Government’s clean fuel drive on reverse gea

he Union government’s crackdown on air pollution, by implementing stricter vehicular emission standards, is facing a delay due to unavailability of suitable fuel to support its clean technology.

The government is now considering to postpone the implementation of Euro-V norms by a year to 2020 and that of Euro-VI norms to 2022, government officials said.

The implementation of Euro-V emission standards for all vehicles might take place by 2020 and of Euro-VI by 2022, sources said. A final decision in this regard will be taken in the next few days.

An inter-ministerial meeting, attended by officials of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Petroleum, Heavy Industries and Environment, was held on Wednesday. A consensus couldn’t be arrived at the meeting chaired by Road Transport and Highways Secretary, Vijay Chibber.

Sources said the Ministry of Petroleum officials expressed their inability to comply with the early deadline to implement the clean fuel technology which the government had earlier mooted. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways was pushing to implement the clean fuel technology by the deadline of 2019 but the Ministry of Petroleum wasn’t ready to implement the norms.

“We are awaiting a response from the Petroleum Ministry. The officials wanted the BS-V (Bharat Stage) norms to be postponed to 2020 as they said they are not ready to supply these fuels,” said sources present in the meeting.

Another senior government official said there is a plan to implement BS-V norms from 2020 and BS-VI norms from 2022 for all vehicles instead of separate deadlines for new and old vehicles. “We may merge the separate deadlines earlier proposed for new and existing vehicles. The BS-V norms will be effective from 2020 for all vehicles and BS-VI norms from 2022,” the official said.

According to the draft notification issued by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in November, the Euro-V and Euro-VI norms for new vehicles was to be introduced from 2019 and 2021 respectively. The existing vehicles need to switch to Euro-V and Euro-VI norms from April 1, 2020 and April 1, 2022 respectively.

Government’s earlier roadmap had proposed implementing BS-V norms from April 1, 2022 and BS-VI from April 1, 2024.

“In view of deteriorating air quality, it is agreed to take on a more challenging task of compressing the timelines,” Minister of State Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, G. M. Siddeshwara, had said in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question earlier this month.

However, sources said the Ministry of Heavy Industries officials present in the meeting said they wanted to implement BS-V norms by 2020. The automobile industry said the delay in implementing clean fuel standards is not a good sign.

“As far as the industry is concerned, the situation hasn’t changed much with this proposal. We had welcomed the implementation of BS-V norms by 2019. We will be delaying cleaner vehicles by one year which is not a good situation to be in,” said K. K Gandhi, Executive Director (Tech), Society of Indian Automobiles Manufacturers.

There has been growing debate regarding rising air pollution due to vehicles. Supreme Court recently banned the registration of diesel cars and SUVs with 2000 CC engine capacities in the Delhi and the National Capital Region till March 31, 2016.

The Delhi government also announced its plan to keep a check on the rising air pollution by restricting the number of vehicles that can ply in the national capital beginning January 1, 2016.

At present, BS-IV auto fuels are being supplied in over 30 cities, and the rest of the country has BS-III fuels.

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Congress wins in Bidar, Ballari, Raichur-Koppal

JD(S) wraps Kolar seat from Congress

The Janata Dal (Secular) candidate C.R. Manohar won the Kolar Local Authorities Constituency defeating nearest Congress rival M.L.Anilkumar.

Nazir Ahmad of Congress had represented this seat for the last two terms.

While Mr. Manohar polled 3221 votes, Mr. Kumar got 2278 votes. The BJP candidate G.E. Ramegowda could muster only 210 votes.

Kolar has recorded highest percentage of votes in the polls held on Sunday with 5957 among 5961 voters casting their franchise.

BJP fails to retain MLC seat in Raichur-Koppal

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that represented Raichur-Koppal local bodies’ constituency in Legislative Council through Halappa Achar had to surrender the seat to Indian National Congress this time. In a tough fight between the two national parties, Congress candidate Basavaraj Patil Itagi won against his nearest contestant BJP’s C.V. Chandrashekhar by a margin of 328 votes.

Deputy Commissioner of Raichur S. Sasikanth Senthil who was also the Returning Officer of the constituency declared Mr. Itagi as winner at Infant Jesus High School premises where the vote-counting was held.

Of 6760 votes, 6747 were polled, of which 161 votes were invalid. Of the 6586 valid votes, Mr. Itagi, who maintained leading right from the beginning, finally secured 3441 votes to defeat Mr. Chandrashekhar who bagged 3113 votes. Two Independent candidates Mr. Piddappa Gowda and Syed Mujeeb could get 13 and 7 votes respectively. 12 voters rejected all the four candidates in fray by opting None Of The Above (NOTA).

Congress wrests Ballari from BJP

The BJP suffered a setback in Ballari with the Congress wresting the local bodies constituency from the former in the Karnataka Legislative Council election. Congress candidate K.C. Kondaiah won the polls defeating BJP candidate Channabasvavna Gouda Patil by a margin of 1,598 votes. Mr. Kondaiah polled 3,098 votes against the BJP candidate’ 1,500. While 228 votes were rejected, three voters chose the NOTA option. Seven candidates were in the fray.

Congress wins in Bidar

Vijay Singh of the Congress won by a big margin in the election to the state legislative council from local bodies’ constituency in Bidar on Wednesday. Basavaraj Patil Humnabad of the BJP held the seat till now. Read more.

BJP, Congress retain Dakshina Kannada, Udupi seats

BJP’s Kota Srinivasa Poojary and the Congress’ K. Pratapchandra Shetty win the polls, defeating Congress rebels K. Jayaprakash Hegde and Harikrishna Bantwal.

Congress candidate Basavaraj Patil Itagi wins Raichur Koppal constituency.

Earlier story by Our Special Correspondent from Bengaluru:

The counting of votes for elections to the Karnataka Legislative Council from Local Authorities Constituencies began on Wednesday morning.

Counting of ballots began at 11.00 am in Ballari. Congress candidate K. C. Kondaiah is currently leading.

Trends are expected to be known for the 25 seats only by afternoon and the final results by late evening. Counting is being held in 20 centres across the State, including two in Bengaluru.

Candidates who secure “5 per cent votes plus one” will be declared winners. However, in case of none reaching this number, second and third preferential votes will be counted. Results of constituencies with large number of voters and those which will go into counting of preferential votes are expected to be delayed.

Results will be hosted on the Chief Election Commission website www.ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in.

The ruling Congress is hoping to win around 15 seats which will give it an upper hand in the House, where the opposition BJP now has an edge with 30 seats. Presently, the Congress has only 28 seats in the 75-member council, while the JD(S) has 12.

The Congress has fielded candidates in 21 constituencies, the BJP in 20 and the JD(S) in 18. As many as 60 independents and six candidates of other parties are also in the fray. There are eight women among the candidates.

Elections for the 25 seats of Legislative Council were held on December 27, 2015 and 99 per cent of the 1.6 lakh voters cast their votes.

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Transformational year: U.S. envoy Richard Verma

2015 was an unprecedented year in defence relationship as India and the United States began merging their critical defence and strategic needs, said U.S. envoy Richard Verma in a year-end statement.

“We held the first-ever Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, merging our commercial and strategic issues to help power the growth of both our countries. We established secure lines between our two National Security Advisers, and between the President and Prime Minister, so that important, time-sensitive issues could be tackled directly by our leaders. We launched a trilateral ministerial dialogue between Japan, India and the United States, and we entered into a Joint Strategic Vision for cooperation across the Asia Pacific with India,” Mr. Verma said.

Just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. in September, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved USD 2.5 billion deal for 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy lift helicopters. The Apaches will be the first offensive military platform India has contracted from the U.S. as the big ticket sales used to be logistic and transport-related in nature.

Mr. Verma also noted that Manohar Parrikar became the first Indian Defence Minister to visit the U.S. Pacific Command in the first week of December 2015. During Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to the U.S. both sides agreed to expand the scope of the projects under DTTI (Defence Technology and Trade Initiative). A list of projects is currently being prepared in both countries which are expected to be exchanged in the next couple of months.

The ambassador pointed out that the year saw the United States reach out to India seeking help in episodes of crises.

“We called upon India for help to evacuate U.S. nationals from Yemen, and we worked together with India and others to help the people of Nepal after a devastating earthquake. We elevated our strategic partnership to “strategic plus” – signifying that we work together at a much higher level, in more places, and on more different subjects,” he said.

“President Obama was the first U.S. President to be the Chief Guest for India’s Republic Day ceremonies in January. Months later, Secretary of Defence Carter was the first Defence Secretary to visit an Indian military command,” said the envoy.

