WASHINGTON (TIP): Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State in northern Iraq last week shot down a small drone the size of a model airplane. They believed it was like the dozens of drones the terrorist organization had been flying for reconnaissance in the area, and they transported it back to their outpost to examine it.
But as they were taking it apart, it blew up, killing two Kurdish fighters in what is believed to be one of the first times the Islamic State has successfully used a drone with explosives to kill troops on the battlefield.
In the past month, the Islamic State has tried to use small drones to launch attacks at least two other times, prompting US commanders in Iraq to issue a warning to forces fighting the group to treat any type of small flying aircraft as a potential explosive device.
The Islamic State has used surveillance drones on the battlefield for some time, but the attacks — all targeting Iraqi troops — have highlighted its success in adapting readily accessible technology into a potentially effective new weapon. US advisers say drones could be deployed against coalition forces by the terrorist group in the battle in Mosul. For some US military analysts and drone experts, the episodes confirmed their view that the Pentagon — which is still struggling to come up with ways to bring down drones — was slow to anticipate that militants would turn drones into weapons.
“We should have been ready for this, and we weren’t,” said PW Singer, a specialist on robotic weaponry at New America, a think tank in Washington.
Military officials said that the Pentagon has dedicated significant resources to stopping drones but that few Iraqi and Kurdish units have been provided with the sophisticated devices that US troops have to disarm them. The officials said they have ordered the Pentagon agency in charge of dealing with explosive devices — known as the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization — to study ways to thwart hostile drones. This summer, the Pentagon requested an additional $20 million from Congress to help address the problem.
In recent months, the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency both rushed to complete classified assessments about the Islamic State’s drone use. And the secretary of the Army, Eric Fanning, recently assigned a special office he had created to respond to emerging threats and to study how to stop drones. Unlike the US military, which flies drones as large as small passenger planes that need to take off and land on a runway, the Islamic State is using simpler, commercially available drones such as the DJI Phantom, which can be purchased on Amazon. The group attaches small explosive devices to them, essentially making them remotely piloted bombs.
“This is an enemy that learns as it goes along,” said Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the top US military commander in Iraq until August. Of the three known drone attacks in Iraq, only the one involving the Kurdish soldiers caused casualties. “The explosive device inside was disguised as a battery — there was a very small amount of explosives in it, but it was enough to go off and kill them,” said a senior US official who had been provided with a detailed report on the episode.
A 28-year-old man left paralysed after a car accident has been able to feel as though he was touching something with his fingers after a robotic arm was connected directly to his brain in a world-first breakthrough.
Nathan Copeland, who was injured after crashing his car on a rainy night in Pennsylvania when he was just 18, spoke of experiencing a “really weird sensation” as he touches things. He said it felt like “my fingers” were being touched or pushed.
Copeland is able to feel using the robotic arm because it is connected to microelectrodes about half the size of a shirt button that were surgically implanted in his brain. Before the operation, imaging techniques were used to identify the exact places that corresponded to feelings in his fingers and palm. The discovery that people can regain some sensations using a so-called ‘computer-brain interface’ could revolutionise the treatment of paralysis.
Earlier this year the Walk Again Project in Brazil discovered people left paralysed by severe spinal cord injuries could recover the ability to move their legs after training in an exoskeleton linked to their brain.
That project was designed to enable people to walk by controlling the exoskeleton with their minds, but one of the subjects was able to walk again using crutches. Professor Robert Gaunt, of Pittsburgh University, who led the team that treated Mr Copeland, said they were trying to make use of the brain’s natural abilities. “The ultimate goal is to create a system which moves and feels just like a natural arm would,” he said. “We have a long way to go to get there, but this is a great start.”
His colleague, Professor Andrew Schwatz, said the most important finding was that the system could create a “natural sensation”. But he added: “There is still a lot of research that needs to be carried out to better understand the stimulation patterns needed to help patients make better movements.” When his accident happened, Mr Copeland was in his first year of college studying for a degree in nanofabrication. He tried to continue his studies, but his health problems forced him to put them on hold.
