FOUR US TROOPS KILLED AS PEACE TALKS ANNOUNCED

Four US soldiers were killed in Afghanistan Tuesday, just hours after officials announced top State Department brass would begin peace talks with the Taliban. The Americans were hit by “indirect fire,” US officials said, from insurgents at Bagram air base, located not far from Kabul, the location of the largest US military base in Afghanistan. A precondition for the peace talks was for the Taliban to stop attacking US troops and members of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s administration. Also included was the requirement that the Taliban renounce al-Qaeda, although that condition was withdrawn. On Tuesday NATO forces passed responsibility for the security of the entire country entirely to Afghan security forces.

MCDONALD’S FACES CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OVER USE OF PREPAID DEBIT CARDS FOR WAGES

A class action lawsuit has been filed against the owners of McDonald’s stores in the state of Pennsylvania over their strict policy of compensating employees via a payroll debit card, which plaintiffs allege came with a slew of extra fees. According to Natalie Gunshannon, a former employee, when she requested to be paid by check instead of a JP Morgan Chase payroll card she was told the card was the only way for her to receive her wages. Gunshannon, a single mother who earned $7.44 per hour, says the payroll card forced her to incur fees for ATM withdrawals, over-the-counter cash withdrawals, and even to check her balance. The payroll debit card system has also been embraced by companies such as Walmart, Lowe’s, The Home Depot and FedEx Corp.

PM Dr Singh advisor called by CBI:

PM Manmohan Singh’s advisor T K A Nair will soon be called by the CBI to record his statement in the coal blocks allocation scam case even as the agency summoned former Coal Secy H C Gupta and quizzed two former PMO officials.

CBI sources on Tuesday said agency will soon call Nair to record his statement as witness in connection with alleged irregularities in the allocations made during 2006 to 2009.

In a related move, CBI has asked former Coal Secretary H C Gupta, who recently resigned as member of Competition Commission of India, to appear before it for questioning in the case on Thursday.

The agency is likely to question him about the clearances for the allocation of coal blocks given by Screening Committee which was chaired by him on several occassions.

Meanwhile, the agency has recorded the statements of two officials–Vini Mahajan and Ashish Gupta–who were posted in the Prime Minister’s Office during 2006 and 2009, the sources said, adding they had been questioned as witnesses in the case.

During that period, the Prime Minister was handling the charge of Coal Ministry.

Mahajan, a 1987-batch IAS officer from Punjab cadre, was a Director with the PMO during the period and has now been repatriated back to the state where she is Principal Secretary level officer.

Gupta, an IPS-officer of 1989-batch from Uttar Pradesh cadre, who was the vigilance officer in the PMO, has also gone back to his cadre.

Gupta being the Coal Secretary was the de-facto Chairman of the Screening Committee which allocated coal blocks during 2006-09, the sources said.

Supreme Court invalidates Arizona voting ID law

The US Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law that would have required potential voters to take an extra step in proving their citizenship before participating in a national election. The lead plaintiff in the case was an Arizona school janitor named Jesus Gonzalez, who tried to register to vote upon gaining citizenship but was twice denied by state officials who, despite being provided with a legal driver’s license, claimed there was no way to verify his naturalization number with the Department of Homeland Security. Current federal law allows citizens to register to vote online, threatening perjury for lying. The Arizona law would have also required a citizen to provide a passport, birth certificate, or other proof of citizenship. The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of Gonzalez in the decision announced Monday.

Libya exclusion law to violates rights – UN

A new law introduced in Libya which bans anyone linked to the Gaddafi regime from power is in violation of political and civil rights, the UN’s envoy to the African country said Tuesday.  Tarek Mitri, also told the UN Security Council that despite strong political support, the new legislature jeopardizes the state institutions following the 2011 civil war. “This escalation in exerting pressure set a dangerous precedent in its resort to the use of military force in order to extract political concessions,” Mitri said.

5.6 magnitude quake hits Peru’s capital

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake has rocked Lima the capital of Peru, Peru’s geological survey reported. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages from the quake. The epicenter was located in the Pacific Ocean about 73 kilometers west of the city.

Brazil’s president praises peaceful protests

 Brazil’s president said that the voices of thousands of protestors rallying across the country must be heard, AFP reports. “My government is listening to these voices for change,” President Dilma Rousseff said in an address at the presidential palace. “My government wants to broaden access to education and health, understands that the demands of the people change,” she added. The demonstrations were triggered by the increase in public transportation costs and the cost of hosting sporting events such as the World Cup. The protesters took to the streets of major cities across Brazil starting last week. The rallies are reportedly the biggest protests the country has seen in decades.

UN chief urges ‘maximum restraint’ in Turkey

 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed dismay at the violent confrontations in Turkey between Turkish security forces and protesters demonstrating against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. The Secretary General“urged maximum restraint” and the pursuit of constructive dialogue to avoid any further violent confrontation in the country, Reuters cites a UN spokesman as saying. Erdogan has dismissed international criticism over force used to stamp out the nationwide demonstrations, vowing he would increase police powers to deal with the unrest.