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Navy successfully launches long-range air defence missile Barak NG

One of India’s most ambitious and costly efforts to develop a surface-to-air missile system, in collaboration with Israel, achieved a significant milestone over the last two days with its successful firings from an Indian Naval warship.

The Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM) -- land version is called MRSAM (medium range SAM) -- is a joint development project between India and Israel and is said to be a very advanced SAM that can track and shoot down incoming missiles and other flying objects with very high level of accuracy. While LRSAM is for navy, the air force has already an order for MRSAM and the army variant has been recently approved.

Also called Barak NG (next generation), the LRSAM can intercept aerial targets up to a range of 80 km. It being co-developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from India and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) of Israel, and will be manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

“The firing was undertaken on the Western Seaboard by INS Kolkata, wherein the missile successfully intercepted an aerial target at extended ranges,” the Indian Navy said in a statement on Wednesday.

Adding a quantum jump in its Air Defence Capability, INS Kolkata, Indian Navy’s state of art, indigenous stealth destroyer, successfully test-fired the Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LR-SAM). Two missiles were fired on 29th and 30th of December on high speed targets, during naval exercises being undertaken in the Arabian Sea. Photo Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

Apart from the missile, the system includes a Multi-Functional Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar (MF STAR) for detection, tracking and guidance of the missile, the statement added.

The missile was successfully test fired for the first time against a flying target from an Israeli warship in November 2014. The project, however, is running behind schedule. It was approved in 2005 with an initial funding of Rs 2,606 crore and was to be inducted in 2011 but has been delayed due to technical difficulties.

The Navy intends to have LR-SAM as the standard fitment on all its future warships and also retrofit existing frontline ships in due course.

While the LR-SAM will form the first tier of the multi-layered air defence at long ranges, the shorter ranges are handled by Barak-I missiles with range of around 10 km and is currently operational on all frontline naval assets including the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

The Navy plans to replace the Barak-I with a new Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SR-SAM), Maitri, to be jointly developed by DRDO with MBDA of France. The approval for this has been accorded by defence ministry in March this year under which nine SR-SAMs with 40 missiles each are to be initially developed.

The Air Force MR-SAM project worth Rs 10,076 crore, almost a replicate of LRSAM but for land based operations, was sanctioned in February 2009 to replace the Pichora systems in service. However the missile is now expected to be inducted in 2017, three years behind schedule. An Army version of the MR-SAM for one regiment worth about Rs. 9,000 crore was agreed upon between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Israeli counterpart Moshe Ya'alon during his visit to India in February. However, given the requirement this number is expected to go up.

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DDCA to file defamation case against Kejriwal, Kirti Azad

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) on Wednesday took exception to the allegations levelled by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding its functioning.

Responding to various allegations by Mr. Kejriwal and also the State government’s decision to appoint Gopal Subramanium to head the probe, DDCA acting president Chetan Chauhan said, “The allegations are serious and the whole thing has become political. Since it involves the DDCA, we would like to make it clear that we would not allow anyone to get away with wild charges against us.”

The DDCA has been charged with financial irregularities and corruption in selections at the junior level. “The charges range from financial to selectors seeking sexual favours. We understand the gravity and sensitivity of the complaint and invite specific complaints in this regard so that we can take action against the accused. I promise you that the DDCA will take action against such people but we can’t go by just wild allegations. Let them tell us who sought sexual favours and who sought money for selection,” said Mr. Chauhan.

‘Baseless charges’

Backing Mr. Chauhan’s stand, DDCA treasurer Ravinder Manchanda said, “We have decided to file defamation cases against people, including the Delhi Chief Minister, who have levelled baseless charges. I have never heard of anyone seeking sexual favours in DDCA for selection.”

What - The AAP alleged huge financial irregularities in DDCA during Arun Jaitley’s 13 year-old tenure as its chief, saying large amounts were siphoned off through fake companies besides other irregularities including in team selection.

When - BJP MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad had earlier in 2014 alleged irregularities in the functioning of DDCA. The Delhi government had set up a committee to inquire the alleged DDCA scam after they received several complaints.

Who - The AAP is demanding an investigation against Mr. Jaitley and other office-bearers of the DDCA. Mr. Jaitley was the patron-in-chief of the DDCA until December 2014.

Then - Delhi's ruling party alleged that the CBI raid on Arvind Kejriwal's top officer Rajendra Kumar was linked to a DDCA file in the Chief Minister's office.

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Land allotment to Hema Malini draws ire

Following the Maharashtra government’s recent decision to allot land in Andheri’s Ambivli area to actor Hema Malini’s dance academy, demands for land allotments to house the homeless and slum-dwellers are growing louder.

On Wednesday, the Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action sent a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse and other officials asking the government to make land available for the rehabilitation of the homeless.

“In response to a petition by the Homeless Collective, the Mumbai Corporation and the State cited non-availability of land to rehabilitate the homeless. In this backdrop, on December 17, the BMC approved a proposal to build a cow shelter spread over one lakh square feet in the city. On Wednesday it was widely reported that Hema Malini was given land for her academy. We request the government to show the same drive in addressing the issue of the homeless,” the organisation’s letter to Mr. Fadnavis states. Mumbai needs 574 shelters and 57,000 still sleep on the city’s pavements, they said.

‘Reserved for institute’

Defending the State government’s decision, Mumbai suburban Collector Shekhar Channe said the 2000 square metre land in Ambivli allotted to the BJP MP was reserved for her institute after a change in the development plan. “The land was reserved for the institute. It was earlier RG (recreation ground), but in the Development Plan the plot was specifically reserved for the institute,” Mr. Channe told The Hindu. The authorities pointed out that the move was not out of turn as Section 37 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act made provisions for “minor modification” to the plan.

The Natyavihar Kala Kendra Charity Trust run by Ms. Hema Malini was granted the plot 19 years after she first applied for it. However, Opposition parties reacted to the government’s move citing the tardy approach to offering land for housing slum dwellers and mill workers.

Ms. Hema Malini said the hue and cry over the allotment was misplaced and baseless. “This place is not for slum-dwellers. It is meant for education and cultural activity. I will be maintaining a public garden and only a small portion of the plot will be used for the dance academy. I deserve to have this land. It is going to be a unique and beautiful cultural centre and Mumbai is happy about it. If you leave the land, it will be encroached upon,” she told The Hindu.

RTI activist Anil Galgali pointed out that the government ought to have issued a public notice ahead of the land allotment.

“The government should have announced the move through advertisements. Successive governments have been giving away land parcels to big personalities like filmmaker Subhash Ghai for his film school and former Union Minister Rajeev Shukla, which was later taken away.”

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Two militants killed in Pulwama encounter

Two separatist guerrillas were killed on Thursday in an overnight gunfight between holed up militants and security forces in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

“Two militants including Manzoor Ahmad Dar of Samboora (Pulwama) and a Pakistani national have been killed in Gusoo village encounter,” a senior police officer told IANS in Srinagar.

Security forces including troops of 53 Rashtriya Rifles, 183 battalion of CRPF and special operations group (SOG) of state police had surrounded Gusoo village in Pulwama district late Wednesday following reports that two to three militants were hiding inside a house there.

As security forces came closer to the suspected house, the militants fired upon the security forces after which a gunfight broke out which ended around 1.30 a.m.

“Searches are still going on in the area. The exact identity of the slain Pakistani militant is being established”, the police officer added.

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NASA captures landslip on Mars

NASA has released an image of a relatively fresh landslip on Mars that shows boulder-covered landslip along a canyon wall.

Landslips occur when steep slopes fall, sending a mass of soil and rock to flow downhill, leaving behind a scarp at the top of the slope, the researchers said.

The mass of material comes to rest when it reaches shallower slopes, forming a lobe of material that ends in a well-defined edge called a toe.

Striking feature

The striking feature of the image, acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) on March 19, 2014, is a boulder-covered landslip along a canyon wall.

The landslip is relatively fresh, as many individual boulders still stand out above the main deposit, researchers said.

Several small impact craters

Additionally, while several small impact craters are visible in the landslip lobe, they are smaller in size and fewer in number than those on the surrounding valley floor. The scarp itself also looks fresh compared to the rest of the cliff — it too has boulders, and more varied topography than the adjacent dusty terrain.

Just to the north of the landslip scarp is a similarly-shaped scar on the cliff-side. However, there is no landslip material on the valley floor below it.

The older landslip deposit has either been removed or buried, a further indicator of the relative youth of the bouldery landslip.

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‘69 journalists died on the job in 2015’

Sixty nine journalists were killed around the world on the job in 2015. Twenty eight of them were slain by Islamic militant groups, including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The New York-based organisation says Syria again was the deadliest place for journalists, though the number of deaths there in 2015 13 was lower than in previous years of the conflict.

