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Thursday, September 18, 2014

On the second day today of a three day visit to India the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, has signed multiple economic deals with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.File:Xi Jinping October 2013 (cropped).jpg

China would set up two industrial parks in India, one in Gujarat and one in Maharashtra. The deals encompass Chinese investment of US$20 billion in infrastructure projects, modernisation of the Indian Railways, and agreements on trade, space exploration, and civil nuclear energy. China has also committed itself to opening its markets to Indian pharmaceuticals and farm products. A final settlement of the unresolved dispute over the Chinese–Indian border in the Himalayas is also to be sought; the dispute, over which the Sino-Indian War of 1962 was fought, arises over where the border should be.

In a message to Chinese journalists on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Modi used the slogan “Inch towards Miles”, (standing for “India and China towards Millennium of Exceptional Synergy”) to express his hopes as to the future direction of the two nations’ bilateral ties. The Indian Prime Minister further emphasised the shared history and culture of the two nations which could be further enhanced for a brighter shared future.

The Chinese president’s visit comes amid tension over Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, clashing with claims of several other countries, including Japan. In a five day visit to Japan in the beginning of this month, Modi said “The world is divided in two camps. One camp believes in expansionist policies while the other believes in development.” Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also came to an agreement which would see Japanese investment in India rise to US$33.6 billion in the next five years.

Another unresolved tension between the two nuclear powers India and China is continued Chinese support of India’s rival Pakistan.

Xi’s visit to India, which began yesterday following visits to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, is part of an initiative Xi likens to the creation of a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The President of France Nicolas Sarkozy Monday, in a speech to a joint session of both houses of the Parliament of France, stated that the burqa “will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic”.

Sarkozy’s address was the first such address by a President of France to the Parliament since 1873. Both houses met as the Congress of France in the Château de Versailles. It was permitted by a revision to the Constitution of France that was enacted in 2008. (Previously, rules based upon the doctrine of the separation of powers had prevented Presidents from addressing the Congress directly except in order to propose revisions to the Constitution.)

In the speech, which was boycotted by the Green and Communist parties, Sarkozy said that “We cannot accept, in our country, women imprisoned behind a mesh, cut off from society, deprived of all identity. That is not the French Republic’s idea of women’s dignity.” He stated that the burqa “is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience.”

Sarkozy’s remarks come in the wake of his government proposing last week a Parliamentary commission to draft legislation barring the wearing of burqas by Muslim women outside of the home, and of calls by French parliamentarians, including GDR member André Gerin, and government ministers, such as Fadela Amara, for an inquiry into Muslim dress codes.

Sarkozy himself stated that he was calling for a public debate. “A debate has to take place and all views must be expressed.”, he said. “What better place than Parliament for this?”

Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, stated that some Muslims themselves also believed the burqa to be a symbol of submission, and stated that Sarkozy’s remarks were “in keeping with the republican spirit of secularism”. He views the reported increase in the use of the burqa by Muslim women in France as a move towards radicalization of Islam in the country, and calls instead for an “open and convivial Islam that allows people to live side by side”.

Sarkozy’s remarks continue an on-going controversy about Islamic dress in France. Feelings run strong in France over what is called “laïcité” a concept, enshrined in the Constitution, that embodies components of secularism, separation of churches from the state, division of the private and public spheres, preventing the government endorsement of any single religion, and (according to its critics) anti-clericalism, religious intolerance, and the endorsement by default of erstwhile official religions at the expense of the religions of immigrant communities.

Sarkozy called for the public debate to focus on these issues, and not to become a debate over Islam itself. “We must not fight the wrong battle,” he said. “In the Republic, the Muslim faith must be respected as much as other religions.”

France is home to Western Europe’s largest Islamic community, with some five million Muslims living there.

Sunday, February 13, 2005

LONDON – The big-budget Hollywood movie The Aviator and the low-budget Brit flick Vera Drake have scooped the main prizes at the 2005 Orange BAFTA Film Awards. Four gongs went to The Aviator with the top ones being Best Film and Cate Blanchett for Best Supporting Actress. Vera Drake got three gongs with Best Director, Best Actress & Costume Design. Jamie Foxx got Best Actor with Ray and Clive Owen got Best Supporting Actor with Closer.

Friday, June 24, 2005

Popular Serbian basketball player Aleksandar “Sasha” Djordjevic will play his last game in Belgrade on July 3. More then 60 players and coaches who worked with Djordjevic throughout his career will attend the game, and all ticket proceedings will go to the UNICEF “School without violence” program.

Djordjevic played in the Yugoslavian, Italian, Spanish and NBA leagues, as well as for the Yugoslavian national team. The 38 year-old won two European Championships and one World Championship. He is retireing as a player of Armani Jeans Milano and an MVP of the Lega A Basket.

“Everything hurts: my shoulder, elbow and joint. Everything ends, and so does a basketball career. They still have to invent medicines that would ease this pain,” said Djordjevic.

Croatian basketball player Dino Radja decided not to come to Belgrade. He told Djordjevic that he doesn’t want any booing, which would ruin the farewell game.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

A NASA spacecraft set to probe Mars reached orbit around the planet on Friday, joining five others currently active. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter‘s two-year mission is expected to gather more information about Mars than all 12 previous successful missions put together.

The MRO’s tasks will include scouting for possible future landing sites, analyzing the planet’s atmosphere, monitoring its weather, and searching for locations where there may have been water in the distant past. The US$450 million spacecraft is the most advanced probe so far sent to Mars, and can radio back 10 times more data to Earth than any previous probe. Cameras on the MRO can see objects on the planet the size of a card table.

After its seven-month journey toward the planet, reaching orbit was a critical step. Several previous probes have failed due to the difficulty of the precise timing needed to keep the spacecraft from being pulled in by the planet’s gravity. Twenty-one of the thirty-three previous probes have failed for some reason to complete their missions.

Project manager Jim Graf, who described himself as “relieved” at the “picture perfect” completion of this step, expects the results to “rewrite the science textbooks on Mars.” The next step is for the craft to begin “aerobraking” to slow down and change its orbit from elliptical to circular.

The total cost of the mission, including the spacecraft, launch, and support team, is US$720 million.

Monday, September 11, 2006

According to an official news release on the Tongan Royal Palace website, His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV passed away peacefully at 11.34pm local time (2334 UTC), on Sunday, 10th September at Mercy Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand aged 88.

King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV was the ruler of Tonga following the death of his mother, Queen S?lote Tupou III, in 1965. His wife was Queen Halaevalu Mata?aho ?Ahome?e, born in 1926. The couple had four children.

“The sun has set in the Kingdom of Tonga,” said an official government statement from the royal palace.

His death ends 41 years of his reign.

The capital, Nukua’alofa, was draped in black and purple, the official colours of mourning.

His state funeral is expected to be held on September 19. An official month of mourning was declared.

His body will be flown home on Wednesday, September 13.

The Kingdom of Tonga was stricken into mourning earlier this year, when in July, Prince Tu’ipelehake and his wife Princess Kaimana, along with their driver Vinisia Hefa, were killed when their vehicle was stuck by a speeding car on a San Francisco, California, USA highway.

King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV was once known as being the World’s heaviest monarch (his weight exceeded 200 kg then), as well as later being the victim of a number of money-making schemes.

Crown Prince Taufa’ahau Tupou V, the King’s eldest son, was sworn in on Monday, September 11 as the next king but his formal coronation is likely to be next year . He and his sister, Princess Pilolevu have represented the monarch during his lengthy absences due to failing health.