Tuesday, April 28, 2015

The News Across

More than 50 workers trapped in Saudi building collapse

A convention center under construction in the northwest of the Saudi capital Riyadh has left more than 50 workers trapped under rubble. The workers were of different nationalities but most were from Pakistan, according to the Saudi television news channel Al-Ekhbariya. Four wounded people have so-far been recovered from the debris.

US-led forces conduct 31 airstrikes in Syria, Iraq

The US and its allies carried out five airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria and 26 in Iraq between Sunday and Monday morning according to the US military, Reuters reported. The US-led coalition began airstrikes in Syria in Iraq in the late summer of 2014. The coalition includes the US, the UK, France and a number of Arab countries including Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Four US citizens confirmed dead in Nepal earthquake

The US State Department said Monday that four American citizens were among the dead in Nepal’s devastating earthquake, which hit the country on Saturday. Jeff Rathke a spokesman for the US State Department, said that the majority had been at the Mount Everest base camp when the Earthquake occurred.Around 4,000 people were killed by the quake which was the worst in Nepal since 1934 when 8,500 died.

ISIS loyalists kill 5 Libyan journalists

Militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) killed five journalists working for a Libyan television station in the east of the country on Monday. Faraj al-Barassi, a district army commander in the region said the bodies were found outside the eastern city of Bayda, according to Reuters. The reporters had been missing since August, after they set off to travel from Tobruk to Benghazi. Their route took the through Derna, an area controlled by the militant Islamist group.

EU to discuss sanctions on Russia in June – Merkel

International sanctions against Russia should depend on whether peacekeeping commitments signed this year in Minsk are upheld, Reuters quoted German Chancellor Angela Merkel as saying on Monday. “We will deal with this issue in June,” she said at a joint news conference with Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz in Warsaw. Kopacz added that Merkel agreed with her that sanctions already imposed on Russia should be maintained.

Indonesia govt warns court decision won’t delay execution of 2 Australians

The Attorney General’s Office of Indonesia said Monday that two Australian drug convicts will be executed, despite a court decision to hear the legal challenge to the president’s denial of clemency. Australian drug traffickers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are among a group of nine convicts to be executed by firing squad this week, Reuters quoted Tony Spontana, spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, as saying. The timing of the execution is expected to be announced Tuesday morning. Indonesia’s Constitutional Court has agreed to consider a last-ditch challenge, a lawyer representing the pair said earlier, raising hopes their execution could be delayed.

Palestinians protest over Israel plans to construct 77 new settler homes

Israel has invited bids to construct 77 new homes in two settlements on occupied land in East Jerusalem, Reuters reported. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki described the planned projects as a violation of international law. Tenders for 18 of the 77 units were new, and the others were reissued after previous offers had not been taken up, according to Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors settlement-building on land Palestinians seek for a state. The Israel Lands Authority said on Monday that 41 of the homes are to be built in Pisgat Ze’ev and 36 in Neve Yaakov, where 63,000 Israelis already live.

Sudan’s Bashir gets 94.5% of vote, reelected as president

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was reelected on Monday with 94.5 percent of the vote, the National Electoral Commission said. “The number of votes obtained by candidate Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir of the National Congress Party was 5,252,478,”AFP quoted NEC chief Mokhtar al-Asam as saying in Khartoum. Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The mainstream opposition boycotted the vote, and he had faced just 13 little-known challengers for the presidency. The closest competitor, Fadl el-Sayed Shuiab of the small Federal Truth Party, won 79,665 votes, or 1.43 percent, according to Asam.

S. Korean president accepts PM resignation over bribery scandal

South Korean President Park Geun-hye accepted the resignation of the prime minister over a widening bribery scandal on Monday, AFP said. Lee Wan-koo offered to step down when Park was on a four-nation-tour of South America. The prime minister fills a largely ceremonial role in the country, but Lee’s departure after two months on the job is seen as a fresh blow for the increasingly beleaguered Park. The prime minister’s resignation followed a scandal triggered by the suicide of Sung Wan-jong, the former head of a bankrupt construction company, earlier this month.

