quoted as saying by Estadao newspaper.

Major Cleberson Bastianello, a military police commander in Santa Maria, confirmed that 245 people had been killed and said 48 had been taken to the hospital, an indication that the toll could climb further.

35 yrs in jail for Headley; India to seek extradition

CHICAGO, Jan 25: Pakistani-American LeT terrorist David Headley was on Thursday sentenced to 35 years in jail by a US court for his 'unquestionable' role in the massacre of 166 people in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Giving his order, US district judge Harry D Leinenweber said "He commits crime, cooperates and then gets rewarded for the cooperation. It would have been much easier to impose the death penalty, he said.

"That's what you deserve," the judge told Headley, 52, who had changed his given name of Daood Gilani to scout targets in Mumbai without arousing suspicion.

"No matter what I do it is not going to deter terrorists. Unfortunately. Terrorists do not care for it. I do not have any faith in Mr Headley when he says that he is a changed person now.

"I do believe that it is my duty to protect the public from Mr Headley and ensure that he does not get into any further terrorist activities. Recommending 35 years is not a right sentence.

"I will accept the government motion 35 years and sentence of 35 years and supervised release for life".

India on Friday said it is disappointed that David Headley did not get a "harsher" sentence than 35 years in jail awarded by a US court after he escaped death penalty for helping plot the 2008 Mumbai terror attack and vowed to push for his extradition.

External affairs minister Salman Khurshid said Headley would have got "harsher punishment" had he been tried in India while Union home secretary RK Singh said the Pakistani-American LeT terrorist and all those who were involved in the carnage should get death penalty.

Reacting to the sentencing of 52-year-old Headley by a Chicago court on Thursday, Khurshid said India is "disappointed" since the government wanted him to face trial in India where he would have been awarded "severest sentence."

However, he added, that India has full faith in the US legal system and that the sentence handed over to Headley was a "beginning".

"If the trial would have been held here, the punishment would have been tougher....the US legal system had no provision to extradite him, but we will still try and get him tried in India," Khurshid told reporters.

"The 35 year sentencing and what the judge said is a beginning. We understand there are legal procedures in the US but neverthless the position we have, the request(extradition) that we have made remains intact," he said.

Home secretary Singh said the government will keep seeking Headley's death sentence.

Abe is Japan's new Prime Minister

TOKYO, Dec 26: Japan's newly-elected prime minister Shinzo Abe pledged to rebuild the economy and mend Japan's alliance with the United States in the face of an assertive China at his first press conference on Wednesday.

Abe was elected premier by the lower house of parliament earlier in the day after sweeping to power on a hawkish platform of getting tough on diplomatic issues while fixing the economy.

"A strong economy is the source of Japan's national strength. Without a strong economy, Japan will not achieve fiscal reconstruction and have a future," Abe told the late-night press conference.

Earlier today, the yen had tumbled against the dollar on growing speculation that the Bank of Japan will usher in further easing measures - a key plank of Abe's campaign.

Abe stressed that his government will carry out a diplomacy drive to "win back" national interests.

"There are many issues in the Japan-China relations, the Japan-South Korea relations as well as the Japan-US relations, which is the foundation of Japan's diplomacy," he told the press conference.

"More than anything, we must re-establish the trust in the Japan-US alliance," he said, adding that he has spoken with US President Barack Obama and agreed to foster long-term relations.

Relations with the US came under strain under the previous government, which pushed for the relocation of American bases in Okinawa.

Abe also said that his cabinet would stay focused on the reconstruction of the northern region that was devastated by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011.

"By delivering results as soon as possible, I would like to earn the trust of the Japanese people and make this a stable government," he said.

Abe achieved a resounding election victory earlier this month for his Liberal Democratic Party over the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

Nelson Mandela released from the hospital

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 28: South Africa's presidency says Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid icon and former president, has been released from the hospital.

The 94-year-old had been in the hospital since December 8. He was diagnosed with a lung infection and also had a procedure to remove gallstones.

In recent days, officials have said Mandela is improving, but doctors have taken extraordinary care with his health because of his age.

Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj says Mandela will receive more medical care at his Johannesburg home until he fully recovers.

Maharaj requested that the public respect Mandela's privacy at this time.

More than 45,000 killed in Syria conflict

More than 45,000 people have been killed in Syria since the outbreak in March 2011 of an anti-regime revolt that became a bloody insurgency after a brutal crackdown on dissent, a watchdog said today.

"In all we have documented the deaths of 45,048 people," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, adding that more than 1,000 people were killed in last one week itself.

Giving a breakdown, he said those killed included "31,544 civilians, 1,511 defectors, 11,217 soldiers and 776 unidentified bodies."

The Observatory, which relies on a network of medics and activists on the ground, counts non-military combatants who have taken up arms against the regime as civilians.

The actual number of people killed in Syria's spiralling conflict is likely much higher.

"We believe the real number could be as high as 100,000," Abdel Rahman said.

"Many of the thousands missing in jails are feared dead. Both the army and rebel fighters are concealing many of their casualties," he added.

