The Indian Panorama

Month: February 2014

  • US issues warning to Russia over military drills near Ukrainian border

    US issues warning to Russia over military drills near Ukrainian border

    White House calls on Russia to refrain from ‘provocative actions’ amid concern Putin could be planning military intervention

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The United States on February 27 warned Russia that military exercises planned near the border of Ukraine could “lead to miscalculation”, hours after pro-Moscow gunmen seized government offices in the region of Crimea and raised a Russian flag. The secretary of state, John Kerry, said he had been reassured by his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that Moscow was not behind the storming of Crimean government buildings and would “respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

    In a brief appearance before reporters in Washington, Kerry said he had discussed the situation in Ukraine over the phone with Lavrov. “We believe that everybody now needs to step back and avoid any kind of provocations,” Kerry said. Late on Thursday the US vice-president, Joe Biden, spoke with Ukraine’s interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Biden promised Ukraine’s new leadership the full support of the US, a White House statement said.

    Earlier, the White House called on Moscow to “avoid provocative actions” and said it would be closely monitoring four days of Russian military drills that are due to begin on Friday, amid concern that Russian president Vladimir Putin could be contemplating military intervention in Ukraine. “We strongly support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. “We expect other nations to do the same.

    And so we are closely watching Russia’s military exercises along the Ukrainian border … We urge them not to take any steps that could be misinterpreted or lead to miscalculation during a very delicate time.” The remarks echoed the message delivered earlier in Brussels by the defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, who urged Russia to tread cautiously during what he said was “a time of great tension”. “We expect other nations to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and avoid provocative actions,” Hagel told a press conference at a Nato defence meeting in Brussels. Pressure is mounting on Washington to do more to shore up Ukraine’s embryonic leadership, which has taken over from the former president Viktor Yanukovych, who has fled the country.

    The country is facing a potential financial crisis and nascent rebellion in the largely pro-Russian east and south. Earlier on Thursday heavily armed men, some holding rocket-propelled grenade launchers and sniper rifles, reportedly took over the local parliament in Crimea’s regional capital, Simferopol. A Russian flag was hoisted at the site, where previously there had been clashes between pro- and anti- Russian protesters, as well as a sign saying “Crimea is Russia”.

    The Obama administration has committed financial support to Ukraine and is working with the International Monetary Fund and European Union to draw up a package of loans and other financial support. It also strongly backed the protest movement which brought about the departure of Yanukovych. However, the administration is seeking high-level contact with Moscow over the crisis, and has been downplaying suggestions of a cold-war style confrontation with Russia. Carney emphasised the importance of Ukraine’s new government protecting Russian minorities in the country, and said that a desire to move Ukraine closer to Europe should not exclude the maintenance of “cultural and economic” ties to Moscow.

    Ukraine’s interim president, Oleksandr Turchynov, said on Thursday “all necessary measures” would be taken to seize back government buildings in Simferopol, according to the Interfax news agency. He also warned Russia against moving military personnel in a naval base in Crimea. “Any movements of troops, especially with troops outside that territory will be considered military aggression,” Turchynov said. Putin ordered the urgent four-day drill of armed forces in western Russia, which borders some parts of Ukraine – though not the Crimea region, to the south – on February 26. Moscow is insisting the exercises are routine drills, but they have been widely interpreted as sabre-rattling by Putin.

    Russia also reportedly put fighter jets near the border on alert as it warned of “a tough and uncompromised response to violations of compatriots’ rights”. Kerry said on Wednesday that a Russian intervention would be a “grave mistake”. “For a country that has spoken out so frequently … against foreign intervention in Libya, in Syria, and elsewhere, it would be important for them to heed those warnings as they think about options in the sovereign nation of Ukraine,” he said.

    Hagel adopted adopted a more conciliatory tone on Thursday, telling reporters the US wanted Moscow to be “transparent” about its intentions. Nato head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he had no indication that Russia planned military intervention in Ukraine. “The Russians informed us about this and made clear that this exercise has nothing to do with events in Ukraine,” he said. Also on Thursday, the Crimean regional parliament voted to hold a referendum over independence from Kiev on 25 May. Ukraine’s presidential elections, when the country will elect a replacement for Yanukovych, are scheduled for the same day. Yanukovych is insisting he remains president of Ukraine, despite being in exiled in Russia. He will give a press conference in southern Russia on Friday. The White House dismissed Yanukovych’s claims to be the legitimate leader of Ukraine. “It is hard to claim you’re leading a country when you’ve abdicated responsibility and disappeared,” Carney said.

  • Dallas submits bid for 2016 GOP convention

    Dallas submits bid for 2016 GOP convention

    DALLAS, TX (TIP): Dallas leaders finalized the city’s bid Tuesday, February 25, for the 2016 Republican convention – an ambitious plan hatched quietly only a few weeks ago. They offered few details and shunned any sort of fanfare with Wednesday’s bid deadline approaching. Rival cities took a different approach.

    Some have wined and dined GOP leaders for a year, and boosters strutted their political and logistical advantages in promotional videos and rallies. Dallas leaders shrugged off the chest-thumping. They insisted that their ability to raise copious donations, offer convenient lodging and provide a great venue, the American Airlines Center, would trump such frills.

    “Several activities are taking place behind the scenes,” said Phillip Jones, president and chief executive of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The Dallas of today is a surprising city to the many millions of visitors we see every year, and we believe that element of surprise can work in our favor in this situation as well.” The city’s bid book was shipped to Washington on Tuesday, he said, and will be hand-delivered to GOP headquarters before the deadline on Wednesday.

    He declined to release a copy. A nine-member site-selection committee – members of the Republican National Committee from around the country – will hear hour long presentations Monday from Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Kansas City, Mo., Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. “It’s going to be our job to ask a whole lot of questions. I’m not prejudiced for or against any city at this point,” said selection committee member Steve Scheffler, president of the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition. Las Vegas is widely seen as a front-runner, perhaps the stiffest competitor for Dallas, which hosted the GOP in 1984. Some Republicans have expressed qualms about the gambling and other unseemly activities in the Nevada city, but Scheffler said he’s keeping an open mind. “If people want to use the word ‘sin city’ … you can find sin anyplace, you know,” he said.

    Vegas boosters are counting on that city’s unmatched tourism infrastructure. Only Dallas comes close, with far fewer hotel rooms but enough to hold every delegate within 3 miles of the American Airlines Center. That’s a huge issue for Republicans, with memories of 2012 fiascos in Tampa, Fla., still fresh. Iowa delegates, for instance, got stuck on buses for more than five hours at one point. Even when traffic and security weren’t snarled, they endured 90-minute commutes from hotel to arena. “A lot of delegates were out in Timbuktu,” said Scheffler, adding that he’ll be looking for the host city “that has the most pluses.” Cities in Ohio, Colorado and Nevada emphasize that their states are presidential battlegrounds.

    Texas’ role as a GOP stronghold could help Dallas, though. The winner can expect 50,000 delegates, journalists, protesters and others, along with $200 million or more in local economic impact. GOP officials have said they want the event to be held in late June or early July of 2016, earlier in the summer than recent conventions. The host city is expected to raise at least $50 million. That shouldn’t be a problem in Dallas, a major source of GOP campaign cash, boosters say. Of Dallas’ many advantages, time isn’t one of them. Other cities have been preparing the groundwork for months, in Washington and at home.

    In Dallas, most City Council members learned only a week ago that the mayor and others were pursuing the convention, when The Dallas Morning News reported that Mayor Mike Rawlings and former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison were issuing invitations to join the host committee. Membership of that committee remains a closely guarded secret. Kansas City started wooing GOP leaders a year ago. On Monday the mayor and others ceremoniously signed the city’s bid at a rally featuring 100 flag-waving residents and a backdrop that read: “All roads lead to here.”Denver leaders also held a news conference Monday. They’ll present their bid in leather cases reminiscent of a cowboy saddle bags. They boast that their city has proven it can host such an event, because it did the 2008 Democratic convention that nominated Barack Obama.

  • $60 Million TexasHS Stadium Closed

    $60 Million TexasHS Stadium Closed

    ALLEN, TX (TIP): A $60 million Texas high school stadium that got national attention for its grandeur and price tag will be shut down indefinitely 18 months after its opening, school district officials said Thursday, February 27. Eagle Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Allen will be closed until at least June for an examination of “extensive cracking” in the concrete of the stadium’s concourse, the district said in a statement Thursday.

