Temasek eyeing benchmark sterling bond sale-sources

July 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 19 (Reuters) – Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings [TEM.UL] is looking to sell sterling-denominated bonds, its first issue in the British currency, sources with knowledge of the deal told Reuters.

Temasek could do a benchmark issue — which in industry terms is at least $500 million equivalent, sources said.

UBS (UBSN.VX), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), HSBC (HSBA.L) are likely to be lead managers for the sale, sources said.

Temasek and the banks declined to comment.

“They see sterling as an additional pool of capital for them,” said one of the sources who spoke to Reuters.

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar and Kevin Lim; additional reporting by Saikat Chatterjee in Hong Kong)

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UPDATE 1-Mewah plans S’pore IPO to raise up to $500 mln -sources

July 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 (Reuters) – Mewah Group, a palm oil firm with refineries in Malaysia, is planning to raise as much as $500 million in a Singapore initial public offering for expansion, two sources involved in the IPO said on Monday.

The planned listing, which will result in new investors owning 12-20 percent of Mewah’s enlarged share capital, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year, the sources told Reuters.

Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX) and BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) are managing the offer, they said.

Credit Suisse and Mewah declined comment, while BNP Paribas could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mewah, whose main shareholders are Singaporean, owns three palm oil refineries in Malaysia and produces vegetable oil products include cooking oil, margarine and specialty fats used in ice cream, according to its website (www.mewahgroup.com).

The firm also has several sister firms in Singapore whose activities range from marketing Mewah products to providing transport and warehousing services.

“The group has approximately $2 billion turnover (and) the refineries have a combined output of about 2.5 million tons per annum,” a source familiar with Mewah said.

Mewah preferred to be described as a “Singapore-based group with refineries in Malaysia” rather than as a Malaysian firm, he added.

Palm oil traders Reuters spoke to said Mewah was a major seller of palm oil products to Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh and India.

The firm did not own plantations and got its feedstock came from both Malaysia and Indonesia, they added. (Reporting by Kevin Lim and Saeed Azhar; Additional reporting by Niki Koswanage in KUALA LUMPUR)

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Malaysia’s Mewah plans $500 mln S’pore IPO – sources

July 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 5 (Reuters) – Malaysian vegetable oil firms Mewah Group is planning an initial public offering in Singapore to raise around $500 million, two sources involved in the deal said on Monday.

The IPO is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year, and the banks managing the offer are Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX) and BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA), the sources said.

Credit Suisse declined comment, while BNP Paribas and Mewah could not immediately be reached.

Mewah owns three palm oil refineries in Malaysia, and produces vegetable oil products include cooking oil, margarine and specialty fats used in ice cream, according to its website.

The firm also has several sister firms in Singapore whose activities range from marketing Mewah products to providing transport and warehousing services. (Reporting by Kevin Lim and Saeed Azhar; Editing by Dhara Ranasinghe)

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Malaysia’s Petronas FY09/10 profit falls 23.2 pct

July 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 1 (Reuters) – Malaysia’s state oil firm Petronas [PETR.UL] said on Thursday net profit in the financial year ended March 2010 dropped 23.2 percent as high costs and lower energy prices hit the industry.

Malaysia’s average crude oil output fell 3.3 percent to 535,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the April-March period, it said.

“The year in review proved to be unusually difficult and challenging for the Petronas Group,” its CEO Shamsul Azhar Abbas told a results briefing.

“Profits experienced even more substantial declines as industry costs continued to remain at relatively elevated levels.”

Net profit fell to 40.3 billion ringgit ($12.43 billion), from 52.5 billion ringgit a year earlier.

Benchmark U.S. oil prices CLc1 averaged nearly $79 a barrel in the first quarter, recovering from a $43 average during the first quarter of 2009, but are still below a high of $147 hit during July 2008.

Petronas plans to list its petrochemical business before the end of the year, the company’s vice-president of finance, George Ratilal said.

Petronas is crucial to Malaysia’s economy as it provides almost half of the country’s budget revenue through dividends and taxes.

Petronas made 57.6 billion ringgit in payments to the Malaysian government in the 2010 financial year, 22 percent lower than the 74 billion ringgit paid in the previous financial year.

