The Indian Panorama

Year: 2015

  • Scientists refrigerate liquid using infrared laser

    WASHINGTON (TIP): In a breakthrough, scientists have for the first time used a laser to refrigerate water and other liquids under real-world conditions.

    Researchers used an infrared laser to cool water by about two degrees Celsius, becoming the first to solve a decades-old puzzle. The discovery could help industrial users “point cool” tiny areas with a focused point of light.

    Microprocessors, for instance, might someday use a laser beam to cool specific components in computer chips to prevent overheating and enable more efficient information processing.

    Researchers chose infrared light for its cooling laser with biological applications in mind, as visible light could give cells a damaging “sunburn”. They demonstrated that the laser could refrigerate saline solution and cell culture media that are commonly used in genetic and molecular research.

    To achieve the breakthrough, the team used a material commonly found in commercial lasers but essentially ran the laser phenomenon in reverse. They illuminated a single microscopic crystal suspended in water with infrared laser light to excite a unique kind of glow that has slightly more energy than that amount of light absorbed.

  • World’s first porous liquid to filter carbon emissions developed

    World’s first porous liquid to filter carbon emissions developed

    LONDON (TIP): In a breakthrough, scientists have developed the world’s first ‘porous’ liquid that can potentially be used to capture harmful carbon emissions to prevent them from entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

    Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast in UK, along with colleagues at the University of Liverpool and other international partners, invented the new liquid and found that it can dissolve unusually large amount of gas, which are absorbed into the `holes’ in the liquid. The research could pave the way for many more efficient and greener chemical processes, including the procedure known as carbon capture -trapping carbon dioxide from major sources, for example a fossil-fuel power plant, and storing it to prevent its entry into the atmosphere.

    “Materials which contain permanent holes, or pores, are technologically important. They are used for manufacturing a range of products from plastic bottles to petrol,” said Stuart James of Queen’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.

    “However, until recently, these porous ma terials have been solids.

    What we have done is to design a special liquid from the ‘bottom-up’ -we designed the shapes of the molecules which make up the liquid so that the liquid could not fill up all the space,” James said. “Because of the empty holes we then had in the liquid, we found that it was able to dissolve unusually large amounts of gas,” he said. “A few more years’ research will be needed, but if we can find applications for these porous liquids they could result in new or improved chemical processes,” James said.

  • GET, SET GO: FIGHT OFFICE LETHARGY

    GET, SET GO: FIGHT OFFICE LETHARGY

    Every single Monday has most of us wishing for more hours in bed. While some of us are merely sad to see the weekend go, there are some others who genuinely have trouble with sleep and energy levels – leaving them lethargic for most of their work days.

    Many of them might be suffering from Hypersomnia and genuinely feel the need to sleep every few hours due to poor sleeping habits, which ultimately affect work hours and overall performance levels. Here are top 10 ways to fight office lethargy and how you can learn to keep sleepiness at bay.

    Be friendly with your coffee

    Caffeine stimulates the heart and respiratory systems. But don’t be too friendly. Limit your coffee consumption to just two cups a day. Make sure that for every coffee you drink when you are feeling sleepy, you drink two full glasses of water, to help your system replenish what the caffeine takes out.

    Eat breakfast

    Office life can wreck your diet decisions if you are not careful. One of the most common reasons behind our urge to overeat at work is the lack of an adequate breakfast. Skipping breakfast leads to an erratic lifestyle pattern. It’s the most important meal of the day, and we end up neglecting it. A good healthy breakfast ensures that you have enough energy supplies, keeping sleepiness at bay.

    Try office yoga

    Reversed Shoulder Rotation and Thoracic Wave- Inhale as you move your shoulders in an upward and backward direction. Exhale as you move them in a downward and frontward direction. Take deep breaths and keep your neck and spine comfortably straight. Perform 8-10 rotations on each side. Konasana – Stand straight with legs wide apart. Now bend forward from your waist. Try and touch the ground with the tips of your fingers, if possible place both your hands on the ground while standing. Your upper body should be in a straight line. Look ahead by about 3 inches. Perform konasana for 10-30 seconds and breathe normally throughout the asana.