“These journalists are the most vulnerable,” Joel Simon, the committee’s executive director said of reporters and broadcasters working in Syria and other areas inundated with Islamic extremists. “This is, clearly based on the data, an incredible risk for journalists.”

Those killed by Islamic extremist groups this year included eight journalists killed in an attack in Paris in January at the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which had published caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack in which two gunmen massacred 12 people. They said it was in “revenge for the prophet”.

In October, two Syrian journalists, Fares Hamadi and Ibrahim Abd al-Qader were killed by Islamic State militants.

While some of the deaths were among reporters covering conflict zones, journalists in several countries also were killed after reporting on sensitive subjects. At least 28 of the reporters who were killed had received threats before their deaths, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

In Brazil, Gleydson Carvalho, a radio broadcaster who often criticised local police and politicians for purported wrongdoing, was shot and killed while presenting his afternoon radio show in August. The committee tracked six killings in Brazil this year the highest it has recorded there.

Among the 69 journalists killed were reporter Alison Parker and videojournalist Adam Ward, of Roanoke, Virginia, TV station WDBJ, who were fatally shot in August by former co-worker Vester Lee Flanagan II during a live broadcast. Their interview subject, Vicki Gardner, was wounded. Flanagan fatally shot himself five hours later after a police chase.

“Journalists are a target and this just confirms it,” Mr. Simon said of the data the committee compiled. “This is a global threat.”

Other countries with several journalists killed included Bangladesh, where extremist groups are suspected in the deaths of four bloggers and a publisher; and South Sudan, where five journalists travelling with a local official were killed in an ambush by unidentified gunmen.

The deaths in Bangladesh included the February attack on Bangladeshi-American blogger and writer Avijit Roy with meat cleavers on a crowded street in Dhaka, the capital. The killings have raised concerns that religious extremism is taking hold in the traditionally moderate South Asian country.

Iraq, Yemen and Brazil also saw at least five journalists killed in 2015.

The Committee to Protect Journalists report warns that it is increasingly difficult to research the deaths of journalists in conflict-hit places such as Libya, Yemen and Iraq. As in Syria, the Islamic State group holds parts of Iraq, where the organization says it has received reports of “dozens more journalists killed”.

The committee has been compiling reports of journalists’ deaths since 1992. The count includes the deaths of at least 17 journalists killed in combat or on other dangerous assignments or murdered for their work.

In its own count, the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders says in a report released on Tuesday that at least 67 journalists were killed worldwide while reporting or because of their work in 2015. It says the circumstances around another 43 deaths remain unclear.

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Canteen cashier raped on Infosys campus in Pune

A female contractual staffer was raped on the Infosys campus here on December 27. Two persons have been arrested.

The incident came to light only on Tuesday after the employee filed a complaint with the Hinjewadi police. The woman works as a cashier in one of the canteens in Phase 1 of the sprawling 114-acre campus. One of the two accused raped the woman in the restroom while the other filmed it on a mobile phone, Inspector Vishwajeet Khule said.

They are said to be part of the housekeeping staff employed by a contractor, according to a statement issued by Infosys.

The accused allegedly threatened the victim that they would make the clip public if she disclosed the incident to anyone.

‘Stringent measures’

Infosys said in its statement that the company was working closely with the police to aid their investigation.

“We have stringent security measures and a zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment, which extends to contractual staff. The company will take action as per the policy,” the statement said.

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Russia wants HAL as partner

The Narendra Modi government’s grand plans to bring in the private sector into the defense sector has received its first reality check with Russia refusing to sign up with a private sector partner for manufacturing helicopters, instead opting to go with the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The move, confirmed by official sources and Russia’s Rostec on Tuesday, is contrary to the much-hyped claim about Russian willingness to partner an Indian private sector company to make over 200 Kamov-226T light utility helicopters in India under technology transfer. Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence was seen as the front-runner to partner the Russians.

“The organisation for the manufacture of helicopters is provided by the creation of a Russian-Indian joint venture in India, which includes holdings of Rostec-JSC Rosoboronexport and Russian Helicopters, and on the India side – the corporation HAL”, CEO of the Rostec State Corporation, Sergei Chemezov said in a statement in Moscow.

One of the key themes of the Modi government’s push for Make in India in defence sector is to facilitate the entry of the private sector into it, and the Anil Ambani group has been at the vanguard of this move. The group recently acquired the Pipavav Shipyard, has created a cluster of companies, applied for over a dozen manufacturing licences for submarines to UAVs and is involved in active discussion with several foreign companies.

“The Inter-Governmental Agreement on manufacture of Kamov 226 helicopter in India is the first project for a major defence platform under the Make in India mission,” Mr. Modi said in Moscow last week in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the inter-governmental agreement was signed. The Kamovs will replace the ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters which have been in service with the military for several decades. Over 400 of these helicopters are in service in India.

The transfer of technology to domestic companies and manufacture of complex military ware are to be at the core of self-reliance efforts, and through them developing a robust military industrial complex in India. This was to be in contrast to the past deals under which several military hardware was being assembled in the country by HAL and other government-run companies.

Informed sources in New Delhi confirmed that Russian Helicopters has conveyed to the Modi government that it would go with HAL as its Indian partner given its experience in assembling military platforms. And India has agreed.

While HAL officials did not respond to questions on the issue, in a related development Mr. Modi will lay the foundation stone for HAL’s new helicopter manufacturing facility at Tumakuru, around 100 km from Bengaluru on January 3.

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Guinea declared free of Ebola virus that killed over 2,500

Guinea was declared free of Ebola on Tuesday after more than 2,500 people died from the virus in the West African nation, leaving Liberia as the only country still awaiting a countdown for the end of the epidemic.

People in the capital, Conakry, greeted the declaration by authorities and the U.N. World Health Organisation with mixed emotions given the deaths and the damage the virus did to the economy and the country's health and education sectors.

“Several of my family are dead. This situation has shown us how much we must fight for those who are survivors,” Fanta Oulen Camara, who works for Medecins Sans Frontieres Belgium (Doctors Without Borders), told Reuters.

“After I got better, the hardest thing was to make people welcome me. Most people that normally supported me abandoned me. Even the school where I was an instructor dropped me. It was very hard,” said Camara, 26, who fell ill in March 2014.

Ebola has orphaned about 6,200 children in Guinea, said Rene Migliani, an official at the national coordination centre for the fight against Ebola.

There were more than 3,800 Ebola cases in Guinea out of more than 28,600 cases globally with 11,300 deaths, according to figures from the WHO. Almost all the cases and deaths were in Guinea and its neighbours Liberia and Sierra Leone.

A country is declared Ebola-free 42 days after the recovery or death of the final patient and if there are no new infections.

Liberia has lost more than 4,800 people to the haemorrhagic fever, but if all goes well will be declared virus-free in January. The country was declared Ebola-free in May and September, but each time new cases emerged.

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Malaysian Airlines plane flies in wrong direction over sea

Beleaguered Malaysian Airlines has launched a probe after one of its planes flew in the wrong direction towards Melbourne rather than Kuala Lumpur for eight minutes during a Christmas Day flight from New Zealand.

The Flight MH132 from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur took off at 2:23 am on Christmas Day but flew south over the Tasman Sea rather than taking a more direct ‘north-west’ route to the Malaysian capital, radar data showed.

Just eight minutes into the flight, the pilot questioned the Airbus A330’s path with air traffic control when he became concerned that the flight was heading towards Melbourne, Australia and not towards its intended destination.

The pilot then turned north-west but passengers on board the flight were not made aware of the pilot’s discussions with air traffic controllers.

Airways, which manages air traffic control for New Zealand, said there were no safety concerns but it would investigate why the normal flight path had been changed.

“We have an internal safety team who will investigate it.

The flight plan the airline filed with us was going to Kuala Lumpur but via a slightly different route than the pilot was expecting,” a spokesperson told the New Zealand Herald.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Airlines today said the pilot of MH132 was given the latest flight plan by the airline’s Operations Dispatch Centre while Auckland’s Air Traffic Control was inadvertently given an earlier flight plan.

“Both routes were following an approved flight path and the aircraft had enough fuel for both routes. The safety of both passengers and crew were never compromised at any time,” it said.

The airline, which said it was investigating the matter, explained that flight plans were generated based on conditions at the time, covering issues such as weather, air traffic notices and route efficiency.

As many as 577 crew and passengers had lost their lives on two separate Malaysia Airlines flights last year.

Flight MH370 disappeared between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing for unknown reasons in March and MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made missile over Ukraine in July.

The airlines had suffered heavy financial losses in both the disasters.

