Tuesday, June 2, 2015


Global buzz

​Sen. Lindsay Graham enters GOP presidential race, declares support for drone warfare

US Senator and long-time military advocate Lindsey Graham announced on Monday his candidacy for president. A staunch Republican who frequently criticizes what he considers to be President Barack Obama’s weak and ineffectual foreign policy, the South Carolina native threw his hat into the ring by declaring “security through strength” is the best way to protect America in a dangerous world that is “falling apart.” He added in a televised speech: “If I’m president of the United States and you’re thinking about joining Al-Qaeda or ISIL, I’m not going to call a judge. I’m going to call a drone, and we will kill you.”

UN could stop half of humanitarian aid in Iraq due to funding shortage

The UN will be forced to slash or shut down almost half its aid operations in Iraq without an immediate injection of new funds, Reuters reported. The number of people in need of assistance continues to increase as the resources to help them dry up, according to Lise Grande, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq. She forecast a “summer of discontent” as a renewed Islamic State offensive in western Iraq has displaced tens of thousands of people over the past month. Many more are likely to flee the fighting.

Swedish police detain 2 over ‘terror training, recruitment’

Sweden’s intelligence agency Sapo said on Monday it had made two arrests as part of a crackdown on recruitment of Islamic militants planning to fight in Iraq and Syria. The raids took place in the capital Stockholm and the central Swedish town of Orebro. A 45-year old man was arrested in Orebro, a town described by police as the fourth largest contributor of jihadist fighters from Sweden after Stockholm, Malmo and Gothenburg. Sapo says 110 people have traveled to Syria and Iraq from Sweden to join Islamic militant groups. However, that the figure may be as high as 300.

Nigeria petrol tanker accident kills 69

An oil tanker truck exploded in a crowded bus station in the south of Nigeria, igniting 11 other vehicles and killing 69, Nigeria’s Red Cross said on Monday. About 30 other victims have been hospitalized with severe burns, AP quoted Red Cross Chairman Peter Emeka Kathy as saying. Local officials said the tanker was laden with petrol when its brakes failed and it ploughed into the bus station at Onitsha, the capital of Anambra state, on Sunday.

More than 6,400 killed in Ukraine conflict – UN

At least 6,417 people have been killed since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict in mid-April 2014 through to May 30, 2015, the UN human rights office said on Monday. They included at least 626 women and girls, and another 15,962 people had been wounded. An overall decrease in shelling since a truce was agreed in February had resulted in a decrease in civilian casualties, the rights office said in its latest report.

Indoor smoking banned in Beijing

The toughest anti-smoking legislation in China’s history came into effect on Monday in Beijing, AFP reported. The law makes smoking in offices, restaurants, hotels and hospitals illegal. Venues where the ban is flouted are liable to fines of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,600). The law prohibits smoking in some open-air spaces close to schools, hospitals and sports venues. However, the legislation “fails to make clear who is ultimately responsible, thus leaving the possibility that they will pass the buck to each other,” state-run newspaper Beijing Youth Daily said.

ISIS kills at least 33 Iraqi soldiers in Anbar province ambush

At least 33 Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters have been killed in an ambush by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) group in the western Anbar province, Al Jazeera reported. More than 40 soldiers were injured in Monday’s attack in al-Seddiqiya, east of the provincial capital Ramadi, according to military sources. Separately, at least 12 civilians were killed and another 18 injured by Iraqi army shelling of a mosque and a market in Fallujah, 50 kilometers east of Ramadi, according to local sources.

Japan pension system hacked, more than 1m pieces of personal data leaked

Japan’s pension system has been hacked, leading to the leak of some 1.25 million bits of personal data. Japan Pension Service staff computers were improperly accessed by an external email virus, according to the system’s president, Toichiro Mizushima. The leak involved combinations of names, identification numbers, birth dates and addresses. The embarrassment revived memories of a scandal that helped topple Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his first term in office, Reuters said.

Saudi-led strikes hit Yemen arms depots, 8 killed

At least eight civilians were killed and 20 wounded on Monday in explosions sparked by Saudi-led air strikes on rebel arms depots around the Yemeni capital, AFP reported. Munitions and shrapnel flew into a residential neighborhood after the strikes on the Mount Noqum base on the eastern outskirts of Sanaa, according to witnesses. Debris from the explosions fell as far as five kilometers, and residents had to flee for safer areas.

EU border agency: 5,000 migrants rescued in Mediterranean in 3 days

More than 5,000 migrants have been rescued from drowning in the Mediterranean Sea over the past three days, according to the EU border agency Frontex. “This is the biggest wave of migrants we have seen in 2015,”dpa quoted Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri as saying. Rescuers discovered 17 bodies during the operations, which began on Friday, when 25 boats filled with people trying to escape Libya departed for Europe.
Will The Avengers be appearing in Marvel’s ‘Antman’?
After Avengers :Age of Ultron,  next “Ant-Man” hits theaters on 24th July and buzz is that Falcon and some members of the Avengers might be making a special appearance in the film!!!
Speculations have emerged Anthony Mackie’s Falcon character and some of the Avengers will be making an appearance on “Ant-Man”
The “Ant-Man” director Peyton Reed has teased it may possible the Falcon and other Avengers will be seen in the upcoming 12th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but refusing to reveal any more information, telling Empire Magazine the information is “classified.”
This isn’t the first teaser-spoiler Marvel has pulled on its fans. It previously released a brief look at the Vision in a trailer before it officially launched movie posters for April’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from anew generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. Marvel’s “Ant-Man” stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man
“Ant-Man” also stars Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peňa, Judy Greer, Tip Harris, and Wood Harris