One of the first things he did after he was injured was to enrol on the Pitt School of Medicine’s registry of patients willing to participate in clinical trials. Ten years later, that led him to have the operation to fit the implants in his brain and rediscover what it is like to reach out and touch things. “I can feel just about every finger — it’s a really weird sensation,” he said, speaking a month after the operation. “Sometimes it feels electrical and sometimes it’s pressure, but for the most part, I can tell most of the fingers with definite precision. It feels like my fingers are getting touched or pushed.”
In a video interview, Mr Copeland, who can move his upper arms, but has no sensation or movement in his lower arms and hands, added: “I usually feel it in the base of my fingers, in my finger pads, usually a tingle or some pressure like someone was squeezing. A couple of electrodes feel like they are on my knuckles … there are a couple of electrodes that feel like a regular touch. It’s never been painful. It’s just kind of a tingle, it’s not really pleasant or unpleasant.” While he can feel pressure through the fingers and gauge how strong it is to an extent, he is unable to tell whether something is hot or cold. In tests, Mr Copeland was able to tell which of the robotic hand’s fingers were being touched despite being blindfolded. A sense of touch is one of the key things currently missing in robotic devices. This is particularly important for picking something up —something heavy and solid like a brick requires a different approach to the delicate pressure control needed when handling a slice of cake, for example.
NEW DELHI (TIP): An influential section of the government is pushing for an additional Rs 50,000-60,000 crore burst of spending to give infrastructure a big mid-year push through the second supplementary demand for grants. Roads, railways and rural electrification will be among the main beneficiaries.
This is being discussed at the top levels of the government, a senior official said. The money will be needed as a number of departments will be close to exhausting their funds and require more money to meet targets. A final call on the amount will be taken in line with additional resources that the government is able to garner.
Genuine requirements based on the utilisation record of ministries will also be taken into account. The government is also keen on completing the promised Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and All India Institutes of Medical Science (AIIMS).
The finance ministry, which needs to stick to the fiscal deficit target of 3.5% of GDP, will be closely involved in taking a final call on the issue. It has begun to look at various options to make room for additional spending.
“Genuine fund requirements would be met. Actual utilisation and unspent balances released to various agencies would be taken into account before allocating any additional funds,” a finance ministry official said.
“Ministries that are sitting on funds and have not been able to spend would have to forego to those that have been able to spend.” Policymakers are of the view that the spending push will help boost growth and also aid timely completion of key government programmes.
The finance ministry had on September 26 invited proposals to be considered for the second supplementary demand for grants that will be presented to Parliament in the winter session that’s to start November 16.
The funds constraint has resulted in just a marginal increase in the capital spending allocation in the current fiscal to Rs2.47 lakh crore from Rs2.38 lakh crore last year. The government has an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore in the current year on account of the seventh pay commission award. But it’s confident of generating any additional funds that may be required thanks to the just-concluded black money disclosure scheme, dividend payments from the Reserve Bank of India and asset sales despite revenue from the recent spectrum auction falling short of target.
“There will be no cuts,” said the official cited above. “The government is quite comfortable with the additional RBI dividend, tax expected on black money disclosures and is confident that the divestment target would be met.”
Highway target
The highway, power and railway ministries are looking for more funds to maintain the momentum on road building, rural electrification and railway capital spending.
The government is also looking at funds to implement its biodegradable toilet project in addition to setting up the promised IITs, AIIMS, and IIMs.
MUMBAI (TIP): RBI governor Urjit Patel has highlighted the new challenge facing the Brics bloc in the form of political risk in the West. The governor said that potential black swan events such as the Brexit vote, the US Presidential election and political realignment in Europe towards the fringes — left or right — will affect policies of Brics nations. Against the backdrop of easy money and low interest rates in developed markets and current account deficits and low surpluses among Brics nations, Patel said that the bloc appeared to lack absorptive capacity.
