NEW DELHI (TIP): The Indian government became the first non-US based brand to have a Twitter emoji –#MakeInIndia — which aims to promote the country as a global manufacturing hub.
“As a key highlight of this government campaign, an emoji of a black lion on an orange background, a version of the national programme’s official logo, will now appear next to the #MakeInIndia hashtag in any Tweet worldwide,” Twitter said in a release following Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to its headquarters in San Francisco.
“The #MakeInIndia emoji symbolises success of the brand campaign on Twitter with nearly 500 million impressions this year to promote India as a great place for foreign directinvestment to transform the country into a global manufacturing hub,” it added. #MakeInIndia is first non US based brand to get @Twitter emoji promoting India as a global manufacturing hub @jack pic.twitter.com/GHA28whCRC
— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) November 4, 2015
Sitharaman met Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey to discuss India’s importance as a strategic growth market and how the platform can be used to promote the country’s brand to rest of the world. “The ‘Make In India’ story is increasingly resonating with business leaders around the world and Twitter has proven to be a valuable and effective channel to tell the highly-engaging story to an influential global audience,” Sitharaman said.
“We’ve seen tangible results with the ‘Make in India’ and ‘ease of doing business’ programmes that have made India the top investment destination worldwide and Twitter is one of the best ways we can shine a bright light on the country’s vibrant potential as a global manufacturing hub,” she added.
Facebook is preparing to launch a new standalone news app called Notify next week, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the plans.
The app will feature content from dozens of media partners including Vogue, the Washington Post and CBS, the newspaper said.
Facebook had earlier tied up with nine news publishers to launch ‘Instant Articles,’ which publishes their content directly to the social network’s mobile news feeds.
The company’s new app will compete with Twitter’s recently launched service called Moments, which aims to provide a better way of curating and aggregating content for users and help them follow live events.
Facebook was not immediately available to comment.
Shares of the company, which is set to report quarterly earnings after market close on Wednesday, were up 1.2% at $103.8 on the Nasdaq.
WASHINGTON: Astronomers have discovered a giant cluster of galaxies in a very remote part of the universe that is touted as the most massive structure yet found at such great distance.
The galaxy cluster, located 8.5 billion light-years away, was spotted with NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE).
Galaxy clusters are gravitationally bound groups of thousands of galaxies, which contain hundreds of billions of stars.
The clusters grow bigger and bigger over time as they acquire new members.
“Based on our understanding of how galaxy clusters grow from the very beginning of our universe, this cluster should be one of the five most massive in existence at that time,” said study co-author Peter Eisenhardt, project scientist for WISE at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
The galaxy cluster — called Massive Overdense Object (MOO) J1142+1527 — existed 8.5 billion years ago, long before Earth was formed.
WASHINGTON (TIP): In preparation for a manned mission to Mars and returning the human spaceflight launches to the US soil, the space agency will soon begin accepting applications for the next class of future astronauts.
Nasa will accept applications from December 14 through mid-February and expects to announce candidates selected in mid-2017, it announced on Nov 4.
The next class of astronauts may fly on any of four different US vessels during their careers: the International Space Station (ISS), two commercial crew spacecraft currently in development by the US companies, and Nasa’s Orion deep-space exploration vehicle.
From pilots and engineers to scientists and medical doctors, Nasa selects qualified astronaut candidates from a diverse pool of US citizens with a wide variety of backgrounds.
“This next group of American space explorers will inspire the Mars generation to reach for new heights, and help us realize the goal of putting boot prints on the Red Planet,” said Nasa administrator Charles Bolden.
“Those selected for this service will fly on US made spacecraft from American soil, advance critical science and research aboard the International Space Station, and help push the boundaries of technology in the proving ground of deep space,” he added in the statement.
The space agency is guiding an unprecedented transition to commercial spacecraft for crew and cargo transport to the space station.
Flights in Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon will facilitate adding a seventh crew member to each station mission, effectively doubling the amount of time astronauts will be able to devote to research in space. Future station crew members will continue the vital work advanced during the last 15 years of continuous human habitation aboard the orbiting laboratory, expanding scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies.
In addition, Nasa’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, now in development, will launch astronauts on missions to the proving ground of lunar orbit. “This is an exciting time to be a part of America’s human space flight program,” added Brian Kelly, director of flight operations at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
To date, Nasa has selected more than 300 astronauts to fly on its increasingly challenging missions to explore space and benefit life on Earth.
There are 47 astronauts in the active astronaut corps and more will be needed to crew future missions to the space station and destinations in deep space.
Astronaut candidates must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics.
Candidates also must have at least three years of related, progressively responsible professional experience, or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft.
AHMEDABAD (TIP): The Gujarat High Court on Thursday upheld a lower court order rejecting a petition filed by an AAP worker against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for alleged poll code breach in 2014, saying that the magistrate had done so in an appropriate manner.
Justice JB Pardiwala while upholding the lower court order rejected admission of the petition, saying, “I am not impressed with your submission that the magistrate did not follow proper procedure while dismissing your petition.”
He said, “As per my interpretation, the magistrate has power to reject and it was done in an appropriate manner, so I hereby reject it (petition).”