Shamsul, a former executive at Petronas’ shipping subsidiary MISC (MISC.KL), became the new chief executive in February, replacing Hassan Marican who built the firm into a Fortune 100 company. ($1=3.242 Malaysian Ringgit)

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar and Niluksi Koswanage; editing by Liau Y-Sing)

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Singapore’s OUE drops plan for convertible bonds

June 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 15 (Reuters) – Overseas Union Enterprise (OVES.SI), a Singapore-listed property and hotel firm, said on Tuesday it will not go ahead with a proposed convertible bond sale due to current market conditions.

Cyclical Consumer Goods

It also said its shareholder, Golden Concord will sell 18 million OUE shares at S$11.50 a share. (Reporting by Kevin Lim; Editing by Saeed Azhar)

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MOVES-M.Stanley hires UBS banker for Asia listed derivatives

June 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 11 (Reuters) – Morgan Stanley (MS.N) has hired a banker from UBS (UBSN.VX) to oversee the marketing of listed derivatives in Asia, sources told Reuters, as the U.S. bank seeks to boost its share in the listed futures business.

Financials

Chris Chong has been hired as an executive director responsible for marketing listed derivatives in Asia, one of the sources, who was aware of the move, told Reuters.

His role will be to coordinate the listed derivatives marketing strategy with the prime brokerage division, which serves hedge funds, Morgan Stanley electronic trading and the traditional trading floor, sources said.

Chong was previously chief operating officer for UBS Futures in Singapore. UBS confirmed his departure.

Morgan Stanley was not available for comment.

Last year Morgan Stanley had hired Clark Hutchison and Bill Templer, who were co-heads of exchange-traded derivatives at UBS.[nBNG380841]

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar in SINGAPORE and Mia Shanley in STOCKHOLM)

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Petronas hires bankers for $2 bln IPO of unit-sources

June 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 8 (Reuters) – Malaysia state energy company Petronas [PETR.UL] has hired Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), CIMB (CIMB.KL) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) as book-runners to advise on a planned $2 billion listing of its petrochemcial business, sources with knowledge of the deal said.

The listing will likely take place in the fourth quarter of this year depending on market conditions, one of the sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

More banks may be added to the IPO effort later, the sources said.

Azman Ibrahim, a Petronas spokesman, declined to comment and officials at the three banks were not immediately available for comment. (Editing by Ed Lane) (Reporting by Saeed Azhar and Daniel Stanton of IFR Asia in Singapore and Soo Ai Peng in KUALA LUMPUR)

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MOVES-RBS Coutts hires Citi strategist for investment role

June 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 8 (Reuters) – RBS Coutts, the private banking arm of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L), said on Tuesday it has appointed Norman Villamin to the newly created role of head of investment strategy for Asia.

Financials

Villamin, who is based in Singapore, joined RBS Coutts from Citi Private Bank where he specialised in asset allocation and multi-asset class research and advice.

Private banks, in particular Standard Chartered (STAN.L) and Deutsche (DBKGn.DE), are hiring aggressively in Asia and poaching staff from one another in a bid to tap the region’s growing ranks of millionaires.

RBS Coutts said Villamin’s appointment “is the latest in a series of senior hires RBS Coutts has made over the last few months to support the bank’s growth aspirations in Asia.”

(Reporting by Kevin Lim; Editing by Saeed Azhar)

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Tiger Air to advance deliveries of 2 more Airbus A320

June 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 1 (Reuters) – Singapore-listed budget carrier Tiger Airways (TAHL.SI) said it will advance the delivery of two more Airbus (EAD.PA) A320 this financial year ending March 2011, taking the total number of planes in its fleet to 26.

Industrials

“The total number of aircraft being delivered in this financial year will now increase to 9, resulting in an increase in total fleet of at least 37 percent by March 2011,” the company said in a statement to Singapore Exchange [ID:nSNZ3z6kTj]. (Reporting by Harry Suhartono, editing by Saeed Azhar)

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Pakistan lifts Facebook ban but restrictions remain

June 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – A Pakistani court on Monday lifted a ban on social networking website Facebook which had carried a competition to draw the Prophet Mohammad, but access to any “blasphemous” material will remain blocked, officials said.

Media

Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by Muslims, which constitute the overwhelming majority in Pakistan, and Facebook was blocked two weeks ago because of the online caricature contest.

