2015, ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 28, വെള്ളിയാഴ്‌ച

Antibiotic use may increase diabetes risk

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 London: Frequent use of antibiotics might increase your risk of developing Type-2 diabetes, a new study warns.

Danish researchers have found that people who developed Type-2 diabetes tended to take more antibiotics in the years leading up to the diagnosis than people who did not have the condition.

'In our research, we found people who have Type-2 diabetes used significantly more antibiotics up to 15 years prior to diagnosis compared to healthy controls,' said one of the study authors Kristian Hallundbæk Mikkelsen from Gentofte Hospital in Hellerup, Denmark.

'Although we cannot infer causality from this study, the findings raise the possibility that antibiotics could raise the risk of Type-2 diabetes,' Mikkelsen noted.

Another equally compelling explanation may be that people develop Type-2 diabetes over the course of years and face a greater risk of infection during that time, he pointed out.

For the study, the researchers tracked antibiotic prescriptions for 170,504 people who had Type-2 diabetes and for 1.3 million people who did not have diabetes.

Individuals who used more antibiotics were more likely to be diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes.

A person develops diabetes, which is characterised by high blood sugar levels, when the individual cannot produce enough of the hormone insulin or insulin does not work properly to clear sugar from the bloodstream.

Past research has shown that antibiotic treatments can alter the bacteria in an individual's gut and that certain gut bacteria may contribute to the impaired ability to metabolise sugar seen in people with diabetes.

This may explain why higher rates of antibiotic use are associated with the development of Type-2 diabetes, but more research is needed to explain the findings, Mikkelsen said.

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Car rams into tempo traveller claiming 3 lives in Kozhikode

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Kozhikode: Three Sabarimala pilgrims were killed in a Kozhikode road mishap on Saturday morning. The accident happened at Azhinjilam on the National Highway when a car smashed against a tempo traveller. Two others were seriously injured and have been rushed to the Kozhikode Medical College hospital. The deceased were Karnataka natives Manjunath, Thilakanath and Anil Chowdhary.

3 arrested in connection with deaths of 71 migrants in truck

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Vienna:Police arrested three people in Hungary overnight in connection with the deaths of 71 migrants found in a refrigerated truck abandoned on Austria's main highway, a police official said today.

The migrants likely suffocated, said Hans Peter Doskozil, chief of police in eastern Burgenland province. A Syrian
travel document was found, indicating that at least some of the dead were refugees fleeing violence in Syria, though it
wasn't clear if some were for elsewhere. The 71 included eight women and four children.

It was the latest tragedy in a year that has seen tens of thousands of people risking everything to seek a better life
or refuge in wealthy European countries.

At least 2,500 have died, mostly at sea, where another tragedy was unfolding today as Libyan authorities counted
bodies from two ships that capsized off the coast of that country. The UN refugee agency said 200 were missing and
feared dead.

Migrants fearful of death at sea in overcrowded and flimsy boats have increasingly turned to using a land route to Europe
through the Western Balkans.

They start in Greece, which they can reach via a short boat trip from Turkey. But the discovery of the bodies in the
truck showed there is no truly safe path.

The refrigerated truck was found parked in the safety lane of the highway from Budapest, Hungary, to Vienna yesterday.

The death toll was initially estimated at 20 to 50.

The bodies were partially decomposed and police had the truck towed to a refrigerated warehouse before they began a
body count and tried to identify them. Autopsies were being conducted.

At least two of those arrested are Bulgarian citizens, while the third has Hungarian identity papers, police said.
(AP)

2015, ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 23, ഞായറാഴ്‌ച

No ID card? You are a ticketless passenger

 
Chennai: The Railway has revised the norms for tatkal booking in trains.

As per the new norms, neither the copy of identity card nor its number is not required while booking tatkal tickets at the counter. However, the passengers should carry anyone of the 10 documents mentioned by the Railway during travel. Otherwise, they should be considered ticketless passengers and fine would be imposed.

Documents accepted as identity proof:
1. Electoral identity card
2. Passport
3. PAN card
4. Driving licence
5. Photo identity card bearing serial number provided by state or central government
6. Identity card provided to students by their institutions
7. Pass book of a nationalised bank carrying photo
8. Laminated bank credit card
9. Aadhaar card
10. Photo identity card provided by central government-owned public sector institutions, district administrations and local bodies

OROP: Gen V.K. Singh's daughter joins protesters



New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs and former army chief V.K. Singh's daughter Mrinalini Singh on Sunday joined a protest here by ex-servicemen against the delay in the implementation of 'One Rank One Pension' scheme.

Demanding a speedy resolution to the contentious issue, she said: 'I am here to support the cause of ex-servicemen because I too am an ex-serviceman's daughter. I feel that the OROP should be implemented as soon as possible.

'Even my grandfather was a soldier, and may be my son would also become one. I hope the government will soon heed to this demand. It's long overdue. I did take up the issue with my father. He has written a letter to the prime minister,' she said at the Jantar Mantar protest site here.

The ex-servicemen have been protesting since June demanding that there should be no change in the definition of OROP, the date of implementation should remain April 1, 2014, and the base year must remain 2013-14.

Onion prices skyrocketing, one kg at Rs.75

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Kochi: Wholesale onion prices have risen to Rs.75 from Rs.50 per kg within a week. The prices increased by an average of Rs.5 daily in the past few days.

The recent price rise is attributed to the dip in the supply coming from Maharashtra. There has been a decline in the total production and the harvest is delayed. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan witnessed a fall in production.

Traders alleged that large-scale dealers in Maharashtra are hoarding onion, leading to shortage of supply and consequently price rise. The 'hoarded' onion will be let into the market only if sufficient amount of onions are imported.

