Panama City (AFP) – Hillary Clinton would make a fine US president, Barack Obama told reporters Saturday, on the eve of the expected launch of her candidacy for the Democratic Party’s nod in 2016.
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Obama beat Clinton — who is vying to become the first woman president of the United States — for their party’s nomination in 2008 after a grueling campaign. He then won re-election four years later.

“She was a formidable candidate in 2008. She was a great supporter of mine in the general election. She was an outstanding secretary of state. She is my friend,” Obama said at a regional summit in Panama.

“I think she would be an excellent president.”

Several US media reports, citing sources in Clinton’s campaign team, said the 67-year-old was likely to announce her candidacy for the Democratic nomination on Sunday.

The former first lady is expected to be the clear Democratic frontrunner in the race to succeed Obama.
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US President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference …
US President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference at the Summit of the Americas on April 11 …

The wife of former president Bill Clinton leads opinion polls among Democrats, some 60 percent of whom say they would vote for her in the primaries, according to the website RealClearPolitics.

Two other potential candidates — Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden — have not yet said they intend to run.

On the Republican side, Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have already thrown their hats into the ring, with more candidates likely to follow — including Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, brother to president George W. Bush and son of president George H.W. Bush.

A series of polls this year have consistently placed Clinton ahead of every one of her potential Republican challengers, although the gap has narrowed in recent weeks.

A bid to appear humble may have helped dispel doubts about Clinton raised in recent weeks, after it was revealed that she used a private email account for her work when she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

Detailed examinations of donations from foreign states and businesses to the Clinton Foundation when she was secretary of state have also raised questions about potential conflicts of interest

India has the “right” to be in the UN Security Council and the days of “begging” for it are gone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, as he pitched for a permanent seat in the powerful world body.

Also Read: Modi slams UPA govt, says Coal blocks given away like you give handkerchiefs

Addressing a congregation of NRIs here before winding up his four-day tour of France, Modi last night said India had made lot of sacrifices for world peace since World War I and even after the UN was founded.

It has been the largest contributor to the peacekeeping forces across the world, he said.

“Still, India continues to yearn for a (permanent) seat in the UN Security Council. I urge the world, it is time to respect the peacekeeping efforts. It is the right of the sentiments of Mahatma Gandhi and Gautam Buddha. Those days are gone when India had to beg. Now our nation wants its right,” he told the gathering of about 3,000 Indians amid chants of “Modi, Modi”.

“There is hardly any other country which has such moral authority as the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Buddha. I hope that when the United Nations celebrates its 70th anniversary (this year), it will especially think about this,” the Prime Minister said.

India has been pitching for a permanent seat in the expanded membership of the UNSC, arguing that the existing body does not truly reflect the contemporary world realities.

To buttress his point, Modi referred to his visit earlier in the day to a war memorial in Lille region of France set up as a tribute to about 10,000 Indians who got martyred while fighting alongside France in World War I.

Modi said he wanted to send out a message to the world to realise that Indians have been ready to sacrifice their lives for peace since as long as one century.

“I want the world to know that 14 lakh Indians put their lives at risk by participating in the World War I…Who were they fighting for? Not for India or expansion of India …Thousands of years of India’s history is testimony to the fact that it has never indulged in aggression,” Modi said.

“Indian soldiers fought shoulder-to-shoulder with France…They fought for somebody else,” he added.

“Sometimes, history is forgotten. Those who forget history will lose their right to write one,” he said, adding that, “India is known for its sacrifices…One can fight for oneself, but to die for others is different.”

India along with Brazil, Germany and Japan have formed the G4 grouping to press for speedy UNSC reforms and their inclusion in the powerful organ of the world body.

The government is working to bring traditional medicines such as Ayurveda, unani, siddha and homeopathy (AYUSH) into the mainstream and doctors practising these streams are being engaged to address the shortage of medical practitioners in rural areas.

NEW DELHI: The government is working to bring traditional medicines such as Ayurveda, unani, siddha and homeopathy (AYUSH) into the mainstream and doctors practicing these streams are being engaged to address the shortage of medical practitioners in rural areas.

“Main streaming of AYUSH is one of the core strategies in National Rural Health Mission which seeks to provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to the rural population. Under National Health Mission (NHM)/ National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), engagement of Ayurveda Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) doctors/ paramedics is being supported, provided they are co-located with existing District Hospitals (DHs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs)…,” AYUSH Minister of State Shri Shripad Yesso Naik told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

He also said the government is trying to train AYUSH doctors to address the shortage of skilled health care personnel in the rural areas.