The Lahore High Court ordered Facebook unblocked after getting assurance from the government that “blasphemous material” would no longer be available in Pakistan, lawyer Azhar Siddique told Reuters.

“The government has assured the court on behalf of the website that the blasphemous material would not seen in Pakistan,” said Siddique, a representative of the Islamic Lawyers Forum, who sought ban on Facebook.

“The court … told me that I can file a contempt of court petition if blasphemous material is again seen on the website in Pakistan, because it is a violation of Pakistani law.”

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the official telecommunications regulatory agency, said it had received officials instructions to unblock Facebook except for links which contain “blasphemous content.”

“We are issuing instructions to Internet service providers to restore Facebook, and it will be done by evening,” PTA spokesman Khurram Imran told Reuters.

The Pakistani authorities had also blocked access to video networking site, YouTube, to contain un-Islamic content, but this was partially lifted last week although links to videos containing “sacrilegious or profane material” remain restricted.

The contest to draw caricatures of Prophet Mohammad was described by its organizers as a “snarky” response to Muslim bloggers who had objected at the creators of the Comedy Central television show “South Park” depicting him in a bear suit.

While many Pakistanis supported the online crackdown, some said the government should have blocked specific videos or pages instead of blocking entire websites.

The publication of cartoons of the Prophet in Danish newspapers in 2005 sparked deadly protests in Muslim countries. About 50 people were killed during violent protests in Muslim countries in 2006, five of them in Pakistan.

On Sunday, Bangladesh, another majority Muslim country, also blocked access to Facebook over “objectionable” material about the Prophet Mohammad.

(Editing by Chris Allbritton and Miral Fahmy)

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Musharraf ‘poised’ for comeback to Pak politics

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 18 (ANI): Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf is likely to announce his future political plans today (Tuesday, May 18) during a meeting with his supporters here, sources close to him have revealed.

According to one of Musharraf’s close aides, the general would meet his supporters and regional coordinators of Pakistan First, an organisation that works to promote Pakistan’s interests in the US.

Meanwhile, Musharraf reportedly called several political leaders in Pakistan to garner support for his recently floated party- the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML).

Insiders said Musharraf telephoned several prominent leaders belonging to Dera Ghazi Khan, Sindh and Mian Muhammad Azhar in Lahore.

They said Musharraf also had a chat with former President Farooq Leghari to discuss various political aspects.

It is reported that they discussed about certain ‘disappointed’ political leaders who could join the APML.

Musharraf and some of the ‘dissident’ leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and (PML-Q) and the PML-Z are already in contact, “and some of the rebel leaders have given a green signal to Musharraf for standing in the presidential elections, The Daily Times reports. (ANI)

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‘Endangered’ Pak must neutralise plethora of militant outfits on its own volition: Editorial

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, May 13 (ANI): As the US continues to pile up pressure on Pakistan to act against terror groups based in country’s semi-autonomous tribal areas following officials claiming to have established links between Faisal Shahzad, the failed Times Square bomber and Pakistani ‘jihad’ groups, an editorial in one of the country’s leading English dailies has stressed that it is time for Islamabad to take on the militants before its get too late.

The editorial in The Dawn pointed towards the recent recovery of jihadi paraphernalia from a Karachi mosque, which it said is a ‘sobering reminder of the fact that militant outfits are quietly carrying’ on their business in the country.

It may be noted that during the raid on the mosque several copies of computerised national ID cards and registration cards belonging to Afghan nationals and local supporters of the Jaish-i-Muhammad (JeM), the terror group which has been banned way back in 2002, were recovered.

Hate speeches of JeM commander Maulana Masood Azhar were also confiscated.

Hate literature, compact discs and other jihadi materials are being sold openly across he country, and the editorial said it was hard to believe that the country’s intelligence apparatus is unaware of these activities.

But the more important question here, the editorial asked, is to why the Pakistani leadership always acts against these jihadi groups only when it is under immense international pressure and not on its own.

“Though actual training camps for militants are active largely in the tribal northwest, it is the nation’s urban centres that serve as potential recruiting grounds for the jihadis. Sadly, our security establishment only acts when Pakistani or Pakistan-based militants attack or threaten to attack others and we, in turn, are threatened with “severe consequences,” it went on to add.