    Give it a break

    Understand that you are not a superhero. And to add to it, it may do your eyes a whole lot of good too. Stroll around your office corridor once in a while and meet your friends in order to beat office lethargy. Don’t go all out and start partying bang in the middle of a work day, but walk up to any colleagues you need to chat with, get your own bottle of water, and give yourself a break from the desk at regular intervals. Your atrophying leg muscles will thank you for it.

    Leave the technology out 

    While most are addicted to televisions, music docks and laptops in their bedrooms, keeping so many distractions strewn around your night’s sleep space can be detrimental. Why? Because your mind won’t be at ease. Constant whirring, flicking, ticking sounds will keep your mind alert and that’s not a good recipe for a good snooze.

    De-stress

    Stress is one of the main reasons that make the limited time that we have for sleeping less productive. Before sleeping try and do something soothing such as reading, talking to your spouse or close friend, taking a long bath or anything that takes your mind away from what’s bothering you. It is not that hard after all. A good night’s sleep is a sure shot way to ensure you are full of vigour and energy all day long, even when you at work.

    Avoid white foods at night

    By white foods we mean foods which are white in colour such as white pasta, white sugar, white rice. They are all high in glycemic index, thus leading to a rise in blood sugarlevels, lethargy and laziness. Try and eat sweet potatoes and brown rice at night in order to load up on complex carbs and dietary fibre that’ll ensure that you wake up feeling energetic and light.

    Try meditation

    This really works. People who meditate, do it in the morning, but meditating for half an hour before bed is also a good idea. This will give you a sound sleeping time and will help you in waking up all fresh and happy in the morning. Studies have suggested that people who sleep a deep 6 to 8 hours of sleep are less likely to feel sleepy in the afternoon.

    Visit a sleep specialist

    If nothing seems to work, then we advise you to see a sleep specialist as you might just be suffering from sleep apnea or narcolepsy. According to experts, untreated sleep and undiagnosed sleep disorders are main reasons why most workers are always sleepy in the office. A sleep specialist will diagnose and prescribe medication for any condition that you might be suffering from.

    Respect your limits

    In the end, when nothing works and you feel dog tired, then try and respect it! Walk during your lunch break. For instance, you can take a stroll till the end of the road after you are done eating. And if nothing helps, then it is about time you keep your head down for 10 minutes and take a power nap – this will surely energize you!

  • FOODS THAT LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE

    FOODS THAT LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE

    Though it affects more than one in three adults worldwide, many people do not know they have high blood pressure because it does not always cause symptoms.

    As a result, it leads to more than nine million deaths every year. Horrified with these facts, or tensed because you have been diagnosed with blood pressure recently? Then worry not!We have planned a very tasty and beneficial way to lower down your blood pressure with the help of Ms. Sunita Pathania – Sr. Registered Dietician and Diabetes Educator, Healthy Living Diet Clinic, Mumbai. Start the slideshow and begin your journey to lower your blood pressure with these yummy foods.

    Bananas

    If you want to lower your blood pressure, then bananas are a great option. They are cheap, available all throughout the year and are loaded with potassium. Potassium helps to lower your blood pressure by 2 to 3 points and helps to lower the risk of stroke. Banana is one of the best foods, as it is loaded with potassium. Potassium helps the kidney to filter more pressure-boosting sodium out of your bloodstream and helps tiny blood vessels relax and make pressure in the artery walls function more efficiently.

    Skimmed milk

    Skimmed milk will do wonders for your body, as it loaded with calcium and vitamin D. These two nutrients work as a team and help to lower down your blood pressure and strengthen your bones. Besides, it also helps to reduce the risk of various cardiovascular ailments.

    Watermelon

    Watermelon is not just a summer-refreshing food, but it is also a heart health promoting food. Watermelon is loaded with fiber, lycopenes, vitamin A and potassium. All these nutrients have blood pressure-lowering effects.

    Oranges

    This super rich vitamin fruit – is another best food you should indulge in, to lower down your risk of developing high blood pressure. Opt in for a glassful of orange juice or eat the whole fruit to load yourself with fiber and vitamin C.

