Australia announces new migration programme june 17

New Delhi:  Looking to tap the best of minds and skilled workforce from India and other countries, Australia today announced a new migration programme based on 'expression of interest' model and revisions in skilled migration point system.

While the new model will filter applicants fulfilling the country's requirement, it will also reduce processing time and facilitate fast movement of skilled workers down south.

A cap on the number of migrants will be put in each occupation under the programme, kicking off on July 1, 2012.

"The target groups are engineering, medical profession, nursing, scientist etc," said assistant secretary of Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship Peter Speldewinde.

The expression of interest (EOI) will be an online process for skilled migration to Australia. Prospective applicants will provide basic biographical and other information such as occupation, details of work experience and level of English language ability on the online form.

They would subsequently be invited to make a visa application if they have the skills and qualifications needed in the Australian labour market.

This is a marked shift from the present situation as applicants for independent, family or state sponsored migration will be required to receive an invitation in order to lodge a visa application.

"The EOIs will be held on a register and people on that register will be ranked according to what point they score. Australian government would periodically issue advertisement about the job offers and those with high scores on the points test would be invited," he said. 

Journalist injured in Khyber Market blast expires june 17

PESHAWAR: Shafiullah, who was doing an internship at the Peshawar Bureau of The News International, on Thursday night succumbed to his injuries that he had sustained in the twin blasts at the Khyber Super Market here on Saturday last.

Shafiullah, who had sustained 70 per cent burn injuries in the bombing, was admitted to the POF Hospital, Wah, where he breathed his last. His body was taken to Miramshah, North Waziristan, for burial where the funeral prayers will be held at 3 pm today (Friday).

The number of journalists killed in the same blast now stands at two.
sources:GEO TV

MSBSHSE SSC results 2011 - The Maharashtra SS results announced

Students checking out their results

The MSBSHSE's (Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education) Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) examination results were announced on Friday.But prior to the announcement of the results the city councellors were flooded with frantic calls and the students were seen making a bee line towards their respective schools to obtain the results.

The MSBSHSE's website too saw a sudden burst in traffic minutes before the results were supposed to be announced on 1 pm.

The MSBSHSE conducted SSC 2011 examination from March 1, 2011 to March 25, 2001.

The results have been published online on the MSBSHSE's website. Students desirous of obtaining the result online need to keep their roll number handy.

Earlier on Wednesday, mobile text messages that urged the students to check results online created confusion. The confusion was finally cleared by R.R. Bhise, Divisional Secretary, Mumbai Board.

"The messages which students are receiving are nothing but a prank," Bhise said.

Surprise! Adarsh plot never reserved for defence, war heroes june 17

Union minister for rural development and former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today said the Adarsh Society land belonged to the state and was never reserved for defence personnel or Kargil war heroes.

In an affidavit filed before the two-member Adarsh commission, set up to probe irregularities in scam-tainted Adarsh Society, Deshmukh said, "The records maintained with the office of the collector of Mumbai clearly show that the land belonged to the state government. The ownership of the land was never an issue at any stage so far I am concerned."

Deshmukh further said that there was no reservation on the Adarsh Society land for housing of defence personnel or Kargil war heroes either under the Development Plan for Greater Mumbai or under any of the policies of the state government.

Deshmukh's statement is similar to that of Union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who filed an affidavit in this regard last week.

Referring to allegations levelled by activist Santosh Daundkar in an affidavit before the commission, the former chief minister denied that he had continuously kept meeting one of the promoters of Adarsh Society, Kanaihyalal Gidwani.

"I deny that it was on the insistence of Gidwani that the revenue department was asked to put up the case of allotment of land to Adarsh," Deshmukh said in a 15-page affidavit.

Adarsh had made several requests for allotment of land to various ministers/chief ministers from time to time, he said, adding that on a request made to him he merely endorsed "please call for the proposal and put up," which he claimed was a routine noting.

sources:DNS

U.S. fears Pak n-weapons might fall into terrorists’ hands JUNE 17

The U.S. has expressed concern that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons might fall into the hands of an awful lot of terrorists who are trying to seek the atomic technology.

“It’s a country with an awful lot of terrorists on that border,” Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a joint Pentagon news conference with Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

“I fear in the future, it’s the proliferation of that technology, and it’s the opportunity and the potential that it could fall into the hands of terrorists, many of whom are alive and well and seek that in that region. And that’s of great interest, I think, to our country and certainly to the rest of the world,” Adm. Mullen said in response to a question.

Mr. Gates argued the US strategy against terrorism is succeeding and Pakistan is playing a contributory role to that.

“It is important to remember that they have 140,000 troops on that border that at a minimum are stirring things up. They basically cleared South Waziristan and Swat. But even their presence and manoeuvring and so on creates uncertainty,” he noted.

Mr. Gates said that there is some indication that al-Qaeda is worried because of the way the U.S. went after bin Laden, their suspicion is that the Pakistanis may have been involved in it and are worried that the Pakistanis may betray them, as well.

U.S. President Barack Obama has said he was confident about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal although he was “gravely concerned” about the situation there.

There is a growing concern among U.S. officials that militants might try to snatch a nuclear weapon or infiltrate sympathisers into atomic facilities.

SOURCES :PTI