Stellar Daisy: Growing concern for missing ship crew

Just two mariners have been safeguarded from the Stellar Daisy, which is accepted to have broken separated on Friday.

Look endeavors from that point forward have just turned up fuel, trash, and discharge rafts, South Korean government sources disclosed to Yonhap news office.

The ship, a Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC), was worked by Polaris yet was hailed to the Marshall Islands, and had 16 Filipinos and eight South Koreans on board.

It was transporting 260,000 tons of iron mineral from Brazil to China.

It was keep going got notification from on Friday when a group part sent an instant message toward the South Korean proprietor of the ship, Polaris Shipping, saying the tanker was going up against water. Bulk whatsapp sms service provider

Mr Jaunsolo told journalists that the ship split in two and sank.

Source:- BBCNEWS

Calls for Swiss army to accept overweight recruits

Swiss MPs want to boost the number of people entering military service by loosening the restrictions on admitting those who are overweight.

Military service is mandatory for men in Switzerland, although an alternative civilian service was created in the 1990s for those who want to opt out for reasons of conscience. The army's numbers have been shrinking ever since, but members of the Federal Assembly's security policy committee think some people's potential is being squandered, the 20 Minuten website reports.

They're calling on the government to change the recruitment rules in order to combat a skills shortage. "Let's take an overweight IT specialist. Just because he can't meet the physical requirements, he is declared unsuitable," says committee member Marcel Dobler. "He does not need a weapon for cyber defence, and physical fitness is irrelevant."

The recruitment process uses body mass index (BMI) to determine who's in and who's out - those with a measurement above 30 are only accepted if they are in good physical condition. A BMI of more than 40 means automatic rejection. The website notes that in 2012, BMI was the reason for 672 people being declared unfit for service.

It's not only weight that should be addressed, the committee says. It wants minor health problems such as poor hearing to be overlooked, too. Mr Dobler tells the site it's better to have a motivated person who doesn't meet every physical requirement, than an unmotivated person who does.

source:-BBC

Saudi Arabia denounces Iran over decision to not send Hajj pilgrims this year

Saudi Arabia has denounced Iran over its decision not to send its pilgrims to the annual Hajj and has also criticised Tehran's demand regarding right to organise demonstrations during the Hajj and to have privileges.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said this in a joint press briefing with his British counterpart Philip Hammond in Jeddah yesterday.

He termed the Tehran's demand as unacceptable as it would cause chaos during the annual event.

Jubeir said, Saudi Arabia annually signs a hajj memorandum of understanding with more than 70 countries to guarantee the security and safety of pilgrims.

However, Iran this year refused to sign the memorandum.

Earlier, Iran's Haj and Pilgrimage Organisation announced that the country's pilgrims would not attend pilgrimage.

Iran has blamed regional rival Saudi Arabia for sabotage and failing to guarantee the safety of its pilgrims. Relations between the two countries plummeted after hundreds of Iranians died in a crush during last year's Hajj.

Earlier, Iran had boycotted the Hajj for three years after 402 pilgrims, mostly Iranians, died in clashes with Saudi security forces in an anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Mecca in 1987.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com

Have sought report on Rafale negotiations: Manohar Parrikar

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has sought a report from the committee negotiating the price for the Rafale fighter jets as India looks at concluding the deal in a couple of months.

In an interview to IANS, the minister also said that concluding the deal by June-July will mean the first of two Rafale squadrons will be in place in two to three year’s time. Asked about the concessions sought by France on bank guarantees, the minister said any decision taken will be “within the legal framework”.

“Whatever happens will be within legal framework, governmental framework, and according to what has been done in past,” he said.

As per reports, Fence has rejected Indian request for a sovereign guarantee or bank guarantee for the deal, and instead offered to provide a “comfort letter” from the prime minister.

“At this stage, I do not want to interfere into or influence the committee that is discussing (the deal). I have told them they should discuss it and put up a report on this… what is the conclusion of the discussions,” he said.

“If the Rafale deal concludes by June-July we will have a squadron of Rafale in two-three year’s time,” the minister said.

He said that deal is in its final stage.

The deal for purchasing 36 Rafale combat jets in fly-away condition was inked during the prime minister’s visit to France last April.

A negotiating team was constituted to decide on the deal and is holding talks with the French side.

The deal comes with a clause for delivering 50 percent offsets, expected to generate business worth at least three billion euros for Indian companies.
Source: Financial express