Trump 'uniquely unqualified' to be US president: Obama

Orlando, Nov 2:US President Barack Obama today assailed Donald Trump for being "uniquely unqualified" and "temperamentally unfit" to be the next commander-in-chief as he asked Americans to recall how Republicans themselves were divided over having a "con man" as their presidential nominee.

"Donald Trump is uniquely unqualified to be President. He is temperamentally unfit to be commander-in-chief," Obama said at a well-attended Democratic rally in Columbus, Ohio.

"Don't take my word for it. Take the word of a lot of the Republicans who were saying this before they decided, politically, that it was convenient to support him. Then some of them decided, politically, it was inconvenient to support him again. They keep on doing backflips," he said.

Ban Ki-moon hails agreement to cut greenhouse gases

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the adoption of the critically important amendment to cut production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), at a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.

The amendment was agreed upon to the Montreal Protocol phasing-down production and use of HFCs, which are powerful, short-lived greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change, the UN chief said in a statement on Saturday.

"As HFCs are also the fastest-growing of all greenhouse gases, curbing their use will help limit near-term warming of the planet, " Xinhua news agency quoted the statement.

At the Kigali meeting on Saturday, nearly 200 nations approved a timetable to stop the use of gases whose elimination could reduce global warming by 0.5 degrees celsius by the end of the century.

Pakistan end Bravo vigil to regain command

Dubai, Oct 16 : Pakistan removed the obdurate Darren Bravo late on the third day of the first day-night Test to reinvigorate their cause after a dogged West Indies batting display in Dubai.

Bravo defied a potent bowling attack to score 87 during a 402-minute stay at the crease while Samuels made 76 as the West Indies closed on 315-6, still trailing Pakistan's first innings total of 579-3 declared by 264 runs.

Shane Dowrich was unbeaten on 27 with skipper Jason Holder 10 not out at the close of play.

West Indies need to reach 380 to avoid following-on, but the duration of their innings suggests Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-haq may not enforce it and bat again on Sunday.

Bravo and Samuels were engaged in a resolute 113-run stand for the third wicket as the Dubai stadium pitch did not offer much help to Pakistan's attack.

India, US would be "best friends" if elected as prez: Trump

Edison (New Jersey), Oct 16 : Terming India as a "key strategic ally", Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become "best friends" and have a "phenomenal future" together.

"India's is the world's largest democracy and is a natural ally of the US. Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends," Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition yesterday.

"We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together," he said.

He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy, saying it was required in the US too.

Obama heckled in Cleveland by pro-Trump protester

Washington, Oct 14 : US President Barack Obama was heckled for the second consecutive day prompting him to say that the pro-Trump protester was paid.

The incident happened at an election rally in Cleveland, Ohio. Early in the speech as Obama noted that he'd promised to work as hard as he could, a man in the back started heckling.

"While you're not golfing!"

A moment later, the same man began shouting "Bill Clinton's a rapist! Bill Clinton's a rapist!" And he opened his jacket to reveal and T-shirt with Bill Clinton's image and the word "RAPE." There were other hecklers elsewhere in the crowd.

India, Russia seal big ticket defence deals

Benaulim (Goa), Oct 15 : India and Russia on Saturday sealed a number of big ticket defence deals including purchase of missile systems, frigates and joint production of helicopters besides deciding to deepen cooperation in a range of crucial sectors even as the two close allies resolved to fight the menace of terrorism unitedly

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held wide-ranging talks covering the entire expanse of bilateral engagement following which the two sides signed a total of 16 MoUs and made three announcements to boost ties in sectors like trade and investment, hydrocarbons, space and smart cities

The two leaders also dedicated the unit two of Kudankulum nuclear power plant and witnessed foundation laying of its Unit 3 and 4

No buyer for Twitter as Salesforce quits race

In a bad news for Twitter, its last potential buyer Salesforce has decided not to make a bid to buy the struggling micro-blogging website.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff told the Financial Times that he has "walked away" from making a bid to buy Twitter.

Earlier, Google, Apple and Walt Disney also decided not to bid for the website.

Twitter stocks fell significantly this week after Google and Walt Disney reportedly ruled out to acquire the struggling micro-blogging platform.

French president regrets remarks over 'judiciary cowardice'

French President Francois Hollande has apologised to the country's outraged magistrates after he called the judiciary "a cowardly institution" in private conversations published in a book titled "A President Should Not Say That".

In a letter to the magistrate high council, Hollande on Friday said he "deeply regrets what has been seen as an injury by the magistrates".

He argued that his comments are "unrelated to the reality of my thinking and to my way of action I have set as president of the Republic".

US federal agencies ban Note 7 from airplanes

Concerned over battery explosion fears, the US federal agencies have banned Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from airplanes across the country.

The devices cannot be carried on flights to, from or within the US, travellers cannot put them in checked baggage and Note 7 cannot be shipped as air freight, the Los Angeles Times cited the US Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, as saying.

"We recognise that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.

Bangladesh rolls out red carpet for Xi

Dhaka, Oct 14 :Bangladesh today rolled out the red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping who arrived on a two-day state visit, the first by a Chinese head of state in 30 years, seen as crucial for bilateral economic ties.

A 21-gun salute heralded Xi's arrival as he stepped down from a special Air China flight to be received by Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid at the VVIP terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Four Bangladesh air force jets escorted the aircraft carrying the Chinese leader as it entered the country's skyline while a contingent of army, navy and air force accorded him an honour guard as he landed.

No backdoor diplomacy with India: Pakistan

Islamabad, Oct 14 : Pakistan today said there was no "backdoor" diplomacy going on with India and the composite dialogue process between the two countries remains suspended.

"There was no backdoor or track-II diplomacy going on between Pakistan and India, as such kind of contacts were established on the desire of two sides," Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told Express News channel.

