Common Man's cartoonist, RK Laxman passes away at 94

Pune: Emminent cartoonist RK Laxman passed away on Monday in Pune. He was 94 years old. The

nonagenarian was admitted in Pune-based Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital since over a week now, after he developed a urine infection following multi-organ failure. He was on a mechanical ventilator in the super-specialty intensive care unit at the hospital since January 17.

Read More

H-1B visa: Obama assures Modi to look into India's concerns

New Delhi: President Barack Obama has assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he will look into India's concerns on the H-1B visa issue as part of his comprehensive immigration reform, US officials said on Monday.

Obama told Prime Minister Modi that his administration would be in touch with the Indian government on issues related to H-1B visas, popular among Indian techies. "I think what the President indicated is this is the type of issue (H-1B) that we have approached through the context of comprehensive immigration reform and so, given his ongoing efforts to work with Congress in pursuit of comprehensive immigration reform, we would be incorporating these types of issues in that process and would be in touch with the Indian government as that moved forward," Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told US reporters travelling with Obama.

Responding to a question on the bilateral talks held between the two leaders, Rhodes acknowledged that India's concerns over certain aspects of the immigration reform were raised at the highest level. "They (Modi and Obama) discussed the ongoing discussions around immigration reform in the United States where there are so many Indian-American and Indian immigrants," he said. "The Indian government raised the issue, as they regularly do. It usually does include the H-1B visa issue. Indians are working in the high-tech sector in the United States, as well as broader India presence in the United States, people who are there on a temporary basis working," Rhodes said.

In November last year, President Obama had bypassed the Congress to announce the most sweeping reform to fix America's "broken" immigration system to protect millions of illegal workers from deportation. The plan would let parents of US citizens and legal permanent residents remain in the country temporarily, without the threat of deportation. The measure would apply to those who have been in the US for last five years. The executive action, said to be one of the largest measure by a US President on immigration, is expected to help a significant number of Indian techies who currently have to undergo a painful and agonising process of H-1B visas to get legal permanent status (LPR), popularly known as Green Card. P

Read More

Obama's thumbs-up to BSF 'Janbaz' team's daredevil stunts

New Delhi: BSF's dare-devilish manoeuvres during its Republic Day parade at the Rajpath here earned a thumbs-up from US President Barack Obama today.

The force's 'Janbaz' team performed a numbers of stunts including 'harmony', 'peacock riding', 'acrobat', 'parallel bar', 'lotus', 'Jaguar', 'BSF tree', 'Seema Chowki Peetal' and was showed a thumbs-up by Obama. His wife Michelle was seen clapping along as the contingent passed by.

The Obamas watched a display of India's military might and cultural diversity at Rajpath.

President Pranab Mukherjee also cheered the BSF team as it performed daredevil stunts at the Rajpath.

The motorcycle team of BSF was raised in 1990. During 2006, 'Janbaz' achieved a world record by creating a human pyramid of 26 'Janbaz' on three motorcycles and covered a distance of 1 km in one minute 16 seconds. It created another world record by carrying 40 men on a single motorcycle at a speed of 30 kmph. 

Read More

Overwhelmed by Padma Vibhushan award: Big B

Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Monday said he is honoured to be chosen for the Padma

Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of the country, and overwhelmed by the affection of the people.

The 72-year-old national award winning actor, who is also the recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree, said he has no words to express his gratitude.

"The Government of India has decorated me today with the highest Padma Award of the country, the Padma Vibhushan...

Read More

Nuclear deal figures in Obama-Sonia meeting

New Delhi: The issue of operationalising the bilateral landmark civil nuclear deal and cooperation in

multiple sectors between India and US were understood to have figured as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met US President Barrack Obama in New Delhi.

Read More

US sees increased role for India in battle against ISIS

Washington: India could play a role in battling Islamic State, the White House said on Monday during a visit to New Delhi by President Barack Obama, underlining Washington's confidence that India is increasingly prepared to engage on global security issues.

US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said India's involvement could focus on intelligence on the flow of money and militants to the radical Islamist group active in Syria and Iraq rather than deploying troops on the ground. "When you look at our broader counter-terrorism cooperation and how we're tracking the flow of fighters and terrorist financing, there I do think we want to find space for cooperation," he told reporters.

The comments came hours after Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi together watched a dazzling parade of India's military might and cultural diversity, capturing the two countries' determination to put decades of brittle relations behind them and forge a robust strategic partnership. It rained on the Republic Day parade through the heart of New Delhi, but excitement nevertheless ran high over Obama's visit, which began on Sunday with a clutch of deals to unlock billions of dollars in nuclear trade and deepen defence ties.

