Top headlines this hour
May 07, 2012 08:19
Good morning and welcome to Monday's edition of Live! News As It Happens.
The top headlines this hour:
Hillary to meet Mamata
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday as part of her three-day visit to the country, during which issues like Teesta Water Treaty and FDI are likely to come up. The meeting with the chief minister, the first such exercise by any US Secretary of State, is considered important as the Trinamool Congress chief had effectively stalled the UPA government's efforts last year for FDI in retail.
The top headlines this hour:
Hillary to meet Mamata
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday as part of her three-day visit to the country, during which issues like Teesta Water Treaty and FDI are likely to come up. The meeting with the chief minister, the first such exercise by any US Secretary of State, is considered important as the Trinamool Congress chief had effectively stalled the UPA government's efforts last year for FDI in retail.
India's missile defence shield is active
The Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed a missile defence shield which can be put in place at short notice to protect at least two cities. United States, Russia and Israel are the only other nations who have such a missile defence shield.
The shield has been tested successfully and an incoming ballistic missile with the range of up to 2,000 km can be destroyed. The system is to be upgraded to the range of 5,000 km by 2016.
France has a new President
France handed the presidency on Sunday to leftist Francois Hollande, a champion of government stimulus programs who says the state should protect the downtrodden -- a victory that could deal a death blow to the drive for austerity that has been the hallmark of Europe in recent years.
Mild and affable, the president-elect inherits a country deep in debt and divided over how to integrate immigrants while preserving its national identity. Markets will closely watch his initial moves as president.
Obama invites new French President Hollande
President Barack Obama congratulated French president-elect Francois Hollande for his victory Sunday, but warned of "challenges" ahead, a clear reference to Afghanistan and eurozone debt crisis.
The US president was among the first world leaders to welcome Hollande's election as France's first Socialist president in nearly two decades, a result sure to have major implications for Europe as it struggles to emerge from a financial crisis.
Obama invited Hollande for bilateral talks at the White House later this month ahead of a G8 leaders meeting he will host at his Camp David retreat in Maryland between May 18-19, and a NATO transatlantic alliance summit in Chicago on May 20-21.
Aarushi case: HC to hear CBI petition on Rajesh's bail plea
The Allahabad High Court on Monday is set to hear the CBI's petition seeking cancellation of the bail plea of Rajesh Talwar, one of the prime accused in Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case.
Rajesh is currently out on bail which was sanctioned by the Supreme Court.
I am no one to change anything: Aamir
Elated by the response to his much-hyped television debut on Sunday, superstar Aamir Khan said he will bring up more issues on his show Satyameva Jayate, but he does not see himself as a change-maker.
The first episode of the show, telecast on Sunday (May 6) morning, focused on the issue of female foeticide in India.
"I am no one to bring change or solve anything... neither (is) the government. I can only keep the issues in front of everyone. The change should come from within. One person cannot improve or bring solution to an issue," Aamir told reporters.
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