9 Nov, Kathmandu- Israeli PM rejects emerging nuclear deal with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “utterly rejected” the emerging nuclear deal between western powers and Iran, calling it a “bad deal” and promising that Israel will do everything it needs to do to defend itself.

He spoke before meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who on Nov. 8 travelled to Switzerland to participate in nuclear talks with Iran. Israel believes Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, and says international pressure should be stepped up, not eased.

The six world powers – the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany — appear to be closing in on a long-elusive deal in the decade-old dispute over Iranian nuclear intentions. The United States and its allies say they are aiming for a “first-step” deal that would stop Iran from further expanding a nuclear programme that it has steadily built up in defiance of tightening international pressure and crippling sanctions.

Israeli PM rejects emerging nuclear deal with Iran

The political environment has adversely affected the Nepali movie industry. As the election result are being released, no Nepali movie is going to be released this week in theater.

Nepali film artists are also in a state of shock when the biggest party before election is seemingly the distinct third after Nepali Congress and CPN (UML), according the initial election result. Shocked Maoist have cried foul and have asked the counting to stop.

Prior to the election a number of film artists had joined political parties including Maoist, UML and Congress. Well known producer and Gopi Krishna theater owner Uddav Poudel is likely to loose in Kathmandu -4. Another producer, Ramesh Jung Rayamajhi (NC candidate) has lost from Morang-8 to UML candidate. Ramesh Jung has produced ‘Nai Na Bhannu La’, ‘Malai Man Paryo’ and upcoming ‘Santrash’.

Actress Rekha Thapa, who was supposed to be contesting at Parsa 1 has asked the party to accept the defeat. It seems, Maoist are also having tough time in Parsa.

RFS chief warns three major fires could join together, endangering entire Blue Mountains, as NSW premier calls a state of emergency to deal with more than 50 fires burning across the state

An aerial image shows a fire-fighting helicopter over a smoke cloud, after a devastating bushfire passed through at Yellow Rock in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. An aerial image shows a fire-fighting helicopter over a smoke cloud, after a devastating bushfire passed through at Yellow Rock in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. Photograph:

6.26pm AEST

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione: all of the arsonists arrested so far have been "young people"

    Today, there has been two arrests with regards to a significant fire which caused about 5,000 hectares of damage. There has been an 11-year-old male taken into custody, has been charged and put before a court, his bail refused by the court.

    We currently have a 15-year-old male in our custody assisting us with similar enquiries, not yet charged but certainly at this stage the intention is he will be before the courts as soon as we can get him there.

    It's very disturbing, all of the arrests we have made with regard to arson attacks since this current crisis have been young people.


6.10pm AEST

RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says forecasted windy conditions will cause problems in the next 48 hours:

    The weather forecast continues to firm up as being problematic over the next 48 hrs with a continuance of similar conditions to today, albeit with a marginal reduction in temperatures for tomorrow before we see those elevated wind strengths dominate much of the fire affected areas, but also more broadly right up through the Hunter, central ranges, metropolitan and Illawarra regions. We can expect to see most of those areas with widespread severe fire danger ratings.

5.59pm AEST

RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has just given an update to the media.

He says the conditions are continuing to make things unpredictable, and "as the fire grounds continue to change, we continue to see flare-ups and erratic behaviour".

There is some good news with the previously mentioned Hall Road fire being downgraded.

He says there's a "developing amount of fire activity near the community of Bilpin and Berambing, and we're seeing spot fires and spot fire activity in that local area".

5.35pm AEST

The Wollondilly fire near Hall Road has been downgraded to 'watch and act' by the RFS, and Picton Road has been reopened.



5.04pm AEST

Police have confirmed the second arrest in relation to the Heatherbrae fire in a short statement:

    A 15-year-old boy has been arrested over the large bushfire that started in Heatherbrae last week.

    He’s currently at Raymond Terrace Police Station where he is expected to be charged.