“This is incongruous in the context of ultra-low cost of overseas finance, especially in mature markets, and the ability of large pools of footloose capital to seek returns,” said Patel. Speaking at a Brics seminar in Mumbai, Patel said that at a time when both trade and industry are stalling and there are extreme bouts of turbulence in financial markets, the Brics nations offer to the world a vast pool of opportunities in terms of sectors, companies and people. The governor pointed out that the five Brics countries with a growth rate of 5.1% this year overshadow not just the 3.1% for the world but also the 4.2% for emerging market economies in general. “The Brics economies are either expected to post current account deficits or reduce surpluses, thereby providing vital support to global aggregate demand. The investment-GDP ratio ranges from 19% in Brazil to 45% in China, attesting to the strong appetite for creating new avenues of aggregate demand,” said Patel.
LONDON (TIP): Former Formula One driver Mark Webber will retire from professional racing at the end of the world endurance season in Bahrain in November, Porsche said on Oct 13
“The six-hour race…on November 19 will be the last time the reigning World Champion from Australia will compete as a works driver,” the manufacturer said in a statement.
Webber, 40, will become a Porsche ‘special representative’ at global events and work as a consultant on motorsport programmes.
The Australian won the World Endurance title with Porsche in 2015 with Germany’s Timo Bernhard and New Zealander Brendon Hartley.
“I will miss the sheer speed, downforce and competition, but I want to leave on a high and I’m very much looking forward to my new tasks,” said the winner of nine Formula One grands prix with Red Bull.
He competed in 215 Formula One races for Minardi, Jaguar, Williams and Red Bull before leaving in 2013.
“It was a big change from Formula One to LMP1 (Le Mans Prototype) and an entirely new experience. But it came at the right time for me,” said Webber.
“It will be strange getting into the race car for the very last time in Bahrain but for now I will thoroughly enjoy every moment of the remaining races.”
NEW DELHI (TIP): India will open their campaign against Canada in the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup to be played in Lucknow from December 8 to 18.
With only one rest day, hockey fans will be treated to 10 days of high-speed, action packed hockey at the Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium. There, the world’s rising stars will battle it out to be crowned junior men’s world champions in what will be one of the most competitive hockey events of the year.
The pool stages will take place between December 8-12 before the classification matches begin on December 14. The medal matches will then be held on December 18.
Besides India taking on Canada, New Zealand and Japan kick-off what will be a hugely entertaining opening day which will also see reigning champions Germany start their title defence against Spain.
Day two highlights include Oceania champions Australia match against Korea, while the game between 2014 bronze medallists Netherlands and Pakistan is sure to offer plenty of excitement.
Super Saturday then follows, with a battle between the Pan-American and Oceania champions Argentina and Australia possibly the pick of the day, followed later by a renewal of an old rivalry between India and England.
Belgium versus Netherlands is bound to offer a few surprises on Sunday, with Pakistan’s match against African junior champions Egypt another crucial game as the pool stages near completion.
Amongst the last matches, some tough challenges await Austria who play Australia, and South Africa who take on India in the concluding game of the pool stage on Monday evening.
India are placed in Group D alongside Canada, South Africa and England.
MADRID (TIP): Argentina’s pain is Barcelona’s gain as Lionel Messi returns for the Spanish champions when Deportivo la Coruna visit the Camp Nou on Oct 10 after being sidelined for three weeks with a groin injury.
Messi missed Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Paraguay as La Albiceleste’s struggles without the five-time World Player of the Year continued, putting at risk their place at the 2018 World Cup.
However, international breaks have traditionally caused Barca trouble too with lethargic performances on their return to La Liga action coming to be known as the “FIFA virus.”
Barca boss Luis Enrique paid a heavy price for leaving Messi and Luis Suarez on the bench for a shock 2-1 home defeat to Alaves after September’s international break.
However, with a blockbuster Champions League clash against former Barca coach Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to come on Wednesday, Enrique could roll the dice with his selection once more.
Messi is expected to be eased back into action as a second-half substitute. Meanwhile, Suarez could make way for Paco Alcacer having played twice for Uruguay in the past week.
Neymar will definitely start as he returned to the Catalan capital early due to his suspension for Brazil’s 2-0 win at Venezuela on Tuesday.
A 4-3 defeat to Celta Vigo two weeks ago leaves Barca only fourth in the table.
However, they trail leaders Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid by just two points and can go temporarily at least to the top of the table with victory before the sides from the capital kick-off later on Saturday.
Real face the toughest task on paper of the title contenders as they travel to Real Betis aiming to snap a streak of four consecutive draws.
Zinedine Zidane’s men also having a mounting injury crisis as captain Sergio Ramos is set to be sidelined for up to six weeks by a knee sprain suffered in Spain’s 2-0 win at Albania in midweek.
Luka Modric is also out for the rest of the month due to knee surgery, whilst influential holding midfielder Casemiro is missing due to a fractured fibia.
“This match is very important for us to say – ‘we’re still there’,” said midfielder Toni Kroos after penning a new contract until 2022 on Thursday.
“Having a string of draws is not a good thing.
“Maybe during the second half against Eibar (1-1) we didn’t play well and the criticisms were justified.
“But in Dortmund (2-2) or Las Palmas (2-2) we clearly played well, even better perhaps than certain matches which we won.”
Atletico were the form team before the international break with six wins and a draw at the Camp Nou in their last seven games taking Diego Simeone’s men to the top of the table on goal difference.
By contrast, winless Granada travel to the capital with just two points so far this season and having already sacked coach Paco Jemez.
The Andalusians have turned to Lucas Alcaraz for his third spell in charge of the club to lead them to safety.
However, anything other than defeat would be a huge surprise at the Vicente Calderon as Atletico have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight games and boast La Liga’s top scorer in Antoine Griezmann up front. Third-placed Sevilla also have the chance to go top for at least a few hours when they visit Leganes on Saturday lunchtime. To do so, though, Sevilla need to end a 22-game streak stretching back 17 months without a La Liga win away from home.
HYDERABAD (TIP): PV Sindhu is on a roll. The rewards for her silver medal effort at the Rio Olympics continue to pour in with the Hyderabad shuttler now signing a deal with Bank of Baroda to be their brand ambassador for a period of three years.
This by far will be the biggest deal the shuttler has signed after she renewed her partnership with management company Baseline Ventures.
Last week Sindhu became the brand ambassador of Vizag Steel but this deal is worth more as the world No. 8 will sport the bank’s logo in the middle of her T-shirt.
BoB has also signed men’s singles shuttler Kidambi Srikanth for a huge sum.
Incidentally, this is only the second instance of sportspersons endorsing this bank after former Test captain Rahul Dravid.
Sindhu is likely to get nearly Rs 8 crore from this three-year deal.
Donald Trump is musing on the possibility of losing the US election in November, an outcome that would render his campaign the biggest waste of time and money in his life. But if the Republican nominee is candidly admitting losing on November 8 is not out of the question, he apparently has not made plans for it. “If we don’t win this election, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Trump told supporters at a rally in Ocala, in central Florida recently.
He meanwhile called the decision by the US Justice Department not to press criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server while Secretary of State “one of the great miscarriages of justice” in United States history and suggested that the Justice Department had colluded with Clinton to spare her any formal legal fall-out. He meanwhile added that politicians in Washington from both parties knew about it. Trump’s comments about Ms Clinton’s email travails further highlighted the angry mood that has taken hold of him since the leaking last weekend of a video of him speaking in offensive terms about sexual advances on women in 2005 and a rush among many Republican leaders to disown him.
Did they make a deal where everybody protects each other in Washington?” Trump asked the crowd in Ocala. “Do they make deals like this? This is the most heinous thing I have ever seen involving justice in the history of the United States.” There has been speculation that were he to lose the presidency, Trump would leverage the support he has won from a significant swathe of Americans angry at the establishment and disenchanted with their own situations to launch a new conservative media empire, possibly with Stephen Bannon, his campaign CEO who has taken leave from running the rightwing website Breitbart.
