The Andhra Pradesh cabinet has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi urging her to make late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy the next chief minister of the state.
In a letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi Friday, the council of ministers told her that the cabinet at its special meeting Thursday unanimously resolved to propose the candidature of Jaganmohan Reddy as the next chief minister.
'Keeping in view the developmental commitments and ongoing irrigation projects, besides the sentiments of the general public, we have unanimously resolved to propose the candidature of Jaganmohan Reddy as the chief minister of the state,' said the letter, copies of which were made available to media.
The letter carried the names of caretaker Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, who presided over the meeting, and all other 35 ministers.
'Just like Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy has a good following among the masses from the grassroot level and is acceptable to all sections, particularly the downtrodden and weaker sections,' the letter reads.
'Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy is the only suitable candidate in the present circumstances.'
Showing posts with label world news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world news. Show all posts
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Bitter truth: India drought may trigger world sugar crisis
India has enough grain stocks to ride out an expected poor harvest, but the failure of the monsoon adds to global uncertainty about food and grain stocks, the head of an agricultural think tank said on Wednesday.
India's monsoon rains have been 29 per cent below normal since the beginning of the June-September season, hurting crops such as rice and cane and triggering a sharp rise in food prices in India and sugar futures abroad.
For the time being, India has built up sufficient grains stocks, said Joachim von Braun, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, but warned that the uneven rainfall has raised concerns.
"If government food distribution systems and national markets operate well, there should not be any serious issue for increasing hunger," he said in Beijing.
"But it will draw down stocks and that will make the international market again more nervous. It is very difficult to rebuild stocks from the low levels we have."
IFPRI in April released a report that warned of a rush by wealthier nations afraid of food shortages to buy agricultural land, particularly in Africa.
It called for standards of transparency and ethics in the acquisitions, to avoid people being displaced from land or food being exported during a crisis.
The deal spree was triggered by a spike in agricultural prices in 2008, as high energy prices triggered greater interest in biofuel, that caused many countries, especially in Asia, to limit exports and build domestic reserves.
"It's systematic, it's there to stay, and it shouldn't surprise us. The undermining of trust in trade through the export bans of last year... has not been forgotten," he said.
"It was a huge failing of the world trading system."
IFPRI has tracked land deals and leases totalling 20 million to 25 million hectares, an area greater than France, von Braun estimated. Investors in overseas land include hedge funds, private entrepreneurs and state-backed corporations, as well as government-to-government deals.
Between one-third and one-half of the overseas land deals studied by IFPRI have been for the purpose of growing crops for biofuels, he said
India's monsoon rains have been 29 per cent below normal since the beginning of the June-September season, hurting crops such as rice and cane and triggering a sharp rise in food prices in India and sugar futures abroad.
For the time being, India has built up sufficient grains stocks, said Joachim von Braun, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, but warned that the uneven rainfall has raised concerns.
"If government food distribution systems and national markets operate well, there should not be any serious issue for increasing hunger," he said in Beijing.
"But it will draw down stocks and that will make the international market again more nervous. It is very difficult to rebuild stocks from the low levels we have."
IFPRI in April released a report that warned of a rush by wealthier nations afraid of food shortages to buy agricultural land, particularly in Africa.
It called for standards of transparency and ethics in the acquisitions, to avoid people being displaced from land or food being exported during a crisis.
The deal spree was triggered by a spike in agricultural prices in 2008, as high energy prices triggered greater interest in biofuel, that caused many countries, especially in Asia, to limit exports and build domestic reserves.
"It's systematic, it's there to stay, and it shouldn't surprise us. The undermining of trust in trade through the export bans of last year... has not been forgotten," he said.
"It was a huge failing of the world trading system."
IFPRI has tracked land deals and leases totalling 20 million to 25 million hectares, an area greater than France, von Braun estimated. Investors in overseas land include hedge funds, private entrepreneurs and state-backed corporations, as well as government-to-government deals.
Between one-third and one-half of the overseas land deals studied by IFPRI have been for the purpose of growing crops for biofuels, he said
Tunisian woman pregnant with 12 babies
Believe it or not, a Tunisian woman is said to be pregnant with 12 babies. The unnamed teacher and her husband are ecstatic about the pregnancy that was achieved with fertility treatment after she suffered two miscarriages -- the couple are expecting six boys and six girls, the media reported.
