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Former Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal dies

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Prince Saud, appointed in 1975, was the world’s longest serving foreign minister when he retired in April.

saud al-faisal

by Al Jazeera

Former Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has died, two months after he retired following 40 years in the job.

A statement from the Royal Court on Thursday said Prince Saud, who was born in 1940, died in the United States. No cause was given for his death, but he had faced many health problems.

Prince Saud, who was appointed in 1975, was the world’s longest serving foreign minister when he was replaced on April 29 by Adel al-Jubeir, the then ambassador to Washington.

His tenure saw Israel invade Lebanon in 1978, 1982 and 2006, the eruption of Palestinian intifadas in 1987 and 2000, Iraq’s invasions of Iran in 1980 and Kuwait in 1990, and the occupation of Iraq by a US-led coalition in 2003.

Prince Saud served under four Saudi kings, advancing the kingdom’s foreign policy, especially after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States.

He was also part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to lessen Iran’s influence in the region, including the continuing conflict in Syria, where Saudi Arabia has been supporting several rebel groups.

Asked in early 2012 if it would be a good idea to arm Syria’s rebels, he said briskly: “I think it’s an excellent idea.”

‘Well liked and respected’

Prince Saud, a son of King Faisal, was born in Taif near Mecca, where in 1989 he helped negotiate the agreement that ended Lebanon’s 15-year civil war.

A degree at Princeton in the 1960s was followed by years at the Petroleum Ministry, where he was taken under the wing of his father’s canny and charismatic oil minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani.

His career as a diplomat began traumatically: the new King Khaled named him as foreign minister following the assassination of Prince Saud’s father Faisal, who had retained the foreign affairs portfolio after being made king in 1962.

As the foreign minister of an important political and economic US ally in the region, Prince Saud was reported to have been well liked and respected in diplomatic circles.

Barack Obama, the US president, expressed his condolences to the deceased’s family and described him as “a committed and accomplished diplomat”.  The US embassy in Saudi Arabia quoted Secretary of State John Kerry on Twitter as saying that “Saud was not only the longest-serving foreign minister, but was also one of the wisest”.

He was often described as a charismatic leader, willing to talk to reporters, and with a sense of humour.

With age, Prince Saud faced many health problems. In the last few years, despite suffering from chronic back pain and having various surgeries, he maintained his challenging role.

Witness of history

When he was appointed in October 1975, the region was dominated by Cold War rivalries, and secular pan-Arab nationalism seemed to be the future.

Egypt and Israel had not yet made peace, and Yasser Arafat led the Palestine Liberation Organisation from refugee camps in Lebanon. The shah still ruled Iran, while in Iraq a young Saddam Hussein was plotting his path to power.

Riyadh’s relationship with Saddam, which went from wary support during the Iran-Iraq war to fierce enmity after the invasion of Kuwait, dominated foreign policy for long periods during Prince Saud’s tenure.

But despite that complicated history, Prince Saud publicly argued against the 2003 invasion, presciently warning of a chaotic aftermath that could destabilise the region.

“If change of regime comes with the destruction of Iraq, then you are solving one problem and creating five more problems,” he said in a British television interview.

In 2002, he launched King Abdullah’s biggest foreign policy initiative, an Arab plan for peace with Israel in return for a withdrawal from all occupied land and a resolution of the refugee problem.

“All the neighbourhood, if you will, will be at peace with Israel, will recognise their right to exist. If this doesn’t provide security of Israel, I assure you the muzzle of a gun is not going to provide that security,” he said at the time.

Israel never agreed to the plan and Prince Saud said frequently that the failure to help create a Palestinian state was the biggest disappointment of his career.

Asked in early 2012 if it would be a good idea to arm Syria’s rebels, Prince Saud said briskly: ‘I think it’s an excellent idea’ [Reuters]

Karnataka: 97 residential apartments built on lake-beds says Revenue Minister

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lake_encroachment

Bengaluru: About 97 residential apartments have been constructed on lake lands in Bengaluru, said Revenue Minister V Srinivas Prasad on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question by put forth by V S Ugrappa in the Council, the minister said that stringent action would be taken against those responsible for those people behind these constructions.

The investigation into this matter is set on the recommendations of a joint House committee set up to look into encroachment on lakes in Bengaluru Urban district.

