The Indian Panorama

Year: 2015

  • Justice Thakur assumes charge as CJI

    Justice Thakur assumes charge as CJI

    NEW DELHI (TIP): A soft-spoken but tough judge, Justice Tirath Singh Thakur on December 3 assumed office as Chief Justice of India after being sworn in by President Pranab Mukherjee.

    Justice Thakur’s term as 43 rd CJI would last for 13 months and he would retire on January 4, 2017. Well-versed in Urdu poetry, Justice Thakur, who passed several signficant orders in IPL spot fixing scandal, Subrata Roy Sahara case, NRHM and Saradha and other chit fund scams, never misses an opportunity to recide couplets to mollify the frayed tempers in the court.

    Son of former Judge of Jammu and Kashmir HC and Assam Governor Devi Das Thakur, Justice Thakur started his practice as pleader in 1972.

    Justice Thakur became the additional judge of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on February 16, 1994. He was transferred to the Karnataka High Court in March 1994. He became the permanent judge in September 1995. He was transferred to the Delhi High Court in July 2004.

    Justice Thakur became the acting chief justice of the Delhi High Court on April 9, 2008 and the chief justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 11, 2008 and continued to serve in that capacity till he was elevated as the judge of the apex court.

    The brief oath-taking ceremony in the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan was attended by Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleagues and former chief justices, among others. His mother Saraswati Thakur and other family members were present at the function.

  • BSP, Congress go after VK Singh over dog remark

    BSP, Congress go after VK Singh over dog remark

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Demanding an apology from Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh for his controversial “dog” analogy after killing of two Dalit children in Haryana recently, BSP members today forced two adjournments in the Rajya Sabha.

    The minister’s troubles are likely to continue in the Lok Sabha as well with the Congress today mulling his boycott during Question Hour.

    In Rajya Sabha, BSP leaders disrupted the House twice late afternoon by storming the well and seeking Singh’s apology for “insulting the Constitution that guarantees protection to Dalits”.

    The pandemonium began during a discussion on amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

    Demanding Singh’s exit from the House, BSP MPs trooped into the well and caused two adjournments. BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra said: “He (Singh) has no right to be in the House. He has still not apologised.”

    The ruckus led to Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien citing the Constitutional provisions to protect the minister. “Constitutional provision is very clear. It allows the minister to be in the House,” Kurien said, referring to Article 88 of the Constitution.

    The government, too, defended Singh with Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu saying: “As per Article 88, all ministers have a right to participate in proceedings of both Houses.”

    Largely isolated on the issue, the BSP found some support from few Congress MPs who also entered the well as the BSP demanded that Singh be asked to leave.

    BSP MPs finally relented and allowed Home Minister Rajnath Singh to reply to a discussion on the Tamil Nadu flood situation.

    Sing, however, may face a similar boycott during Question Hour with sources in the Congress today saying the party was mulling to go out of Lok Sabha as a sign of protest against Singh when he replies to questions on his scheduled day. Discussions on this matter were held today at the meeting of Lok Sabha MPs, which Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi chaired.

    In October, after two Dalit children were burnt alive at Sunped village of Haryana’s Faridabad district, Singh had said: “If someone throws stones at a dog, the government is not responsible. It was a feud between two families, the matter in under inquiry.”

  • Some relief for flood-hit Chennai as rain stops, water level in rivers declines

    Some relief for flood-hit Chennai as rain stops, water level in rivers declines

    CHENNAI (TIP): After days of chaos, there was finally some relief for the flood-battered people of Chennai, as a break in rain overnight helped reduce water levels of the Adyar and Kumbh rivers, thus easing large-scale flooding.

    While intermittent rain has been forecast for Chennai over the next 24 hours, coastal and interior Tamil Nadu will receive more rain in that period.

    NDRF chief O P Singh said the situation had improved in the city overnight as water levels in many areas receded. There was a sharp fall in the discharge of waters from Chembarapakkam, Pondi and Puzhal lakes as well, leading to reduction in the water levels of the two rivers that criss-cross the city.

    Rescue and relief operations are continuing in full swing and the National Disaster Response Force will intensify its operations in the affected areas on Friday.

    “5 NDRF teams from Punjab have reached Chennai at 3am on Friday morning,” the NDRF head said, adding, “We’ve rescued more than 9,000 people so far.”

    He added that power has been restored in several areas that were not waterlogged and the communications network has also improved.

    Officials said that from a discharge of 30,000 cusecs of water from Chembarampakkam, one of the key sources of drinking water supply to Chennai city, it has come down to 13,000 cusecs in the afternoon and 5,000 cusecs at night after there was no fresh rain on Thursday.

    Similarly, there has been considerable decline in discharge of water from Puzhal, Pondi and Madurantakam lakes among others.

    Still, Chennai city remained virtually cut off from the rest of the country with all air, rail and road transport services continuing to be suspended. Public transport was crippled because of flooding of the arterial main roads, including Mount Road over the Marmalong bridge.

    The Grand Southern Trunk Road that links Chennai with Madurai and beyond was cut off after breaches in several places in Kanchipuram district.

    The Southern Railway announced cancellation of all inter- and intra-state train services till Saturday while the airport operations will remain suspended till Sunday.

    Prices of milk, vegetables and food items skyrocketed because of short supply and people were forced to fork out huge amount of money for buying essentials.

    With the flood wreaking havoc, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday undertook an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas of Chennai and its suburbs and the neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur.

    Later he held consultations with Jayalalithaa at the naval base “INS Adyar” and announced Rs 1,000 crores in aid for relief work. This amount is over and above the Rs 940 crores given by the Centre to Tamil Nadu during the earlier spell of heavy rain in November.

    Jayalalithaa also made a separate aerial survey of the affected areas on Thursday.

    In a brief statement that began in Tamil, PM Modi said he has seen the extent of damage suffered by the state and shared the misery of people of Tamil Nadu. “I will stand in support of you,” he said in his remarks after the review meeting with the chief minister.