April core infra grows at (-) 0.4%

The core infrastructure grows to (-)0.4% (Y-O-Y) in April 2015 as compared to (-)0.1% (Y-O-Y) in March 2015. The combined index of Eight Core Industries stands at 162.4 in April 2015 with a growth rate of (-) 0.4% in April 2015 as compared to 5.7% in April 2014. Crude oil and Natural gas registered a growth rate of (-)2.7% and (-)3.6% respectively in the month of April 2015.

   Sector wise trend in monthly production                                                            (% growth)
Sector
Weight in IIP
April’15
March’15
Crude Oil
5.22
(-)2.7
1.7
Natural Gas
1.71
(-)3.6
(-)1.5
Petroleum Refinery Products
5.94
(-)2.9
(-)1.3
Coal
4.38
7.9
6.0
Fertilizer
1.25
(-)0.04
5.2
Electricity
10.32
(-)1.1
1.7
Cement
2.41
(-)2.4
(-)4.2
Steel
6.68
0.6
(-)4.4
Overall
37.90
(-)0.4
(-)0.1
  Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from the office of the economic advisor to the Govt. of India

In cumulative terms, core infrastructure industries registered a growth of 3.6% during April- March 2014-15 as against 4.2% during the corresponding period of the previous year.

    
    Sector wise trend in production                                                                                   (% growth)  
Sector
Weight
Apr-Mar 2014-15
Apr-  Mar 2013-14
Crude Oil
5.22
(-)0.9
(-)0.2
Natural Gas
1.71
(-)5.2
(-)13.0
Petroleum Refinery Products
5.94
0.4
1.5
Coal
4.38
8.4
1.3
Fertilizer
1.25
(-)0.1
1.5
Electricity
10.32
8.1
6.0
Cement
2.41
5.7
3.1
Steel
6.68
0.8
11.5
Overall
37.90
3.6
4.2
   Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from the office of the economic advisor to the Govt. of India
Electricity generation grew by 8.1% during Apr–March 2014-15 as against 6.0% growth during Apr– March 2013-14, while steel production grew by 0.8% during Apr– March 2014-15 as against 11.5% during Apr- March 2013-14. The production in crude oil grew by (-)0.9% during Apr– March 2014-15 as compared to its growth at (-)0.2% during Apr–March 2013-14, whereas petroleum refinery production registered a growth of 0.4% during Apr–March 2014-15 as compared to 1.5% during Apr– March 2013-14. Fertilizer production grew by (-)0.1% during Apr– March 2014-15 compared to its growth at 1.5% during Apr– March 2013-14 and cement production grew by 5.7% during Apr– March 2014-15 compared to its growth at 3.1% during Apr– March 2013-14.
 Trend in growth of steel, cement, electricity, coal and overall                                 (%)
Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from the office of the economic advisor to the Govt. of India
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Awas Haq Satyagrah started Relay Fast on its 7th Day
Mumbai | 1st June 2015: Maharashtra government’s complete indifference to the demands and agony of the evicted Mandala slum dwellers stand exposed on the 7thDay when the administration showed no willingness for dialogue. Upset with this attitude of the government 5 of the evicted slum dwellers sat on 24 hours relay fast which will continue unless any concrete assurance comes from the government. Other evicted slum dwellers started writing letter to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra which will be posted tomorrow.. As the struggle intensified, the children of the evicted families also carried out a rally to the Lallubhai Police Station and handed over a letter to the Senior Police Inspector requesting him cooperation in taking their demands to the concerned officials. The Police inspector in turn assured all support and wished the movement all success.
The evicted of the Mandala slum struggling since 11 years for their housing right. Mandala was demolished in the 2004/5 in the slum demolition drive in order to make Mumbai another ‘Shenghai’ that too without any proper plan for rehabilitation of the evicted. Rajiv Awas Yojna proved a ray of hope for the evicted of the Mandala, who strode hard to get their housing right through this policy but except for hollow assurance they have achieved nothing for them till date. Recent meeting of a delegation of Mandala evicted led by social activist Ms. Medha Patkar with the present Minister of Urban Development Mr. Venkiah Naidu achieved nothing new but an assurance of providing houses to all by 2022. What about those who were already struggling for their housing rights since 11 years? A question put by the delegation.
Neither the Local MLA Mr. Abu Asim nor the M.P. Mr. Kirit Soumaiya paid any heed to the suffering evicted in the past seven days.  As the days passing by, the Satyagrah getting more intense. Various cultural groups visiting daily to keep adding to the high spirit of the Satyagrahis.  Maharashtra Secretary of Republican Part y of India (A), Sumit Wajale also came and supported the Satyagrah today.
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