tagged w/ India
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It is unclear what charges the former Maldives president faces. The upheaval in the strategic Indian Ocean nation has sparked concern that China may exploit the unrest.
By Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times
February 10, 2012
Reporting from New Delhi— A criminal court issued an arrest warrant Thursday for deposed Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed amid fear of further violence in the Indian Ocean nation after rioting the day before. It wasn't immediately clear what the charges against him were in the confusing and fast-evolving political crisis.
Newly installed President Mohammed Waheed Hassan moved Thursday to assemble a Cabinet, naming defense and home ministers who have had differences with Nasheed.
The jockeying and political upheaval come at a sensitive time for a country that held its first democratic election four years ago. The turmoil also provides a potential opening for China, which has been angling to expand its influence on India's doorstep, given the Maldives' strategic location astride Asia's main oil shipping lanes. And a protracted crisis could threaten the idyllic archipelago's tourism industry if it starts scaring away European and American travelers.
Nasheed, 44, spent much of Thursday with reporters and allies at his house as several hundred supporters formed a cordon outside under umbrellas in the inclement weather. Local news reports said the deposed president had sent his family to Sri Lanka while he awaited arrest.
Government officials and local reporters said a warrant was also issued Thursday for former Defense Minister Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu.
Newly named Home Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed said in a telephone interview that violent protests Wednesday by Nasheed supporters, which he said saw shops, courts, police stations and at least 17 police vehicles destroyed, were "clearly an act of terrorism."
Ahmed said he didn't believe the warrant for Nasheed was issued on terrorism charges but rather was related to a police investigation of the president's firing of a judge last month, which galvanized opposition to his rule.
"The situation is very tense," Ahmed said. "We're trying to restore order. In the capital the situation is under control, but in the outer islands, as with all countries, there are limited resources."
Nasheed allies counter that democracy has been subverted just as it is taking root in the Maldives. Paul Roberts, an aide to the former president, said that after seizing control with questionable tactics, the new government has subverted many branches of government and arrested elected representatives.
"It looks really bad," he said.
The United States and India announced that they are sending officials to confer and monitor the situation amid concern that the unrest could be exploited by China.
The crisis hit the international spotlight Tuesday when Nasheed announced his resignation for the good of the country. On Wednesday, the former human rights activist shifted gears, saying he had been forced to resign at gunpoint. Fresh rioting followed his statement.
Hassan has denied there was a coup and has called for a unity government.
Nasheed has told supporters and journalists that he won't seek an immediate reinstatement but believes Hassan should step down and call for elections to settle the issue democratically.
Nasheed was elected in 2008 amid great promise after three decades of rule by autocratic leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. But Nasheed ran into trouble with police and parts of the army after he dismissed the nation's top criminal court judge last month, accusing him of subverting his rule and maintaining close ties to Gayoom.
Analysts said the government may decide not to arrest Nasheed, or to at least delay his detention until things quiet down, given the protests and intense scrutiny.
Ahmed Tholal, vice president of the government's Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, said protesters arrested Wednesday after the rioting were released early Thursday. "We spoke to them and they suffered no further injury" in detention, he said, adding that commission members have received threats.
"We're calling for calm," he said. "We're very concerned about the deteriorating law-and-order situation."
More at the linkIt is unclear what charges the former Maldives president faces. The upheaval in the... more
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In this award year the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences has launched "Celebrate the Movies," a digital exhibition spotlighting iconic moments from 84 films. The exhibition appeared on digital billboards in Los Angeles, and on ABC's digital "SuperSign," an electronic landmark in New York's Times Square... http://actorschecklist.com/wordpress/?p=174In this award year the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences has launched "Celebrate... more
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IPL 2012 1st transfer window has commenced. In an exciting auction teams fought for specialist players. Banglore boy Vinay kumar bagged the highest bid. Where as Ravindra jadeja is the highest buy.Vinay Kumar who was part of kochi tuskers in the last season is now in his home team Bangalore Royal Challengers.
http://hoowstuffworks.blogspot.in/2012/02/ipl-2012-complete-list-of-player.htmlIPL 2012 1st transfer window has commenced. In an exciting auction teams fought for... more
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The prestigious Institute of Ideas Debating Matters Competition runs this national debating competition for sixth form students in the UK and in partnership with the British Council in India. Honoured to be partners with this inspiring organisation which privileges content over style, WORLDbytes volunteers have filmed many debates and edited this short glimpse of the toughest intellectual challenge around for 16-18 year olds. With hundreds of schools involved and top level judges, the competition puts learning on a new level, deals with issues which affect us all and never fails to inspire. For full details of the competition and to take part visit http://www.debatingmatters.com/The prestigious Institute of Ideas Debating Matters Competition runs this national... more
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Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means the Abode of Clouds in Sanskrit and other Indic languages.
http://youtu.be/T1ffu9hlOEoMeghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally... more
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What is the future of India? This forecaster predicts bright years ahead, thanks largely to the subcontinent's "DIY" natureWhat is the future of India? This forecaster predicts bright years ahead, thanks... more
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Two years after India’s Andaman Islands lost the last speaker of ‘Bo’, a leading linguist has warned the Jarawa could face a similar fate unless the road running through their reserve is closedTwo years after India’s Andaman Islands lost the last speaker of... more
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There have been many satires on the southern superstar Rajni Kanth eventually amplifying the power of the undisputed superstar! Now,this is no joke! New website of rajinikanth requires no internet connection. In other words you need to disconnect your internet to browse through this website. Website claims that it runs on RAJINI POWER!
http://hoowstuffworks.blogspot.com/2012/01/rajinikanths-website-runs-without.htmlThere have been many satires on the southern superstar Rajni Kanth eventually... more
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Video showing tribal people on the Andaman islands apparently being forced by police to dance for tourists in causing a storm in India.
