The Indian Panorama

Year: 2013

  • US Department of State Intervenes to Save Badal in US Lawsuit

    US Department of State Intervenes to Save Badal in US Lawsuit

    NEW YORK (TIP): The US Department of State has weighed in favor of CM Badal in the pending human rights violation lawsuit before the Federal Court of Wisconsin. The Special agents from the Diplomatic Security Service of the US Department of State have submitted sworn statements to the US court claiming that Badal was not served with the summons. This unprecedented move of the US Department of State has undermined the prospects of Badal being answerable before the US Court for commanding a police force that tortured Sikhs in Punjab.

    Earlier, US State Department has given immunity to Pakistan’s ISI and its chiefs Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Nadeem Taj in a lawsuit filed by the relatives of Mumbai 26/11 tragedy. Rights group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has released copies of the sworn statements of the US State Departments Special Agents O’Toole and Scharlat that have been submitted to the US Court which allege that “at 4:50 PM on August 09, CM Badal was at Boelter Super Store in Milwaukee and was not at Oak Creek High School in Oak Creek,Wisconsin”. The Special Agents O’Toole and Scharlat were part of the CM Badal’s security detail during his August 2012 visit to the US.

    Attorney Michelle Jacobs of the Michael Best and Friedrich, LLP, in support of motion to dismiss the lawsuit against CM Badal stated that since “the defendant has presented clear and convincing evidence that Badal was not served so the case should be dismissed for invalid service.” Determined to continue with the prosecution of CM Badal for commanding a police force that violated human rights of Sikhs in India, rights group has also served CM Badal with the summons of the US Court through Hague Service Convention of 1967. On November 09, 2012, Sikh Rights group through “Process Forwarding International (PFI)” an official Process Server to “United States Department of Justice” has delivered the US Federal court summons issued against Badal to the Central Authority of India as required under the Hague Convention.

    Central Authority of India has been established by Government of India for receiving and serving judicial documents from foreign courts pursuant to Hague Convention on Service Abroad of 1965 which has been signed by India and United States. Under Article 15 of the Hague Convention service is considered complete once copy of Summons and Complaint is delivered to the Central Authority. According to attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Since the prosecution of CM Badal depends upon the service of the summons of the US Court and same has been challenged by the CM Badal with the help of US Department of State, plaintiffs have requested the court to subpoena Badal so that he could be cross examined and identified in the court by the plaintiffs’ process server who served CM Badal on August 09 at Oak Creek High School.

    Plaintiffs Jeet Singh, Gurdeep Kaur and Jagtar Singh of SAD (Amritsar) have approached US Federal Judge Randa with the documentary evidence of mistreatment of their family members in India by the Badal administration pressurizing them to withdraw the human rights violations case against CM Badal. Ever since the filing of human rights violation lawsuit against CM Badal in US Court, Badal regime under the directions of its Home Minister Sukhbir Badal has unleashed a reign of terror and intimidation against the family members of plaintiffs living in India. The recent incidents of torture of SAD (Amritsar) activists by the Badal regime pave the way for the plaintiffs to include the name of Sukhbir Badal, Home Minister of the Sate as additional defendant in the pending human rights violation case in the US Court added attorney Pannun.

  • FIA Executive Committee For 2013 Announced

    FIA Executive Committee For 2013 Announced

    EDISON, NJ (TIP): The annual general body meeting of the Federation of Indian Associations (Tri-State) was held on Saturday, December 22nd 2012 at TV Asia Auditorium, Edison, NJ, says a Press Release issued by FIA. The Agenda included the overall performance and activities of FIA during the year 2012 including its financial report as well as the announcement of the newly Elected Executive Committee for the upcoming year of 2013. Kanubhai Chauhan, the reigning President of FIA presided over the meeting accompanied by his executive Committee of 2011 namely, Sanjay Amin(Vice President), Srujal Parikh (General Secretary) & Haresh Shah (Jt. Secretary).

    Mr. Chauhan welcomed all attendees in the meeting, which included Board of Trustees (BOT), Board of Directors and the 2012 Committee members and complimented the work of the executive committee and the committee along with thanking his supporters and sponsors for their generosity shown during his term. He provided highlights of major events in a chronological order starting from the Republic Day Celebration in the form of the Children Dance Competition ‘Dance Pe Chance’ which was followed by the Curtain Raiser traditionally held at the Indian Consulate (courtesy of the Indian Consulate General Shri Prabhu Dayal& his Staff) jump starting the 32d India Day Parade festivities.

    Mr. Chauhan mentioned the success of multiple events including the Lighting of the Empire State Building in NYC (ESB is the official Lighting Partner of FIA), for the first time FIA along with the Chief Guest Star Cricketer Mr. Anil Kumble performed the Closing Bell Ceremony at Nasdaq followed by the ESPN/ICC/FIA Press Conference held at the GloboSat Ballroom in NYC attended by Chief guest Anil Kumble as well invited dignitaries and media. The array of events led to the highlight of the year, the 32nd India Day Parade in NYC on Aug. 19th, which was marked by the presence of Grand Marshal Saif Ali Khan along with Chief Guest Star Cricketer Anil Kumble. The Indian Independence day celebration was held with its own set of multiple programs like the cultural program with multiple on stage performances and ‘Fun Fair’ consisting of concession stands of various kinds said Mr. Kanubhai Chauhan. The festivities were concluded with the Grand Gala Reception held at The Royal Albert’s Palace in the honor of the Grand Marshall and the Supporters.

    Mr. Chauhan also announced the upcoming India Republic Day Celebration event “Dance Pe Chance” a dance competition to be held at the State Theatre in New Brunswick NJ on Saturday Feb.2nd 2013. Yash Paul Soi, Vice Chairman of FIA and a Veteran of the Indian Community congratulated the 2012 FIA team for a wonderful parade along with all the other activities held during the year. He also briefed on the role and goals of BOT and introduced the members of BOT, which include other veteran FIA leaders including Ram Gadhvi, Chandrakant Trivedi, Kanubhai Chauhan, H.R.Shah, Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Late ShriMangal Gupta,Manoj Desai etc. Srujal Parikh presented the Secretary’s report and Sanjay Amin presented the Treasurer’s report. The submitted reports were made available, were reviewed and unanimously approved.