    The closure will likely affect home games at the stadium this fall, the district said. Ben Pogue of Pogue Construction, which built the stadium, told reporters that the cracks range from a quarterinch to three-quarters of an inch wide. “There are concerns surrounding the stadium, but we have been — for a long time — part of the solution,” Pogue said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “I’m optimistic that we’re going to have a quick resolve to this that will not affect the football season that’s coming up.”

    Built in 2012 as part of a $120 million bond issue, Eagle Stadium seats 18,000 people and sports a 38-foot-wide video board. Eagle Stadium’s opening was a moment of triumph for the community of Allen, a fast-growing Dallas suburb that has become home to a high school football powerhouse. The Eagles won the Class 5A Division I state championship last year. District officials defended the cost — an eye-popping figure even in footballmad Texas, home to hundreds of schools playing under the “Friday Night Lights” — by calling the stadium an investment for generations of future Eagles fans and a much-needed upgrade from the district’s previous 35-year-old field.

    They planned to host state playoff games and other events at Eagle Stadium. Instead, the district’s graduation ceremonies and all other events are now on hold indefinitely. “This is a significant investment for our community. We are very disappointed and upset that these problems have arisen,” interim superintendent Beth Nicholas said. “It is unacceptable. Our students, families, and the entire community have always supported the district and our commitment to them is to make sure this issue is appropriately resolved.” Officials said an engineering firm has completed about 10 percent of its review of the stadium.

    It is expected to recommend “appropriate” repairs, the statement said. “Our No. 1 priority must always be the safety of our students, staff and community,” Louise Master, Allen’s ISD board president, said in a release. “We do not have information at this point that confirms any areas outside of the concourse could be affected, but the most prudent thing to do, to absolutely assure the safety of students, staff and the community, is to keep the facility closed during this review.” PBK Architects, the Texas firm that designed the stadium, did not return a message seeking comment Thursday.

  • Library releasing documents from Clinton years

    Library releasing documents from Clinton years

    The Clinton Presidential Library is making available about 5,000 pages of previously unreleased documents involving former President Bill Clinton’s administration

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The documents being made public Friday, February 28, part of a larger set of records being prepared for release by the National Archives, are expected to include confidential communications between the former president and his advisers along with records related to Clinton’s federal appointments.

    The records could also include communications involving former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is considering a 2016 presidential campaign, an AP report says. The former secretary of state’s potential White House campaign has renewed interest in documents from her husband’s administration during the 1990s and her decades in public service. Clinton, a former New York senator, is the leading Democratic contender to succeed President Barack Obama should she seek the presidency again.

    While the specific content remains unclear, the records could offer an unvarnished look at Clinton’s decisionmaking during his two terms in the White House. The records also could offer insight into the advice Clinton received from top aides and how the White House made appointments during his administration. In total, about 33,000 pages of previously confidential records from Clinton’s administration could be made public in the coming weeks.

    The expected release of the documents was first reported by Politico. Miriam Kleiman, a spokeswoman for the National Archives, said the federal agency has cleared for release about 25,000 pages of previously confidential documents during the next two weeks. The initial release Friday will be about 4,000 to 5,000 pages of records, she said. The documents will be posted online by the National Archives while paper copies will be made available at the former president’s library in Little Rock, Ark. An additional 7,000 to 8,000 pages of records are under review until March 26 and could be opened to the public sometime after that date.

    The records were previously withheld by the National Archives because they were exempt from disclosure under restrictions related to appointments to federal office and confidential advice among the president and his advisers. Under a law involving the handling and release of presidential records since the Reagan White House, presidential records can be withheld from the public for 12 years after the end of an administration if they fall under certain restricted categories. Once the restrictions expired in January 2013, the National Archives notified Obama’s and Clinton’s offices that they intended to release the records so both offices could conduct a review of the records. Both offices recently signed off on the documents.

  • Paswan, BJP seal deal, change Bihar equations

    Paswan, BJP seal deal, change Bihar equations

    NEW DELHI (TIP): BJP and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan sealed a seat-sharing pact in Bihar that will see Paswan’s group contesting seven Lok Sabha seats, a development that marks the much-travelled politician’s return to the NDA-fold. Paswan surfaced on February 26 after keeping Congress, RJD and BJP on tenterhooks for the last few days and announced that his options are open.

    “Opinion in LJP is not against going with BJP. In our party’s interests we need to take tough decisions,” he said. The nitty gritty of the pact saw Paswan agree to contest on seats that are not currently being held by the BJP. The decision is bound to cause heart burn among BJP hopefuls, but the party is pleased with the bargain. Paswan is seen to command the loyalty of a dalit community that is assertive and can add three-four per cent votes to BJP’s base that includes upper castes and some middle castes as well. Paswan prepared the ground for breaking with Congress and RJD by saying he was made a measly offer of a few seats.

    But his decision to make up with BJP after having quit the NDA cabinet over the Gujarat 2002 riots seems driven by the assessment that saffron PM hopefulNarendra Modi is gaining traction in Bihar. Paswan’s switch helps BJP counter criticism that Modi’s projection as PM has isolated the party as sources point to Asom Gana Parishad leader Prafulla Mahanta’s statement on February 26 that he does not rule in or rule out a tie-up with BJP. Mahanta along with BJD leader Naveen Patnaik stayed away from a third front inaugural on Tuesday and the Odisha CM’s posture is seen to reflect a convergence with BJP on seeing Congress as the common enemy.

    “There is no seat sharing with BJD, but we can work in our own ways to contain Congress,” said a BJP leader about the Odisha scene. BJP leaders feel the party has a satisfactory understanding with Paswan, and talks have centred around the need to select “clean” candidates. Though CBI is threatening to question Paswan in an appointments scam, the process will not be complete until the elections. In Tamil Nadu, BJP is striving to stitch up an alliance with smaller parties like PMK and DMDK besides MDMK leader Vaiko who is already in NDA. Paswan’s return is significant as he had quit the NDA over the Gujarat 2002 riots, although he was also unhappy over being removed from the telecom ministry when he was in the Vajpayee government.

    A party leader close to Paswan said, “We have reached an understanding but have had to cede the choice to BJP. It’s a last minute alliance and BJP has already finalised candidates for more seats. We did not have much room to negotiate on the choice of seats. But we are not disappointed, the allocation is respectable.” Sources, however, said there is an agreement on LJP contesting from Vaishali, Hajipur, Jamui, Samastipur and Khagaria. Paswan’s son Chirag who is also the chairman of party’s Parliamentary board, said, “LJP Parliamentary Board has passed a resolution that all steps, even if they are strong ones, should be taken in the interest of the party and if an alternative alliance is to be firmed up, party chief Ram Vilas Paswan should take the decision.”

    Party leaders harped on the fact that the BJP alliance has come about because of Congress and RJD not giving the respect LJP deserved. Ram Vilas Paswan said :”We had our grievances with RJD for a long time. I had even gone to meet Lalu Prasad in jail. But soon after he was out, RJD leaders started saying LJP should be given three seats. That is why we left to Congress to decide the seat sharing. I waited for months, but there was no decision. “They assumed that LJP is nothing, it is irrelevant. If one takes 25 seats (RJD) and the other 15 (Cong). It means they do not treat LJP as part of the alliance…. That is why the party has authorised me to explore new alternative,” he said. With BJP also having tied up with a Kushwaha community leader Upendra Kushwaha, the party confirmed that it will give away three seats to them. The three likely seats are Jehanabad, Seohar and Sitamarhi Lok Sabha seats.

  • Indian-American firm to pay $15 million to resolve fraud claims

    Indian-American firm to pay $15 million to resolve fraud claims

    NEW YORK (TIP): A diagnostic firm founded by an Indian-American physician, will pay over $15 million to the federal government to resolve allegations that it falsely billed for health tests that were never performed. Diagnostic Imaging Group (DIG) has agreed to pay 13.65 million dollars to the government and an additional 1.85 million dollars to New York and New Jersey to resolve the allegations.

    The allegations were raised in three lawsuits brought by private individuals in 2009 and 2010 in federal courts under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which allows private citizens with knowledge of fraud to bring civil actions on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery.