    Teams of NDRF, Army personnel and police and fire service men swung into action to rescue people from their flooded homes in Kotturpuram, Nandanam, Jafferkhanpet, Saidapet and the suburban areas of Velacheri, Madipakkam, Tambaram and Mudichur localities, where water had reached up to the first floor.

    A total of 28 NDRF teams with over 1,200 personnel were deployed in Chennai where they rescued around 5,000 marooned people by deploying over 110 boats. Two NDRF teams were deployed in Puducherry.

    Air Force personnel dropped food packets providing succour to the distressed people living on roof tops after floods displaced them from their homes. A total of 14 lakh food packets were distributed, Tamil Nadu government said.

    255 Navy personnel were pressed into service with 12 boats and 15 helicopters for reaching relief.

    Heavy rain continued to lash coastal Cuddalore district, one of the worst affected areas ever since northeast monsoon fury started early last month, and Villupuram and Kanyakumari districts and Puducherry as the death toll in the state mounted to 269.

    Chennai will remain overcast with possibility of intermittent rains. Fishermen have been warned not to go to sea, Area Cyclone Warning Centre Director SR Ramanan told reporters.

  • Vishwa Gujarati Samaj, USA Celebrated 6th Annual Gala Banquet

    Vishwa Gujarati Samaj, USA Celebrated 6th Annual Gala Banquet

    CHICAGO, IL (TIP): Vishwa Gujarati Samaj (VGS), USA celebrated the 6th Annual Gala Banquet in the memory of late Narendrabhai Patel, Founder, Medstar Laboratories at Meadows Club, 2950 Golf Rd., Rolling Meadows, IL.

    The event was attended by a large number of eminent people, along with their families and friends, from different walks of life. The event was talk of the town and audience appreciated quality time spent with like-minded people and fun-filled musical melodies of famous Binaca Geetmala’s Blockbuster songs.

    Rich tributes were paid to Narendrabhai Patel for his professional achievements in different fields of work and to his philanthropic contributions to numerous organizations, irrespective of caste, creed, and religion.

    The function commenced with the singing of the Indian and the US National Anthems and lighting of lamp by the Vishwa Gujarati Samaj USA Board of Directors; Mafat Patel, Neal Patel, Raj Patel, Treasurer Kishore Chugh, Secretary Jayal Amin, Piyush Patel, Subodh Gabhawala, Dr. Sonal Patel and President Beena Patel.

    Mrs. Sumitra Narendra Patel along with her two sons Neal and Raj and daughter-in-law Sonal and Nisha Patel were called on stage to present a Bouquet to honor Mrs. Patel for her husband’s contribution to the society.

    Beena Patel, President, VGSUSA in her welcome address, said that the cherished national goals can be achieved, in full measure, only when people come forward to take up community work and share their time and talent in helping each other. Beena gave a history of six years of VGS USA and said that we have provided top class programs to our members and we will continue to maintain the same standard. She said that our Organization’s goal is to engage and encourage younger generation to showcase and promote Gujarati Culture and Heritage. Half of the audience was in their 40’s and they all enjoyed networking with Gujarati Business Community and felt proud to be a Gujarati.

    Beena stated that community service does not mean merely organizing cultural events; it includes a wide spectrum of economic, education, health, social, and environmental issues concerning people. “A multifaceted community service will be greatly appreciated in making the lives of people worth-living”, she added.Beena thanked all the current office bearers of the VGS USA and said that Naren Patel, Mafat Patel, and Hiren Patel played a vital role in particular for their valuable contribution in making the Vishwa Gujarati Samaj USA stronger and famous for their beautiful exhibition of Gujarat Darshan and celebrating victory of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. She also thanked community leaders, media, Harish Kolasani for the Gujarat Promo Video, Sunil Shah, Babubhai Patel, Harish Bhatt and many others for their support to the VGS in a variety of ways.

    Dr. Yash Amin, Member, Board of Directors said that VGSUSA has been committed to network with numerous Gujrati organizations and to ensure that all of them move in one direction and achieve the common goal of preserving the values and wisdom of Indian culture among the Indian Diaspora.

    “Narendrabhai Patel started his journey as a humble pharmacist and finally occupied the prestigious position of Chairman, Medstar Laboratories. His career, therefore, will continue as a source of inspiration for the young generation”, said Amin.

    “The rare blend of technical, conceptual, and human skills, and the high levels of emotional and spiritual quotients, enabled Narendrabhai Patel to touch the commanding heights of his professional success”, Amin added.

    Amin called upon the professionals belonging to new generation to enrich their people-related skills and adopt transformational leadership style, rather than merely focusing on their technical skills, in order to realize their full potential.

    “I know Naren Patel since 1969. “Behind every successful man there is a woman”. Sumitra Patel wife of Naren Patel was truly inspiration to him. Naren Patel two young entrepreneurs Neal and Raj Patel who are known for their sharp business acumen, a distant vision, sound capital and an ability to bounce back, now they are back bone of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj USA. Though born and grown up in United States, these young honchos are more Indian, who believe in upholding Indian culture and traditions” Said by Mafat Patel prominent community leader and well known Business man.

    The Live Music Concert, comprising eminent singers and fine musicians, was the highlight of the event. The melodious compositions of R D Burman, including “Chura liya hai tum ne jo dil ko”, “Bahon mein chale aao”, “Karvaten badalte rahe saari raat hum”, “Mehbooba mehbooba”, etc., uplifted the mood of the audience.

    Audio visual tributes were paid to R D Burman, the musical genius, by Asha Bhonsle, Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Shankar Mahadevan, Shammi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Vishal Bharadwaj, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ameen Sayani and many more legends.

    The event concluded with an authentic Gujarati Family Style dinner.

    Dr. Subhash Patel conducted the proceedings of the event as the MC.