    Dark chocolate

    Chocolate lovers rejoice! Eating a square piece of dark chocolate every day, will help to lower down blood pressure readings, because of their richness in flavonoids – they are the natural compounds that cause dilation of the blood vessels. Sunita recommends, choose dark chocolates, which have approximately 50 to 70 percent cacao.

    Sunflower seeds

    Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E, folic acid, protein and fiber. Just a handful of sunflower seeds consumption, will helps to lower your blood pressure and promote your heart-health. Sunflower seeds, release a peptide that inhibits the body’s production of enzymes that’s known to raise blood pressure. So start munching in salt less, sunflower seeds to promote your health.

    Whole grain

    Indulging into whole grain rich breakfast like cereals and oats is one of the best ways to promote good health. Eating oatmeal or wheat for breakfast, not only helps us to stay full for a long time but it also helps to lower down your blood pressure. So, if you have been diagnosed recently with blood pressure, then start taking you breakfast as the most important mean of the day.

  • GET RID OF TOXINS FOR HEALTHY SKIN

    GET RID OF TOXINS FOR HEALTHY SKIN

    Just like our body, our skin too needs a detox. Thanks to the fact that we are exposed to so many chemicals and toxic substances daily, our bodies and skin go through a lot of abuse affecting our health in a bad way.

    Our skin takes the brunt of it. Dr KE Mukadam, dermatologist and laser surgeon says, “Overload of toxic materials causes skin eruptions, allergies, dry skin, pigmentation, eczema and psoriasis.” The skin acts as the backup organ of elimination for the kidney and bad skin is usually an indication of toxicity in the body.

    Dr Apratim Goel, dermatologist and laser surgeon adds, “Toxins could be those produced within the body and not eliminated naturally, or they are the ones ingested orally or inhaled or another way of penetration of toxin is through skin i.e. makeup, skincare products as well as pollution.” Some of them are… Free radicals Cosmetologist Dr Rashmi Shetty says, “Free radicals are singlet oxygen cells and are produced due to various chemical reactions in the body like breathing, digestion or when you are stressed, or are smoking.” They can cause a lot of damage by harming the good cells of the body including affecting collagen production and pigmentation pathways. Dr Shetty adds, “This can be treated either by topical application of Vitamins A, E and C, Q10, aster xanthine, glutathione, (orally or serum). Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant but its absorption is poor so it is given as an intravenous drip, along with vitamin C. Tablets, serums and creams are available over-the-counter.”

    Heavy metals

    Bismuth, lead (in lipsticks), arsenic, copper and other heavy metals can be ingested through food as well as through makeup and skincare products. They produce toxicity when their levels rise beyond a critical level and the body is unable to eliminate them.

    Environmental pollutants 

    Pollutants like sulphur gases, carbon monoxide, dust particles, bacteria, viruses, fungus, moulds make skin sensitive, intolerant, dry, dark and patchy.

    Contaminated drinking water

    There has been a lot of emphasis on water purification processes with carbon, UV light as well as reverse osmosis technology. Water ingested could be contaminated with toxins, bacteria, fungus, spores, parasite, ova etc.

    Medications

    Most medicines are metabolised by the liver or kidney or both. In case of reduced function either, or in case of cumulative over dosage of chemicals, they tend to accumulate and cause harm to the skin as well as other organs. Iron ingested for a long time (years) can produce black pigmentation on skin.

  • KIDS CAUSE GREATER STRAIN IN RELATIONSHIPS THAN ILLNESS

    KIDS CAUSE GREATER STRAIN IN RELATIONSHIPS THAN ILLNESS

    Having kids, the main purpose of matrimonial relationships, can bring in greater strains in romantic relationships than illness of partners, a new study suggests.

    The study looked at the relationship quality of 721 couples in Switzerland over a period of thirteen years.

    “Transition to parenthood is associated with a higher degree of closure of the couple, as well as greater differentiation of functional roles,” said researcher Manuela Schicka from the University of Geneva in Switzerland in an official statement.

    Schicka, who conducted the research as part of her PhD thesis, explained that women often abandon or substantially reduce their participation in the labour market once they become a mother, because of lack of institutionalised child care facilities. This also generates a great deal of frustration.