Suicide bomber kills 30 in Pakistan

 Thirty killed by a suicide bomber at a funeral of a businessman in Mardan in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, police said. A provincial legislator Imran Mohmand was killed in the bombing. The legislator, formerly associated with Awami National Party known for its anti-Taliban stance, was allegedly the target of the bombing. The province was previously controlled by the ANP before politician Imran Khan won a majority there in May. Khan’s party favor holding talks with the Taliban. A Taliban spokesman denied to comment whether its militants were responsible for the bombing.

Double suicide bomb attack kills at least 31 in Iraq

 At least 31 people have been killed and 57 wounded in two apparently coordinated suicide bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital, according to police. The first blast occurred at a checkpoint about 100 meters from a Shiite Muslim mosque in northern Baghdad. The second suicide bomber detonated himself just minutes later inside the building, among worshipers who were gathering for the prayer, a local policeman told Reuters.  There has been a rise in sectarian attacks in Iraq in recent months, with May becoming the deadliest month since 2006-2007 sectarian war: over 1,000 people were killed.

Israel freezes new buildings in West Bank settlements

 Israel has halted the construction of new buildings in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to Housing Minister Uri Ariel. The step will not impact construction that is already underway, he added. Settlement construction on territory that the Palestinians seek as part of an independent state was the main reason for the breakdown of US-sponsored talks in 2010, and has been cited as a stumbling block in Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest bid to restart negotiations.

Yahoo reports 13,000 data requests from US law enforcement

 Yahoo has reported that US law enforcement agencies made 12-13,000 requests for data between December 2012 and May 31, 2013. ”The most common of these requests concerned fraud, homicides, kidnappings, and other criminal investigations,” Yahoo said, stating that the remaining requests were made under the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Death toll from MERS virus climbs to 32 in Saudi

 Four more people have died from the MERS virus in Saudi Arabia, bringing the death toll from the disease to 32, according to the country’s health ministry. Two people died in the western city of Taif, with the other two were pronounced dead in Eastern Province, where most of the infections so far have been reported. Three more cases have also been confirmed of the virus dubbed MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) by the World Health Organization.

State-owned Greek radio, TV broadcaster ERT reopens after court win

 Greek broadcaster ERT is set to reopen following its shutdown by the government a few days ago. Authorities insisted that the closure of the 75-year-old broadcaster was a temporary measure aimed at reforming the company and re-launching it in a more efficient form, citing overstaffing and wasted public money as the reasons for the move. The closure triggered a 24-hour strike and mass protests.

President Karzai announces Afghan security takeover

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced that the nascent Afghan armed forces will be taking over for NATO in the fight against the country’s Taliban insurgency. A ceremony was held to mark the transfer of security responsibilities of the last 95 districts from NATO control.This will be the first time since the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union in 1989 that security responsibilities will be completely under Afghan control. The full withdrawal of alliance troops is scheduled for 2014.

Arrest of Montreal Mayor dents Canada’s no-corruption record

 A Quebecois anti-corruption task force arrested Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum on Monday over fraud allegations, tarnishing Canada’s image as a corruption-free country. Since 2006, Canada has placed on Transparency International’s yearly top-10 corruption perception index. Meanwhile, Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, is being investigated for allegations he smoked crack cocaine, and Canadian PM Stephen Harper is dealing with the fallout of a recent Senate expenses scandal.

Bombs blast strikes Kabul amid security handover

 A bomb exploded in the Afghan capital Kabul as NATO forces handed over security responsibilities to Afghanistan’s nascent national army. The attack targeted the convoy of Afghanistan’s second vice president Mohammed Mohaqiq, destroying one police vehicle, a police officer told AFP. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Alliance forces are due to complete the security handover by 2014.

Navy football players to be charged with rape – report

 Three football players at the US Naval Academy will be charged with the rape of a female midshipman, according to a report from the Capital Gazette. The three men are accused of raping the younger cadet after a night of partying at the school, which is governed by military law, in Annapolis, Maryland in April of 2012. The female cadet said she was forced to take her allegations public after the Academy “brushed away” her complaints and she was “ostracized” on campus. The three suspects could face a court-martial. Sexual assault has been described as “rampant” in every branch of the US military, with President Obama and Congressional leaders calling for a solution to the epidemic.

US CONTINUES PURCHASING RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS FOR AFGHANS

The US Defense Department announced Monday it will buy 30 Russian-made military helicopter to be used by Afghan security forces, Reuters reported Monday. The aircraft will cost $572 million and be used for counter-narcotics, special operations, and anti-terrorism measures in the Middle Eastern nation. Russia has long sold the Pentagon aircraft, fulfilling an “urgent, near-term need to purchase MI-17 helicopters,” a Defense Department announced earlier this year after a previous order was made public. The MI-17 was first introduced by the Soviet Union in 1977 but has found consistent use in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, where US troops have used it in training exercises.

Media agencies