    Election Committee comprising of Yash Paul Soi, Ram Gadhvi, and Dr. Pravin Pandhi briefed the attendees regarding the formation of the new executive committee for the year 2013. All Nominees were unanimously elected and approved for their respective positions. Sanjay Amin, Veteran member of FIA who started as a volunteer in the Organization has risen to the top spot. Amin is an IT professional and has been residing in the USA for the past 26 years. Amin, who has been an integral part of the FIA Executive Committee since the past 2 years brings highly in depth and professional experience to the top spot of FIA. He concluded highlighting his confidence in the elected team and thanking FIA, BOT and the Member Organizations for showing faith in his leadership. FIA is the largest & a pioneer nonprofit umbrella organization comprising of diversified Indian Associations here in NY NJ & CT.

    Mr. Soi announced the Elected executive committee of FIA (Tristate NY NJ CT) for the year 2013
    President: Sanjay Amin Executive Vice President: Sudhir Vaishnav Vice President: Anand Patel General Secretary: Srujal Parikh Treasurer: Ankur Vaidya Jt. Secretary: Manjesh Behal Imm. Past President: Kanubhai Chauhan For further info. Please visit our website www.fianynjct.org or Email : info@fianynjct.org

  • Dozens of tortured bodies found in Damascus in Syria’s 21-month conflict

    Dozens of tortured bodies found in Damascus in Syria’s 21-month conflict

    BEIRUT (TIP): Dozens of tortured bodies have been found in a flashpoint district of Damascus, a watchdog reported on Monday, in one of the worst atrocities in Syria’s 21-month conflict. The report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights came as a gruesome video emerged on the Internet of a separate slaying of three children who had their throats slashed, also in the capital. “Thirty bodies were found in the Barzeh district. They bore signs of torture and have so far not been identified,” said the Britain-based Observatory. The Syrian Revolution General Commission, a grassroots network of anti-regime activists, estimated there were 50 bodies, and added that “their heads were cut and disfigured to the point that it was no longer possible to identify” them. The video posted online by activists showed the bodies of three young boys with their throats slit open and hands bound behind their backs. Their bodies were discovered on Monday in Jubar. The Observatory also reported the killing of the boys, who opposition activists said had been kidnapped the day before at a checkpoint on their way home from school. These reports could not be verified independently because of media restrictions by the Syrian authorities.

    Regime warplanes, meanwhile, bombarded rebel positions on the northeastern and southwestern outskirts of Damascus, leaving eight civilians dead including two children, said the Observatory. Southwest of the capital, fierce fighting erupted in the town of Moadamiyet al-Sham with 11 rebels killed in clashes and a child killed in shelling. In neighbouring Daraya, rebels destroyed a tank as army reinforcements massed in the battleground town, where more than 500 people were reportedly killed in the conflict’s bloodiest massacre in August.

    Eight civilians, four of them children, were killed in shelling in the Marjeh district of Syria’s second city Aleppo, where fighting has been at a stalemate for months since rebels launched an attack on the commercial hub in mid-July.

    Syrian television reported the army was “clearing Aleppo of terrorists”. In the northwestern province of Idlib, fighters from the jihadist Al- Nusra Front and other rebels pressed an offensive on a military post that they stormed two days ago, and continued to lay siege to the nearby Wadi Deif base.

    Regime warplanes responded by raiding rebel positions around Wadi Deif, one of the government’s last outposts in the largely rebel-held north, as similar raids were made in Daraa province in the south and Deir Ezzor in the east, the Observatory said. In central Syria, the army shelled the town of Halfaya in Hama province, where an air strike on a bakery last week killed 60 people, and Houla in Homs province, where proregime militiamen are suspected of killing more than 100 people in May in another major massacre. The Observatory, which relies on medics and activists on the ground in compiling its tolls, gave an initial toll of 59 people killed on December 31

  • Egypt Drops Treason Charges Against Opposition

    Egypt Drops Treason Charges Against Opposition

    CAIRO (TIP): Egypt on December 30 dropped treason charges against top opposition leaders including ex-IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei, extending an olive branch to the leaders who had accused President Mohamed Morsi of trying to muzzle dissent. The country’s top prosecutor had ordered an investigation into accusations against against the constitution party head ElBaradei, Nobel Prize laureate and former head of the Unbited Nations nuclear agency, along with Amr Moussa, former foreign minister and Hamdeen Sabahi, leader of the Dignity Party, of incitement to overthrow regime of President Morsi. Moussa and Sabahy both had challenged Morsi for the post of the president in a June poll this year, which followed the 2011 uprising against the long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak that led to him stepping down from his post.

    Asqalani, a member of the Freedoms Committee at the Lawyers Syndicate, said that he had filed the complaint at the time of the Ettehadeya presidential palace clashes that led to the deaths of several people. He also said it was a dark time when Egyptian blood was being shed, and suggested that “everything that has happened may be part of a conspiracy against the country”.

  • Hindus Laud US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard For Oath Of Office On Bhagavad-Gita

    Hindus Laud US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard For Oath Of Office On Bhagavad-Gita

    NEW YORK (TIP): Hindus have applauded Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu recently elected to 113th United States (US) Congress, for taking the Oath of Office on ancient Hindu scripture Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), who was sworn on January three as a member of the US House of Representatives in Washington DC. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that as Bhagavad-Gita talked about endeavoring constantly to serve the world’s welfare without any thought of personal gain, it should be the treatise for all the politicians and rulers of the world. Rajan Zed pointed out that Bhagavad-Gita also told us about selfless action and selfless service, always keeping focus on welfare of others and be guided by compassion in our work.

    Zed noted that this philosophical and intensely spiritual poem was often considered the epitome of Hinduism. Besides being the cornerstone of Hindu faith, Bhagavad-Gita was also one of the masterpieces of Sanskrit poetry and had been commented by hundreds of authors and translated into all major languages of the world. It was a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, just before the beginning of the great Mahabharata war, in which Lord Krishna gave spiritual enlightenment to the warrior Arjuna, who realized that the true battle was for his own soul. Its 700 verses in 18 chapters considered the nature of action, the religious and social duty, the human relationship to God, the means of liberation, and the nature of sacrifice, etc., Rajan Zed added.