Burundi police deploy tear gas as protests continue for 2nd day

Burundi police fired tear gas and water cannon as protesters demonstrated in Burundi for a second day against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third five-year term in office, Reuters reported. At least five people were killed in protests on Sunday, according to activists. The president’s supporters say his first term does not count as he was picked by lawmakers and was not elected.
Media agencies
Nepal quake toll could reach 10,000, govt on “war footing” – PM —

Nepal quake toll could reach 10,000, govt on “war footing” – PM

The death toll in Nepal’s earthquake could reach 10,000, the country’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala told media . The authorities are stepping up rescue efforts and asking for supplies of tents and medical aid from abroad. “The government is doing all it can, rescue and relief is on a war footing. It is a challenge and a very difficult hour for Nepal,” Koirala said in an interview. The country was devastated by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake on Saturday.
: Swaraj Samwad schedule till 31 May 2015
From: Swaraj Abhiyan Media  Mon, 27 Apr ’15 9:45p
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Show full Headers
As part of Swaraj Abhiyan';s initiative to connect with every corner of the country, we will be holding dialogue on alternative politics and ways to implement it. Similar to the meeting held in Gurgaon on April 14, we will be calling these dialogues as Swaraj Samwad.
Swaraj Abhiyan is glad to inform that the enthusiastic & overwhelming supporters of alternative politics have led us to agree to have Swaraj Samwads in around a 20 places in the next one month. We have finalised the dates for 14 Swaraj Samwad to be conducted in next one month. The details of more such dialogues are in the process of getting freezed, which we will be sharing with you once it';s freezed.
Anand Kumar, Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Ajit Jha will be taking active participation in all the Swaraj Samwads.
Following is the schedule of the Swaraj Samwads to be conducted until May 31.
SWARAJ SAMVAD SCHEDULE
DateState/ RegionPlace
29.04.2015KarnatakaBengaluru
01.05.2015AssamGuwahati
02.05.2015North BengalIslampur
03.05.2015South BengalKolkata
PunjabLudhiana
10.05.2015JammuSamba
12.05.2015TelanganaHyderabad
14.05.2015OrissaBhubaneswar
16.05.2015Eastern U.P.Allahabad
17.05.2015HaryanaKarnal
23.05.2015Himachal PradeshKangada
24.05.2015PunjabLudhiana
25.05.2015GujaratAhmedabad
31.05.2015BiharPatna
Regards.
Anita
Swaraj Abhiyan Media
The government is responding to the pressure to the save the internet! Add your voice now to the millions of others!
Big telecom companies are trying to control the Internet by bullying us into paying more for services like WhatsApp or Skype. The Telecom Minister has said the Internet is for all not just a few — but he will only be able to stand against the pressure from telcosif we build massive public support for him to save our Internet. Sign and share with 5 friends now!
SIGN HERE


Dear friends across India,
Big telecom companies in India are trying to kill the free Internet — bullying us into paying more to access services like WhatsApp, Youtube or Skype. But if we join the massive, historic online protest now, we can keep the Internet free and open for all!

Telecom companies want to create a VIP culture online by breaking the web into fast and slow lanes. They’ll offer faster download speeds to rich companies who pay them and choke those who can’t. This kills net neutrality — where all websites are treated equal. Let’s stop money power taking over the Internet in India by acting now!
Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has already tweeted that the Internet belongs to all, not just a few — but he’s under pressure from the telecom giants. So let’s build the biggest online petition showing him our support — we’ll use the Internet to save the Internet. Sign and share with 5 friends now:
Without net neutrality the richest 1% will control what we see online. Download speeds for sites that don’t pay the telecom companies will become so slow that we’ll give up in frustration and any dynamic start-ups will be killed off trying to compete with giants with deep pockets.
Some argue that telecom companies are after all profit-making businesses so they should be allowed to charge what they like. But a free and open Internet is a public utility and a global consensus is emerging to keep it that way.

The US Communications regulator recently ruled against telecom companies saying there should be no discrimination in terms of speed, access or cost. Tim Berners Lee, the originator of the world wide web also called for any discrimination by Internet services providers to be outlawed.
Politicians across party lines, celebrities and activists in India have already spoken in favour of net neutrality. Now let’s add our community’s voices to this amazing effort to save the Internet. Sign now and share this with 5 friends.
It’s the apocalypse of the Internet as we know it, and will erase the democratic promise of an information highway for everyone the founders of the world wide web imagined. Together, Avaaz has built on that vision, using the web to fight corruption, save lives, and bring people-powered aid to countries in crisis. Over 3 million of us signed the petition to the US communications regulator to protect the Internet and won! Let’s add many more millions to this fight in India.
With hope and determination,
Alaphia, Risalat, Luis, Alex and the rest of the Avaaz team
More information:
Telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad bats for net neutrality. Final decision to be taken by DoT (Economic Times)
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/telecom-minister-ravi-shankar-prasad-bats-for-net-…

Net neutrality is important and more so because most Indians don’t even have access to the internet (Quartz)
http://qz.com/383153/net-neutrality-is-important-and-more-so-because-most-indians-dont-even-have-acc…
Airtel wants to ruin the internet by bringing in a digital VIP culture (Scroll.in)http://scroll.in/article/718820/Airtel-wants-to-ruin-the-internet-by-bringing-in-a-digital-VIP-cultu…

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