The video, published by the Observer newspaper, shows a policeman ordering two naked girls to dance. He reminds them at the start of the video: “I gave you food.”
The Andaman islands in the Bay of Bengal are home to a number of indigenous tribes who are protected and all contact is supposedly banned with them.
But the video shows dozens of vans full of tourists traveling on a road — which was ordered closed by India’s Supreme Court a decade ago — through the spectacular jungle. Tourists throw food to the tribes people, as you might to animals on a safari.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/indian-tribe-forced-to-dance-for-tourists-for-food-video.html#ixzz1k2MnBa00
http://youtu.be/HkilueCoafIVideo showing tribal people on the Andaman islands apparently being forced by police... more
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china1
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added this
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21 days ago
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With almost 17 million people packed into its crowded city streets, New Delhi is the perfect place for people to get lost.
But some are never found again. They disappear. That is what happened to Rao Kumar’s 12-year-old son, Ravi.With almost 17 million people packed into its crowded city streets, New Delhi is the... more
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ndian Cops Violently Beat A Cow SMUGGLER after naked him. this is a viral video ,this have reported at the border of india-bangladesh .ndian Cops Violently Beat A Cow SMUGGLER after naked him. this is a viral video ,this... more
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According to an article published this month in the journal Nature Biotechnology, Monsanto is facing biopiracy charges in India.
In an unprecedented decision, India's National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), a government agency, declared legal action against Monsanto (and their collaborators) for accessing and using local eggplant varieties (known as brinjal) to develop their Bt genetically engineered version1 without prior approval of the competent authorities, which is considered an act of "biopiracy."
The journal of Nature Biotechnology reported:
"An Indian government agency has agreed to sue the developers of genetically modified (GM) eggplant for violating India's Biological Diversity Act of 2002. India's National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is alleging that the developers of India's first GM food crop—Jalna-based Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) partnered with St. Louis–based seed giant Monsanto and several local universities—used local varieties to develop the transgenic crop, but failed to gain the appropriate licenses for field trials. At the same time, activists in Europe are claiming that patents on conventionally bred plants, including a melon found in India, filed by biotech companies violate farmers' rights to use naturally occurring breeds. Both these pending legal cases could set important precedents for biopiracy in India and Europe."
(click on the link for the complete article)According to an article published this month in the journal Nature Biotechnology,... more
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NEW DELHI — Police in India detained three men for questioning in Kashmir Thursday in connection with a bombing at a New Delhi court complex Wednesday that killed 11 people and injured at least 76, the Associated Press reported.
The blast, from a bomb hidden in a briefcase, occurred outside the reception area of the Delhi High Court complex during the morning rush hour, shortly after 10 a.m
In an e-mail received by an Indian news television station, a Pakistan-based group called Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami asserted responsibility for the blast. The
e-mail said the al-Qaeda-inspired group, which also has cells in India and Bangladesh, would target several courts across India, including the Supreme Court, unless authorities immediately rescinded the death sentence of Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri convicted for his role in a 2001 attack on India's Parliament.
A clemency petition from Afzal was recently rejected.
Security officials said they were examining the e-mail's authenticity. "This could even be a smoke screen, maybe meant to distract us," one intelligence official said. The official said the Harkat-ul-Jehadi cell in Kashmir has been weakened because of a series of arrests and surrenders.
Early Thursday, police in Kashmir said investigators had traced the e-mail to an Internet cafe in Kishtwar, in Kashmir, and they detained three residents of the town for questioning, including the owner of an Internet cafe.
A security official in Kashmir said the two-line e-mail was sent three hours after the bomb blast in New Delhi, by an 18-year-old man. An assistant at the cyber cafe told the official that the sender of the e-mail spoke a local dialect that indicated that he was from Kishtwar.
Authorities also were searching various locations in Kishtwar for clues, the Associated Press reported.
Also Thursday, the Indian news station Headlines Today received an e-mail from an indigenous militant group, called Indian Mujahadeen, which also claimed responsibility for the attack. Indian Mujahadeen is accused of carrying out a series of bombings in several cities since 2007. The news channel said it sent the e-mail to the Home Ministry for verification.
India's top internal security official, U.K. Bansal, said preliminary investigation of the blast site turned up traces of nitrate-based explosives and pentaerythritol tetranitrate, known as PETN, which he called "the explosive of choice for terrorists."
Unlike in some earlier attacks, Indian officials and police appeared reluctant to jump to conclusions or point a finger immediately at Muslim groups or neighboring Pakistan, with which New Delhi began a fragile peace process this year. In 2007, India was quick to blame Pakistan for a train bombing, but a subsequent investigation pointed to the involvement of radical Hindu groups based in India.
"There is a directive that has gone out that we will not name anyone in a hurry. It is because of the earlier mess-ups," said the intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. He also said that there have been no substantial leads in any of the seven attacks across India since last summer.NEW DELHI — Police in India detained three men for questioning in Kashmir... more
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article is generally about Indian cities - question asks if they are "green" enough and democratic enough, for the future.article is generally about Indian cities - question asks if they are "green"... more
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The 11th auto expo-2012 happening in New Delhi is being used as a platform by the companies to introduce new bikes and cars to the market. Harley Davidson India has introduced two new bikes, FXDB Street Bob and FXDS Super Glide Custom. Joining the club, Maruti Suziki has introduced its concept car X4 alpha in the auto expo. This particular car is opened up a new section called MINI SUV( whose price falls under below 10lakhs) The compact SUV is based on the concept of wrestling, integrated in Indian history.
http://hoowstuffworks.blogspot.com/2012/01/cars-and-bikes-in-new-delhi-auto-expo.htmlThe 11th auto expo-2012 happening in New Delhi is being used as a platform by the... more
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