    The three whistleblowers would receive a total of about 2.77 million dollars under the settlement. The claims settled by the agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. DIG was founded in 1985 by Mumbai-native Leena Doshi, who came to the US in 1973 and studied radiology at a city hospital. Doshi’s husband Nitin Doshi was a dentist before joining his wife to expand the radiology practice.

    The couple has not been charged or accused of any wrongdoing. Incidentally, the husband-wife duo has in the past been awarded with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which is given to immigrants for their contributions to America. “Fraud committed by medical practices costs New York taxpayers millions of dollars every year. My office will find those who cheat the system, cheat New York taxpayers and cheat our most vulnerable patients,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. “In addition to other fraud, these companies were suspected of paying kickbacks.

    This illegal behaviour must and will stop.” The settlement resolves allegations that DIG submitted claims to federal healthcare programme Medicare, as well as the New Jersey and New York Medicaid Programmes. Between 1999 to 2010, the companies submitted false billings for expensive imaging services such as ultrasounds, doppler scans, ultrasounds and pelvic xrays. Additionally, DIG allegedly bundled certain tests on its order forms so that physicians could not order other tests without ordering the additional bundled tests, which were not medically necessary. In all, more than 40,000 false claims were submitted to the New York Medicaid program for the various imaging services.

  • Wife of Indian ‘illegally confined’ in Iran to seek Sonia Gandhi’s help

    Wife of Indian ‘illegally confined’ in Iran to seek Sonia Gandhi’s help

    VADODARA (TIP): The wife of one of the two Indians who were allegedly confined in a guest house in Iran’s Zanjan city by a private firm has decided to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders to seek help in securing their return to India.

    Vadodara resident Sanket Pandya (36) and Mohammed Hussain Khan (from Haryana), working with an India-based private firm, had been allegedly detained and their passports taken away by the engineering firm in December last year following a business dispute with their Goa-based company. Later, officials of Indian embassy in Tehran had got in touch with both the Indians and made arrangements to bring them to the Iranian capital.

    Both were then shifted to a hotel in Tehran city but have not been able to return to India. Sanket’s wife Priti Pandya told PTI over phone today that she has reached Delhi to meet senior Congress leaders to help in securing the safe release of both the Indians. She said till date their passports have not been returned to them. “I do not understand as to why my husband is kept in illegal confinement in Iran when he has not committed any crime or any illegal activity there,” she said, adding that Sanket and Khan had gone to Iran after their employer company sent them for a powerrelated project in Zanjhan.

    “How could Pandya and Khan be held responsible for any business dispute between both these India and Iran based companies? It is for both the companies to resolve their disputes for which employees cannot be held responsible,” she said. Priti had last month written a letter to Sonia Gandhi seeking help in the matter and had also met senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel and given all details to take up the issue with the External Affairs Ministry. The Tehran-based Indian embassy had prepared required travel documents for both of them and sent it to Iran embassy for stamping, after grant of visa for their journey back to India. However, the Iranian authorities have been refusing to stamp their travel documents under pressure from the Iran-based company, Priti alleged.

  • Two Indian-origin men get prestigious award in US

    Two Indian-origin men get prestigious award in US

    NEW YORK (TIP): Two Indian-origin men are among this year’s prestigious Heinz Awards recipients in the US. Abraham Verghese, a professor at Stanford University Medical School, and Sanjeev Arora, a computer scientist, of Albuquerque in the US state of New Mexico will be honoured in Pittsburgh April 3, the foundation announced on its website on Tuesday.

    The five recipients will receive a cash award of $250,000 each as well as a medallion inscribed with an image of late US senator John Heinz. Abraham Verghese, who was born to parents from Kerala in Ethiopia, was given the award in recognition of his best-selling authorship. In his first book, ‘My Own Country’, he wrote extensively about AIDS in rural areas of Tennesse. Verghese did his MBBS degree from Madras University in 1979.

    Sanjeev Arora, born at Kota in Rajasthan and now a San Franciscobased entrepreneur, was recognized for revolutionizing community healthcare using video conferencing technology. The awards recognize outstanding individuals for their contributions in the fields of arts, humanities, environment, human Condition, public policy,technology, economy and employment. The awards are conferred annually by the Heinz Family Foundation and were instituted in 1993.

  • Indian doctor, convicted of sexually assaulting teen, loses latest bid to stay in Australia

    Indian doctor, convicted of sexually assaulting teen, loses latest bid to stay in Australia

    MELBOURNE (TIP): An Indian doctor, convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage patient while working at an Australian hospital, has lost his bid to stay in the country. A federal court judge dismissed Suhail Durani’s plea on Monday, but his defence lawyer Shahid Shakur said they intend to take the case to the full bench of the court.

    Durani, 38, has been fighting to stay in Perth since he was released from jail after serving more than 18 months for sexually abusing a 19- year-old girl at Royal Perth Hospital in 2010. “He’s utterly disappointed of course. He has been in detention now for nearly six months and at the time of the judgment obviously we expected a different decision,” Shakur was quoted as saying in an ABC report. “We respect the decision.

    It’s obviously appealable but it will depend on the counsel’s advice,” he said. His client who had a wife and young son, had an arguable case, he said. “We believe that the minister has made the errors. While we respect the judgment of his Honour today, as soon as we have the counsel advice and we have read the reasoning for the decision, we will be in a decision to take further steps,” he said, adding “We have not been able to read the judgment as yet.” Shakur said Durani was not yet facing deportation and would remain in detention until the appeal process is resolved.

    “If he doesn’t appeal then he faces deportation under the law, but if he appeals against the decision he does not obviously,” he said. “As we understand, appeals can take up to six months,” Shakur said. Durani has 21 days to lodge an appeal. He had lost a bid to appeal against his conviction in 2012 and was fighting to stay back in the country. He had maintained his innocence and sought leave to appeal on seven grounds, including that his defence lawyer had acted incompetently. The three Appeal Court judges dismissed his lea, refusing six of the seven grounds. His visa was also cancelled by the federal government last year.

  • Corruption widespread in India, US report says

    Corruption widespread in India, US report says

    WASHINGTON (TIP): There is widespread corruption in India in all levels of the government including judiciary, said a US Congress-mandated report. “Corruption was widespread,” said the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013 released on Thursday by US secretary of state John Kerry.

    According to the report, though the law provides criminal penalties for official corruption, the Indian government did not implement the law effectively, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. “Corruption was present at all levels of government. The CBI registered 583 cases of corruption between the months of January and November. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) received 7,224 cases in 2012. Of those, 5,528 were received in 2012 and an additional 1,696 remained from 2011. The commission recommended action on 5,720 cases,” the report said.

    “The CVC operated a toll-free hotline to lodge complaints and a web portal to share information. NGOs noted that bribes typically were paid to expedite services, such as police protection, school admission, water supply, or government assistance,” it said. Civil society organizations drew public attention to corruption throughout the year, including through public demonstrations and websites that featured individual stories of corruption, it added. The government designated chief vigilance officers to address public complaints and grievances in the banking, insurance, and other sectors serviced by private, public, and corporate bodies.

    Parliament passed a bill in December establishing an ombudsman organization known as a Lokpal to investigate allegations of government corruption. The state department said many governmentrun programs to alleviate poverty and provide employment suffered from poor implementation and corruption. For example, after obtaining government documents under the RTI Act, a petitioner alleged misappropriation of funds in the Maharashtra Tribal Development Department. On June 13, the Bombay high court ordered that a special team be formed to investigate an alleged fraud in which money meant for tribal welfare was used for other purposes, it said.

    A case against several suspects, including Tiruvannamalai municipality councillor K V N Venkatesan — connected to the July 2012 killing of social activist Rajamohan Chandra, who had filed public-interest litigation cases against government officials, politicians, and realtors suspected of corruption and land grabbing — awaited trial at year’s end. In December last, a commission probing the role of state chief ministers and other officials in the 2012 Adarsh housing scam involving improper allocations of apartments reserved for veterans and war widows submitted its report to the Maharashtra legislative assembly, but the Maharashtra state government rejected the report.

    The trial of former telecommunications minister A Raja and MK Kanimozhi, a member of the upper house of parliament, accused of taking bribes in the rigged sale of the 2G mobile telephone spectrum in 2008, did not conclude by year’s end, the state department said. On August 7, Justice RA Mehta refused to become the Gujarat Lokayukta, the state anticorruption ombudsman authority, even after the Supreme Court upheld his appointment, and remarked that the state government would not support his investigations. The Gujarat government sought to amend the Gujarat Lokayukta Act in April, to curtail the primacy of the governor and chief justice of the high court in the ombudsman’s appointment and subject the appointing powers only to the chief minister’s decision. The governor refused to sign the bill.