Even though the Central government announced import of 10,000 tonnes of onion, there are allegations that this is proceeding at a slow pace.

Meanwhile, there are no significant changes in the price of other vegetables.

Tomato, pumpkin, drumstick, cucumber are sold at Rs.20 per kg. Raw mango is the most expensive one in the market. The retail price of pineapple is Rs.42 per kg whereas that of lemon is Rs.50 .

The price of cabbage has also increased following onion. Cabbage is widely used to prepare samosa and salad, which led to the price rise, say traders.

US says 'disappointed' that India-Pak talks called off

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Washington : Hours after Pakistan called off the Indo-Pak NSA-level talks, the US today said it was 'disappointed' with the development and encouraged the two sides to resume formal dialogue soon.

'We are disappointed the talks will not happen this weekend and encourage India and Pakistan to resume formal
dialogue soon,' State Department spokesman John Kirby told PTI.

The spokesperson, however, said the 'constructive' interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Ufa, Russia, was encouraging.

'We were encouraged by the constructive interaction between the leaders of India and Pakistan earlier this year at
Ufa, particularly the announcement of dialogue between the countries' National Security Advisors,' Kirby said.

Pakistan last night called off the NSA-level talks proposed for today after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj virtually gave an ultimatum to Islamabad to give a commitment that it would not meet Kashmiri separatist leaders.

Swaraj was reacting to Pakistan NSA Sartaj Aziz's remarks that he was willing to come to India for talks without any
pre-conditions.

India was also upset over Pakistan including Kashmir as part of the agenda for the NSA talks that was mainly scheduled
to discuss terror.

The first-ever NSA-level talks was agreed upon in July in Ufa during a meeting between the prime ministers of India and
Pakistan. PTI

Dawood has nine residences in Pak: Indian dossier

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New Delhi : In evidence to show that Dawood Ibrahim is holed up in Pakistan, a dossier prepared by India listed nine residences of the underworld don in that country and stated that he is known to frequently change his locations and addresses there.

The information about the residences in Pakistan, including one bought near the house of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,
son of late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in Karachi two years ago is contained in the dossier that has been
prepared to be handed over to Pakistan's NSA Sartaj Aziz in the event of his talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval
taking place here.

Pakistan has been consistently saying that Dawood is not living in Pakistan.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, meanwhile, said that Dawood is permanently living in Pakistan though he may be
changing locations in that country even as BJP said there was 'irrefutable evidence' of India's most wanted criminal's
presence there and that it can not longer remain in denial. 'Such people keep changing their location... but he is
permanently living in Pakistan,' Singh told reporters in Lucknow.

The dossier also said that Dawood has three Pakistani passports which he frequently uses to travel.
Dawood is wanted in India for the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai in which 257 people were killed and nearly a
thousand injured. He is also accused of masterminding other terror attacks and of money laundering and extortion.

The dossier said a new residence Dawood bought is located at Shireen Jinah Colony near Ziauddin Hospital, Cliffton,
Karachi.

'This accommodation was purchased in September, 2013 and is located near the hospital where medical treatment could be
provided to Dawood whenever required. This place is close to the residence of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto,' the dossier reads.

Apart from this house, the other places where he regularly frequents are: Moin Palace, near Abdullah Shah Gazi Dargah,
Cliffton, Karachi, 6A Khyabar Tanzeem, Phase V, Defence Housing area, Karachi, ISI safe house located on Bhoubhan
Hill, around 20 km from Islamabad on Islamabad-Muree Road, P 6/2, street no.22, House no. 29, Maragalla Road, Islamabad, 17 C P Bazar Society, Block 7-8, Amir Khan Road, Karachi, 30th street in Phase 6 extension of DHA in Karachi, 8th floor of
Mohran Square near Pardesi House 3, Tawar area, Cliffton, Karachi and a palatial bunglow in the hilly area of Nooriabad,
Karachi.

'Dawood is known to frequently change his locations and addresses in Pakistan. He has amassed immense property in
Pakistan and moves under the protection of Pakistani agencies,' the dossier says.

According to the dossier, Dawood has three Pakistani passports -- first one issued in Rawalpindi (No.G-866537),
second in Karachi (No. C-267185) and a third one which was also issued in Karachi (No. KC-285901).

Dawood's wife Mahajabeen holds a Pakistani passport No. J-589103, son Moeen's Pakistani passport No. J-588518 and
daughter Mehrukh's passport No. J-563473. Mehrukh is married to former Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad's son Junaid.

Dawood's another daughter Mehreen has a Pakistani Passport whose number is J-563439. Dawood's brother Anees and Mustaqim too have Pakistani passports with the Nos. H 144394 and KA-713357 respectively.

The dossier says that Dawood was declared a global terrorist by the US State Department on October 16, 2003 and
he was included in the UN list as an associate of Al Qaeda on November 3, 2003 under the UNSC resolution no. 1267

'Pakistan has failed to issue a red corner notice and take action as per UN notice against Dawood,' the dossier says. PTI

CET mishap: Main accused arrested

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Thiruvananthapuram: Police on Sunday arrested the main accused in the CET mishap case. The prime accused Baiju was held by the police for knocking down a third year engineering student on the campus during the Onam celebrations at the College of Engineering in Sreekaryam.

Baiju surrendered before the police on Sunday night. Baiju's relatives were present at the police station when he surrendered. His arrest was recorded by the Shangumugham assistant commissioner of police. Following his surrender, he was interrogated by the Thiruvananthapuram police commissioner Sanjay Kumar. He will be taken to the engineering college campus on Sunday morning for evidence collection.

Baiju, who absconded after the incident, had taken refuge in Kodaikanal and Madurai after finally deciding to surrender. Baiju had escaped to nearby Tamil Nadu in a bike.