  • I WANT TO DOMINATE GLOBALLY, SAYS PRIYANKA CHOPRA

    I WANT TO DOMINATE GLOBALLY, SAYS PRIYANKA CHOPRA

    After making a mark in Bollywood, actress Priyanka Chopra is spreading her wings internationally through her music and TV show and has the intentions of dominating the global scene.

    PRIYANKA CHOPRAPriyanka is managing her career both in Bollywood and Hollywood with an aplomb. Abroad she is busy with her American show “Quantico” while back home here in India she has a film – Bajirao Mastani up for release. “If I have to dominate globally then I have to pay the price for it… I have to manage things. It was my choice to do things that I am doing and be responsible towards it,” Priyanka said.

    “It is a biggest show in the US. I am an Indian star first then an international personality,” she said.

    Managing both huge projects – “Quantico” and Bajirao Mastani simultaneously – does take a toll on Priyanka’s health but she is more happy that she is doing variety of work. “I am proud of all the work I am doing. It is exciting work that is coming out. I am physically tired. My mother says when you are young you should work very hard,” she added.

    The Fashion actress is looking forward to the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani. Priyanka said she was the first one to be cast in Bhansali’s magnum opus.

    “I did the film for Sanjay sir and I have just followed him. I was the first person to be cast in this film. I was shooting for Mary Kom and Sanjay sir told me about ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and he was clear he wanted me in it,” she said.

     

  • TAMASHA – MOVIE REVIEW

    TAMASHA – MOVIE REVIEW

    STORY: Ved (Ranbir) and Tara (Deepika) meet each other with fake identities and take a week-long vacation in Corsica. Back in India though, it’s a different story.

    REVIEW: If you watch Imtiaz Ali’s new film assuming that Deepika-Ranbir have unfinished business, you will forgive Tamasha its indulgence. The writer-director obviously knew he was dangling a carrot in front of these two Bollywood exes whose unrequited love has been gossip-column fodder for years now. And, they probably decided (this is an assumption) that if they hook up on screen once again, perhaps they could reach a closure.

    The philosophy of the film is simple. If you conform in life, you will exist. However, if you indulge, even from time to time, you can actually live.

    Armed with this life lesson, cute kid Ved from Shimla, who hates math and loves spinning yarns, keeps taking off on flights of fantasy. His first grown up adventure is an incognito trip to Corsica. He bumps into Tara, a beautiful Indian girl, on that breathtaking island and both of them promise they will not ask each other any questions, will not have sex and will go their separate ways, once this vacation ends. But of course, Cupid has other plans.

    Back in India, Tara pines for Ved. Four years after that chance meeting, she is still drawn to that enigmatic ‘free bird’ who she met on an island.

    He, on the other hand, hasn’t even had time to let his real feelings surface. His humdrum existence, as a project manager in a high-tech Delhi firm, has him feeling stifled in a tie and pitching bids he doesn’t believe in.

    The clandestine lovers from France rekindle their affair in India. But when Ved proposes, Tara retorts that she loved the free-spirited man she met on vacation, not this mechanised robot. From there on the film meanders.

    TAMASHALike the protagonists, all of us know what it is to be tied down and not do what our hearts long. But the route Tamasha takes is long-winded and plain boring at times.

    Deepika and Ranbir convey their angst and passion so convincingly that you’re hooked. Except for the curiosity about them, the rest of the drama is `oh,never-mind’.

    Matargashti and Heer toh badi sad hai, two of Rahman’s songs, are magical even as standalone numbers.

  • JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ IS READY TO CROON

    JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ IS READY TO CROON

    The latest to join the bandwagon of actresses turning singers is Jacqueline Fernandez.

    After grooving to chartbusters in her movies, she will croon with UK-based R&B and hip hop singer Gurinder Seagal for a single. The music video, featuring Sooraj Pancholi and Jacqueline, will be shot in Dubai later this month.

    She says, “It is going to be something cool, fun, yet different.” While the actress didn’t want to talk much about it, her co-singer, Gurinder tells us, “She is singing a major portion apart from the song’s closing lines. It’s a cheeky, romantic number.” So we are waiting Jacqueline, turn up the volume!

  • CREED – MOVIE REVIEW

    CREED – MOVIE REVIEW

    STORY: Adonis Creed (Jordan) is a strong-minded young man who, after getting a chance at changing his life for the better, seeks to hone his skills and channel his energy into boxing – something he believes he was born to do. When his efforts to find the best trainer fail, he seeks out his dead father’s old counterpart, Rocky Balboa (Stallone). Will Balboa take Creed Jr under his wing and train him for greatness?

    REVIEW: Every once in a while, there comes along a sports drama film that challenges odds and defies expectations – much like the hero of this film, Apollo Creed’s son. While Stallone has not written this film (as he did with the others in the Rocky series), Ryan Coogler makes deft work with this subtle, moving and nuanced tale of interpersonal relationships. The boxing scenes, therefore, only add to the emotional impact of the film. Confrontations in the ring serve as key points, but it is the parts in between that form the flesh and blood of this story. That said though, you will be hard-pressed to find a film that has better brutal pugilistic rounds than this.

    So, Creed is the archetypal angry kid from a broken home (think real life Mike Tyson, because the parallels of aggression are all too familiar). He is impulsive and violent but driven by a greater destiny. Nonetheless, it is Stallone who takes the cake as well as the bakery here. He steals the show with his masterful performance, thanks to Coogler giving Stallone the leeway to actually emote and allow shades of grey into his character. That aside, Stallone’s role seems to be tailor made. Too old for actually getting into a fight, he now slips into the mentor league. Fans of the original Rocky films will find this film as comfortable to slip into as an old shoe, with several points of familiarity, much to their delight. Both Stallone and Jordan are terrific.

    Simply put, if you like films about boxing, with the emotional quotient thrown in, you will enjoy this one. It’s Stallone, after all.