Most significant was an agreement on issues that, despite a groundbreaking 2006 pact, had stopped U.S. companies from setting up nuclear reactors in India and had become one of the major irritants in bilateral relations. "Mobama breaks N-deadlock," ran the front-page headline of the Mail Today newspaper, which carried a photograph of Modi and Obama hugging each other warmly.

The bonhomie was a remarkable spectacle given that, until a year ago, Modi had been banned from visiting the United States after deadly Hindu-Muslim riots in 2002 in a state he governed. Obama was the first U.S. president to attend India's Republic Day parade, a show of military prowess that was long associated with the anti-Americanism of the Cold War.

He and Modi sat behind a rain-spotted screen as the parade unfolded along Rajpath, an elegant lawn-bordered boulevard dating from the British colonial era that connects the presidential palace to India Gate. Helicopters showered petals on the crowds, and then tanks, missiles, stiffly saluting soldiers, brass bands and dancers filed past the guests.

Security was tight across the city, where tens of thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed on street corners and rooftops. Obama's presence at the parade - at Modi's personal invitation - marks the latest upturn in a roller-coaster relationship that a year ago was scarred by protectionism and a fiery diplomatic spat.

The United States views India as a vast market and potential counterweight in Asia to a more assertive China, but has frequently been frustrated with the slow pace of New Delhi's economic reforms and unwillingness to side with Washington in international affairs.

Elected last May, Modi has injected a new vitality into the economy and foreign relations and, to Washington's delight, has begun pushing back against China across Asia. "The larger goal that the United States should be pursuing here is to convince India to join a coalition of democracies to balance China's rise," former U.S. ambassador to Beijing Jon Huntsman and the South Asia Center's acting director, Bharath Gopalaswamy, wrote in a joint opinion piece for Reuters.

India, with the world's third-largest population of Muslims, has not openly engaged so far in international efforts to combat the spread of Islamic State. Indian Muslims have largely shunned radical causes, and police say only four Indians are known to have joined the group.

Analysts say that, under Modi, India appears more willing to engage on issues beyond its borders, including security in the South China Sea and Islamist militancy. Modi and Obama on Sunday committed to close consultation on global crises, including in Iraq and Syria. "The leaders agreed to exchange information on individuals returning from these conflict zones and to continue to cooperate in protecting and responding to the needs of civilians caught up in these conflicts," they said in a joint statement.

They also agreed to a 10-year framework for defence ties and struck deals on cooperation that included joint production of drone aircraft and equipment for Lockheed Martin Corp's C-130 military transport plane. Other deals ranged from an Obama-Modi hotline - India's first at a leadership level - to financing initiatives aimed at helping India use renewable energy to lower carbon intensity.

Read More

Watched by Obama,India displays military might,diverse culture

New Delhi: Watched by US President Barack Obama, India today displayed its military might and rich cultural diversity during the dazzling 66th Republic Day parade in the Capital which was wrapped in an unprecedented security blanket.

Read More

People not allowed to take mufflers, caps at Republic Day venue

New Delhi: People were not allowed to carry mufflers and black caps or any such headgear as part of security restrictions at Rajpath during the Republic Day celebrations.

According to a police official, people who had arrived the venue to witness the Republic Day celebrations were asked leave such items behind before entering the parade enclosures following

inputs of a possible Maoist disruption during the event. Authorities had banned the black headgears fearing that they may be used for a show of protest during the event, where US President Barack Obama was the Chief Guest.

As people were not allowed to enter the parade venue with caps and mufflers, a pile of woollens was collected at the entry gates. Also, hundreds of visitors were forced to stand outside the venue till the programme got over, as all exit routes were sealed soon after the parade started at 10 AM. "Extra caution was taken while making security passes for the police personnel on duty, as there were inputs that terrorist may try to get in using fake IDs. The police had the right to refuse entry without explanation," said the official.

Obama is the first American president to be chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations. Around 2,000 security personnel were deployed at the main stage, where Obama, President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were seated.

Read More

Woman officer Pooja Thakur leads guard of honour for Barack Obama

New Delhi: "I am an officer first and then a woman," said a proud Wing Commander Pooja Thakur after she became the first lady officer to lead the Inter-Service Guard of Honour which was inspected by US President Barack Obama at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.

"It is a proud moment to be representing the Indian Air Force commanding the Inter-Services Guard of Honour and that too to Mr Barack Obama," Thakur said. Asked how difficult it was for a woman officer in the Services, she said there is no differentiation.

"I would say that we are first officers, be it male or female. We are just the same. We are given the same kind of training. We are equals," she told PTI here. Thakur, who joined the Indian Air Force in 2000, belongs to the administrative branch and is currently posted at 'Disha', the publicity cell under the Directorate of Personnel Officers at the Air Force Headquarters.