The Observatory does not include in its toll thousands of shabiha (pro-regime militiamen), people believed to be informants for the state, or foreign fighters who have joined the anti-regime insurgency.

Egyptian President assumes sweeping powers, dubbed new pharaoh

CAIRO, Nov 28: Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has assumed sweeping powers, drawing flak that he is acting like a "new pharaoh" and is endangering the gains of the popular uprising which ousted Hosni Mubarak's dictatorial regime.

Mursi made the constitutional declaration yesterday that granted him far-reaching powers and also ordered retrials of officials involved in the killing of protesters during the 2011 mass uprising against the Mubarak regime.

The decision came a day after the President was praised by world leaders for brokering a truce between Hamas and Israel.

Yesterday's constitutional declaration has sparked a fierce debate in the country, with supporters calling it "revolutionary" and detractors slamming the sweeping powers it grants Egypt's presidency as a "coup".

The opposition has called for nationwide protests.

The declaration made yesterday also said no court can dissolve the Constituent Assembly, which is drawing up a new constitution.

The Constituent Assembly's timeline for drafting the new constitution has also been extended by two months.

Mursi, 61, also sacked the chief prosecutor and ordered the re-trial of people accused of attacking protesters when ex-President Mubarak held office.

According to the declaration, all investigations into the killing of protesters or the use of violence against them will be re-conducted.

Trials of those accused will be re-held.

All constitutional declarations, laws and decrees made since Mursi assumed power on June 30, 2012, cannot be appealed or cancelled by any individual, or political or governmental body, according to the declaration.

The president is authorised to take any measures he sees fit in order to preserve the revolution, to preserve national unity or to safeguard national security.

The essence of the declaration guards decisions of Mursi against annulment by the judiciary and gives him almost autocratic rule.

Egyptian opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei accused Mursi of acting like a "new pharaoh".

ElBaradei said the new declaration effectively placed the president above the law.

India and ASEAN should work to promote peace, security :PM

PHNOM PENH, Nov 19: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that cooperation between India and ASEAN in the field of economy, maritime security and counter terrorism is key to the regional and global economy and stability.

Dr Manmohan Singh announced that India is ready to conclude the much- delayed Free Trade Agreement in Services and Investment with ASEAN by next month that will provide a "springboard" for rapid expansion in ties, as he invited investments from the 10-nation grouping citing "enormous opportunities".

Contending that enhanced cooperation between India and ASEAN was crucial for promotion of peace, security and stability in the region and addressing shared challenges, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the agreement in Services and Investment with ASEAN will send a strong signal of deepening economic engagement.

He also cited the steps taken by India to improve investment environment.

Addressing the India-ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Singh said India's relationship with the 10-nation grouping continues to grow in all dimensions, with commerce and connectivity being vital areas of this relationship in which good progress has been made.

He referred to the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement on Trade in Goods signed in 2009 and said it has served well, with the two-way commerce increasing to nearly USD 80 billion in the Indian financial year ending March 2012, exceeding the target of USD 70 billion.

"I would like to inform Your Excellencies that India is prepared to conclude the Agreement on Trade in Services and Investment Promotion before the Commemorative Summit in Delhi in December. This will be a strong signal of our deepening economic engagement, and will allow for rapid expansion in trade and investment flows in both directions," Singh said.

The FTA in Services and Investment were delayed due to strong differences between the two sides.

India, China agree to make bilateral ties 'stronger, wider and deeper'

PHNOM PENH, Nov 19: Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh met his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao in Phnom Penh on the sidelines of ASEAN and East Asia Summit;Both the countries agreed to make bilateral ties "stronger, wider and deeper" as the Chinese leader would be demitting office in March.

Both the countries agreed to make bilateral ties "stronger, wider and deeper" as the Chinese leader would be demitting office in March.

In his statement the Prime Minister Dr Singh specifically referred to Wen's two visits to India in 2005 and 2010, saying these helped make the ties "stronger".

He said during the first visit in 2005, the two countries established Strategic and Cooperative Partnership while the second visit in 2010 marked 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties.

Dr singh will also meet counterparts of Cambodia and Thailand.

PM meets President of Philippines

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh held separate meetings with the President of Philippines.

Secretary (East) Sanjay Singh said the issue of terrorism and menace of piracy figured prominently in the discussions.

In his discussions intensifying economic engagement with the ASEAN and concluding comprehensive economic partnership agreement hogged the lime light.

On the side lines of the summit some more bilateral meetings are expected to take place.

With an agenda to push for greater trade relations in the South East Asian region, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh reached in the Cambodian capital on Sunday to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.

The two summit meets will provide an opportunity for India to enhance its economic cooperation with the region amid lingering financial crisis in the western world.

India is soon likely to finalise an agreement for boosting trade in investment and services in the region.

Govt confident of convincing majority in Parliament: Sharma

ONBOARD THE SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, accompanying the Prime Minister on a tour to Cambodia, told the media onboard the special aircraft, that the Government is confident of convincing the majority in parliament.

He was responding to a question on Mamata Banerjee's stand on bringing in a No-Confidence Motion in the Winter Session of Parliament against Centre's several reformist policies.