Abe, Putin agree to speed up peace-treaty talks December 29, 2012 Japan’s new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to spur their foreign ministries towards signing a peace treaty. Putin asked for a phone conversation with Abe, and the 2 leaders spoke for about 20 minutes on Friday. Abe said developing his nation’s ties with Russia is a top priority. He said the relationship had the potential to become one of Japan’s richest. The Japanese leader also said he welcomes Putin’s statement that Russia will hold a constructive dialogue with Japan on their territorial dispute. Abe called the dispute the biggest pending issue. He said he would like to make efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution. Putin said both countries’ foreign ministries should be instructed to work more actively towards a peace treaty. Japan claims sovereignty over a group of 4 northern Pacific islands seized by Soviet f...
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Italy's Monti to lead new coalition in polls Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti says he will lead a new centrist coalition in the upcoming parliamentary elections to continue his reform policy.Monti submitted his resignation last week after losing support from the center-right party led by his predecessor Silvio Berlusconi. A general election will be held in late February. Monti on Friday met officials of centrist parties. He later told a news conference that he is aiming for a second mandate in office.Monti said Italy needs a political coalition that is directed at Europe and at reform instead of the traditional axis of right and left.The main issue in the election will be whether to continue Monti's fiscal consolidation and structural reform policies. Polls show the center-left Democratic Party has the highest support. The party places importance on economic growth while rebuilding public finances.Then comes the Five Star Mo...
Berlusconi to pay 3M euro pm in divorce
Berlusconi to pay 3M euro pm in divorce Posted on December 29, 2012 by sagarmedia Standard Italian media reports on Friday that former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has agreed to pay 3-million euro per month as living expenses to his second wife for divorcing her.He had been married to his second wife, Veronica Lario, for more than 20 years. Media reports say Berlusconi will pay almost 4-million dollars a month to Lario, but will keep real estate that she had been demanding. Lario’s lawyer says the monetary agreement has resolved the largest point of contention. The 2 sides will now work on other details to complete the divorce. Berlusconi announced earlier this month his engagement to a 27-year-old woman, 49 years his junior. Berlusconi resigned last year as Italy’s prime minister amid harsh criticism of how he handled the credit crisis.
Join us on: SportzPower Daily www.sportzpower.com Dec 29 Vol 01, Issue 1114 TODAY'S TOP HEADLINES 63rd Sr Natl Basketball tips off in Punjab In all 46 teams, 25 men and 21 women are participating in the country’s top most competition played on League–cum–Knock-out basis WWE takes $45m hit as video game publisher THQ goes bust WWE is an "unsecured creditor holding a claim of approximately $45 million reflecting the entirety of the existing multi-year agreement" with THQ Gold Coast releases its...
A moment of national grief and shame A moment of national grief and shame The girl who became the symbol of women’s insecurity and their courage is no more. This is a moment of national grief. The nation joins her family and friends in remembering an extra-ordinary woman who resisted a dastardly assault, who fought back and nearly won an impossible battle with death, who demanded nothing but justice from her death bed. This is also a moment of national shame. We as a nation have failed to provide conditions in which women can lead a normal life without being subjected to indignities. We as a society have failed to evolve a culture of respect and equality for women. We as a democratic country have failed to secure elementary right to dignified life for women citizens. This is a moment of national anguish, a moment to think about thousands of lives that could have been saved, a moment to register the pain and hu...
India Pakistan T20 series ends 1-1 AHMEDABAD: India beat Pakistan by 11 runs to level T20 series 1-1:I ndia's bowlers tightenng their nerves in the last five overs as Pakistan's batting went berserk, losing five for 45 in the last five overs. Dinda under pressure with a bowled good spell of three for 36 in four overs, Ashwin kept it right in the middle with one for 28 in four overs. Hafeez who threatened to take the match away from India blazing innings of 55 from 26 balls but regular wickets at the end saw them lose their way in the end.India has won the second T20 to level T-20series between India and pakistan Yuvraj Singh along with his captain Mahinder Singh Dhoni helped India to set a rather difficult target of 193 runs for Pakistan in the second and final Twenty20 International here at the Sardar Patel Stadium on Friday. Both added 97 runs for the fourth wicket partnership after India were 88 for three in 12 overs. After being hit on his left le...