    On the other hand, illness and accidents are seen as linked to bad luck and not personal responsibility.

    here is therefore less grief and bitter thoughts between partners when the latter occur, Schicka stated.

    The study also found that transition to retirement succeeds in reuniting couples at an age that is generally not perceived as the most romantic one.

    The research demonstrated that while the various styles of conjugal interactions generally remain stable along the life course, some critical life events and transitions weigh much more on relationship quality than others, sometimes in unexpected ways.

  • Italy launches jihadist hunt after US tip

    Italy launches jihadist hunt after US tip

    ROME (TIP): Italy is looking for five terror suspects after a tip-off from the United States about possible jihadist attacks on tourist sites in Rome and Milan, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Nov 19.

    The US embassy in Rome posted a security warning on its website identifying some of Italy’s best-loved landmarks as “potential targets”, including St Peter’s Square, La Scala and the Duomo cathedral in Milan.

    It also said churches, synagogues, restaurants, theatres, and hotels in both cities could be targeted.

    “Terrorist groups may possibly utilise similar methods used in the recent Paris attacks,” it added.

    The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had provided five names to the Italian authorities but the agency did not give specific details on any plots, according to Italian media.

    “Since yesterday afternoon, our security forces have been working to find five people,” Gentiloni told Rai 3 television, without elaborating.

    He added that Italy was already primed for the possibility of an attack.

    “The minister of the interior has explained many times that we are at a very high level of alert covering symbolic sites, places where people gather, from stadiums to cathedrals, and St Peter’s in particular, which were, among others, the places highlighted by the FBI,” Gentiloni said.

    “We always take such signals of alarm very seriously, especially when they come from the United States.”

    He stressed that the US warnings did not amount to formal advice to Americans not to travel to Italy — a step which would have serious repercussions for the country’s large tourist industry — but a simple reminder of the need to be vigilant.

    He also appealed to the media not to stoke public fears. “We must not become prisoners of this alarm because that would be a gift to Daesh,” he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

    Meanwhile, local media reported that Italian police had arrested two Syrians trying to travel to Malta on false passports who had pictures related to the Islamic State jihadist group on their phones.

    The two men, aged 19 and 30, were apprehended at Bergamo airport near Milan late Wednesday, the reports said.

    Italy reacted to last week’s gun and suicide attacks on Paris, which left 129 people dead, by deploying 700 extra troops in Rome, on top of 1,300 already involved in a highly-visible “safe streets” operation.

    The additional soldiers have been deployed notably on the capital’s underground rail network and at major shopping centres while media reports have suggested the number of sites identified as possible targets has been increased from 90 to 150.

    Extra troops have been deployed to train stations and airports while security around Pope Francis has been enhanced with additional checks on people entering the Vatican and an increased number of bodyguards on duty when he did his weekly appearance in St Peter’s square on Wednesday.

    The heightened security measures come as Rome is gearing up to host the Jubilee Year of Mercy proposed by the pontiff, which begins in December and is expected to draw millions of tourists.

    The prefect of Rome, Franco Gabrielli, urged Italians to “stay cool-headed, without however underestimating” the threats.

    Italian media have, in recent months, regularly given high prominence to vague warnings from Islamic State propagandists that they will come to Rome and plant their flag on top of St Peter’s.

    Officials have generally played down such threats, insisting they had no knowledge of a specific or credible plot to attack Rome or the Vatican.

    Italy has a smaller problem with homegrown jihadists than other Western European countries. Intelligence experts estimate only around 50 Italian residents have gone to fight with IS in Syria and suspected militants appear to be closely monitored.

    Interior Minister Angelino Alfano revealed on Tuesday that 55 suspected Islamists had been expelled from Italy since the start of the year, including four radical imams. (Source: AFP)

  • New Islamic State video threatens to blow up White House

    New Islamic State video threatens to blow up White House

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Islamic State militants released a video on Thursday threatening the White House with suicide bombings and car blasts and vowing to conduct more attacks on France. The six-minute video, released by Islamic State fighters in Iraq, applauds last week’s Paris attacks, according to a translation of the Arabic provided by the Maryland-based SITE Intelligence Group.

