India’s prime minister urged global companies on Wednesday to make the sun-baked South Asian nation a solar energy hub as the country seeks to cut its chronic power shortages.
Tag Archives: South Asian
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 4/1/2013
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
12:53 P.M. EDT
MR. CARNEY: Hello, everyone. It’s very good to see you. Thanks for taking care of Josh in my absence last week.
Before I take your questions, I want to say a couple of things. One, and perhaps most importantly, I apologize for keeping you here to miss the opening pitches of the Red Sox versus Yankees game and the Marlins at the Nationals here. I, for one, wish I were at the stadium, because it’s going to be a very exciting season I think for Nationals and Red Sox fans, of which I am one.
I’d also like to say something about the fact that this morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee announced its hearing for our D.C. Circuit Court nominee, Sri Srinivasan. As you know, Sri is the Principal Deputy Solicitor General, but you may not know that Sri was born in India and raised in Lawrence, Kansas, eventually becoming an all-star point guard at Lawrence High School. And, of course, he is still recovering today from the loss by his beloved Kansas Jayhawks over the weekend.
Sri is of course also a highly respected appellate advocate who has spent a distinguished career litigating before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals, both in private practice and on behalf of the United States for both Democratic and Republican administrations. He has argued before the Supreme Court 24 times; drafted briefs and several dozen additional cases; and has also served as lead counsel in numerous cases before the federal and state appellate courts.
As a testament to how highly regarded he is by members of both parties, 12 former officials from the Solicitor General’s office — six of them Democrats, six of them Republicans — all announced their support for Sri today. The signatories of the letter, including Paul Clement, Ted Olson, Ken Starr, and Walter Dellinger, write, “Sri has a first-rate intellect, an open-minded approach to the law, a strong work ethic, and an unimpeachable character. Sri is one of the best appellate lawyers in the country.”
The D.C. Circuit, as you know, is often considered the nation’s second-highest court, but it has twice as many vacancies as any other court of appeals, and its workload has increased by over 20 percent since 2005. Sri’s confirmation will be an important first step to filling this court’s four vacancies, and he will be, when confirmed, the first South Asian circuit court judge in history.
We also urge the Senate to move swiftly to confirm the 15 additional judicial nominees waiting for votes. Of those 15, 13 were approved out of the Judiciary Committee unanimously; not a single Republican dissent. And four would fill judicial emergencies; six are represented by Republican home-state senators who support their nominations.
Now, as I mentioned, the last time I gave an update on our judicial nominees, we have seen …read more
Source: White House Press Office
Source: White House Press Office
2 Italian marines return to India to face trial
Two Italian marines returned to India on Friday to face trial in the killing of a pair of Indian fishermen, ending a diplomatic rift that had soured ties between the two countries.
Italy had earlier said it would not send the marines back as promised, insisting the South Asian nation had no standing to try the men. But Italy reversed its position Thursday and sent them back to meet a Friday deadline for their return.
The marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, arrived in New Delhi on Friday evening, according to Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.
India‘s foreign minister, Salman Khurshid, said Italy‘s decision healed the rift between the two nations.
“We have a valuable relationship with Italy,” Khurshid told reporters. The fact that the incident “did not derail our relationship, and that things are back on track and are normal is a matter of satisfaction.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also praised Italy‘s decision.
“We are very happy the Italian government is upholding the integrity and dignity of the Indian judicial process,” he said.
The Indian Supreme Court allowed the marines to return home last month to vote in the Italian election in exchange for a promise from the Italian ambassador that they would return within four weeks. The marines had returned from a similar trip home over Christmas without incident.
But this time, after the marines flew home, the Italian government announced they would not be coming back, triggering a diplomatic crisis. The Italian foreign ministry said the decision to try them in India violated their rights.
India‘s Supreme Court, contending the Italian ambassador had reneged on his promise, barred him from leaving the country. It also contended that his actions could nullify his diplomatic immunity.
Singh angrily demanded the men be returned to India, warning that Italy would otherwise face unspecified consequences.
Italy backed down Thursday, agreeing to send them back on condition they not be subject to the death penalty if convicted, Khurshid said. India assured them this was not a capital case, he said. Khurshid said he also told Italy the marines would not be arrested if they returned as scheduled Friday. Instead, they would be allowed to continue living in the Italian Embassy.
The Indian Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the men should be tried by a special court to be set up by the central government in consultation with the chief justice. The decision removed the case from the jurisdiction of the southern state of Kerala, near where the shooting took place.