    An 11-year-old boy was charged over the fire earlier today.

    No further details are available at this stage.

4.47pm AEST

Police have arrested a second boy over the Heatherbrae fire, according to the Newcastle Herald's police reporter Dan Proudman:

   
4.40pm AEST

Guardian Australia's political editor, Lenore Taylor, on the political debate around climate change policies and the bushfires:

    According to a creeping conservative political correctness, it is allegedly improper to discuss the link between climate change and the increased risk of devastating bushfires like the ones still burning across New South Wales.

    Columnists start by attacking suggestions such as those made in an article written for the Guardian by the Greens deputy leader, Adam Bandt, that by repealing the carbon tax, Tony Abbott is failing to protect the Australian people from climate change risk. Then they move quickly to the accusation that it amounts to politicising a disaster to discuss the connection between climate change and bushfire at all.

    But report after report has pointed to climate change increasing the likelihood of conditions that pose the greatest risk for fire.

Read the full article here.

4.18pm AEST
Two fires likely to merge, "can't rule out" three

Fitzsimmons said they "can't rule out" that the three fires will join together, but at this stage it is likelier to be two of them — the large state mine fire at Lithgow and the Mt Victoria fire.

"North of Bells Line Of Road, the fire out of Lithgow heading towards Bilpin, will join the fire near Mt York and Mt Victoria," somewhere in the Grose Valley, he predicted, saying backburning efforts have had an impact.



4.14pm AEST

In his latest update on the bushfire crisis, RFS NSW Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned residents of Wilton to take shelter as embers travel kilometres ahead of the fire front. Firefighters are tasked to assist people in the area.

“The fire is well and truly heading towards Wilton," he said.

He also said they were "acutely aware" of the natural gas plant near Wilton. Extra services have been tasked to protect it.

Fitzsimmons blamed weather for the Springwood/Faulconbridge flare up where "dozens of homes" have been lost along Grose Road. It's not entirely clear if the houses have gone in the last few hours or if they are part of earlier assessments.

Both of these fires were upgraded to emergency warnings again just this afternoon. “The last hour or so reminds us to remain vigilant," said Fitzsimmons. "The fire grounds remain dynamic and challenging to firefighters."

Maltese PM Joseph Muscat says European waters close to Africa are turning into a cemetery, after another boat laden with migrants capsized.

Mr Muscat said Malta felt "abandoned" by the rest of Europe and insisted that the EU had to take action.

Malta and Italy launched a rescue operation after a boat capsized on Friday, leaving up to 50 people dead.

It happened 120km (70 miles) off Lampedusa, the Italian island where at least 300 migrants drowned last week.

The loss of life has renewed the debate within EU member states on migration rules.

In the latest incident, the vessel carrying more than 200 migrants is believed to have encountered difficulties in Maltese waters just before sunset on Friday.
Continue reading the main story   
“Start Quote
Joseph Muscat

    Rules need to change, whether they are tighter or looser is not the issue, the fact is that this thing is broken and it needs to be fixed”

Maltese PM Joseph Muscat

The migrants used a satellite phone to raise the alarm but the boat capsized when passengers crowded to one side as they tried to get the attention of a passing aircraft, the Maltese navy said.

Earlier on Friday, at least 500 other migrants travelling in separate boats were rescued in coastguard operations near the Italian island of Sicily.

Also on Friday, a separate boat accident off the Egyptian port of Alexandria claimed the lives of at least 12 migrants.

Egyptian security officials said 116 people, mostly Palestinians and Syrians, were pulled from the water.

Mr Muscat said prompt action between Malta and Italy had saved lives, but he complained that "from the European side we have heard only talk, empty talk really".

"Right now politicians are thinking about tightening or loosening migration rules. In our case our main concern is these people at sea," he said.

"We feel abandoned by Europe. I don't know how many more people need to die at sea before something gets done. We will make sure our voice is heard during the next European Council. Rules need to change, whether they are tighter or looser is not the issue, the fact is that this thing is broken and it needs to be fixed."

