UNITED NATIONS (United States) (TIP): Russia submitted a revised draft UN resolution Nov 19 on fighting the Islamic State group that France said could be partially included in its own Security Council measure following the Paris attacks.
Agreement from the 15-member council on a single draft resolution that lays out the international approach to defeating IS extremists would mark a significant step after months of disagreements between the West and Russia.
The Russian draft text was first presented to the Security Council in late September but was rejected by the United States, Britain and France over a provision that calls for battling the IS extremists with the consent of the Syrian regime — a Moscow ally.
The new draft resolution still contains that provision, said Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, but he downplayed disagreements.
“We are calling for closer cooperation than we currently have now among all those fighting in Syria and Iraq,” Churkin told reporters following a closed-door meeting of the council.
“One thing which was heard loud and clear in our discussions in the council is that there should be unity of the council. I don’t see it as a huge gap.”
French President Francois Hollande has called on the Security Council to quickly adopt a resolution to strengthen the fight against IS jihadists in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Hollande is due to meet President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 26, two days after talks in Washington with President Barack Obama aimed at stepping up the campaign against the extremists.
French Ambassador Francois Delattre said he was working “to prepare a text that will be short, strong and focused on the fight against our common enemy, Daesh
(IS).”
NEW YORK: Former spy Jonathan Pollard is set to be paroled from a federal prison in North Carolina on Friday, 30 years after he was caught selling American intelligence secrets to Israel.
The 61-year-old will be on a short leash as he rebuilds his life as a free man.
One supporter says Pollard will have to wear a GPS device to monitor his location. He’ll also have a curfew and be barred from using the internet.
Pollard’s lawyers have said they have lined up housing and a job in the New York area.
Pollard was arrested in 1985 and given a life sentence in 1987 in a case that still complicates diplomacy between the US and Israel.
HOUSTON(TIP): Texas executed Wednesday a death-row inmate who killed three children in a fire at their home, the youngest of whom was his baby daughter aged just one.
Raphael Holiday’s other two victims were his step-daughters, who were aged five and seven.
The 36-year-old was put to death by lethal injection and pronounced dead at 8:30 pm (0230 GMT Thursday), said Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Holiday had been in a dispute with his wife and had been ordered by a court not to see her.
But in September 2000 he ignored that injunction and broke into her home in MadisonCounty. His terrified wife fled to seek help.
Threatening the girls’ grandmother with a gun, Holiday forced her to pour gasoline throughout the home, which was then ignited in flames.
Holiday was the 13th inmate executed this year in Texas, which has accounted for half the executions so far in 2015 in the United States, the Death Penalty Information Center said.
The terror attack on Paris on November 13 which killed 136 and injured hundreds, has left Parisians mourning for the fallen brothers and sisters. A people who have , by and large, remained unaffected by violence , were suddenly made to experience a brutal attack on a beautiful City by the gentle Seine. Their tragedy was shared in vigils and prayers by New York University students, too.
Our photo journalist Mohammed Jaffer has submitted a few wonderful photographs of candle light vigils and floral tributes – a symbol of solidarity with the people of Paris.
The Washington Square Arch at NYU changes the colors to support France and the people of Paris, on 14th Nov, 2015
Floral tribute to the victims of Paris terrorist attack by the students of New York University at the Washington Square Park campus in New York City on 14th Nov 2015
NYU students paid tribute to the victims of Paris terrorist attack at the Washington Square Park campus in New York City on 14th Nov 2015
Vigil in Washington Square Park in New York City on 14th Nov 2015
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Sheena Bora murder case took a sensational turn with the arrest of media tycoon Peter Mukerjea.
The prime investigating agency of India, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday, November 19 evening, arrested Mukerjea in the case related to the murder of Sheena Bora, the daughter of his wife Indrani Mukerjea from her former husband. Mukerjea will be produced in a Mumbai court on November 20th.
Peter’s arrest, the fourth in the case, came hours after the CBI filed a 1000 page charge sheet against Sheena’s mother Indrani, her stepfather Sanjeev Khanna, and Indrani’s former driver Shyamvar Rai in the Esplanade court in Mumbai.
While officers did not elaborate on the nature of Peter’s involvement in the case, they claimed that during her questioning, Indrani had dropped enough hints. “She has given enough indications… he knew of the murder,” a CBI officer claimed.
Sources said that though he was arrested on Thursday, the CBI had called him for interrogation earlier as well. “He was not cooperating with the agency at all. He got arrested after the questioning. The officials suspect that Peter was involved in destroying evidence,” the source said. He was also questioned about money transactions.
The CBI, which was handed over the case on September 29 after a turf-war between the ousted Commissioner Rakesh Maria and the new incumbent Ahmed Javed, had questioned Mukerjea for hours before it was decided to place him under arrest, the sources said.
Following confirmation of Peter’s arrest, advocate Mahesh Jethmalani said: “I was informed about Peter’s arrest by his sister this evening. I will not be representing Peter Mukerjea. I don’t know who will be representing him in this case.”
Earlier in the evening, Mr. Jethmalani said he was surprised at the decision of CBI to place him under arrest. “I will be extremely shocked if the news about his arrest is true.” “I contacted him through messages and my last contact was well past 7.30 PM when he informed me that he was being questioned by the CBI and that he would contact me later,” he said.
Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the case, was arrested two months ago and has been in a Mumbai jail since September 7. According to the agency, her accomplices in the crime were her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyam Rai.
Sources said there were conflicting elements in the statements of Peter and Indrani Mukerjea and the arrest was made to establish the truth through custodial interrogation.
Sheena Bora, 24 — who was allegedly strangled in April 2012 – was the unacknowledged daughter of Indrani Mukerjea. In public, she was introduced as Indrani Mukerjea’s sister. She was also engaged to Rahul Mukerjea, Mr. Mukerjea’s son from an earlier marriage — a relationship that her mother disapproved of strongly.
The murder remained undiscovered for three years, during which time, Indrani Mukerjea allegedly told friends and family that Ms Bora had left for the US. This August, Ms Bora’s remains were found in a forest near Raigad, around 80 km from Mumbai.
After initially examining whether Ms Bora was killed because her mother was upset about her relationship with Rahul Mukerjea, the police looked into the financial motive. In 2007, the Mukerjeas had co-founded the broadcasting group INX media, which they exited in 2009 amid talk of embezzlement and proxy firms.
The case was transferred to the CBI on September 19 after allegations that the new police chief, Ahmed Javed, was “close to” Mr. Mukerjea, KP Bakshi, a top bureaucrat in Home Ministry had told NDTV.
The agency filed a charge sheet in a Mumbai court on November 19, which said, Indrani Mukerjea kept Ms Bora’s body overnight at the home she shared with Peter Mukerjea, before driving it to Raigad the next morning. There, the body was set on fire.