The police on Saturday recovered another jeep that was used during the Onam celebrations at the College.

Police said the students used two open jeeps and lorry without permission of authorities during the Onam celebration on the campus. The police had seized the jeep involved in the accident the other day.

Thasni Basheer (21) of Pullancherry Veedu at Kunnath, Vazhikkadavu, in Malappuram, was fatally knocked down by the jeep driven by Baiju, a seventh semester student hailing from Kannur, during the Onam celebrations on the campus.

2015, ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 22, ശനിയാഴ്‌ച

Now, blood from blood banks for MBBS docs only

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 Mumbai: MBBS doctors alone will get blood from blood banks from now on. The office of the Drug Control General of India has issued a circular stating that blood will be given based on the prescriptions of MBBS doctors only.

That means the prescriptions of ayurveda, homeopathy, and unani doctors will not be enough to seek blood from blood banks.

The circular has been issued in the wake of increased rate of deaths and diseases caused by blood transfusion. In the hospitals in metro cities including Mumbai, ayurveda doctors too are given charge of wards and ICUs. The new decision is a setback for such hospitals.

Meanwhile, Drug Controller General Dr G N Singh said that the decision was taken considering only the welfare of the patients. 'It is important to know who demands blood and also the volume of blood sought. It's high time blood banks are strictly monitored,' he added.

HIV positive ISIS fighters told to turn suicide bombers: reports

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Syria: The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has ordered 16 of fighters, who were tested positive for HIV, to become suicide bombers upon finding that they contracted the disease from two Moroccan sex slaves, says a report in The Daily Mail.

As per the report, the men, most of whom are of foreign origin, underwent treatment at an ISIS-run facility located in the east-Syrian city of Al-Mayadeen. The 16 men were later sent to a quarantine facility.

The women from whom the ISIS fighters contracted the disease reportedly fled to Turkey as they feared that the ISIS would execute them.

2015, ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 21, വെള്ളിയാഴ്‌ച

Yemen's president calls for ceasefire after 65 civilians killed

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Doctors Without Borders appeals to the warring factions to halt attacking civilians as Houthi attacks, Saudi airstrikes kill 65 civilians in Taez.

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Yemen's president proposed a 15-day cease-fire that would coincide with the withdrawal of rebel militias from all government institutions and military installations and all cities and provinces.
President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi's proposal calls for the Houthi rebels and allied troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to immediately implement a UN Security Council resolution which demands an end to violence and a swift return to UN-led peace talks.
The proposal also calls for UN sanctions on the rebels to be activated.
Meanwhile, a leading international aid group made a dramatic appeal to the warring factions to halt attacks on civilians, a day after heavy fighting in a key southern city killed more than 65 people and wounded at least 23.
Doctors Without Borders also said it was unable to reach the hospitals in Taez, Yemen's third largest city, where fighting intensified on Thursday.
"We call on the warring parties to stop attacking civilian targets, especially hospitals, ambulances and densely populated neighbourhoods and allow medical personnel and humanitarian organisations to provide assistance," the aid group, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF, said in a statement.
Yemeni security officials said the violence in Taez began with the Houthi rebels first shelling residential areas and killing 23 civilians. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to reporters.
The shelling provoked airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition, which has been targeting the Houthis since March, when Yemen's crisis escalated amid the rebel advance and land grab.
The subsequent airstrikes killed at least 35 people and demolished five houses in the eastern neighbourhood of Sala, from where the rebels launched their attacks earlier Thursday, the officials added.
Among those killed, at least 17 were children and 20 were women, according to Doctors Without Borders, which added that more than 65 people were killed in Taez on Thursday.
The survivors, the group reported, were left "searching through the rubble with their bare hands" in the hope of finding victims buried underneath.
"It was a hellish night," said Taez resident Omar Karim, who could not sleep from the sound of the shelling as he and his family cowered in their basement for shelter.
"Patients and MSF staff are unable to reach hospitals due to the heavy fighting and airstrikes," the aid group said in a statement, adding that 923 people have been wounded over the past three days, and that 133 of them died due to their severe injuries.
Only seven of Taez's 21 hospitals are currently open but they are "totally overwhelmed" and have run out of essential medication, MSF said.
Meanwhile, in the port city of Aden, witnesses on the Gold Mohur beach said a masked group of armed men led six men in orange jumpsuits with their hands tied behind their backs onto a boat on Wednesday. The booby-trapped boat, they said, was dragged out to sea by another boat, before it was detonated remotely.
The explosion killed the six captives, whose identities were not known, said the witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity fearing for their own safety.
No group claimed responsibility for the killings but Daesh-affiliated militants have carried out such slayings in the past.
Agencies

US air strike kills ‘Daesh number two’: White House

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The National Security Council identified the slain militant as Fadhil Ahmad Al Hayali, also known as Haji Mutaz.

The second-in-command of Daesh has been killed in a US air strike in northern Iraq, the White House said Friday.
The National Security Council identified the slain militant as Fadhil Ahmad Al Hayali, also known as Haji Mutaz, and said he was Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi's senior deputy.
US forces say they were able to kill him, along with a Daesh "media operative" known as Abu Abdullah, on August 18 in a strike on a vehicle near the city of Mosul.
The White House described Al Hayali as a member of Daesh's ruling council, and "a primary coordinator for moving large amounts of weapons, explosives, vehicles and people between Iraq and Syria.
"He supported Daesh operations in both countries and was in charge of Daesh operations in Iraq, where he was instrumental in planning operations over the past two years, including the Daesh offensive in Mosul in June 2014," it said.
Like many senior Iraqi militants, before joining the Daesh group, Al Hayali had been a member of Al Qaeda's Iraqi faction.