Asked how her parents felt when they first heard that she will be commanding the Guard of Honour, Thakur said they were proud.

"They were very proud because they would be seeing me and hoping that I would do well. Presenting Inter-Services Guard of Honour to an important dignitary is a proud moment for everyone of us," she said.

Talking about why she joined the IAF, the young officer said it was not about a job but the way of life she wanted for herself.

"It is not a job but a way of life. I wanted to have this way of life. I had the opportunity of knowing about it since my father was in the Services too," she said.

The officer's father retired as a Colonel from the Indian Army. 'Nari shakti' (woman power) is the theme for Republic Day parade this year where Obama is the chief guest.

For the first time, all women officer contingents of the army, air force and navy will walk down the Rajpath on Monday.

Read More

India, US renew their 10 year Defence Framework Agreement

New Delhi: Vowing to take defence ties to a "new level", India and the US on Sunday renewed their 10-year Defence Framework Agreement and agreed in principle to pursue joint development and production projects.

The new framework will enhance bilateral defence partnership by stepping up joint military exercises

and through more in-depth intelligence-sharing, maritime security efforts among others. "Today, we have also decided to take our growing defence cooperation to a new level. We have agreed, in principle, to pursue co-development and co-production of specific advanced defence projects," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after holding extensive talks with visiting US President Barack Obama here.

Modi said this will help upgrade country's domestic defence industry and expand the manufacturing sector in India. He added that both countries will also explore cooperation in other areas of advanced defence technologies. The Prime Minister did not specify what these projects were. "We have renewed our Defence Framework Agreement. We will deepen our cooperation on maritime security," he said in a joint media interaction. Obama, who arrived on Sunday on a three-day visit, welcomed the renewal of the pact and said it will guide the bilateral defence cooperation for next ten years.

"We agreed to deepen our defence and security cooperation.... And in a major step forward for our relationship, defence technology and trade initiative will allow us to jointly develop and produce defence technologies," he said. Obama added that both Modi and he have also agreed to a "new vision for Asia Pacific". "We are doing together more to advance our shared security and prosperity in this critical region," he said. The first framework agreement, which expires this year, was signed in the US in 2005 by the then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his US counterpart in the previous George W.Bush administration, Donald Rumsfeld. 

The most-significant aspect would be the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) — aimed at enhancing the ones existing under the Defence Policy Group, which lay out the path for future defence cooperation. The US is pushing for what it calls "transformative defence technologies" for co-development and co-production with India under DTTI, which could become the hallmark of the Modi government's 'Make-in-India' initiative. The US has offered India 17 hi-tech items of military hardware for co-production and co-development under DTTI.

Of the 17, India is understood to be interested in five, including unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and aircraft landing system for aircraft carriers. Hectic parleys were being held between the two countries on the defence front. Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L), arrived earlier this week here to hold discussions with Indian officials to come up with some "concrete" deliverables.

He is the Pentagon's point person on India-related defence issues, in particular on the India-US Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). His primary objective is to continue momentum on DTTI, which promotes collaboration on defence technology and enables co-production and co-development of critical defence systems. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier said expansion of DTTI with the US can be expected during the high-profile visit.

Read More

Sunanda Pushkar case: Shashi Tharoor likely to be questioned again next week

New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is likely to be questioned again next week in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar's mysterious death as police looks to join the pieces in the case. Tharoor was questioned by police on January 19 for around four hours at the office of Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS) in South Delhi's Vasant Vihar.

Sources on Sunday said the Special Investigation Team is likely to question the former Union minister again next week as they got very "little time" with him on January 19. They also said that as he was the "closest relative" of the deceased at the spot when she was found dead, he may be questioned several times as the SIT would want to ask him about the things which would arise during examination of other witnesses and people concerned. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi had also indicated Tharoor can be questioned in this connection again in "some days".

"Whatever we had spoken to him during the first questioning is being analysed and if we need further questioning, it will be done. Since it is a very involved case, there would be a need to talk to him again, so the SIT will call him again in some days," he had said. 52-year-old Sunanda was found dead in a room in the hotel on January 17 last year. Delhi Police filed a case of murder in the case on January 1 and an SIT was formed to probe the case. Since then, police has questioned a number of people in this connection including domestic aides of Tharoor, staff of the hotel where Sunanda was found dead, family friend Sanjay Dewan and the hotel doctor who pronounced her dead.