The minister also conceded that the BBMP built its waste management unit encroaching upon Haralukunte tank area in south Bengaluru. This matter too was under consideration, he said.

During the encroachment clearance drive in tank areas, 33 acres and 25 guntas of encroached land was cleared at Sarakki tank, five acre and 18 guntas at Haralukunte tank, 17 acres and 24 guntas at Banaswadi tank, and two acres at Allalsandra tank. A total of 167 unauthorised residential buildings were demolished, he said.

Minor Irrigation Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said that the department has prepared a detailed report to implement a project to fill up lakes in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts with waste water generated in Bengaluru. It is reported that this project is estimated to cost Rs 1,072 crore and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has agreed to allocate funds to the project.

(Agencies)

Vyapam probe will join CBI’s 6,562 pending corruption trials

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cbi

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh’s embattled Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has welcomed the Supreme Court’s move to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into what has come to be called the Vyapam scam, but with 6,562 corruption cases pending trial, justice through the overstretched agency is unlikely to be quick.

The CBI must first investigate the Vyapam case, which will mean tracking down thousands of of suspects and witnesses and following a complex eight-year trail (the scandal first came to light in 2007). After investigation, it must file a charge-sheet. Only then will the case go to trial.

Chouhan was under pressure to accede to a CBI inquiry because as many as 35 people have died since an investigation began in 2013 into allegations of bribes paid for medical college admissions to the Madhya Pradesh Vyavsayik Pareesksha Mandal (Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board), or Vyapam.

With 2,500 people already named as accused and 1,900 in prison pending investigation, which until July 9, 2015, was monitored by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the new inquiry by the CBI is likely to challenge the agency, already struggling to cope with a rising number of pending investigations and trials in CBI courts.

Over the past four years, the CBI has brought down its case-load by no more than 9 percent, from 7,178 in 2011 to 6,562 in 2014, according to the latest government data available on March 31, 2014.

Delhi tops the list with 765 corruption cases pending before the courts. Maharashtra is next with 691 cases followed by West Bengal (646), Uttar Pradesh (596) and Tamil Nadu (474).

Over the past four years, the CBI registered 2,220 cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The agency has completed investigations in 1,512 cases, while 708 cases are pending investigation.

During 2013, the conviction rate for corruption cases tried in CBI courts was 69 percent, according to latest data available with the National Crime Records Bureau.

Slow progress in high-profile cases

The Vyapam inquiry is likely to be a high-profile probe, involving top government officials and ministers.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav is also alleged to be involved. A notice has now been issued against the governor by the Supreme Court. One of the accused in the scam has also filed a police complaint against union minister Uma Bharati.

Over the past four years, the CBI has registered a total of 45 cases against central government ministers, members of parliament and ex-ministers of state and central governments.

While 25 cases are under trial, 12 cases are under investigation. Five cases have been closed by CBI. In one case, the agency has appealed against the order of the court, according to government data.

The Supreme Court steps in

On July 9, 2015, the Supreme Court ordered that all criminal cases and deaths connected with the Vyapam scandal be transferred to the CBI.

On July 24, the Supreme Court will decide if it will monitor the CBI inquiry. Criticising the Madhya Pradesh High Court for postponing a state government request to hand over the case to the CBI, Chief Justice Dattu said the High Court will not “touch the Vyapam case” now.

Vyapam is a self-financed, autonomous body of the Madhya Pradesh state government, organising competitive entrance tests to professional courses. Its website says it is the only institute of its kind in India.

More than 7 million candidates have appeared for the exams conducted by Vyapam over the past six years.

The first death related to the bribery scandal was reported in 2009, when a medical student accused of being a middleman by the police died of an illness and adverse drug reaction. About 500 people connected to the case are missing.

(IANS)

Modi accepts Sharif’s invitation to visit Pak for SAARC summit

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Modi-Sharif

Ufa: India and Pakistan on Friday decided to revive the stalled dialogue process and find ways to expedite trial of the Mumbai attack case as Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif agreed to cooperate to eliminate terrorism from South Asia.

Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif met for nearly one hour in Ufa on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and discussed entire gamut of issues between the two countries.

Foreign Secretaries S. Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry held a joint press meet where they read out a joint statement on the outcome of the meeting between the two leaders.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz will meet in New Delhi to discuss all issues connected to terrorism, said the joint statement.

