New Army Chief of India likely to be announced today 13 may 2014

The name of Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, has been recommended for the top post. The Defence Ministry sent its recommendation to the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) shortly after receiving the go-ahead from the Election Commission, sources said.

Sources said the recommendation had only the name of 59-year-old Lt Gen Suhag, who is the senior most among the Lt Generals.
Army Chief General Bikram Singh will retire on July 31 and as per the tradition, the government announces the name of services chiefs two months before the tenure of the incumbent comes to an end.

The appointment of the next Army Chief had got mired into a controversy as BJP is strictly opposing it, questioning the ‘hurry’ and insisting that the matter be left to the next government as there is still time left.

Senior Congress leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party president Sonia Gandhi, reportedly decided to appoint the next Army Chief during a party core group meeting last evening.

The Election Commission on Monday gave the go-ahead to the Defence Ministry to initiate the process of appointing the next Army Chief.

The Election Commission cited its March 27 order which makes it clear that appointments, promotions, tenders and procurements of defence forces are not covered under the Model Code of Conduct in the ongoing elections as well as any other election in the future, sources said.
  
The Election Commission, responding to a reference made by the Defence Ministry, said if the government wants, it can proceed with the process to appoint the next Chief of Army Staff, sources added.

Ireland Is Dying 13 may 2014

Ireland’s rate of emigration is continuing to increase and at one stage one person was leaving the country to live abroad every six minutes – the highest number since modern records began in the late 1980s.

New figures published on Thursday show 397,500 people have emigrated since Ireland’s financial crisis began in 2008, with most travelling to the UK, Australia and Canada in search of work.

During the same period 277,400 people have returned or moved to Ireland, giving a net outward migration figure of 120,100. In a 12-month period from April last year, 10 people left every hour.

Using the same cited data for the same 12-month period, more than 20 people moved to Ireland every hour. Of course, that also means over 30 people emigrated from Ireland every hour. The centerfold shot:

Almost a third of 15 to 24-year-olds, who grew up during an era when highly paid jobs were plentiful, are now out of work and even those with jobs have seen their wages slashed. More than a third of people leaving the country in the 12-month period to the end of April were between 15 and 24 years of age. Some 50,900 of the 89,000 people who emigrated were Irish citizens while the rest were nationals from other countries.

Yes, throw some dirt on dear old Dublin. The Celtic Tiger can no longer hunt. Time to put her down.

Two variables explain much of outmigration, age and educational attainment. I’ve posted quite a bit about ties between a college education and geographic mobility. Concerning age, the younger you are (as an adult), the more likely you are to leave. Relatively speaking, Ireland’s population is young:

In contrast to general European trends, the birth rate in Ireland is soaring. According to the Economic and Social Research Institute’s latest Perinatal Statistics Report, Ireland’s birth rate increased nearly 30 percent over the past 10 years, equating to about 17,000 more births in 2010 than 10 years before. The island boasts the highest birth rate of any European Union member.

Galway, a small college city on the Irish west coast, likes to tout itself as the “youngest city in Europe.” In 2001, 40 percent of Ireland was under the age of 25. When the going gets tough, the young and college educated get going. Everywhere, not just in Ireland. All those babies will grow up and go to college. Then they will move away like all the other twentysomethings around the world.

Mushtaq Ahmed: Aim is to find and develop mystery spinners for Pakistan

As a member of the famous squad led by Imran Khan that lifted the World Cup in 1992, Mushtaq Ahmed is also considered as part of a fine tradition of exceptionally talented spin bowlers originating from Pakistan.

At his peak, Mushtaq was described as being one of the best three wrist-spinners in the world. In an international career that spanned from 1990 until 2003, he played 52 Test matches and claimed 185 wickets and took 161 wickets in 144 One-Day Internationals. He was at his most prolific internationally between 1995 and 1998 during which he was also named as a Wisden Cricketer of the year (1997).

After his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2008, Mushtaq pursued a successful career as a spin bowling coach for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) starting late 2008 until May 2014. At the age of 43, Mushtaq has been asked by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take the position of spin coach on a two-year contract, where he will work under Waqar Younis to help Pakistan develop its spin talent.

Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net, Mushtaq spoke about his tenure with the England team, his aims and objectives in his new role as Pakistan spin coach and his impressions of the spin talent available in Pakistan.

Human Rights Watch Says 'Strong Evidence' Syria Government Used Chlorine Gas

Beirut:  Evidence "strongly suggests" Syria's government has used chlorine gas on three towns in mid-April in violation of the chemical weapons treaty Damascus joined last year, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

"Evidence strongly suggests that Syrian government helicopters dropped barrel bombs embedded with cylinders of chlorine gas on three towns in northern Syria in mid-April 2014," HRW said.

The New York-based group cited interviews with witnesses and medical personnel, video of the attacks and photographs of the remnants of barrel bombs.

Doctors who treated victims said at least 11 people were killed in the attacks and "symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine" were seen in nearly 500 people, the watchdog reported.

It documented attacks on the towns of Kafr Zita in central Hama on April 11 and 18, Al-Temana in Idlib on April 13 and 18 and Telmans also in Idlib province on April 21.

All three are areas under rebel control.Opposition sources have claimed several government attacks using chlorine gas, and Syrian state television acknowledged one such attack in Kafr Zita but blamed it on the jihadist Al-Nusra Front.

But opposition activists say the chlorine is delivered by barrel bombs dropped from helicopters, which only the government possesses.

HRW said video of barrel bomb remnants at the site of the attacks showed cannisters with the code CL2 -- the symbol for chlorine gas.