    The state department said the law provides for an independent judiciary, and the government generally respected judicial independence, although ” judicial corruption” was widespread. “The judicial system remained seriously overburdened and lacked modern case management systems, often delaying or denying justice. In August, Law Minister Kapil Sibal stated that there were three vacancies on the Supreme Court and 275 vacancies on the high courts,” it said. “Vacancies in the subordinate judiciary were also alarming, with more than 3,700 positions to be filled in the states. The law minister attributed lengthening delays of cases in courts to the vacancies,” the report said.

  • NO CHANGE IN US STAND ON THE COMMUNAL VIOLENCE IN GUJARAT, JEN PSAKI SAYS

    NO CHANGE IN US STAND ON THE COMMUNAL VIOLENCE IN GUJARAT, JEN PSAKI SAYS

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The United States continues to express concern about communal violence in India, the Obama administration has said, strongly refuting reports that it has gone soft on the Gujarat communal riots in 2002 and the alleged role of its chief minister Narendra Modi.

    “I wouldn’t characterize our assessment that way. I think you’ll find if you review the text that we’re very clear about our concerns about several episodes of communal violence across India,” US state department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday. Psaki was responding to a question on the latest annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by secretary of state John Kerry. “If Modi was mentioned in previous human rights reports for India by name, then (why) he is not mentioned in this one,” she was asked. Paski said that there is no change in the US policy on the communal riots that took place in Gujarat about a decade ago.

    Both the annual reports of the 2011 and 2012 mentions Modi in its report but it in no way refers to his role in the communal riots. The latest report said that, “Civil society activists continued to express concern about the Gujarat government’s failure to protect the population or arrest many of those responsible for communal violence in 2002 that resulted in the killings of more than 1,200 persons, the majority of whom were Muslim, although there was progress in several court cases,” the report said. “The Gujarat government appointed the Nanavati-Mehta Commission to investigate the 2002 violence.

    In December the Gujarat government granted an extension for the 21st time, extending the commission to June 30, 2014,” it said. The state department said the Gujarat government withdrew its consent to seek death penalty for former minister Maya Kodnani and others convicted in the 2002 Naroda Patiya violence that killed 97 Muslims. The investigating agency questioned the Gujarat government’s move in a petition in the Supreme Court in June. Kodnani, the first senior politician to be convicted for 2002 violence, was sentenced to a 28-year jail term for her involvement in the post- Godhra riots case.

    The report also talked about last year’s communal violence in the Muzaffarnagar area of Uttar Pradesh that led to 65 reported deaths, and left 42,000 people displaced, and led to hundreds of injuries during the months of August and September. “The violence started with a sexual harassment incident between a Muslim man and a Hindu Jat woman and escalated following a political meeting of officials and others from more than 300 local villages during the weekend of September 7-8,” it said.

  • Kejriwal summoned as accused in criminal defamation case

    Kejriwal summoned as accused in criminal defamation case

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Friday summoned as an accused in a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.

    Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha issued summon for April 7 against Kejriwal on the complaint in which Gadkari had alleged that he was defamed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, who had included his name in the party’s list of ” India’s most corrupt”. Senior advocate Pinki Anand and advocate Ajay Digpaul, who had appeared for Gadkari, had argued that Kejriwal had made the statement against the BJP leader with a “malafide intention” to tarnish the image and lower the dignity of their client.

    The counsel had contended that Kejriwal had made “baseless and false allegation” against 57-year-old Gadkari. The court had on February 18 recorded statements of Gadkari and advocate Neeraj as complainant witnesses in the complaint. Gadkari in his statement had claimed the former Delhi chief minister had included his name in the list of alleged corrupt politician to tarnish his public image.

    “The accused (Kejriwal) is in the habit of making false and defamatory statements without any basis. The statements made by the accused and his party members have damaged and tarnished my image in the eyes of the people. “The said statements have been made maliciously by the accused person and his party people with the knowledge that the same are false, without any basis and with the malafide intention to defame and tarnish my reputation,” he had said.

  • THE BHAGAVAD GITA

    THE BHAGAVAD GITA

    CONTINUED FROM Vol 2 ISSUE 7

    KarmaYog is the best way to start with
    The knowledge of scriptures is better than mere ritualistic practice; meditation is better than scriptural knowledge; Tyaag, or renunciation of (the selfish attachment to) the fruits of work is better than meditation; peace immediately follows Tyaag. (See more on renunciation in 18.02, 18.09) (12.12)

    The attributes of a devotee
    One who does not hate any creature, who is friendly and compassionate, free from the notion of “I” and “my”, evenminded in pain and pleasure, forgiving; and the yogi who is ever content, who has subdued the mind, whose resolve is firm, whose mind and intellect are engaged in dwelling upon Me, who is devoted to Me, is dear to Me. (12.13-14) The one by whom others are not agitated and who is not agitated by others, who is free from joy, envy, fear, and anxiety, is also dear to Me. (12.15) One who is desireless, pure, wise, impartial, and free from anxiety; who has renounced the doership in all undertakings; such a devotee is dear to Me. (12.16) One who neither rejoices nor grieves, neither likes nor dislikes, who has renounced both the good and the evil, and is full of devotion; is dear to Me. (12.17) The one who remains the same towards friend or foe, in honor or disgrace, in heat or cold, in pleasure or pain; who is free from attachment; who is indifferent to censure or praise, quiet, content with whatever one has, unattached to a place (a country, or a house), calm, and full of devotion —that person is dear to Me. (12.18-19)

    One should sincerely try to develop divine qualities
    But those faithful devotees are very dear to Me who set Me as their supreme goal and follow (or just sincerely try to develop) the above mentioned nectar of moral values. (12.20).

    CREATION AND THE CREATOR
    The theory of creation
    The Supreme Lord said: O Arjun, this physical body, the miniature universe, may be called the field or creation. One who knows the creation is called the creator (or Atma) by the seers of truth. (13.01) O Arjun, know Me to be the creator of all the creation. The true understanding of both the creator and the creation is considered by Me to be the transcendental (or metaphysical) knowledge. (13.02) What the creation is, what it is like, what its transformations are, where its source is, who that creator is, and what His powers are — hear all these from Me in brief. (13.03) The seers have separately described the creation and the creator in different ways in the Vedic hymns, and also in the conclusive and convincing verses of the Brahm- Sutra. (13.04) The primary material Nature (Aadi Prakriti or Avyakt), cosmic intellect (Mahat), “I” consciousness or ego, five basic elements, ten organs, mind, five sense objects; and desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, the physical body, consciousness, and resolve — thus the entire field has been briefly described with its transformations. (See also 7.04) (13.05-06)

    The fourfold noble truth as means of Nirvan
    Humility, modesty, nonviolence, forgiveness, honesty, service to guru, purity (of thought, word, and deed), steadfastness, selfcontrol; and aversion towards sense objects, absence of ego; constant reflection on pain and suffering inherent in birth, old age, disease, and death; (13.07-08) detached attachment with family members, home, etc.; unfailing calmness upon attainment of the desirable and the undesirable; and unswerving devotion to Me through single-minded contemplation, taste for solitude, distaste for social gatherings and gossips; steadfastness in acquiring the knowledge of Eternal Being (Brahm), and seeing the omnipresent Supreme Being (ParBrahm, Krishn) everywhere — this is said to be knowledge.

    That which is contrary to this is ignorance. (13.09- 11) God can be described by parables and not in any other way I shall fully describe the object of knowledge — knowing which one attains immortality. The beginningless Supreme Being (ParBrahm) is said to be neither eternal (Sat) nor temporal (Asat). (See also 9.19, 11.37, and 15.18) (13.12) The Eternal Being (Brahm) has His hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth, and ears everywhere, because He is all-pervading and omnipresent. (13.13) He is the perceiver of all sense objects without the physical sense organs; unattached, and yet the sustainer of all; devoid of three modes (Gunas) of material Nature (Prakriti), and yet the enjoyer of the Gunas of Prakriti (by becoming a living entity (Jeev)). (13.14) He is inside as well as outside all beings, animate and inanimate.

    He is incomprehensible because of His subtlety. And because of His omnipresence, He is very near — residing in one’s inner psyche; as well as far away — in the Supreme Abode (ParamDhaam). (13.15) He is undivided, and yet appears to exist as if divided in beings. He, the object of knowledge, appears as: Brahmaa, the creator; Vishnu, the sustainer; and Shiva, the destroyer of all beings. (See also 11.13, and 18.20) (13.16) ParBrahm, the Supreme Person, is the source of all light. He is said to be beyond darkness (of ignorance or Maya). He is the Self-knowledge, the object of Self-knowledge, and seated in the inner psyche (or the causal heart as consciousness (See verse 18.61)) of all beings, He is to be realized by Selfknowledge (Jnaan, Taaratamya Jnaan, Brahm-vidyaa). (See also 15.06 and 15.12) (13.17) Thus the creation as well as the knowledge and the object of knowledge have been briefly described by Me.

    Understanding this, My devotee attains My supreme abode. (13.18) A description of the supreme spirit, spirit, material nature, and the individual souls Know that both the material Nature (Prakriti) and the Spiritual Being (Purush) are beginningless. All manifestations and three dispositions of mind and matter, called modes or Gunas, are born of Prakriti. Prakriti is said to be the cause of production of the physical body and the eleven organs (of perception and action). Purush (Consciousness, Spirit) is said to be the cause of experiencing pleasure and pain. (13.19-20) Spiritual Being (Purush) enjoys three modes (Gunas) of material Nature (Prakriti) by associating with Prakriti.

    Attachment to the Gunas (due to ignorance caused by previous Karm) is the cause of birth of the living entity (Jeev) in good and evil wombs. (13.21) Eternal Being (Brahm, Atma, Spirit) in the body is also called the witness, the guide, the supporter, the enjoyer, the great Lord, and also the Supreme Self. (13.22) They who truly understand Spiritual Being (Purush) and the material Nature (Prakriti) with its three modes (Gunas) are not born again, regardless of their way of life. (13.23) Some perceive the supersoul (Paramaatma) in their inner psyche through mind and intellect that have been purified either by meditation, or by metaphysical knowledge, or by KarmaYog. (13.24)

    The faith alone can lead to Nirvan
    Others, however, do not know the yogas of meditation, knowledge, and work; but they perform deity worship with faith, as mentioned in the scriptures by the saints and sages. They also transcend death by virtue of their firm faith in what they have heard. (13.25) Whatever is born — animate or inanimate — know them to be born from the union of the field (Prakriti or matter) and the field knower (Purush or Spirit), O Arjun. (See also 7.06) (13.26) The one who sees the same eternal Supreme Lord dwelling as Spirit (Atma) equally within all mortal beings, truly sees. (13.27) Because of beholding one and the same Lord existing equally in every being, one does not injure anybody and thereupon attains the supreme abode. (13.28) One who perceives that all works are done by the powers (Gunas) of material Nature (Prakriti) alone, and thus does not consider oneself (or the Atma) as the doer, that person truly understands. (See also 3.27, 5.09, and 14.19) (13.29) The moment one discovers the diverse variety of beings and their ideas abiding in One and coming out from That alone, one attains the Supreme Being (ParBrahm). (13.30)

    Attributes of the spirit (Brahm)
    Because of being beginningless and unaffectable by the three modes of material Nature, the eternal supersoul (Paramaatma) — even though dwelling in the body as a living entity (Jeev) — neither does anything nor becomes tainted, O Arjun. (13.31) Just as the all-pervading space is not tainted because of its subtlety; similarly, Spirit (Atma), abiding in all bodies, is not tainted. (13.32) Just as one sun illuminates the entire world; similarly, Eternal Being (Brahm) illumines (or gives life to) the entire creation, O Arjun. (13.33) They attain the Supreme, who perceive the difference between creation (or the body) and the creator (or the Atma) with the eye of Self-knowledge, and know the technique (by using any one of the five paths—Selfless service, Knowledge, Devotion, Meditation, and Surrender) of liberation of the living entity (Jeev) from the trap of divine illusory energy (Maya). (13.34)

    THREE MODES (GUNAS) OF NATURE
    The Supreme Lord said: I shall further explain to you that supreme knowledge, the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained supreme perfection after this life. (14.01) They who have taken refuge in this transcendental knowledge attain unity with Me and are neither born at the time of creation, nor afflicted at the time of dissolution. (14.02)

    All beings are born from the union of spirit and matter
    My material Nature (Prakriti, mother nature) is the womb of creation wherein I place the seed (of Consciousness or Purush) from which all beings are born, O Arjun. (See also 9.10) (14.03) Whatever forms are produced in all different wombs, O Arjun, the material Nature (Prakriti) is their (body-giving) mother; and I, the Spiritual Being or Purush, am the (seed or lifegiving) father. (14.04)

  • SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    The Sikh Gurus never believed in the exclusivity of their teachings. The Gurus undertook travels to spread their message to peoples of different cultures in their own native languages. The Gurus did not believe in the ideas of any language being ‘sacred’ or ‘special’. It is in this spirit that various Sikh scholars have undertaken efforts to translate Sri Guru Granth Sahib into a number of languages in order to spread the teachings of the Gurus and to bring the Sikh religion to the people of the world as Guru Nanak wished.

    “Enshrine the Lord’s Name within your heart. The Word of the Guru’s Bani prevails throughout the world; through this Bani, the Lord’s Name is obtained.”(Guru Amar Das, Maru, pg. 1066)

    CONTINUED FROM VOL 2 ISSUE 7 || 4 || 17 || 50 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: You may torment your body with extremes of self-discipline, practice intensive meditation and hang upside-down, but your ego will not be eliminated from within. You may perform religious rituals, and still never obtain the Naam, the Name of the Lord. Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, remain dead while yet alive, and the Name of the Lord shall come to dwell within the mind. || 1 || Listen, O my mind: hurry to the Protection of the Guru’s Sanctuary. By Guru’s Grace you shall be saved.

    Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, you shall cross over the terrifying world-ocean of poison. || 1 || Pause || Everything under the influence of the three qualities shall perish; the love of duality is corrupting. The Pandits, the religious scholars, read the scriptures, but they are trapped in the bondage of emotional attachment. In love with evil, they do not understand. Meeting the Guru, the bondage of the three qualities is cut away, and in the fourth state, the Door of Liberation is attained. || 2 || Through the Guru, the Path is found, and the darkness of emotional attachment is dispelled.

    If one dies through the Shabad, then salvation is obtained, and one finds the Door of Liberation. By Guru’s Grace, one remains blended with the True Name of the Creator. || 3 || This mind is very powerful; we cannot escape it just by trying. In the love of duality, people suffer in pain, condemned to terrible punishment. O Nanak, those who are attached to the Naam are saved; through the Shabad, their ego is banished. || 4 || 18 || 51 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: By His Grace, the Guru is found, and the Name of the Lord is implanted within. Without the Guru, no one has obtained it; they waste away their lives in vain. The self-willed manmukhs create karma, and in the Court of the Lord, they receive their punishment.

    || 1 || O mind, give up the love of duality. The Lord dwells within you; serving the Guru, you shall find peace. || Pause || When you love the Truth, your words are true; they reflect the True Word of the Shabad. The Name of the Lord dwells within the mind; egotism and anger are wiped away. Meditating on the Naam with a pure mind, the Door of Liberation is found. || 2 || Engrossed in egotism, the world perishes. It dies and is re-born; it continues coming and going in reincarnation. The self-willed manmukhs do not recognize the Shabad; they forfeit their honor, and depart in disgrace. Serving the Guru, the Name is obtained, and one remains absorbed in the True Lord. || 3 || With faith in the Shabad, the Guru is found, and selfishness is eradicated from within. Night and day, worship the True Lord with devotion and love forever.

    The Treasure of the Naam abides in the mind; O Nanak, in the poise of perfect balance, merge into the Lord. || 4 || 19 || 52 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: Those who do not serve the True Guru shall be miserable throughout the four ages. The Primal Being is within their own home, but they do not recognize Him. They are plundered by their egotistical pride and arrogance. Cursed by the True Guru, they wander around the world begging, until they are exhausted. They do not serve the True Word of the Shabad, which is the solution to all of their problems. || 1 || O my mind, see the Lord ever close at hand. He shall remove the pains of death and rebirth; the Word of the Shabad shall fill you to overflowing. || 1 || Pause || Those who praise the True One are true; the True Name is their Support. They act truthfully, in love with the True Lord. The True King has written His Order, which no one can erase. The self-willed manmukhs do not obtain the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence. The false are plundered by falsehood.

    || 2 || Engrossed in egotism, the world perishes. Without the Guru, there is utter darkness. In emotional attachment to Maya, they have forgotten the Great Giver, the Giver of Peace. Those who serve the True Guru are saved; they keep the True One enshrined in their hearts. By His Grace, we find the Lord, and reflect on the True Word of the Shabad. || 3 || Serving the True Guru, the mind becomes immaculate and pure; egotism and corruption are discarded. So abandon your selfishness, and remain dead while yet alive. Contemplate the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. The pursuit of worldly affairs comes to an end, when you embrace love for the True One. Those who are attuned to Truth – their faces are radiant in the Court of the True Lord.

    || 4 || Those who do not have faith in the Primal Being, the True Guru, and who do not enshrine love for the Shabad – they take their cleansing baths, and give to charity again and again, but they are ultimately consumed by their love of duality. When the Dear Lord Himself grants His Grace, they are inspired to love the Naam. O Nanak, immerse yourself in the Naam, through the Infinite Love of the Guru. || 5 || 20 || 53 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: Whom shall I serve? What shall I chant? I will go and ask the Guru. I will accept the Will of the True Guru, and eradicate selfishness from within. By this work and service, the Naam shall come to dwell within my mind. Through the Naam, peace is obtained; I am adorned and embellished by the True Word of the Shabad.

    || 1 || O my mind, remain awake and aware night and day, and think of the Lord. Protect your crops, or else the birds shall descend on your farm. || 1 || Pause || The desires of the mind are fulfilled, when one is filled to overflowing with the Shabad. One who fears, loves, and is devoted to the Dear Lord day and night, sees Him always close at hand. Doubt runs far away from the bodies of those, whose minds remain forever attuned to the True Word of the Shabad. The Immaculate Lord and Master is found. He is True; He is the Ocean of Excellence. || 2 || Those who remain awake and aware are saved, while those who sleep are plundered. They do not recognize the True Word of the Shabad, and like a dream, their lives fade away. Like guests in a deserted house, they leave just exactly as they have come. The life of the self-willed manmukh passes uselessly.

    What face will he show when he passes beyond? || 3 || God Himself is everything; those who are in their ego cannot even speak of this. Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, He is realized, and the pain of egotism is eradicated from within. I fall at the feet of those who serve their True Guru. O Nanak, I am a sacrifice to those who are found to be true in the True Court. || 4 || 21 || 54 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: Consider the time and the moment – when should we worship the Lord? Night and day, one who is attuned to the Name of the True Lord is true. If someone forgets the Beloved Lord, even for an instant, what sort of devotion is that? One whose mind and body are cooled and soothed by the True Lord – no breath of his is wasted. || 1 || O my mind, meditate on the Name of the Lord. True devotional worship is performed when the Lord comes to dwell in the mind.

    || 1 || Pause || With intuitive ease, cultivate your farm, and plant the Seed of the True Name. The seedlings have sprouted luxuriantly, and with intuitive ease, the mind is satisfied. The Word of the Guru’s Shabad is Ambrosial Nectar; drinking it in, thirst is quenched. This true mind is attuned to Truth, and it remains permeated with the True One. || 2 || In speaking, in seeing and in words, remain immersed in the Shabad. The Word of the Guru’s Bani vibrates throughout the four ages. As Truth, it teaches Truth. Egotism and possessiveness are eliminated, and the True One absorbs them into Himself. Those who remain lovingly absorbed in the True One see the Mansion of His Presence close at hand. || 3 || By His Grace, we meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. Without His Mercy, it cannot be obtained. Through perfect good destiny, one finds the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation, and one comes to meet the True Guru. Night and day, remain attuned to the Naam, and the pain of corruption shall be dispelled from within. O Nanak, merging with the Shabad through the Name, one is immersed in the Name.

    || 4 || 22 || 55 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: Those who contemplate the Word of the Guru’s Shabad are filled with the Fear of God. They remain forever merged with the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation; they dwell upon the Glories of the True One. They cast off the filth of their mental duality, and they keep the Lord enshrined in their hearts. True is their speech, and true are their minds. They are in love with the True One. || 1 || O my mind, you are filled with the filth of egotism. The Immaculate Lord is eternally Beautiful. We are adorned with the Word of the Shabad. || 1 || Pause || God joins to Himself those whose minds are fascinated with the True Word of His Shabad. Night and day, they are attuned to the Naam, and their light is absorbed into the Light. Through His Light, God is revealed. Without the True Guru, understanding is not obtained.

  • Rahul raps Khurshid for calling Modi ‘impotent’

    Rahul raps Khurshid for calling Modi ‘impotent’

    NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Thursday indirectly rapped External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid for calling Narendra Modi ‘impotent’, saying he doesn’t appreciate the use of such language.

    Khurshid at a rally on February 26, at his constituency Farukkabad, had said: “Our allegation is not that you (Modi) got people killed, but that you are napunsak (impotent) because you could not stop the killings.” The union minister said this in reference to Modi’s claims to be a strong man, although over a 1,000 people had been killed in the Gujarat riots under his watch in 2002.

    Khurshid asked why a man who aspires to be the prime minister of the country could not do anything during the 2002 riots. “Some people came, attacked and went, and you couldn’t protect. Are you not a strong man?,” he asked. “We don’t accuse you of killing people… Hamara aarop hai ki tum ‘napunsak’ (impotent) ho. (Our accusation is that you are impotent).

    You couldn’t stop the killers,” he said. Khurshid however refused to apologise saying: “I am not his (Modi) doctor, I didn’t physically examine him. I meant that he lacks strength to do what he could have done.” BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Khurshid for his remarks saying: “It is utterly irresponsible, shameful and condemnable coming as it does from the foreign minister of India. If the Oxford educated Salman Khusrshid does not understand the distinction between incompetent and impotent then what should I say. Khurshid must apologise.”

  • AAP says probe call against Mukesh Ambani ignored

    AAP says probe call against Mukesh Ambani ignored

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Maintaining its attack against Mukesh Ambani and Reliance Industries, the AAP Thursday alleged that the UPA government had ignored a probe request against them three years ago despite an appeal made by the Indian mission in Singapore.

    “The UPA government has not even bothered to investigate an open and shut case of huge money laundering done by Reliance and Mukesh Ambani,” the party alleged in a statement — a matter that has already been strongly refuted by the two parties. “This is despite that fact that the Indian High Commission in Singapore had written to the central government as far back as Aug 31, 2011 requesting such an investigation,” said the statement, released by party leader and senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

    The party alleged that Rs.6,530 crore had been invested in some of the group companies of Reliance Industries by a company in Singapore, which, it added, not only claims to be a small firm but also has no office, no equity and files no tax returns in that country. “The high commission had stated that all this money has gone into Reliance (Industries) group of companies in India with the major chunk going to Reliance Gas Transportation Infrastructure Ltd, which is a company 100 percent owned by Mukesh Ambani personally.”

    The Singapore company has since closed, the party said, and sought to name its owner. Since such allegations had been made earlier, Reliance Industries had issued a statement a couple of days ago denying any wrong-doing either by the company or its chairman Mukesh Ambani.

    “As stated earlier, it is being reiterated that neither Reliance Industries nor Mukesh Ambani have or had any illegitimate accounts anywhere in the world,” said the statement issued Tuesday. “RIL has business interests in several countries with turnover of thousands of crore in rupees. As a part of their normal business, these international subsidiaries of RIL deal with several global banks,” the statement said. “These accounts are fully compliant with all regulations and are disclosed in their appropriate jurisdictions and in India.”

  • Modi says technology key to boosting commercial activities

    Modi says technology key to boosting commercial activities

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on February 27 stressed on the importance of using technology to boost commercial activities in the country, and to overcome the fear of global challenges.

    “Traders should use technology to make it big. People even in rural areas are now looking forward for branded stuff. Use technology to cater to that. Small businessmen can do big business by setting up virtual units, and then, take a leap forward,” said Modi. “They can improve the delivery systems, and go for online marketing.

    They can set up virtual malls. We don’t have to fear global challenges. We can, in fact, convert this into an opportunity and out-run our global rivals. More than our soldiers, it is our traders who are known for their risk-taking capacity,” he said, while addressing the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) national convention at the Siri Fort auditorium.

    “Our children have spread information technology all across the globe. We have to accept science and technology to improve our businesses,” he added. He also said that traders should not be afraid to take up global challenges. “I trust the traders of the country and a true quality of a great trader is taking risks,” Modi said. “Also, we consider urbanization a problem, but we should not. It should be considered an opportunity to progress and develop,” he added.

  • Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: SC stays release of 4 convicts

    Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: SC stays release of 4 convicts

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court on February 26 stayed the release of four convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, ordering status quo on a plea by the Centre challenging the Tamil Nadu government’s proposal to release them.

    The court bench headed by Justice P Sathasivam directed that the central government’s plea would be heard on March 6. The court also issued notice to the state government and the four prisoners on the Centre’s plea against their release. It asked as to why the Centre rushed to the apex court instead of replying to the state government’s letter seeking the stand of the Union government on the release of the prisoners.

    “Is the Centre rushing or you are rushing?,” the bench questioned the state government and made it clear that it will first consider the maintainability of the Centre’s petition before going into its merits. “You take it from us that we would consider the maintainability issue first,” it said, adding,”We would solve the problem amicably.” The bench said that every state must be aware about the procedure to be followed for the release of prisoners.

    The Centre on Monday had moved the apex court to prevent Tamil Nadu government to set free four other convicts serving life imprisonment in the case. The apex court had on February 20 stayed the release of three convicts — Murugan, Santhan and Arivu — whose death sentence was commuted to life term by it on February 18 in the case, saying there had been procedural lapses on the part of the state government on the decision to release them.

    The Centre’s move came after the apex court had said it could file a fresh petition regarding the other four prisoners whose sentence has also been remitted by the Tamil Nadu government. It has sought stay on the release of convicts Nalini, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran. The Jayalalithaa government had on February 19 decided to set free all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

  • BJP DECLARES 54 LOK SABHA CANDIDATES

    BJP DECLARES 54 LOK SABHA CANDIDATES

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday announced its first list of 54 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections and fielded former party president Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur. The list was announced after a meeting of the party’s central election committee.

    It includes candidates for Jammu and Kashmir, Arunchal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, West Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh and has several sitting and former parliamentarians. Former union minister Shanta Kumar has been fielded from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh while Anurag Thakur, president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, has been retained as candidate from Hamirpur.

    In Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP fielded state chief Jugal Kishore Sharma from Jammu and state spokesman Jitender Singh from Udhampur. Other candidates from Jammu and Kashmir include Thunpsthan Chhweang (Ladakh), Mushtaq Ahmad Malik (Anantnag) and G.M. Meer (Baramulla). The BJP declared 17 candidates from West Bengal, including former lawmaker Tapan Sikadar (Dum Dum), state party president Rahul Sinha (Kolkata Uttar), and magician P.C. Sorcar Jr. (Barasat).

    Apart from Gadkari, 17 candidates declared from Maharashtra include sitting parliamentarians Gopinath Munde (Beed), Hansraj Ahir (Chandrapur), Dilip Gandhi (Ahmadnagar) and former MP Kirit Somaiya (Mumbai North East). The party fielded former lawmaker Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal West and another former parliamentarian Tapir Gao from Arunachal East. Shripad Y. Naik was retained from North Goa and Narendra K. Sawaikar has been fielded from South Goa. In Odisha, the BJP has fielded Jual Oram from Sundargarh and Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo from Bolangir. The party declared six candidates from Odisha. The party retained Virender Kashyap as its candidate from Shimla.

  • Dallas task force working on ‘dramatic ideas’ for Fair Park

    Dallas task force working on ‘dramatic ideas’ for Fair Park

    DALLAS, TX (TIP): A nine-member task force on the future of Fair Park has been meeting privately for several months and is expected to issue recommendations to Mayor Mike Rawlings by May, according to a report in Dallas News. The task force, appointed by Rawlings, meets at 8 a.m. each Tuesday at offices of the Meadows Foundation.

    The meetings are not open to the public, even though Rawlings might eventually submit task force recommendations to the Dallas City Council for action. “The purpose of this group is to give me dramatic ideas,” Rawlings said Thursday. “We may or may not do them. People have talked about how we get more people living and working down there. Within the park itself, how do we use that space?” Task force members contacted this week by The News were tight-lipped and hesitant to discuss any new ideas to pump life into the 277-acre park, which is best known for hosting the annual State Fair of Texas.

    Linda Perryman Evans, the task force chairwoman, said she had nothing to report. “The issue is how to revitalize Fair Park and enjoy what is there,” said Evans, president and CEO of the Meadows Foundation. “It is a treasure for our city.” Currently, the city of Dallas owns and operates Fair Park. State Fair of Texas Inc., a tax-exempt corporation, has a contract with the city to use the park for its annual event in September and October.

    Many other community groups occupy space at Fair Park – WRR (101.1 FM), the city-owned classical music station; the Cotton Bowl; the African American Museum; the Music Hall at Fair Park; and the Children’s Aquarium, among others. The park is also home to annual festivals such as KwanzaaFest in December and the North Texas Irish Festival, which begins today and runs through this weekend. The task force’s work comes after news that Summer Adventures at Fair Park, an amusement park, will not return in 2014. The State Fair conceived of Summer Adventures as a way to make money and get more use out of the park.

    Attendance was disappointing, however. Undoubtedly, the task force is reviewing whether city government should turn over management of Fair Park to a private company. Previous master plans speculated that a private not-for-profit company, an overarching commission or a separate taxing authority might be better management vehicles than city government. “I think before we are through, there will be a lot of discussion about who should manage the park,” said Max Wells, a task force member and president of the Dallas park board, one of the many boards and commissions that report to the City Council.

    In recent years, city government has privatized operations at the Dallas Zoo. The city also sold the Dallas Farmers Market to private operators last June. Rawlings said city government is not going to sell Fair Park. “That option is not on the table,” he said. Other task force members echoed that sentiment. Diane Ragsdale, another task force member, is executive director of Innercity Community Development Corporation in South Dallas. She builds houses for lowincome people in the Fair Park area. “We are still struggling with the options for what recommendations to bring to the mayor,” said Ragsdale, who, like Wells, is a former City Council member.

    “I don’t see any housing development in Fair Park. That is not one of our considerations.” Two other task force members, Mark Langdale and Jack Matthews, are highpowered real estate developers. The mayor’s task force is hardly the first effort to reimagine the park. Over the years, perceptions that the Fair Park area is not safe have hampered redevelopment plans in surrounding neighborhoods. Political divisions among the many groups with a stake in the park also make it difficult to bring forth bold change.

    The City Council, the park board, the State Fair, state and local historic preservation societies are only a few of the groups that speak out on Fair Park issues. Protecting art deco buildings constructed for the Texas Centennial in 1936 – think Hall of State – is a top priority for preservationists. The late David Dillon, for years the respected architecture critic for The News, neatly summed up the problem in 1991: “Compared to Fair Park, Eastern Europe is a bureaucratic breeze,” Dillon wrote. “At least 15 boards and organizations have a say in the management of its 277 acres. Because of all the red tape, simple problems often become baroque, and lofty common objectives succumb to parochial turf battles.”

    At a glance: Mayor’s task force on Fair Park
    At the request of Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, the following people are meeting weekly to review the management and operations of Fair Park, the city-owned, 277- acre site of the annual State Fair of Texas: Linda Perryman Evans (task force chair), president and CEO of the Meadows Foundation José Bowen, dean of Meadows School for the Arts at SMU Craig Holcomb, former Dallas City Council member and current executive director of Friends of Fair Park Mark Langdale, former president of George W. Bush Foundation and current real estate developer and investor Jack Matthews, president of Matthews Southwest, a real estate development firm Diane Ragsdale, former Dallas City Council member and current executive director of InnerCity Community Development Corp. Mary Suhm, former Dallas city manager Alan Walne, former Dallas City Council member and current chairman of State Fair of Texas Inc. Max Wells, former Dallas City Council member and current president of Dallas Park and Recreation Board

  • Texas City Working To Turn Sewer Water Into Tap Water

    Texas City Working To Turn Sewer Water Into Tap Water

    NORTH TEXAS (TIP): Drastic times call for drastic measures. But what would it take for you to drink tap water that had been recycled straight from the sewer? The concept sounds crazy but it could happen soon in one North Texas city.

