Politicians, Judges Stand up as Citizens For Yakub Memon, File Mercy Plea
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NEW DELHI: A group of eminent citizens, including noted jurists and retired judges, have submitted a fresh mercy petition to President Pranab Mukherjee, urging him to commute the death sentence of Yakub Memon, convicted as a co-conspirator in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
Among those who signed the petition were leaders from across the political spectrum - CPM chief Sitaram Yechury, former general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI's D Raja, Congress's Mani Shankar Aiyar and BJP's Shatrughan Sinha. Others included retired Supreme Court judges HS Bedi and PB Sawant, jurist Ram Jethmalanai, advocate Prashant Bhushan, actor Naseeruddin Shah, film maker Mahesh Bhatt and social activist Tushar Gandhi.
The petition put forth a number of arguments against hanging Yakub Memon, and giving him a life sentence instead. Among them was an argument that says Yakub Memon has been certified as "mentally unstable and suffering from schizophrenia", and that the Supreme Court had earlier held that such a person should not be hanged.
The petition from the citizens' group also alleged that Memon's lawyers could not attend "death warrant hearing" as it had been held without due notice.
The signatories also argued that the Supreme Court had "applied a different yardstick to Yakub Memon", after having the commuted the death sentences of 10 others who had been handed the death sentence by the TADA court.
"In comparison to Yakub Memon, the 10 co-accused persons whose death sentences were commuted planted the bombs themselves and played a much more critical and direct role in the actual execution of the bomb blast conspiracy," the petition read.
Speaking in Kolkata about the mercy petition, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, however took a careful position. "We believe that Yakub Memon is guilty and needs to be punished. But, we want his death sentence to be commuted to a life sentence," said Mr Yechury, whose party is principally opposed to capital punishment.
NEW DELHI: A group of eminent citizens, including noted jurists and retired judges, have submitted a fresh mercy petition to President Pranab Mukherjee, urging him to commute the death sentence of Yakub Memon, convicted as a co-conspirator in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.Among those who signed the petition were leaders from across the political spectrum - CPM chief Sitaram Yechury, former general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI's D Raja, Congress's Mani Shankar Aiyar and BJP's Shatrughan Sinha. Others included retired Supreme Court judges HS Bedi and PB Sawant, jurist Ram Jethmalanai, advocate Prashant Bhushan, actor Naseeruddin Shah, film maker Mahesh Bhatt and social activist Tushar Gandhi.
The petition put forth a number of arguments against hanging Yakub Memon, and giving him a life sentence instead. Among them was an argument that says Yakub Memon has been certified as "mentally unstable and suffering from schizophrenia", and that the Supreme Court had earlier held that such a person should not be hanged.
The petition from the citizens' group also alleged that Memon's lawyers could not attend "death warrant hearing" as it had been held without due notice.
The signatories also argued that the Supreme Court had "applied a different yardstick to Yakub Memon", after having the commuted the death sentences of 10 others who had been handed the death sentence by the TADA court.
"In comparison to Yakub Memon, the 10 co-accused persons whose death sentences were commuted planted the bombs themselves and played a much more critical and direct role in the actual execution of the bomb blast conspiracy," the petition read.
Speaking in Kolkata about the mercy petition, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, however took a careful position. "We believe that Yakub Memon is guilty and needs to be punished. But, we want his death sentence to be commuted to a life sentence," said Mr Yechury, whose party is principally opposed to capital punishment.
PM Narendra Modi May Revisit Bihar in August
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PATNA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Bihar again next month to address a rally ahead of the upcoming state assembly polls, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said today.
After the Muzaffarpur public rally, PM Modi is likely to address a public meeting in Gaya, about 100 km from here on August 9.
"It will be the second public meeting of Modi in Bihar and he may address more public meetings in the state ahead of the upcoming polls in October-November," said BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, a former deputy chief minister of Bihar.
"Modi may address two public meetings in Bhagalpur and Purnea after Gaya. The Bihar unit of BJP has requested Modi to address at least three more rallies after Muzaffarpur," he added.
PM Modi addressed a public meeting in Muzaffarpur on July 25.