The editorial noted that Pakistan has no option but to flush out every single trace of militancy from its soil, failing which it would certainly result in ‘dire consequences’.

“The state must neutralise the plethora of militant outfits that earn opprobrium for Pakistan internationally and weaken it internally. The networks that help spread hate and promote jihad must be decisively dismantled. Militant leaders and hardened terrorists must be brought to justice, while less lethal supporters must be urged to renounce violence and reintegrated in society,” the editorial concluded. (ANI)

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‘Banned’ JeM organising rallies, holding sermons in Karachi mosque: Report

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Los Angeles, May 10 (ANI): Despite being banned the Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM), the terror group with which Faisal Shahzad, the confessed Times Square bomber is said to have close links, is operating freely in Pakistan with its leaders holding rallies and delivering inciting lectures and sermons without any check.

The JeM, which was banned by Pakistan in 2002 under an intense international pressure following the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001, has made Karachi’s Batha mosque its coordination centre from where it carries on its covert activities.

Several leaders of this hardcore Islamic terrorist group often visit the mosque to deliver sermons, a Los Angeles Times report said.

According to the report, recently hundreds of ‘worshipers’ had gathered to hear the JeM’s ‘jihad’ leader Maulan Masood Azhar in the mosque, where the theme of speeches and sermons often covers the same topic- “holy war against the West.”

Amazingly, police officers were seen providing security for during Azhar’s rally, which clearly summons up the Pakistan government’s efforts against these terror organisations.

Though security officials had put up a metal detectors for people entering the mosque for the rally, there were hardly any restrictions on the speech made by the terror commanders.

“They had metal detectors checking people going in. The people in this mosque, their main focus is jihad,” the newspaper quoted Ali Khan, who runs a barber shop just 50 yards away from the Batha mosque, as saying.

Observers and analysts noted that Karachi was fast becoming a terror coordination centre, where banned militant groups routinely dispatch their cadets.

Raza Hasan, a Karachi based crime reporter of a leading English newspaper, said terror groups often send their recruits to city-based mosques to pass out jihad pamphlets and compact discs among masses to attract young people towards ‘jihad’

“Authorities have not come down hard on Jaish-e-Muhammad or any of these banned outfits. They seem to lack a policy,” Hasan said.

Yusuf Khan, a Karachi based analyst, described the modus operandi of these jihad groups.

“Usually when the government bans these militant groups, they suddenly start welfare work. During the earthquake in Kashmir in 2005, Jaish-e-Muhammad began helping people and rebuilding. That”s their technique: to become philanthropic and get sympathy,” Khan said.

While the US is piling up pressure on Pakistan to crack down on the JeM and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), another banned terror group which mainly focussed on India in the past, experts are sceptical over any action on these ‘jihadi’ organisations, as they still enjoy support and sympathy of many in the country.

“I”m afraid it will be life as normal. There is a lot of sympathy among many in law enforcement for these people. You cannot wipe this out,” Khan said. (ANI)

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S’pore NOL’s cargo up 63 pct yr/yr in 6 wks to Feb 5

March 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

SINGAPORE, March 1 (Reuters) – Singapore’s Neptune Orient Lines (NEPS.SI) (NOL), the world’s fifth-biggest container shipping firm, said on Monday it carried 63 percent more containers in the six weeks to February 5 versus a year ago.

Industrials

NOL said in a statement it carried the equivalent of 307,400 40-foot containers (FEUs) on its ships in the period, up from 188,400 a year earlier. However, this was down slightly from 312,500 in the six weeks to December 25.

The average revenue from each container fell 9 percent from a year ago to $2,417.

“The improvement in volume was due to higher volumes lifted in all trade lanes and stronger pre-Chinese New Year shipments. Lower average revenue per FEU YoY was due to lower core freight rates, particularly on the Transpacific,” the firm said in a statement. (Reporting by Neil Chatterjee; editing by Saeed Azhar)

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Singapore’s Changi buys 5 pct stake in Rome Airports

March 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

SINGAPORE, March 1 (Reuters) – Singapore’s Changi Airport said on Monday it has acquired a 5 percent stake in Gemina S.p.A (GEMI.MI), the operator of two airports in Rome, for S$100 million ($71 million).