Black teen killed by St. Louis police shot in back: Autopsy

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ST. LOUIS: A black teenager shot and killed by white St. Louis police officers this week died from a single gunshot that entered his back and struck his heart, a medical examiner said on Friday, which appears to contradict the police account of the shooting.

News of the preliminary results of an autopsy escalated tensions that had flared after Wednesday's killing of Mansur Ball-Bey, as protesters and family of the slain 18-year-old questioned police accounts that he pointed a gun at officers.

In angry clashes Wednesday night, officers in riot gear fired tear gas and more protests followed on Thursday night.

Fresh protests are planned for Friday night in the area of the shooting, according to social media posts by activists.

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said additional officers would be available for the weekend in anticipation of further protests. He said he met with Gov. Jay Nixon and the Missouri Highway Patrol on Friday to arrange for state assistance if needed.

Late Friday, St. Louis' elected prosecutor, Circuit Attorney Jennifer M. Joyce, said her office would begin investigating now, rather than waiting until police turn over the results of their own investigation.

She assured St. Louisans at a news conference that her investigation would be independent from the one St. Louis police are conducting.

"I don't work for the police chief," said Joyce. "I don't work for the mayor. I am elected separately. When police have committed a crime, I hold them accountable."

Less than two weeks ago the St. Louis area was flooded with protesters from across the country marking the anniversary of the Aug. 9, 2014, killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer in nearby Ferguson, Missouri.

Brown's death was one of a series of police killings of unarmed black men and teens across the United States that sparked a newly energised civil rights movement under the banner "Black Lives Matter".

Autopsy results show a bullet struck Ball-Bey in the upper right of his back, hitting his heart and an artery next to it, said St. Louis Chief Medical Examiner Michael Graham.

The autopsy findings appear to contradict the version of the shooting given by police, who said two officers shot at Ball-Bey when he pointed a gun at them as he fled a home where police were serving a search warrant. Police said Ball-Bey dropped his weapon and continued running after he was shot.

The position and track of the bullet, which did not exit Ball-Bey's body, show that he was not turned toward officers when he was shot, Graham said. The shot would have killed him nearly instantly, making it difficult if not impossible for him to keep running, though if he was running there would have been some forward momentum, Graham said.

Graham said it was impossible to tell from the autopsy whether Ball-Bey was slightly turned, or was twisting his torso toward officers when he was shot.

"There are so many variables," said Graham. "But he certainly wasn't facing, his chest wasn't facing the officers."

The results of the autopsy are preliminary and evidence was still being gathered, Dotson said, but he said one witness had corroborated officer accounts that Ball-Bey had a gun.

"The complete truth takes time to put together," he told a press conference. "We must let the physical evidence lead us to our conclusions."

Police said they had recovered a gun, which they determined was stolen, though they do not know if Ball-Bey's finger prints were on it, Dotson said.

Jermaine Wooten, an attorney representing Ball-Bey's family, told CNN Friday no witnesses had seen the teenager with a gun.

Wooten said Ball-Bey did not live in the community and was visiting relatives but not at the house where police were serving the warrant, he said.

"He never had a gun. He did not point back toward the officers," Wooten told CNN. He said Ball-Bey could not have run more than a few feet after being shot, which contradicts police statements.

A report containing evidence gathered in Ball-Bey's shooting will be turned over to the city attorney and the US Attorney in St. Louis for review, police officials said.

Antonio French, a St. Louis Alderman and prominent voice in the black community, called for the circuit attorney of St. Louis to conduct a simultaneous investigation of the shooting.
Reuters

Yemen's president Hadi proposes 15-day cease-fire

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UNITED NATIONS: Yemen's president is proposing a 15-day cease-fire that would coincide with the withdrawal of Shiite rebel militias from all government institutions and military installations and all cities and provinces — even the province they call home.

President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's proposal, obtained on Friday by the media, was given to the UN envoy for Yemen in Saudi Arabia's capital on Thursday, and Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was heading to Oman on Friday to meet with Houthi representatives to discuss it, according to a UN diplomat.

Yemen's government has expressed support for a cease-fire in the past, but this might be its first formal proposal for one.

The proposal, dated on Thursday, calls for the Houthi rebels and allied troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to immediately implement a UN Security Council resolution which demands an end to violence and a swift return to UN-led peace talks.

Hadi's proposal comes after pro-government troops, backed by a coalition-led carrying out airstrikes, regained strategic ground from the rebels, including the southern port of Aden. They now push north toward the capital, Sanaa.

Yemen's government has repeatedly demanded that the Houthis withdraw. With government forces retaking territory and the Houthis on the defensive, it remains to be seen if the two sides will be more amenable to talking. An attempt at UN-brokered talks in Geneva in June failed.

More than 4,000 people have been killed in the Arab world's poorest country since March, when the US-backed coalition began launching airstrikes against the rebels who have seized control of the capital Sanaa and other cities. Hadi, who was forced to flee, is now in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
Associated Press

Macedonia lets in vulnerable refugees

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BELGRADE: Macedonia said on Friday it would allow a limited number of “vulnerable” migrants to enter the country, after it sealed its border with Greece to them, leaving thousands of refugees stuck in no-man’s land.

“A limited number of illegal migrants in vulnerable categories are allowed to enter Macedonia and they may be provided aid in accordance with the state’s capacities,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

It did not say what the vulnerable categories were.

The decision came after hundreds streamed across the border. Police issued temporary transit documents to 181 migrants, mostly from Syria, Bangladesh and Pakistan, wanting to cross the small Balkan country on their way to northern Europe in the last 24 hours, the statement said.

Before Macedonia declared a state of emergency on its southern border on Thursday it was issuing an average of 1,300 such documents a day, it added.