    The latest threat comes one day after the militant group put out a video showing scenes of New York City, which suggested it was also a target.

    Islamic State, which controls a large territory in Syria and Iraq, has claimed responsibility for last Friday’s attacks in Paris in which 129 people were killed.

    FBI Director James Comey said on Thursday he was not aware of any credible threat of a “Paris-type attack” in the United States.

    State Department spokesman John Kirby told CNN that Thursday’s video was being examined to determine its “veracity.”

  • Paris attacks video: First CCTV footage shows woman’s miraculous escape as attacker’s gun jams at point-blank range

    Paris attacks video: First CCTV footage shows woman’s miraculous escape as attacker’s gun jams at point-blank range

    PARIS (TIP): Dramatic CCTV footage has emerged showing the moment a gunman wielding an AK47 opened fire on a pizzeria in central Paris last Friday night.

    In the first video to be released showing one of the Paris shootings more or less in its entirety, a man can be seen spraying gunfire towards the busy establishment, smashing glass and causing havoc.

    Starting off shooting from across the road, the gunman can be seen suddenly approaching the door of the restaurant and, in a chilling moment, raising his rifle to shoot a woman at point-blank range.

    Miraculously, however, his gun appears to jam at that point, and he flees to a waiting vehicle. The woman can be seen fleeing for her life.

    According to the Daily Mail, which acquired the footage, security sources believe the video shows 26-year-old Salah Abdeslam, an alleged “eighth attacker” who is still on the run.

    Seven gunmen and bombers died in last Friday’s attacks, which killed 129 people and injured more than 300.

    No one was killed in the footage that has emerged today, though some suffered injuries as the restaurant’s regulars dove for cover behind the bar and tables and ran to safety in the basement.

    One man died in the street, the Mail reported, after he was shot in the back as he arrived to collect a pizza. It said the restaurant was not being named for security reasons.

    The footage will be important evidence for the ongoing investigation into the wider conspiracy behind the Paris massacres.

    It appears to show the gunman fleeing in a black vehicle, and sources have suggested that another accomplice at the scene of the restaurant shooting may also be on the run.

    One gunman confirmed by officials as attacking restaurants and cafes in the 10th and 11th arrondissements has been identified as Ibrahim Abdeslam, Salah’s older brother.

    Three attackers were killed in the massacre at the Bataclan theatre, when 89 people attending a packed concert were shot dead.

    Another three attackers blew themselves up outside the Stade de France. Between them, they killed one man.

  • India among 10 nations impacted by terrorism in 2014: Report

    India among 10 nations impacted by terrorism in 2014: Report

    NEWYORK (TIP): India is among the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism in 2014, according to a new report which said that ISIS and Boko Haram are now jointly responsible for more than half of all global fatalities from terrorist attacks.

    According to the third edition of the Global Terrorism Index 2015 (GTI), India ranked 6th out of 162 nations most affected by terrorism in 2014.

    India witnessed a slight increase in terror-related deaths, up by 1.2 per cent in 2014 to reach a total of 416, the highest number of terrorist incidents and deaths since 2010.

    There were 763 incidents which represents a 20 per cent increase from 2013, the report by Washington-based Institute for Economics and Peace said.

    In India, the two deadliest Islamic terrorist groups in 2014 were Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen.

    The Pakistan-based LeT was responsible for 24 deaths in 2014, while Hizbul Mujahideen was responsible for 11 deaths in 2014, down from 30 deaths in the previous year.

    In 2013 Hizbul Mujahideen was the only group in India to use suicide tactics, but in 2014 there were no suicide attacks in India, the report added.

    It said that the number of lives lost to terrorism around the world increased by 80 per cent in 2014, reaching the highest level ever recorded at 32,658 as compared to 18,111 in 2013.

    Pakistan was ranked fourth of the list while the US was ranked 35th among the nations most impacted by terrorism.

    The report added that just two terrorist groups, ISIS and Boko Haram, are now jointly responsible for 51 per cent of all global fatalities from claimed terrorist attacks.