  • EMMA WATSON WANTS TO BE HERSELF

    EMMA WATSON WANTS TO BE HERSELF

    Actress Emma Watson says she doesn’t want to draw a line between her public and her private life. Her idea is to just be herself.

    “(I am) my most authentic self. I don’t want there to be a big separation between the public and the private person. It’s definitely the harder road to tread but without a doubt, ultimately the most rewarding,” said the Noah actress, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

    “It sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, but I’m very interested in truth, in finding ways to be messy and unsure and flawed and incredible and great and my fullest self, all wrapped into one. When you watch the work of someone like actress Emma Thompson, you feel like you’re seeing something true, and I aspire to that,” she added.

    She said she spent so long working on her Harry Potter character Hermione Granger that she didn’t get to figure out who she really was until now. “(I’ve) spent more than half of my life pretending to be someone else. While my contemporaries were dyeing their hair and figuring out who they were, I was figuring out who Hermione was and how best to portray her,” Watson told Porter Magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

  • ANNE HATHAWAY IS PREGNANT WITH FIRST CHILD

    ANNE HATHAWAY IS PREGNANT WITH FIRST CHILD

    All those who hate Anne Hathaway because she is ‘way too perfect’, have got another reason to feel jealous. The Oscar-winning Hollywood star and her husband, producer Adam Shulman, are expecting their first child, according to the website of celebrity news outlet E!

    “Anne is in her second trimester and feeling great!” a source close to the 33-year-old told E! News.

    Hathaway and Shulman got married in 2012 where she wore a gorgeous Valentino gown that people still remember.

    She has time and again expressed her wish to be a mother and had recently been sporting a fuller figure than usual. She once said to Vogue in 2013, “Oh, my God. I want to be a mother, and I anticipate loving my children quite fiercely. I think about it all the time, though it’s a silly thing to think about because the kind of mother I’ll be depends on the kind of children I have. I can’t wait to meet them.”

    She won the Oscar in 2013 for her performance as Fantine in Les Miserables.

  • Nepal Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa briefs Indian Leaders

    Nepal Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa briefs Indian Leaders

    NEW DELHI (TIP)  Visiting Nepal Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa met Indian leaders at New Delhi on December 4. He extensively briefed them on the current Nepal crisis.

    Nepal Ambassador in India Deep Kumar Upadhyay hosted a dinner meeting at the Barakhamba Road located Nepal Embassy in New Delhi. Where the DPM & FM Nepal Kamal Thapa was the Chief Guest.

    The meeting was attended by Indian Members of Parliament namely Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Pawan Verma (BSP), D. Raja (CPI), Tariq Anwar & D.P. Tripathi (NCP), Arjun R. Meghwal & Jagdambika Pal (BJP) and Senior BJP Leader Vijay Jolly.

    The Nepali leader raised the issue of gas & fuel shortage in Nepal due to the ongoing Madheshi Aandolan, aided and abetted by India. The economic blockade of Nepal resulting in a humanitarian crisis due to severe winters in the Himalayan state was raised in the meeting. The promulgation of new Nepal constitution was globally welcomed but India’s luke warm response was termed unfortunate by the visiting Nepali leader Kamal Thapa.

    The Indian leaders gave a patient hearing to the visiting Nepal DPM. The BJP MPs Arjun Meghwal & Jagdambika Pal categorically stated that India had not imposed any blockade of Nepal. The Indian PM Narendra Modi is committed for a peaceful & progressive Nepal stated BJP MPs.

    BJP leader Vijay Jolly raised the issue of anti India demonstrations and expressed strong opposition to burning effigies of the Indian PM in Kathmandu. The solution to the Nepal crisis is in Kathmandu & not in UN, Switzerland or in New Delhi stated Vijay Jolly diplomatically to the visiting Nepal leader. Jolly stressed that the Nepal crisis has to be resolved thru talks negotiations & accommodation with all.

    The Indian opposition MPs stated that they would raise the issue in the current parliament session. The meeting ended on a cordial note. And sumptuous dinner was served to all.

  • Indian American academic Rajesh Singh sues Emporia State University

    Indian American academic Rajesh Singh sues Emporia State University

    KANSAS CITY, MO (TIP): An Indian American former assistant professor Rajesh Singh has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against four EmporiaStateUniversity officials; a month after another professor in the same department also sued the Kansas school.

    Rajesh Singh, an Indian American, taught at the university’s School of Library and Information Management from 2009 until he was fired in January 2015. His lawsuit names two current administrators in the department, Provost David Cordle and former university president Michael Shonrock. The university will be added to the lawsuit when Singh’s attorneys receive a right to sue letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

    The lawsuit comes about a month after Melvin Hale, an assistant professor in the same department, filed a defamation and invasion of privacy lawsuit against the university.

    In the lawsuit, Singh details discrimination and retaliation from department Dean Gwen Alexander and interim associate dean Andrew Smith, who he said were supported by Cordle and Shonrock. He said the discrimination occurred despite his receiving positive reviews during his first three years on campus.

    Singh alleges the discrimination began in 2010 after he asked to be paid the same as two other, newer staff members, including Smith. He said he was actively marginalized and criticized, culminating when all of his fall 2014 teaching assignments were canceled without warning, he was locked out of his office and had all his office contents seized. Singh said he sought to resolve the conflict through personal meetings and the university’s procedures but administrators ignored or disputed his efforts and did not follow the procedures.

    The university does not comment on pending litigation, spokeswoman Gwen Larson said. Alexander, who has been on administrative leave for most of this school year, plans to retire next June.

    Hale, who is black, alleged in his lawsuit that he was defamed and ostracized after he and his wife complained that someone wrote a racial slur near her office and administrators did not investigate their report of the incident or respond to their complaints. Angelica Hale’s position as assistant to the dean of the library information department was not renewed after the couple complained. A university investigation found no evidence to support the couple’s allegations of a hate crime and discrimination, prompting Hale to file his lawsuit.

    After that investigation, the university announced several steps to improve diversity and inclusivity on campus, including hiring a facilitator to conduct public forums on the topic. During the first of those forums Thursday, members of the media were asked to leave after some students expressed concern about their presence. The school’s counsel said the media should be admitted and allowed to attend a second forum Thursday. University officials attributed the disagreement to a lack of communication.

    Another forum is scheduled for today, Dec. 3, with an equity and inclusion summit scheduled for the next day. Larson said the media will be allowed into those meetings. The school will work with students to help them understand the role of media and also will provide an alternative way for students to add their comments without speaking in front of the media, she said.

  • Juvenile in Nibhaya gangrape case won’t to be freed for now: Sources

    Juvenile in Nibhaya gangrape case won’t to be freed for now: Sources

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The juvenile convict, the youngest out of the six who gangraped and tortured a paramedical student in a moving bus in Delhi in 2012, will walk out of a special home on December 22 but will not be freed for the time being.

    The juvenile convict has served his three-year sentence and his release has raked up major issues and old debates. The convict, now 20 years old, was a juvenile in 2012 when the crime was committed, and the court found him guilty of raping and assaulting the victim along with five accomplices – among whom main accused 35-year-old Ram Singh was found dead in his Tihar jail cell in 2013.

    According to Delhi police sources, the juvenile convict will be kept in custody after completing his sentence but whether he will be kept inside jail or outside in the custody of NGO is not yet decided.

    Earlier, Union minister Maneka Gandhi had advocated that a ‘close watch’ should be kept on the convict after he completes his sentence. “He is a person who should be kept under watch. We can’t just let him go and wait for him to do something else,” she cautioned.

    Gandhi said that she has written to the Home Ministry demanding that those accused of sexual abuse and having served a sentence, should be tracked once released.

    The parents of the December 16 gangrape and murder victim had recently demanded that the face of the juvenile, who was considered the “most brutal” of all the six offenders, should be shown to the world before he is released as “he is a threat to the society”.

    Nirbhaya’s mother told CNN-IBN that allowing the 20-year-old from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh to leave the reform home ‘sends out a wrong message’. “Juveniles will now think they can do whatever they want, and get away with it,” she added.

    PTI quoted her as asking, “But did he reform? Thousands of girls are being raped across the country. What has changed?”

    Making a strong plea to the government to ensure he remained in custody, in jail if not in a juvenile home, while being tried (it is not clear what she meant because he was tried and sentenced by a juvenile court), Nirbhaya’s mother said: “They say that his rights as a juvenile have to protected. What about us?Are we not citizens, don’t we have rights?And what about Nirbhaya’s rights?Doesn’t she deserve justice? Don’t we deserve justice? I appeal to the government to not allow this to happen. If he roams free we will be sending a wrong message to others.”

    Meanwhile, Nirbhaya’s father is quoted by PTI as warning that “He may go out and commit another crime and if he does, it will be due to shortcomings on the government’s part”.

  • World’s richest 10 percent responsible for half of CO2, report says

    World’s richest 10 percent responsible for half of CO2, report says

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The world’s richest 10 percent of people are responsible for producing about half of all carbon emissions, and the average carbon footprint of the richest 1 percent is about 175 times that of the poorest 10 percent, according to a latest report.

    The paper, “Extreme Carbon Inequality,” released by the global charity Oxfam, comes as world leaders are gathered in Paris for COP21 – a United Nations conference aimed at agreeing a new global climate treaty to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

    “While the COP21 in Paris will see a deal negotiated between governments on the basis of the total emissions produced in their territories, the real winners and losers will be their citizens,” the report reads. “The litmus test of the deal will be whether it delivers something for the poorest people who are both the least responsible for and the most vulnerable to climate change, wherever they live.”

    The 3.5 billion people that make up the poorest half of the globe produced just 10 percent of emissions – yet they live in places that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming, including from catastrophic storms, severe droughts, and rising seas and flooding, the report said. Their governments are also less likely to have the resources to adapt to and mitigate those effects, the report added.

    The reported cited a recent study by the World Bank that found the poorest people in any country are most exposed to disasters including heat waves, flooding, and droughts -especially in countries in Africa and South East Asia.

    For example, when Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in 2013, killing over 7,000 people, it left the country with a humanitarian crisis so extensive it had to borrow money from other countries to rebuild – leaving the country with at least $1 billion to pay back.

    The same inequalities can also be seen in wealthy countries, including the United States, where its poorest residents in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are disproportionately threatened by rising seas and coastal flooding, the report said. When Superstorm Sandy hit New York City in 2012, over a third of the people in the storm surge area lived in government-assisted housing, and half of the city’s public housing residents were displaced, it added.

    “Climate change and economic inequality are inextricably linked and together pose one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century,” Tim Gore, Oxfam’s head of food and climate policy and author of the report, said.

    The report shows that the richest 10 percent of the U.S., about 30 million people, produces three times as many emissions as the 600 million people that constitute China’s poorest half; while the poorest half of the U.S. produces five times the amount of emissions as the poorest half of India.

    By the end of COP21, each country is expected to submit final plans for cutting emissions and transitioning to green economies. Those actions will aim to help keep the global temperature increase since preindustrial times below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit). At the current pace of carbon emissions, the world is on track for a nearly 3 C rise by 2100, the U.N. has said. The earth has already passed the 1 C hotter mark, according to U.K. researchers who released new data last month.

    “Paris must be the start of building a more human economy for all – not just for the ‘haves,’ the richest and highest emitters, but also the ‘have-nots,’ the poorest people who are the least responsible for and most vulnerable to climate change,” Gore said in the release.

  • The Shantiniketan Ashram (SNA) at Tavares, Fl Expands: Adds another Unit

    The Shantiniketan Ashram (SNA) at Tavares, Fl Expands: Adds another Unit

    TAVARES, FL (TIP): After a successful project of developing 174 condos for seniors in Tavares, Florida, in two phases – one consisting of 54 condos and another consisting of 120 condos – Shantiniketan is venturing its next project of developing under 501c3 tax-exempt corporation an ashram about three miles from these condos. The Shantiniketan Ashram (SNA) will provide seniors a dignified, peaceful and happy environment where they can spend their golden years. SNA is being built as part of a 100 acre complex called Shantiniketan village. The Ashram will help seniors who are unable to support themselves financially, in part or full, and will seek donations from philanthropists and in addition seek financial support from residents if they get Supplemental Social Security (SSI) and Medicaid.

    Selection of these residents will be conducted through volunteers in every city (called Ambassadors). The ambassadors will contact potential residents who will then apply for residence at SNA. This will help in developing a database of potential residents which can be shared with the donors who will determine the efficacy of these residents before deciding to fund the project.

    Ground breaking with the parcel of land shown in the background
    Ground breaking with the parcel of land shown in the background

     

    Elaborating the donations, SNA would seek donations in the amount of $600.00 per
    unit/donor as that will help pay for the costs of taking care of one person/couple for one day in a year in perpetuity. Seeking this donation will accumulate sufficient capital to pay for the potential care of the couple. Donors will be entitled for tax benefits as per IRS rules for a 501C3 charitable entity.

  • DENMARK VOTES ‘NO’ ON ADOPTING EU RULES

    DENMARK VOTES ‘NO’ ON ADOPTING EU RULES

    COPENHAGEN (TIP): Danes have rejected adopting EU rules on cross-border policing in a referendum that could have seen the country take closer ties with the bloc, according to final results.

    Denmark’s centre-right government had wanted to abandon some Danish opt-outs from EU home affairs legislation.

    But with all votes now counted, more than 53% said No to the proposals.

    The vote comes weeks after the Paris attacks and as Europe struggles to deal with record numbers of migrants.

    “It is a clear no,” Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, adding he had “full respect” for the voters’ decision.

    The government, backed by the opposition, had campaigned for Yes, saying it would help Danish authorities in the wake of the Paris attacks.

    The result means Denmark will have to negotiate a special agreement to stay inside Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency which tackles organized crime and terrorism.

    Unlike Denmark, the UK and Ireland have opt-ins on justice and home affairs legislation, which enable them to choose whether to accept or reject legislation on a case-by-case basis.

    The result of the referendum is likely to be of interest in Britain, whose government is trying to renegotiate its relations with the EU before holding a vote on whether to remain in the bloc.

  • UK Parliament approves air strikes on ISIL targets in Syria

    UK Parliament approves air strikes on ISIL targets in Syria

    LONDON(TIP): Britain has carried out its first airstrikes in Syria, hours after MPs voted overwhelmingly to authorize military action in Syria against ISIL. A British Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed Four RAF Tornado jets were seen taking off from the Akrotiri base in Cyprus early on Thursday, December 3, morning and the Ministry of Defence later confirmed they had carried out the “first offensive operation over Syria and have conducted strikes”.

    The jets “employed Paveway IV guided bombs to conduct strikes against six targets within the extensive oilfield at Omar, 35 miles (56km) inside Syria’s eastern border with Iraq,” the statement said. The strikes come just hours after UK Prime Minister David Cameron successfully passed a motion authorising strikes in Syria, with 397 MPs voting in favour, and 223 voting against. Cameron was backed by dozens of Labour MPs who broke ranks with leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is opposed to the military intervention.

    Addressing parliament on Wednesday, December 2, Cameron said high-precision, laser-guided Brimstone missiles attached to the Tornado GR4 bombers would help to make a real difference by hitting the ISIL capital of Raqqa and its oil-trading business. France and the US are already bombing the fighters in Syria, while Russia has bombed mainly other armed groups battling the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

    Cyprus, which lies about 100km away from Syria, is the closest European Union member state to turmoil in the Middle East. The RAF jets carry a range of munitions including Paveway IV guided bombs and precision-guided Brimstone missiles. The strikes were focused on six targets in an Isis-controlled oilfield in eastern Syria, the BBC reported. The British defence secretary, Michael Fallon, confirmed that eight more jets – two Tornados and six Typhoons – were being sent to Akrotiri to join the attacks. Fallon said the raids targeted the Omar oilfield in eastern Syria, dealing a “real blow” to the financing of Isis and confirmed that he personally approved the targets in the Omar oilfield.

  • Pray outside, British school tells Muslim students

    Pray outside, British school tells Muslim students

    LONDON (TIP): Muslim parents were considering taking legal action against a school which, they claim, forced their children to pray outside in rain and freezing temperatures.

    Dozens of Muslim youngsters claim they have been left soaking wet and cold after Mirfield Free Grammar School and Sixth Form in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, refused to give them permission to offer their daily prayers indoors, a report published in Daily Mail said.

    Pictures appear to show the children praying on grass verges and even the concrete playground, and the pupils claim they were being punished for praying, some having been given “final warnings”.

    The families said the “degrading” issue was ongoing since October 2014, when the use of a school hall for prayers was withdrawn. Legal action was “a last resort”, they said.

    The school claims the hall was never used as a prayer room for the pupils.

    Solicitor Yunus Lunat, from Leeds law firm Ison Harrison, said he has taken up the case on behalf of “a number of families” and that the situation should not have reached this stage.

    “The parents and students are keen to stress that they wish to act within the law and are anxious to avoid any negative ramifications or reporting,” the daily quoted Lunat as saying.

    “The families have tried to solve this amicably with the school for over a year now. They have come to me as a last resort.”

    Lunat claims some of the children were being disciplined for carrying out their obligatory prayers and a few have been given “final warnings”.

    The school’s executive principal Lorraine Barker said: “We are a broadly Christian academy and have never had a prayer room.”

    “Before students join the sixth form, we make them aware of the facilities we have on site and we are clear that we have no prayer room,” Barker said.

    “Sixth form students are welcome to go off site in order to pray and we have made arrangements in the local community for this to happen,” she added. (IANS)

  • Paris attack suspect ‘recruited team’ in Hungary: Officials

    Paris attack suspect ‘recruited team’ in Hungary: Officials

    VIENNA: One of the suspected ringleaders of last month’s Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, travelled to Hungary where he “recruited a team” from unregistered migrants passing through, senior Hungarian government officials said December 3.

    “I can confirm that one of the main organisers of the Paris terror attacks was in Budapest,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff Janos Lazar told a regular news conference in Budapest.

    Lazar did not name the man or say when he was in Hungary, nor whether those he picked up went on to take part in the November 13 atrocities in the French capital claimed by the Islamic State group.

    Lazar meanwhile said the suspect had been in Keleti station in Budapest, “recruiting a team from immigrants who had refused to register with Hungarian authorities”, referring to migrants.

    He then “left the country together with them,” Lazar added.

    Until mid-September, when Hungary sealed its border with Serbia, thousands of migrants and refugees spent days or even weeks in makeshift camps at Keleti station on their way to northern Europe after travelling up through the Balkans.

    A French source familiar with the investigation told AFP that a car rented by Abdeslam is known to have been in Hungary on September 17.

    It was unclear however, whether Belgian-born Abdeslam — who played a key role in the Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed — was himself in the vehicle, and if so, whether he was accompanied, the source added.

    Abdeslam, 26, was also registered as having been in Austria on September 9 after being stopped in a routine traffic check, Austrian authorities said on November 17.

    He and two other men were stopped in a car with Belgian number plates after travelling south from Germany, not west from Hungary.

    Abdeslam told police he was “on holiday”.

    Austrian authorities last month said that the two others “have so far not been named in connection” with the Paris attacks.

    Abdeslam, whose brother Brahim blew himself up in a bar the night of the attacks, was spirited away from Paris to Belgium after the November 13 massacre by two other men who were later arrested and charged there. (AFP)

     

  • BRICS Media Summit calls for coordination to tackle terrorism

    BRICS Media Summit calls for coordination to tackle terrorism

    BEIJING: Leaders of 25 media organisations from BRICS countries on Tuesday made a strong pitch for reaching consensus to help deal with issues like terrorism and climate change as well as rapid technological changes.

    Addressing the first BRICS Media Summit which opened here on Tuesday, they also stressed that innovation is the only way for traditional media to survive in this digital age with the dissemination of information becoming mobile, intelligent, personal, complemented with the popularity of Internet and APPs.

    The summit, with the theme “Innovation, Development, Cooperation and Trust”, was proposed by Xinhua and jointly organised by Brazil Communication Company, Russia Today International Information Agency, The Hindu Group and South Africa’s Independent Media.

    Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in his address stressed that there was an urgent need for closer cooperation among BRICS media organisations to help deal with combating terrorism, climate change and other challenges.

    Better coordination is needed in eliminating poverty and hunger, he told media representatives from India, Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa.

    Mutual trust and cooperation is required in the media sector while keeping the bigger picture of state to state relations, he said.

    Liu said traditional media, which is confronting numerous challenges, can open to new models to face the growing competition from the new media.

    The Chinese government is willing to strengthen coordination and collaboration with the four countries and inject new life into the BRICS mechanism, he said.

    The media of BRICS countries should promote peaceful development, cooperation and win-win, he said.

    “Voices for justice and rationality should be amplified and the voices of emerging and developing countries should be strengthened, so as to make governance fairer and more reasonable,” Liu said.

    Xinhua President Cai Mingzhao asked BRICS media organisations to deepen cooperation and seek development through innovation.

    “It is advisable for BRICS media to carry out exchanges, learn from each other, become partners and lay a solid foundation for BRICS cooperation among the public,” he said. (PTI)

  • Iraq does not need foreign ground forces to defeat IS: PM Haider al-Abadi

    Iraq does not need foreign ground forces to defeat IS: PM Haider al-Abadi

    BAGHDAD (TIP): Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Iraq does not need foreign ground troops to defeat the Islamic State group, after Washington announced it would deploy special forces to fight the jihadists.

    Abadi did not directly reject the deployment, which US secretary of state John Kerry said Baghdad had been informed about before the announcement, but he did insist that any operations be coordinated with the Iraqi government.

    The presence of American ground forces is a contentious issue in Iraq, where the United States fought a nearly nine-year war, and it is politically expedient for Abadi to distance himself from the deployment.

    “There is no need for foreign ground combat forces in Iraqi territory,” Abadi said in a statement released late Tuesday in which he praised the performance of Iraqi special forces. “The Iraqi government stresses that any military operation or presence of any foreign force, special or not, in any place in Iraq cannot be done without its approval and coordination with it,” the statement said.

    Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday that the US was deploying a “specialized expeditionary targeting force” to Iraq to work alongside local forces against IS, which overran large parts of the country last year.

    On Wednesday, Kerry said in Brussels that “the government of Iraq was of course briefed in advance of Secretary Carter’s announcement”.

    “We will continue to work very, very closely with our Iraqi partners on exactly who would be deployed, where they would be deployed, what kinds of missions people would undertake, how they would support Iraqi efforts to degrade and destroy” IS, Kerry said.

    (AFP)

  • Why China’s millennials are happy to own nothing

    Why China’s millennials are happy to own nothing

    BLOOMBERG (TIP): Two decades ago, Tyler Xiong and his parents had to live in a commune guided by the strict socialist teachings of Mao Zedong.

    Today Xiong, a 28-year-old tech entrepreneur, voluntarily lives among 500 people in a co-sharing community near Beijing’s Silicon Valley .Xiong has two pairs of shoes and fewer than 10 outfits. He does not use a car and travels by taxi. His philosophy: if you can rent it, why own it.