“Both sides agreed to discuss ways and means to expedite the Mumbai atack trial, including additional information like providing voice samples,” the statement said.

Mr. Modi accepted Mr. Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan for the SAARC Summit in 2016.

“They agreed that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues,” the statement said.

russia1

Fishermen to be released

Both sides also agreed to hold early meetings of DG BSF and DG Pakistan Rangers followed by that of Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs).

It was decided to release fishermen in each other’s custody, along with their boats, within a period of 15 days.

A mechanism for facilitating religious tourism will also be worked out, as per the five-point “steps” to be taken by the two sides.

The two leaders warmly shook hands and posed for the shutterbugs before settling down for the talks.

(PTI)

Modi holds talks with Putin, Xi

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Modi Putin Xi

Ufa: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, during which all bilateral issues were discussed.

Modi held talks with Putin within hours of landing in Ufa for the BRICS and SCO summits, and afterwards held an 85-minute talk with Xi.

His meeting with Xi comes over a month after the two leaders met at Xi’an in China in May.

Putin conveyed to Modi that the process of India’s accession into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has begun.

Putin, the host of the BRICS and SCO summits being held in this Russian city, told Modi: “We are beginning the process of full-fledged inclusion of India into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.”

Putin said it was “a very important event”.

Modi thanked Putin, saying: “Under your (Putin’s) leadership in BRICS, India has become a member of SCO. I am very grateful.”

India and Pakistan, both observers of the China-led bloc, are to be made permanent members of the SCO.

Modi, who arrived earlier in the day from Kazakhstan, thanked Putin for the warm welcome and also for observance of the International Day of Yoga in Russian cities on June 21.

Putin said jocularly that he has not tried to do yoga yet, though he is all for it.

With Xi, the talks also touched on the border issue and trade.

“An in-depth discussion covering all aspects of bilateral relations. 85-minute long meeting between President Xi & PM ends,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

“Our fifth meeting in a year shows the depth of the India-China relationship. PM @narendramodi tells President Xi,” according to another tweet.

“From a spring meeting in China to a summer one in Russia – for the second bilateral of @BRICS2015, PM with President Xi,” he tweeted again.

According to Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, the talks covered the border issue and the work the Special Representatives have been charged with to make “accelerated progress on the boundary question” as well as the possibility of more meeting points between their forces on the border, he told reporters after the talks.

India’s application for membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group was also taken up during the talks with China as well as counter-terrorism, said Jaishanakr.

He said Modi’s talk with both leaders also dwelt on the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), of which India is one of the founding members and the second largest shareholder.

Jaishankar said a common theme was increasing cooperation within the SCO.

The Seventh annual BRICS Summit is set to take place July 9 in Ufa, while the SCO summit will be held on July 10.

(IANS)

Sania-Martina enter Wimbledon semis

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Photo: Wimbledon

Photo: Wimbledon

Wimbledon: Indo-Swiss tennis pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis came out with a clinical performance to enter the women’s doubles semi-finals of Wimbledon here.

The top seeds needed only an hour and 19 minutes to win 7-5, 6-3 in a quarter-final tie against ninth seeds Australia’s Casey Dellacqua and Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova on Court 3 of the All-England Club on Wednesday.

Sania and Martina started off their campaign on an aggressive note, winning 20 of 27 first serve points. But Dellacqua-Shvedova came back strongly by winning a break point. However, that didn’t help their cause as the top seeds were too strong to break their opponents twice that led them to take the first set 7-5.

The second set saw the top seeds play more aggressively for their quest of the semis berth. The pair broke their opponents once and a double fault by Dellacqua-Shvedova made it easy for the Indo-Swiss combine to win the set 6-3 and advance to the last four.

Sania and Martina next face United States duo of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears for a spot in the final.

(IANS)

CBI books Teesta Setalvad, husband for illegal foreign funds

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Teesta Setalvad

New Delhi: The CBI on Wednesday registered a case against social activist Teesta Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand and associate Peshimam Gulam Mohammad for criminal conspiracy and illegal acceptance of foreign contributions for their company, Sabrang Communications and Publishing Pvt. Ltd. (SCPPL).

The three have been accused of diverting foreign funds to SCPPL by violating the provision of the Foreign Contribution and Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010.