India has always blamed Pakistan for militancy without any proof, Aziz claimed.

"India had the habit of blaming Pakistan after every terrorist incident in their country without providing any solid evidence," he said.

China, Bangladesh ink 26 agreements after Xi-Hasina talks

Dhaka, Oct 14: Bangladesh and China today signed 26 agreements in the key areas of power, road and railway connectivity as Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and vowed to elevate bilateral ties to a long term strategic partnership.

"We are good friends and partners," a spokesman of the Prime Minister's office quoted Xi as saying after his bilateral talks with the Bangladeshi Premier.

He said Xi sought to elevate bilateral relations to the level of a "long term strategic partnership".

The Chinese leader's comments came as he along with Hasina witnessed the signing of 26 bilateral agreements and MoUs mainly on power, road and railway connectivity after bilateral talks, hours after Xi's arrival here for a two-day visit.

"The two leaders simultaneously opened six projects," the spokesman said, without giving details of the projects.

US dollar rises amid Fed minutes

The US dollar climbed against most other major currencies as investors digested the Federal Reserve's minutes from its September meeting.

In late New York trading on Wednesday, the euro fell to $1.1013 from $1.1052 in the previous session, and the British pound increased to $1.2191 from $1.2126 in the previous session, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Australian dollar rose to $0.7565 from $0.7543.

Google, Facebook team up for direct undersea connection to Asia

Internet giants, Google and Facebook, have teamed up with Pacific Light Data Communication and TE SubCom- an undersea communication solution provider- to build the first direct submarine cable system between Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

The Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) will have 12,800 km of fibre and an estimated cable capacity of 120 Tetrabit per second, making it the highest-capacity trans-Pacific route, a record currently held by another Google-backed cable system, FASTER.

India rejects Pak's reference to women's condition in Kashmir

United Nations, Oct 13 : Innocent Indian women have suffered for long due to the persistent terrorist acts perpetrated by "proxies of Pakistan", India has said as it strongly rejecting references by Islamabad to conditions of women in Kashmir.

Counsellor Mayank Joshi in India's Permanent Mission to the UN here "completely" rejected the "baseless allegations" made by Pakistan about women in Jammu and Kashmir, saying "in fact" it is the innocent Indian women who have for "long suffered due to the persistent terrorist acts perpetrated by proxies of Pakistan."

Joshi exercised India's Right of Reply after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Special Envoy on Kashmir Shezra Mansab Ali Khan referred to the conditions of women in Kashmir during an October 11 session on Advancement of Women in the General Assembly's Third Committee, which focuses on social and humanitarian issues.

Sri Lanka approves new anti-terrorism law draft

Sri Lanka today said it has approved the draft of a new counter-terrorism law to replace a 37-year-old act to target the "new form of transnational violence" while ensuring its human rights obligations.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the draft of a new counter-terrorism law, acting government spokesman and deputy minister Karunarathna Paranavithana said.

The new law will replace the current Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which was enacted in 1979 in the face of growing Tamil separatist militancy and had faced criticism as it allowed indefinite detention of people without charges.

China important factor in determining climate benefits: CSE

China is the single most important factor in determining climate benefits with the phasing out of heat-trapping organic compounds -- hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) -- and replacing them with climate-friendly alternatives, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said here on Wednesday.

HFCs are super greenhouse gases used in refrigeration and air-conditioning.

An analysis released here by CSE shows that if China alone decides to take 2020-22 as baseline while other developing countries, including India, take 2024-26 as baseline, HFC emissions equivalent to 10 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions can be reduced.

India will gain by leadership role in Montreal Protocol changes: US advocacy group

India will gain substantially from progressive participation in achieving a strong amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which can spur its domestic market growth, a US-based environmental advocacy group said on Wednesday.

India along with the global community has an opportunity to take the next big step after the Paris Agreement to reduce climate change that "threatens us all", David Doniger, Director, Climate and Clean Air with the Natural Resources Defense Council, told IANS.

"A strong amendment to the Montreal Protocol can spur domestic market growth in energy-efficient and climate-friendly cooling through international funding," he said.

"Like the Paris Agreement, India's participation and leadership are critical to halting the surge in HFCs — super-potent greenhouse gases," Doniger added.

Sino-India ties under stress, need recalibration: Menon

Washington, Oct 12: There has been a "great deal of continuity" in the Narendra Modi government's foreign policy, former national security advisor Shivshankar Menon has said even as he called for 'recalibration' of China-India ties which are "under stress".

"Many of the things they (Modi government) have done, land boundary agreement with Bangladesh for instance, what they have been doing in relationship with the US, many of these things, Act East from Look East are actually continuation of what had been going on before," Menon told PTI.

Talking about foreign policy, Menon, who was the national security advisor from 2011 to 2014, said he sees "certainly a great deal of continuity" by the Modi government.

"Continuity is good," he said, adding that this reflects that this is "India's policy and that it would also be carried forward."

Mice copy jet engines to sing ultrasonic love songs!

London, Oct 11 : Mice court one another with ultrasonic love songs that are inaudible to the human ear, and researchers, including one of Indian origin, have found that when mice 'sing', they use a mechanism similar to that seen in the engines of supersonic jets.

 "Mice seem to be doing something very complicated and clever to make ultrasound," said study co-author Anurag Agarwal from University of Cambridge.

Mice, rats and many other rodents produce ultrasonic songs that they use for attracting mates and for territorial defence. These 'singing' mice are often used to study communication disorders in humans, such as stuttering.

However, until now it was not understood how mice can make these ultrasonic sounds, which may aid in the development of more effective animal models for studying human speech disorders.

"Mice make ultrasound in a way never found before in any animal," lead author of the study Elena Mahrt from the Washington State University noted.