It happens to be Guwahati’s Rewati Chetri, one of the finalists of the fbb Femina Miss India 2015 pageant, who was crowned WeChat Miss Popular during the sub-contest crowning.

Not only was she Sunny Leone’s choice, but also that of millions of WeChat users.Sunny , the lead actress of the upcoming film Ek Paheli -Leela, voted for Rewati and waited with bated breath when the result of the sub-contest was announced during a gala evening in the city. To ensure that fans stay updated on all the action around the contestants, the pageant had launched the official account on WeChat and that’s where Rewati emerged the winner.

Rewati a girl of Gorkhali origin who hails from Assam deserved to be on the three finalist of Miss Feminia Miss India. It is the view of millions who watched and followed Miss India all along. Many people are the opinion that India does not seem to still recognize people from the North East as equal citizens in spite of them excelling themselves in their respective fields. Sunny Leone the most sought out actress of Bollywood today had Rewati as her choice itself speaks of Rewati’s beauty, brains and smartness.

Feminia Miss India this year was already in criticism for not having proper representation of all states in India

BEIJING – China is considering building a railway to Nepal with a possible tunnel through Mount Everest, state media said Thursday, as Beijing courts a country India regards as firmly within its sphere of influence.

The Qinghai-Tibet railway already links the rest of China with the Tibetan capital Lhasa and beyond, and an extension running as far as Nepal’s border is already underway, the China Daily newspaper said.

t quoted a Tibet official as saying construction as far as the border will be complete by 2020. It also quoted an expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering as saying the extension was made “at Nepal’s request.”

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visited Kathmandu in December and, according to Nepalese reports, said the line could eventually be extended to the Nepalese capital and further, potentially providing a crucial link between China and the huge markets of India.

Such a plan could see a tunnel being built under Mount Everest, the China Daily said.

“The line will probably have to go through Qomolangma so that workers may have to dig some very long tunnels,” expert Wang Mengshu told the newspaper, referring to Everest by its Tibetan name.

He said that, due to the challenging Himalayan terrain with its “remarkable” changes in elevation, trains on any line to Kathmandu would probably have a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.

The proposal underscores China’s influence in the impoverished Himalayan nation, where Beijing has for years been building roads and investing billions of dollars in hydropower and telecommunications.

Chinese tourism to Nepal, which is home to eight of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 metres, is also climbing.

Beijing’s increasing role has raised alarms in New Delhi that China, already closely allied to Pakistan, is forging closer economic ties with Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Nepal in a deliberate strategy to encircle India.

In an apparent counter-move, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged late last year that South Asia’s largest economy would fund a series of regional investments and free up its markets to its neighbours’ exporters.

But India has struggled to compete with China’s financial muscle.

Chinese plans to expand the rail network in Tibet have also come under criticism from rights groups including the International Campaign for Tibet, which has warned of the project’s “dangerous implications for regional security and the fragile ecosystem of the world’s highest and largest plateau.”

“The Chinese government’s claim that rail expansion on the plateau simply benefits tourism and lifts Tibetans out of poverty does not hold up to scrutiny and cannot be taken at face value,” ICT president Matteo Mecacci said in a statement last year.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has today confirmed it will partner with city regions across the UK to offer £3 million worth of advertising space across all terminals at the UK’s only hub airport.

With over 22 million annual business travellers connecting to more than 180 destinations, the campaign seeks to increase foreign direct investment in Britain’s regions and is a unique opportunity for the participating areas to showcase why they are open for business and great places to invest, work and live.

The six participating city regions will each receive six weeks of advertising across digital platforms throughout all of Heathrow’s terminals, prime poster locations and exhibition space in arrivals halls. The North East will be the first to feature when the campaign launches on the 18th May, followed by Northern Ireland, Leeds, Glasgow, Cardiff and Bristol.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:
“As the UK’s only hub airport, Heathrow is our front door for global investors. I hope that by encouraging them to visit and invest in our great cities, we can help to grow and rebalance the British economy.”

New Delhi: Tapping on the country’s renowned supply chain, online marketplace Flipkart on April 9 said it has tied-up with the ‘Dabbawalas’ of Mumbai to ensure last mile delivery to consumers. It is also experimenting with a crowd-sourced delivery model that will connect local sellers and buyers with the help of voluntary delivery personnel, reducing delivery time.

