PTI Aug 22, 2014, 03.59PM IST

(Naidu's attention was also)

MUMBAI: The Pune Metro project would get the Union Cabinet nod soon, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said here today.

Naidu informed this to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, during a meeting at the state government's Sahyadri guest house in south Mumbai.

"The Chief Minister invited Naidu for the 'bhumipujan' of the Colaba to Seepz phase three of Mumbai Metro and he accepted the invitation," an official said, after the meeting.

The administration of urban local bodies is becoming challenging in view of the rapid urbanisation and an all-India cadre for urban administration is needed, Chavan said.

"Naidu immediately agreed to the Chief Minister's proposal," the official said.

Naidu's attention was also drawn towards the encroachment of land in Mumbai belonging to defence, railway and port trust.

The Union Minister was informed about the work done by the slum rehabilitation authority and MHADA and the problems faced by them.

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Union Cabinet nod to Pune Metro soon: Venkaiah Naidu

Details Published on Wednesday, 20 August 2014 19:27

Former Cabinet minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim says the political intrigue over the Selangor MBs post has now exposed that the tripartite pact comprising PKR, PAS and DAP as an inferior alternative to the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. Picture by Saw Siow Feng KUALA LUMPUR A state election is the only acceptable solution to the crisis inflicted on Selangor through Pakatan Rakyats political machinations to remove Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as mentri besar, a former Cabinet minister said today.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said the pact has disappointed Selangor residents by trying to get rid of a mentri besar who steered the state with some integrity and professionalism from the time PR took the reins in 2008.

He also said the political intrigue over the Selangor MBs post has now exposed that the tripartite pact comprising PKR, PAS and DAP as an inferior alternative to the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

The people want a function government and leaders who are able to plan and move the country forward. If there is a better choice than the Barisan Nasional, they will go for it, he said in list latest posting on his blog, the Zaidgeist.

Unfortunately, there is none. There may be more corruption under Barisan rule than many would like, but the Barisan has shown its ability to govern without breaking one another's necks and changing mentri besar for no reason at all.

Rather than using its administration of the countrys richest state to showcase its potential as a replacement for BN, Zaid said the pact failed to display the expected political maturity and instead delivered false hope to the public.

Zaid, who quit as de-facto law minister during Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration and had a brief stint with PKR, slammed his former party for wanting to replace Khalid with president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, despite previously touting the former as a credible leader worthy of leading a state administration.

Zaid said PR are now intent on installing a replacement whose greatest strength is complete adulation for and subservience towards her husband, referring to PKR de-facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

While PR has now reached an uneasy consensus to back Dr Wan Azizah for the post, Zaid asserted that the decision was motivated by political expedience rather than any common goal or direction..

Originally posted here:
In Damning Critique Of Pakatan, Zaid Says Selangor Polls The Only Real Answer

Editors Note Updates with details of visit. Adds background in tribal schools.

PERRY, Maine (AP) _ U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell took a firsthand look at a tribal school as they promoted President Barack Obama's goals for education reform.

The two members of Obama's cabinet on Monday visited the Beatrice Rafferty School, located on the Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point reservation, which serves more than 100 students. They were joined by Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Monty Roessel, along with Pleasant Point Chief Clayton Cleaves and Principal Mike Chadwick.

The two secretaries convened a study group last year to assess issues within Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools, which are among the lowest-performing schools in the country.

Last month, the study group issued a Blueprint for Reform. Goals for the 183 elementary and secondary schools and dormitories that are part of the Bureau of Indian Education include high-speed Internet, additional training for teachers and greater spending flexibility for tribal schools when it comes to meeting education goals.

The Beatrice Rafferty School, which was built in the 1970s, is due for replacement with federal funds. The funding was announced by Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree earlier this year.

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2 cabinet members visit tribal school in Maine

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday (August 14th) announced that National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director General Michael Gichangi has resigned for "personal reasons".

Gichangi was appointed in 2006 for a five year term and his appointment was renewed in 2011.

"Gichangi had a distinguished and colourful career spanning four decades in Kenya's defence forces, where he rose through the ranks to major general," Kenyatta said in a statement. "He has played his role as director general of NIS with commitment, dedication and professionalism, for which our country is grateful."

Kenyatta added that he has asked Gichangi to remain in the post until a replacement is found.

The president also announced a host of other personnel changes, including a reshuffle of eight principal secretaries, notably Mutea Iringo who moves from the Interior Ministry to the Ministry of Defence and Monica Juma who moves to the Interior Ministry.

Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia was also moved to the less powerful position of Secretary of the Cabinet, Kenya's Daily Nation reported.