The group acknowledged it could not "independently confirm" that the chlorine gas cylinders caught on film were packed in barrel embedded in the barrel bombs that were dropped from helicopters."

But it said that it was unlikely the footage was staged or that the chlorine gas was added to the barrel bombs, citing symptoms reported by doctors and witnesses "consistent with exposure to chlorine".

"Syria's apparent use of chlorine gas as a weapon -- not to mention targeting of civilians -- is a plain violation of international law," said HRW deputy Middle East and North Africa director Nadim Houry.

"This is one more reason for the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court."

Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention last year as part of a deal to surrender its chemical weapons arsenal after it was accused of a sarin attack in the suburbs of Damascus.

Possessing chlorine is not a violation of the convention, but using the gas as a weapon is, and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons watchdog has said it will send a team to Syria to investigate the chlorine attack claims.

Lasting peace in Afghanistan requires reconciliation with the Taliban, MPs warn

Afghan police officers inspect a police vehicle after it was attacked by militants in Jalalbad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan

A lasting peace in Afghanistan will only be achieved through a process of reconciliation with the Taliban, a cross-party group of MPs will warn today amid mounting criticism about the UK Government’s investment in military equipment.

The Westminster defence committee – whose members include Welsh Labour MPs Dai Havard and Madeleine Moon – will urge Afghanistan’s new Government to engage the Taliban as a “matter of priority”.

Their report comes on the same day the public accounts committee – which includes Welsh Conservative MP Guto Bebb and Welsh Labour MP Nick Smith – will warn that the Ministry of Defence has underspent by £1.2bn on its equipment plan but does “not yet fully understand” why this is the case.

The MPs are concerned the MoD may be “storing up costs for future years”. They point out that the department still has “skill shortages in areas of expertise that will be vital to managing its major projects and keeping its spending plans on track”.

The defence committee gives a blunt assessment on the state of the drugs trade in Afghanistan, stating: “The counter-narcotics strategy of the UK Government in Afghanistan has failed. As we withdraw from Helmand Province, poppy cultivation is soaring to record levels and there is no sign that the Government of Afghanistan has the will or the means to tackle the problem.

“We are concerned that this will continue to fund organised crime, and undermine the development of democratic government and governance. We recommend that future UK Government aid to Afghanistan should be, at least in part, conditional on clear progress in developing viable alternatives to poppy farming.”

Its assessment of the Taliban’s strength is also sobering.

The MPs write: “The insurgency remains a strong and persistent threat to the future security and stability of Afghanistan”.

They note the rate of attrition among the Afghan army and police due to casualties and desertions remained “stubbornly high”.

Stressing the need for the UK Government to learn the lessons of Afghanistan, Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney MP Mr Havard said: “We pay tribute in particular to all those who have lost their lives, and the many more who have sustained life-changing injuries. The political process however is not complete and UK involvement will change but not end in December this year. Uncertainty remains about how best to engage in a secure way for the future and that is why a whole government, comprehensive approach is important to deal with all eventualities.”

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: “We have a highly effective process for identifying lessons to be learned in near real time, but we will want to look strategically across the campaign as a whole to see what longer-term lessons need to be learned, once the mission is over.”

Commenting on the public accounts committee report, Aberconwy Conservative MP Mr Bebb said it was “not clear to the MoD whether the underspend is the result of genuine savings or simply a result of delays in projects being implemented.”

Dollar edges up in Asia 13 may 2014

TOKYO: The dollar edged up against the yen in Asia Tuesday following a record close on Wall Street while investors await the release of key economic data from around the globe.

The greenback was at 102.20 yen in midday Tokyo trade, up from 102.09 yen in New York Monday afternoon, while the euro bought $1.3756 and 140.60 yen, compared with $1.3758 and 140.50 yen in US trade.

Dealers were in an upbeat mood after the Dow and S&P 500 in New York finished at record highs, while the Nasdaq also surged, thanks to a pick-up in technology shares.

The single currency has been under pressure since last week when European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi said he was ready to ease monetary policy soon as the currency bloc suffers from continuing weak inflation.

Market-watchers suggested the ECB would now now likely be forced to act at next month´s policy meeting or risk losing its credibility with the markets.

Eyes are now on the release of a string of crucial indicators to be unveiled later in the day, starting with Chinese industrial production, retail sales and industrial output.

That will be followed by the ZEW monthly indicator of German economic sentiment and US retail sales for April.

US flying ‘manned missions’ to seek abducted Nigeria girls

LAGOS: Manned US aircraft were flying over Nigeria on Tuesday, searching for over 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram after Abuja dismissed a prisoner-swap offer from the militants.

"We have shared commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerians and are flying manned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets over Nigeria with the government´s permission," a senior US administration official said Monday.

The official declined to be named, and it was not immediately clear what kind of aircraft were being deployed, nor where they were based.

Boko Haram´s leader said in a new video obtained by AFP Monday that the girls, whose abduction has sparked global outrage, would only be released if the government freed militant fighters from custody.

Abubakar Shekau made the claim in a 27-minute video, which apparently showed about 130 of the teenagers who were snatched from their school in the remote northeastern town of Chibok nearly a month ago.

The militant leader said the girls in the video had converted to Islam and all were shown in Muslim dress, reciting the first chapter of the Koran and praying at an undisclosed location.

Asked if the government would reject Shekau´s suggestion, Interior Minister Abba Moro told: "Of course."

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said US intelligence experts were "combing through every detail of the video for clues that might help ongoing efforts to secure the release of the girls."

Their disappearance has triggered global outrage, in part due to a social media campaign that has won the support of high-profile figures including US First Lady Michelle Obama, Pope Francis and Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai.