The Indian Panorama

Month: November 2015

  • ‘Most rape is really women regretting sex the next morning,’ American police chief claims

    ‘Most rape is really women regretting sex the next morning,’ American police chief claims

    WASHINGTON (TIP): An American college police chief has come under fire for reportedly claiming that most cases of rape are “women waking up the next morning with a guilt complex”.

    Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s student newspaper The Stallion quoted Bryan Golden as making the comment, WALB News reports.

    In an article exploring sexual assaults on college campuses, Golden was quoted as saying: “Most of these sexual assaults are women waking up the next morning with a guilt complex.

    “That ain’t rape, that’s being stupid. When the dust settles, it was all consensual.

    “It doesn’t happen here. It doesn’t show up here. They’re about as much a rape as a goat roping.”

    Golden was reportedly suspended over the remarks, but is now back at work at the Georgia state college, the television station reported.

    It said that he is also undergoing sexual assault sensitivity training.

    Golden declined to be interviewed by the station for its investigation into his comments.

    But he had previously told The Stallion that its report of his comments was “not an accurate rendition” of what he had said.

    “Regarding such situations as rape, murder and natural death, I explained why we call on other agencies to handle these cases,” he said.

    “Thankfully, they do not happen on this campus often enough for many officers to be proficient in working on such crimes, coupled with the fact that we do not have the staff to devote the amount of time to such an investigation.”

    The police chief added: “I have been out on medical leave for several weeks and do not recall much of this conversation.

    “We talked very openly about these issues bit this article excerpt is not an accurate rendition of our conversation.”

    The editor and reporters of the newspaper said they had found the alleged comments shocking and other members of the police force did not share them.

    The college’s president Dr David Bridges said: “We don’t support [the comments]. They were wrong. We don’t in any way condone them. They don’t represent the general view of the college.”

    He said sexual assault was not a problem on the college’s campus, but help was there for victims in a number of forms.

    What people think constitutes rape was explored in the UK earlier this month in the BBC3 documentary ‘Is this Rape? Sex on Trial’, which involved asking a group of 24 teenagers as well as members of the public to watch a dramatized sexual scenario and vote on whether they would call it rape or not.

  • Paris comes under terrorist attacks

    Paris comes under terrorist attacks

    PARIS (TIP): Terrorists, in the form of masked suicide bombers and gunmen, November 13 evening, launched a series of terror attacks in and around Central Paris which left over 160 people dead across six sites, including at least eight attackers with unknown motivations. Death toll reports varied in the confusion of the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

    This was on a night when thousands of Paris residents and tourists were reveling and fans were enjoying a soccer match at Stade de France between France and world champion Germany before being ripped by coordinated attacks, leaving a nation in mourning and the world in shock.

    The map shows locations of terrorist strikes
    The map shows locations of terrorist strikes

    After the attacks, President Hollande declared a state of emergency and announced that he was closing the country’s borders. Hollande, who had to be evacuated from the stadium when the bombs went off outside, said in a televised address that the nation would stand firm and united.

    An estimated 100 people were killed inside Le Bataclan, a concert hall in the 11th arrondissement, after a trio of terrorists armed with AK-47’s detonated explosive vests during a show by the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal. The suicide bombing followed a hostage standoff between the attackers and French police stationed outside the venue, with the madmen executing hostages one by one inside.

    One eyewitness inside the Bataclan told the New York Times that one of the gunmen blamed the French president, yelling in French, “This is because of all the harm done by Hollande to Muslims all over the world.”

    The Paris prosecutor Francois Molins’ office said that eight attackers were dead after a string of attacks around the French capital, seven of them in suicide bombings. The eighth attacker was killed by security forces when they raided the Bataclan.

    Barrack Obama called Hollande to offer the condolences of the American people, the White House said.

    “The President reiterated the United States’ steadfast, unwavering support for the people of France, our oldest ally and friend, and reaffirmed the offer of any necessary support to the French investigation,” the White House said.

    British Prime Minister David Cameron who was hosting Indian PM Modi, said in a message on Twitter: “I am shocked by the events in Paris tonight. Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help.”

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris that has killed at least 160 people, saying that the “news from Paris is anguishing and dreadful”.

    “News from Paris is anguishing & dreadful. Prayers with families of the deceased. We are united with people of France in this tragic hour,” Modi tweeted soon after the attacks.

    Russian leader Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to Hollande and the people of France. “Russia strongly condemns this inhumane killing and is ready to provide any and all assistance to investigate these terrorist crimes,” he said.

    France has been on edge since Islamic extremists attacked the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery store early this year. Twenty people, including three attackers, were left dead in the slaughter.

    ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to some media reports & eye witness accounts.

    A witness told BFM television that he heard rounds of automatic rifle fire and someone shouting

    “it’s for Syria” and “Allahu Akbar” – the Arabic for “God is great” – before slaughtering around 100 music fans at a concert hall.

    The attacks came just hours after British ISIS butcher Jihadi John was said to have been killed by a US drone strike in Syria.

     

  • Obama to huddle with European leaders on Islamic State fight

    Obama to huddle with European leaders on Islamic State fight

    WASHINGTON (TIP): President Barack Obama will huddle with the leaders of Germany, Britain, Italy and France next week in hopes of making “incremental progress” in the fight against the Islamic State group, the White House said Thursday.

    The leaders will gather in Turkey on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit, regrouping after diplomats emerge from a second round of talks on Syria’s crisis over the weekend in Vienna. But Susan Rice, Obama’s national security adviser, suggested a major breakthrough was unlikely.

    “I don’t think anybody expects a single outcome that all of a sudden readily resolves all of these difficult issues,” Rice said.

    Russia, which is circulating a new proposal to end the Syrian conflict, won’t participate in the meeting in Turkey, and Obama had no plans to hold a formal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin while both are in Antalya, Turkey, for the G20 summit. Still, Rice said Obama and Putin would have “ample opportunity for discussion” during informal run-ins at the summit.

    Obama’s longtime antagonist, Putin is coming to the annual gathering of the world’s 20 largest economies in a stronger position than last year, when he left the summit early as world leaders took turns railing against his actions in Ukraine.

    Efforts by the US and European countries to punish Russia with economic sanctions have done little to change Putin’s approach in Ukraine. And in recent weeks, Putin has re-emerged as a key player in the Syria conflict, opening an air campaign against groups fighting Syria’s government and now drafting a plan for a lengthy political transition.

    The White House said Ukraine was also on the agenda when Obama meets with Western European leaders.

    The president departs on Saturday for a trip to Turkey, Malaysia and the Philippines, aimed in large part at bolster his campaign to realign U.S. engagement overseas toward Asia. Aside from attending a trio of economic summits, Obama’s key goal for the trip is to promote the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the US recently struck with nations in the Asia-Pacific and in North America. He also hopes to rally support for a global climate deal that world leaders hope to finalize in Paris within weeks.

    With those priorities in mind, Obama will also squeeze in a series of smaller sit-downs with leaders of other countries also attending the summits. In Antalya, Obama will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party pulled off a surprise victory in recent elections but who faces criticism for a crackdown on media freedoms. In Asia, Obama will hold his first meetings with the newly installed prime ministers of Canada and Australia, and hold separate meetings with the leaders of Malaysia, Japan, Laos, Singapore and the Philippines.

    Although Obama won’t meet individually with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the two leaders will cross paths in Manila, amid ongoing tensions over China’s territorial claims in disputed waters off its coast. Ahead of the trip, the White House called for a global “code of conduct” to govern maritime disputes in the South China Sea and elsewhere, with Rice pledging it would be “a central issue of discussion.”

    Another pressing theme for Obama’s 9-day trip is the refugee crisis in Europe, which has been inundated by hundreds of thousands of migrants in recent months many of them from Syria. European leaders have struggled to develop a coordinated response, with some countries building fences, reintroducing border controls and fighting among themselves about the relative burden each host nation should bear.

     

  • Pentagon says it targeted ‘Jihadi John’

    Pentagon says it targeted ‘Jihadi John’

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The Pentagon said late Thursday that it had targeted Mohammed Emwazi, a member of the Islamic State often referred to as Jihadi John, in an airstrike near Raqqa, Syria.

    Peter Cook, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that the military was “assessing the results” of the strike to determine if Emwazi had been killed.

    Emwazi, considered the most prominent British member of the militant group, was shown in videos in 2014 and 2015 killing several U.S. and other Western hostages. European governments, including those in Britain and France, are grappling with how to stem the tide of thousands of European citizens who are traveling to Iraq and Syria to fight alongside the Islamic State.

    Emwazi, born in Kuwait and reared in London, has appeared as a black-masked figure in videos in which U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven J. Sotloff and U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig are beheaded. The militant traveled to Syria in 2012.

    Emwazi, who is in his mid-20s, grew up in a trim housing estate in West London and graduated from the University of Westminster with a degree in computer programming.

    In the mid-2000s, he was part of a loose network of young Muslims, some with friendships going back to childhood, who became deeply alienated from British and Western society.

    The North London Boys, as the network is sometimes called, has sent dozens of young men to fight, first in Somalia and more recently in Syria.

    The men appear to have been motivated initially by a civil war in Somalia.

    Court documents show that Emwazi and others were well known to the British security services. According to a legal document from 2012, they were part of “a network of United Kingdom and East African-based Islamist extremists involved in the provision of funds and equipment to Somalia for terrorism-related purposes.”

  • China, India taking advantage of US: Donald Trump

    China, India taking advantage of US: Donald Trump

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Terming China as “number-one abuser”, leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has alleged that the Communist nation, along with India, is taking advantage of the US through its economic policies.

    Trump said China was becoming a “major force” and is now creating problems both economically and through its behaviour in the South China Sea.

    “If you look at the way China and India and almost everybody takes advantage of the US – China in particular, because they’re so good. It’s the number-one abuser of this country,” Trump said during the fourth debate of the party.

    “China is a problem, both economically in what they’re doing in the South China Sea, I mean, they are becoming a very, very major force,” Trump said.

    He said that it was through “currency manipulation” that does not even find a mention in almost 6,000-page (TPP) agreement that the countries were taking advantage of the US.

    While several other Republican candidates joined Trump on the China issue, there were no takers for his allegations against India, which was mentioned only once in the debate.

    “We lose a fortune on trade. The US loses with everybody. We’re losing now over USD 500 billion in terms of imbalance with China, USD 75 billion a year imbalance with Japan,” Trump said.

    John Kasich, governor of Ohio, said China did not own the South China Sea.

    “I give the (US) President some credit for being able to move a naval force in there to let the Chinese know that we’re not going to put up with it any more,” he said.

    Russia and president Vladimir Putin too figured prominently during the debate.

    “What we have to recognise is that Putin is trying to really spread his influence throughout the Middle East. This is going to be his base. And we have to oppose him there in an effective way,” said presidential candidate Ben Carson.

    “We also must recognise that it’s a very complex place. You know, the Chinese are there, as well as the Russians, and you have all kinds of factions there,” he said.

    Jeb Bush said President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both do not believe the US has a leadership role to play.

    “And we are now paying a price, and it will have a huge impact on the economy of this country if we don’t deal with this,” he said.

    He favoured a no-fly zone in Syria.

    “We should have a support for the remnants of the Syrian Free Army, and create safe zones. If you want to deal with the four million refugees that are leaving Syria because of the devastation there, then we ought to create safe zones for them to stay in the region rather than go to Europe. And, that requires American leadership,” Bush said.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Nine killed as plane crashes into apartment in US

    Nine killed as plane crashes into apartment in US

    CHICAGO (TIP): All nine people on board a private corporate jet were killed when it crashed into an apartment building in Akron in the US state of Ohio, the owner and operator of the plane said.

    Augusto Lewkowicz, the owner and operator of the Hawker 800 jet, said seven passengers and two crew members were on board the plane.

    Authorities said no one on the plane survived, but they would not yet confirm the number of people on board or dead, Ohio.com reported.

    It appeared no one on the ground in the Ellet neighborhood where the crash occurred was injured or killed.

    Eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane fall out of the sky and a huge ball of fire after the crash, which happened shortly before 3 pm local time yesterday.

    Lewkowicz told the Beacon Journal that he would not release the names of the passengers or crew members in the fatal crash near the corner of Mogadore and Skelton roads.

    “I owe responses to the family members first,” Lewkowicz said.

    It wasn’t known whether any of the crash victims were from the Akron area.

    The jet was on the second leg of a charter that began on Monday, Lewkowicz said, noting that there was no indication before the crash that anything was wrong.

    “It was a perfectly well-maintained aircraft with no squawks,” Lewkowicz said, adding that there was no chatter from the pilots to indicate anything was out of the ordinary.

    The flight was chartered by Execuflight, a Florida company. The plane, according to FlightAware.com records, originated in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, flying to St. Paul, Minnesota, then to the Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois, then on to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Missouri before finishing the day at Cincinnati Municipal Airport. (Source: PTI)

  • White House condemns ‘horrific terrorist attacks’ in Beirut

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The White House condemned the “horrific terrorist” twin bomb blasts claimed by the Islamic State extremist group that killed 41 people in Beirut on Nov 12.

    “Such acts of terror only reinforce our commitment to support the institutions of the Lebanese state, including the security services, to ensure a stable, sovereign, and secure Lebanon,” national security council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

    (Source: AFP)

  • RETURNING MEDALS AN INSULT TO NATION: MANOHAR PARRIKAR

    RETURNING MEDALS AN INSULT TO NATION: MANOHAR PARRIKAR

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The government is fast losing patience with military veterans who continue to protest against what they say is a “diluted” one rank, one pension (OROP). Holding that attempts by some to burn their medals was “an insult” to the nation, defence minister Manohar Parrikar put the onus on the ex-servicemen to prove there was no political motive behind their continuing agitation.

    “If I say anything, it will become an allegation. Let them prove that it is not political,” Parrikar said in response to queries if he saw any political linkage to the continuing agitation after the government first announced OROP on September 5 and then notified it on November 7.

    Speaking after dedicating the first squadron of P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft in Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu on Friday, Parrikar said medals were awarded to military personnel for bravery and recognition of their sacrifices for the nation. “Burning and returning them is an insult to the nation and the armed forces… I don’t appreciate it,” he said.

    Instead, the veterans should submit their grievances to the one-person judicial commission that was being set up to look into the anomalies arising out of OROP implementation. “We have given the maximum possible, and fulfilled the promise made by BJP during the elections,” he said.

    The OROP notified for the over 24 lakh ex-servicemen and six lakh widows in the country will entail an additional outgo of over Rs 8,000 crore every year. OROP basically means payment of uniform pension to personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.

    But the veterans say the government has not resolved any of the seven main anomalies pointed out by them. They are particularly incensed that the government did not accept their case for “pension equalization or adjustment” every year, and instead notified that it will be done only at five-year intervals. This, the veterans say, will mean “one rank, five pensions” and not OROP as it has been consistently defined.

    An even bigger worry for the armed forces is the notification clause that serving personnel who now opt for premature retirement (PMR) or discharge will not get OROP benefits. “This is totally against the overarching aim to keep the armed forces young and fighting fit,” said a senior officer.

    “The entire cadre management of the forces, which have a steeply-pyramidal promotional structure, is dependent on hundreds of officers and thousands of jawans taking PMR every year after finishing their pensionable service. This ensures recruitment of young and fresh blood,” he added.

  • Indian Prime Minister Modi on 3 day visit to UK to strengthen bilateral ties

    Indian Prime Minister Modi on 3 day visit to UK to strengthen bilateral ties

    LONDON (TIP): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in London, November 12 on his three-day maiden visit to the United Kingdom. “My visit to UK is the first Prime Ministerial visit in almost a decade. I have had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister David Cameron at various international forums and our meetings have been productive. Prime Minister Cameron is a good friend of India’s, and we in India have had the privilege of welcoming him thrice during his first term as Prime Minister,” Modi had written in a Facebook post ahead of the visit.

    At the start of Modi’s visit, Cameron promised to “set this relationship free” from its colonial past, referring to the complex ties between the two nations dating back to Britain’s time as colonial ruler until the mid- 20th century. Cameron said relations between the two countries, once “imprisoned by the past,” were now a “modern, dynamic partnership” between the world’s fifth-largest economy – Britain – and India, which could soon rank third. Cameron said he wanted to create “a stronger economic partnership, a stronger defense partnership and a stronger global partnership.”

    Cameron said the two countries were expected to sign 9 billion pounds ($14 billion, 12.7 billion euros) worth of deals during the visit, including a plan for London’s financial district to become a center of offshore rupee bonds. Other agreements expected to be signed during the visit covered financing for Indian infrastructure, cooperation in nuclear energy, and joint research in new technology.

    Hailing billions in new business deals and investments between the India and the UK, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to modernize India, the world’s largest democracy. Modi remarked that the visit was “a huge moment for our two great nations.”

    Putting economic engagement at the centrestage of their relations, India and the United Kingdom said Thursday that they will sign commercial deals of 9.2 billion pounds over the next three days as Prime Minister Narendra Modi began the first bilateral visit to the country by an Indian prime minister since 2006. New Delhi promised a new “fast-track mechanism” as the two sides firmed up at least 27 deals, covering sectors ranging from banking to energy, skill development to environment. The UK said it plans to invest in three Indian smart cities and the two sides also announced the signing of a civilian nuclear agreement.

    Modi’s three-day trip is not an official state visit since Modi is not a head of state, but he was nevertheless welcomed with great honors, including a fly-past by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows and a lunch with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 13, 2015 arrived at the Buckingham Palace where he was received by Queen Elizabeth II for lunch on the second day of his three-day visit to Britain.

    “Her Majesty The Queen with PM
    @narendramodi at Buckingham Palace,” PMO India tweeted.

    “Building on the bonds of history. PM
    @narendra Modi calls on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” tweeted Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs.

    After his lunch with the Queen, Mr Modi was shown a collection of items from the palace’s stores including a shawl given to the Queen by Mahatma Gandhi in 1947 as a wedding present.

    In an exchange of gifts, Mr Modi gave the Queen photographs of her visit to India in 1961 and a gift box including Darjeeling tea from West Bengal and silk Tanchoi scarves from his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi.

    In return, Mr Modi was presented with a silver dish and signed photos.

    Earlier, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced they would go on tour of India next spring.

    Prior to this, Modi, along with British Prime Minister David Cameron, attended a meeting of the UK-India CEO Forum at Lancaster House. The two countries have sealed £9bn worth of commercial deals in the retail, logistics, energy, finance, IT, education and health sectors, which No 10 said had created or safeguarded 1,900 jobs.

    Speaking at an event marking the Indian diaspora’s contribution to the UK, he said it was “a historic day for a great partnership between two great nations”.

    He had been greeted by huge cheers from the 60,000-strong crowd as he arrived on stage with UK PM David Cameron.

    At the start of his speech in London, Mr Modi said: “I would like to ensure you that the dreams you have dreamt – and the dreams every Indian has dreamt – India is capable of fulfilling these dreams. There is no reason for India to remain a poor country.” He also mentioned the need for FDI in India and equated it as FDI = First Develop India.

    Mr Cameron introduced his Indian counterpart to the stage, he said the UK-India relationship was “about our potential”, and said both countries were “united by the scale of our ambition”.

    “Team India, team UK – together we are a winning combination,” he added.

    The crowds applauded when he said it would not be long before there was a British Indian prime minister in Downing Street.

    Asserting that Narendra Modi has proved his critics wrong, British Prime Minister David Cameron today said that his Indian counterpart has worked tremendously after forming the government in New Delhi and said ‘acche din zaroor aayega’.

    Cameron, who was addressing the Indian diaspora at the Wembley stadium here, said that Modi had rightly said ‘acche din aane wale hain’ prior to the elections in the country.

    “They said a ‘chai wala’ would never govern the largest democracy, but he proved them wrong. He rightly said ‘acche din aane wale hain’. But with his energy, with his vision, with his ambition. I will go on further and say ‘ acche din zaroor aayega’,” he said amid a thumping applause from the crowd.

    Mr Modi, who greeted the gathered crowd with a “Namaste”, gave his speech mainly in Hindi, aside from a short welcoming opening in English.

    It is worth noting that Modi  has spent one in every eight days overseas since his election last year.

  • The Jewish man who found his long-lost Nazi twin brother

    CALIFORNIA(TIP): A California man who found his long-lost twin brother has died of cancer at 82-years-old.

    In 1933, Jack Yufe was born in Trinidad with his identical twin brother but 6-months later the boy’s parents would separate.

    Mr Yufe lived with his father and was raised Jewish, eventually serving in the Israeli Navy, while his brother Oskar Stohr lived with his mother in Germany. Mr Stohr grew up as a Nazi, eventually joining the Hitler Youth, the Los Angeles Times reports.

    The brothers remained in contact with each other and reunited when they were 21-years-old.

    They shared the same mannerisms, humor and nervous ticks. But they would never agree on Palestine and Israeli politics nor the cause of World War II, the Washington Post reports.

    Cal State Fullerton psychology professor Nancy Segal wrote a book on the brother’s aptly titled “Indivisible by Two: Lives of Extraordinary Twins.”

    Professor Segal told the Times that the twins has an “extraordinary love-hate relationship.”

    “They were repelled and fascinated by each other. They could not let go of the twinship,” she said.

    The Post reports that Mr Yufe iis survived by three daughters: Anita Yufe, Hovi Reader and Debvra Gregory; And his two stepsons Renee and Enrique Vega.

  • Barack Obama calls Paris attacks ‘outrageous attempt to terrorise’ civilians

    Barack Obama calls Paris attacks ‘outrageous attempt to terrorise’ civilians

    WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama pledged his government’s support to France on Friday after a series of attacks in Paris, but said he did not yet know the details of what had happened and that the situation was still unfolding.

    “Once again we’ve seen an outrageous attempt to terrorise innocent civilians,” Obama told reporters at the White House.

    “We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance that the government and the people of France need,” he said, and pledged to “bring these terrorists to justice and go after any terrorist networks” involved.

    “Those who think that they can terrorise the people of France or the values that they stand for are wrong,” Obama said. (Source: Reuters)

  • Facebook sets up safety check for Paris friends

    Facebook sets up safety check for Paris friends

    SAN FRANCISCO (TIP): Facebook launched a check-in feature to let people know that friends in Paris were safe after a series of bombings and shootings in the French capital killed at least 120 people on Friday.

    The “Paris Terror Attacks” safety check let people signal whether they were out of harm’s way, then notified all those they know at the leading social network.

    “Quickly find and connect with friends in the area,” a message at the Facebook Safety Check page read. “Mark them safe if you know they’re OK.”

    The feature also allowed people to check which friends listed as being in Paris had not yet checked in as safe.

    “We are shocked and saddened by the events unfolding in Paris,” a Facebook spokesman told AFP.

    “Communication is critical in these moments both for people there and for their friends and families anxious for news.”

    The death toll in the “unprecedented” series of attacks across Paris climbed through the night.

    Police said around 100 people were killed at the Bataclan music venue in eastern Paris alone, where one witness said an attacker yelled “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest). (Source :AFP)

  • RAJNATH TO VISIT CHINA, BORDER INCURSIONS ON AGENDA

    RAJNATH TO VISIT CHINA, BORDER INCURSIONS ON AGENDA

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Home minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a five-day visit to China starting November 19 to discuss border irritants, terror concerns and security liaisoning. Singh, who will be touring Beijing and Shanghai, is likely to enlist the Chinese government’s cooperation to choke illegal supply of arms to insurgent groups operating in India’s north-east.

    As per the schedule drawn up for Singh’s maiden visit to China as home minister, he will reach Beijing on November 18 and hold bilateral discussions over the next two days with his Chinese counterpart and others. The deliberations may seek to resolve the recurring issue of incursions by PLA troops into what India perceives as its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Singh is expected to emphasize on the Chinese side to follow the laid-down mechanism for addressing border disagreements, including holding timely flag meetings between commanders on the ground.

    Singh, incidentally, has been taking a firm line on border incursions, apart from insisting on going ahead with the plan to build border roads in Ladakh as well as in the north-east. He had recently spent a night at an ITBP forward post in Ladakh.

    The home minister will spend two days in Shanghai, attending meetings on November 22 and 23. He will head back to Delhi on November 24.

    Singh will look to strengthen security liaisoning, seeking timely sharing of intelligence and follow-up action on leads between the two countries. He is expected to take up the issue of funding and sale of illegal arms to north-east insurgent groups.

    The issue of terror concerns is likely to come up during Singh’s deliberations with the Chinese government. China faces heightened threat from the Uighurs of its Xingjiang province, with some hardliners among them reportedly having joined the Islamic State (IS). India too is dealing with select instances of its youth being drawn towards violent extremism perpetrated by IS. The two sides are expected to exchanges notes on measures to deal with such threats.

  • This Rs 7 crore buffalo earns Rs 50 lakh per year

    This Rs 7 crore buffalo earns Rs 50 lakh per year

    NEW DELHI (TIP): With cow and cow protection hog the headlines these days it’s the buffalo which faces discrimination. In the Annual Buffalo Carnival in Hyderabad there’s a Murrah buffalo ‘Yuvraj’ which needs a special mention.

    This Murrah buffalo worth whopping 7 crore. Which means you can get two Audi R8 LMX  for the price of this buffalo and can still save money.

    Yuvraj is a handsome animal with oiled backward-curving horns, a smooth grey-black coat and a slim, bushy tail. It weighs 450kg, is 10ft long and 5ft 8in tall.

    Kurukshetra-based Karamvir Singh’s Murrah buffalo ‘Yuvraj’, has proven to be a cash cow for him as the bull’s semen is in great demand across north India.

    Yuvraj’s semen is now possibly the most expensive in India, sold at Rs.350 per dose. The earnings from the sale of this buffalo’s semem corss Rs. 50 lakh per year.

    This Murrah buffalo is the star attraction at the Sardar Utsav Mela in Hyderabad. It was brought from Haryana to participate in a buffalo carnival known as Dunnapothula panduga celebrated on the second day after Diwali.

    Sardar Utsav Mela the buffaloes are decorated with garlands of flowers, painted horns, and paraded among public.

  • SGPC set the precedent to appont killer as jathedar

    SGPC set the precedent to appont killer as jathedar

    CHANDIGARH: It is not for the first time that a convicted killer has been ‘appointed’ as jathedar of the highest temporal body of Sikhs — the Akal Takht. Ironically, it was the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which is now facing a similar situation, that had set the dangerous precedent in 1990.

    Serving life sentence for the murder of Nirankari sect leader Gurbachan Singh in 1980, Ranjit Singh was appointed as the Akal Takht jathedar in 1990 by the Shiromani Akali Dal-backed SGPC, then led by Gurcharan Singh Tohra. Though Parkash Singh Badal and Tohra were then on the same side, it was Tohra who had masterminded the move to get Akalis to group around him by proving his Jagtar Singh Hawara far-right credentials. In a curious replay of the earlier situation, former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s assassin Jagtar Singh Hawara has been declared as the Akal Takht “jathedar” by the radicals during their recent Sarbat Khalsa. Hawara, like Ranjit Singh then, is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail and is serving a life sentence after his death penalty was commuted to life sentence by the Punjab and Haryana high court in October 2010. After appointing him as jathedar, Tohra, backed by the SAD and BJP, had lobbied hard for the release of Ranjit Singh and a petition seeking remission of his sentence was sent to then President KR Narayanan, who later signed the order commuting the remainder of Ranjit Singh’s sentence in November 1997 during the IK Gujral government at the Centre.

    Now, it’s the release of “jathedar Hawara” that is being sought by over 20,000 people through an online petition on the White House website seeking help of US President Barack Obama. The petition has been launched by US-based separatist group, Sikhs For Justice. However, unlike the 1990 precedent, now it is the SGPC which is at the receiving end of radicals’ religio-political move.

    Ranjit Singh was released after serving 13 years for murdering the Nirankari sect leader over a violent clash on Baisakhi day in 1978, when individuals at a Nirankari gathering in Amritsar had opened fire on protesters belonging to the fundamentalist Damdami Taksal led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and the Akhand Kirtani Jatha led by Fauja Singh.

  • Giani Pinderpal Singh ‘approached’ to head Akal Takht

    Giani Pinderpal Singh ‘approached’ to head Akal Takht

    The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is contemplating to pick eminent Sikh kathavachak (preacher) Giani Pinderpal Singh (49) as the Akal Takht jathedar to replace the beleaguered Giani Gurbachan Singh.

    The development comes in the backdrop of the controversial decision taken at the radicals’ Sarbat Khalsa to ‘appoint’ former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s assassin Jagtar Singh Hawara as the Akal Takht jathedar.

    As per reports, speculation is rife in Sikh circles that a person like Pinderpal would be acceptable to Sikhs in India as well as abroad, be it moderate or hardliners, to head the highest temporal seat of the community.

    “A person like him (Pinderpal) can certainly help bring the Sikh community out of the current crisis, but it remains to be seen whether he would accept the post of the Akal Takht head or not,” said SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, adding that it was premature to reach any conclusion.

    Pinderpal, who hails from Tharwa Majra village in Karnal (Haryana), lives in Ludhiana. Sources say he is being persuaded by the SGPC and other Sikh bodies to head the Akal Takht.

    In August 2008, he was approached by the SGPC to take over as the Akal Takht jathedar after the ouster of then jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, but he refused the offer.

    Talking to HT on the phone, Pinderpal said, “In the current situation, there is an acute deficit of trust and faith among the Sikhs. No Sikh believes in the other. Moreover, when there are two jathedars (one appointed by the SGPC, the other by the ‘Sarbat Khalsa’), it is very difficult for both to prove who is the real one.”

    Evading queries on being approached to head the Akal Takht, he said a priest could not be a leader.

    Pinderpal, a product of Gurmat Missionary College, Rupnagar, is known to focus on Gurbani rather than criticising the political set-up in Sikh institutions. Considered to be in the league of preacher Sant Singh Maskeen, he has a popular slot on a Punjabi TV channel for performing ‘katha’ daily at 9am.

    He got upset with the SGPC when he was told late last month to wind up his scheduled 10-day ‘katha’ on the fourth day because of his comments on the Panthic crisis, made at Manji Sahib on the premises of the Golden Temple.

  • Sedition case slapped on Sarbat Khalsa organisers

    Sedition case slapped on Sarbat Khalsa organisers

    AMRITSAR (TIP): Police registered a case of sedition on November 13 against the organisers of Sarbat Khalsa, or congregation of the Sikh faithful, in Punjab’s Chabha village on November 10 where controversial resolutions were adopted to replace the religious chain of command.

    The new Takht jathedars appointed at the event were also booked along with the key speakers under charges of sedition, promoting enmity between different groups, and sending offensive messages through communication services. The tough police action could fuel further unrest in the state.

    “A case has been registered as various anti-national and anti-social speeches were made during the function,” a senior official said confirming that an FIR was registered at the Chattiwind police station.

    Sikh hardliners SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann and United Akali Dal chief Mohkam Singh were the key organisers of the event where Giani Dhiyan Singh Mand, Bhai Amrik Singh Ajnala and Bhai Baljit Singh Daduwal were announced as interim jathedars of the Akal Takht, Takht Kesgarh Sahib and Takht Damdama Sahib, respectively.

    All of them, except Mann, are already behind bars as they were picked up by police for preventive detention soon after the event. Mann was also taken into preventive custody but was released later.

    Police are going through the contents of the speeches made at the event for further action, officials said.

  • Tipu row: tension grips parts of Karnataka

    Tipu row: tension grips parts of Karnataka

    BENGALURU (TIP): Three days after a VHP sympathizer was killed during violence in Madikeri, right-wing groups blocked roads in several parts of Karnataka and blocked traffic as part of a statewide protest. Skirmishes and stabbings were reported from several parts of the state on November 13.

    Chief minister Siddaramaiah ordered a magisterial inquiry by Mysuru deputy commissioner C Shikha into Tuesday’s violence that left two persons dead. AM Kunjappa, the stand-in Mysuru regional commissioner, had earlier been asked to probe the violence. Since a regional commissioner doesn’t have magisterial powers, the Mysuru DC, who is also a district magistrate, will conduct the investigation.

    Two stabbings were reported on Friday night from Mogaveerapatna and Ullal in Dakshina Kannada. The two persons injured in the attacks are stable. Police have arrested four persons for stoning a place of worship at Bunder. They have been identified as Manju, Sushanth, Guru and Nitin Shetty.

    Traffic on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway was thrown out of gear as activists blocked it at different points. Protests were simultaneously held in Mandya, Srirangapatna, Maddur and other places. VHP and Bajrang Dal supporters disrupted traffic for an hour in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Tumakuru, Chitra durga, Shivamogga and Hassan districts, police said.

    Most parts of Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Dakshina Kannada districts came to a standstill. Bike-riding miscreants stabbed a youth on his back and hands at Golithottu in the Uppinangady police limits around 3pm. His condition is said to be stable. The victim was returning home after offering prayers when he came under attack, police super intending SD Sharanappa said. A sub-inspector reportedly suffered injuries in a stone-throwing incident at Puttur. Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner AB Ibrahim declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Saturday too, and extended the ban orders till 10pm on November 15. In Hassan, Sri Rama Sena chief Pramod Muthalik was arrested hours after a dozen people were injured in stone-throwing incidents in the town late Thursday night. The district administration has clamped prohibitory orders on Hassan town for four days.

    Forests minister B Ramanath Rai announced a Rs 5-lakh compensation to the kin of Harish, a resident of Sarapady, near Bantwal, who was killed by a car-borne gang on Thursday. In Bengaluru, rightwing groups staged a protest in front of Town Hall to protest the CM’s decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti from this year. The celebration was held on November 10.

    The state BJP rejected the magisterial probe ordered by the CM. The opposition party demanded a CBI inquiry into the Madikeri violence, and a ban on Popular Front of India and Karnataka Forum for Dignity. The party said activists of these outfits were allegedly involved in the violence. “We will take up this issue in the legislature session starting next week,” said Jagadish Shettar. The CM blamed the BJP and RSS for the escalation of tension, and spiked suggestions of Kerala hitmen’s alleged involvement in the Madikeri violence.

    The current weather is a perfect foil to tourism in Kodagu, Chikkamagalur and Hassan, but tourists are having second thoughts on travel plans. Industry sources blamed it on Madikeri violence and traffic disruption.

  • Charlie Kay Chakkar Mein – MOVIE REVIEW

    Charlie Kay Chakkar Mein – MOVIE REVIEW

    STORY: Few mysterious killings lead the cops to a drug deal gone awry. The only way for the investigative officer (Naseeruddin Shah) to nab the culprits is by examining a found footage featuring those dead, shot days before the event.

    Charlie Kay Chakkar MeinMOVIE REVIEW: The video replays the incidents as they happened. As things begin to unfold, the cops realise there’s more to the aforesaid crime than meets the eye. They trace down a witness, who can solve the jigsaw puzzle but he fabricates his story. Who is the mastermind? Though the ‘whodunit thriller’ manages to hold your attention, solely for maintaining the suspense quotient, various factors go against it. For instance, non-linear narration, found-footage photography and inconsequential banter among the youngsters. Also too many characters make the plot convoluted.

    While a twist in the tale adds to the fun, excess of it, makes the film look tedious and far-fetched. While deceitful confessions and shocking revelations keep the tension mounting, an overdose of it kills the joy.

    Naseeruddin’s Shah clever (as always) acting, ably supported by Amit Sial and Anand Tiwari, makes this crime mystery gripping, despite the flaws. If you can keep a tab on the multiple characters and their ulterior motives, this one is quite unpredictable and keeps you guessing.

    A big delivery of ‘charlie’ is hijacked, and the ‘bhai-log’ behind it want their ‘powder’ and the people whodunit. Naseer plays the investigating cop, as he and his colleagues sift through some incriminating ‘found footage’ of a bunch of young people (Tiwari, Sial, Rachh, Arora and co) sniping at each other in some kind of an underground den with graffiti scrawled on it, and bodies sprawled in it.

    The film swings rapidly between the mobsters and the guys and gals being targeted by them, as well as the cops trying to unravel the mystery. Equally rapidly, you stop taking any of it seriously because the characters are busy acting away: even Anand Tiwari, who’s usually reliable, is reduced to mouthing lines, and Sial, who was so effective in ‘Titli’, becomes a blur of mannerisms.

    Matching the general tone, Naseer vamps away happily, nodding sagely and blowing smoke rings. He gets to be massaged by a luscious half-naked lovely, and spout some hilarious lines. One of them turns out to describe the film perfectly : ‘poori ki poori film chhod gaye hain, phir bhi samajh mein nahin aa raha kahaani kya hai.”

  • DEEPIKA, RANBIR GET PLAYFUL ON DIWALI DATE IN DELHI

    DEEPIKA, RANBIR GET PLAYFUL ON DIWALI DATE IN DELHI

    They lit up sparklers with childlike joy, added colour to a rangoli, tried their luck at cards and gorged on food — Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone were in a festive and playful mood for Diwali.

    The Tamasha actors were in the capital on the eve of Diwali on Tuesday night to celebrate an evening of fun, frolic and festivity with select mediapersons. Deepika looked elegant in a beige and red sari by designer Payal Jain, while Ranbir sported a dashing look in a maroon kurta pyjama with a black printed Nehru jacket by Rohit Bal.

    They looked relaxed and were all smiles to light up diyas and ‘phool jhadis’; tried their luck at a game of cards and wished everyone a happy and prosperous Diwali. On Diwali day, Deepika said she will be with her family members in Bengaluru, and then be back in Mumbai in time to attend the annual party hosted by megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

    Ranbir too is excited about the festival, and said he would follow his family’s annual customs which involves going to the R.K. Studios and conducting a puja. He too will attend Big B’s bash at night.

    The actors are caught in the midst of promoting their forthcoming film Tamasha, directed by Imtiaz Ali. Interestingly, despite their split, the off screen chemistry between Deepika and Ranbir continues to be as amazing as their on screen camaraderie.

  • NO NOSY QUESTIONS FOR ANUSHKA SHARMA

    NO NOSY QUESTIONS FOR ANUSHKA SHARMA

    Her personal life is always under public scrutiny, be it her relationship status or marriage plans, but actress Anushka Sharma says she doesn’t like to open up about her personal life and “nosy questions” irk her.

    During a live Twitter chat session, when one Twitter user asked the actress about “one question you are tired answering in interviews”, she said she doesn’t like to be snooped around.

    The PK actress posted: “Don’t like nosy questions about personal life #6MillionAnushkaholics”.

    Recently, the actress had to release a statement to clarify that there’s no truth to news stories surrounding her
    “impending marriage” as she is in a happy place professionally. It was reported that she was planning to get married to India cricketer Virat Kohli. The actress, who is busy shooting for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, also shared that NH 10 was the toughest movie of her career.

    She posted: “But it was equally rewarding too because of the appreciation it received from you guys.” It has been a mixed year for Anushka, who faced failure with Bombay Velvet and success with Dil Dhadakne Do. And the actress says she doesn’t regret doing any of the films in her career.

    “In life I only do things if I’m completely sure. Proud of all my films. taught me a lot,” Anushka said.

  • JULIA ROBERTS SUGGESTS KISSING FOR HAPPILY EVER AFTER

    JULIA ROBERTS SUGGESTS KISSING FOR HAPPILY EVER AFTER

    Actress Julia Roberts says the secret to a successful marriage is kissing.

    The 48-year-old spoke about her marriage of 13 years to cinematographer Danny Moder, 46, during an appearance on TV show Extra, reports dailymail.co.uk.

    The Eat Pray Love star discussed her married life when she sat down with Extra host Mario Lopez to talk about her film Secret In Their Eye.

    When Lopez asked relationship advice ‘for other… entertainment couples’ from the actress, Roberts made sure to clarity that her tip wasn’t just for “entertainment couples”.

    She eventually shared a simple advice: “I don’t know. Probably kissing, right?”

    Secret In Their Eyes is a film about an investigator who’s sudden case is her own daughter’s death, featuring Roberts as the lead.

  • ANGELINA JOLIE LACKS SLEEP

    ANGELINA JOLIE LACKS SLEEP

    Actress Angelina Jolie is happy to take a step back from acting to focus on her family, but admits she is lacking in sleep.

    The By the Sea star is happy to have taken more of a step back from acting in order to raise her six children with partner Brad Pitt and says the only thing missing from her life is a good rest, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

    “The children are so much a part of my life and Brad’s that we don’t worry or stress ourselves about not working more often.

    Brad still enjoys acting as much as he always has, and I’m fully supportive of him.

    “Acting is just not as important in my life as it once was and I’m very happy to be able to spend most of my time looking after our children.

    As her kids, Maddox, 14, Pax, 11, Zahara, 10, Shiloh, nine, and seven-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, get older, Jolie is fascinated watching them growing and changing, and tries to spend as much quality time with them as possible.

    She told Britain’s OK! magazine: “It keeps getting more interesting watching them grow up and develop their personalities.”

    “They ask more and more questions and have such a great curiosity about life. It’s so beautiful to be a part of that. It takes up a lot of your time to look after a big family but I try and spend time with all the children every day. Spending time alone with each of them is important too,” she added.

  • Krishna Mehta wins suit against Kamlesh Mehta

    Krishna Mehta wins suit against Kamlesh Mehta

    HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): Justice  Roy S Mahon of Supreme Court of State of New York handed out a verdict, November 11, 2015, in the case filed by Krishna Mehta, a Long Island CPA against Kamlesh Mehta, a former employee of Nassau County for recovery of the loan amount.

    The Judge ordered Kamlesh Mehta to pay$227, 606.40, plus interest, costs and disbursements.

    The Court  did not see any independent admissible evidence from Kamlesh Mehta on the collaterals and payments he said he had made to  Krishna Mehta.

    Krishna Mehta had sued Kamlesh Mehta for failing to repay a loan of $227, 606, for transactions dating back to the late 1990s.

    Kamlesh Mehta, a close associate of indicted Bethpage restaurateur Harendra Singh,, had recently resigned as Nassau County’s director of business and economic development, amid an examination by Newsday of his role in the county administration.

  • 7.0-magnitude quake hits off southwestern Japan, small tsunami reported

    TOKYO (TIP): A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Kyushu in southwestern Japan on Nov 14, triggering a minor tsunami in the southern part of Kagoshima prefecture, Xinhua reported.

    The strong earthquake jolted about 160 km southwest of Makurazaki, Kagoshima, at 5:51 a.m. local time (20:51 GMT on Friday) at a depth of about 10 km, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

    A 30-cm tsunami was observed on the Nakanoshima Island about an hour after the quake. A tsunami warning issued after the quake was lifted.

    The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were detected at the Sendai nuclear power plant in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima.

    The earthquake was reported as 6.7 on the Richter scale by the US Geological Survey.

    The JMA said that aftershocks with the seismic intensity of 3 on the JMA scale might happen in the following week.