"Helicopters rescued 120 people"

Mr Muscat added: "As things stand we are building a cemetery within our Mediterranean Sea."

After last week's tragedy off Lampedusa the European Commission called for the EU to launch Mediterranean-wide search and rescue patrols to intercept migrant boats.

The EU's Frontex border agency, set up in 2004, has seen its budget cut from 118m euros (£100m; $160m) in 2011 to 85m euros in 2013.
map

Italy has previously appealed to EU states for help in coping with the thousands of illegal migrants who wash up on its shores every year.

The BBC's Matthew Price, in Lampedusa, says European leaders face a quandary as they struggle to balance political pressures to restrict migrant numbers with the need to assist those desperate enough to risk such a perilous journey.

Lampedusa, 290km (180 miles) off the North African coast, is a key destination for migrant vessels bound for Europe.

Tens of thousands attempt the perilous crossing to Lampedusa, Sicily and other Italian islands each year.

The latest rescue operation swung into action after the Maltese air force spotted the boat and alerted Italian naval vessels still in the area after last Thursday's disaster.

Helicopters were used to lift many to safety but nightfall hampered the rescue operation.
Children among dead

The nationalities of the migrants were not immediately known. At least 33 people were confirmed dead, with one reports estimating the death toll at 50.

Mr Muscat's office said 147 survivors had been picked up by a Maltese patrol boat and were being taken to Malta. Another 56 had been saved by Italian crews.

The prime minister said the dead included three small children.

Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, praised the swift Italian and Maltese rescue effort, which she said had helped reduce the potential death toll.

She said in a statement that she was following the operation with "sadness and anxiety".

"These new horrible events are happening while we still have the shocking images of the tragedy in Lampedusa in our minds," she added.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the body overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal, has won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel Committee said it was in honour of the OPCW's "extensive work to eliminate chemical weapons".

The OPCW, based in The Hague, was established to enforce the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

OPCW director general Ahmet Uzumcu said the award was a "great honour" and would spur them on in their work.

He said the recent deployments of chemical weapons in Syria were a "tragic reminder that there remains much work to be done".

The OPCW recently sent inspectors to carry out the dismantling of Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons.

It is the first time OPCW inspectors have worked in an active war zone.

The watchdog picks up a gold medal and 8m Swedish kronor ($1.25m; £780,000) as winner of the most coveted of the Nobel honours.
Continue reading the main story   
Analysis
image of Paul Adams Paul Adams BBC World Affairs Correspondent

The OPCW has been working to rid the world of chemical weapons for the past 16 years. For the most part, this task has been laborious and unheralded.

A staff of about 500, working from its headquarters at The Hague, is charged with making sure that the 189 signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention are abiding by its terms.

But it is only in recent weeks, following the use of chemical weapons in Syria, that the OPCW has become a household name.

It is facing its biggest challenge ever - to verify and destroy Syria's entire chemical weapons programme by the middle of next year. The Nobel committee clearly feels it needs all the support it can get.

It is not uncommon for organisations to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It has happened 24 times since 1901. Non-proliferation has been an occasional theme, with campaigners for nuclear disarmament and against land mines among those recognised.
'Vindication'

Announcing the award in Oslo, Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland said they wanted to recognise the OPCW's "extensive work".

Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland announces the win

"The conventions and the work of the OPCW have defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law," he said.

"Recent events in Syria, where chemical weapons have again been put to use, have underlined the need to enhance the efforts to do away with such weapons."

The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention has contributed to the destruction of nearly 80% of the world's chemical weapons stockpile.

The OPCW is made up of 189 member states and the principal role of its 500-strong staff is to monitor and destroy all existing chemical weapons.

It draws on a network of some of the best laboratories and scientists in the world to help them in their work, the BBC's science correspondent Pallab Ghosh says.