The move comes amidst growing competition among e-commerce firms such as Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon, who are ramping up their logistics and delivery network to build a sound last mile delivery channel to beat rivals in gaining a dedicated customer base. “Dabbawalas have been in the profession of transporting lunch boxes with absolute precision for more than 120 years.

They are a huge inspiration on how to conduct business without any paper or administrative back-up to keep the costs down,” the Bangalore-based firm said in a statement. The firm has partnered with one union of the dabbawalas.

As a partner to eKart, the unique community of Dabbawalas will initially collect Flipkart marketplace shipments from the delivery hubs and deliver it to customers, while picking their dabbas, it added. At present, the person who will be part of this pilot will be involved in the last mile delivery and will not communicate with seller or merchant.

“The first batch of Dabbawalas have undergone training at Flipkart’s delivery centres. At this stage, they will be using a paper-based tracking system with the idea being to gradually train them on the usage of apps and other wearable tech,” it added.

Flipkart’s crowd-sourcing model has delivery personnel on a specialised delivery programme, post extensive background verifications, and they are free to take up deliveries as per their convenience, the firm said. It will reduce the d

The United States will not stand by while Iran provides support to Shia rebels who have seized much of Yemen, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday.
“There have been – there are, obviously – flights coming from Iran. Every single week there are flights from Iran and we’ve traced it and know this,” Kerry told PBS television in an interview.

“Iran needs to recognise that the United States is not going to stand by while the region is destabilised or while people engage in overt warfare across lines, international boundaries in other countries.”
A US-backed coalition of largely Sunni Muslim countries led by Saudi Arabia has been waging an air campaign against the Huthi rebels in a bid to restore the authority of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who was forced to flee the country.

The Huthis have seized control of large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and joined forces with security forces who have remained loyal to longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, forced from power in 2012 after a year-long, Arab Spring-inspired uprising.

Riyadh accuses Tehran, the major Shiite power, of backing the Huthis. But Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif insisted his government wanted a swift end to the fighting, which has cost more than 640 lives since March 19, according to the World Health Organization.
Kerry said Washington was not looking for confrontation with Tehran.
“But we’re not going to step away from our alliances and our friendships and the need to stand with those who feel threatened as a consequence of the choices that Iran might be making.”

It was Kerry’s first television interview since his return to Washington after negotiating a framework agreement with Iran last week reining in its controversial nuclear program.

In a bid to bring North-eastern India closer to the rest of the country, a day-long Northeast festival, featuring food, costumes, music and dance among other features is being organised at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on April 11 here.

Hosted by the Meghalaya government and sponsored by the North East Council, the festival titled “Songs and Dances of the North-East” is scheduled to be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee, organisers said here today.

Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya along with members of North East Council and other dignitaries will also be present at the occasion .

“The purpose of the festival is to connect the unique way of life of North eastern people with the rest of the country,” M War Nongbri, Director Art and Culture, Meghalaya government said.

Failing to encompass the vast North-East culture in a day’s time, Nongbri said, they settled to focus on the music and dances of the region in this first edition of the festival.

“North East is known for its diverse music, richness of cultures, colours of traditions and the sweet melodies of folklores,” Nongbri said.

Both budding and eminent bands and artistes from across the eight states will showcase their rich, vibrant, cultural ethnicity and diversity through an array of music and dance performances.

Among the popular names are bands like Shillong Chamber Choir (Meghalaya), Imphal talkies (Aizawl), Tetseo Sisters (Nagaland) and the acclaimed “Indian Idol” winner Amit Paul.

Extending a warm welcome to the rest of India to visit Nort-East, Nongri said they hope that the festival will also act as a catalyst to take up important issues associated with the region.

A baby elephant, kept in Jhargram Mini Zoo for the past one-and-a-half-months, was today taken to the Jaldapara National Park by forest department.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rabindranath Sahu said, the three-and-a-half-year-old pachyderm had been brought to the Jhargram Mini Zoo on February 21 and named ‘Durga’.

The little jumbo, of 4-5 feet height, was separated from its herd and rescued by wildlife personnel from Sankrail forest in West Midnapore district, Sahu said.

The baby elephant, which became popular among the people here, was doing fine after the journey.