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South Korea, Japan settle deal on wartime Korean sex slaves

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan say they’ve reached a deal meant to resolve a decades-long impasse over Korean women forced into Japanese military-run brothels during World War II.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida says his Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is offering an apology and that Tokyo will finance a 1 billion yen aid fund for the elderly former sex slaves to be set up by South Korea.

The issue of former Korean sex slaves, euphemistically known as “comfort women,” is the biggest source of friction in ties between Seoul and Tokyo. The neighbours are thriving democracies, trade partners and staunch U.S. allies, but they have seen animosity rise since the 2012 inauguration of hawkish Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

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Mohammad Aamir accepted by Pakistan players after tearful apology

Pakistan paceman Mohammad Aamir broke down during the national conditioning camp and offered to leave the game before being accepted by protesting players, who had reservations training with him.

Mohammed Hafeez and skipper Azhar Ali had refused to train with him earlier. After Aamir spoke to players at a meeting, arranged by head coach Waqar Younis and chief selector Haroon Rasheed, the protesting cricketers finally relented.

Aamir offered to leave the camp and cricket if ‘others felt that he did not deserve to play for Pakistan’.

“It was a very emotional moment because Aamir was aware there was lot of tension in the camp because of him and at the meeting he broke down in tears. He said he was sorry for what had happened and again apologised to everyone at the meeting,” a source in the national camp said.

“He then said if anyone felt he didn’t deserve a second chance he would leave the camp straightaway as he didn’t want any more damage caused to the spirit and unity of Pakistan cricket,” the source narrated.

Hafeez and Azhar had come late for the meeting at the National cricket academy but when they came face to face with Aamir he also apologized to them and begged for their forgiveness.

“Hafeez also got emotional and hugged him and said everything was forgiven,” the source said.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today got a document signed by its centrally contracted players in the camp in which a clause states they will have no objections to playing with Aamir or any other player who has served his punishment for spot fixing related issues.

“The document which has now been signed by everyone including Hafeez an Azhar puts the PCB in a legally strong position and if any player now refuses to play with Aamir or any other spot fixing punished player he can be fined up to two million rupees,” the source said.

Only test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan who are not in the camp have not signed the document.

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It’s Gujarat’s day

Gujarat executed a first-rate demolition job to undermine a supposedly much-superior Delhi side, winning by 139 runs, to claim its maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

If its manner of victory in Saturday’s semifinal against Tamil Nadu was worthy of applause, the style, the performance and result on Monday all gained perfection unseen thus far.

A maiden List-A century for skipper Parthiv Patel (105, 119b, 10x4) and sizeable middle-order contributions from Rujul Bhatt (60, 74b, 4x4, 1x6) and Chirag Gandhi (44 n.o., 39b, 4x4) helped Gujarat post 273. Then under lights, with the ball swinging appreciably, R.P. Singh (10-2-42-4) and Jaspreet Bumrah (9.3-1-28-5) ran through Delhi.

Only one among the top-five reached double figures. Singh bowled Rishabh Pant off the first delivery and then had Shikhar Dhawan charge at him and hole out at short-cover. It brought to end a disappointing run of late for Dhawan and his form will certainly be a cause for concern ahead of the Australia tour.

Painful stay

Skipper Gautam Gambhir endured a painful stay, repeatedly getting beaten outside the off-stump. He was finally relieved of his misery, again by Singh, who bowled a deadly first spell of 7-2-23-4.

The only displays of resistance came first from Unmukt Chand (33) and then Pawan Negi (57). But with wickets tumbling at the other end during their respective stays, there was only so much either could do.

Earlier, after Gujarat was put in to bat, Ishant Sharma bowled a tight first spell (5-0-12-1). From the other end, Navdeep Saini, though a touch profligate, kept control. The duo accounted for a wicket each as Gujarat reached 44 for two from 10 overs. It was then that Rujul and Parthiv took flight.

Aided by some insipid ground fielding — Delhi conceded five overthrows twice — the two scored at more than six an over for most part. Gujarat’s 100 came in 19 overs and then the 150 barely six overs later. Even as Parthiv scored the bulk of these runs, Rujul chose to do with the bat what he did with the ball against Tamil Nadu — of being the ideal foil.

Much of Parthiv’s runs came square of the wicket (seven of 11 boundaries), especially on the off-side. Though, when the ball was pitched further up, he did capitalise, working them mostly to the mid-on and mid-wicket areas.

Lucky escape

The left-hander, after being reprieved once on 67, dropped by Manan Sharma off his own bowling, went on to bring up his century off 111 balls. For Rujul, the six into the mid-wicket stands off paceman Subodh Bhati’s bowling after stepping out, was the highlight.

The association, worth 149 runs until then, ended when Rujul was out caught behind with the score at 193. It seemed a perfect launchpad for a final-overs flourish, but Gujarat suffered a mini-collapse. Three wickets fell for 11 runs and in the PowerPlay overs (36-40) Gujarat scored just 23.

However, a 42-run stand between Chirag Gandhi and Rush Kalaria for the seventh wicket ensured a highly-competitive total. Coupled with scoreboard pressure it finally proved telling.

The scores:

Gujarat: Parthiv Patel b Negi 105, Priyank Panchal b Saini 14, Bhargav Merai lbw b Ishant 5, Rujul Bhatt c Pant b Rana 60, Chirag Gandhi (not out) 44, Axar Patel b Saini 6, Manpreet Juneja c Gambhir b Manan 6, Rush Kalaria c Pant b Bhati 21, R.P. Singh c Milind b Bhati 0, Karan Patel (run out) 1, Jasprit Bumrah c Chand b Negi 2; Extras (lb-2, w-6, nb-1): 9; Total (in 50 overs): 273.

Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-44, 3-193, 4-193, 5-204, 6-224, 7-266, 8-266, 9-270.

Delhi bowling: Saini 9-0-46-2, Ishant 9-0-39-1, Bhati 6-0-43-2, Rana 4-0-18-1, Milind 10-0-53-0, Manan 6-0-36-1, Negi 6-0-36-2.

Delhi: Rishabh Pant b Singh 0, Shikhar Dhawan c Juneja b Singh 5, Unmukt Chand b Bumrah 33, Gautam Gambhir c Rijul b Singh 9, Milind Kumar lbw Singh 0, Nitish Rana c Kalaria b Bumrah 12, Manan Sharma (run out) 2, Pawan Negi c Merai b Bumrah 57, Subodh Bhati lbw b Bumrah 3, Ishant Sharma b Bumrah 0, Navdeep Saini (not out) 0; Extras (lb-6, w-6, nb-1): 13; Total (in 32.3 overs): 134.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-11, 3-27, 4-31, 5-59, 6-64, 7-70, 8-80, 9-100.

Gujarat bowling: Singh 10-2-42-4, Kalaria 6-0-21-0, Axar 5-0-30-0, Bumrah 9.3-1-28-5, Rujul 2-0-7-0

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Afghanistan storms into semifinals, to meet Sri Lanka

Defending champion Afghanistan played the two periods in contrasting styles and yet came out with an easy win against Maldives in a Group B match of the SAFF Suzuki Cup football tournament at the Greenfield stadium here on Monday.

The 4-1 win saw Afghanistan top the group with three wins and earned the right to play Sri Lanka in the semifinals. Maldives will play host India in the other semifinal on Thursday.

After having ensured qualification from the group, the Afghan coach chose to experiment and made seven changes to the squad which played against Bhutan.

The changes seemed to have backfired when Maldvies had more of the ball and created chances early in the first half. Fasir Ali was a constant menace to the Afghan defense and he induced a good save from the Afghan goalkeeper in the 14th minute.

A fast counter-attack by Maldives saw Nashid Ahmed relay the ball to Fasir Ali whose shot was intercepted for a corner. The corner was headed out by Asadullah as the Afghan goal survived some anxious moments.

The opening Afghan goal came against the run of play when Zubayr Amri won a mid-air duel and headed the ball into the path of captain Faysal Shayesteh, who scored with a clinical finish.

Maldives, however, refused to be cowed down and attacked with verve. Fasir stole the ball from Anosh Dastgri to enter the penalty box, round the goalkeeper and score the equaliser in the 31st minute.

However, a superbly taken free-kick from 25 yards by Omid Popalzay restored the lead for the Afghans in the 34th.

Afghanistan struck rhythm early in the second half and harried the Maldives defence with well coordinated moves. Ahamad Arash Hatifie underlined his side’s supremacy in the 51st minute when he volleyed home from the top of the box as the half-cleared ball off a corner kick came to him.