  • Former British PM Margaret Thatcher discharged from hospital after surgery

    Former British PM Margaret Thatcher discharged from hospital after surgery

    LONDON (TIP): Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has been discharged from hospital after she underwent a bladder surgery early last week, a media report said on December 30. The 87-year-old baroness had spent Christmas in a Central London hospital after being admitted earlier this month. According to BBC, Thatcher was doing well and left the hospital to “convalesce privately.” It is, however, not clear whether she is now at home. The former Conservative leader was said to be ‘doing well’ after the minor operation. “She’s very tough. The doctors are perfectly happy. They say the operation has been completely satisfactory,” former adviser and friend, Lord Bell was quoted by BBC News as saying, following her operation. Earlier last week, the British Prime Minister David Cameron had tweeted a message to Thatcher after her admission, wishing her a ‘speedy recovery’.

    Thatcher was the UK’s first female prime minister and served three terms, between 1979 and 1990. The veteran ex-premier’s public appearances have been very restricted over recent years due to continued ill health. Her health was thrust into the global spotlight this year when Meryl Streep starred in a controversial Hollywood film about her. The Iron Lady drew criticism from Cameron and others for concentrating on the dementia she has suffered after a series of small strokes. Meryl Streep won an Oscar for the role. Her daughter, Carol Thatcher, has previously spoken of her mother’s struggle with dementia.

  • Al-Qaida in Yemen offers bounty for US ambassador

    Al-Qaida in Yemen offers bounty for US ambassador

    DUBAI (TIP): The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaida has offered a bounty for anyone who kills the US ambassador to Yemen or an American soldier in the impoverished Arab state, a group that monitors Islamist websites said. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) said it was offering three kilograms of gold for the killing of the US ambassador in Sanaa, Gerald Feierstein, the USbased SITE Intelligence Group said, citing an audio released by militants. AQAP will also pay 5 million rials ($23,350) to whoever kills any American soldier in Yemen, it said.

    The offer, valid for six months, was made “to encourage our Muslim Ummah (nation), and to expand the circle of the jihad (holy war) by the masses,” SITE said, citing the audio. AQAP, mostly militants from Yemen and Saudi Arabia, is regarded by the United States as the most dangerous branch of the network founded by Osama bin Laden.

    In September, AQAP urged Muslims to step up protests and kill US diplomats in Muslim countries over a film denigrating the Prophet Mohammad, which it said was another chapter in the “crusader wars” against Islam. The film provoked an outcry among Muslims, who deem any depiction of the Prophet as blasphemous and triggered violent attacks on embassies in countries in Asia and the Middle East.

    Four US officials including the ambassador to Libya were killed in the aftermath. The Pentagon said it had sent a platoon of Marines to Yemen after demonstrators stormed the US Embassy in Sanaa.

    A US ally, Yemen is struggling against challenges on many fronts since mass protests forced veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in February after decades in power. President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government is trying to re-establish order and unify the army. Washington, which has pursued a campaign of assassination by drone and missile against suspected al- Qaida members, backed a military offensive in May to recapture areas of Abyan province. But militants have struck back with a series of bombings and killings

  • Delhi Gang-Rape Case: Juvenile May Go Free In Months

    Delhi Gang-Rape Case: Juvenile May Go Free In Months

    NEW DELHI (tip): The sixth accused — alleged to be the most brutal of the lot — has been left out of the chargesheet. According to some reports, he will attain majority in five months. Under the present law, the juvenile could be free in a few months, even if he gets the maximum three-year sentence. If he is held guilty after turning 18, he can’t be kept in a correction home. But a juvenile who has turned 18 can’t be transferred to jail since the law does not allow those tried under the Juvenile Justice Act to be kept in a jail meant for adults.

    Cops seek juvenile board nod for minor’s bone test
    Delhi Police is yet to get approval for an ossification test on the accused to ascertain his age. While filing the chargesheet, police told the trial court that the sixth accused had not been named as the date of birth given in his school certificate showed him to be a minor. After the hearing, special public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan said a chargesheet would be filed against the juvenile offender shortly and the documentation work for that is less taxing than in the case of the other accused. He said that as per the law, the court will also hold an inquiry to ascertain the age of the juvenile. “Each one of them (the accused) had a specific role in the commission of the offence. So, they are equally liable for the crime. We have sufficient evidence against all the accused, including the juvenile offender,” he said.

    Sources said the police moved an application before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Thursday, seeking its permission to get the test conducted for establishing whether the accused is a juvenile or not. Even as the chargesheet was being filed, some lawyers and others shouted slogans in the court demanding that the accused be handed over to the public. They need not be tried as it was evident that they were the culprits, they contended. They were, however, hushed up by fellow lawyers, who requested the judge to appoint a “spokesperson” who can inform others about the daily developments as the matter has touched public sentiments. The judge asked them to put their views before the area magistrate concerned on the next date of hearing. Before the filing of the chargesheet, women lawyers protested in the court complex demanding swift justice and strict action against the perpetrators of such crimes.

  • Govt, BJP Spar Over Grant Of Visa To Miandad

    Govt, BJP Spar Over Grant Of Visa To Miandad

    NEW DELHI (tip): The government and main Opposition BJP — backed by ally Shiv Sena — sparred over the Union home ministry’s decision to grant visa to former Pakistani cricket captain Javed Miandad, who has family ties with the UN-designated global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. Miandad’s son Junaid is married to Mahrukh, daughter of Dawood, who is wanted in India in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case. Foreign minister Salman Khurshid defended the decision, saying the visa was granted by the MHA while following the right procedures. “It is a decision taken by the ministry of home affairs and the government.

    What are the circumstances, what is considered when an approval is given… what goes into it, is an internal government matter,” Khurshid told reporters in Bangalore. He was responding to a question about the opposition to the grant of visa to Miandad, an official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), for the India- Pakistan ODI to be played here on January 6. Due to Miandad’s family ties with Dawood, India’s most wanted terrorist, there had been reports before a series in 2005 that any requests for a visa by Miandad could be turned down by the Indian government. “It is the job of MHA.