The petition was filed by Aam Aadmi Party worker Nishant Verma against the verdict of the local court, which in May this year had dismissed his plea seeking legal action against Modi for allegedly breaching the poll code last year.
NEW DELHI (TIP): President Pranab Mukherjee on Nov 5 launched Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) India’, a joint initiative of country’s top educational institutes, aimed at developing a roadmap for research to solve major engineering and technology challenges relevant to India.
The initiative is based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion that research done by institutions of national importance must be linked with immediate requirements of the society at large.
The President said it is necessary to “develop in our students a scientific temper,” which allows the flight of imagination beyond the realm of grades and classrooms.
“Promotion of research at the under-graduate level would assist such an objective. The link between progress and innovation is direct. History is witness to many nations low on resources emerging as advanced economies only on the strength of rapid technological development,” Mukherjee said while launching the project during Visitors’ Conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
RIO DE JANEIRO (TIP): A dam burst at a mining waste site in Brazil, unleashing a deluge of thick, red toxic mud that engulfed a village and killed at least 17 people, an official said.
More than 50 more were injured in the disaster in southeastern Minas Gerais state on Thursday, said Adao Severino Junior, fire chief in the city of Mariana.
The number of missing looks set to surpass 40 but this is not official yet, he added.
Television footage showed a torrent of muck several hundred metres long that had swamped houses and ripped off their roofs.
The mud reached the intact roofs of some houses, atop of which stranded people waited to be rescued. Some homes seemed to have been swept hundreds of meters by the rushing wall of mud.
The village of Bento Rodrigues near the dam is practically buried, the fire chief said.
“The situation is grim. It is dark. There is a lot of mud,” Severino said. “There is no way to survive under that material.”
The nearby area is sparsely populated, mainly by people who work for the mining company.
Civil defense teams have been dispatched but it hard to reach the affected area because of all the mud, Minas Gerais governor Fernando Pimentel said.
The mining company Samarco, which operates the site, had yet to confirm whether there were fatalities or injured.
Samarco is jointly owned by two mining giants, Vale of Brazil and BHP Billiton of Australia.
“We flew over the area. All access roads are blocked by the stream of mining waste,” a police officer from the nearby town of Mariana told AFP. He did not give his name.
The surface area of mud held back by the dam that gave way is equivalent to 10 football fields. Twenty-five people worked there, said local mining union leader Ronaldo Bentro said. He earlier gave the death toll as just one person.
The dam broke about 4:20pm (local time) between the old colonial towns of Ouro Preto and Mariana, in a major mining region.
Firefighters and other emergency teams rushed to the scene and residents were ordered to evacuate.
Minas Gerais has been the main mining hub of Brazil since the 16th century. First came gold, then mining of iron ore, other minerals and semi-precious stones.
(Source: AFP)
HANOI (TIP): China and Vietnam are good socialist neighbours with a long-shared history of revolutionary friendship and should be able to dispel and survive any “disruptions” in their relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Vietnam’s parliament on Nov 6.
The two communist-led states both have competing claims in the South China Sea, which came to a head last year with Beijing’s parking of an oil rig in waters off the Vietnamese coast, leading to anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam.
Xi’s visit is timely, aimed at rebuilding relations amid some uncertainty over what kind of leader will emerge from January’s five-yearly congress of a party traditionally close to Beijing, but now receiving unprecedented Western attention.
Speaking at the National Assembly in Hanoi, Xi referred to Vietnam’s independence hero Ho Chi Minh and his amity with the founder of modern China, Mao Zedong, and their similar political systems. “China and Vietnam are joined my mountains and water and the friendship between our two peoples goes back to ancient times,” Xi said.
“In the struggle for national independence and liberation we fought side by side and supported each other forming a tight friendship.” China pays great attention to its relations with Vietnam and wants them to continue on a stable path, Xi added.
“Our two parties, countries and peoples should be staunch in their faith, help each other and proceed hand in hand, not allowing anyone to disrupt our pace,” he said.
“I believe … both nations’ peoples have the ability and the wisdom to dispel any disruptions.”
Xi made no direct mention of the South China Sea, nor indeed the brief border war the two fought in 1979, when China invaded Vietnam to punish Hanoi for toppling the Beijing-backed Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
He referred only to the “tests” both had faced in the winds of history, repeating that disputes should be appropriately managed and controlled, a message the two countries agreed to on Thursday.
Relations must “not be allowed to stray from the correct path”, Xi added.
China’s rapid reclamation work near the contested Spratly Islands has fuelled resentment and put Vietnam’s leaders in a tricky spot, as has recent sparring between Beijing and Washington over freedom of navigation. Vietnam has been diversifying its ties and although China is not among its top investors, it is its largest trading partner at$60 billion a year and biggest source of its imports, making for a dependence that remains a contentious domestic issue.
(Source: Reuters)
LONDON (TIP): Egypt’s leader has defended anti-terror legislation enacted in August, arguing that the country needs stability and time to achieve a democratic future for his nation.
In a BBC interview before his first official visit to Britain on Wednesday, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi batted away questions on human rights concerns and said he wanted to carry out the will of the people. El-Sissi led the July 2013 military ouster of former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
Since then, the government has waged a sweeping crackdown on Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood. Thousands of political detainees are behind bars, and human rights activists say the measures enshrine a permanent state of emergency in Egypt.
El-Sissi says that Egypt has “experienced turbulence and revolution. We want some stability. We don’t want to do this by force or suppression.” (Source: PTI)
LONDON (TIP): British politicians love Dracula but Frankenstein has ended up becoming more popular.
Mickey Mouse isn’t far behind or for that matter Sherlock Holmes or James Bond.
Their obsession with the word “sex” is telling but it is William Shakespeare who is overall the clear favourite.
For the first time ever, linguists and historians in Britain have worked together to compile all the Westminster parliamentary speeches made in the House of Commons from 1803-2005 and put them online for the world to have free access to it. The website gives access to 7.6 million speeches and 1.6 billion words and includes some of the most memorable moments from British political history. It includes all the greats: Sir Winston Churchill’s many wartime addresses to parliament; Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech attacking Margaret Thatcher and Dennis Healey’s famous riposte to Geoffrey Howe’s verbal assault, likening it to “being savaged by a dead sheep”. James Bond appears 132 times in parliament, starting in 1962, twice as often as Dracula at 66. Sex gets 23,000 mentions and is twice as popular as cigarettes at 10,556.
AHMEDABAD (TIP): The Gujarat high court on Nov 5 made a strong pitch for a uniform civil code and called for the abolition of polygamy in Muslim society in India as it’s a
“heinously patriarchal” act.
The court recommended an amendment of Muslim personal law saying that in this day and age, the practice of polygamy is often driven by selfish motives.
“On the basis of modern progressive thinking, India must shun the practice (of polygamy) and establish a uniform civil code,” said Justice JB Pardiwala, while adjudicating on a petition by a Muslim man who faced bigamy charges after marrying for a second time without his first wife’s consent.
The man was charged ?under section 494 of the IPC, for bigamy, but his second marriage is valid as per Muslim Personal Law, so he could not be prosecuted for bigamy.
Justice Pardiwala had to quash the bigamy charges but while doing so, he said the practice of polygamy and unilateral talaq — without te wife’s consent — violates the provisions of the Constitution. He quoted Article 44 of Part IV of the Constitution, which mandates that the state must
“endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory.”
“If the state tolerates this law, it becomes an accomplice in the discrimination of the female, which is illegal under its own laws,” the judge said.
The Quran forbids polygamy if the purpose to marry more than once is self-interest or sexual desire, Justice Pardiwala said. “… It’s for the maulvis and Muslim men to ensure that they do not abuse the Quran to justify the heinously patriarchal act of polygamy in self-interest,” the judge advised. Citing history, Justice Pardiwala said that when the Quran allowed polygamy, it was for a fair reason. “The Quran allowed conditional polygamy to protect orphans and their mothers from an exploitative society… When men use that provision today, they do it for a selfish reason.”
The court said that abolition of polygamy in Hindu society was a progressive step and added that it could not be replicated for Muslims due to their “social backwardness then”. But now, in a much-changed changed socio-economic scenario, “polygamy is going into oblivion” and monogamy is becoming the reality, the court observed. Source: TOI
AMRITSAR (TIP): A group of Sikh historians, intellectuals, teachers, religious leaders and veteran Akali leaders has appealed to all Panthic organisations to show “due respect to Sikh tenets and traditions” before terming the November 10 congregation, proposed to be held at Chabba village in the district, as Sarbat Khalsa.
“We must understand the Panthic rules and conventions that govern Sarbat Khalsa which, like the Akal Takht, is a very important institution of Sikhism. So, kindly do not refer to every gathering of Sikhs as Sarbat Khalsa,” former jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib Giani Kewal Singh said at a meeting. The meeting was called by Giani Kewal Singh in his capacity as head of the Panthic Talmel Sangathan, a group that holds seminars and talks on Sikhism and has been protesting against the recent incidents of sacrilege.
Former SGPC secretary Manjit Singh Calcutta, too, observed that the term ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ should not be used for the November 10 event. “The institution of Sarbat Khalsa has a history attached to it and it is governed by a set of rules, principles and traditions that have evolved over the years,” he added.
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court of India on November 5 decided to seek the views of the general public, academicians and lawyers across the country on how to reform the ‘opaque’ judges-selecting-judges collegium system, which it had revived after quashing the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
Fathoming strong undercurrents in the court room with unsung advocates stealing a march over the luminaries who till now held centrestage in arguing against the NJAC, a five-judge bench headed by Justice J S Khehar said it would be better to seek suggestions from all concerned citizens.
“The issue is so seminally important to the judiciary that we cannot limit the suggestions only to lawyers of this court,” the bench, also comprising Justices J Chelameswar, Madan B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and Adarsh K Goel, said.
The apex court had wrested the constitutional power to select judges from the executive through two judgments in 1993 and 1998. In its 1998 judgment, the SC had evolved the collegium system without inviting views from the public. This will be the first occasion when the SC is involving the general public in its affairs, especially in a critically important issue like selection of judges.
Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra turned the tide in favour of adjourning the case to get response from as many lawyers as possible and from all high courts. Many advocates said the real stakeholders of judiciary were the public and not a coterie of senior lawyers, who alone were being heard by the court.
The bench, which had earlier wanted to complete the hearing on Thursday itself on the ground that the collegium’s work had been stalled awaiting reforms, decided to go public to receive suggestions.
“Bar Council of India is a very important stakeholder. It has office-bearers in all high court bar associations and it wants to consult as many lawyers as possible before making suggestions to the court. It will be a good idea to allow them to do the consultation process and formulate suggestions. It is a very important matter,” the bench said.
It appreciated attorney general Mukul Rohatgi volunteering to upload the broad parameters of reforms – transparency, eligibility criteria for persons to be considered for appointment as a judge, mechanism to handle complaints against persons in the zone of consideration and a permanent secretariat for the collegium – on the website of the ministry of law and justice.
OSLO (TIP): Afghans have overtaken Syrians as the biggest group of asylum seekers crossing Norway’s remote Arctic frontier from Russia, even though many risk being sent back to Kabul, Norway’s top immigration official said on Nov 5.
Many other European nations have also seen a surge in arrivals from Afghanistan, adding to Europe’s biggest migrant crisis since World War Two. On Tuesday, Austria’s cabinet proposed a tough new bill to deter Afghans.
“It worries us that there are so many from Afghanistan … They should think twice,” Frode Forfang, head of the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, told reporters.
“In the summer it was primarily Syrians seeking asylum in the north, with about three quarters of all those crossing the border. Now 60 percent of the daily arrivals are from Afghanistan,” he said.
Forfang said many Afghans wrongly believed they could automatically get work or study permits.
He said many risked being flown back to Kabul, a city Norway considers relatively safe even though much of Afghanistan remains chronically unstable amid continued fighting between the Western-backed government and Taliban militants.
A record 196 asylum seekers, from all nations, crossed the Arctic border from Russia on Monday after a steady rise during the year, said Forfang. In 2014, only about 10 asylum seekers in the whole year crossed the remote border post.
Bicycles
Some Syrians fleeing civil war fly to the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk via Moscow and then take taxis to the border. They often buy bicycles for the final stretch because Russian law bars travel on foot in the region and Norway fines people driving migrants to the frontier under laws barring human trafficking.
Forfang said Afghans had started to take the same route, also using bicycles to cross the border. Some of them seem to be residents of Russia or have visas, he said, adding that it was unclear exactly where the majority of them had come from.
Norway, one of the world’s richest countries, is a member of Europe’s passport-free ‘Schengen zone’, even though it is not part of the European Union.
Oslo is considering using boats to help house migrants in the sparsely populated north, according to Norway’s deputy justice minister Joeran Kallmyr of the Progress Party, a junior partner in government and the least welcoming to migrants.
“There are not enough houses. It is winter up there now, but on the boats they will get shelter in a warm and safe place, but not much more than that,” he told Reuters.
Temperatures in the border area were around freezing on Nov 5.
So far this year almost 22,000 people have sought asylum at all of Norway’s frontiers, including 7,858 from Syria and 4,079 from Afghanistan. The total could reach 30,000 or even 40,000 by the end of the year, Forfang said.
ISLAMABAD (TIP) : Pakistan on Friday said that it was concerned over “rise of extremism” in India and targeting of prominent Pakistani personalities and artists in the country.
“Pakistan is concerned at the recent rise in extremism in India. We expect the international community to take note of it,” Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said at a media briefing here.
“We have also expressed concern on disruption of functions of prominent Pakistani personalities and artists, scheduled in India, by Indian extremist organisations,” he said. (Source: PTI)
As we prepare to celebrate the festival of lights which signifies victory of good over evil, my thoughts go to India and our people there. I have seen the good times and the bad times that India has passed through during the last 50 years or so. I have been a witness to communal clashes, and the worst which I was a witness to, was the anti-Sikh riots in the wake of Indira Gandhi’s murder.
I have also seen how Punjab and Punjabis suffered during the period of militancy in the 80’s. I have myself experienced some of the miseries that common man is subjected to in a police state. The memory is still crowded with many unpleasant experiences. They were fearsome and worrisome. I would not like to have another experience like the ones I had on several occasions. And, thank God, many years have passed since the last unpleasant one.
But the recent incidents of intolerance- religious, communal, political- has me as also many Indians worrying. Protest is a democratic way of expressing one’s disagreement over an issue. But when the protest becomes violent or challenges the fundamental rights of others, it has to be viewed seriously.
Ever since the BJP led government came in to power, one has witnessed polarization on many fronts. While political polarization is a part of politics and does not harm common people, nor challenges their fundamental rights, the religious intolerance is of the worst kind, since it is based on the principle of hatred. We have seen its manifestation in religiocommunal clashes and individual lynching and murders. We have seen how intolerance of other people’s faith and practices causes damage to the nation’s social fabric. The fundamentalist elements are always on the look out to foment trouble. Whoever they may be, they are not friends and well wishers of the nation.
There can be no denying the fact that over the last two years or so India has become a playground for the fundamentalist elements. The fringe elements of political parties lose no opportunity to spit venom and create an atmosphere of distrust among communities.
Instead of disciplining them, the bosses clog their ears, shut their eyes, and, worse, keep their mouths sealed. And the President of the Republic has to speak the mind of the people. Foreign agencies have to draw the attention of the Prime Minister to the growing threat to nation from these elements and the PM chooses to remain silent.
India has certainly fallen on bad days. There can be no happy Diwali when the dark devil of intolerance stalks fearlessly and the guards choose not to challenge it.
NEW YORK (TIP): An elderly man suffered burns and died soon after being pulled from a Bronx house fire Thursday, November 5 night, cops said.
Paramedics frantically tried to revive the man after rescuing him from the first floor of a flaming three-story house on Weeks Ave. near E. 175th St. in Mount Hope, officials and witnesses said.
The blaze broke out at 8 p.m in the first-floor living room, Fire Department officials said.
When he was taken from the burning building, the man’s heart had stopped and he was not breathing on his own, said FDNY Deputy Chief Anthony Montera.
The badly burned senior was pronounced dead at 9 p.m at Bronx Lebanon Hospital, police said.
Witnesses said first responders had performed CPR on the elderly man for more than 30 minutes.
He was shirtless and had burns on both arms and his feet, said neighbor Hubert Baker.
They brought out a body and tried to revive them,” said Baker. “He was almost naked. He had shorts on, that’s it.”
Another man, who witnesses described as younger, was also taken to the hospital in stable condition, officials said.
The 60 firefighters at the scene had the flames under control by 8:52 p.m.
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Big future. Big money. Who doesn’t want it? And, so, we have a battery of cricketing legends descending on New York to kick off All Stars League Matches.
Sachin Tandulkar and Shane Warne teams with the All Stars Cricket Cup at a press Conference on November 5, 2015 in New York City. The Series kicks off with a match to be played in New York on November 7. Photo/ Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
They are from Australia to West Indies, with all cricketing nations in between-India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka .
The inaugural Cricket All-Stars league match between two teams-Sachin Tendulkar’s
“Sachin’s Blasters” and former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne’s “Warne’s Warriors”-will kick off on November 7 at the 48,000 capacity Citi Field in New York. In fact, the All Stars league matches is the brainchild of Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne.
In a random draw conducted Thursday, November 5, in Times Square, both Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne (Warne’s Warriors) bid for 30 of the world’s finest players to sell cricket to America. While other players were selected by drawing names from the trophy (to be given to the winning team at the end of the series), Akhtar was picked by tossing the coin.
“Thank god I am not playing against Tendulkar, he is a brutal force,” said Akhtar after the drawing ceremony.
Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar and Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar have had many legendary face-offs in the days of yore, but the two are set to play together as part of the “Sachin’s Blasters” squad for Cricket All-Stars series.
“Thank god I was the last player and toss mein faisla hua (and it was decided through toss.) He (Tendulkar) is an amazing person but I haven’t seen him as captain. So it will be interesting to see what kind of strategy he would like to give to me and he will get to know a little bit of me,” said Akhtar.
“I am done bowling against him. He is a greatest player history has ever seen. I didn’t want it to be India Pakistan thing once again. I know people want to see me ball Sachin but thank god that we are in the same team,” he added.
When I asked Ricky Ponting about his strategy against Tendulkar, he said “I have played against him most of my life so nothing really changes now but I am excited. There will be more chance today and tomorrow to start working with our respective teams and I know when its game time we will all try to win.”
In the batting order Tendulkar drew Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene, Carl Hooper, Moin Khan and his former Indian teammates VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag. Whereas Warne picked Mathew Hayden, Michael Vaughan, Ricky Ponting, Jonty Rhodes, Jacques Kallis Andrew Symonds and Kumar Sangakara.
In the bowling group, Tendulkar picked Akhtar, Australian pacer Glenn McGrath for his side that also includes fast bowlers Curtly Ambrose, Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener, spinner Graeme Swann, and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. Warne, on the other hand picked, spinners Saqlain Mushtaq, Daniel Vettori and fast bowlers Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram, Allan Donald and Ajit Agarkar.
The series is the brainchild of Tendulkar and Warne. At the Thursday press conference, Tendulkar and Warne shared how they came up with the idea of T20 all stars match.
“It was incredible co-incidence, both of us (Warne) did not think it will kick off, Shane said we can play three T20 games which will feature the best players of the game, and I thought the same thing. We are to popularize cricket, never thought this would happen, but we are happy and excited now. Everybody is talking about Cricket in Olympics, I think this is the beginning of that,” said Tendulkar.
Australian legendry leg-spinner Warne added, “It’s the second most popular sport behind soccer, we want to make it global. We got 30 superstars who made cricket proud. We love being together, we want to bring joy to the people, the people can watch their heroes and idols close this time, I thank all the people who supported us.”
In a press conference held on Monday, November 2 for select media, both Warne and Tendulkar shared their vision behind playing the exhibition matches, which is “to inspire the younger generation,” “engage non-cricket lovers,” and also globalize the game.
“We are trying to get youngsters in America excited about the game,” Tendulkar said, echoing Warne. “There will be thousands of youngsters at the stands during the matches, and they will definitely get inspired by watching world-class cricketers play in front of them.” Warne, Tendulkar and their two teams will hold net sessions for schoolchildren before the games in a bid to spark interest at the grass roots level.
To help promote the game, the Cricket All-Stars announced that the first thousand cricket players at the school, university or club level, who apply will be entitled to a complimentary ticket to any of the three games being played. The tickets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis by emailing Cricket All Stars team.
When asked what their expectations are from the league matches, Tendulkar said, “The dream is to bring cricket to America, and if we come back next year and see just one American kid with a cricket bat in his hands, we’ll think it has been a success,” Tendulkar said at the launch of the tour in New York on Thursday.
“David Beckham came here and soccer started to grow – we’re trying to do something similar with cricket,” Warne added.
When asked what gives them confidence for cricket to take off in a baseball and football loving nation like the U.S. Tendulkar said, “I have friends from India who came here in 90’s to study medicine and become big doctors and businessmen. They had no idea about baseball or basketball, but their American friends took them to the stadium and taught them. What I am asking my friends to do is reciprocate that-take Americans to baseball stadiums where cricket will be played, teach them about cricket.”
By no means are we here to compete with other sports like baseball or basketball, but we want to introduce one more sport in America, which is a sports-loving nation,” he added.
Responding to the criticisms lashed out by former Australian Captain Ian Chappell on retired cricketers playing in exhibition matches, Tendulkar in the earlier press conference said, “People will always have opinions-it doesn’t mean it’s the right opinion.”
“The reason for stopping cricket is because you cannot be competitive at that level but that doesn’t mean you stop enjoying playing cricket, and this is what we are doing, we are enjoying cricket,” Tendulkar added. “Once you retire, doesn’t mean you never pick up a cricket bat. You are picking up that bat for fun, and in doing so, if you can inspire thousands, I think there is nothing wrong in it.”
The other two league matches will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston on November 11 and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on November 14. These matches will be complete entertainment package with galas, meet-and-greets, community clinics, and fireworks in Houston during Diwali-the perfect crossover festive celebration for cricket fans.
Here you meet some of the legends who were present at the press conference in New York on Novemmber5, 2015. – Photos / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
Sachin Tandulker All Stars Cricket Cup team at a press Conference on November 5, 2015 in New York City. The Series kicks off with a match to be played in New York on November 7.
Sachin Tandulkar and Shane Warne teams with the All Stars Cricket Cup at a press Conference on November 5, 2015 in New York City. The Series kicks off with a match to be played in New York on November 7. Photo/ Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
Shane Warne All Stars Cricket Cup Team
Pakastani Cricketer Moin Khan and Sachin Tandulkar
West Indies Cricketer Carl Hooper and Sachin Tendulkar
Australian Cricketer Shane Warne and Sachin Tandulkar during the draws for the All Star Cricket Match in New York
West Indies Cricketer : Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar
Pakastani Cricketer Shoib Akthar and Sachin Tandulker having lighter time during the Teams’ draws for the All Star Cricket match in NY
NEW YORK (TIP): Notwithstanding a Newsday/News 12/Siena College poll showing the race nearly tied going into Election Day, Democratic Acting District Attorney Madeline Singas won a full term in office Tuesday, November 3 night, winning nearly 58 percent of the vote (113,110 votes) to Republican Kate Murray’s 42 percent (82,028 votes). Singas beat former Hempstead Town Supervisor Murray by a 15-percent margin, trashing the latter’s record of never losing.
Singas was though humble in her resounding victory, saying “This victory transcends Republican or Democrat. This victory means the voters put aside their partisan issues. The voters overwhelmingly said we’re going to put our community first.”
Speaking to fellow Republicans in Westbury, Murray said she had “never been prouder” of any campaign she had run.
“When you’re in a tight race, you see who your friends are, and my goodness, I never knew I had so many friends,” she said.
The swing in favor of Singas is possibly because of the strong position she had taken on corruption in the County. The South Asian community, in particular, feels strongly about the issue. When we carried on the front page on October 30th the story “Madeline Singas favors review of town contracting practices”, we were told by many that Singas was the right person to be in the job. Well, the voters have done their job. It is for Singas now to deliver on her promise.
The Indian Panorama will in particular like to remind Singas that catching a Harendra Singh should not be the end of the story. There are others in the gang who need to be identified and brought to book. We hope Singas will keep her promise to the voters, and we wish her well.
Celebrating his 50th birthday, Shah Rukh commented on the growing intolerance & returning of awards in an interview to NDTV & India Today.
“There is intolerance, there is extreme intolerance… there is I think… there is growing intolerance,” said Shah Rukh Khan. “It is stupid… It is stupid to be intolerant and this is our biggest issue not just an issue…Religious intolerance and not being secular in this country is the worst kind of crime that you can do as a patriot,” he added.
“If there is intolerance to creativity, intolerance through religion, we are taking away every step that the nation is taking forward,” he added.
When asked to Shah Rukh Khan about his take on “Go back to Pakistan” comments in the past, he replied “nobody has more right to live in this country than me, and I am not going to leave,” he said.
His comments saw him being targeted by BJP & VHP politicians in the most outrageous manner. Some of the bizarre comments have been ridiculed by the masses, who took to the social media to express their disgust, thereby supporting SRK.
Senior BJP leader, Kailash Vijayvargiya, tweeted “Shah Rukh Khan lives in India, but his heart is in Pakistan. His films make crores here but he finds India intolerant.”
“If this is not anti-nationalist, then what is it? India is making a bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations and all the anti-Indian forces including Pakistan are creating a conspiracy,” he said. The BJP leader alleged that the attempt to create an “environment of intolerance” in the country is part of the conspiracy.
“Today when the entire world is respecting India, talking about increase in intolerance makes the country weak in front of the world” & “Shahrukh’s comment about intolerance points that he is matching the tunes with Pakistan and anti-Indian forces,” Vijayvargiya added.
Severe criticism- including from within BJP – forced Vijayvargiya to retract his tweets.
After Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP MP Yogi Adityanath compared SRK’s ‘language’ with that of the 26/11 plotter Hafiz Saeed.
‘Under the garb of secularism, some writers and artists of leftist mindset have joined anti-national elements. The voices are not anti-BJP but anti-national. Unfortunately, Shah Rukh Khan has also joined the bogey,” he said.
“They (writers & artists) are speaking the language of terror. I think, there is no difference in the language of Shah Rukh Khan and Hafiz Saeed,” Adityanath said.
BJP lawmaker Meenakshi Lekhi claimed the Bollywood star had aired such views following an “Enforcement Directorate notice” even as her party distanced itself from similar comments by another lawmaker, Yogi Adityanath.
“I want the world to know that he (Shah Rukh) received an ED notice on October 26 and India became intolerant on the 1st or 2nd of November,” she said on the sidelines of an event.
The BJP lawmaker also said, “And, when it comes to intolerance, then probably they are those illiterate people who do not know what the history of the country had been under Congress rule.”
VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi triggered another controversy by calling actor Shah Rukh Khan a “Pakistani agent” for his remarks on “intolerance” on Monday.
“By talking about returning the awards (including Padma Shri) he has committed treason. He should be punished for this. Not only Shah Rukh Khan, but all those who have returned their awards should be tried for treason,” said Sadhvi Prachi.
She also slammed the actor for saying that religious intolerance in the country won’t let it become a superpower. She said that for his statement, SRK should be charged with sedition and sent to Pakistan.
NEW DELHI: In a shocker, the Modi government has told the Supreme Court that a book on terrorism authored by Bharatya Janata Party’s firebrand leader Subramanian Swamy “promotes hatred between Hindus and Muslims in India.”
In its strongly-worded affidavit, the home ministry said that Swamy’s book – Terrorism in India: A Strategy of Deterrence for India’s National Security – violates Section 153A.
In June, the BJP leader had challenged the laws on hate speech, saying they violate the fundamental right to freedom of speech. Even now, he asserted that he would continue to challenge it in the apex court. The affidavit was filed in response to Swamy’s petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Indian Penal Code Section 153A on the grounds that it violates free speech.
In the book, Mr Swamy “has made hate speech against the community of India…its theme, language, its innuendoes, the similes it employs ….it falls within the provision of hate speech.”
“That the petitioner has written a book named Terrorism in India wherein he made hate speech against the community of India. The book—it’s theme, it’s language, it’s innuendos, the similes it employs and the moral of the story, if any—in order to ascertain whether the offending passages read in the context of the book as a whole fall within the mischief of section 153A,” reads the affidavit.
“The book to be considered in all its aspects as it contains matter which ‘promotes feeling of enmity and hatred between Hindus and Muslims in India.’ Therefore, the petitioner has violated sections of IPC,” reads the affidavit.
Mr Swamy, a strong defender of the Modi government, said he would go to the Prime Minister and also speak to Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
“I am surprised. Even the UPA government didn’t say anything about my book. It seems there is a conspiracy against me because of my popularity,” he told NDTV.
Mr Swamy alleged that “someone from the party” might have got hold of an under-secretary to file the affidavit.
The home ministry’s affidavit opposed that petition and asked the Supreme Court to dismiss it.
This is not the first time the government has opposed Mr Swamy in the Supreme Court. Earlier, it asked the court to dismiss Mr Swamy’s petition challenging defamation laws.
Chipotle Mexican Grill’s confirmed on Sunday, Nov 01, it had closed all its restaurants in Washington state and Oregon due to a reported outbreak of E. coli bacteria. The issue is being investigated by the company and health authorities. Meanwhile, scared diners are keeping away from the popular burrito chain.
“After being notified by health department officials in the Seattle (Wash.) and Portland, Ore. areas that they were investigating approximately 20 cases of E. coli, including people who ate at six of our restaurants in those areas, we immediately closed all of our restaurants in the area out of an abundance of caution” Chipotle said in a earlier statement.
Health officials are trying to identify the cause of the E. coli food poisoning that has now sickened over 35 people who ate at eight Chipotle restaurants in the greater Seattle and Portland areas.
The company said the vast majority of its stores in the area had reported no problems. “We offer our deepest sympathies to those that have been affected by this situation.”
It is the third outbreak of food contamination at Chipotle restaurants since August. Those earlier cases involved salmonella and the highly infectious virus norovirus.
“Even after the company sounds the ‘all-clear,’ we believe that it will take some time for traffic to return,” Maxim Group restaurant analyst Stephen Anderson said in a research note. He estimated that the same-restaurant sales hit could be as much as 75 basis points this quarter and 25 basis points in the first quarter of next year.
The 1,700-outlet chain has grown quickly since it opened in 1993 with a single location, distinguishing itself from typical fast-food restaurants by touting its use of healthy and high-quality fresh ingredients in its menu of burritos, tacos and salads.
There is a growing trend among restaurants, as with Chipotle, to use more fresh, unprocessed food. While that may be good for nutrition, experts say it raises the risk of foodborne illness because cooking kills pathogens that cause illness.
”Health officials want people who have eaten at a Chipotle between October 14 and 23, and become ill with vomiting and bloody diarrhea, to see their health care provider and mention this outbreak,” the agency said in a notice on its website.
E. coli is among a vast array of bacteria that live in the human gut and which cause no problems. But some strains can cause serious symptoms and even be life-threatening, and are spread by oral contact with fecal matter.
Shares in Chipotle, which has had two other food safety lapses this year, were down 0.3 per cent at US$621.36 ($944.13) in midday trading on Wednesday. The stock closed at just over US$750 on October 13.
Rising religious intolerance in India got the world’s attention with Moody’s Analytics’s report — a division of Moody’s Corporation — as it called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep his party members “in check or risk losing domestic and global credibility.”
In a report titled India Outlook: Searching for Potential, Moody’s Analytics said for the country to reach its growth potential it has to deliver the promised reforms.
BJP does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha and such incidents may very well derail its economic agenda in the upper house where it needs support of other parties to pass legislation.
“While Modi has largely distanced himself from the nationalist gibes, the belligerent provocation of various Indian minorities has raised ethnic tensions. Along with a possible increase in violence, the government will face stiffer opposition in the Upper House as debate turns away from economic policy. Modi must keep his members in check or risk losing domestic and global credibility,” said Moody’s Analytics.
“Overall, it’s unclear whether India can deliver the promised reforms and hit its growth potential. Undoubtedly, numerous political outcomes will dictate the extent of success,” said the report.
Bihar Elections : Stating that the ruling coalition does not have a majority in the upper house to pass crucial reforms, the report also pointed out the importance of the ongoing elections in Bihar where BJP is not the incumbent and a victory there for the party will help secure a majority in the upper house which is critical for passing important legislation. “The state election in Bihar—one of India’s largest and poorest states—could prove pivotal to Modi’s leadership. The BJP is not the incumbent, so a win here would help secure an upper house majority,” said the report adding that better political outcomes could help India achieve reforms.
Since 2004, Moody’s has rated India at ‘Baa3’ which is the lowest investment grade.
Here are several other instances where Moody’s pointed out downgradation of Indian economy.
1. Hitting out at Modi government: In June, Moody’s lashed out at Modi government by flagging subdued rural economy as a ‘credit negative’ for India’s sovereign rating.
The agency said there are growing concerns about risk of policy stagnation and ‘some diappointment’ was pointed out over the pace of reforms under the Modi government.
2. Banking system: Moody’s had said earlier that the weak asset quality of banking system poses sovereign credit because of the banking sector’s role in financial growth. It said, “In the absence of any improvement in banking-system metrics over the coming months, India’s sovereign credit profile will remain constrained.”
3. Moody’s downgraded India’s GDP growth projection: Citing a ‘drier than average monsoon’ Moody’s revised its GDP growth projection to 7% from 7.5% in August.
The agency had maintained India’s growth forecast of 7.5% for the year 2016 which was revised later.
“Our polling results pointed to some disappointment amongst the audience with regard to the pace of reform under the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and increasing concerns about the risk of policy stagnation,” Moody’s had said in June in a report titled ‘Inside India’.
4. Moody’s downgraded banks: In other instances, Moody’s has also downgraded banks like Bank of India, Canara Bank, to ba3 from ba2 on account of rise in NPA. It downgraded ratings for Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank’s local and foreign currency deposits from ‘Baa3’ to ‘Ba1’. The reason being differentiating between public sector banks when distributing capital.
The government indicated further that efficient banks will receive capital from the government of India.
Moody’s has also downgraded local currency bank deposit ratings of major banks such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank.
“The downgrade is driven by the change in Moody’s view that the capacity for government support is limited to a government’s bond rating, rather than Moody’s previous expectation that banks in India could benefit from additional support through other policy tools,” it said in a note.
5. When Moody’s thought India would give an indecisive mandate: The agency has pointed out that political and policy uncertainty ahead of 2014 general elections has been the cause of macro-economic imbalance between 2011 and 2013.
However, Moody’s said, “We rank India’s institutional strength as moderate (-) relative to all other countries in the Moody’s-rated universe.”
An American couple seeking a same-sex marriage have faced complications after legally becoming father and son three years ago.
The Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 US states this year, however prior to this, many gay couples in the country used adoption as a means to gain legal family ties.
Nino Esposito, a retired teacher, and his partner Roland “Drew” Bosee, a former technical writer, undertook an adoption in 2012 after 40 years of being together. The couple now wish to annul the adoption in order to get married. However, a state court judge has rejected the request saying adoption annulments are usually limited to cases of fraud.
“We thought never in our lifetime same-sex marriage would happen,” 68-year-old Bosee said, adding, “[The adoption] gave us the most legitimate thing available to us.”
The ACLU of Pennsylvania, a civil liberties union supporting the couple, said it was not uncommon for couples across the states to take annul advantage of adoption laws as a way to legally become a family.
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