According to BJP leaders here, the party has decided to speed up its campaign aggressively to counter the grand alliance of Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.
On July 16, BJP President Amit Shah launched the party's high-tech 'Parivartan Rath' campaign for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.
After the Muzaffarpur public rally, PM Modi is likely to address a public meeting in Gaya, about 100 km from here on August 9.
"It will be the second public meeting of Modi in Bihar and he may address more public meetings in the state ahead of the upcoming polls in October-November," said BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, a former deputy chief minister of Bihar.
"Modi may address two public meetings in Bhagalpur and Purnea after Gaya. The Bihar unit of BJP has requested Modi to address at least three more rallies after Muzaffarpur," he added.
PM Modi addressed a public meeting in Muzaffarpur on July 25.
According to BJP leaders here, the party has decided to speed up its campaign aggressively to counter the grand alliance of Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.
On July 16, BJP President Amit Shah launched the party's high-tech 'Parivartan Rath' campaign for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.
Telangana to Launch Rs. 25,000 Crore Rural Development Scheme
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HYDERABAD: Telangana will spend Rs. 25,000 crore in five years for rural development, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced today.
The money will be spent under a new scheme 'Gram Jyoti', which will be launched on August 15, Independence Day.
The chief minister said each village will be alloted Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 6 crore depending on the population.
The scheme is aimed at strengthening panchayat raj system and to allow gram panchayats to formulate their own development plans.
Mr Rao, as the chief minister is popularly known, constituted a cabinet sub-committee to frame modalities for the scheme.
TERI has faced criticism for not taking action against Dr Pachauri sooner.
A world-famous climate scientist and chief of the UN's top body on climate change for 13 years, Dr Pachauri resigned in February after a researcher said he had sexually harassed her since 2013. Earlier this month, a court allowed him to return to the organization, but said two branches would remain off-limits till the police investigation against him is completed.
In protest, several TERI employees shared their objections with the governing council, in lieu of their original plan to strike work.
The 29-year-old complainant had criticised the governing council for their "silence and inaction".
He was "welcomed back to his office with garlands and flowers, while I am being shunted out of work", she said.
The governing council of TERI includes India Inc luminaries like Naina Lal Kidwai, Kiran Shaw and Deepak Parekh.
"It was a responsible decision to appoint a successor. This will prevent the snowballing of a very controversial issue," .
HYDERABAD: Telangana will spend Rs. 25,000 crore in five years for rural development, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced today.The money will be spent under a new scheme 'Gram Jyoti', which will be launched on August 15, Independence Day.
The chief minister said each village will be alloted Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 6 crore depending on the population.
The scheme is aimed at strengthening panchayat raj system and to allow gram panchayats to formulate their own development plans.
Mr Rao, as the chief minister is popularly known, constituted a cabinet sub-committee to frame modalities for the scheme.
TERI has faced criticism for not taking action against Dr Pachauri sooner.
A world-famous climate scientist and chief of the UN's top body on climate change for 13 years, Dr Pachauri resigned in February after a researcher said he had sexually harassed her since 2013. Earlier this month, a court allowed him to return to the organization, but said two branches would remain off-limits till the police investigation against him is completed.
In protest, several TERI employees shared their objections with the governing council, in lieu of their original plan to strike work.
The 29-year-old complainant had criticised the governing council for their "silence and inaction".
He was "welcomed back to his office with garlands and flowers, while I am being shunted out of work", she said.
The governing council of TERI includes India Inc luminaries like Naina Lal Kidwai, Kiran Shaw and Deepak Parekh.
"It was a responsible decision to appoint a successor. This will prevent the snowballing of a very controversial issue," .
Rains Forecast Across India
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NEW DELHI: Many parts of India are set to receive heavy to very heavy rains over the next two days, the Indian Meteorological Department said today.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur in parts of Gujarat region, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, West Bengal and Konkan-Goa belt during the next 48 hours starting from Sunday, National Weather Forecasting Centre chief Brahma Prakash Yadav said.
Heavy rainfall would occur at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, he added.
