Asia
Kiran Bedi joins BJP
NEW DELHI: In what is seen as a subtle dig at Kiran Bedi for joining BJP, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said he had also tried to convince her to take a plunge into politics. Bedi parted ways with Kejriwal after he decided to float a political party in October 2012 and was severely critical of his decision. "I have been fond of Kiran Bedi ji. I always tried to convince her that she should join politics. I am happy she did it today," Kejriwal tweeted. However, at AAP's press briefing, party leader Sanjay Singh, termed her joining BJP as "shocking". "It is sad and shocking that Bedi who had been maintaining that she will always remain apolitical and keep raising the issues of people has joined the BJP. Our best wishes are with her," he said.
Maldives hit by water crisis, India sends help
With the Maldivian capital facing an acute water crisis after a fire in the city's water treatment plant, India on Friday sent an IAF transport aircraft and naval vessels carrying a large consignment of water to meet the immediate requirement of over 100,000 people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj are seized of the crisis and have promised full assistance to the people and leadership of Maldives, a statement by the Indian high commission in Male said. "Mindful of the strong, friendly and close relations between India and the Maldives, India reacted with alacrity and promptness to the request from the Maldives for timely provision of water," the high commission said.
India to test-launch its heaviest rocket in December
India will test-launch its heaviest and upgraded rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mark III), sometime in the middle of next month, a senior official of the Indian space agency said on Saturday. The rocket will also carry a crew module to test its re-entry characteristics. "The main purpose of the mission is to test the atmospheric characteristics and stability of the rocket on its way up. We also decided to use this opportunity to test one component of the crew module — a human space mission that India may embark on at a later date," MYS Prasad, director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, told reporters here.
Afghanistan president drops his tribal name
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has decided to drop his tribal name of Ahmadzai and has asked all government departments and media to use his family name only. A letter was sent last week by the Presidential Palace's administrative affairs office to all government departments telling them to drop "Ahmadzai" from official documentation, deputy palace spokesman Fayeq Wahidi said. The president had signed the letter, he said.
Mexico cancels bullet train deal with China
Mexico has suddenly canceled a $3.75 billion contract to buy bullet trains from China. This is a major blow to the Chinese railway manufacturing industry, which is trying to sell high-speed trains to India and other countries. Justifying the decision, Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto said he wanted to avoid "any doubts about the legitimacy and transparency" of the bidding process. The cancellation came within days of the contract being signed on November 3. Earlier, two other Latin American countries, Brazil and Argentina, postponed their own high-speed rail projects.
ARMY OFFICER'S WIFE WINS BEAUTY PAGEANT
Aman Grewal, wife of an army officer, was declared the winner of Haut.Monde Mrs.India Worldwide 2014. Grewal, who hails from Patiala, beat 31 other contestants to win the. Besides the crown, she even walked off with a cash prize of Rs.51,000. "Everyone in my family was very supportive. My daughter, who is just nine and a half years old, was thrilled. She loves to dress up and when she saw me participating in the pageant, she was very happy for me," the 36-year-old, who also has a son said. Being an army officer's wife, she frequently travels and wants to work as an event manager or anchor.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa appoints Tamil leader as deputy minister
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa today appointed senior Tamil parliamentarian V S Radhakrishnan as a Deputy Minister, a move aimed at wining the support of the community ahead of his third re-election bid. The President's office announced the swearing-in of Radhakrishnan, a member of the Upcountry People's Front (UPF), as the Deputy Minister of Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation. A senior parliamentarian of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Radhakrishnan contested the 2010 General Election under the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket from Nuwara Eliya District, and came second in preference votes.
I am ready to dialogue with Pak-Narendra Modi
Rebuffing Pakistan for raising the Kashmir issue at the UN, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Saturday that he was prepared to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue with it "without the shadow of terrorism" but asked it to create an "appropriate environment" for that. Without making a direct reference to the strident speech of his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif here on Friday in which he had insisted on a plebiscite in Kashmir, Modi made it clear that "raising issues in this forum is not the way to make progress towards resolving issues between our two countries."
Indian students in Malaysia to be sent back home
Nineteen Indian students who had entered Malaysia with false work visas have approached the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to urge early repatriation to India, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Minister of state for external affairs Gen. V.K. Singh (retd) said emergency certificates have been issued to the 19 students by the Indian mission as the students said their passports had been kept by the employer. "Our mission is constantly facilitating various formalities of Malaysian immigration and closely following up the matter with the Malaysian authorities.
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