News Reporter

The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event being held in Sochi, Russia. Snowboarding's Saturday schedule will see the medal for Men's Slopestyle awarded. February 8 12:30 a.m. ET: Men's Slopestyle Semifinals 3:45 a.m.: Men's Slopestyle Finals White pulled out of the slopestyle event due to injury, and Canada's Max Parrot has become the favorite in this event as a result. Parrot won the gold at the X-Games and finished first in the qualifying run with a score of 97.5. This event allows snowboarders to do a bit of everything as they make their way down the course and may be the most entertaining of the snowboarding events. On Thursday, eight snowboarders qualified directly for the finals and will not need to compete in the semifinals. Four participants will advance from the semifinals to the finals. Here is the complete snowboarding schedule after Saturday...

United Nations says the Syrian crisis is a humanitarian tragedy which has killed more than 100,000 people and driven about 6.5 million others from their home The Federal Government last October announced it would resettle 500 Syrian refugees as part of its humanitarian refugee program. The places were to be quarantined for Syrians within the existing annual refugee intake, which is capped at 13,750. The United Nations says the Syrian crisis is a humanitarian tragedy which has killed more than 100,000 people and driven about 6.5 million others from their home. More than 2 million refugees have fled Syria, many crossing the borders into Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, and the international refugee agency UNHCR has called for the pressure on Syria's neighbours to be eased. Syrian Refugees Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says the commitment to resettle the refugees was made in response to the UNHCR request. He says the Government will work with the UNHCR to determine ...

children killed  in Syria civil war Many others raped, tortured and maimed says report of United Nations The Syrian civil war blacked lifes of thousands of people. Thousands more have also been forced to flee their homes during the three-year conflict, according to a report released this week to the Security Council and posted on the UN website. Many more are the victims of the use of heavy weapons by government forces and allied militias in their fight with rebels who oppose the regime of president Bashar al-Assad, the report says. However, it adds, both sides in the conflict are guilty of abusing and misusing children, with even the Free Syrian Army - the so-called moderate opposition - recruiting them for combat roles. The report says methods of torture inflicted on children include beatings with metal cables, whips and metal batons; electric shock, including to the genitals; the ripping out of fingernails and toenails; sexual violence, including rape or threats of ...

Olympic flame arrives in Sochi We remember tragic situations which happened in the past during international competitions, says Putin  Olympic flame has arrived in Sochi after a four-month journey that saw it travel more than 60,000 kilometres, taking in the North Pole and even a trip unlit into space. The Winter Games officially start on Friday with the opening ceremony. The torchbearers arrived on stage and transferred the flame to a miner’s lamp. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the athletes’ village in the company of double Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva. His immediate focus was on the threat from terrorism. “We remember tragic situations which happened in the past during international competitions, including the one in the United States during the marathon. It’s all quite recent,” Putin said. He also mentioned other attacks including the London bombings in 2005 which happened while the G8 was taking place in Scotland. The president told the...

PIERS MORGAN JANET MOCK CNN host Piers Morgan has landed in trouble from advocates of the transgender community for referring to trans woman and writer Janet Mock as "formerly a man." Mock says she was simply "born a baby" and discovered her "girlhood" and "womanhood" as she grew. Mock first appeared on a segment of Piers Morgan Live on Tuesday evening titled "From Boy to Girl" where she discussed her life and promoted her new book, Redefining Realness. The trans woman said she took offense to Morgan referring to her as formerly a man during the show, but waited until it was over before raising concerns about it on Twitter. "@PiersMorganLive I was not 'formerly a man.' Pls stop sensationalizing my life and misgendering trans women. #redefiningrealness," she tweeted Tuesday after the interview aired on CNN. The outcry resulted in Morgan inviting her back to his show on Wednesday to explain why he was being...

 Bob Marley  A wave of enjoyment spread in people after the fact that Rob Ford officially declared today Bob Marley Day, and admittedly it is kind of funny. This is a guy who is now known internationally for his reggae dance moves (see above) and his oddly perfect command of Jamaican patois, so the Marley connection is all too appropriate. What most don’t realize, though, is that Ford has declared Bob Marley Day during every year of his mayoralty. In fact, the citywide observance predates him: Mel Lastman and David Miller both proclaimed Bob Marley Day on an annual basis. So, as funny as it is to suppose that a daylong tribute to Bob Marley is just Ford’s personal preference, that’s not really the case. In fact, the city has dozens of these almost-holidays every year. Most of them are requested by different community organizations and then rubber-stamped by the mayor’s office as a matter of courtesy. Here are a few other special days Ford has been roped into declaring...