Till July 22, rainfall was below normal by 12 per cent, he added
NEW DELHI: Many parts of India are set to receive heavy to very heavy rains over the next two days, the Indian Meteorological Department said today.Heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur in parts of Gujarat region, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, West Bengal and Konkan-Goa belt during the next 48 hours starting from Sunday, National Weather Forecasting Centre chief Brahma Prakash Yadav said.
Heavy rainfall would occur at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, he added.
Till July 22, rainfall was below normal by 12 per cent, he added
Salman Khan Retracts Tweet on Yakub Memon With an Apology
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MUMBAI: After a day of protests, actor Salman Khan retracted his tweets on Yakub Memon -- the man on death row for the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.
Late last night, the actor had tweeted saying Yakub should not be hanged and instead, his brother Tiger Memon, the absconding main accused in the case, should be sent to the gallows. The tweets, one of which said, "1 innocent man killed is killing the humanity," were deleted.
The tweets triggered a storm of protests, with flag carrying, slogan shouting members of the local BJP holding a demonstration outside his home. Some of them were detained by the police, who had strengthened security outside the residence of Mr Khan in the afternoon. In the evening, Mr Khan tweeted:
Earlier, Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar met the Governor, appealing that the bail of Mr Khan, who is an accused in several cases, be cancelled."I have appealed that Salman Khan is himself a convicted person and he spoke in favour of another convicted person... So his bail plea should be cancelled," he said.
During the day, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had said he would raise the issue in Parliament. "Salman Khan ne Desh ki Mafi magni chahiye (Salman Khan should apologise to the country)," he had tweeted.
Yoga teacher Ramdev, too, had said, "It is important to teach lesson to anti nationals... People who support anti-national activities on humanitarian grounds should also be punished."
Mr Khan's father, noted screenwriter Salim Khan, had also expressed his disapproval. "He (Salman) should not say anything about these kind of serious topics without any knowledge. Salman is ignorant of the issue and people should not take him seriously," Salim Khan said.
Tiger Memon had allegedly masterminded the blast along with Dawood Ibrahim -- both have been on the run since 1993. Of the 11 people convicted in the case, Yakub Memon, who had maintained that he knew nothing of the conspiracy, was the only one to be given the death sentence.
The case has reopened the debate about the death penalty. This afternoon, a group of eminent citizens filed a new mercy petition before President Pranab Mukherjee, asking for a relook at the execution order for Yakub Memon.
Memon is to be executed on July 30, which also happens to be his 52nd birthday. He has already filed a mercy petition with the Maharashtra Governor and a petition in the Supreme Court asking for a stay on the death warrant. The plea will be heard on Monday.
MUMBAI: After a day of protests, actor Salman Khan retracted his tweets on Yakub Memon -- the man on death row for the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.Late last night, the actor had tweeted saying Yakub should not be hanged and instead, his brother Tiger Memon, the absconding main accused in the case, should be sent to the gallows. The tweets, one of which said, "1 innocent man killed is killing the humanity," were deleted.
The tweets triggered a storm of protests, with flag carrying, slogan shouting members of the local BJP holding a demonstration outside his home. Some of them were detained by the police, who had strengthened security outside the residence of Mr Khan in the afternoon. In the evening, Mr Khan tweeted:
Earlier, Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar met the Governor, appealing that the bail of Mr Khan, who is an accused in several cases, be cancelled."I have appealed that Salman Khan is himself a convicted person and he spoke in favour of another convicted person... So his bail plea should be cancelled," he said.
During the day, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had said he would raise the issue in Parliament. "Salman Khan ne Desh ki Mafi magni chahiye (Salman Khan should apologise to the country)," he had tweeted.
Yoga teacher Ramdev, too, had said, "It is important to teach lesson to anti nationals... People who support anti-national activities on humanitarian grounds should also be punished."
Mr Khan's father, noted screenwriter Salim Khan, had also expressed his disapproval. "He (Salman) should not say anything about these kind of serious topics without any knowledge. Salman is ignorant of the issue and people should not take him seriously," Salim Khan said.