Three minutes later Afghanistan increased the lead as Omid Popalzay gave finishing touches to a well-orchestrated move. Zubyr Amri hit the post in the 67th minute and he was again denied by a good save from Imran in the 82nd minute.

Earlier, a brace from striker Shakawat H. Rony (24th & 66th) enabled Bangladesh down 10-man Bhutan 3-0 for a consolation win.

Playing with freedom, Bangladesh was up and running in the eighth minute when Topu Barman headed in the opening goal following a corner. Nepal responded positively and Chencho Gyeltshen shot out narrowly in the 19th minute.

However, Bhutan was reduced to 10-men in the 22nd minute after Chimi Dorji was shown the red card by Indian referee Pranjal Banerjee for bringing down Hemontha Biswas.

Rony sent the Bhutan goalkeeper Hari Gurung the wrong way to increase the lead for Bangladesh.

Hari Gurung denied Rony in the 40th and Gyeltshen had a chance to reduce the lead in the 44th minute but the striker couldn’t control the ball inside the box.

In the second half, Tshering Dorji’s stinging right footer was parried away by Bangla goalkeeper Shahid in the 62nd minute. However, it didn’t take long for Bangladesh to increase the lead as Rony found the back of the net in the 66th with a clinical finish after receiving a long ball from the middle.

Bangladesh wasted several chances to increase the lead in the remaining time.

The results: Afghanistan 4 (Faysal Shayesteh 20, Omid Popalzaym 34, 54, Ahmad Arash Hatifie 51) bt Maldives 1 (Fasir Ali 31).

Bangladesh 3 (Topu Barman 8, Shakawat H. Rony 24, 66) bt Bhutan 0.

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Hingis and I complement each other, says Sania Mirza

Even as a highly successful 2015 comes to an end, five-time Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza is already in a preparatory mode for next year and setting new targets to achieve.

The 29-year-old Sania insisted that 2015 has been the best year of her career and is glad that she achieved the World No.1 ranking in April this year for the first time and remained so at the end of the year too.

“Reaching the top is one thing and staying there is another thing. So, finishing off the year as the World No.1 in women’s doubles [partnering] Martina Hingis is the biggest challenge.

“To cap it all, Hingis and I being rated as the World No. 1 women’s doubles pair by the ITF is something that I will cherish for a long, long time to come,” said Sania in an exclusive interview recapping a golden year of achievements — she won 10 major titles including the Wimbledon and the US Open Grand Slams, and retained the prestigious WTA Tour doubles title in Singapore.

Looking back was the decision to partner Hingis early this year one of the most defining moments of your career?

I don’t look at it that way. If you remember, I was already moving closer to becoming World No. 1 before I decided to partner Hingis.

It could have been delayed a bit. But, luckily Hingis and I started winning titles very quickly and settled down as a winning combination.

Even for Hingis this has been the best year in the circuit along with me.

What I can say is the chemistry with her is far more superior and wonderful than I had with others in the past. This I say with all respect to my earlier partners.

With Hingis the biggest positive is we complement each other remarkably well on and off the court.

What next?

It is going to be really tough to better the performances of this year. But winning another Grand Slam title is on our agenda now.

We don’t go out with the specific objective of winning but in trying to give of our best.

Once you do this, results will fall in place.

On the warm-up events down under before the Australian Open Grand Slam next month

After a badly needed break, I am now looking for real match practice and we hope to get things going again. I just don’t want to be rusty before another demanding year begins on the circuit. Hopefully, the Brisbane and Sydney events should help us realise this.

What will be the biggest hurdle to repeat the performances of this year?

In 2014, I won five WTA titles and thought it was the best year for me then. And then look at this year. I repeat it is tough to get better. But again if we put in the kind of efforts we did this year, it should not be a surprise though we will take it match-by-match as we move on.

Yes, I would be lying if we win the Australian Open and say that I was not looking at that kind of performance. Winning any Grand Slam title is always a special feeling.

Despite the roaring success in 2015, is there anything you missed out badly and felt disappointed?

The kind of travelling we do is too much and also means missing out those precious moments with your parents, family members. Miss important family weddings. But to be the No. 1 you should be ready to sacrifice these things.

On the 2016 Rio Olympics and the debate about who will be her partner.

All I will say is that I am eagerly looking forward for that great event. I will keep playing as long as my body permits and I keep enjoying.

Are there are any realistic goals you set for yourself?

I won’t say goals. But, yes, there will be a conscious effort to stay at the top and finish off another year as World No. 1.

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Man distracted by electronic device dies in fall from cliff

A 33-year-old man, apparently distracted by an electronic device, died when he fell 50 to 60 feet from the top of a cliff in the U.S. State of California.

The incident happened when the man — who may have been distracted by a cell-phone or camera — fell from the top of Sunset Cliffs on Christmas Day, San Diego lifeguards said.

Dies at scene

Lifeguards and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department personnel responded and rappelled to the bottom of the cliffs, where they attempted to revive and rescue the man, Los Angeles Times reported.

He died at the scene.

Witnesses told lifeguards that the man may have been distracted by some kind of an electronic device, Marine Safety Lieutenant Rich Stropky said on Saturday.

No further details were immediately available, the report said.

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Washington likely venue for the next Modi-Sharif meet

As India and Pakistan enhance their engagement over the next weeks, after the abrupt turnaround in relations, the U.S capital will likely be the venue for the next meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif.

President Barack Obama has invited both prime ministers for the Nuclear Security Summit on March 31 and April 1, 2016. Though no formal announcements have been made, it is almost certain that both Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif will be attending it. Mr. Obama sees “nuclear terrorism.. the most immediate and extreme threat to global security,” according to a White House statement on the summit. Nuclear security remains a lingering concern for the U.S. policy for South Asia particularly. The summit will be the first occasion in 2016 that will bring Indian and Pakistan PMs together. Official level talks between the countries are scheduled to start in mid-January, 2016.

Meanwhile, U.S scholars who welcome Mr. Modi’s latest initiative believe the onus is now on Pakistan, particularly its military, to ensure that relations remain on track. "Prime Minister Modi's unexpected visit to Lahore is a welcome development. Let us hope it leads to an improvement in trust between Delhi and Islamabad. But, that will only occur in a meaningful way if the Pakistani military also opens itself to better relations with India,” said R. Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

“This is clearly a big win for Modi and for creative Indian diplomacy. The onus is of course on Pakistani leaders to ensure that terrorists do not disrupt the positive momentum, so Indian and Pakistani officials can continue with their plans to revive a comprehensive dialogue. I hope this thaw will permit India and Pakistan and Afghanistan to work successfully together on stabilizing the region--but again, much depends on Pakistan meeting its obligations as a state to prevent terror attacks,” said Alyssa Ayres senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and former deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asia.

Scholars also believe the thaw in India-Pakistan relations will help improve the situation in South Asia. "Any improvement in relations between India and Pakistan will always be welcomed by the United States. Washington has always sought peace in the subcontinent and attempted to encourage Delhi and Islamabad to talk and resolve issues through talks and negotiations. The U.S. has always believed that as the larger country in South Asia, India should be more magnanimous towards its neighbors. Washington also believes that boosting the civilian government in Pakistan will help India. Finally, with an eye on Afghanistan, the United States would prefer good relations between India and Pakistan, so that Pakistan, especially its military, can be convinced to help the United States and allies in Afghanistan,” said Aparna Pande, Director, Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia at Hudson Institute.

“In the interest of the U.S and all friends of India”

“What we must hope for is that India and Pakistan find a way to reduce the possibility of conflict and to try to achieve a more normal and productive relationship. That is certainly in the interest of the U.S. and all friends of India,” said Prof. Burns. “Longstanding U.S. policy has been to wish both countries the best in their efforts to resolve their differences bilaterally. But the next steps in fulfilling resumption of a comprehensive dialogue really do depend on ensuring the process is not sabotaged by a terror attack,” said Ms. Ayres.

Ms. Pande expects U.S.-India defence and economic ties to grow stronger and nothing dramatic in U.S. relations with Pakistan. “With respect to Pakistan I see a continuation of the current policy with nothing dramatic happening till the next administration comes in. Afghanistan is critical as U.S. troops are still there and thus there will be a continuation in attempt to find a negotiated solution: so talks with Taliban will continue, Pakistan will be encouraged to help, China will be asked to put pressure on Pakistan to ensure talks continue but I do not see the talks going anywhere.”

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Texas storms, tornadoes kill at least 11

Tornadoes swept through the Dallas area, leaving substantial damage and at least 11 people dead either from the storm or related traffic accidents, in the latest of a succession of freakish winter weather events across the country.

The Texas tornadoes that touched down after dark on Saturday followed days of tumultuous weather in the Southeast, including unusual winter tornadoes that left 18 people dead there over the Christmas holiday period.