Recently, it has also questioned several journalists in this regard with whom Sunanda had spoken a day before her death to find out whether she had mentioned to them about the IPL controversy, her husband Tharoor's alleged relations with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar or about any plans of hers to hold a press conference. Journalist Nalini Singh had on Friday told the SIT that she had spoken to Sunanda about taking the blame for her husband in the IPL controversy following which police decided to rope in the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to examine the business model of the erstwhile IPL Kochi franchise and to understand the controversy surrounding it.

The investigators are now examining whether the IPL controversy had anything to do with Sunanda's death. Asked about the issue, Commissioner Bassi said that if needed, the SIT will examine financial transactions of the IPL franchise. "There are a number of things. It can be background and it can be motive also. If we need to see any financial transaction to understand that, if we need to see the company formation and financial background, then we will look into it," he said.

The IPL controversy had broken out in early 2010 when Tharoor was Minister of State for External Affairs. There were allegations that he had "misused" his office to ensure that Rs 70 crore, which was equivalent to 19 per cent equity in IPL Kochi franchise Rendezvous Sports, was paid to Sunanda. Sunanda, who was then a friend and yet to become Tharoor's wife, had refuted allegations of any wrongdoing. She had also denied that she was acting as the front for Tharoor in the Kochi IPL franchise. Later, she quit Rendezvous Sports World after deciding to return her free equity worth Rs 70 crore to the franchise.

Read More

Japan stunned by video claiming death of 1 of 2 IS hostages

Tokyo: From the prime minister to ordinary people, Japanese were shocked Sunday at a video purportedly showing one of two Japanese hostages of the extremist Islamic State group had been killed. 

With attention focused on efforts to save the other hostage, some also criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's drive for a more assertive Japan as responsible for the hostage crisis. 

A somber Abe appeared on public broadcaster NHK early Sunday demanding the militants release 47-year-old journalist Kenji Goto unharmed. He said the video was likely authentic, although he added that the government was still reviewing it. He offered condolences to the family and friends of Haruna Yukawa, a 42-year-old adventurer taken hostage in Syria last year. 

Abe declined to comment on the message in the video, which demanded a prisoner exchange for Goto. He said only that the government was still working on the situation and reiterated that Japan condemns terrorism. 

''I am left speechless,'' he said. ''We strongly and totally criticize such acts.'' 

Yukawa's father, Shoichi, told reporters he hoped ''deep in his heart'' that the news of his son's killing was not true. 

''If I am ever reunited with him, I just want to give him a big hug,'' he said. 

President Barack Obama condemned what he called ''the brutal murder'' of Yukawa and offered condolences to Abe. Obama's statement didn't say how the U.S. knew Yukawa was dead. 

While visiting India, Obama said the United States will stand ''shoulder to shoulder'' with Japan and called for the immediate release of Goto. 

French President Francois Hollande said he ''strongly condemned the barbaric murder'' of Yukawa and praised Japan's ''determined engagement in the fight against international terrorism.'' 

The Associated Press could not verify the contents of the video message, which varied greatly from previous videos released by the Islamic State group, which now holds a third of both Syria and Iraq. 

Criticism of Abe has touched on his push for an expanded role for Japan's troops _ one that has remained strictly confined to self-defense under the pacifist constitution written after the nation's defeat in World War II. 

About 100 protesters, some of them holding placards that read, ''I'm Kenji'' and ''Free Goto,'' demonstrated late Sunday in front of the prime minister's residence, demanding Abe save Goto. 

Demonstrator Kenji Kunitomi, 66, blamed Abe as bringing the hostage crisis on himself. 

''This happened when Prime Minister Abe was visiting Israel,'' he said. ''I think there's a side to this, where they may have taken it as a form of provocation, possibly a big one.'' 

While in the Middle East, Abe announced $200 million in humanitarian aid to the nations fighting the militants. The Islamic State group addressed Abe and demanded the same amount of money as ransom for the two hostages. 

Jun Hori, an independent journalist, bemoaned Abe's directly mentioning the Islamic State in announcing the aid. 

Reflecting widely held sentiments here, Hori believes Japan, restricted by its constitution, has held a slightly different position from the U.S. and Europe on the Middle East, and had up to now fared better at avoiding Western-style terrorist attacks. 

''Japan has its own path of peaceful diplomacy that it should take,'' Hori said. 

Abe reiterated Sunday that the government of Japan will not succumb to terrorism and will continue to cooperate with the international community in the fight against it. 

Goto's mother, Junko Ishido, was skeptical about the voice on the video claiming to be her son's. 

''I'm petrified,'' Ishido told NHK. ''He has children. I'm praying he will return soon, and that's all I want.'' 

Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the audio was still being studied, but there was no reason to deny the authenticity of the video. 