Earlier in the day Macedonia deployed its army and police used stun grenades to stop thousands of migrants from entering the country via Greece, its Interior Ministry said, a day after declaring a state of emergency over Europe’s immigration crisis.

A crowd of at least 3,000 migrants gathered at the border where Macedonian police, with refugees laying on rails to stop train traffic, the MIA news service reported.

Police fired stun grenades to drive the crowd back in the no-man’s land, Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski said.

A team from aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres tweeted that 10 people were injured and it was treating those hit by “shrapnel” from the blasts.

“We have the right to protect our borders,” Kotevski said by phone from the capital Skopje. “We want to respect international conventions and human rights, but our capacities are limited, and no one is helping us.”

Two Syrian refugees injured in clashes were hospitalised in Greece and are in stable condition, the state-run Athens News Agency reported.

Macedonia has appealed to Frontex, the European Union border management agency, for help, Kotevski said.

More than 40,000 migrants have arrived in the country of 2 million people, in the past two months, with most wanting to continue to richer EU countries.

Kotevski said Greek authorities had lowered controls and transported migrants to the frontier.

Greece has struggled to deal with refugees for months traversing the narrow straits from Turkey to the Greek islands of Lesvos, Kos and Chios.

Almost eight in 10 come from Syria or Afghanistan, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

In neighboring Bulgaria, the government said it may deploy its army to its borders, while Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek and his Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz urged the EU to strengthen its external frontier and pay more attention to the Balkan route, they told reporters in Linz, Austria.

“These narrow-minded games won’t work,” Gerald Knaus, founder of the Berlin-based European Stability Initiative, said by phone. “We need a European-wide policy. All the countries should get together and bear their part of the burden.”

“The problem will get bigger and bigger,” Dimitar Bechev, the chairman of the European Policy Institute in Sofia, said by phone. “I won’t be surprised if at some point this results in xenophobic outbursts and be used by xenophobic parties.”

Agencies

2015, ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 20, വ്യാഴാഴ്‌ച

India advises Pakistan against Aziz meeting separatists

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New Delhi: India today made it clear to Pakistan that it should not go ahead with the meeting of its NSA Sartaz Aziz with Hurriyat representatives here when he comes to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, saying it will not be 'appropriate'.

In a clear message to the Pakistan High Commission, which has invited hardline Kashmir separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah
Geelani and others separatists, India said such a meeting would not be in keeping with the spirit and intent of the
understanding reached at UFA, Russia to jointly work to combat terrorism.

'India has advised Pakistan yesterday that it would not be appropriate for Sartaz Aziz to meet with Hurriyat representatives in India,' spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry Vikas Swarup said in a tweet.

He tweeted that India has sought confirmation of its proposed agenda for the NSA-level talks that was conveyed to
the Pakistani side on August 18.

The two NSAs are scheduled to meet in New Delhi for talks on terrorism-related issues for the first time on August 23,
as decided in a meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif last month in Ufa in Russia.
The invitation by the Pakistan High Commission to Geelani and other separatist leaders including Umar Farooq on
Sunday to meet Aziz has upset New Delhi but Pakistan has stuck to the line that such meetings were 'routine'.

Pakistan Foreign office had said in Islamabad that consultations with Hurriyat leaders were a 'routine matter' and a 'long standing practice'.

The Pakistani invitation, which is seen as yet another 'provocation' by Indian side, comes after persistent ceasefire
violations as well as two terror attacks in recent weeks in Gurdaspur and Udhampur which many observers see as Pakistan
army's opposition to any discussions with India.

Last year, India had unilaterally called off Foreign Secretary-level talks after the Pakistan High Commissioner
here had held 'consultations' with the Kashmiri separatist leaders on the eve of the FS-level meeting in Islamabad.

Significantly, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit had last week said his country will not 'abandon' the Kashmiris'
'legitimate struggle for freedom', stressing that to have normal and cooperative relationship with India it was
necessary to settle the decades-old dispute. PTI

8,000 Indians given identity papers in Malaysia

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 Kuala Lumpur: At least 8,000 Indian-origin people have been issued identity documents in Malaysia through a government programme launched more than four years ago, Malaysia's Health Minister S. Subramaniam said on Thursday.

The 8,000 Indians to have obtained their identity documents, including that of births, marriage and citizenship through 'MyDaftar' programme, were part of 10,000 applications processed, The Malaysian Insider reported citing Subramaniam.

Subramaniam is also chairman of the Special Implementation Task Force (SITF) of the Cabinet Committee on Indian Community.

'This (MyDaftar) programme is an ongoing effort to help Indians who do not have identity (documents) despite residing in the country for so long,' the minister said after presenting citizenship certificates to 40 applicants in Putrajaya.

MyDaftar programme, a collaboration between SITF, the home ministry and the national registration department, helps Indians who do not possess any document to prove their Malaysian citizenship.

IANS

Bid to derail trains in Kottayam

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Kottayam: An attempt was made to derail trains at Madampattu lying between Kottayam and Chingavanam on Thursday midnight by parking a bike on the rail tracks. A Poovanthuruthu native was taken into custody in connection with the incident and police have begun a probe. The Malabar Express, Amrita Express and the Dibrougarh Express were reportedly targeted by miscreants.

According to eyewitnesses, a man was seen riding along the tracks in great speed. The car of the probe team of railway officials who had reached the spot to investigate about the incident was also attacked by unidentified men.

Student, hit by jeep inside college premises, put on ventilator

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Kazhakootam: An engineering college student who sustained severe injuries when a speeding jeep hit her during the Onam celebrations at the campus is reported to be in a critical state. The jeep involved in the accident has been seized by the traffic police. Relatives of the victim allege that the driver of the jeep was in an inebriated state when he knocked down the girl.