    “Boko Haram, which pledged its allegiance to ISIL as the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) in March 2015, has become the world’s deadliest terrorist group, causing 6,644 deaths compared to ISIL’s 6,073,” it said.

    India has featured 14 times in the 10 countries most affected by terrorism for the 2000-2014 period.

    While India continues to be among the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism, 2014 was the first time since 2000 that India did not feature among the ten countries with highest fatalities from terrorism.

  • Five dead in alleged Palestinian attacks in Tel Aviv and West Bank

    Five dead in alleged Palestinian attacks in Tel Aviv and West Bank

    JERUSALEM (TIP): A Palestinian fatally stabbed two people in a Tel Aviv office building and three other people were killed in an attack in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Israeli police and the army said.

    In the latest attack near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc in the West Bank, a police commander said a Palestinian drove along the shoulder of the main road and shot at crawling traffic, killing three people and wounding others.Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the attacker’s car stopped when it hit another vehicle and the driver was seized. He said an American citizen was one of three people killed. The others were a Palestinian and an Israeli.

    At least seven other people were wounded, a medical source said. The attack brought to 18 the number of Israelis and others who have died, along with 80 Palestinians, in a wave of violence over the past seven weeks.

    The American was identified as Ezra Schwartz, 18, who was studying in Israel, according to a Facebook post by the American Jewish Committee. CBS’s Boston affiliate said Schwartz was from Sharon, Massachusetts.In the Tel Aviv attack, a police spokeswoman said the assailant who had attacked worshippers gathered for afternoon prayers in a shop that sells Jewish religious items in the building was apprehended and a third person was wounded.Police say 49 of the 80 Palestinians killed in recent weeks died at the scene of attacks on Israelis and most of the rest died in violent protests in the occupied West Bank and near the Gaza border.

    Palestinian allegations that Israel was trying to alter the religious status quo at a Jerusalem holy site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, where al-Aqsa mosque stands, and to Jews as Temple Mount, have partly fueled the violence.

    Non-Muslim prayer is banned around al-Aqsa and Israel has said it will not change that. But more visits in recent years by Jewish religious activists and ultra-nationalist Israeli politicians to the complex, where two biblical temples once stood, have done little to convince the Palestinians.

    Earlier on Thursday, three 15-year-old Palestinian girls attempted to infiltrate an Israeli military post in the West Bank, the military said.

    Soldiers apprehended them, and the military said three knives were found in their possession. (Source: Reuters)

  • House votes to close doors to Syrian & Iraqi refugees, snubs Obama veto threat

    House votes to close doors to Syrian & Iraqi refugees, snubs Obama veto threat

    WASHINGTON  (TIP): The bill, which would effectively bar Syrian and Iraqi refugees from entry, received enough support to override a veto.

    In a stinging rebuke to President Obama by Republicans as well as members of his own party, the House ignored a veto threat Thursday and overwhelmingly approved Republican legislation erecting fresh hurdles for Syrian and Iraqi refugees trying to enter the United States.

    The vote was 289-137, with 47 Democrats joining 242 Republicans in favor of the bill, creating a majority that could override President Barack Obama’s promised veto. That margin exceeded the two-thirds majority required to override a veto, and it came despite a rushed, early morning visit to the Capitol by top administration officials in a futile attempt to limit Democratic defections for the measure. It also faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where Minority Leader Harry Reid said he will try to block the bill.

    The high number of Democrats voting against the White House is a clear sign Obama is increasingly isolated in his position on refugees in light of the ISIS terrorist attacks on Paris.

    During his trip abroad this week, Obama has offered a forceful defense of the program and derided Republican opponents as being scared of “widows and orphans.”

    “We are not well served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic,” Obama said in the Philippines on Wednesday. “We don’t make good decisions if it’s based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks.”

    Republicans were determined to move quickly. House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters “this is urgent. We cannot and should not wait to act, not when our national security is at stake.”

    The administration’s veto threat “baffles me,” Ryan said, “especially given the fact that his own law enforcement top officials came to Congress and testified that there are gaps in this refugee program.”

    Republicans also used the debate to criticize the president’s approach to fighting terrorism.

    “The real problem is ISIL and the lack of a strategy,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said, adding it was “astounding” the president has yet to lay out a comprehensive approach to the threat in the Middle East.

    Thursday’s vote came six days after a burst of bombings and shootings in Paris killed 129 people, wounded many more and revived post-9/11 jitters in the U.S. and Europe. The attacks have turned the question of admitting people fleeing war-torn Syria and Iraq into a high-stakes political issue in both the United States and Europe, and many congressional Democrats were willing to vote against their party’s lame duck president for fear of angering voters nervous about security at home.

    The few Democrats opposing the GOP bill said the U.S. has no business abandoning its age-old values, including being a safe haven for people fleeing countries racked by violence. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks and controls vast swathes of Syria and Iraq, despite a growing military campaign against them by the U.S. and other nations.

    “Defeating terrorism should not mean slamming the door in the faces of those fleeing the terrorists. We might as well take down the Statue of Liberty,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.

    Republicans said that in dangerous times, the government must first protect its own.

    “It is against the values of our nation and the values of a free society to give terrorists the opening they are looking for” by not tightening entry restrictions, said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

  • GOPIO condemns Mass Massacre in Paris, France

    GOPIO condemns Mass Massacre in Paris, France

    NEW YORK (TIP): The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO International) joins with its many chapters in France and other countries, as well as other organizations, agencies, groups and institutions worldwide, in expressing its strong and unequivocal condemnation of the series of killings and attacks in Paris, France on November 13, 2015 that killed at least 150 innocent people and left many more injured. GOPIO considers
    these brutal and despicable acts as unforgivable and unjustified criminal actions directed to create widespread fear among innocent citizens.

    We consider these killings as heinous acts against humanity, coming soon after recent brutal attacks in France and other countries. GOPIO’s global membership shares the pain and anguish of those affected and we extend our condolences to the families of the victims and offer prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured. We believe that these continuing series of senseless attacks are meant to cause terror among innocent citizens, and we affirm that terror will not succeed as the will of decent people shall overcome such criminal acts.

    GOPIO commends the Government of France for its prompt and diligent efforts in providing emergency services to the survivors and their families. We fully support all measures taken by the Government of France and other countries to bring security, calm and confidence to the people and urge all efforts to prevent similar attacks in the future. We share in the universal belief that such callous, inhumane and uncivilized crimes have been perpetrated against innocent people in a land of liberty and freedom, a land where freedom has itself been savagely wounded by the criminals.

    GOPIO expresses deep and abiding concern for the victims of the tragedy, their families, friends and associates. It is indeed a time of deep sorrow for France, a very nervous time for the people of Paris and citizens of France in general, affected by these heinous acts. We are very confident that the people of France will endure this national disaster while they retain courage, sense of dignity, pride, their values and their freedom. There is no doubt that a resilient nation as France will overcome these brutal and senseless attack.

    For more information, please contact: Ashook Ramsaran, President of GOPIOInternational at Ramsaran@aol.com or Inder Singh, Chairman, GOPIO International at gopiointl@sbcglobal.net .

    GOPIO is a secular, non-political, not-for-profit, international organization based in USA with chapters in various countries, representing the interests and aspirations of People of Indian Origin (PIOs), and promoting awareness and understanding of issues of concern to global NRI/PIO community including social, cultural, educational and economic, as well as enhancing cooperation and communication among groups of Indians living in various countries and with India.

  • Nassau BOCES recommends closing Doshi STEM Center and arts school

    Nassau BOCES recommends closing Doshi STEM Center and arts school

    MINEOLA (TIP): A news report published in Newsday  says Nassau BOCES officials are recommending closure of the Syosset complex that houses the 42-year-old Long Island High School for the Arts and the Doshi STEM Institute, opened just two years ago.

    Newsday quoted Superintendent Robert Dillon as saying Tuesday, November 17 that  the recommendation, driven by low enrollments and funding shortages at both schools, is being made “with a heavy heart.”

    Dillon, who took over the regional agency Sept. 1, told Newsday he will recommend the closing occurs in June, at the end of the current school year. The proposal is to be taken up by the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services’ governing board at its meeting Thursday night.