Industrials

Gemina’s Aeroporti di Roma owns the concession to operate Italy’s largest airport group, which comprised Leonardo da Vinci Airport and Giovan Battista Pastine Airport.

Both airports serve the Italian capital and have a combined air passenger volume of 38.6 million in 2009, slightly higher than Changi’s 37.2 million passengers last year.

Changi, which operates Singapore’s main airport, has partnerships in China, India, Russia and the Middle East, and provides consultancy services to 20 airports in 10 countries.

It recently acquired a 26 percent stake in Bengal Aerotropolis Projects in India. It has a strategic partnership with Shenzhen Airport Group and owns a stake in Beijing Capital International Airport.

Singapore’s finance ministry is in the process of injecting Changi into Singapore state investor Temasek [TEM.UL]. (Reporting by Harry Suhartono, editing by Saeed Azhar)

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Pak announces governing body of Baba Guru Nanak International University

August 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Amritsar. Aug.28 (ANI): In a step to give shape to a proposed Baba Guru Nanak International University (BGNIU) the Government of Pakistan has announced the name of its members of the governing committee for project management unit on Friday.

The first meeting of the governing committee is likely to be held in Islamabad in September this year. The Chairman of the PETPB would head the Committee.

The then Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz assured a delegation of the Sikh Diaspora headed by Dr. Pritpal Singh, convener American Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (AGPC), to set up set up a university on Sikh religion and culture at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak.

Besides the chairman of PETPB, Mian Imran Masood as a executive director, Zafer Saeed Padhiar, MNA, Rai Shah Jehan Bhatti, MPA, President PSGPC, Dr. Pritpal Singh, USA, Manmohan Singh, UK, Azhar Ehsan Advocate, Tahir Azam, Faqir Syed Saif Uddin, Sham Singh Former president PSGPC, Bishan Singh and Mastan Singh are the members of the committee.

In 2007, in a meeting with heads of the various Sikhs organizations, including Avtar Singh Makkar, president of SGPC, PS Sarna the president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managemnet Committee (DGGMC) and Bishan Singh President of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee were asured by PETPB Chairman that the proposed university would have the best architecture, curricula and research center on Sikh and other religion and culture.

It is pertinent to mention that none of the members was taken from India, neither from the SGPC, the premier body of the Sikhs or from DSGMC. However, DSGMC chief Sarna said: “I am happy that the work is on progress to build the University and it makes no difference to me whether they have not gave any representation in the committee.”

He said that whatever duties they give us we will do voluntarily.

Makkar registered his anguish and said that it is unfortunate that PETPB has not given any representation to the SGPC in the governing body.

He said that the SGPC not only represents Sikhs living in India, but also embodies all Sikhs living around the world and that includes Pakistan. He said that without the representation of the SGPC the governing committee could not be called a complete body.

According to sources, the university would be constructed in 2500 acres of land in Nankana Sahib. The foundation stone of the university would be laid in the month of September or November this year.

Talking to ANI, Dr. Pritpal Singh said that the AGPC would bear all the expenses occur on establishing the course related to Gurmat Sangeet facility.

He said that we would invite scholars from all over the world to join the university. It will be planned University that to be modelled on the great universities of Oxford and Cambridge and te University will allow to get Admissions for the Students of all over the world. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

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China cites technical hitches for not supporting ban on Jaish.

August 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug.13 (ANI): China continues to remain reluctant about supporting India’s proposal at the United Nations to place sanctions on the Jaish-e-Mohammad.

ANI has learnt that in the recent meeting between the Special Representatives of the two countries led by National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo, the Chinese Representative cited “technical” reasons for not supporting the ban on the Jaish-e-Mohammad.

China is the only country in the Security Council which is blocking sanctions on the Jaish and its chief Maulana Masood Azhar.

New Delhi’s argument has been that Azhar benefited from a terror act – the hijacking of IC 814 – and, therefore, there can be no objections on the grounds of evidence.

According to sources, during the 13th round of Special Representatives talks in New Delhi, India handed over more details and documents about Azhar which establish that he is a terrorist.

Beijing’s response, however, was tepid.

India has already submitted detailed documents on the Jaish-e-Mohammad’s terrorist activities to the United Nations, which in turn has been circulated to other nations, including China.

Beijing, however, has been denial mode about receiving the document.