Full extent of damage unknown yet

National Weather Service Meteorologist Anthony Bain in Fort Worth said several tornadoes touched down in the Dallas area, although the full extent of damage would not be known until daylight Sunday.

The storms left homes had roofs blown away, vehicles mangled or turned upside down, churches damaged, power lines down, natural gas lines burst, trees toppled and debris strewn across neighborhoods. The damage stretched over about a 40-mile (64-kilometer)-long area from 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Dallas to northeast of the city.

Lt. Pedro Barineau, of the police in Garland, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Dallas, said in a Sunday morning news conference that the death toll now stands at eight after a tornado struck there Saturday night.

Three other people died in Collin County, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Dallas, according to Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Havey, although the circumstances were not immediately clear.

Red Cross: shelters for the homeless

The Red Cross said it was setting up shelters for people whose homes were damaged by the storm.

“I think everyone understands now the gravity of what happened,” Anita Foster, spokeswoman for American Red Cross of North Texas, said on WFAA television.

The twisters accompanied by torrential rain, wind and some hail were part of a weather system that could produce major flooding from north Texas through eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, western Arkansas and parts of Missouri.

Passengers waiting for flights at Love Field, a major Dallas airport, were moved away from windows during the storm. Flights were temporarily halted from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The Dallas Mavericks NBA game was delayed about half-an-hour because of the storm.

Snowstorm to leave 16 inches of snow

On the other side of Texas, a snowstorm accompanied by plunging temperatures, was expected to leave up to 16 inches (40 centimeters) of snow in West Texas and much of New Mexico through Sunday evening, according to NWS meteorologist Brendon Rubin-Oster in College Park, Maryland.

In the Southeast, two more deaths linked to weather were reported Saturday in Mississippi, bringing that state’s death toll from severe weather over Christmas to 10. Late Saturday, one death was reported in Alabama.

Flash flooding closes roads

Flash flooding closed roads across Alabama and trapped motorists in rapidly rising waters.

Ranager Tyler and his son waded into floodwater Christmas night and used rope to pull an 11-year-old boy out after his family’s car was swept away near Pinson, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of Birmingham. “The little boy was hanging on to the back of the car,” Mr. Tyler said on Saturday.

The family’s car was overcome with floodwater and ended up in a ditch near Mr. Tyler’s Pinson home. The rushing water separated the family as they got out of the car, he said. The boy was later reunited with his family.

56 injuries reported

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said 56 injuries were reported. In a statement, Mr. Flynn said preliminary damage estimates showed 241 homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

More than 400 homes in total were affected, he said. Severe storms are forecast for Sunday night through Monday as a strong cold front pushes through. Tornadoes are possible, and residents are asked to remain alert.

The flooding is the result of heavy downpours that have thrashed the south-eastern U.S. since Wednesday, bringing record rainfalls in some areas. Four inches (100 millimetres) of rain walloped the city of Mobile, Alabama, on Wednesday smashing the previous record of 2.2 inches (56 millimetres) set in 1990.

Six people were killed in Tennessee, including three who were found in a car submerged in a creek, according to the Columbia Police Department. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Saturday that authorities were monitoring areas for possible flooding.

One person died in Arkansas, and dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed.

Southeast to see better weather

Better weather was forecast for the Southeast. Temperatures in the eastern third of the country could set numerous records highs Sunday, Mr. Rubin-Oster said. Washington, D.C., could see a record daily temperature of 73 degrees (23 Celsius), New York City 65 (18 Celsius) which would break a record of more than 50 years and Orlando, Florida could tie a record of 86 degrees (30 Celsius) set in 1921.

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Behind the scenes, Pakistan’s military helped revive talks with India

The quiet involvement of Pakistan's powerful military in its foreign policy this year paved the way for reviving a stalled dialogue with India, officials said, a thaw leading to the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in almost 12 years.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise trip to meet Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif on Friday raised hopes that stop-and-start negotiations between the nuclear-armed neighbours might finally mean progress after more than 65 years of hostility.

Arranged between PMs

Aides say the meeting was arranged directly between the two Prime Ministers on just a few hours’ notice when Mr. Modi called to wish 66-year-old Mr. Sharif a happy birthday.

But even before Mr. Modi arrived in the eastern city of Lahore, relations between the nuclear-armed rivals had begun to thaw, with a resumption of dialogue already in the offing.

On Friday, Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif agreed that their Foreign Secretaries would meet in mid-January to restart talks.

Renewed hope of talks

Pakistani officials say “ownership” of peace talks by the military and the appointment of a recently retired General as the National Security Adviser have given Pakistan renewed confidence to restart dialogue with India, including speaking about the thorny issue of terrorism.

“This round is different because there is backing from the top where it matters ... the Army Chief is himself on board,” a top diplomat said before the visit.

Raheel-Janjua chemistry

Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif is said to be close to the new National Security Adviser, recently retired General Naseer Khan Janjua, who in October replaced civilian Sartaj Aziz, an ally of the Prime Minister.

Many saw the move as strengthening the Army’s hand in talks with India, with the military remaining wary of a civilian government giving too much away.

Best man for the job

“General Janjua has immense experience in these matters. He is the best man for the job and he has already proven to be an asset to this [peace] process,” one member of Nawaz Sharif’s Cabinet said earlier in December.

“It is only an added benefit that he has a direct line to the [Army] Chief,” he added.

Major change

A senior Indian official in New Delhi also said military backing for peace talks marked a major change, with General Janjua’s involvement as NSA a key sign that Gen. Sharif supports resumption of the dialogue.

Direct contact between the two Prime Ministers is a major factor in thawing relations — they met on the sidelines of the Paris climate change summit last month. However, Pakistani officials said that true change only became possible after General Janjua’s appointment.

Earlier this month, the NSAs of both countries met in Bangkok, paving the way for Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan for the Heart of Asia summit where she agreed to reopen dialogue with Pakistan, thereby resuming a process broken off since 2012.

Postponed time after time

Previous attempts to resume talks have been postponed time after time, mostly due to the Indian government’s insistence that the focus of discussion must be, first and foremost, about terrorism. India accuses Pakistan-based militants for masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 dead.

By contrast, Pakistan says the disputed territory of Kashmir is the paramount topic.

With a military man having a greater say in the process, there is more confidence about discussing such sensitive topics, several officials said.

Hesitation in the past

“I think in the past there was a hesitation from Pakistan, understandably, to talk about terrorism [with India] but that may have changed,” the diplomat told Reuters.

“There is better division of labour. The real decision-making is happening behind the scenes. The rest is just optics.”

American pressure

Pakistani officials and western diplomats in Islamabad said U.S. officials also worked hard to convince Gen. Sharif during his visit to Washington last month to support going back to the negotiating table.

“India came up a lot during the Army Chief’s visit to Washington, definitely with the Secretary of State [John Kerry] and also others,” a western diplomat said.

A second member of Mr. Sharif’s Cabinet said the same of Mr. Modi.

Obama prodded Modi?

“Our understanding is that when Modi was in the United States, he was encouraged very strongly by Obama to rethink his approach toward Pakistan,” the minister said.

A close aide to Mr. Modi in India said U.S. officials always push for reviving India-Pakistan talks and external pressure was not a factor.

“Modiji’s visit to Pakistan was not dictated by America but it was planned to keep the national and regional interest in mind,” the aide said.

Deep suspicion

While Pakistan’s Army may have changed its thinking on talks, even the landmark Modi visit or support from influential facilitators does not guarantee success in a fraught peace process where all sides remain deeply suspicious.

A senior security official close to the talks process was wary when responding to the Modi visit.

“It is a positive step that he came ... definitely ... but we still have to move with caution,” he said. “It’s a new Modi in an old bottle; Nawaz Sharif should take it one sip at a time.”

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Sunburn and other EDM festivals banned in peak season from next year says Goa CM

The Goa government has said that the Sunburn and the Supersonic Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals, which the state hosts at Vagator and Candolim, respectively, won’t be held in the peak season of December 15-January 15 from the next year.

The state Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who on Saturday cleared the files, granting conditional permission to the organizers of both the festivals to hold the four-day-long events from today, categorically stated that the government would not tolerate a clash in the event dates from the next year.

“I called both the organizers (Sunburn’s Percept Ltd and Supersonic’s Viacom 18) and told them that this would not be tolerated. The dates of both the events should not clash and they should be conducted before December 15 or after January 15 from the next year,” said Parsekar.

The government is concerned about heavy traffic and security issues in the state during the peak season, when tourist footfalls rise significantly, he said.