Yukawa was captured last summer, and Goto is thought to have been seized in late October after going to Syria to try to rescue Yukawa. 

Kent Calder, director of the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at SAIS/Johns Hopkins University in Washington, said the ''communalistic'' and conformist aspects of Japanese society makes events like the hostage crisis particularly emotionally disturbing for its people. 

''That trauma is compounded by the fact that I don't think most Japanese saw this coming,'' he said in an email. ''Many will realize out of this that they too are a part of global society, rather than an isolated island nation.'' 

Toshiko Okada, 68, who used to run an English school in a Tokyo suburb, has been stunned by the news and praying for the hostages' lives. 

''I feel Abe's misguided shallow acts have trigged this ransom demand,'' she said. ''Maybe he should be attending to problems at home.''

Read More

Barack Obama pays tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, calls him rare gift to world

New Delhi: US President Barack Obama, who has often talked about the influence of Mahatma Gandhi on his life, on Sunday paid homage to the 'apostle of peace' at the Rajghat memorial here describing his spirit as a "rare gift" to the world. The American President placed a wreath, showered rose petals at Gandhi's memorial and bowed before it with folded hands for some time.

"What Dr Martin Luther King Jr. said that remains true today: The spirit of Gandhi is very much alive in India today and it remains a rare gift to the world. May we always live in this spirit of love and peace among all people and nations," Obama wrote in the visitors' book at the memorial. Obama went straight to Rajghat after his ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. During his last visit here in 2010 also, he had paid tributes to Gandhi at the memorial.

The American President was presented a replica of Gandhi's famous 'charkha' by the officials of the memorial. Obama also planted a sapling of the Peepal tree (Ficus religiosa) at the Rajghat. He has mentioned Gandhi on several occasions, even in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 2009.

Replying to a question on who would be his most favourite personality, dead or alive, to have dinner with, he had then said it would be Gandhi. "He's somebody who I find a lot of inspiration in. He inspired Dr King (Martin Luther King Jr), so if it hadn't been for the non-violent movement in India, you might not have seen the same non-violent movement for civil rights here in the United States," he had said. 

Read More

Obama offers condolence to Abe over 'brutal murder' of hostage

Washington/New Delhi: US President Barack Obama today offered condolences to Japanese Prime

Minister Shinzo Abe over the beheading of a Japanese national by Islamic State militants and said the two countries will work shoulder to shoulder to degrade and defeat the dreaded outfit.

Obama, who is currently in New Delhi, telephoned Abe "to offer condolences for the murder ...

Read More

India, US to restart talks on social security pact: Modi

New Delhi: Seeking to further strengthen bilateral economic relations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India and the US will "restart" discussions on the Social Security Agreement and resume

talks on Bilateral Investment Treaty.

Addressing a joint press meet with US President Barack Obama, he said economic growth in the two countries is becoming stronger.

"President Obama and I agree that a strong and growing economic relationship is vital for the success of our strategic partnership.

Read More

Civil nuclear deal with US done

New Delhi: India and the US today broke the 7-year-old logjam in operationalising their landmark civil nuclear agreement with an announcement that "the deal is done" after talks between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In what Obama called a "breakthrough", the two sides have resolved key hurdles pertaining to the liability of suppliers of nuclear reactors in the event

of an accident and the tracking of fuel supplied by the US and other countries for its proposed nuclear plants.

US President Barack Obama and I: PM Narendra Modi stresses personal chemistry 

Chemistry between US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was very much evident today with the Indian leader calling him by his first name more than once during their joint media interaction. 

Obama displaying similar comradrie in turn addressed the Indian leader as 'Modi' and referred to their personal relationship which they had been able to build "in a very brief amount of time". 

He told the media curious about the one-on-one talks they had in lawns of Hyderabad House, that the two leaders among other things compared how much sleep each of them gets. 

"It turns out Modi is getting much less sleep than me. Of course, that is because he is still new. After he has been doing it for about six years, may be he will be able to get an extra hour," the US leader joked, triggering smiles all around. 

Modi said he believed that relations between countries depend less on "full stops and commas on papers" and more on relations between leaders. "How much they know each other, how is their chemistry, these are very important." 

"Barack and me have forged a friendship. There is openess with which we talk, we can talk comfortably over phone, joke with each other... This chemistry has not only brought me and Barack close or Washington and Delhi nearer but also the people of two countries. This personal chemistry matters a lot," he said. 

Before making his opening statement, Obama greeted people in Hindi, "Mera pyar bhara namaskar (my greetings with love)". He also referred to their one-on-one talks over tea in Hyderabad House lawns as "chai pe charcha", remarking that there should be more of it in Washington. 

Read More