Tiger Memon had allegedly masterminded the blast along with Dawood Ibrahim -- both have been on the run since 1993. Of the 11 people convicted in the case, Yakub Memon, who had maintained that he knew nothing of the conspiracy, was the only one to be given the death sentence.
The case has reopened the debate about the death penalty. This afternoon, a group of eminent citizens filed a new mercy petition before President Pranab Mukherjee, asking for a relook at the execution order for Yakub Memon.
Memon is to be executed on July 30, which also happens to be his 52nd birthday. He has already filed a mercy petition with the Maharashtra Governor and a petition in the Supreme Court asking for a stay on the death warrant. The plea will be heard on Monday.
Yakub Memon Did Not Talk of Surrender, Say Prosecutor, TADA Judge
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MUMBAI/CHANDIGARH: As questions are being raised on whether the prosecution concealed certain "mitigating factors" that might have led to a lighter sentence for Yakub Memon, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam has denied any knowledge of what transpired between him and the intelligence agencies when he was arrested in 1994.
"Yakub Memon never stated on oath that he "surrendered", which he was legally competent to do. As a public prosecutor, I had no knowledge of any alleged theory of surrender," .
His response came after former Supreme Court judge Justice HS Bedi raised questions on the role of the prosecution, on the basis of an article by former Research and Analysis Wing officer late B Raman, who led the operation to bring Memon back to India.
"Prosecutors should be fair to both sides, these days they withhold evidence which are in favour of the accused," He said in view of Mr Raman's reputation, the matter needs to be reinvestigated and "if something comes out in favour of the accused, he should get the benefit, failing which the execution can take place at a later date."
In an article written in 2007 but published now -- two years after Mr Raman's death - by news website rediff.com, Mr Raman wrote that some "some mitigating circumstances" were "probably not brought to the notice of the court by the prosecution... in their eagerness to obtain the death penalty."
He described the "mitigating circumstances" as Memon's cooperation with the investigating agencies "and his role in persuading some other members of the family to surrender"
Retired Justice PD Kode, who had presided over the Tada court that pronounced the death sentence in 2007, refuted the surrender theory.
"Yakub never gave any details to the court about this so-called "surrender". When, where and to which officer did he surrender? What were the assurances given to him? This is an afterthought. Even if he had, it cannot be taken as a mitigating factor,".
MUMBAI/CHANDIGARH: As questions are being raised on whether the prosecution concealed certain "mitigating factors" that might have led to a lighter sentence for Yakub Memon, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam has denied any knowledge of what transpired between him and the intelligence agencies when he was arrested in 1994. His response came after former Supreme Court judge Justice HS Bedi raised questions on the role of the prosecution, on the basis of an article by former Research and Analysis Wing officer late B Raman, who led the operation to bring Memon back to India.
"Prosecutors should be fair to both sides, these days they withhold evidence which are in favour of the accused," He said in view of Mr Raman's reputation, the matter needs to be reinvestigated and "if something comes out in favour of the accused, he should get the benefit, failing which the execution can take place at a later date."
In an article written in 2007 but published now -- two years after Mr Raman's death - by news website rediff.com, Mr Raman wrote that some "some mitigating circumstances" were "probably not brought to the notice of the court by the prosecution... in their eagerness to obtain the death penalty."
He described the "mitigating circumstances" as Memon's cooperation with the investigating agencies "and his role in persuading some other members of the family to surrender"
Retired Justice PD Kode, who had presided over the Tada court that pronounced the death sentence in 2007, refuted the surrender theory.
"Yakub never gave any details to the court about this so-called "surrender". When, where and to which officer did he surrender? What were the assurances given to him? This is an afterthought. Even if he had, it cannot be taken as a mitigating factor,".
Scientists to Hunt for Alien Life on Jupiter's Moons
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LONDON: After a successful mission to Pluto last week, scientists are preparing to launch a probe to search for life on the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter, media reports said.
Earlier this week, the European Space Agency announced that it would collaborate with aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus to launch a space probe in 2022 to look for extra-terrestrial existence on the four icy moons -- Titan, Saturn's largest moon and the ocean-bearing worlds of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto of Jupiter, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday.