Kenyatta said the changes were necessary in order to improve service delivery and "realign the assignment of portfolio responsibility of the government".

Kenyatta also announced former Finance Minister Njeru Githae as the Kenya's new Ambassador to the United States, filling a post that has been vacant for a year.

Continue reading here:
Kenya: Intelligence Chief Resigns, Kenyatta Announces Cabinet Reshuffle

Sameer N. Yacoub and Qassim Abdul-Zahra, The Associated Press Published Thursday, August 14, 2014 7:26AM EDT Last Updated Thursday, August 14, 2014 9:49PM EDT

BAGHDAD -- Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister for the past eight years, relinquished the post to his nominated replacement late Thursday, ending a political deadlock that has plunged the country into uncertainty as it fights a Sunni militant insurgency.

Standing alongside fellow Dawa Party member, Haider-al-Abadi, al-Maliki said he was stepping aside in favour of his "brother," in order to "facilitate the political process and government formation."

Al-Maliki said the decision to back al-Abadi reflected his desire to "safeguard the high interests of the country," adding that he would not be the cause of any bloodshed. "My post is your confidence in me," he declared in a televised address.

Al-Maliki has been struggling for weeks to stay on for a third four-year term as prime minister amid an attempt by opponents to push him out, accusing him of monopolizing power and pursuing a fiercely pro-Shiite agenda that has alienated the Sunni minority.

The pressure intensified this week when his Shiite political alliance backed al-Abadi to replace him, and President Fouad Massoum nominated al-Abadi to form the next government. Al-Maliki for days has refused to step aside, threatening legal action against the president for what he said was a violation of the constitution.

But in a meeting of his party earlier Thursday, al-Maliki agreed to endorse al-Abadi as the next prime minister, two senior lawmakers from his State of Law parliamentary bloc -- Hussein al-Maliki and Khalaf Abdul-Samad -- told the Associated Press.

The lawmakers said al-Maliki also agreed to drop a suit before the constitutional court challenging al-Abadi's nomination.

Al-Maliki had grown increasingly isolated as he was deserted not only by his Shiite allies but also top ally Iran, the United States and the U.N. backed al-Abadi, who has 30-days to put together a Cabinet for parliament's approval.

The U.N. Security Council urged al-Abadi to work swiftly to form "an inclusive government that represents all segments of the Iraqi population and that contributes to finding a viable and sustainable solution to the country's current challenges."

See the original post:
Iraq's Al-Maliki steps down as PM, endorses replacement

Al-Maliki announced his resignation in an address on Iraqi state television late Thursday, finally bowing to pressure from within Iraq and abroad, after being widely blamed for alienating Iraqs Sunni minority from which "Islamic State" (IS) militants have drawn support.

"I announce before you today, to ease the movement of the political process and the formation of the new government, the withdrawal of my candidacy in favor of brother Dr. Haider al-Abadi," said Maliki, standing next to his designated successor in front of rolling TV cameras.

Pressure to step down

The pressure on al-Maliki to resign intensified this week when his Shiite political alliance announced they would back al-Abadi, who President Fouad Massoum nominated on Monday to form the next government. Al-Maliki refused to step aside, claiming the nomination violated the constitution.

Al-Maliki had also grown increasingly isolated after top Shiite ally Iran, the United States and the UN announced their backing of al-Abadi, who now has 30 days to assemble a cabinet for the parliaments approval.

The UN Security Council has called on al-Abadi to work swiftly to form "an inclusive government that represents all segments of the Iraqi population and that contributes to finding a viable and sustainable solution to the country's current challenges."

Washington and its Western allies have been pushing for an inclusive government that will ease anger among Sunnis, which helped fuel the spread of IS fighters over much of northern and western Iraq over the past months.

Those advances have driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes since June, and last week prompted the Obama administration to launch airlifts and airstrikes as the militants threatened religious minorities - including Yazidis - in the largely autonomous Kurdish region.

glb/hc (Reuters, AP, dpa)

Read more here:
Iraq PM steps down, endorses replacement

Aug. 15, 2014, 7:30 a.m.

COMMENT: A year after a landslide election win seems too soon to have a ministerial reshuffle, but with his government languishing in the polls, a number of ministers performing poorly and an unrepresentative cabinet, Prime Minister Tony Abbott must surely consider this in coming months.

A year after a landslide election win seems too soon to have a ministerial reshuffle, but with his government languishing in the polls, a number of ministers performing poorly and an unrepresentative cabinet, Prime Minister Tony Abbott must surely consider this in coming months.