    They have taken a decision. No Pakistani visa gets cleared without MHA clearance. Inputs from all agencies are taken into consideration. It is an internal procedure,” Khurshid said. On Shiv Sena’s objections over grant of visa, he said, “Opposition only questions. Proper procedures have been gone through in this. Any law of prudence which had to be followed, it was followed, I am sure law will take care”. Criticizing the government’s decision, BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “This country loves the game of cricket but does not love terrorists. Dawood has been the mastermind of several terror acts. Pakistan has refused to hand him over to India despite several efforts. India should not allow any relative of Dawood to come to India”.

    BJP maintained that Islamabad should hand over Dawood before Miandad is allowed to visit India. “Pakistan today is a factory of terror and manufactures terrorists who work against India,” Naqvi said. BJP MP Kirti Azad, who had played for India, asked why the government had allowed Miandad to visit the country after seven years when Indian government had refused to give him visa since 2005. “Will Dawood Ibrahim’s relative come and the Indian government question him?…..giving him visa and playing cricket, how do they think it will improve relations?” Azad asked.

    Shiv Sena, which had opposed renewing of cricketing ties with Pakistan, said the whole country should condemn the move. “He’s a relative of Dawood and you lay out a red carpet for him…. The whole country should oppose it. Pakistan has spread terrorism whether it is in Delhi, Mumbai or Kashmir,” Sena MP Sanjay Raut said. “He is a well known cricketer. His visa application papers were in order and valid and that is why the government has decided to give him visa,” the minister of state for home R P N Singh told reporters on January 3. When asked if Miandad was not on India’s “negative list”, Singh said “no, nothing like that”. “He was given visa when his visa papers were found valid,” he said.

  • Fbi Must Track Religious Hate Crimes: Hindus In Us

    Fbi Must Track Religious Hate Crimes: Hindus In Us

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Expressing shock at the death of Sunande Sen, an Indian man, who was shoved to his death in front of an oncoming subway train in New York last week, Indian Americans have asked the department of justice and FBI to separately track hate crimes against religious minorities in the US. “Such a violent and hateful attack on any individual, especially because of religious hatred is completely unconscionable in any society” said Suhag Shukla, executive director and legal counsel for the Washington headquartered Hindu American Foundation (HAF).

    “We need the department of justice (DOJ) to have a separate Hindu category to track anti Hindu hate crimes and urge Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to implement to raise the profile,” Hindu American Seva Communities (HASC) said.

    Police have arrested 31-year-old Erika Menendez in connection with the case in New York, and charged her with second-degree murder as a hate crime. The defendant reportedly targeted 46- year old Sunando Sen out of hatred for Hindus and Muslims.

    Menendez pushed an unsuspecting Sen on to the subway tracks in front of an oncoming train at a Queens station as he was waiting on the platform on the night of December 27. “Though there is high acceptance of our community in America, sometimes we see gaps through intolerance and violence. Unfortunately, innocent people are impacted when individuals turn against any group of people ,” HASC said. HASC expressed grief over Sen’s tragic death and showed concern over xenophobia against Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs.

  • Vulgarity A Trend In Punjabi Songs Since 80s, Censor Board To Check It

    Vulgarity A Trend In Punjabi Songs Since 80s, Censor Board To Check It

    JALANDHAR/ CHANDIGARH (TIP): Honey Singh and Jazzy B are not the only singers drawing flak for vulgar, misogynist songs, but there are several other Punjabi singers, who have been doing the same without any subtlety for some time. In fact, Amar Chamkila started the trend of using double entendres in the 1980s even as he had sung a number of popular religious and folk songs. He even defied militant threats warning him against singing vulgar songs till he was killed along another singer Amarjot in March 1988.

    “Romanticism has always been there in Punjabi folk and other popular songs, but Chamkila had crossed the line and started openly using double-entendres. After his killing, no Punjabi singer sang any vulgar song for around a decade,” said columnist Swaran Tehna. He pointed out that then there was no internet and only those with cassette players could listen to these songs along with those who attended Chimkila’s Akharas (programs) in villages. “What these singers are singing today may even shame Chamkila as abuses and explicit words are being unabashedly used in and these songs are reaching most youngsters,” said Tehna.

    Others like Ashok Masti, Geeta Zaildar, Diljit Dosanjh and Gippy Grewal have also been drawing flak for singing vulgar songs. Gippy and Zaildar had to apologize for their songs after women activists staged dharnas before their residences. Critics say many Punjabi songs depict women as “mere enjoyment objects”. They cite songs like Jassi’s `Yaaro Aaundian rehndia kudian te Bassan (girls and buses keep on coming)’. Even most popular Punjabi female singer Miss Pooja has sung songs on similar lines. Dinesh of Speed Records, which recently released Jazzy B and Honey Singh’s song facing flak for vulgarity, argued that the two cannot be made scapegoats. “If there is going to be action, then it should be for everybody,” he said.

    “Nobody speaks out against Bollywood.” Speed Records had apologized and pledged to avoid vulgarity after activists protested outside its office. The vulgarity in Honey Singh’s songs has not impacted his popularity. His songs on video-sharing sites get millions of hits. On such song ‘G**** mein Danda’ has got over 8.5 million hits since 2008. Another song he sang with Deep Money that describes Punjabi girls as “second hand stuff” has over 6.5 million hits. “Honey Singh is popular among teens for using sexually explicit words,” said Tehna. He sought action against channels playing such songs.

    “(They) are also responsible for promoting these songs.” But the outrage over vulgarity has prompted the Punjab government to set up a censor board to screen their content. Cultural affairs minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur has mooted the proposal in August last year. The move is likely to be fast-tracked following the national outrage over Honey Singh’s songs. “The objective is to screen the content shown in such videos besides lyrics so that the censored content reaches the public,” said Phillaur. Phillaur forwarded his proposal to the Punjab Cabinet along with the list of Honey Singh’s lewd songs. Earlier, Punjab transport minister Ajit Singh Kohar had banned drivers from playing “vulgar and provocative songs” in state-run transport buses to prevent accidents in November.

  • Want To Be A Doctor In Britain? Brace For Tougher Examinations

    Want To Be A Doctor In Britain? Brace For Tougher Examinations

    LONDON (TIP): Indian doctors wanting to work in Britain will face a more rigorous assessment in future. This was decided by the United Kingdom’s health authorities after figures showed a high proportion of doctors who lose their registration in UK are from abroad. Almost 36% of all doctors practicing in the UK are from abroad, with the largest segment coming from India. Without them the National Health Service (NHS) would collapse.