Dubbed as the "Juice" (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) spacecraft, the mission will look whether the frozen worlds that surround the two giant gaseous planets could support extra-terrestrial life.
"All our current exciting and fascinating space missions have been dealing with either understanding the origins of life and our Solar System or finding exoplanets (planets that revolve around a star other than the Sun) that might host Earth-like planets," Daniel Brown, an astronomy expert from Nottingham Trent University, was quoted as saying.
"But, life doesn't have to exist on planets like Earth, it could also have developed in oceans within icy moons around Jupiter like gas giants," he added.
It is hoped that micro-organisms or even fish-like creatures may be present in deep-water hydrothermal vents, known as 'black smokers', which are known to harbour life on Earth.
"Juice will be exploring the Titan and three Galilean moons of Jupiter thought to harbour oceans under their surface. It will give us a much better understanding what lies beneath the icy crust and how it could offer an environment for life to develop."
The probe will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket which would spend seven and a half years slingshotting around Earth, Mars and Venus to pick up enough speed to get to the Jupiter system with as little fuel as possible.
For three and a half years, the spacecraft will sweep around the giant planet, exploring its turbulent atmosphere, enormous magnetosphere, and tenuous set of dark rings, as well as studying the icy moons -- Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto.
The probe will start with Callisto before making two fly-bys of Europa, where it will study the icy surface.
LONDON: After a successful mission to Pluto last week, scientists are preparing to launch a probe to search for life on the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter, media reports said.Earlier this week, the European Space Agency announced that it would collaborate with aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus to launch a space probe in 2022 to look for extra-terrestrial existence on the four icy moons -- Titan, Saturn's largest moon and the ocean-bearing worlds of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto of Jupiter, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday.
Dubbed as the "Juice" (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) spacecraft, the mission will look whether the frozen worlds that surround the two giant gaseous planets could support extra-terrestrial life.
"All our current exciting and fascinating space missions have been dealing with either understanding the origins of life and our Solar System or finding exoplanets (planets that revolve around a star other than the Sun) that might host Earth-like planets," Daniel Brown, an astronomy expert from Nottingham Trent University, was quoted as saying.
"But, life doesn't have to exist on planets like Earth, it could also have developed in oceans within icy moons around Jupiter like gas giants," he added.
It is hoped that micro-organisms or even fish-like creatures may be present in deep-water hydrothermal vents, known as 'black smokers', which are known to harbour life on Earth.
"Juice will be exploring the Titan and three Galilean moons of Jupiter thought to harbour oceans under their surface. It will give us a much better understanding what lies beneath the icy crust and how it could offer an environment for life to develop."
The probe will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket which would spend seven and a half years slingshotting around Earth, Mars and Venus to pick up enough speed to get to the Jupiter system with as little fuel as possible.
For three and a half years, the spacecraft will sweep around the giant planet, exploring its turbulent atmosphere, enormous magnetosphere, and tenuous set of dark rings, as well as studying the icy moons -- Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto.
The probe will start with Callisto before making two fly-bys of Europa, where it will study the icy surface.
Barack Obama to Wade Into South Sudan Peace Drive
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ADDIS ABABA: US President Barack Obama will on Monday try to build African support for tough action against South Sudan's warring leaders if they reject an August peace ultimatum, US officials said.
Obama will meet with leaders from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda as well as Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour in Addis Ababa to try and build a collective front to end the 19-month-old civil war in the world's youngest nation.
Signalling a deeper commitment to ending violence that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than two million from their homes, Obama is expected to make the case for tougher sanctions and a possible arms embargo.
South Sudan's rival leaders -- who will not be at the meeting -- effectively face an ultimatum to accept a peace deal by August 17.
Multiple agreements and ceasefires have failed, leaving violence and human rights atrocities unchecked.
The latest agreement would sketch out rules for governance of the economy and the security sector and institute power-sharing between President Salva Kiir and his rival and former vice president Riek Machar, who now leads a rebel army.
It could also establish a body to investigate possible genocide and war crimes.
If the ethnic and political rivals do not support or implement the deal, punitive measures may follow, along with efforts to push the two leaders aside.