Stunts like flying across the world, supposedly to offer condolences to the government and people of the Netherlands on their losses suffered in the flight MH17 atrocity, will not be enough to win over the Australian electorate.

While they may deflect attention from the awful budget and get the Prime Minister out of the difficult task of negotiating deals with the Senate crossbenchers, they are unlikely to give Abbott enough world-leader status to increase his long-term vote.

For that, a real game-changer is required.

The first and most obvious option is to jettison key parts of the budget, a suggestion clearly flagged by former Coalition treasurer and experienced political operator Peter Costello. Such a move, particularly the dumping of Abbotts paid parental leave scheme, would be welcomed by many of his parliamentary colleagues, including members of his own frontbench.

Unfortunately Treasurer Joe Hockey is sticking with the budget prescription and has even suggested a bigger dose of medicine should have been prescribed.

The second option is a major revamp of the ministry.

From the start, Abbotts cabinet has been unrepresentative. It is not just that it has only one woman. One of its problems is that the men themselves are unrepresentative, a disproportionate number holding conservative views on social issues such as abortion and homosexuality.

See the article here:
Time for Tony Abbott to reshuffle the ministerial deck

Al-Maliki announced his resignation in an address on Iraqi state television late Thursday, finally bowing to pressure from within Iraq and abroad, after being widely blamed for alienating Iraqs Sunni minority from which "Islamic State" (IS) militants have drawn support.

"I announce before you today, to ease the movement of the political process and the formation of the new government, the withdrawal of my candidacy in favor of brother Dr. Haider al-Abadi," said Maliki, standing next to his designated successor in front of rolling TV cameras.

Pressure to step down

The pressure on al-Maliki to resign intensified this week when his Shiite political alliance announced they would back al-Abadi, who President Fouad Massoum nominated on Monday to form the next government. Al-Maliki refused to step aside, claiming the nomination violated the constitution.

Al-Maliki had also grown increasingly isolated after top Shiite ally Iran, the United States and the UN announced their backing of al-Abadi, who now has 30 days to assemble a cabinet for the parliaments approval.

The UN Security Council has called on al-Abadi to work swiftly to form "an inclusive government that represents all segments of the Iraqi population and that contributes to finding a viable and sustainable solution to the country's current challenges."

Washington and its Western allies have been pushing for an inclusive government that will ease anger among Sunnis, which helped fuel the spread of IS fighters over much of northern and western Iraq over the past months.

Those advances have driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes since June, and last week prompted the Obama administration to launch airlifts and airstrikes as the militants threatened religious minorities - including Yazidis - in the largely autonomous Kurdish region.

glb/hc (Reuters, AP, dpa)

Go here to read the rest:
Iraq PM al-Maliki steps down, endorses replacement

Boyle County Fiscal Court chugged through a full slate on Tuesday topped off by a slew of Public Works items.

A priority was signing an agreement between the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Department of Rural and Municipal Aid and the county for $152,000 in Rural Secondary funding to rebuild bridges at Craintown Road and Wards Branch Road.

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See original here:
Fiscal Court discusses repaving, bridge replacement projects

Recently reelected Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced the replacement of several key cabinet ministers, including mines and energy ministry Minminas head Amylkar Acosta, the presidential website reported.

The challenges during Acosta's four years as minister were many. His efforts to pass a new mining code and begin regulating Colombia's prolific informal mining sector were met with legal delays, community opposition and complications stemming from the involvement of organized crime and left-wing guerrillas in the sector.

In terms of hydrocarbons, Acosta was confronted this year with frequent infrastructure attacks by guerrilla groups FARC and ELN. Frequent pipeline shutdowns resulting from these attacks caused Colombia to lower its 2014 production goal this year. In addition, the country suffered an arguably disappointing oil and gas licensing round this year, with bids and investment commitments falling below expectations.

Toms Gonzlez will replace Acosta. As the former deputy minister of mines and energy, Gonzlez is well acquainted with the situation he is inheriting. His first challenges will be passing new mining licensing rules and possibly attracting more hydrocarbons investment, through a second mini oil and gas round planned this month.

Issues stemming from guerrilla involvement in illegal mining and attacks on energy infrastructure are related more to politics and largely out of Gonzlez's control. It is worth noting that Santos retained defense minister Juan Carlos Pinzn, likely signaling a continuation of Colombia's current security strategy.

BNamericas will host its fourth LatAm Power Generation Summit in Santiago, Chile, on August 13-14. Click here to download the agenda. Live streaming of the event can be seen here.

Originally posted here:
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