NDC approves 12th Five Year Plan Country's apex policy making body NDC has approved the strategy to achieve average growth rate of 8 pc during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17), generate 50 million new jobs and increase investments in infrastructure sector. "I am very happy that NDC (National Development Council) has approved the 12th Five Year Plan. We have marginally reduced the average annual growth rate to 8 per cent (from 8.2 per cent). "We expect with the growth rate of 5.8 per cent this fiscal and little over 7 per cent next fiscal, and with extra effort in the remaining three more years we can reach 8 per cent," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said in New Delhi on Thursday. The voluminous document, containing detailed policy strategy for the 12th Plan, was approved at the full meeting of the NDC chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The document has pegged the aggregate Plan resources at Rs 37.16 lakh cr...
Kashmir Valley gets connected by rail Northern Railways made history as the first train chugged through India's longest railway tunnel through the Pir Panjal mountain range, connecting Kashmir Valley to Banihal town on Srinagar-Jammu National highway. The train on a trial run, arrived at Banihal station from Qazigund in Anantnag district of Kashmir, was witnessed by hundreds of local residents of this highway town. The train chugged in at the station amidst thunderous applause from the people, who had assembled here to witness the historic achievement of Indian railways. The trial run was scheduled to be conducted on Thursday but had to be postponed following protests by residents of villages falling along Qazigund-Banihal railway link, who were demanding a one-minute halt station for the train at Hillad village. The protesters, backed by a local politician, tried to block the track on Friday again but were persuaded by the civil administration officials to allow the t...
Congress MPs from Telangana hopeful of Centre favouring new state. While welcoming the outcome of the all-party meeting on Telangana, Congress MPs from the region have expressed confident that the Centre would take a favourable decision in carving out a separate state in a month's time. The seven MPs, who lobbied strongly with the Congress leadership for the all-party meet, told reporters in New Delhi that Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, during the meeting, spoke in favour of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. They also claimed that barring the YSR Congress party, all parties spoke in favour of a separate Telangana state. "YSR Congress has shown its true colours," said Madhu Yaskhi Goud, one of the Congress MPs. He called on the people of Telangana not to allow any YSR party leader to take out any yatra in the region. Hailing the decision of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to back the demand for carving out the state of Telangana, they asked TDP chief N Chandraba...
Promising Indian doubles pairs granted wild cards for Aircel Chennai Open 2013 Vishnu Vardhan & Sanam Singh and N Sriram Balaji & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan to add strength to Indian contingent Chennai, December 28, 2012: The organisers of the Aircel Chennai Open 2013 today announced that India’s upcoming tennis players Vishnu Vardhan, Sanam Singh, N Sriram Balaji, and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan have been granted wild card entries into the doubles draw of the $430,000 tennis tournament to be held here from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013. The wild card entry into the tournament is a significant recognition of the talent the four players possess. Vishnu Vardhan, who will be joining forces with Sanam Singh, has played singles as well as doubles matches for India against New Zealand in the Davis Cup. He has also played in the London Olympics with Paes and paired up with Sania Mirza for the mixed doubles. 24-year-old Sanam Singh is a Davis Cup player and Gold Medallist in...
Shri Sushilkumar ShindeUnion Home Minister on Critical Condition of Victim Union Home Minister Shri Sushilkumar Shinde said on the condition of the gang rape victim, “We are all aware of the critical condition of victim. Since the day of the incident, it has been our endeavor to provide her the best of medical care. Despite the best efforts of our Doctors, the victim continues to be critical and her fluctuating health remains a big cause of concern to all of us. Government had stated that it will spare no effort for her treatment. Therefore, when we were advised by a team of Doctors that she may be shifted abroad for treatment, the Government decided to meet all the costs thereof. Considering the travel time, the doctors have suggested Mt Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore. Government have ordered India’s High Commissioner in Singapore to make necessary arrangements. Indian Doctors have spoken to the Doctors of the said Hospital and ...
Launching Food Tank: The Food Think Tank!Danielle Nierenberg
Dear Naresh, Today, in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal entitled " Hungering for a Solution to Food Losses " (see below or click HERE ), Anna Lappe and I discuss the enormous amount of food wasted worldwide. In the United States alone, we waste about five million tons of food just between Thanksgiving and New Year's— that's enough to fill 125,000 18-wheelers, which would stretch from Chicago to Seattle. Fortunately, there are a lot of amazing groups and individuals working on preventing waste throughout the world. The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition in Italy, for example, recently published a report on the importance of identifying better ways to measure food loss and food waste. And Dana Gunders ( Natural Resources Defense Council ), Selina Juul ( Stop Wasting Food ), and Tristram Stuart ( Feeding the 5000 ) are all doing work to create awareness, educa...