The marines were part of a military security team on a cargo ship when they fired at a fishing boat in February 2012, killing the two fishermen. The marines said they mistook the fishing boat for a pirate craft.
India contends the shooting happened in Indian waters, while Italy has insisted it occurred in international waters during an international anti-piracy mission and that Italy should have jurisdiction.
1 dead in Bangladesh opposition shutdown
Opposition supporters clashed with pro-government activists in Bangladesh, leaving one man dead amid reports of explosions of bombs and a train derailment blamed on the opposition during a nationwide general strike on Tuesday.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, and its 17 other allies were enforcing the shutdown to try to secure release of 154 leaders and activists detained this month.
The group enforced a similar shutdown across the South Asian country Monday, and a similar shutdown is expected in Dhaka, the capital, on Thursday.
Those detained are facing charges of attacking police and creating chaos during an anti-government rally that ended abruptly amid explosions and clashes on March 11.
In Dhaka, opposition activists on Tuesday detonated crude bombs and vandalized vehicles, said bdnews24.com agency and Ekattor TV station.
Railway official Abul Kalam Azad said a train derailed early Tuesday in northeastern Moulvibazar district after suspected opposition activists removed plates from the track. He said 15 passengers were slightly injured, while the derailment forced authorities to suspend operations in the region.
A student front leader of the ruling Awami League bled to death after being hit with sharp weapons in fighting with opposition supporters in northern Tangail district, said local police chief Monir Hossain.
In northwestern district of Rajshahi, activists from Jamaat-e-Islami, a main ally of the main opposition BNP, clashed with police, leaving scores injured. At least 35 people were injured in two clashes in the area while more than 40 homemade bombs exploded, bdnews24.com agency reported, quoting police officials.
United News of Bangladesh agency reported at least 40 opposition activists were arrested in Rajshahi.
Explosions of crude bombs were also reported in parts of Dhaka, where schools and most businesses were closed Tuesday amid tight security with thousands of officers patrolling the streets. Traffic was thin on the usually-clogged streets.
Bangladesh‘s rough political world has become increasingly violent in recent months. The opposition alliance is demanding restoration of a caretaker government to oversee elections expected to be held by early next year.
Jamaat-e-Islami also wants to halt the trials of several opposition politicians accused of crimes stemming from the country’s 1971 independence war …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
India police detain dozens over Swiss tourist's rape
Police in central India say they have detained 20 men in central India after a Swiss woman on a cycling trip was gang-raped.
Police officer D.K. Arya said Sunday that no arrests have been made so far but police were questioning the men in connection with the rape and assault on the woman and her husband in Madhya Pradesh state.
Police have registered a case of rape against seven unidentified men and were searching nearby villages.
The Swiss ambassador in India has spoken to the couple and has demanded a swift probe of the incident.
The attack occurred Friday night as the couple camped out in a forest in Madhya Pradesh state after bicycling from the temple town of Orchha, local police officer R.K. Gurjar said.
The men beat the couple and gang-raped the woman, he said. They also stole the couple’s mobile phone, a laptop computer and 10,000 rupees ($185).
The woman was treated at a hospital in the nearby city of Gwalior, Gurjar said, adding that she and her husband apparently suffered no major injuries.
A photo showed the woman — her identity concealed with a hood — walking while being escorted by police to the hospital.
Police detained 13 men and questioned them, Gurjar said. Six of the men were released after questioning. No other details were immediately available.
Indian television stations showed scores of police searching the forest where the attack occurred.
Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman Tilman Renz described the case as “deeply disturbing” and said Swiss diplomats were assisting the couple.
The diplomats called on Indian authorities “to do everything to quickly find the perpetrators so that they can be held accountable,” Renz said in a statement.
Last month, the Swiss government issued a travel notice for India that included a warning about “increasing numbers of rapes and other sexual offenses” in the South Asian nation.
India has seen outrage and widespread protests against attacks on women since December’s fatal gang-rape of a young woman on a moving bus in New Delhi, the capital. The crime horrified Indians and set off nationwide protests about India‘s treatment of women and spurred the government to hurry through a new package of laws to protect them.
One of six suspects in the December attack was found dead in a New Delhi jail this past week. Authorities said he hanged himself, but his family and lawyer insisted foul play was involved. A magistrate is investigating. Four other men and a juvenile remain on trial for the attack.
Saudi withdraws Sri Lanka envoy in execution tiff
Saudi Arabia says it has called back its ambassador to Sri Lanka following a similar move by the South Asian nation to protest the kingdom’s beheading of a Sri Lankan domestic worker last month.