    Faced with a widening wealth gap and the slowest economic growth in more than two decades, millions like Xiong find themselves priced out of the big cities and are rejecting the consumer trappings of a modern lifestyle.Instead, they’re embracing the sharing economy to a far greater degree than their Western counterparts. In a recent survey , Nielsen found that 94%of Chinese are willing to share, compared with just 43% of North Americans.

    Xiong is one of nearly 5,000 people across China who have moved into co-living spaces called You+, a name meant to inspire young people to infinitely expand their horizons. His community , located in a shuttered school, holds business workshops, helps register companies and s now trying to create a database to match skills and rela ionships. About 60 startups call the location home.

    You+ echoes a similar movement in the West, where startups like Common (US), Nest Copenhagen (Denmark) and Sende (Spain) are selling mostly young urbanites on he co-living lifestyle.

    For as little as about $500 a month, You+ residents gain access to a private room with a bathroom, co-working space that functions as an office, and entertainment facilities ncluding a bar, disco and game room. “Instead of working for years at a company to gain some capital, such a pla ce allows young people to experiment with their startup ideas at very low costs,” says Su Di, the 36-year-old You+ cofounder.

    As Xiong sees it, China’s communal history combined with his generation’s embrace of social and economic change, is driving the rapid growth of the sharing economy . In China’s most recent fi ve-year plan for economic de velopment, officials highlighted the sharing economy as a way to help the county naviga te a tricky path from exportled growth to consumption.The sharing economy will generate $335 billion by 2025, up from $15 billion today , accor ding to PWC. (PTI)

  • Russia delivers missile systems to Iran: Report

    Russia delivers missile systems to Iran: Report

    MOSCOW (TIP): The arms trade adviser to President Vladimir Putin says Russia has begun delivering S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.

    Tass quoted Vladimir Kozhin as saying Thursday that the implementation of the contract for the delivery of the S-300s has begun and the deliveries have started. He didn’t provide any specifics.

    Russia in 2010 froze a deal to supply advanced long-range S-300 missile systems to Iran, linking the decision to UN sanctions.

    President Vladimir Putin lifted the suspension earlier this year following Iran’s deal with six world powers that curbed its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

    Officials said last month that Russia and Iran finalized the contract for their delivery.

    The S-300 deal has long worried Israel and other countries in the region, as well as the US, which see it as destabilizing. (AFP)

  • Putin swears to make Turkey regret plane downing

    Putin swears to make Turkey regret plane downing

    MOSCOW (TIP): Russian President Vladimir Putin, on December 3, vowed Turkey’s leadership would be made to regret the downing of one of Moscow’s warplanes as the top diplomats from both countries held their first high-level meeting since the incident.

    Moscow announced a halt to talks on a major gas pipeline with Nato member Ankara as Putin fired another salvo in their war of words, while Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan shot back by claiming he had “proof” Russia was involved in illegal oil trading with the Islamic State group.

    Turkey has become Moscow’s prime international sparring partner after it shot down a Russian jet on its border with Syria on November 24 — sparking fury and economic sanctions from the Kremlin. (PTI)

  • Approach of rich nations threatens an outcome at climate summit, says G77 and China group

    Approach of rich nations threatens an outcome at climate summit, says G77 and China group

    PARIS: The issue of climate finance continues to be a major sticky point with the G77 and China, a group of 134 developing countries including India, strongly objecting to the attempts made by the rich nations to dilute the Convention that sought the developed countries to extend support to their poor counterparts. The Group said the approach of the developed countries threatened an outcome of the summit in the French capital.

    “The G77 and China is deeply concerned with the attempts to introduce economic conditions in the finance section currently under negotiation here in Paris”, said ambassador Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko from South Africa while making her statement on behalf of the biggest group of developing countries.

    She said, “This approach is not consistent with the Convention, the mandate of the ADP and the sovereignty of Parties. Any attempt to replace the core obligation of developed countries to provide financial support to developing countries with a number of arbitrarily identified economic conditions is a violation of the rules-based multilateral process and threatens an outcome here in Paris”.

    The Group expressed its concerns over the narrative which suggests that the world has changed since the UNFCCC was adopted in 1992 due to the dramatic economic development gains of some of the developing countries (China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and UAE among others) and hence that it is time to expand the pool of so-called “donors” of climate “aid” and to narrow the list of those eligible to receive this
    “support” to only the “poorest of the poor”.

    “This narrative serves narrow national interests of developed countries and says little about reality. If the world has really changed so much, we ask why it is that after all these decades all our members remain developing countries with little or no voice in global decision-making processes and institutions”, said the ambassador.

    The G77 and China stressed that nothing under the UNFCCC can be achieved without the provision of means of implementation to enable developing countries to play their part to address climate change.

    Mxakato-Diseko said that the clarity on the complete picture of the financial arrangements for the enhanced implementation of the Convention kept on eluding the Group.

    “We believe that it will help the process if all matters related to finance, whether it is under the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and under the ADP (Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action) can be discussed in a comprehensive and coherent manner, regardless of where they will be reflected in the end, whether in the decision or the agreement”, she said.

    The Group also emphasized that it is now time for all developed countries to convert their pledges to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) into contribution agreements, as well as scaling up commitments in the ADP process.

    Under the Convention, developed countries are obliged toprovide financial resources, including technology transfer and capacity building to all developing countries.

    This is a legal obligation under the Convention. It is neither aid nor charity, nor is it the same as development assistance. Finance support from developed countries relates to the impacts of historical emissions, which will only get worse with time for developing countries.

    The Group is therefore concerned about the introduction of new language, which has no basis in the Convention, such as “Parties in a position to do so” and “dynamism” that do no take into account responsibility for historical emissions.

    The Group also made it clear that the differentiation is not just a finance issue, but about the overall Paris outcome. “The specific outcomes on finance must also not impose on our sovereignty and should not override or displace the zero poverty goals”, said the South African ambassador on behalf of the G77 and China.