The victim Thansi Basheer hailing from Nilambur from Mallapuram was a third year civil engineering student of Sreeekariyam College of Engineering. She had sustained mild head injuries at the time of the accident and now is on ventilator support.
The girl was returning to the hostel when the incident occurred last evening, officials said.

The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon at about 3.30 pm but was reported to the police by the college authorities at night. The jeep was an open jeep being driven by the students of the college. The jeep was found hidden on the backyard of the college premises. Police had earlier seized jeeps from the college which were modified illegally. But no action has been taken by the police so far.

The principal of the college stated that the incident was not reported to the victim's family immediately as the injuries were only mild. But when a scan was undertaken, the injuries looked serious and hence the college decided to inform the police in the night. The relatives of the victim allege there were 25 students in the jeep and many were drunk.

The Sreekariyam police informed that the jeep, with number KBF 7268, was an open jeep and had been seized by the Medical College police three months back in a different case. The jeep is registered at the Moovatupuzha RTO in the name of Sreerag G Kumar. It is learnt that the jeep is used by students of the college during several occasions.

Meanwhile, college authorities said that strict action would be initiated against the culprits and celebrations were
held without permission.

Police have registered a case under provisions of traffic rules.

KSRTC cuts 1456 services; no new services for Onam

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Thiruvannathapuram: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has issued a directive to various depots to cut down services on non-profitable routes. KSRTC has stopped 1456 schedules for this festival season.

KSRTC has decided not to run more services for Onam due to severe shortage of employees. This move will hit the public across Kerala during Onam holidays.

As per the order,only 70 per cent from the allotted schedules should be on service for Onam season.

KSRTC sought operation of more services and also more staff to facilitate the services for this festival season.

As many as 850 damaged buses are under repair. Due to non-availability of spare parts, 10 buses from each depots are waiting for repair and maintenance.

As many as hundreds of buses are out of services due to shortage of drivers and conductors in KSRTC.

Out of 5,456 KSRTC schedules, only 4,500 buses ply.

4 killed as bus falls over car in Cherthala

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Cherthala: In a major accident at Cherthala in Alappuzha district, a KSRTC bus crashed into a car and turned turtle killing four persons on the spot on Thursday afternoon.

The deceased have been identified as Anish Abraham of Nedumparamb in Pandanad, Chengannur, his wife Bibina and driver Abraham Cherian. A women passenger also died and her identity is yet to be established.

Two other persons, who travelled in the car, sustained serious injuries while 25 bus passengers too were injured.

The persons in the car had been returning after picking up Anish, who arrived at Nedumbassery airport from Kuwait. The accident happened at Thiruvizha when a Cherthala-bound KSRTC bus from Alappuzha lost control while trying to avoid a collision with bike and crashed with a car which in turn rammed against a wall.

The car was completely destroyed in the impact of the collision while the bus turned turtle crushing the woman passenger who was thrown out. She succumbed to her injuries on the spot.

The injured have been admitted to various hospitals in Cherthala. 

Delimitation of panchayats: setback for govt as HC upholds single bench decision

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Kochi: The Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday rejected the state government's appeal against the single judge's order quashing the government notifications creating new panchayats.

The Election Commission informed the HC that the local body polls would be delayed if the govt goes ahead with the formation of new panchayats.

The Election Commission had submitted an affidavit in Kerala High Court dismissing the claims made by the state government regarding the division of panchayats. The EC informed the court that the polls would be delayed by six months once the constitution of new panchayats is approved.

The court also asked the government to render all possible help for the smooth conduct of civic body polls. Now it is up to the Election Commission to decide on the polls.

The largest constituent of the UDF, the Muslim League, had sought division of panchayats.

Hurriyat leaders released after house arrest

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Srinagar: Senior Kashmiri separatist leaders were On Thursday placed under house arrest here ahead of their scheduled meeting with Pakistan National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz in New Delhi. They were released within an hour.

Separatist leaders were placed under house arrest in Srinagar to maintain law and order, a senior police officer told IANS.

Hurriyat's moderate faction chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq was placed under house arrest in the morning in his Nigeen residence.

'A posse of police arrived at Mirwaiz's residence and placed him under arrest today (Thursday) morning. Another senior leader of the conglomerate, Moulana Abbas Ansari, too was put under house arrest. Houses of senior Hurriyat leaders Javaid Ahmad Mir and my residence were raided by police early morning,' Shahid-ul-Islam, secretary of Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, told IANS.

The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has invited Kashmiri separatist leaders for a meeting with Aziz ahead of the India-Pakistan NSA-level talks scheduled on August 23.

Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani was put under detention in his uptown Hyderpora residence in the city.

'I am ill. I have a bad chest and have been under house arrest since April 17 this year,' Geelani told IANS over the phone.

He said his political movement has been curtailed by the state authorities.

Pro-Independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik said he was arrested by police from his Maisuma residence in Srinagar and taken to Kothibagh police station.

2015, ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 19, ബുധനാഴ്‌ച

29 UP cops named in 23 rape cases in 14 months: Akhilesh Yadav

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Lucknow: As many as 29 Uttar Pradesh Police personnel were named in 23 cases of rape registered in the state in the 14 months beginning January 1 last year, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav told the assembly.

Yadav's written reply came in response to a question of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Shyamdev Rai Chowdhary.

The chief minister, who also holds charge of the home portfolio, said that between January 1, 2014, and February 28, 2015, as many as 23 cases of rape involving policemen, both inside police stations and elsewhere, were registered.

Of the 29 policemen named, only 11 were arrested. Two accused policemen surrendered in courts while the names of eight were left out from primary FIRs after probes.

Investigations in other cases were on, the chief minister said in his reply given on Tuesday.