Her husband, who was named only as Marwan and is also a teacher of Arabic at a high school in their home town of Gafsa, southwest of the capital Tunis, said it was an "amazing and wonderful miracle". "In the beginning, we thought that my wife would give birth to twins, but more foetuses were discovered.
Our joy increased with the growing number," leading British newspaper ''The Daily Telegraph'' quoted him as telling the local media. In fact, the woman, who is thought to be as much as nine months'' pregnant, is about to eclipse the octuplets of the American mother Nadia Suleman.
Fertility experts have condemned the news, alleging the doctors who treated the couple are "irresponsible" and risking the health and lives of the mother and her babies. Simon Fisher, a fertility expert from the University of Oxford, said the news of the duodecaplets was "horrendous" and the doctors involved were "irresponsible" to allow it.
"Whatever the reasons behind this, the chances of there being a happy ending are pretty remote. The chances of all of them surviving are extremely remote and the chance of some of them surviving without any problems is unlikely -- they are likely to have significant problems," he said.
Her husband, who was named only as Marwan and is also a teacher of Arabic at a high school in their home town of Gafsa, southwest of the capital Tunis, said it was an "amazing and wonderful miracle". "In the beginning, we thought that my wife would give birth to twins, but more foetuses were discovered.
Our joy increased with the growing number," leading British newspaper ''The Daily Telegraph'' quoted him as telling the local media. In fact, the woman, who is thought to be as much as nine months'' pregnant, is about to eclipse the octuplets of the American mother Nadia Suleman.
Fertility experts have condemned the news, alleging the doctors who treated the couple are "irresponsible" and risking the health and lives of the mother and her babies. Simon Fisher, a fertility expert from the University of Oxford, said the news of the duodecaplets was "horrendous" and the doctors involved were "irresponsible" to allow it.
"Whatever the reasons behind this, the chances of there being a happy ending are pretty remote. The chances of all of them surviving are extremely remote and the chance of some of them surviving without any problems is unlikely -- they are likely to have significant problems," he said.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Obama's speech: Palestinians, Israelis react differently
President Barack Obama's historic speech to the Muslim world evoked mixed response in the Middle- East with the Palestinian Authority describing it as a "good start" but right-wing Israelis slammed it and asked Tel Aviv's leadership to stay defiant amid calls to halt settlements.
In his speech aimed at healing rifts between the US and the Muslim world, Obama said: "Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's."
The US president also issued a scathing criticism of Israel's settlement activities in the West Bank, saying "the US does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements... It is time for these settlements to stop."
"His call for stopping settlement and for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and his reference to the suffering of Palestinians... is a clear message to Israel that a just peace is built on the foundations of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," an aide to PA President Mahmoud Abbas said.
"President Obama's speech is a good start and an important step towards a new American policy," said Nabil Abu Rdeineh, who normally views Abbas' opinion to the public.
The Israeli right wings, however, condemned Obama's warming up to the Islamic world and asked the Jewish state's leadership to stay defiant on the issue of settlements.
In his speech aimed at healing rifts between the US and the Muslim world, Obama said: "Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's."
The US president also issued a scathing criticism of Israel's settlement activities in the West Bank, saying "the US does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements... It is time for these settlements to stop."
"His call for stopping settlement and for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and his reference to the suffering of Palestinians... is a clear message to Israel that a just peace is built on the foundations of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," an aide to PA President Mahmoud Abbas said.
"President Obama's speech is a good start and an important step towards a new American policy," said Nabil Abu Rdeineh, who normally views Abbas' opinion to the public.
The Israeli right wings, however, condemned Obama's warming up to the Islamic world and asked the Jewish state's leadership to stay defiant on the issue of settlements.
US is not at war with Islam: Barack Obama
In a widely-awaited speech in Cairo, US President Barack Hussein Obama on Thursday urged for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims".
"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," Obama said in one of the world's largest Muslim countries, adding that he has brought along “peace from American Muslims”.
"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," Obama said in one of the world's largest Muslim countries, adding that he has brought along “peace from American Muslims”.
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