    But in the last five years it was found that 63% of overseas doctors either struck off from the register or suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC) are qualified for the profession outside UK. Dr Vivienne Nathanson, British Medical Association (BMA) director of professional activities, said, “It is clear that doctors qualified overseas are more likely to be subject to disciplinary action. However, more research is needed to understand why this is the case.

    The UK is still short of doctors and so we must ensure that those coming from overseas are given adequate support to be able to practice medicine in the UK.” The GMC’s new reforms included an induction programme , better checks and a review of the present testing system. Niall Dickson, the chief executive of the GMC, said, “We absolutely acknowledge that when it comes to the serious end of the scale, those from overseas are more likely to appear, and we have set about a series of reforms to address this.” A pilot scheme of the new induction programme for all arriving doctors is scheduled to be launched in early 2013. This will combine online training in British medical practices with a one-day course covering some of the issues facing new entrants.

    The Performance and Linguistic Assessments Board test for applying doctors will be made more difficult then present. The doctors will have to demonstrate their clinical skills and competence before they are accepted for practice in the UK.

  • Opposition Steals UPA’s Food Bill Thunder

    Opposition Steals UPA’s Food Bill Thunder

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The benchmark has been set higher for the UPA’s overdue National Food Security Bill, with Opposition-ruled states expanding the coverage of cheap food grains and improvising services under the public distribution system. Chhattisgarh may have scored recently with its state food act that expands coverage to almost 90% of the state’s voters but other states are also gearing up to do more even as the central government is yet to legislate its bill that is stuck in a standing committee. The central draft envisages covering 67% of India’s population and while states are setting the bar higher.

    Uttar Pradesh has sought 100% coverage while in Tamil Nadu it is already universal. The slow pace of the draft bill’s progress has frustrated Congress as the proposed law has the strong backing of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Take the case of Madhya Pradesh where the state extended the PDS for below poverty line rates to 71 lakh families against 56 lakh odd beneficiaries the Centre currently approves of. With a bumper crop in 2012 and a decent coffer, the state is looking to reduce prices at which it offers food grains to the poor. Others, such as BJD-ruled Odisha too are buying food grains out of their own pocket to supply to bigger number of beneficiaries than what the Centre supports.

    Odisha’s BJD government may have come under the CAG scanner for altering norms, but it has been more than happy to advertise that it is buying 8,669 metric tonnes rice every month beyond what the Centre’s supplies. The state provides an additional annual subsidy of around Rs 189 crore to distribute subsidized grains. With the new BPL survey still pending, Congress’s task to churn out a law offering greater benefits to reap a political dividend could get tougher in coming days. The central government had retained flexibility in the design of the survey to prune or expand the list of beneficiaries after the raw data is available.

    But pruning the numbers – already a friction point with influential chief ministers like Bihar’s Nitish Kumar disputing the Centre’s numbers — by a fiat is bound to be politically imprudent and invite a backlash. Since the time it began working on the bill, UPA and its various arms and agencies – relevant ministries, National Advisory Council, PMO and the Planning Commission – have often been at loggerheads about what was billed as ‘the’ flagship scheme for UPA2. The differences in approach, coverage and benefits is continuing. The new ‘game-changer’ social sector scheme – cash transfers – has only confounded the case further.

    The government’s reluctance to provide food subsidy through cash transfers has also added greater uncertainty about the proposed law. Finance minister P Chidambaram reiterated that the government would not include food subsidy in the cash transfer scheme at the moment. But debate rages on within the government and while sections f the from civil society, including some NAC members, are opposed to the Centre’s formulations.

  • Developed world looks at India for investment, trade : US report

    Developed world looks at India for investment, trade : US report

    NEW YORK (TIP): As the global centre of economic growth moves to Asia, India has captured the attention of developed economies looking for new investment and trade opportunities, says a new report. Noting that recent growth in India has also emanated from a number of under-examined sectors other than information technology (IT) sector, it says, the Indian economy will need to continue to diversify in order to propel its development.

    And the US will need to pay close attention to all aspects of these changes in order to sustain strong bilateral economic ties, says the report by Wadhwani Chair in USIndia Policy Studies at the Centre for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).

    Authored by CSIS fellow Persis Khambatta Karl Inderfurth, Wadhwani Chair and former assistant secretary of state for South Asia, the report lists some key recommendations from its year-long Emerging Indian Economy Signature Speaker Series.

    There is arguably no sector more critical to India’s future growth than energy, says the report, with a chronic energy shortage, inadequate infrastructure, and an insatiable demand coupled with environmental concerns.

    Vikram Mehta of the Shell Group of Companies (India) stressed that India must find a way to handle a surge in energy demand, highlighting that technology is underutilised, the environment is threatened, and New Delhi has an inadequate policy framework through which to address these issues.

    Rajiv Lall of the Infrastructure Development Finance Company used the term “infrastruggles” to describe the obstacles facing the private sector for the delivery of infrastructurerelated services.

    John Flannery of GE India suggested that governments should view infrastructure as a top national priority after national security. Innovative, efficient infrastructure enables many other vital sectors to flourish.

    Indian health care industry’s biggest challenges include ramping up capacity to serve hundreds of millions of citizens and a growing incidence of non-communicable diseases, according to Prathap Reddy of the Apollo Hospitals Group. India’s National Manufacturing Policy plans to increase the sector’s share of GDP from 16 percent to 25 percent, including creating 100 million new jobs.

    Explaining how India can accomplish this, Arvind Goel of Tata AutoComp Systems referred to a number of policy instruments, including the recent creation of National Investment and Manufacturing Zones, zones in which state and central governments modify regulations on difficult issues in order to encourage greater manufacturing growth.

  • Chidambaram: I’m Not As Foolish As You Think I Am

    Chidambaram: I’m Not As Foolish As You Think I Am

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Reacting to the remarks made by DMK chief M Karunanidhi that he is a potential prime ministerial candidate, finance minister P Chidambaram on Monday said he knows his limitations. “If you are expecting a light-hearted comment,” Chidambaram told reporters, then “I tell you this: I know that some of you think I am foolish. But I am not so foolish as you think.” “I know my limitations and I live and conduct myself according to my limitations,” Chidambaram said here when asked to respond to the remarks of the DMK chief who had supported actor Kamal Hassan’s suggestion that the FM was a potential PM candidate. “I don’t know whether I should take your question very seriously. But let me give you a very serious answer. I know my limitations,” he told reporters. On Saturday while releasing a book, Karunanidhi had endorsed actor Kamal Hassan’s view on the FM becoming the PM.