WASHINGTON (TIP): Several Republican lawmakers gathered in Washington, D.C., Tuesday evening to celebrate the launch of the Republican Hindu Coalition, a group dedicated to uniting Indian-Americans in support of Republicans.
The group was founded by Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, a prominent Chicago businessman who has long supported the Republican Party and its candidates and has guaranteed to personally give at least $2 million to GOP candidates in the 2016 election cycle. The Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) aims to give upwards of $10 million to Republicans running for election in 2016.
Several GOP senators up for reelection next year were present at Tuesday evening’s launch event, which took place at the Hyatt Regency Washington. They included Sens. Ron Johnson (Wisc.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), and Rob Portman (Ohio). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) delivered remarks at the event, thanking Kumar for founding the organization. “The Republican Party is the natural home of people who are in favor of growth and opportunity. The Democrats are the party of big government and debts and taxes and overregulation,” McConnell told the crowd. “So people who are drawn to the private sector will find a home with the Republican Party.”
The event was co-chaired by former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who stated to the crowd that “launching an organization like the RHC could literally change history.” Gingrich noted that the United States and India both face threats from radical jihadists, pointing to threats on India coming from Pakistan.
Several members of the House were also present, including Reps. Ed Royce (Calif.), Peter Roskam (Ill.), and Pete Sessions (Texas).
Sessions, who chairs the House Rules Committee, emphasized the need for the United States to better foster cultural and economic ties with India and particularly for Republicans to work with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I have found that with the election of Prime Minister Modi, his jelling of ideas as to the future of this great nation and the relationship they would share with America would be economic, would be strategic and would be cultural, with the understanding that our two nations have much in common,” the Texas lawmaker said. “We have to engage, create 10 million new jobs with India and American together. If we have to succeed, then we have to partner with Prime Minister Modi.”
The organization was conceived after Kumar witnessed the success of the Republican Jewish Coalition, which fosters ties between the American Jewish population and Republican lawmakers.
“Having watched the Republican Jewish Coalition work to achieve its goals I was inspired to found RHC,” Kumar stated Tuesday. “I went to my friend who I consider to be the smartest man on this earth, Speaker Newt Gingrich. Before I said more than two sentences, he said, ‘Great idea!’”
“A better relationship between India and America would be a recipe for peace and prosperity of the world. It’s a joint venture,” Rep. George Holding (R, N.C.), who co-chairs the Congressional India Caucus, said at the event.
WASHINGTON (TIP): Indian-Americans celebrated the festival of Chhath on the banks of the historic Potomac River here as several women attired in colorful traditional saree worshiped the rising sun.
The Chhath celebrations spread over three days in Virginia saw participation of some 250 Indian-Americans, many of whom drove a few hundred kilometers to attend this popular festival of Bihar.
“We are just trying our best to keep our tradition alive, even though we are thousands of miles away from the place of our birth,” said Kripa Shankar Singh, who has been organizing the event for the past eight years now.
A software engineer, Singh comes from Patna.
“Now people call me from all over the country and ask details about the Chhath pooja,” he said.
This year, a few families even booked cottages on the banks of the Potomac River so that they can participate in the festivities on both the days.
“I am overwhelmed by the response,” said Kumar Singh, an eminent Indian-American community leader in Greater Washington Metropolitan Area.
“Unlike other festivals, which we celebrate on weekends, this is the only Indian festival we celebrate on the actual day. Still it attracts a large number of people, many of whom take leave from their work to come and attend Chhath pooja on the Potomac,” Singh said.
Recounting how it all began, Kripa Shankar Singh said about eight years ago his mother asked his wife Anita to take care of Chhath pooja to keep the family tradition of generations alive.
Singh said he inquired among his friends and other Indian-American community leaders if anyone here performed the Chhath pooja.He found that people did it inside their homes or at the most in a makeshift plastic tub full of water.
Singh and some of his friends once went for a picnic on the banks of the Potomac River in Loudon County, a suburb of Washington.
The concrete boat ramp there, Singh said, gave him the idea that this place was good for performing Chhath pooja in the real way with all the traditional and religious rituals.
Soon he approached the Loudon County Parks and Recreation Department with the details and sought permission to do the Chhath pooja on the river banks.
“Permission was granted,” he said, adding that the Loudon County is enthusiastic about supporting the Indian-Americans in organizing this rare festival outside India.
Chhath pooja entails worship of Sun God, embodied in cosmic energy, and is observed mainly by people from Bihar and eastern UP.
WASHINGTON (TIP): The Arista Networks team of Jayshree Ullal and Andy Bechtolsheim, based out of Santa Clara-California, have been honored by Ernst and Young as the 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year.
Ullal and Bechtolsheim, who also won in the Technology category, were honored at the EY Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards gala, the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum® in Palm Springs, California.
“To be an entrepreneur is to be a game changer,” said Mike Kacsmar, EY Entrepreneur of the Year Americas Program Director. “Jayshree Ullal, Andy Bechtolsheim and the Arista Networks team embody all of the characteristics we value in entrepreneurship. They have successfully challenged industry norms and redefined the industry standard.”
In their acceptance speech, Arista’s Indian American CEO Jayshree Ullal said, “Arista means ‘agree to be the best.’ … It’s very, very fitting, and we’re truly honored to stand and live by our name.”
Arista Networks delivers software-driven cloud networking solutions for large data centre storage and computing environments.
The EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award, one of the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs, recognizes visionary business leaders who demonstrate innovation, financial success and commitments to their communities as they create and build world-class companies.
EY Entrepreneur of the Year National category winners
Additional awards were presented in 11 categories, honoring a number of exceptional entrepreneurs for their innovation and leadership. Regional winners also included 13 Indian Americans.
By category, they include:
Distribution and Manufacturing
Award winner: Berto Guerra, CEO & Chairman – Avanzar Interior Technologies, LTDSan Antonio, TXFinalists:
Andrew Philipp, Jeremy Rincon, Robby Whites – Clarus Glassboards, LLC
Scott C. Mueller, Dean Mueller – Dealer Tire
Jason Luo – Key Safety Systems
Emerging
Award winner: David Royce, Founder & CEO – AlterraProvo, UTFinalists:
Ilia Papas, Matt Salzberg, Matthew Wadiak – Blue Apron
Adam Hepworth – Jamberry
Jeff Church – Suja Juice
Energy, Cleantech and Natural Resources
Award winner: Eric Dee Long, CEO – USA CompressionAustin, TXFinalists:
John B. Walker – EnerVest, Ltd.
Donald Young – Hoover Group, Inc.
Kevin McEvoy – Oceaneering International, Inc.
Family Business
Award winner: Andrew D. Peykoff II, President & CEO – Niagara Bottling, LLCOntario, CAFinalists:
Lou Gentine, Louie Gentine – Sargento Foods Inc.
Robert M. Beall – Beall’s, Inc.
Edward Weisiger, Jr. – CTE
Financial Services
Award winner: Alfred P. West, Jr., Chairman & CEO – SEIOaks, PAFinalists:
Jonathan Steinberg – WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Kenneth Lin – Credit Karma
Noah Breslow – OnDeck
Life Sciences
Award winner: Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, Chairman & CEO – BioMarin PharmaceuticalNovato, CAFinalists:
Charles Dunlop, James Dunlop – Ambry Genetics
Mike Mussallem – Edwards Lifesciences
Tim Walbert – Horizon Pharma
Media, Entertainment and Communications
Award winner: Maggie Wilderotter, Chairman & CEO – Frontier CommunicationsStamford, CTFinalists:
Frank Addante – Rubicon Project
Chris DeWolfe – SGN
Sean Eugene Reilly – Lamar Advertising Company
Real Estate, Hospitality and Construction
Award winner: Adam Neumann, Co-Founder & CEO – WeWorkNew York, NYFinalists:
John Kilroy – Kilroy Realty Corporation
Zeke Turner – Mainstreet
James Michael Appling, Jr. – TNT Crane & Rigging, Inc
Retail and Consumer Products
Award winners: Reade Fahs, CEO, and Bruce Steffey, President and COO – National Vision, Inc.Duluth, GAFinalists:
John Foraker – Annie’s, Inc.
Marla Malcolm Beck – Bluemercury, Inc.
Jamie Lima, Paulo Lima – IT Cosmetics
Services
Award winner: Y. Michele Kang, Founder & Chief Executive Officer – CognosanteMcLean, VAFinalists:
Lawrence Janesky – Basement Systems Inc.
Abhi Shah – Clutch Group
Setul G. Patel – Neighbors Health System, Inc.
Technology
Award winners: Jayshree Ullal, President & CEO, and Andy Bechtolsheim, Founder, Chief Development Officer and Chairman – Arista NetworksSanta Clara, CAFinalists:
ISIS/ISIL/IS is a fundamentalist group, made of delusional individuals, who claim to be religious, and who want to create a nation state of Sunni Salafist Muslims. Their ultimate aim to wield their power over such vast and rich land is laughable and disturbing to every Indian who has heard of them (yes, not every Indian has heard of them).
ISIS is growing at the pace of rabbits.
The United Nations has recognized ISIS to be a terrorist group by passing a resolution to that effect. If ISIS flexes its forces to come to India, one can speculate that the UN’s stand against ISIS will become more sharp and decisive (with Obama saying “I told you so” in the background).
Likewise, India has banned the terror group. India, however, is confused for the most part about how to go about labeling this fundamentalist group. We have hostages under the ISIS, and we would really like to have our people back in India, away from the brutal captors, before doing anything too loud against the ISIS. Thus, one can go so far as to say that this hostage situation is already a mark of the threat that India is facing, from the group.
Is there a risk of the ISIS coming to India?
They can reach India through land or sea routes. Land routes, funnily enough, are not going to be welcoming to them. Our neighbours, all said and done, are not going to harbor terrorists who threaten even their own cultural ethos (ISIS has shown no mercy to non-Sunni muslims; in fact, they were the first to be affected in the emergence of the Islamic State in Syria and Libya). In any case, providing shelter to ISIS amounts to the ire of Uncle Sam. We know no one like to tick Uncle Sam off. Sea routes are probably their most hassle-free means of getting to India. India, since 26/11 has strengthened and secured her coastal fronts sufficiently (although there is much more to be desired still). ISIS will have a tougher time reaching India than waging any kind of attack against us.
What if ISIS do get to India?
India’s armed forces are dynamic and are trained to fight in different types of terrain, over years – something that the ISIS cannot have done, and will not be able to do. There lies our advantage. Over the last couple of decades, our defense strategy has been hinged on deterrence. Nuclear power has deterred direct war on India. But irrational parties such as the stateless (wannabe nation state) ISIS are hardly going to be deterred by atomic bombs. In the unlikely event that the ISIS unleashes terror at our frontiers, rest assured that our armed forces, and paramilitary forces (if need be), shall be deployed, they will ensure we sleep soundly.
To not seem too complacent, let me add that we do need to be in a position to deploy the necessary amount of forces at the time of need, which can be anytime. For this, we should either equip them sufficiently or relieve them of their domestic duty, by settling domestic problems as soon as possible (for example, the recent deplorable massacre of Adivasis in Assam which needed the Indian Army’s presence to be quelled).
In the periphery, people have to be made aware of the foolishness of the ideological beliefs that ISIS espouses. There have been worrisome reports of Indians joining the fundamentalist groups. This has to be prevented at all costs – a stitch in time saves nine.
The ‘notion’ of Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) has taken a beating after the November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. CIP is about protecting vital infrastructure, which, if attacked, would have deleterious consequences for the state and society. Such infrastructure includes essential services on which the population depends heavily for various routine but essential activities like managing water and electric supply, maintenance of rail and airline networks, etc. For the last couple of years many states have placed a major emphasis upon CIP and have made significant investments to ensure that the architecture for CIP gets appropriately established. However, the recent attacks in Paris and the nature of targets selected there by the terrorists indicate that the ‘process’ behind identifying what is Critical Infrastructure has limitations and terrorists could select many more targets that are outwardly not Critical.
The idea of CIP could be said to have begun when US President Bill Clinton issued Presidential Decision Directive [PDD]-63 in May 1998 to set up a national program of ‘Critical Infrastructure Protection’. Europe too views CIP as an important instrument and has in place the ‘European Program for Critical Infrastructure Protection’ (EPCIP). For its part, India has the ‘National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre’ (NCIPC), which essentially handles cyber security related issues.
The terrorist attacks in Paris and prior to that in Mumbai (26/11) demonstrate that terrorists are not concentrating on Critical Infrastructure as a target of choice. Instead, they are targeting places where they can inflict maximum damage to human life as well as garner wide publicity. This is, however, not to argue that Critical Infrastructure has lost its relevance as a ‘rewarding’ terror target. Perhaps realizing that such targets are difficult to attack owing to security measures put in place, terrorists seem to have shifted their attention to softer targets.
This raises some basic questions: Are global powers unable to visualize the probable patterns of terrorism? Are the tools used by them to handle current asymmetric threats appropriate? Are attacks like those in Paris exposing the limitations of the existing preparedness and response mechanisms?