The Maulana Masood Azhar led Jaish-e-Mohammed is a Pakistan based terrorist organization which has orchestrated series of attacks against India.

Once sanctions on an individual or the origination are imposed under UN resolution 1267 which is also known as Al qaeeda and Taliban sanctions, it empowers India to demand action from Pakistan.

After being released from the Indian jail, Masood has been seen in various Pakistani cities addressing huge congregations and is reportedly living undercover within the patronage of the ISI.

Security experts believe that Pakistan is using its close tactical and strategic relations with China to block India’s attempts in the UNSC to ban the Jaish-e-Mohammad.

Earlier, the United Kingdom had shown reluctance to support the ban on the Jaish, but once India submitted details about the group, it agreed to come onboard and support the ban. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

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‘Hu Jintao’s absence from G8 will be a big setback’

July 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

L’Aquila (Italy), July 8 (ANI): Taking a serious note of the absence of the Chinese president at the G8 summit, Indian officials believe that Hu Jintao’s absence during the summit will be a big setback to the G5 outreach nations.

Jintao has cut short his visit and have rushed back following a ethnic conflict in Xinjiang province where more than 150 people are reportedly killed in a ethnic conflict.

Indian officials are of the view that it is extremely serious that the Chinese President had to rush ack for such a reason despite the presence of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

Although G8+G5 is not a negotiation forum but is an important fora to build a consensus on key issues like the climate change, food security and democratization of international institutions.

The emerging economies have actually drawn near consensus on most of the issues. India believes that the absence of Chinese President in the summit will weaken its case especially on the pesky issues like cutting down carbon emissions and green technologies.

Declining to comment on the situation in China certain sections of Indian officials say that so far China has remained a mute spectator to Pakistan sponsored insurgency against India and in fact has supported them by blocking the sanctioning of Jaish-e-Mohamed chief Maulana Masood Azhar. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

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India downplays Chinese hate campaign

July 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Rome, July 8 (ANI): Unscathed by a reported hate campaign launched by Chinese intellectuals and civil society on a internet blogs and opinion columns on websites and other media outlets, Indian Government sources have played down the Chinese diatribe.

“There are elements in China who have their own view on India’s growth which is not necessarily the view of Beijing top government,” said one source.

India and China share a mature relationship and Chinese President Hu Jintao had a very substantive meeting with the Indian Prime Minister in Yekaterinburg in Russia, the source further added.

Recently, Beijing has objected to the funding of watershed projects in India’s Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is its territory. It is even attempting to block the sanctioning of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar as a terrorist at the United Nations Security Council.

India is undeterred and officials say that both New Delhi and Beijing are the two big powers of Asia and enjoy good relations.

Infact, Special Representatives of both countries will be resuming border talks in August this year.

Both India and China are also members of the G5 outreach summit and have a convergence on a host of issues, including carbon emission, climate change and protectionism.

Therefore, New Delhi has cautiously downplayed the Chinese hate campaign. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

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Children’s parliament denounces atrocities committed on children around the world

May 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Varanasi, May 24 (ANI): In a unique parliament made up of children in the age group of five to fourteen years, who assembled in Varanasi on Saturday, took stock of atrocities committed on children worldwide.

The children registered their protest against the practice of training children to become terrorists in Pakistan and also forcing the young kids to become beggars elsewhere in the world.

“The Children’s Parliament in Varanasi is the first elected children’s Parliament in the world.

The representatives have been chosen through election. This is the demand of the children that United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations should stop the practice of children being used as terrorists. Their safety and nutrition should be taken care of which are their fundamental rights. This was the topic of discussion today,” said Rajiv Srivastava, Owner, Vishal Bharat, Sansthan.

The budding parliamentarians read out speeches, debated and raised slogans to condemn the demolition of houses of Rubina Ali and Azhar Ismail, the child actors of Oscar winning movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

It may be recalled that abodes of these child artistes were demolished in Mumbai as part of a slum clearance drive.

“The houses of Rubina and Azhar have been demolished. Children are being sold in Sri Lanka. Children are being trained to become terrorists in Pakistan. This is what we have discussed today,” opined Tazim Ali, a member of Children’s Parliament, Varanasi.

The proceedings of the children’s parliament continued for two hours and an agenda was prepared to protect the rights of the children around the world. (ANI)

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