  • US offers India help in combating violence against women

    US offers India help in combating violence against women

    WASHINGTON (TIP): In the wake of the gang-rape of an Indian woman, the United States has offered to help India strengthen public and private organizations working to combat violence against women. “Our goal is, whether it’s in India or anywhere else, to help strengthen all of the public and private organizations that are working to combat violence against women,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters on January 3 The US has worked very hard around the world to combat violence against women and will continue to make it a strong tenet of itsforeign policy wherever there is a problem, she said when asked about the gang-rape in Delhi and subsequent death of the victim Delhi that sparked huge protests in India.

    US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell had put out a statement on Dec 29 “after the victim died from this assault, offering our heartfelt condolences and our absolute abhorrence of these events”, Nuland noted. “Obviously, we have as a government worked very hard around the world with regard to combating violence against women,” she added. “We have a number of programes, including programes in India in public education, in support for NGOs, that help women who are victims of violence, including domestic violence,” she said.

    “And we will continue to make this a strong tenet of our foreign policy wherever there is a problem, and unfortunately, there are problems in countries around the world, including our own.” “Obviously, if the result of the investigation into this case indicates that the Indian Government wants to make changes or go in a different set of directions with regard to those programmes, we’d be interested in talking to them about it,” Nuland said. “Our goal is, whether it’s in India or anywhere else, to help strengthen all of the public and private organizations that are working to combat violence against women,” Nuland added. Asked if Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, recovering from a clot in her head, was aware of the issue in India, the spokesperson said: “I’m sure she’s aware of it. It’s, as you know, had enormous press and it’s a subject that is very close to her heart.”

  • Delhi Women Gun For Licenses; Rape Triggers Big Rush To Acquire Arms

    Delhi Women Gun For Licenses; Rape Triggers Big Rush To Acquire Arms

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The horrific attack on Nirbhaya has led to a spurt in requests for gun licenses from women. Since December 18, the day the news of the brutal gang rape appeared in newspapers, the licensing department of Delhi Police has received a total of 274 applications from women. In addition, it has also been flooded with hundreds of queries on how to obtain a license. “We have received over 1,200 calls since that day. These include not only the average working woman, but even students who travel long distances to colleges and even their concerned parents. They were eager to find out more on the procedure to acquire arms,” said a Delhi police officer. Delhi police sources say hundreds more had turned up at their office itself. “We had to patiently tell them that one needs to have a clear danger to one’s life to be given a licence. However, some of the parents were not happy with our replies. They said that with even public transport no longer safe in the city, they just cannot take chances.When we told them this could not be reason enough, we were told to give in writing that their daughters were indeed safe on Delhi’s roads,” said a source.

    20% increase in self-defence classes in city
    A member of the National Association for Gun Rights India claimed women were discriminated against. “Men are issued more gun licences than women in Delhi even if the later have genuine reasons to apply for them,” said a member. “The fact that even parents are ready to hand over weapons to their daughters shows they are living in fear. There is a 20% increase in self-defence courses across the city,” added the source. In the past two years, Delhi cops have received over 800 applications for guns from women. While the year 2010 saw around 320 applications, the figure had risen to around 500 in 2011.

    But it’s not only the numbers that’s a break from the past. There’s a change as well in the reasons cited. “Women earlier mostly cited the inheritance clause — saying their fathers or husbands had a licence which they want to continue holding. Many women applying under this clause were proxies for men. But of late women are citing ‘self-defence’ to apply for a licence,” said an officer in the licencing department.In general, 20- 22% of all applicants are now women. Since the past two weeks, the percentage has shot up to around 35%. The officer said 27 licences were issued to women in 2010. Of these, 17 applied under the inheritance clause. Till July this year, five women were granted licences for personal threats. In 2010 and 2011, over 600 applications were rejected as no “personal safety threat was assessed”.

  • Visa delays leave Indian students in UK stranded

    Visa delays leave Indian students in UK stranded

    LONDON (TIP): Several international students, including some from India have been stranded in the UK without passports and are unable to get home for Christmas after the UK Border Agency asked them to reapply for their visas. According to a report in The Guardian, London School of Film students from as far afield as the US, India, Russia and Lebanon were asked to hand over their passports to the Border Agency in November so they could be issued with new study permits. This was following the decision to strip London Metropolitan University of its “higher trusted status” before the start of the academic year.

    The Guardian said that London Met, which sponsors the students and issues degrees on behalf of the film school, also has hundreds of international students who are unable to get home due to lengthy delays at the Border Agency, despite being promised a fast-track service. Education vice-president at London Met, Syed Rumman, said he believed around 600-700 Met Uni students were stuck because UKBA still had their passports.

  • Accused of rape, Congress leader thrashed in Assam

    Accused of rape, Congress leader thrashed in Assam

    GUWAHATI (TIP): A Congress leader in Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) was taken into custody by police on January 3 after he allegedly attempted to rape a woman and was beaten up by villagers. He will be formally arrested as soon the case is filed. The incident took place at Salbari in Chirang district , police said, adding that Bikramsingh Brahma was handed over to police by the woman’s husband and the villagers Thursday morning. “Local people caught hold of Brahma in the house of the victim and handed him over to the police. The villagers also beat up the politician before handing him over.

    The victim’s husband filed a complaint against Brahma, alleging that Brahma had raped his wife,” said Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) S.N. Singh. “Brahma is in police custody now and he would be arrested soon. The police are waiting for the case to be registered,” said Singh.Brahma is the coordinator of the Congress party for the four districts of BTAD — Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang and Udalguri — and he had also contested the 2011 Assam assembly polls from Chapaguri constituency on a Congress ticket. “It seems that Brahma had been taking advantage of the woman for quite sometime by giving her hopes that he would make her beneficiary of various government schemes,” the IGP said. Meanwhile, Congress spokesman Haren Das said that strong disciplinary action will be taken against Brahma if the allegations against him were found to be true. “Brahma has also been temporarily suspended from the party after the incident,” said Das

  • Punjab Unveils Steps To Combat Crime Against Women, Kids

    Punjab Unveils Steps To Combat Crime Against Women, Kids

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): Punjab government announced a slew of measures, including lodging of gender-related cases at the complainants’ residences instead of police stations, to effectively combat crimes against women and children. It was decided that no complainant of gender-related cases would be called at police stations in future and the complainant would be examined at her residence by the police accompanied by a lady police official that too in the presence of her family members. The government has also decided that only gazetted officers not below the rank of DSP will be deputed to be a supervisory officer in investigating gender-related cases.

    A dedicated telephone number manned by lady constables will be set up in all police stations to deal with complaints of gender-related crimes so that the complainants could air their grievances without any fear, hesitation or inhibition. The chief minister in a letter to Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana high court Justice A K Sikri asked him to allocate dedicated courts in all districts across the state to ensure speedy trial of cases involving women and children. He also constituted a four-member committee comprising the advocate general, the principal secretary (home), the DGP and the director prosecution & litigation to recommend stricter laws to deal with the accused involved in such dastardly acts against humanity especially women and children besides swifter procedures to be adopted for speedy prosecution. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 10 days.

  • Pakistan’s report on how Osama bin Laden lived undetected out, but not made public

    Pakistan’s report on how Osama bin Laden lived undetected out, but not made public

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): A Pakistan commission has submitted a report on probe into how Osama bin Laden lived in the country undetected for years until his killing by US special forces, but the report might never be revealed, officials have said. The judicial commission was appointed 18 months ago, to probe one of the most embarrassing episodes in Pakistani history, but its findings could remain classified.

    The Pakistani government set up the five-member panel after US Navy SEALs conducted a secret raid on a compound in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2, 2011, killing bin Laden without informing Islamabad until afterwards, the Daily Times reports. According to the report, the commission interviewed senior civilian and military officials and the three widows of bin Laden before they were deported to Saudi Arabia in April last year. Pakistani-US ties drastically deteriorated over the bin Laden raid, which prompted accusations of incompetence or complicity against the military.

  • Tougher Rape Laws: Shinde Wants Parties To Pitch In

    Tougher Rape Laws: Shinde Wants Parties To Pitch In

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Two days after the death of the 23-year-old Delhi gang-rape victim, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has sent letters to all political parties inviting suggestions on the issue of amending laws pertaining to rape. At present, anti-rape laws are seen to be lax with very low conviction rates. According to the National Crimes Record Bureau, there were 22,171 reported cases of rapes in the country in 2010. The conviction rate in these cases stood at just 26.6 per cent. In the same year, 40,613 molestation cases were reported with 29.7 per cent convictions. The maximum punishment for rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code is life term. But those convicted are often let off after serving only a few months or years. Moreover, proving the offence of rape in courts is a traumatic experience for victims. One suggestion being considered by the government is having fast-track courts with fixed periods for such trials.

    Bjp too wants chemical Castration for rapists
    The BJP on December 31 suggested maximum punishment to the accused in rape cases– either death penalty or chemical castration. “There should be maximum punishment to the rapists, death penalty or emasculation (chemical castration of the rapist),” senior BJP leader Venkiah Naidu told reporters here. His suggestions come close on the heels of the Congress proposing castration for rapists.

  • Gunman Kills Five In Philippines

    Gunman Kills Five In Philippines

    KAWIT (TIP): A gunman armed with a semi-automatic pistol killed at least five people and wounded 11 others as he rampaged through a slum on the outskirts of the Philippine capital on January 4, authorities said. The ordeal, which took place in a rundown residential area and a market about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Manila, ended when the gunman died in a gunbattle with police, said investigating officer Arnulfo Lopez. “It was random.

    He would fire at anybody who crossed his path,” Lopez said. A seven-year-old girl was one of the people killed, with four other children among the wounded, according to Lopez.

    He identified the suspect as Ronaldo Bae, a middle-aged man who had once contested and lost an election for the post of local village chief. Initial police reports had identified the gunman as “Ronald Pae”. Lopez said no motive for the killings had yet been determined, but residents said Bae had been drinking heavily on Thursday night.

    They said the rampage began near Bae’s home in a rundown part of Kawit town and nearby neighbors were among those killed. “He was running swiftly and waving his gun… I told my children, and grandchildren to run,” Maita Lacorte, one of Bae’s neighbors and the aunt of the dead seven-year-old girl, told AFP.

    Lopez said Bae shot dead the girl in her home. Another neighbour, 56-year-old Alberto Fernandez, was also shot as he stood on his porch, according to the victim’s brother-in-law, Lito Ronquillo. Ronquillo spoke to AFP in the narrow street where the initial shootings took place.

    A bullet hole could be seen in a window above the porch where Fernandez died. Bae then walked towards a nearby market, shooting more people before returning home where police demanded he surrender, according to Lopez.

  • More Cases Of Alleged Sexual Assault Reported From Punjab, Haryana

    More Cases Of Alleged Sexual Assault Reported From Punjab, Haryana

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): Amid outrage and condemnation against the brutal Delhi gang-rape, more cases of alleged sexual assault were reported from Punjab and Haryana on Monday. However, the demand for immediate action against the perpetrators seems to have ensured swift action and police arrested the accused in most cases. Jhajjar police have booked two persons for allegedly abducting and raping a 19-year-old girl from Bahadurgarh. In her complaint, the victim said that she had gone for a walk in a park on Sunday when two persons – – Anil Kumar, 20, of Barahi village and Subhash Kumar, 30, of Sonipat district – – bundled her into a car and sped away.

    They raped her before dumping her near her residence the next morning. Jhajjar SP Anil Dhawan said the accused were booked under sections 365 (kidnapping or abducting) and 376 (rape) of IPC and arrested within hours of the complaint being lodged. In another case, a doctor allegedly raped a girl after inviting her to Ludhiana with the promise of getting her admission in a post-graduate course. He has been arrested and sent to police remand till January 1.

    According to the police, Kanwar Samrat was arrested after a complaint by a 29-year-old divorcee woman, who had got in touch with the accused from Samana through the internet. They had got engaged on May 22. Samrat called her to Ludhiana city on October 10 and violated her .When he neither got her an admission nor married her, she went to the police. “We have registered a case of cheating and rape against the accused on the basis of complaint. He was produced before the court which sent him to two days police remand.We are interrogating him,” a police officer said. Two more cases were reported in Amritsar.