The OPCW has been in the headlines recently for sending its inspectors into the middle of Syria's civil war to supervise the dismantling of the country's chemical arsenal and facilities - the first time it has ever worked in the midst of conflict.

Syria is expected to sign the treaty in the coming days.

French President Francois Hollande said the Nobel prize was a "vindication" of the international efforts in Syria and pledged continued support for the OPCW's work there and elsewhere.
Notable omission

There were a record 259 nominees for this year's Peace Prize, but the list remains a secret.

Pakistani schoolgirl campaigner Malala Yousafzai and gynaecologist Denis Mukwege of the Democratic Republic of Congo had been tipped as favourites to take the award.
Continue reading the main story   
OPCW

    Born out of the Chemical Weapons Convention signed by nations in 1993
    Convention entered into force in 1997, allowing OPCW to start its work
    Within 10 years, inspectors had destroyed 25,000 tonnes of weapons
    By 2013, about 80% of world's declared stockpile had been destroyed
    Thousands of tonnes remain in the possession of the US and Russia

    Profile: Chemical weapons watchdog OPCW

Others who had been listed as contenders were Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley Manning), the US soldier convicted of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks and Maggie Gobran, an Egyptian computer scientist who abandoned her academic career to become a Coptic Christian nun and founded the charity Stephen's Children.

But an hour before Friday's announcement, NRK reported the award would go to the OPCW.

The European Union won the prize in 2012 in recognition of its contribution to peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.

Previous Nobel Peace Prize laureates include anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, US President Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama and Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Nobel Committee has in the past publicly regretted never awarding the prize to Mahatma Gandhi, the pacifist leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule, even though he was nominated five times.

पुरा भिडियो हेर्न त्यो माथि बक्सको बिचमा क्लिक गर्नुहोस 

A: I'm in a big trouble!
B: Why is that?
A: I saw a mouse in my house!
B: Oh, well, all you need to do is use a trap.
A: I don't have one.
B: Well then, buy one.
A: Can't afford one.
B: I can give you mine if you want.
A: That sounds good.
B: All you need to do is just use some cheese in order to make the mouse come to the trap.
A: I don't have any cheese.
B: Okay then, take a piece of bread and put a bit of oil in it and put it in the trap.
A: I don't have oil.
B: Well, then put only a small piece of bread.
A: I don't have bread.
B: Then what is the mouse doing at your house?!

पुरा भिडियो हेर्न त्यो माथि बक्सको बिचमा क्लिक गर्नुहोस

Jokes:
1. A Scotsman who was driving home one night, ran into a car driven by an Englishman. The Scotsman got out of the car to apologize and offered the Englishman a drink from a bottle of whisky. The Englishman was glad to have a drink.
"Go on," said the Scot, "have another drink."
The Englishman drank gratefully. "But don't you want one, too?" he asked the Scotsman.
"Perhaps," replied the Scotsman, "after the police have gone."

2. A man was pulled over for driving too fast, even though he thought he was driving just fine.
Officer: You were speeding.
Man: No, I wasn't.
Officer: Yes, you were. I'm giving you a ticket.
Man: But I wasn't speeding.
Officer: Tell that to the judge! (The officer gives man the ticket.)
Man: Would I get another ticket if I called you a jerk?
Officer: Yes, you would.
Man: What if I just thought that you were?
Officer: I can't give you a ticket for what you think.
Man: Fine, I think you're a jerk!

BALI, Indonesia: US secretary of state John Kerry is defending the capture by American forces of a terrorism suspect in Libya. He says complaints from the Libyan government that the operation was a kidnapping are unfounded.

Speaking on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific economic conference in Indonesia on Monday, Kerry said the weekend seizure in Tripoli of the suspected al-Qaida operative complied with US law. He said the suspect was a "legal and appropriate target" for the US military and will face justice in a court of law. Kerry added it was important not to "sympathize" with wanted terrorists.

The suspect is accused of involvement in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, which killed more than 220 people.