    Wichita Falls is two hours outside of Dallas. Three years ago 88-percent of Texas was under exceptional drought conditions – that’s the worst classification of drought. Today there are just two small areas that still have that designation and the city of Wichita Falls is in one of them. You need drive no further than nearby Lake Arrowhead to see how bad the drought is.

    The lake is one of the main water sources for the town, but it’s only at about 27-percent capacity. Boat docks stand 10 to 15 feet above dry land and the nearest water is hundreds of feet away. The lake bed is littered with dead fish and shells. When the wind blows you’re reminded of a dustbowl. Every time the water in the lake drops, officials in Wichita Falls consider enacting more severe water restrictions.

    Through conservation efforts, city water usage dropped from between 45 and 50 million gallons of water each day before the drought, to 12 million gallons a day now. But the water savings still aren’t enough. “This reuse system will put five million gallons [of water] back in the distribution system a day,” explained Mayor Glenn Barham. “So, it saves us taking five million gallons out of the lake.” The city, no stranger to droughts, started planning for the water to run out about two years ago.

    A plan which had years earlier been previously suggested, and dropped, was now back on the table: take water straight from the waste treatment facility and send it to the water treatment plant for extra cleaning, and then distribution into the water system. Now there’s a big black pipe that snakes through town connecting the city’s waste water facility to the water treatment plant. Currently the city is in the process of completing 45 days of testing.

    They send the results to the state environmental quality department. Once there the department will take 30 days to decide whether the water is safe enough to put directly into the tap. The program could go online as early as April. As far as the testing is concerned – folks there say so far, so good. Public utilities operations manager Daniel Nix said, “We evaluated the wastewater first to see what kind of quality we would be dealing with.

    The wastewater quality coming out of that plant was very high, so we didn’t have a lot of things to deal with.” The quality test results meant the city didn’t have to do much to turn the water from effluent to something in a glass you might want to drink. But will residents want to drink it? Many we talked to already use bottled or filtered water. No one has gone unscathed in the drought. They all understand the city is in a serious situation.

  • Historic day as European Union legalizes selling sex but criminalizes buying it

    Historic day as European Union legalizes selling sex but criminalizes buying it

    LONDON (TIP): In a landmark vote, the European parliament has voted in favor of a resolution to criminalize the purchase of sex. On February 26, 343 members of the European Parliament backed a proposal placed by London MEP and Labour spokeswoman for women in Europe— Mary Honeyball, which recommends the adoption of the Nordic model of prostitution – legalizes selling sex but criminalizes buying it.

    Some 139 MEPs voted against while 105 abstained. Rather than blanket legalisation— which has been a disaster in Holland and Germany— we need a more nuanced approach to prostitution, which punishes men who treat women’s bodies as a commodity, without criminalizing those who are driven into sex work, said Mary Honeyball who drafted the resolution.

    “We send a strong signal that the European Parliament is ambitious enough to tackle prostitution head on rather than accepting it as a fact of life”. EU countries should reduce the demand for prostitution by punishing the clients, not the prostitutes, said the parliament in a non-binding resolution passed on Wednesday.

    It stressed that prostitution violates human dignity and human rights, whether it is forced or voluntary, and calls on member states to find exit strategies and alternative sources of income for women who want to leave prostitution. Most MEPs believe that one of the best ways to combat prostitution and trafficking of women and girls is the socalled Nordic model, followed in Sweden, Iceland and Norway.

    It views prostitution as a violation of human rights and as a form of violence against women and criminalises those who buy sex rather than those who sell it. They call on EU countries to take the Nordic model as an example. Buying sexual services from prostitutes under the age of 21 should be a criminal offence in the entire EU, they added.

    MEPs point to Commission data showing that 62% of the victims of trafficking are trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation and that 96% of the identified and presumed victims are women and girls. EU countries should strengthen their policies to fight trafficking and protect victims, say MEPs.The resolution also called on national authorities to set up exit schemes to support women who want to get out of prostitution and help them find other sources of income.

    Better education and reducing the poverty that forces women and children into prostitution, are needed to prevent prostitution, MEPs add. In a separate resolution, voted on Tuesday, MEPs said violence against women must be tackled at EU level. Sweden was the first country to criminalise the purchase of sex, in 1999. Norway and Iceland adopted the model in 2009, and in December 2013 France followed suit.

  • A first for Nato: 5 female defense ministers

    A first for Nato: 5 female defense ministers

    BRUSSELS (TIP): Nato has registered a first in its long history, with five women among the defense ministers who turned up on Wednesday to attend a policy—making meeting at the alliance’s headquarters.

    The latest woman to join the ministerial ranks was Italy’s Roberta Pinotti, who was sworn in Saturday as her country’s first female defense minister. The 52— year—old served as an undersecretary for defense in the just—ended government of Enrico Letta. First elected to Parliament in 2001, she is now a senator.

    She began her political career two decades ago as a lower—ranking official in what was then Italy’s Communist Party. Pinotti joined Albania’s Mimi Kodheli, Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen, Norway’s Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide and Jeanine Hennis—Plasshaert of the Netherlands.

    A NATO official said the five constituted the largest number of women defense ministers to serve at one time since the 28—nation alliance was founded in 1949. Before getting down to business with US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and their other male colleagues Wednesday afternoon, the women posed together for news photographers. At first, there were just four of them — until Soreide of Norway realized the Albanian minister was missing. Kodheli was quickly called over, and the picture snapping resumed.

  • Number of men facing domestic violence in UK rising

    Number of men facing domestic violence in UK rising

    LONDON: A large number of men in Britain are now becoming victims of domestic violence. Each year, at least 1.2 million women become victims of domestic violence. Around 784,000 men have now been found to experience domestic violence and abuse in England and Wales with one in three women and nearly one in five men experiencing it at some point in their lives.

    Domestic violence and abuse includes physical abuse, threats, emotional abuse, sexual assault or stalking. Domestic violence costs the UK an estimated £15.7bn a year. The latest data comes days after it was shown that men in Britain weren’t safe. As many as 72,000 males are raped and sexually assaulted in UK every year.

    More than one in 10 (12%) rapes in UK was against men. Latest figures also show there were 2,164 rape and sexual assaults against males aged 13 or over recorded by the police in the year ending September 2013. National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has now said that health care professionals should receive training so that they can recognize the signs of domestic violence and abuse and ensure that those affected are aware of the help and support available to them.

    “Domestic violence and abuse are far more common than people think,” said Professor Mike Kelly, director of public health at NICE. “It can affect anyone – particularly women and children, but also men, regardless of age, geographical location, income, relationship type, family set-up or ethnic origin,” he added. Despite being a common problem there are currently no basic training requirements for all health professionals in the undergraduate curriculum on how to respond to domestic violence.

    NICE estimates that domestic violence costs the country around £15 billion a year, of which £9.9 billion is in health and social care costs. Gene Feder, professor of primary health care at the University of Bristol and the Chair of the group which developed the guidance said, “We need to wake up to the magnitude of the problem. Women who experience domestic violence and abuse have a three times greater risk of depression, four times greater risk of anxiety and seven times greater risk of posttraumatic stress disorder. We tend to deal with the medical problems but don’t recognize the underlying abuse.”

  • Chinese man is first to sue govt over smog

    Chinese man is first to sue govt over smog

    BEIJING (TIP): A man in a smog- ridden northern city has become the first person in China to sue the government for failing to curb air pollution, a state-run newspaper reported on February 26.

    China’s north is suffering a pollution crisis, with the capital Beijing itself shrouded in acrid smog. Authorities have introduced anti-pollution policies and often pledged to clean up the environment but the problem has not eased. Li Guixin, a resident of Shijiazhuang, capital of the northern province of Hebei, submitted his complaint to a district court asking the city’s Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau to “perform its duty to control air pollution according to the law” , the Yanzhao Metropolis Daily said.

    He is also seeking compensation from the agency for residents for the choking pollution that has engulfed Shijiazhuang , and much of northern China, this winter. “The reason that I’m proposing administrative compensation is to let every citizen see that amid this haze, we’re the real victims,” Li was quoted as saying by the daily. It was unclear whether the court would accept Li’s lawsuit. His lawyer, Wu Yufen, declined to comment, telling Reuters “this information is quite sensitive” . Officials of the court could not be reached for comment.