The comedian Jay Leno became tearful and choked up Thursday as he concluded what he called the “greatest 22 years of my life.I am the luckiest guy in the world. This is tricky,” said the emotional Leno, stepping down for the second and presumably last time as host of TV's venerable late-night program. Jimmy Fallon takes over Tonight in New York on Feb. 17. It was a tender finish to a farewell show that was mostly aiming for laughs, with traditional monologue jokes, clips from old shows and a wild assortment of celebrities helping to see Leno off. Jay Leno Leno first departure came in 2009, when he was briefly replaced by Conan O'Brien but reclaimed the show after a messy transition and O'Brien's lacklustre ratings. In '09, he was moving to a prime-time show on NBC. This time he's out the door, and has said he'll focus on comedy clubs and his beloved car collection. Looking sharp in a black suit and bright blue tie, Leno was greeted by an ...

Jawaharlal Nehru Trust Port India Offers US$ 100 MN Buyer’s Credit for Infrastructure Projects in Namibia  India has offered to provide Buyer’s Credit of US$ 100 million to Namibia for taking up infrastructure projects. This will be in addition to the US$ 100 million Lines of Credit which India had offered during the State visit of the President of Namibia to India in 2009. This offer was made by  Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, who was on a two-day visit to Namibia from February 4, 2014. During his visit he called on Mr. Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of Namibia and Dr. Hage Geingob, Prime Minister of Namibia. He also had bilateral meetings with Mr. Carl H.G. Schlettwein, Minister of Trade and Industry, Namibia, Ms. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Foreign Minister of Namibia and Mr. Joel Kaapanda, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Namibia. India conveyed to Namibia its commitment to be a close partner for achieving the goals of th...

Joachim Gauck, the President of Germany talking with on the President of India,  Pranab Mukherjee. Joachim Gauck, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee yesterday (February 5, 2014) at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President also hosted a banquet in his honour following the meeting. The President said India attaches high priority to India-Germany strategic partnership based on shared values. India considers Germany as a long standing and good friend. Germany is the most important economic partner of India in Europe. In 2012 bilateral trade between India and Germany was Euro 17.5 billion. But there is much more potential to enhance commerce between the two countries. The President expressed appreciation for the development assistance provided to India by Germany. The President said it is matter of great satisfaction that India and Germany have a strong partnership on regional and international issues. The two coun...

Anand Sharma Meets Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Finance and Commerce Ministers  India and Zimbabwe have decided to further enhance their cooperation in the priority sectors of cooperation namely, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, health sector, small and medium industries. This was agreed during a bilateral meeting of the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry  Anand Sharma with Ms. Joice T R Mujuru, Vice President of Zimbabwe and Mr. Michael Bimha, Industry and Commerce Minister of Zimbabwe, in Harare on February 3, 2014. Sharma also met Mr. Patrick Chinamasa, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance.  Sharma informed the Zimbabwean side that in addition to the assistance being offered under the Lines of Credit, India is willing to provide assistance under the Buyers’ Credit Programme. India, in September 2012, approved a LoC worth USD 28.6 million for up-gradation of Deka Pumping Station and the River Water Intake System in Zimbabwe. During the discussions, it was also ...

A view of house constructed by Indian government in Sri Lanka. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday happy over progress in the India Assisted Programme of Constructing/Repairing 50,000 Houses in Sri Lanka. “Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India has informed me that 10,250 houses were completed by December 2013 under the India assisted programme of building houses for internally displaced persons in the northern Province of Sri Lanka,” said Chidambaram. Another 27,750 houses will be constructed under the same scheme. The funds are being released directly to the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries have received the installments in the accordance with the progress made by them in the construction of the houses. He further said that 5,000 houses are being repaired with the assistance of the Government of India and 6,000 houses would be constructed through an agency, out of which 4,000 houses will be built in the Central and Uva provinces of Sri Lanka as support for I...