A Central Bureau of Investigation official said that the trio has also been booked under various sections of FCRA 2010 and Protection of Civil Rights Act.

“The allegations are of criminal conspiracy for illegal acceptance of foreign contribution without registration and prior permission from the ministry of home affairs,” the official told IANS.

Javed, Teesta and Mohammad are directors of SCPPL, based in Santa Cruz in Mumbai.

(IANS)

Azim Premji gives half of his stake in Wipro for charity

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Azim Premji

Bengaluru: Economic value is sustainable only if created on a foundation of ethics and responsibility, say the IT czar

IT czar Azim Premji has given away almost half of his stake holding in Wipro, India’s third largest exporter of software services, to philanthropy.

The Wipro’s billionaire founder has given away an additional 18 per cent of his stake in the IT Company for charity, thus earmarking 39 per cent of stake (worth Rs 53,284 crore) for a charitable trust.

The latest philanthrophic initiative by Premji would pump in an additional Rs 530 crore by way of dividends into the Azim Premji Trust’s corpus this year.

69-year old Premji is the first Indian to sign the Giving Pledge, sponsored by billionaires Warren Buffett and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to invite the world’s wealthiest to donate majority of their wealth to charity.

“Over the past fifteen years, I have tried to put this belief into action through my personal philanthropic work…,” Mr. Premji said in a letter to shareholders published in the company’s annual report for the year ended March 2015.

Mr. Premji said, “Over these years I have irrevocably transferred a significant part of the shareholding in Wipro, amounting to 39 per cent of the shares of Wipro, to a Trust (of which ownership in 21.14 per cent was transferred and for the balance the Trust is entitled to beneficial interest of dividends and sale proceeds).”

The previously transferred 21 per cent stake was estimated at USD 4.3 billion. The promoter group led by Mr. Premji holds 73.39 per cent stake in Wipro.

Mr. Premji was considered the ‘most generous Indian’ of 2014 according to the Hurun India Philanthropy List.

He said the Trust supports the work of The Azim Premji Foundation and Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiative and thus a very significant part of the value created by Wipro, goes towards social causes.

Mr. Premji also stated in the report that economic value is sustainable only if created on a foundation of ethics and responsibility.

“For us, this is the driving force in the form of our values and is something that we will continue to remain completely committed to,” he added.

The company’s Social and Sustainability Initiatives are driven by the conviction that corporations should play a significant role in contributing to building a better society, Mr. Premji said.

“The owners — individuals or other entities — of such corporations can do a lot more for society, because they can choose to exercise the right of their ownership, and invest their wealth in any social cause, to their utmost,” he said.

(PTI)

SC orders CBI probe into Vyapam, as more skeletons tumble out

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Supreme Court

New Delhi/Bhopal: The Supreme Court today ordered a CBI probe into the massive admission and recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh as more skeletons tumbled out of the Vyapam cupboard with the death of yet another witness coming to light.

The Supreme Court, while directing CBI to probe all cases of the Vyapam scam and alleged deaths of persons related to it, also and issued notices to the Centre and the state on a plea seeking Governor Ramnaresh Yadav’s removal for his alleged involvement in the scandal. The court also issued a notice to the Governor.

Congress had yesterday claimed 49 people associated with the scam had died so far.

The apex court’s order transferring all Vyapam-related cases to the CBI came after the state government gave its consent to shifting investigation from the Special Investiation Team (SIT) and the Special Task Force (STF).

A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu said all cases will stand transferred to the CBI from Monday and the agency will file its report before it on July 24.

Before handing over the probe to the CBI, the apex court took on record the submission of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who on behalf of the MP government, said the state has no objection to transferring the investigation in Vyapam and deaths of people allegedly related to it for a free and fair probe.

“The Attorney General (AG) on instruction states that MP govt has no objection whatsoever for transferring the investigation of criminal cases relating to Vyapam scam to the CBI and the cases related to deaths of those allegedly connected with the scam for free and fair probe.

“We appreciate the stand of the AG. In view of the above we transfer investigation of all criminal cases relating to Vyapam scam and death of people allegedly related to it, to CBI,” the bench, also comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy, said.

The apex court was hearing a batch of petitions including one filed by senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh seeking CBI probe into all cases arising out of the Vyapam scam.