The chief minister said charge sheets were filed in courts in 15 of the 23 cases and final reports submitted in the absence of tangible proofs in seven other cases.

Action under Police Service (Conduct) Rules was taken against three policemen by the department and, of these, two police constables from Aligarh were dismissed from service, he said.

Adverse entries in the service records of two police personnel were made while action was underway against the others, sources said.

Reacting to the reply, the BJP said the statistics were 'both alarming and telling'.

'Just imagine the extent of lawlessness in Uttar Pradesh. If this is what police are doing, I shudder even to talk about criminal and other elements on the loose in the state,' state BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

Even moderate drinkers are at high cancer risk

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New York : Even light to moderate drinking - up to one a day for women and up to two a day for men - may increase your risk of contracting cancer, especially if you are a smoker, says a new study.

In women, just a drink a day can increase risk of alcohol-related cancer, mainly breast cancer.

Risk of alcohol related cancers is also higher among light and moderate drinking men, but only in those who have ever smoked, the findings showed.

No association was found in men who had never smoked.

'However, for women who have never smoked, risk of alcohol related cancers (mainly breast cancer) increases even within the range of up to one alcoholic drink a day,' the study said.

Heavy alcohol consumption has been linked to increased risk of several cancers. However, the association between light to moderate drinking and overall cancer risk is less clear.

So a team of US researchers based at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, set out to determine whether light to moderate drinking is associated with an increased risk of cancer.

They used data from two large US studies that tracked the health of 88,084 women and 47,881 men for up to 30 years.

During the follow-up period, a total of 19,269 and 7,571 cancers were diagnosed in women and men, respectively.

This large study sheds further light on the relationship between light to moderate drinking and cancer, Jurgen Rehm from Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada said in a commentary in the British Medical Journal where the study was published.

Onion prices soar, MMTC to import 10,000 tonnes

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New Delhi: In a bid to control onion prices, the central government on Wednesday decided that the MMTC will import 10,000 tonnes of onion.

'In order to contain rise in prices of onion and ensure its increased availability, the government has decided that (state-run trading company) MMTC will float a global tender for import of 10,000 tonnes of onion shortly,' the agriculture ministry said.

Onion prices are on the rise due to mismatch in supply and demand.

In the national capital, the retail prices of onion have risen to Rs.60 per kg. A similar trend prevails in other parts of the country.

The prices are rising due to the fall in production and sluggish supply of stored onions, meant for meeting the demand during the lean period of July-September, the ministry said in a statement.

Total onion production is estimated to be less than 189 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 crop year (July-June), down from 194 lakh tonnes last year.

Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh are the top three onion producing states.

Student launches hunger stir seeking basic facilities in school

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Tirur: A student of Government Higher Secondary School, Ponmundam, has launched a hunger strike demanding basic facilities in his school. He was shifted to the hospital by police, where he continued the protest.

Plus One Science student Shahal, son of Kundil Shukkoor, began the strike on the school premiseson Mondaymorning. The higher secondary section of the school lacks facilities such as toilet and laboratory; there is also shortage of teachers. The teachers are paid after collecting money from students.

The matters turned worse when science group was allotted to the school this year. Shahal launched the protest demanding a solution to all these problems.

As his condition became worse byTuesdayevening, Child Welfare Committee members requested the police to shift him to hospital.

Kerala HC stays teachers' package

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Kochi: The Kerala HC has stayed the teachers' package announced by the state government citing discrepancies and lack of clarity.

The court said that the package does not abide to the guidelines put forth by the Union education Ministry. The package insists on the teacher student ratio to be 1:45 while as per the guidelines it should be 1:35, ruled the HC.

Two schools have filed an appeal challenging the provisions of the package announced by the state government on August 6, 2015.

Conditions laid for exemptions on land for commercial purposes

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Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Wednesday said certain conditions have been laid for exemptions on land allocated for commercial purposes.

As per the conditions, to claim exemption for an acre of land, the commericail enterprises have to ensure an investment of Rs 10 crore and creation of minimum of 20 job opportunities, he said while explaining the decisions taken at cabinet meeting.

'The conditions will be applicable for sectors such as IT, health, education, industry and tourism. The allocated land cannot be kept unutilized. The government cannot allow its misuse too,' he said.