    While police arrested a migrant worker for allegedly raping a minor girl for over four months, they have registered a case against a local, Milan Kapoor, for raping a woman on the pretext of marrying her and is now absconding. Police said Dhoti Yadav, a resident of Bihar, allegedly raped the 13-year-old girl repeatedly for months. In a similar case in Mansa, an Armyman has been booked for raping a 24-year-old woman for about two years on the pretext of marriage.When the girl came to know that her perpetrator, Sukhpal Singh, was already married, she approached the police on Saturday and was registered. Sukhpal is a resident of Chak Bhai Ka village and at present posted in Rajasthan.

    Similarly in Ferozepur’s Jhirka town, three youths were arrested for allegedly raping and blackmailing an 18-year-old girl for six months, said SP Sukhbir Singh. The victim, in her complaint, had alleged that the accused had raped her and made an MMS of the same for the purpose of blackmailing, he said. In Gurdaspur district, a labourer Radhey Shyam was arrested on Saturday for allegedly raping and killing a minor girl, police said. The 13- year-old’s body was found in a sugarcane field at Hassanpur village. In Jalandhar, four persons were arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in Bhogpur area and making her pregnant, local SHO B S Bajwa said. A youth Abhimanyu was arrested by the Mohali police for allegedly molesting a girl and making an MMS of the act after taking the victim to Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh on the pretext of attending a marriage, SSP (Ludhiana) G P S Bhullar said.

    Meanwhile, a 19-year-old student of a private engineering college, arrested for allegedly abducting and raping his dalit classmate in Kurukshetra, was produced in a court on Monday and remanded in judicial custody. Both the victim and the accused, Gugandeep Virk, are BTech students of a private engineering college in Karnal.In Sirsa, students blocked the Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi highway for more than an hour on Monday, demanding death penalty for the Delhi gang rape and murder accused and a new legislation to curb crime against women. The entire traffic on NH-10 had to be diverted from Sirsa bypass as students refused to lift the blockade and raised slogans demanding death penalty to the rapists and murderers. Roshan Suchan, a student, said, “The rapists must be hanged and the government must bring fast track courts to dispose of all rape case.” Heavy police force was rushed to the spot and students were finally persuaded to lift the blockade.

  • Venezuela’s Chavez Still Has ‘Severe’ Respiratory Problem

    Venezuela’s Chavez Still Has ‘Severe’ Respiratory Problem

    CARACAS (TIP) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is still suffering a “severe” respiratory infection that has hindered his breathing as he struggles to recover from cancer surgery in Cuba, the government said on January 3 .

    The 58-year-old socialist leader has not been seen in public nor heard from in more than three weeks. Officials say he is in delicate condition after his fourth operation in just 18 months for an undisclosed form of cancer in his pelvic area. “Comandante Chavez has faced complications as a result of a severe lung infection,” Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said in the latest official update on the president’s condition. “This infection has caused a breathing insufficiency that requires Comandante Chavez to comply strictly with medical treatment,” the communique added, giving no further details. Vice President Nicolas Maduro had earlier returned to Venezuela on Thursday after visiting Chavez in hospital as rumors swirled that the president could be close to death.

    Flanked by senior government figures including Diosdado Cabello, the head of the National Assembly, Maduro toured a coffee production plant in Caracas – the type of visit that the president made frequently before he fell ill. “He is conscious of the battle that he’s in, and has the same fighting spirit as always, with the same strength and energy as always, with his confidence and security,” Maduro said. “We’re going to be alongside him with the same strength and the same energy.” Maduro said Cabello, Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez and Chavez’s elder brother Adan, among others, had all been with the president in the Havana hospital. Venezuelan bonds rallied to five-year highs earlier on Thursday on rumors that Chavez’s health had taken a turn for the worse.

    Foreign investors generally hope for a more business-friendly government in Venezuela, and its assets have rallied in recent months on news of his illness. In scenes that recalled Chavez’s hourslong televised visits to building sites, hospitals and oil refineries, Maduro told workers at the nationalized Fama de America factory that there was no “transition” taking place in the country.

    “The only transition in Venezuela is the transition to socialism,” he said in comments carried live by state television. “It began six years ago, ordered by Comandante Hugo Chavez as chief and president, elected, re-elected and ratified, much as it pains the bourgeois hucksters and the right, who have done so much damage to our fatherland.” Chavez’s abrupt exit from the political scene would be a huge shock for the South American OPEC nation. His oil-financed socialism has made him a hero to the poor majority but critics call him a dictator. His condition is being watched closely by Latin American allies that have benefited from his help, as well as investors attracted by Venezuela’s lucrative and widely traded debt.

    ‘MAKE NO MISTAKE’
    Chavez is still set to be sworn in on January 10, as spelled out in the constitution.

    If he were to die or had to step aside, new elections would be held within 30 days, with Maduro running as the ruling Socialist Party (PSUV) candidate. While the constitution gives January 10 as the start of a new presidential term, it does not explicitly state what happens if a president-elect cannot take office on that date. Top PSUV officials have suggested that Chavez’s inauguration could be postponed – while the opposition says any delay would be just the latest sign the former soldier is not fit to govern.

    Cabello said the “Chavismo” movement was in pain but remained resolute, and he issued a warning to the opposition: “Make no mistake about these people or this revolution. It is going to cost you very, but very, dearly,” he said. On Saturday, Cabello will likely be reelected as head of the Chavista-dominated National Assembly, a key post that could see him assume Chavez’s role temporarily while new elections are called should the president have to step down.

    In the past Cabello has been considered as a rival of Maduro, but the pair have been at pains to deny that. Their appearance side-by-side at the coffee factory on Thursday looked to be the latest effort to project a unified front. Last year, Chavez staged what appeared to be remarkable comeback from the disease to win re-election to a new six-year term in October despite being weakened by radiation therapy. But he returned to Cuba for more treatment within weeks of his win.

    Officials have said he suffered unexpected bleeding and then a respiratory infection after a six-hour operation on December 11. That respiratory infection caused further complications, they have said, without giving more details.