Speaking in Kenya on Saturday, Obama described the situation in South Sudan as "dire" as he called on leaders to "put their country first" -- alluding to growing international sentiment that Kiir and Machar's personal rivalry is at the heart of the widespread carnage.
Reluctant Custodian
South Sudan, midwifed into existence by US cash and support in 2011, has faltered badly in its infancy, and the Obama administration has been accused of abandoning the fragile nation.
"America bears a unique responsibility to end the war in South Sudan given its role in the creation of the country," said Casie Copeland of the International Crisis Group.
"The failure to more seriously try and bring about peace is an abdication of its moral responsibility."
Obama has been urged to use his political weight to solve the crisis, with advocates saying it offers him the prospect of a lasting presidential legacy in Africa.
He is wildly popular in South Sudan, as in other parts of East Africa.
But White House aides are said to be reluctant, seeing little chance of success while the United States faces more immediate national security threats.
At minimum, rights groups want to see the Obama administration take a tougher stance.
"President Obama should use his engagement on the issue to make clear that there will be accountability for economic crimes, including pillage and grand corruption," said Akshaya Kumar of the Enough Project.
The White House has also been criticised for not pressing regional allies hard enough, particularly Uganda, whose troops are fighting alongside Kiir's army and against the rebels. Sudan is accused of aiding the rebels.
Both countries play a part in the troubled East African effort to resolve the crisis, led by the regional eight-nation IGAD bloc, and will be the focus of attention on Monday.
The IGAD initiative -- which includes many of the parties scheduled to be at Monday's meeting -- is widely seen as a failure.
The IGAD peace process has seen scores of South Sudanese delegates hosted in luxury hotels in Addis Ababa at a cost of at least $20 million (18 million euros), and each peace agreement quickly falling apart -- sometimes within hours.
Obama will meet with leaders from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda as well as Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour in Addis Ababa to try and build a collective front to end the 19-month-old civil war in the world's youngest nation.
Signalling a deeper commitment to ending violence that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than two million from their homes, Obama is expected to make the case for tougher sanctions and a possible arms embargo.
South Sudan's rival leaders -- who will not be at the meeting -- effectively face an ultimatum to accept a peace deal by August 17.
Multiple agreements and ceasefires have failed, leaving violence and human rights atrocities unchecked.
The latest agreement would sketch out rules for governance of the economy and the security sector and institute power-sharing between President Salva Kiir and his rival and former vice president Riek Machar, who now leads a rebel army.
It could also establish a body to investigate possible genocide and war crimes.
If the ethnic and political rivals do not support or implement the deal, punitive measures may follow, along with efforts to push the two leaders aside.
Speaking in Kenya on Saturday, Obama described the situation in South Sudan as "dire" as he called on leaders to "put their country first" -- alluding to growing international sentiment that Kiir and Machar's personal rivalry is at the heart of the widespread carnage.
Reluctant Custodian
South Sudan, midwifed into existence by US cash and support in 2011, has faltered badly in its infancy, and the Obama administration has been accused of abandoning the fragile nation.
"America bears a unique responsibility to end the war in South Sudan given its role in the creation of the country," said Casie Copeland of the International Crisis Group.
"The failure to more seriously try and bring about peace is an abdication of its moral responsibility."
Obama has been urged to use his political weight to solve the crisis, with advocates saying it offers him the prospect of a lasting presidential legacy in Africa.
He is wildly popular in South Sudan, as in other parts of East Africa.
But White House aides are said to be reluctant, seeing little chance of success while the United States faces more immediate national security threats.
At minimum, rights groups want to see the Obama administration take a tougher stance.
"President Obama should use his engagement on the issue to make clear that there will be accountability for economic crimes, including pillage and grand corruption," said Akshaya Kumar of the Enough Project.
The White House has also been criticised for not pressing regional allies hard enough, particularly Uganda, whose troops are fighting alongside Kiir's army and against the rebels. Sudan is accused of aiding the rebels.
Both countries play a part in the troubled East African effort to resolve the crisis, led by the regional eight-nation IGAD bloc, and will be the focus of attention on Monday.