The two countries have been at odds since the January execution of Rizana Nafeek, who was convicted in the death of a Saudi baby in her care in 2005.
The case spurred global appeals for leniency because she was 17 at the time of the infant’s death. She had denied strangling the 4-month-old boy.
The official Saudi Press Agency said on Wednesday that the ambassador was called to Riyadh for consultations. Sri Lanka withdrew its ambassador to the Gulf kingdom after the execution.
Highway crash kills at least 22 workers in UAE
Police in the United Arab Emirates say a gravel-filled truck with faulty brakes has rammed a bus, killing at least 22 migrant workers.
Monday’s crash near Al Ain, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of Abu Dhabi, also injured 24 people. Envoys from Pakistan, India and other South Asian countries rushed to the scene.
The nationalities of those killed were not immediately announced, but South Asians comprise the vast majority of laborers in the UAE and other Gulf nations.
Workers are usually transported by bus from labor camps to job sites.
Brig. Gen Hussein Ahmed al-Harethi, head of Abu Dhabi‘s police traffic division, told the official news agency WAM that the truck driver lost control after the vehicle’s brakes failed.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Sri Lankan lawyers denounce sacking of top judge
Sri Lanka‘s leading lawyers on Monday denounced President Mahinda Rajapaksa‘s dismissal of the chief justice as illegal and said they still recognize Shirani Bandaranayake as the South Asian country’s top judge.
Lawyers and activists said Rajapaksa and the Parliament he controls violated the constitution by trying to remove Bandaranayake, and that any attempt to replace her could precipitate a constitutional crisis.
Rajapaksa on Sunday ratified a parliamentary vote to dismiss Bandaranayake, saying she has been found guilty of having unexplained wealth and misuse of power. The president’s critics say he pushed out the chief justice because she resisted efforts to solidify his family’s hold on the government.
A parliamentary tribunal found Bandaranayake guilty last month. She denied wrongdoing and walked out of the proceeding, saying she was not given a fair hearing. An appeals court quashed the guilty verdict after another court ruled that the tribunal lacked legal powers, but neither parliament nor Rajapaksa recognized those moves.
Lawyers Collective, a grouping of the country’s leading lawyers, said Bandaranayake’s dismissal was “unconstitutional and illegal.”
“We also still recognize she is the chief justice of this country,” said Chadrapala Kumarage, a member of the collective. He said any new appointment would be invalid.
“If the rulers of this country themselves break the main laws, other criminals may say those courts are not valid and illegal and that they will not accept them,” Kumarage said. “Then there will be a very dangerous and anarchy situation in the country.”
The lawyers said they will launch an islandwide campaign to educate the people about the government‘s move. Many senior lawyers have asked Supreme Court judges not to sit with a new chief justice. It is unclear when Rajapaksa intends to appoint a replacement.
Critics of Rajapaksa see Bandaranayake’s impeachment as a step toward removing obstacles to absolute power and ensuring a servile judiciary.
Rajapaksa won his second term as president on a wave of popular support after ending Sri Lanka‘s bloody 25-year civil war in 2009. He has pushed through laws ending term limits for the presidency and abolishing independent commissions that select top judiciary, police and public service personnel. He now has the power to appoint many of the country’s officials.
Bandaranayake was long viewed as pro-government but faced the allegations after she ruled against a law that would have increased the power of a brother of Rajapaksa who runs the economic development ministry.
The government is largely controlled by the Rajapaksa family, including the president’s older brother Chamal Rajapaksa, the speaker of Parliament. Another brother runs the defense ministry, and one of the president’s sons is a member of Parliament.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Bahrain opens probe into deadly labor camp fire
Officials in Bahrain have opened an investigation into the cause of fire that killed 13 people in a labor camp.
The official Bahrain News Agency says the public prosecutor’s office is leading the probe into Friday’s blaze in the capital Manama.
The report Saturday said fire collapsed the roof of the three-story building used to house workers.
Special compounds for migrant laborers are common across the Gulf. For years, rights groups have pressed for better living conditions for the mostly South Asian workers.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
India November Output of Crude Oil Rises, Natural Gas Falls
India’s crude-oil production rose by a marginal 0.8% from a year earlier in November, while natural-gas output continued its declining trend, underlining the South Asian nation’s struggles in maintaining production at its ageing fields and its increasing dependence on imports.
Source: Fox Business Headlines