As the Supreme Court ordered an inquiry by the central agency, reports came from Bhopal of a special court being informed about the death of yet another witness in the scam.

The Special Task Force of MP police, which hitherto investigated the scam, told the court that Sanjay Singh Yadav, aged around 35, died from illness at a private hospital in Bhopal on February 8. According to his family, he was suffering from Hepatitis-B.

The Supreme Court, while issuing notices relating to the Governor that are returnable after four weeks, refrained from making any remarks on him when Kapil Sibal, appearing on behalf of petitioners demanded that Yadav demit office to maintain its dignity.

“We are not going to say anything on it,” it said.

The STF had registered a case against Yadav, a former Congressman appointed to the post by the previous UPA government, for favouring some candidates appearing for tests conducted by MP Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), also known as Vyapam. The high court, however, quashed it citing immunity from prosecution he enjoys while in office.

Yadav’s son Shailesh, an accused in the case who was alleged to have accepted bribe for rigging Vyapam examination to favour some candidates, was the most high-profile person linked to the scandal to have died in mysterious circumstances. His body was found at his father’s lucknow residence in March this year.

As soon as Sibal, appearing for Singh, submitted that it is a matter in which who’s who of MP is involved, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the state has already moved the high court for a CBI probe and the matter has been deferred to July 20.

Rohatgi’s submission on MP government’s stand evoked a quick response from the bench which said, “The High Court wants to wash off its hand.”

“On CBI enquiry, instead of doing that, they are now saying that ball is in the Supreme Court,” the bench observed.

A beleagured Chouhan, whose credibility has been severely eroded following the scam, hailed the apex court’s order, saying,”I welcome it wholeheartedly. There was a burden on my heart.”

Speaking to journalists in Bhopal, Chouhan said he would request the CBI to begin investigation at the earliest “so the truth comes before the country, the people, and justice is done”.

He rejected Congress’ demand for his resignation. “They ask for it (his resignation) 5-6 times a day. To discredit Shivraj Chouhan, they have discredited the whole state. Probity in public life is my capital,” he said.

Referring to the probe conducted by the STF and SIT so far, Chouhan said,”It was my test by fire. Had I not wanted, investigation would not have happened. I wanted to set the system right.”

Not only Chouhan, political parties of all hues welcomed the decision.

Congress and AAP, while hailing the decision, also demanded that Chouhan step down to facilitate a fair probe.

“The victims have to be given justice. It is very important for the Chief Minister to step down for proper investigation to take place. It would be proper that the Chief Minister resigns as the control of police is with him as of today. If he gets a clean chit, then he can come back,” Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said.

“We welcome the Supreme Court decision. We wanted the Supreme Court to monitor the case and we hope it monitors it,” he said.

AAP Spokesperson Ashish Khetan said by transferring the investigation to CBI, Supreme Court has expressed “dissatisfaction” with the probe conducted by state agencies.

“Now the Chief Minister is left with no moral authority to continue In his post,” he said.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, one of the petitioners in the case, welcomed the apex court’s order.

“With this decision, the faith of the country in judiciary has increased. We are thankful to the Supreme Court,” he told reporters in Delhi soon after the verdict.

The BJP, however, patted Chouhan on the back for the apex court order.

“BJP wanted a CBI probe, BJP approached the court and the court has accepted it. We welcome it,” party spokesman Nalin Kohli said.

Kohli was quick to remind the Congress that an earlier petition filed by Digvijay Singh for a CBI probe had been rejected by the Supreme Court.

(PTI)

RSS’s ‘Muslim Rashtriya Manch’ hosts Iftar party

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rss iftar

New Delhi: The hardline Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS) ‘Muslim wing’ the ‘Muslim Rashtriya Manch’ held an iftar gathering Saturday evening in the parliament annexe building.

The RSS has a barely-known wing called Muslim Rashtriya Manch. Its chief patron, Indresh Kumar, said at the gathering that people of one faith should respect other religions and not criticise them.

Kumar quoted from the Quran, the holy book of Muslims, that mutual peace and harmony was the message of god.

Ambassadors of a few countries, including Egypt, and representatives of various Muslim countries attended the event, the organisers said. Union minister Harsh Vardhan was also present.

(Agencies)

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