The IGAD initiative -- which includes many of the parties scheduled to be at Monday's meeting -- is widely seen as a failure.
The IGAD peace process has seen scores of South Sudanese delegates hosted in luxury hotels in Addis Ababa at a cost of at least $20 million (18 million euros), and each peace agreement quickly falling apart -- sometimes within hours.
COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE PRACTICE QUESTIONS
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1. Which of the following groups consists of only output devices?
(A) Scanner, Printer, Monitor (B) Keyboard, Printer, Monitor
(C) Mouse, Printer, Monitor (D) Plotter, Printer, Monitor
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2. A(n) ……….contains commands that can be selected.
(A) pointer (B) menu (C) icon (D) button
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3. A collection of related information sorted and dealt with as a unit is a–
(A) disk (B) data (C) file (D) floppy
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4. An error is also known as–
(A) bug (B) debug (C) cursor (D) icon
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5. Which part of the computer helps to store information?
(A) Disk drive (B) Keyboard (C) Monitor (D) Printer
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6. The process of a computer receiving information from a server on the Internet is known as–
(A) pulling (B) pushing (C) downloading (D) transferring
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7. Which of the following refers to the fastest, biggest and most expensive computers?
(A) Personal Computers (B) Supercomputers (C) Laptops (D) Notebooks
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8. The role of a ……….generally is to determine a buyer's needs and match it to the correct hardware and software.
(A) computer scientist (B) computer sales representative
(C) computer consultant (D) corporate trainer
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9. A series of instructions that tells a computer what to do and how to do it is called a–
(A) program (B) command (C) user response (D) processor
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10. ……….is a set of keywords, symbols, and a system of rules for constructing statements by which humans can communicate the instructions to be executed by a computer.
(A) A computer program (B) A programming language (C) An assemble (D) Syntax
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11. The name of the computer's brain is–
(A) monitor (B) hardware (C) CPU (D) byte
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12. A(n) ………., is a device that electronically processes data, converting it to information.
(A) algorithm (B) computer (C) software (D) program
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13. The basic goal of computer process is to convert data into–
(A) files (B) tables (C) information (D) graphs
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14. Where is the disk put in a computer?
(A) In the modem (B) In the hard drive
(C) Into the CPU (D) In the disk drive
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15. Restarting a computer that is already on is referred to as–
(A) shutdown (B) cold booting (C) warm booting (D) logging off
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16. E-mail (electronic mail) is–
(A) an Internet standard that allows users to upload and download flies
(B) a real-time typed conversation that takes place on a computer
(C) an online area in which users conduct written discussions about a particular subject
(D) the transmission of messages and flies via a computer network
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17. The output devices make it possible to–
(A) view or print data (B) store data (C) scan data (D) input data
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18. A chat is–
(A) an Internet standard that allows users to upload and download flies
(B) a typed conversation that takes place on a computer
(C) an online area in which users conduct written discussions about a particular subject
(D) the transmission of messages and flies via a computer network
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19. Which of the following groups consists of only input devices?
(A) Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor (B) Mouse, Keyboard, Printer
(C) Mouse, Keyboard, Plotter (D) Mouse, Keyboard, Scanner
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20. What menu is selected to cut, copy, and paste?
(A) File (B) Tools (C) Special (D) Edit
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21. To find an individual item in a me immediately, ……….is used.
(A) me allocation table (B) directory (C) sequential access (D) direct access
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22. To make a notebook act as a desktop model, the notebook can be connected to a ……….which is connected to a monitor and other devices.
(A) bay (B) docking station (C) port (D) network
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23. Storage that retains its data after the power is turned off is referred to as–
(A) volatile storage (B) non-volatile storage
(C) sequential storage (D) direct storage
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24. Which of the following is an example of connectivity?
(A) Internet (B) Floppy disk (C) Power cord (D) Data
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25. Changing an existing document is called ……….the document.