2015, ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 17, തിങ്കളാഴ്‌ച

Brazilians rage against president, corruption

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Rousseff’s Workers’ Party has been badly hit by the scandal and she has been tainted by association
Image Credit: AP
Demonstrators hold a sign that reads in Portuguese "Dilma out" during a protest demanding the impeachment of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015. Demonstrations are taking place across Brazil against President Rousseff, whose popularity has never been lower as she faces a sputtering economy and a massive corruption scandal.
Sao Paulo: Hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s resignation on Sunday, blaming her and the leftist Workers’ Party for runaway corruption and looming recession in Latin America’s biggest country.
Crowds singing the national anthem and chanting “Dilma out!” paraded through the capital Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, the country’s largest city Sao Paulo and elsewhere across Brazil.
With some counts still incomplete, the G1 news site reported the latest police estimate for turnout to be 866,000 in dozens of cities and towns.
Organisers claimed a total of 1.9 million, including a million in Sao Paulo, where police counted only 350,000.
It was the third major anti-Rousseff protest this year, with 600,000 demonstrators taking to the streets in April and at least one million in March.
Less than a year into her second term, Rousseff is all but a lame duck, with the opposition considering controversial impeachment proceedings, and the country’s elite caught in a vast embezzlement scandal centred on state-oil company Petrobras.
“We can’t take this corruption any longer,” said Rogerio Chequer, leader of the Vem Pra Rua (Go on the Streets) group, which helped organise the protests.
“If Congress has even a minimum of sense, it will decide on impeachment,” he said at the Sao Paulo march, where many in the crowd wore the national football team’s famous yellow shirt.
Rousseff, a former leftist guerrilla, has likened impeachment threats to a coup plot and insists she will not be forced from office.
Late on Sunday, her spokesman Edinho Silva said “the government sees these demonstrations as part of normal democracy.”
These are dark days for Brazil, which hosts the Summer Olympics in Rio next year.
The world’s seventh-largest economy is sliding into recession, its credit rating reduced to near junk status.
Austerity measures have replaced the economic go-go years fuelled by Chinese demand for commodities, while the ever-expanding Petrobras bribes and embezzlement probe is fuelling a deep political crisis.
Prosecutors have brought charges against a who’s who of Brazilian movers and shakers, including the billionaire head of the global construction company Odebrecht and a navy admiral once tasked with overseeing a secret nuclear programme.
Rousseff’s Workers’ Party has been badly hit by the scandal and she has been tainted by association, even if not directly implicated.
Her party’s treasurer was among those arrested in April.
The boisterous but peaceful crowds in towns and cities across the country pinned the blame on Rousseff, illustrating how Brazil’s “Iron Lady” has become the least popular president in modern times, with single-digit ratings.
In Rio, there was a carnival-like mood. Samba music blasted, some protesters carried surfboards, others rode skateboards and many wore bikinis or bathing suits.
But protesters said their opposition to Rousseff and the Workers’ Party is serious.
“They’re looting Brazil, stealing everything,” said Jorge Portugal, 63, who is retired from a job in marketing.
In Brasilia, retired engineer Elino Alves de Moraes, 77, called for Rousseff and her “gang” to be jailed.
At a rally in Belo Horizonte, the man who narrowly lost to Rousseff in her deeply divisive 2014 reelection, Aecio Neves, said the protests show that “Brazil has woken up.”
But one of the most popular heroes for the opposition masses was not Neves or even a politician — it was Sergio Moro, the 43-year-old judge handling the Petrobras cases.
“We are all Moro,” placards read, and “Power to Sergio Moro!”
“Judge Moro is the country’s salvation,” said one Sao Paulo protester, Jose Freitas, 88.
Rousseff is struggling to stay afloat. The question is whether opponents dare drag her all the way down.
A key figure in her fragile governing coalition, House Speaker Eduardo Cunha, defected in July and is considering whether to pull the trigger on impeachment proceedings.
Analysts say Cunha — under investigation for allegedly demanding a $5 million (Dh18.3 million) bribe — is waiting to be sure that Congress would follow his lead, while Rousseff is racing to negotiate a truce.
One possible relief for her came earlier this week when she and Senate President Renan Calheiros — under investigation in the Petrobras affair — agreed to market-pleasing reforms.
The deal took Rousseff ever further from her socialist roots, but could help lure her right-wing opponents from the cliff edge.
“The middle classes want to kick her out of power in any way, but to what end?” asked Andre Perfeito, head economist at Gradual Investimentos.
“In business circles and the elite, there’s an idea that it would be even worse if she left. It doesn’t mean they’re for Rousseff, but that getting rid of her would be even riskier.”

Human trafficking rates reach new low in 2014

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UAE aims to become safest for victims of human trafficking, Interior Ministry says
Abu Dhabi: Human trafficking crime rates reached a new low in 2014 across the UAE, as compared to the past three years, the Ministry of Interior announced today.
Field efforts in combating crime, offering protection for victims and witnesses of human trafficking and stringent laws, policies and procedures in tracking down and capturing offenders are some of the ministry’s Human Rights Department’s biggest responsibilities.
Additionally, the ministry has set up a 2014-2016 plan to make the UAE one of the best countries worldwide in providing safety and protection for victims of human trafficking.
Brigadier Ahmad Mohammad Nakhira, Director of the Human Rights Department and Head of the Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, said that campaigns have also played a major role towards this achievement and so have international agreements, training sessions, workshops and a higher level of awareness among the public.
In fact, the ministry’s Human Rights Department has signed 33 agreements, 12 Memorandums of Understanding with other countries and 20 projects on human rights with a focus on human trafficking.
Meanwhile, Colonel Mohammad Ali Al Shehi, Deputy Head of the Human Rights Department, stated that an eight-part reference model on trafficking has been launched.
The guide comprises information on human trafficking, specifically about UAE laws and legislations, mechanisms used in fighting and combating human trafficking, preventive measures that can be taken, catching criminals, victim protection and support, international cooperation, building local capabilities and other supplements.
Brig Nakhira highlighted the fact that the UAE considers human trafficking the most dangerous of organised crimes which can threaten the safety and stability of a country’s society. It is also the ugliest practice against humanity due to the physical, mental and emotional disabilities it can leave victims with, the official added.
In 2012, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, United National Special Rapporteur on trafficking, praised the UAE’s efforts in fighting this phenomenon during a visit to the country.

UAE Vice-President meets Indian Prime Minister

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Mohammad Bin Rashid reiterates the deep-rooted historical relations that bind the UAE and India
  • His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler ofImage Credit: WAM
  • His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler ofImage Credit: WAM
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 Shaikh Mohammad reiterated the deep-rooted historical relations that bind the UAE and India.
The two leaders explored ways to strengthen the friendship and cooperation on strategic grounds that ensure the interests of both countries and people.
Modi expressed his confidence in the leadership of the UAE-the friendly country, which is home to the largest Indian community that enjoy care and respect and preservation of the rights and freedom of belief.
He stressed his country’s desire in attracting Emirati investments, especially in the marine and air transport, information technology and space science.
Modi invited Shaikh Mohammad to visit India, which he accepted.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai , were present.
The meeting was also attended by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Sultan Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs,  and other Shaikhs and senior officials.