    Nassau BOCES considered canceling the programs in March, but agreed to extend them at least one more school year in response to families’ pleas.

    Dillon voiced hope Tuesday that the Syosset shutdown would not bring a total end to the arts and STEM programs, saying there could be a “transition” of some popular classes, such as dance, to other school sites in Nassau County.

    The Doshi STEM Institute, funded by the Doshi Foundation, opened in 2013 to provide specialized study in science research and related fields. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

    The institute, funded by the Doshi Foundation, is named for financial backer Dr. Leena Doshi, who owns a chain of radiology centers. A woman who identified herself as Leena Doshi, reached at the family’s home Tuesday afternoon, declined to comment.

    Nassau BOCES trustees, at their Sept. 28 meeting, approved a resolution authorizing the system’s attorney to bring a lawsuit against the Doshi Foundation to recover money owed to Nassau BOCES arising from the STEM program, according to minutes of the meeting posted online.

    Nassau BOCES Deputy Superintendent Robert Hanna declined to comment Tuesday on the status of any legal action against the Doshi Foundation. He said, however, that the Doshi Foundation paid $150,000 one year and did not make additional promised payments.

    The number of students in the Doshi STEM Institute increased from 20 students in 2013 to 48 students in 2014- 15, then dropped to 46 this school year. When the institute opened, the projected enrollment in the third year was 150 students.

  • Russia, France push UN resolutions on fighting IS

    Russia, France push UN resolutions on fighting IS

    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).”

  • US set to release Jonathan Pollard, who spied for Israel

    US set to release Jonathan Pollard, who spied for Israel

    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.

  • Texas executes triple child killer

    Texas executes triple child killer

    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.

  • NEW YORKERS PAY FLORAL TRIBUTE TO THOSE KILLED IN THE TERRORIST ATTACKS IN PARIS ON NOVEMBER 13

    NEW YORKERS PAY FLORAL TRIBUTE TO THOSE KILLED IN THE TERRORIST ATTACKS IN PARIS ON NOVEMBER 13

    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
    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
    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
    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

    Vigil in Washington Square Park in New York City on 14th Nov 2015Vigil in Washington Square Park in New York City on 14th Nov 2015 - 1Vigil in Washington Square Park in New York City on 14th Nov 2015 -2

  • Sheena Bora Murder Case: CBI arrests Peter Mukerjea

    Sheena Bora Murder Case: CBI arrests Peter Mukerjea

    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.

  • Businessman Launches Hindu-American Coalition to Support Republican Party

    Businessman Launches Hindu-American Coalition to Support Republican Party

    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.

  • Indian-Americans celebrate Chhath Pooja on Potomac River

    Indian-Americans celebrate Chhath Pooja on Potomac River

    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.

  • Arista Networks CEO Jayshree Ullal Wins Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

    Arista Networks CEO Jayshree Ullal Wins Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

    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, LTD
San Antonio, TX
Finalists:

    • 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 – Alterra
Provo, UT
Finalists:

    • 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 Compression
Austin, TX
Finalists:

    • 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, LLC
Ontario, CA
Finalists:

    • 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 – SEI
Oaks, PA
Finalists:

    • Jonathan Steinberg – WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
    • Kenneth Lin – Credit Karma
    • Noah Breslow – OnDeck

    Life Sciences

    Award winner: Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, Chairman & CEO – BioMarin Pharmaceutical
Novato, CA
Finalists:

    • 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 Communications
Stamford, CT
Finalists:

    • 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 – WeWork
New York, NY
Finalists:

    • 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, GA
Finalists:

    • 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 – Cognosante
McLean, VA
Finalists:

    • 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 Networks
Santa Clara, CA
Finalists:

    • Keith R. Dunleavy, MD – Inovalon
    • Keith Krach – DocuSign, Inc.
    • Marcus Ryu – Guidewire Software, Inc.

     

  • How serious a threat is ISIS to India?

    How serious a threat is ISIS to India?

    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.

  • Paris Exposes the Limitations of the West’s Approach to Counter Terrorism

    Paris Exposes the Limitations of the West’s Approach to Counter Terrorism

    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.

  • My Shikva (Complaint)

    My Shikva (Complaint)

    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.