The Union Minister of Steel, Shri Beni Prasad Verma, leading a delegation to Australia for strengthening ties between the two countries in areas of mining and coal supply, met with the Australian Minister of Industry and Resources, Mr. Ian Macfarlane, in Brisbane today. He also met with the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Julie Bishop during a meeting of Australia-India Business Council. Discussions were held on forging collaborative partnerships between the two countries in the areas of mining and coal trade.  Interacting with Mr. Macfarlane, Shri Verma spoke about the potential for supply of coal to India. He said, “There is a huge potential for consumption of coking coal in India. Our country is looking for reliable raw material suppliers. I think Australia can consider supply of coking coal to Indian steel Industry on priority basis.”  Describing the quantum of this demand he said, “We plan to increase our steel production to 300 million tonnes from the presen...

Further progressing the Indo - Oman Air Force to Air Force Defence co-operation, a meeting was held in the office of Chief of Air Staff at Vayu Bhavan between HE Mohamed Bin Nasser Al-Rasby, Secretary General of Defence Ministry of Defence, Oman and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, Chief of Air Staff (CAS) on 30 January 2014.  The issues on Operations and Maintenance common to both were discussed. 

India signed a MoU with The Netherlands in the field of health and medicine to strengthen bilateral cooperations, here today. The MoU was signed by the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ms. Edith I Schippers, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, Kingdom of the Netherlands.  Speaking at the occasion Sh Azad said that development and strengthening of cooperation between the two countries will result in mutually beneficial exchanges in the areas of communicable diseases; anti-microbial resistance; public health policy; health systems strengthening including e-health and governance; medical equipment and pharmaceutical products; and life sciences and medical technology. Under the agreement both countries can also encourage greater research collaboration between universities, foundations, industry and the health services in both the countries, he noted.  Shri Azad said that this is a very positive development and a step forward from the sectoral...

The Government of the Republic of India signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with the Government of Republic of Fiji for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. The Agreement was signed here today by Shri P. Chidambaram, Union Minister of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and by Mr. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Anti-Corruption, Public Enterprises, Communications, Civil Aviation, Tourism, Industry and Trade, on behalf of the Government of Republic of Fiji.  Speaking on the occasion, the Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram said that the need for the DTAA between the two countries was felt and negotiations were completed in 2011. He said that the Agreement will provide tax stability to the residents of India and Fiji and facilitate mutual economic cooperation as well as stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services between India and Fiji. The Fin...

The Government of India and Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI) Sign A Contribution Agreement to Facilitate Contribution of Government of India to GAVI A Contribution Agreement was signed here today between the Government of India and Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI). The agreement was signed by Dr Arvind Mayaram, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Mr Seth Berkley, CEO, GAVI on behalf of the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI) to facilitate contribution of Government of India to GAVI. As per the terms of agreement, the Government of India has decided to contribute to GAVI @ US$ one million per year for the four years from 2013-14 to 2016-17 (i.e. during 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17).  Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mayaram, Secretary, DEA said that India has a tradition of reaching-out to needy and lending support to various activities...

Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Shri S.Jaipal Reddy and Minister of Health Welfare and Sports, Govt. of the Netherlands Ms. Edlth Schippers today launched a unique project to be conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and supported by the Department of Bio Technology, Government of India and its institute at Manesar (Haryana), the National Brain Research Centre here in New Delhi.  Speaking on the occasion Shri Jaipal Reddy said, through this process we hope, not only to help people at risk but also define known or novel risk factors that place people at risk of developing health problems mainly related to brain. He expressed hope that this project will serve as a model and training ground for similar initiatives of other parts of our huge and diverse country.  Ms. Edith Schippers said the Eramus University Medical Centre has committed to provide training and intellectual inputs to people who will work in this p...

India and Netherlands here today signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of sports. The MoU was signed by Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge) Shri Jitendra Singh, and Health, Welfare and Sport Minister of Kingdom of the Netherlands Ms. Edith I. Schippers. Ms. Edith I. Schippers is currently on a visit to India heading a Netherlands delegation.  The MoU provides for exchange of knowledge and experience in the fields of Sports Management, competition infrastructure set-up, coaching, training systems, training of referees for various sports disciplines and top-sport development through youth academies.  The MoU also provides for cooperation and exchange programmes in the field of innovative sports infrastructure development and management including financial development, spatial area development, planning of sports infrastructure and facilities, designing of sports infrastructure and facilities, exploitation of resources, managem...