(A) creating (B) editing (C) modifying (D) adjusting
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Answers:
1. (D), 2. (B), 3. (C), 4. (A), 5. (A), 6. (C), 7. (B), 8. (B), 9. (A), 10. (A),
11. (C), 12. (B), 13. (C), 14. (D), 15. (C), 16. (D), 17. (A), 18. (B),
19. (D), 20. (D), 21. (D), 22. (B), 23. (B), 24. (A), 25. (B)
(A) Scanner, Printer, Monitor (B) Keyboard, Printer, Monitor
(C) Mouse, Printer, Monitor (D) Plotter, Printer, Monitor
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2. A(n) ……….contains commands that can be selected.
(A) pointer (B) menu (C) icon (D) button
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3. A collection of related information sorted and dealt with as a unit is a–
(A) disk (B) data (C) file (D) floppy
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4. An error is also known as–
(A) bug (B) debug (C) cursor (D) icon
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5. Which part of the computer helps to store information?
(A) Disk drive (B) Keyboard (C) Monitor (D) Printer
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6. The process of a computer receiving information from a server on the Internet is known as–
(A) pulling (B) pushing (C) downloading (D) transferring
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7. Which of the following refers to the fastest, biggest and most expensive computers?
(A) Personal Computers (B) Supercomputers (C) Laptops (D) Notebooks
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8. The role of a ……….generally is to determine a buyer's needs and match it to the correct hardware and software.
(A) computer scientist (B) computer sales representative
(C) computer consultant (D) corporate trainer
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9. A series of instructions that tells a computer what to do and how to do it is called a–
(A) program (B) command (C) user response (D) processor
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10. ……….is a set of keywords, symbols, and a system of rules for constructing statements by which humans can communicate the instructions to be executed by a computer.
(A) A computer program (B) A programming language (C) An assemble (D) Syntax
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11. The name of the computer's brain is–
(A) monitor (B) hardware (C) CPU (D) byte
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12. A(n) ………., is a device that electronically processes data, converting it to information.
(A) algorithm (B) computer (C) software (D) program
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13. The basic goal of computer process is to convert data into–
(A) files (B) tables (C) information (D) graphs
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14. Where is the disk put in a computer?
(A) In the modem (B) In the hard drive
(C) Into the CPU (D) In the disk drive
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15. Restarting a computer that is already on is referred to as–
(A) shutdown (B) cold booting (C) warm booting (D) logging off
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16. E-mail (electronic mail) is–
(A) an Internet standard that allows users to upload and download flies
(B) a real-time typed conversation that takes place on a computer
(C) an online area in which users conduct written discussions about a particular subject
(D) the transmission of messages and flies via a computer network
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17. The output devices make it possible to–
(A) view or print data (B) store data (C) scan data (D) input data
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18. A chat is–
(A) an Internet standard that allows users to upload and download flies
(B) a typed conversation that takes place on a computer
(C) an online area in which users conduct written discussions about a particular subject
(D) the transmission of messages and flies via a computer network
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19. Which of the following groups consists of only input devices?
(A) Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor (B) Mouse, Keyboard, Printer
(C) Mouse, Keyboard, Plotter (D) Mouse, Keyboard, Scanner
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20. What menu is selected to cut, copy, and paste?
(A) File (B) Tools (C) Special (D) Edit
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21. To find an individual item in a me immediately, ……….is used.
(A) me allocation table (B) directory (C) sequential access (D) direct access
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22. To make a notebook act as a desktop model, the notebook can be connected to a ……….which is connected to a monitor and other devices.
(A) bay (B) docking station (C) port (D) network
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23. Storage that retains its data after the power is turned off is referred to as–
(A) volatile storage (B) non-volatile storage
(C) sequential storage (D) direct storage
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24. Which of the following is an example of connectivity?
(A) Internet (B) Floppy disk (C) Power cord (D) Data
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25. Changing an existing document is called ……….the document.
(A) creating (B) editing (C) modifying (D) adjusting
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers:
1. (D), 2. (B), 3. (C), 4. (A), 5. (A), 6. (C), 7. (B), 8. (B), 9. (A), 10. (A),
11. (C), 12. (B), 13. (C), 14. (D), 15. (C), 16. (D), 17. (A), 18. (B),
19. (D), 20. (D), 21. (D), 22. (B), 23. (B), 24. (A), 25. (B)
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