Moreover, the government, aiming to attract high-end tourists to Goa, is apprehensive that holding such events during the December 15-January 15 period might turn this category of visitors away owing to the traffic congestion, he said.

In a recent meeting, the State Level Permission Committee (SLPC), constituted by the Chief Minister, had recommended to the state to decide EDM dates and venues from 2016 onward on its own, as the decision-making that hitherto lay with the organisers has often put the state in a tight spot, an SLPC official said.

The local police, too, have raised concerns over maintaining law and order with additional security arrangements at both venues to be managed simultaneously, the official said.

The SLPC on December 24 inspected the venues to check for fire, security, health and other related arrangements, he said.

After the clash over the venue at Candolim, the two organisers continue to remain adamant over holding their respective music fests from December 27-30, with neither willing to adjust, despite repeated requests from the state government, he said.

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Anger against India over blockade snowballs in Nepal

If anger could melt ice, Mount Everest would be standing bare and brown today — so angry are the people of Nepal with India.

The four-month-old blockade of its border with India has pushed the erstwhile Himalayan kingdom back to the dark ages, with the acute shortage of fuel, cooking gas and other essential supplies crippling daily life; and its citizens, still recovering from two earthquakes and facing a harsh winter, unequivocally blame the manmade crisis on the government of India.

The blockade was imposed by the ethnic Madhesis inhabiting the southern plains of the country, who believe that the new constitution, adopted on September 20, does not give them fair representation in Parliament.

And the layman in Kathmandu is convinced that the Madhesis have the backing of India, even though India denies having any role in their strike.

“Whether children will go to school depends on whether the van will come to pick them. Whether the van will come to pick them depends on whether it has got diesel. Things have suddenly become so uncertain,” said Meena Adhikari, a homemaker living in Lalitpur.

“We have weathered many crises in the past — earthquakes, strikes called by the Maoists, the massacre of the royal family. But nothing this bad, nothing. This is the worst time for Nepal,” she said.

Meena, incidentally, is headed for Chennai next week — for a pilgrimage tour of south India, tickets for which were booked online well before the blockade began. “Only yesterday, when my five-year-old niece came to know about our trip, she said, ‘Aunty, but why are you going to India? They are humiliating us.’ I asked her how did she know that, and she said that’s what they discuss in school these days,” she said.

If someone is happy in Nepal these days, it is the black marketeers. Petrol, which sold for 104 Nepali rupees for a litre, now sells for 500. An LPG cylinder, which cost 1435 rupees in normal times, now comes for 10,000 — if at all it is available in the black market.

As a result, taxis have doubled their fares, prices of essential commodities have shot up, and meals — from kitchens in large institutions to humble homes — are being cooked on firewood.

“The blockade has taken us 50 years back in time. It has caused far more suffering than the earthquake,” said Dev Dangi, a manager at the Kathmandu Guest House, one of Nepal’s better known hotels, which has seen a 35 percent dip in its occupancy this winter compared to last year.

The hotel has cut down on its menu, as have other hotels and restaurants, while many small eateries have shut, because cooking has gone back to its primitive ways — a painful process conducted over open fire. Many in Kathmandu called the shortened menu as ‘Modi-fied menu’, such is the hatred today against the man who had won the hearts of the Nepalese when he visited the country shortly after he took over as the Prime Minister of India.

At ten o’ clock on Christmas morning, I met Nirjana Sharma, a reporter with the Kathmandu-based daily Republica, at the Bir Hospital, Nepal’s oldest and one of the biggest hospitals. There, she led me to an open area next to the kitchen — the kitchen is under renovation after being damaged in the April earthquake — where, over two open fires, food was being prepared for its 300 patients.

“We have been using firewood for two months now, and we have to cook for 300 people twice a day. You can imagine what we are going through,” said Rajeshwari Pandey, who supervises the hospital’s kitchen which, during the normal times, used up one LPG cylinder a day.

“The kitchen staff complains of burning sensation in the eyes and congestion in the chest. They have been working without a day off because cooking over firewood takes much longer and also makes it difficult to clean the vessels. If one man takes off, another has to do overtime,” she said.

The hospital, she said, was initially provided with 700 kg of firewood by the Timber Corporation of Nepal, but the stock was long exhausted and now the hospital staff goes around looking for wood. The cost of firewood, meanwhile, has shot up from 10 to 35 rupees per kg. From the hospital, Nirjana, the journalist, had to go back to the petrol bunk where she had deposited her bike in the queue to get fuel. On Fridays, petrol bunks in Kathmandu, with the very limited stocks they continue to receive from India, give fuel only to journalists, just as on Mondays and Thursdays they refuel only school vans.

Since fuel at these government-run petrol bunks is sold at the regular price, it is provided — in a very limited amount — only to those for whom mobility is an absolute must — such as students, government servants and journalists. Others must depend on the black market.

Nirjana said her bike was at no. 391 in the queue when she had left it there at eight in the morning. And that the journalist at no. 1 had parked his bike right outside the gates of the petrol bunk at 3.30 a.m.

I offered to accompany her to the petrol bunk. We took a taxi from near the hospital. From the gates of the bunk, manned by the police, it was almost a kilometre’s walk, alongside a stinking drain and a chain of parked bikes, to reach Nirjana’s bike. On its rear-view mirror was scribbled ‘391.’ “The amount of fuel we get is just about sufficient for us to go from home to office and back. Hardly any reporting gets done,” she said.

“How much fuel do you get each week?” I asked.

“It depends week to week.”

I left Nirjana by her parked bike at noon. I called her back at 4 p.m. and she told me her turn finally came up at 3.30 p.m. “How much petrol did you get?” I asked. “Only 2.8 litres.” She has to make it last until next Friday. Nepalese, the resilient people that they are, wouldn’t let outsiders — or even themselves — know that they are suffering. Suffering, in fact, has become a way of life for them: sometimes the nature is the culprit, sometimes the political forces within their country, and sometimes, it is political forces across the border. So much so that a visitor to Kathmandu would find nothing amiss until he scratches the surface.

On Christmas Eve, in a street packed with revellers in the neighbourhood of Thamel, I made the mistake of asking a young momo-seller, after having paid him in Indian currency, how much the LPG cylinder had cost him.

“I bought it for 8000 rupees. All because of your Modi! All because of your Modi!” And then he went on to use adjectives that are unprintable.

Seeing his anger, I sought to distance myself from India as a whole and said that I had come from south India — from Chennai. “Oh, Chennai!” the momo-seller’s eyes lit up, “Dhoni’s country!” He shook my hand. I wanted to tell him that Dhoni was no longer going to play for Chennai but for Pune. But I let it be.

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IT sector worried; India to take up visa fee with U.S.

India will soon schedule discussions with the U.S. to raise its concerns over the Obama administration’s recent decision to hike visa fees, official sources told The Hindu. India will also consider retaliatory measures and even explore the possibility of dragging the U.S. to the World Trade Organisation’s dispute settlement body, but only if talks fail to amicably resolve the issue.

Issues related to the tightening of the visa and immigration regime and the fear-mongering about a large number of American jobs allegedly going to foreigners have been part of the rhetoric before elections in the U.S. This time too, it is no different.

Industry bodies FICCI and Nasscom had termed America’s decision — to double the fees for certain categories of H1B and L1 visas to $4,000 and $4,500 respectively — as “discriminatory” because it will mainly impact Indian IT firms. Nasscom said the decision’s financial implications for the Indian technology sector would be around $400 million a year.

H1B and L1 visas are temporary work visas for skilled professionals. India is the largest user of H1B visas (67.4 per cent of the total 161,369 H1B visas issued in FY14 went to Indians) and is also among the largest users of L1 visas (Indians received 28.2 per cent of the 71,513 L1 visas issued in FY14).

President Barack Obama had recently signed into law a $1.8-trillion tax and spending Bill. Among other things, it authorised the visa fee hike applicable to companies employing 50 or more, and with over 50 per cent of their employees in the U.S. on H1B and L1 visas (or the 50/50 rule).

The fee thus collected, likely to be over $1 billion every year, will be utilised to finance a biometric tracking system and healthcare requirements of the 9/11 terror attack victims. The firms mostly affected by the 50/50 rule are those from the IT/ITeS sector, the largest users of the H1B and L1 visas. However, trade experts, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that to successfully challenge the fee increase before the WTO panel, India will have to first establish how Indian companies are more affected than those from other countries.

But before any action at the WTO, discussions on the issue will be held shortly over digital videoconference between both governments. These discussions will be part of the high-level India-US Services Working Group meetings, the sources said.