It is well-known that ‘terrorists have to be lucky only once but the state has to be vigilant all the time’. The successes achieved by intelligence agencies are normally not known but their one odd failure has large-scale ramifications. Also, policing or military measures are unlikely to eradicate terrorism and the solution has to be political, economic and socio-cultural. Zero terrorism is not an achievable objective. However, all this should not justify the failures of security agencies at Paris or Mumbai. The success of terrorists indicates policy and policing failure at both tactical and strategic levels.
Against the backdrop of the Paris attacks, there is a need to introspect about the effectiveness of the approaches adopted by major states to counter terrorism. It could be broadly argued that the ‘Global War on Terror’ being a US construct, the global response also has a US bias. States are mostly building their respective policy structures based on the US ‘interpretation and response’ to this challenge.
As a result, CIP became a buzzword and the idea spread globally owing to the degree of emphasis given to it by the US and the EU. Post 9/11, many terrorism experts ‘mushroomed’ and some ended up converting the issue into an academic debate. This led to non-specialists influencing major policy decisions. Various forecasting and modeling techniques borrowed from military studies, management and economics were used to analyze terrorism. Multiple justifications were offered to understand the ‘method behind the madness’ for various acts of terrorism. Theoretical conceptualizations were evolved to ‘situate’ terrorism under preconceived ‘formats’.
None of this appears to have helped to stem terrorism as is evident from the continuing activities of ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, and Talban during the last decade and a half. The Paris attacks only reinforces the case for states to recalibrate their approaches to intelligence gathering, data interpretation and policy response. Analysts need to recognize that the use of smart language and analyses based on Cold War era theories are unlikely to offer appropriate solutions to current problems. For example, the ‘game of chicken’ metaphor used to explain how people avoid a potentially fatal head-on collision may not hold good in the scenario of a suicide terrorist who is ready to die for a cause.
Post 26/11, it appears that India is essentially following the Western model to counter terror-related challenges. The Paris attacks show that such models have limitations. India is often criticized for lacking in ‘Strategic Thought’. However, states that are lauded for their ‘Strategic Thought’ have only faced failures from Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria. The Paris attacks should make India think for itself.
Something is wrong with our religions–Or its interpretation–Or our understanding–something is really screwed up somewhere. Islam is a big part of our world’s religion. But it says–“There is no God but Allah”! Is that a monopoly implying thereby that only a Muslim interpretation of God is supreme? But then we have Hindus sayings: your God is my God too, for God is same to all. We have people saying, my God tells me that. Is religion a soccer game, best scorer is the best sorcerer of Faith? I think anything that divides two people based on anything, declaring one as pure others as worthless must be rejected in toto. The religious divide makes accountability very hard. For everyone feels that one would be accountable not to other persons God, but to one own God. A Christian would not feel accountable to Allah, as long as he sees his God different and similarly a Muslim would not feel accountable to Brahma, for his God is different. There is no ready religiously understood secular principle of accountability. As long as accountability is maintained to different Gods, universal principles would not be found. We will continue to see massacres, fractured identity crisis and a tumultuous world. People are weirdly goaded in religious pursuits. This “fnk” God hunt has given more problems than solutions. While we suffer killing each others, our Gods are sitting in heavens, enjoying the bliss. Some religion tells us to not to question, but to follow. Recently I had a very sweet lady come by my office and told me to read Koran and give up all other scriptures. I asked her the reason for such a suggestion. She said as we gave up our landlines for telephone calls and now use cell phones, similarly, we must give up old religions and embrace the new one and the newest religion is Islam. I told her that I will look into it. I might be very jealous of her that she is firmly established in her theory, thesis and theme of her practice. I, on the other hand, doubt, for I am friends with “Akbar of Rational.” She might be very happy with her practice, but I am free! I am so free that suffering anywhere is suffering to me. I am so free that I can easily step into someone else’s shoes and see what they see, for I have no walls around me, I am not a prisoner of any ideologies. I know that I will not be accountable to one God, which I might have had or will have, but I am accountable to all Gods and to all creation. The entire world is suffering and one who is accountable to all those suffering is the highest penance and is the highest service to anyone’s God. For a change let us render our accountability to people and not worry about ours or their Gods. We pray for peace– for peace of Paris victims’ families and peace even of those killers. Allama Iqbal had beautiful lines for such a “weapons of war”–he said, “Love.”
Yaqeen mohkam, amal peham,
mohabbat faateh-e-alam,
Jihad-e-zindagani mein
hain yeh mardon ki shamsheerain.
In man’s crusade of life these weapons has he: Conviction that his cause is just;
Resolution to strive till eternity; Compassion that embraces all humanity.
Post Paris, when the Union Home Ministry said that an “IS-backed attack is possible in India” and went on to talk of the Islamic State’s “success in radicalizing some youth and attracting some sections of the local population or the Indian diaspora to physically participate in its activities”, it indirectly magnified the threat perception of the IS among people. Terror is not an issue that Home Minister Rajnath Singh should be casually discussing with media persons on the sidelines of a function. He needlessly lauded the striking capacity of the IS when he said it posed “a threat for the entire world”.
The fight against terror has to be a rigorous, quiet and coordinated effort aimed at plugging loopholes in the state of preparedness. Intelligence sharing with other countries makes little sense when the Centre and states fail to do so within the country. States are particularly vulnerable. Leave alone having a specialized trained force to combat terror, policing, intelligence gathering and the security apparatus at the state level are far from professional. Even the Centre, despite the NIA, is ill-equipped to handle Paris-type strikes at crowded places. Mocking the security setup, an NRI rammed his SUV into the Wagah border gate on Monday. That the intruder could reach the border gate unchallenged in itself is an unflattering reflection on a regime that takes considerable pride in its masochism.
While hundred per cent security at every vulnerable spot may be difficult, states need to be constantly motivated in modernizing policing and strengthening intelligence. Regular preparedness drills can help locate cracks which terrorists can take advantage of. There is no need to broadcast to the nation that the IS has a limited presence in India and that it has appeal among certain youth. We have yet to learn the importance of quiet, skilled capacity-building. The need is to monitor social sites more closely and wean youth from interacting with IS cells through persuasion, preferably, and by force, if necessary. Politicians and media have to take care that they don’t end up playing into the hands of terrorists by spreading scare. The IS fear has been internationalized unconsciously.
NEWYORK (TIP): Terror group ISIS released a propaganda video Wednesday, November 18, that makes threats against New York, but city leaders said there is no “credible and specific threat” to the city.
The authenticity of the video has not been verified and New York officials have said there are no specific threats against the city.
The video shows several scenes in Manhattan including Times Square, Gap in Herald Square, T.G.I. Friday’s and yellow taxi cabs on city streets. It also includes images of terrorist sharpshooters and terrorists wearing suicide belts.
The Islamic State considers the United States its top enemy and frequently threatens attacks against American targets.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said New York City will not be intimidated by a newly released video by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) which shows images of Times Square.
“There is no credible and specific threat against New York City,” de Blasio said during a news conference Wednesday night.
“Stoking fear is the goal of terrorist organizations, but New York City will not be intimidated,” de Blasio said, encouraging New Yorkers to “go about their business” as normal, while remaining watchful.
The ISIL video, which runs for nearly six minutes, includes a scene that appears to show a suicide bomber making preparations and zipping up a jacket, according to a description provided by SITE Intelligence Group, a Bethesda, Maryland, organization that tracks groups like ISIL.
“Footage of New York shown in the ISIS video was taken from a video released by the group in April of this year. So while NYC is, and has been, a target for ISIS, today’s video does not warrant any kind of panic,” SITE director Rita Katz said in an email to Reuters.
The FBI said through a spokeswoman it was aware of news reports about the video and “ongoing terrorist threats to NYC,” and would fully investigate.
A New York Police Department spokesman said some of the video footage is old but the video reaffirms the message the city remains a top target for extremists.
“While there is no current or specific threat to the city at this time, we will remain at a heightened state of vigilance and will continue to work with the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the entire intelligence community,” said Stephen Davis, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for public information.
De Blasio said that the NYPD this week “initiated the first wave of our new Critical Response Command, which will grow to 500 officers specifically dedicated to anti-terrorism activities,” he said.
The new unit will supplement an existing 1,000-officer counterterrorism program, police said.
NEWARK, NJ (TIP): An Indian American husband and wife from New Jersey who owned a mobile diagnostic testing company admitted receiving more than $4.3 million from Medicare and private insurance companies for diagnostic testing and reports that were never interpreted by a licensed physician, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Nita K. Patel and Kirtish N. Patel, were arrested in June of 2014, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls in Newark federal court and both have been charged with one count of health care fraud each.
They duo owned Biomedical Sound Services as well as Heart Solutions in Parsippany and were mobile diagnostic companies.
According to an FBI press release, the companies provided mobile diagnostic testing, including ultrasounds, echocardiograms and nerve conduction studies that were used to diagnose heart defects, blood clots, abdominal aortic aneurysms and other serious medical conditions.
Biosound was responsible for sending the tests to a “reading physician”-an appropriate specialist who would interpret the results. After the reading physician prepared a report, Biosound was responsible for providing it to the referring physician.
Instead, Kirtish Patel interpreted them himself, and forged the signatures of physicians, authorities said.
Biosound was paid millions of dollars by Medicare and other payors for the diagnostic testing, the reading physician’s interpretation of the results and the reports.
Kirtish Patel admitted to, from October 2008 through June 2014, fraudulently interpreting and writing diagnostic reports produced by Biosound despite having no medical license and knowing that the reports would be used by the referring physicians to make important patient treatment decisions. Nita Patel admitted assisting her husband in forging physician signatures on the fraudulently produced reports to make them appear legitimate. Nita and Kirtish Patel also admitted falsely representing to Medicare that the neurological testing performed by Biosound was being supervised by a licensed neurologist.
More than half of the diagnostic reports generated by Biosound between October 2008 and June 2014 were never actually reviewed or interpreted by a physician.
Nita and Kirtish Patel were paid more than$4,386,133.75 by Medicare and private insurance companies for the fraudulent reports, which they used for personal expenses, including multiple residences and luxury vehicles.
The health care fraud charge to which Nita and Kirtish Patel pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for March 15, 2016.
NEW YORK (TIP): Indian American Business Association, New York Inc held diwali celebration at Delhi Palace in Jackson Heights, New York On Nov 09 2015.
Diya Lighting Ceremony
Many respected community leaders and businessmen attended the Diwali celebration. Which include Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx), Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, Councilmember Daniel Dromm, Mr. Ved Prakash Sharma, District Leader Uma Sengupta, Dr. Vijay Chabra, Sunil Chugh, Harish Chugh, Mahendra Patel, Harshad Patel, Apan Bazar, Deepak Varma, Sunil Patel, Dr. Surinder Malhotra, Virendra Patel, Trilok Malik,Mohinder Singh Taneja, Viredra Patel & Commissioner Sharanjit Thind,
Event started with bollywood dance performances by students of Aparna Dance Academy. National Anthom sung by Kirti Shukla and Indu Gajwani. Congressman Crowly conveyed greetings on Diwali to Indian community and recognized and appreciated Indian businessman contribution to American economy and the community as well as appreciate the Contribution of Indian American Business Association NewYork Inc’s President Mr. Mohinder Verma.
Councilmember Daniel Dromm also conveyed greetings on Diwali and appreciated the community. And expressed regret that Indian community was not granted holiday in city schools by Mayor and he vouched that he would fight to get diwali holiday in schools of NY City. President Mohinder Verma Thanked Congressmember Crowley and Councilmember Daniel Dromm as well as Wish Everyone on the occassio of Diwali, Also
Mr.Mohinder Verma stated Indian American Business Association Inc. is formed with collective efforts of New York and India based businesses. The main objective of the organization is to provide a platform and disseminate information to and among businesses that are looking to grow and expand from India to the U.S. and vice-versa. Based on our experience and the data provided by the relevant authority, many businesses are interested to expand their activities in New York, USA. To advance such interests, those businesses need support, information, and a network besides other things, IABANY intends to bridge that gap.
Dilip Chauhan South East Asian Affairs Director of Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos Presented a Citation to President of IABANY Mohinder Verma, left Ved Prakash Sharma, Uma Sengupta, Councilmember Daniel Dromm, Congressmember Joseph Crowley, President Mohinder Verma, Dilip Chauhan , Darshan Bagga, and Commissioner Sharanjeet Thind.
Dilip Chauhan South East/Asian Affairs Director of Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos Presented a Citation on behalf of Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos to President Mohinder Verma for his outstanding Contribution to the community.
Many businessmen and community leaders were awarded by citations from New York Senator Jose Peralta, Assembly member David Weprin.
Abdel-hamid Abaaoud holding the Quran & the ISIS Flag
PARIS (TIP): The suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks was killed Wednesday, November 18, in a massive pre-dawn raid by French police commandos, two senior European officials said, after investigators followed leads that the fugitive Islamic State militant was holed up north of the French capital and could be plotting another wave of violence.
More than 100 police officers and soldiers stormed an apartment building in Saint-Denis, a bustling suburb home to many immigrants, during a seven-hour siege that left at least two people dead, officials said.
The dead – included the key suspect behind the Paris bloodshed, Abdel-hamid Abaaoud, according to the two senior European officials. A woman Hasna Aitboulahcen, 26, also died in the raid and was believed to be Abaaoud’s cousin. She detonated a suicide vest after a brief conversation with police officers.
French police are still looking for another alleged attacker, the 26-year-old French national Salah Abdeslam, who is on the run.
Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Belgian extremist of Moroccan origin, allegedly orchestrated the attacks claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said that Abaaoud had been involved in at least four previous foiled attacks, including an incident in August when a gunman tried to kill passengers on a high-speed train between Amsterdam and Paris.
“[The cases] would have all involved attacks perpetrated by European jihadists sent to France … Europe must coordinate itself and defend itself against this threat,” he said on Thursday, November 19, calling for a more effective arms strategy in the continent. “The fight against terrorism is crucial.”
Paris terror attacks: A timeline
November 13, 9:20pm Stade de France
The first of the three explosions is heard in the stadium where Hollande and 80,000 fans are watching France play Germany in a friendly football match.
Stade de France before the blast are heard
November 13, 9.25 Le Carillon & Le Petit Cambodge
Located in one of the liveliest areas around the Canal Saint-Martin district, the bar and restaurant are packed. A car stops at the crossroads. Two men holding Kalashnikovs get out; one sprays bullets at Le Carillon, the other fires directly at Le Petit Cambodge, killing 15 people.
Candles next to a flower in a broken window of Le Carillon restaurant in Paris, the site of one of the attacks in the French capital on Friday. (Image courtesy Venance/AFP/Getty)
November 13, 9.30: Second Stade de France bomb
Sirens can be heard outside, but the game goes on. An aide informs Hollande of the unfolding attacks. A decision is taken to get the president out of the ground. Two suicide bombers and one man died outside the stadium. A third attacker detonates an explosive vest at a nearby McDonald’s at about 21:53.
An aide informs French President Hollande about the attacks
November 13, 9.32 Casa Nostra
Again, a black Seat pulls up and an armed man dressed in black gets out. After more than 100 rounds five people are dead and eight seriously injured.
Bullet holes are seen in the windows of the Casa Nostra pizzeria on rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi, Paris (Photo courtesy Ian Langsdon/EPA)
November 13, 9.36pm: Belle Équipe
“The shooting lasted five minutes. They did not give anybody a chance” – an eyewitness to the attack on the restaurant on rue de Charonne tells BFM TV. When it was all over 19 people lay dead. Most had been sitting outside at candle-lit tables.
Flowers and candles in front of the Belle Equipe cafe in Paris ( Photo courtesy Ian Langsdon/EPA)
November 13, 9.40pm: suicide bomber
A man walks into the Comptoir Voltaire cafe on Boulevard Voltaire and as waitress approaches he detonates an explosive vest. Fifteen people are injured.
Coats on the ground outside the Comptoir Voltaire cafe after the attack. ( Photo courtesy AFP)
November 13, 9.45pm: State of emergency
President Hollande, who has been taken to the Élysée Palace following the second bomb at the Stade de France, prepares to call a state of emergency.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and President Hollande at an emergency meeting at the Interior Ministry on Friday, November 13th ( Photo courtesy AFP)
November 13, 9.49pm: Bataclan theatre
Gunmen enter the Bataclan theatre on Boulevard Voltaire, where more than 1,500 people are at an Eagles of Death Metal concert, shooting as they move. The band is still playing as the shots ring out – some think it’s part of the show. The music stops. There is panic and scenes of terror as people try to escape. By the time police storm the building at 00:20, 89 people are dead.
Bataclan Theatre
November 13, 11.30pm: Hollande – “It’s a horror”
In a live television address to the nation, President Hollande declares a state of emergency. The emergency has since been extended for another 3 months.
Hollande declares state of emergency (Photo courtesy Getty Images)
BELGIUM RAIDS
The search for the attackers spreads to Belgium. A discarded parking ticket in a car near the Bataclan in Paris leads detectives to the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek. A series of raids and arrests are made across the city over several days targeting those believed to have links with Bilal Hadfi, a 20-year old jihadist who blew himself up outside Stade de France in Paris.
GERMANY
A series of raids and arrests are made on Tuesday, November 17, in Alsdorf, near Aachen, close to the Belgium border. The Germany vs Netherlands friendly in Hanover is called off after police say authorities have “concrete information” about a bomb threat. However, no explosives were found.
SAINT-DENIS RAID
French police and security forces launch a major operation on Wednesday, November 18, where the target – Abdelhamid Abaaoud, said to be the leader of November 13 attacks, is killed. His death was confirmed by authorities on Thursday, November 19.
RAIDS CONTUINUE IN FRANCE & BELGIUM
Police officers have broken down doors in towns and villages from Paris to Brussels in more than 600 raids and searches since Friday. There have been 414 raids in France alone over the three nights early in the week, Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said in a statement on Wednesday. Sixty people were arrested and detained, and 75 weapons were seized. The statement added that 118 people were put under house arrest.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls of France said “We don’t know at this point in the investigation if there are groups, individuals, who are directly linked to the attack on Friday evening, in Paris, in St-Denis”. “We don’t know yet, one can imagine. That’s why the threat is still there.”
On Thursday, November 19, several police raids were carried out in the Brussels area, many of them targeting friends and relatives of Bilal Hadfi, one of the stadium bombers. At least nine people were detained.
The Belgian authorities on Thursday arrested nine people — seven of them as part of an investigation into Bilal Hadfi, 20, who detonated his explosive vest outside the Stade de France on Friday. Belgian police searched homes in the Brussels neighborhoods of Laeken, Uccle, Jette and Molenbeek. Molenbeek was the base of Mr. Abdeslam; his brother Ibrahim, who was one of the seven attackers who died; and Mr. Abaaoud.
PATNA (TIP): JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar took oath on November 20 as Bihar’s 35th chief minister. Kumar took oath for the fifth time at Patna’s iconic Gandhi Maidan in the afternoon in the presence of many political leaders from across the country. The Grand Alliance bagged 178 out of the 243 seats in the just-concluded assembly polls, which was billed as a battle between Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had campaigned extensively for the BJP-led NDA.
Former chief minister Lalu Prasad’s RJD pulled off a bigger surprise by emerging as the single-largest party, winning 80 seats while the JD(U) 71 and the Congress 27.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi declined to attend the event, the BJP was represented by party leaders and central ministers, including M. Venkaiah Naidu and Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Tens of thousands of Nitish Kumar and RJD leader Lalu Prasad supporters, besides nine chief ministers, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, NCP president Sharad Pawar, former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda and leaders of several other political parties attended the event.
The oath taking was attended by many political leaders from various parties.
A moment comes, but comes rarely in history, when we step out from the old to new, when an age ends, and when a soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance’. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru delivered these inspiring words in his speech, ‘Tryst of Destiny’ in1947. He is still remembered for his vision and commitment to bring India from out of oppression into freedom, modernity, and self-reliance.
As we have celebrated the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru on November 14th, 2015, we are in awe as we recollect his contribution, not only towards gaining India’s independence but also for laying a strong foundation of a pluralistic and forward looking India. Yet, half a century after his death, the current leadership of India is busy trying to downplay his legacy for political expediency, and to re-create a nation away from the democratic and secular tradition he has championed.
Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation of strong institutions that helped India preserve freedom and democracy and move on to become a modern nation.
When India gained Independence, there were monumental challenges resulting from the partition and the ongoing violence between Hindus and Muslims. The urgent task facing the leadership at the time was the resettlement of 6 million refugees, and arresting the spread of further violence. Nehru put together a team of dedicated patriots such as Sardar Tarlok Singh, Sarojini Naidu and S.K. Ghosh to limit the violence, as well as rescue and recover abandoned and abducted women and children.
When the British left, the Government, headed by Nehru, faced another important task: the national integration of 562 princely states. A newly created State department under the decisive leadership of Sardar Vallabhai Patel along with Nehru ensured the integration of the country in a remarkably short period of time.
If we look back at history for a moment, we would admire how Nehru brought together exceptional people of different ideologies such as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, S.P. Mookerjee, John Mathai, C.H. Bhabha and Shanmukham Chetty to be reflective of India’s secular and multi-faceted character in the Constituent Assembly. The Congress party delivered on the promise that the constitution they were about to create would reflect the aspirations of the Indian people.
The constitution of India was amongst the largest in the world with 395 Articles and 9 Schedules. The preamble spells out the basic philosophy and the solemn resolve of the people of India to secure justice, liberty, equality and fraternity for all its citizens. What Nehru has accomplished through this document with significant help and support from Ambedkar also is part of his vision to empower marginalized sections of the society.Nehru was committed to ensuring social justice and the welfare of the masses as far back as 1938 by setting up the National Planning Committee under the banner of the Congress Party for the very purpose of improving the quality of life of ordinary citizens. These efforts culminated in creating a permanent planning commission to establish a just social order to ensure the equitable distribution of income and wealth. Nehru’s actions in these matters paint him as a socialist, however, he strongly believed that planning was essential to the development needs of a poor country with scarce resources, which needed to be managed optimally.
He was also concerned about the unequal access to land which was a big problem in rural India. After independence, the issue was prioritized, and by 1949, different states had passed land reform legislations to abolish the ‘Zamindari’ system and empowering the rural peasantry while doing away with the institutionalized exploitation by the feudal lords.
Nehru was a strong proponent of self-reliance, clearly recognizing that underdevelopment was the result of a lack of technological progress. Consequently, a new Industrial policy was enacted to develop key industries. While Independent India was in its infancy, he identified the production of power and steel for self-sufficiency and planning. In collaboration with other countries, India built steel plants in Rourkela (Orissa), Bhilai (M.P.) and Durgapur (W. Bengal). Dam projects were undertaken in various places to produce hydro-electric power, including the flagship Dam at Bhakra Nangal, Punjab. The first oil refinery was inaugurated in Noonmati, Assam in 1962 as another leap forward towards industrialization. Nehru called them ‘the temples of modern India’.
Nehru was determined to foster a ‘scientific temper’ as he provided leadership in establishing many new Engineering Institutes, the most important being the premier Indian Institute of Technology, 5 of which were started between 1957 and 1964. His farsightedness is also evident in granting deemed university status to the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, and setting up the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and the Defense Research and Development Organization, and laying the foundation stone for the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Nehru’s own words stated that these would become ‘visible symbols of building up the new India and of providing life and sustenance to our people’.
The architects of free India- Nehru, Gandhi and Sardar Patel
Soon after independence, India embarked upon a nuclear program aimed at developing its nuclear capacity for peaceful purposes. As we know by now, Dr. Homi Bhabha’s pioneering work in this regard is widely acclaimed in enhancing India’s capabilities in this area. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian Space Program helped to establish the Indian Space Research Organization.
Nehru recognized the importance of education as a tool for empowerment and the establishment of the University Education Commission under the Chairmanship of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and Secondary Education Commission under the chairmanship of Dr. A. L. Mudaliar laid the foundation of education and higher education. The Indian Council of Cultural Relations was also established under Maulana Azad to promote policies pertaining to India’s external cultural relations.
Nehru also played a crucial role as a leader of the non-aligned world, shaping India’s foreign policy for the post-independence period. His charismatic personality, along with deep understanding of the country and the world enabled him to be an effective spokesman for the developing world and an advocate for liberation movements across the globe.
Undoubtedly, Nehru helped to build institutions that stood the test of time. The emerging nations during that period such as Yugoslavia, Egypt and Ghana failed in this regard, and results are quite evident for all of us to see. Nehru’s vision and leadership were critical in shaping India as we know it today. According to ‘Journey of a Nation’, edited by Anand Sharma, Nehru laid the foundation of a self-reliant, productive and confident India, creating many of its Institutions leaving an indelible stamp on every aspect of the country.
Sadly, there are regressive forces at work now to undo the Nehruvian legacy and to take us back to the age when the soul of the nation was suppressed. Among reflective Indians, especially NRIs, it is time to realize that the ongoing Nehru bashing has been somewhat counterproductive. Nehru’s respect for democratic procedures and his inclusive vision will continue to remain relevant, without which a modern India might cease to exist! To revise a famous quote to fit this narrative, ‘if India is to progress, Nehru is inescapable… we may ignore him at our own risk’.
WASHINGTON (TIP): President Barack Obama has nominated India-born Swati A. Dandekar, a Nagpur and Bombay University alum, to be United States director of the Asian Development Bank, with the rank of ambassador.
The nomination of Dandekar who will replace Robert M. Orr was announced by the White House along with eight other key Administration posts:
“I am confident that these experienced and hardworking individuals will help us tackle the important challenges facing America, and I am grateful for their service. I look forward to working with them,” Obama said
Dandekar, who received a BS from Nagpur University and a Post-Graduate Diploma from Bombay University, is a former Iowa state legislator and member of the Iowa Utilities Board, according to her White House biography.
She served on the Iowa Utilities Board from 2011 to 2013. Prior to joining the Utilities Board, Dandekar served in the Iowa State Senate from 2009 to 2011 and in the Iowa State House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008.
From 2000 to 2003, she was a member of the Vision Iowa Board of Directors. Dandekar also served on the Linn-Mar Community School District Board of Education from 1996 to 2002 and was a member of the Iowa Association of School Boards from 2000 to 2002.
HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): In his re-election bid, John Venditto barely managed to trounce his Democratic opponent John Mangelli.
In a keenly contested election, the incumbent Supervisor of the Town of Oyster Bay, John Venditto managed to win the election by a small margin of 99 votes.
The final tally in “an incredibly, incredibly close election” was 23,400 for Venditto and 23,301 for John Mangelli, said Nassau County Democratic elections Commissioner David Gugerty. The Board of Elections is expected to certify the race in a few days.
DUBLIN (TIP): Tens of thousands of homes in Ireland were left without electricity on Nov 17 as a storm swept across the country, causing disruption to flights and ferry crossings.
Winds during the storm, named “Barney” by meteorological authorities, damaged electricity cables knocking out power to over 45,000 homes at one point before engineers began to restore power.
Ireland’s national meteorological service Met Eireann had issued an orange weather warning, the second-highest level, for most of Tuesday, warning of winds of up to 130km/hr.
Meteorologists have also warned that the storm could fell trees and cause power cuts and flooding as it moves across Britain this week.
“Currently 25,000 customers remain without power,” said Bernadine Maloney of the Electricity Supply Board in an update at 2030 GMT, adding that the worst-affected areas were in the south and midlands.
“We’ve had a number of large trees fall on the network and restoration will be slow.”
Irish police said a tree fell on a bus and car and other pictures shared on social media showed felled trees and debris on roads in different parts of the country.
Flights to Cork, Dublin and Shannon airports have all been affected by a number of cancellations, delays and diversions.
A number of ferries to and from Wales across the Irish Sea were also cancelled because of the conditions.
MUMBAI (TIP): Times NOW, the leading English news channel in India, is expanding its presence in the international market. The flagship channel of Times Network, the broadcast arm of Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd, has officially launched in the UK.
Announcing the launch, M K Anand, CEO & MD of Times Network, said, “Times NOW has had a dream journey in India where it is has remained a leader in the English news space for the past seven years. The success of Times NOW among viewers here has encouraged us to launch it for Indians who live abroad and want to keep completely abreast of all the important news of their country and its growing eminence in the world.”
“The expansion of the channel in the UK market, for us, is the most important one since we launched in America in 2011, our International debut. UK is probably our biggest diaspora market. With this launch, we have just started building our presence in the European market and we intend to enter France and Germany too by next year,” Anand added. Times NOW editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami said, “The channel is launching in the country because we want to give viewers in the UK a platform to voice their opinion.”
BEIJING (TIP): Chinese security forces in the far western region of Xinjiang killed 28 “terrorists” from a group that carried out a deadly attack at a coal mine in September under the direction of “foreign extremists”, the regional government said on Nov 20.
The news carried by the government-run Xinjiang Daily was the first official mention of the September 18 attack at the Sogan colliery in Aksu, in which it said 16 people, including 5 police officers were killed, and another 18 people injured.
Radio Free Asia, which first reported the incident about two months ago, said at least 50 people had died.
Attackers fled into the mountains and authorities launched a manhunt with more than 10,000 people participating every day, forming an “inescapable dragnet”, the Xinjiang Daily said.
“After 56 days of continuous fighting, Xinjiang destroyed a violent terrorist gang directly under the command of a foreign extremist group. Aside from one person who surrendered, 28 thugs were completely annihilated,” the newspaper said.
China’s government says it faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists in energy-rich Xinjiang, on the border of central Asia, where hundreds have died in violence in recent years.
Rights groups say China has never presented convincing evidence of the existence of a cohesive militant group fighting the government. Much of the unrest, they argue, is due to frustration at controls over the culture and religion of the Uighur people who live in Xinjiang, a charge Beijing denies.
The Xinjiang Daily said two people who appeared to have Uighur names were leaders of the unnamed foreign group.
Beginning in 2008, the Xinjiang group’s members began watching extremist videos and communicated six times with an extremist group outside of China’s borders, requesting tactical guidance, the paper said.
BOGOTA (TIP): Colombia is investigating a Syrian woman with ties to radical Islam, who traveled to Paris ahead of the attacks on a stolen Israeli passport, sources at the state prosecutor’s office said on Nov 19.
Seham Al Salkhadi left ahead of Friday’s attacks on a direct flight from Bogota to the French capital’s Charles de Gaulle airport, traveling under the name of Ashira Krieger, the sources said.
Al Salkhadi is suspected of paying off customs officials at the El Dorado international airport in Bogota to be able to travel using a stolen passport, which had been tampered with to modify some details.
She was briefly detained upon her arrival in Paris but was released after a few hours.
“The prosecutor’s services are working together with French authorities to establish her relationship with Islamist groups, but there is no proof that she is linked to the Paris attacks,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
The official said the prosecutor was investigating the case in relation to a wider probe into corruption by airport officials, who have been letting criminals travel with forged documents.
Five officials with the Colombian migration services are facing charges in connection with the scandal which broke in September.
A statement issued by the prosecutor’s services at the time said they were investigating whether corrupt airport officials had facilitated the departure for France of a female Syrian terror suspect.
Friday’s coordinated gun and bomb attacks on the French capital, carried out by French and Belgian jihadists with ties to Syrian jihadists, left at least 129 people dead and 352 wounded.
The attack mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian of Moroccan, died in a police assault near Paris on Wednesday.
The news that such a high-profile IS figure slipped undetected into France has prompted renewed debate about Europe’s border controls and monitoring of fighters returning from Syria. (Source: AFP)
WASHINGTON (TIP): The US plans to return to India a 1,000-year-old historic Chola-era bronze idol of Shiva and Parvati which was stolen and smuggled into America by Indian- American disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor.
The bronze idol, now under the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), would be repatriated to India along with six other sacred Chola bronzes recovered by HSI, officials said.
The idol, looted from a temple in Tamil Nadu and brought to the US illegally, was surrendered by the David Owsley Museum of Art at BallStateUniversity in Indiana to authori-ties. The bronze sculpture is from the Chola Period (860-1279 CE). It was sourced illegally under Kapoor’s direction and smuggled into the US.
Around 2004, the stolen idol was delivered to Kapoor’s for-mer New York City gallery ‘Art of the Past’.
Kapoor had displayed the Shiva and Parvati sculpture for sale and misrepresented the idol’s true origin, the HSI said in a statement.
In 2005, representatives from BallStateUniversity became unwitting victims as Kapoor provided the museum with a false provenance for their artifact.
HSI special agents have tracked many false provenances provided by Kapoor. So far, HSI special agents, in conjunc-tion with the Manhattan prosecutor’s office, have netted in excess of 2,500 artifacts worth more than USD 100 million.
The statute will be shipped to New York where it will serve as potential evidence in ‘Operation Hidden Idols’.
Ultimately it is anticipated the item will be forfeited and repatriated to India.
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