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely soon to write to U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. The sources said the Indian Ambassador to the U.S. and industry bodies such as Nasscom are in touch with the U.S. administration to put across India’s view — the “huge” contribution of the Indian IT firms to the U.S. economy, as well as the adverse impact of the visa fee increase on these firms and on the temporary movement of highly-skilled professionals, mainly from the IT sector, from India to the U.S.

Pointing out that U.S. visa fee increases hurt India-US services trade, the Indian Commerce Ministry has been insisting that all visa-related issues should be part of discussions on bilateral services trade, the India-US Trade Policy Forum (or TPF, the premier bilateral platform to discuss and resolve bilateral trade and investment issues) and the India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD, the primary forum to discuss issues of mutual interest on regional security, trade, economic cooperation, defence and climate challenges).

During 2014-15, India’s export of computer services and ITES/BPO services (excluding commercial presence) was around $82 billion, of which exports to the U.S. and Canada accounted for nearly 60 per cent.

The sources said the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative have informed that visa-related matters should be kept out of the TPF, S&CD and services discussions as, according to the U.S., they are security-related issues dealt by the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry, along with the External Affairs Ministry, are in discussions to ensure that the digital videoconference on visa-related issues happens some time soon, especially since the TPF and S&CD, both annual events, will now be held only in September-October 2016. With the presidential elections scheduled for November 2016, India is looking to resolve the issue before the term of the Obama administration ends, the sources said.

India had earlier protested the delay “on the part of the U.S.” in signing a localisation agreement to eliminate dual social security taxation. The Indian IT/ITeS sector is already burdened because in the absence of an India-U.S. Totalisation Agreement, it has to shell out over $1 billion annually to the U.S. government towards social security, with no benefit (as the Indian employees do not stay on in America) or prospects of refund.

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Yechury pitches Left as alternative

Twenty minutes on foot from a traffic diversion near Fort William, crowds thronged the Brigade Parade Grounds here on a quiet Kolkata Sunday to see the CPI(M)’s brass make a bid to showcase the party’s cadre strength, amid a palpable political decline.

All buses, packed with party workers, seemed to head to the rally from some kilometers away. Closer to the venue, hundreds walked with red flags, some even sporting red caps.

The grand rally to kick-start the party’s first Plenum since 1978 had one clear aim: to enthuse its workers before an all-important Assembly elections in West Bengal and arrest its decline in a State it ruled for 34 years.

Switching between Bengali and Hindi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury attacked both the Narendra Modi government at the Center and the Mamata Banerjee government in the State, trying to project the Left as the best political alternative for an improved nation and State.

He launched a sharp attack on Mr. Modi, taking a dig at his foreign visits and accusing the government of disturbing harmony. “There is a joke that the Prime Minister was searching for a seatbelt as he sat in Parliament. He has been travelling so much,” Mr. Yechury said. Asserting that talks with Pakistan were necessary, he said a top-down approach to engagement would not work, especially when singer Ghulam Ali wasn’t allowed to perform in Mumbai.

Mr. Yechury accused the government of fanning communal ism, hitting out at the Sangh Parivar over BJP leader Ram Madhav’s “Akhand Bharat” comment and over the arrival of truckloads of bricks at Ayodhya for a Ram temple.

He showcased the Left as best suited to overcome today’s challenges, urging the party workers to reverse its decline. “Many enemies said they would destroy the red flag. Hitler, Indira Gandhi [during the Emergency] and the Trinamool Congress said they would destroy the red flag. Such a power that can destroy the red flag hasn’t been born,” he said to loud cheers from a large group of workers close to the stage.

Citing the axiom ‘What Kolkata thinks today India thinks tomorrow,’ Mr. Yechury said India and West Bengal could not be made “better” without strengthening the CPI(M). This comes a day after Mr. Yechury said the CPI(M) would discuss the possibilities of a wider alliance later, underlining that the Plenum was aimed at strengthening the party itself.

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Nothing like family to win over voters, unless your name is Bush

One closes every speech with the heartfelt tale of his bartender father; another invokes her newborn granddaughter while musing about future generations.

And then there are the far more famous father and brother who seldom get a mention unless explicitly asked about.

Family members may not be physically present for the most part on the 2016 presidential campaign trail, but their presence is routinely felt as candidates crisscross the country seeking ways to resonate with voters.

Rubio’s humble beginnings

An integral part of Marco Rubio’s pitch are his humble beginnings, as the son of Cuban immigrants who worked as a bartender and a maid — struggling, like so many, to make ends meet for their children.

“That journey from behind that bar to behind this podium — that’s the essence of the American dream,” the Florida senator says at the end of his stump speech.

Texas senator Ted Cruz, also Cuban-American, paints a similar picture for his audiences with the story of his father, Rafael Cruz. “He arrived with only $100 sewn into his underwear” after fleeing the Batista dictatorship, Mr. Cruz says, in an ode to the promise of America.

For Hillary Clinton, it’s granddaughter Charlotte who gets a starring role to show off the Democratic frontrunner’s more relatable side. There have been references to babysitting and the many firsts that Clinton says she and husband Bill celebrate as though “nobody has ever done it before”.

And as a staple, she concludes many speeches by holding up Charlotte as a primary source of concern for future generations. “You should not have to be the grandchild of a former President to know that you can make it in America,” Ms. Clinton has said.

At a time when politicians are more disliked than ever before, the family tales that might seem trite to insiders are instead a campaign’s best weapon to humanise a candidate. Rather than seeming “out of touch”, a frequent criticism of those seeking the presidency, relatives can be effectively deployed to persuade voters that a candidate does, in fact, understand the struggles of everyday Americans.

At a recent event in Iowa, Mr. Rubio rolled out a plan for veterans with his brother — a former Army Green Beret — by his side. But not every sibling or parent is viewed as an asset on the campaign trail.

Behind the scenes, Jeb Bush’s influential family have rallied behind him in courting an extensive network of donors — and keeping troops in line as the former Florida Governor’s campaign has fallen in dramatic fashion. But in public, Mr. Bush has been reluctant to embrace his legacy as the son and brother of U.S. Presidents number 41 and 43.

Even as Mr. Bush has professed his love for his family — his dad, he often says, “is the best man I’ve ever met” — he has repeatedly insisted, “I’m my own man.”

W’s troubling legacy

The implications of George W. Bush’s complicated record were evident even before Jeb Bush formally entered the race — notably when it took days for the younger Bush to definitively state his view of the Iraq war when asked if it was, in hindsight, a mistake.


If Jeb would really rather keep his family in the wings, Mr. Cruz, the surging conservative seems sometimes at risk of being overshadowed by his own preacher father.

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Strong earthquake hits Afghanistan, Pakistan

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan late on Friday, two months after more than 300 people were killed by a quake in the same mountainous region.

Strong shocks were felt in the Afghan capital Kabul at 11:14 p.m. local time (1914 GMT) and in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, waking sleeping people and driving them out of their houses. Tremors were felt as far away as New Delhi, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake, initially reported as magnitude 6.4, was at a depth of 126.5 miles (203 km) and centred 51 miles (82 km) southeast of the town of Feyzabad, capital of the Afghan province of Badakhshan.

In Pakistan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government issued a red alert soon after the earthquake but there was no immediate information about loss of life or damage to property.

A magnitude 6.2 quake is considered strong and can cause severe damage. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties but communications can be slow in the mountainous region where the quake was centred.

With harsh winter weather setting in, any widespread destruction of buildings and houses would create severe hardship.

A magnitude-7.5 quake hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan on Oct. 26, destroying thousands of houses and killing more than 300 people.

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‘Need for unity against terror atrocities’

Pope Francis urged the world in his Christmas message on Friday to unite to end atrocities by Islamist militants that he said were causing immense suffering in many countries.

Security was tight at the Vatican as Pope Francis, marking the third Christmas since his election in 2013, read his traditional Christmas Day “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) address from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Tens of thousands of people had to have their bags checked as they entered the Vatican area and then go through airport-style screening if they wanted to enter St. Peter's Square. After calling for an end to the civil wars in Syria and Libya, the Pope said:

“May the attention of the international community be unanimously directed to ending the atrocities which in those countries, as well as in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa, even now reap numerous victims, cause immense suffering and do not even spare the historical and cultural patrimony of entire peoples.”

He called for peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the area where Jesus was born. He asked God to bring consolation and strength to Christians who are being persecuted around the world and called for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, South Sudan and Ukraine.

The Pope’s words were echoed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his Christmas Day address, in which the leader of the world’s 80 million Anglicans said Christians in West Asia faced extinction at the hands of Islamic State.

Archbishop Justin Welby said IS was “igniting a trail of fear, violence, hatred and determined oppression.” He branded the group “a Herod of today”, in a reference to the ruthless king of Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ.

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