In Florida, Trump again intensified his attacks on Ms Clinton, suggesting for instance that Isis fighters in the Middle East hope she will win because then “they’ll not only take over that part of the world, they’ll take over this country, they’ll take over this part of the world”.
At last Sunday’s debate, Trump suggested that as president he would appoint a special prosecutor to look into Ms Clinton private server use and have her imprisoned. He again hammered the issue home and made the same promise in Ocala. “This is crime at the highest level,” he told the packed shed of supporters. “She shouldn’t be allowed to run for president.” At her own campaign appearances later on Wednesday, Clinton was expected to challenge Republican politicians to say clearly whether or not they will vote for their own nominee on election day. The strategy was disclosed by John Podesta, her campaign chairman. “Are they with him or are they against him?” Mr. Podesta asked.
NEW JERSEY (TIP): The home of an Indian-American social-worker running for the US Congress in New Jersey was vandalized and painted with large swastikas by some unidentified miscreants, prompting police to launch a probe.
“These racists came back to my home and spray painted large swastikas (on) our walls,” said Peter Jacob@PeterJacob2016, 30, who is running for the US House of Representative from 7th Congressional District in New Jersey which is known to be a strong Republican bastion.
Police is investigating the case.
“It is completely un-American and unacceptable that someone should do this in such a beautiful and diverse community,” Mr. Jacob said.
The incident took place on Friday night.
“Let there be no mistake, the people who committed this crime did so because they feel comfortable and confident to commit hateful acts due to an ever increasing atmosphere of accepted racism,” he said.
Endorsed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Mr. Jacob, is seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Leonard Lance who is representing the seat since 2009.
Mr. Lance has condemned the incident of vandalism.
“The display of anti-Semitic symbols like the swastika is abhorrent. We join Peter Jacob in condemning this offensive act of vandalism and support a full police investigation into the matter,” Mr. Lance said.
Mr. Jacob, whose parents immigrated from India in 1986, hoped that this would help him enter the Congress.
After attending Union County College, in New Jersey, Mr. Jacob continued undergraduate studies in Sociology at Kean University. Soon after, he studied at Washington University in St Louis, earning a Master of Social Work from the top-ranked program in the nation.
During his undergraduate and graduate years, Mr. Jacob was a student activist and leader.
NEW JERSEY (TIP): US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will address a rally of Hindu-Americans in New Jersey on October 15 and half of the proceedings from the event will be used for the benefit of Kashmiri Pandits.
The founder of Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) Shalabh Kumar claimed that this is the first of its kind event where Trump is scheduled to address only one specific ethnic community.
“…This is a charity concert organized for the benefit of terror victims in various countries…The 50 per cent of the proceeds from this concert will go for the benefit of Kashmiri Pandits in India,” Kumar said.
Kumar is also Chairman of Indian American Advisory Council to the Republican Party.
NEW YORK (TIP): Economist Sonal R. Shah, the first Indian American to be appointed to the transition team of president Barack Obama in 2008, had written in a letter about the “frenzy” Indian media that had accused her of Hindu fundamentalism and alleged her of supporting communal violence in Gujarat, according to materials released by WikiLeaks, on Monday.
A letter written by Shah, published online by WikiLeaks, read: “I am writing to get some guidance from you in managing the India press frenzy about my alleged right-wing politics and terrorist tendencies.”
The letter is dated November 10, 2008, a week after Obama took the office of the president, making history as being the first non-white to win the US presidential election.
The letter says Indian media has been accusing her of Hindu fundamentalism and supporting Hindutva causes, which according to her, was a baseless allegation aimed to tarnish her reputation.
“There are hundreds of blog posts and articles on this and without any responses, the rumors are feeding on each other. More interestingly, they were planning a public campaign to embarrass the president-elect and have me resign. I had several calls from prominent folks in India saying the best way to counter the lies and rumors was to put something out there denying the allegations. Others suggested doing a controlled interview,” Shah wrote.
In reply to her letter, Denis McDonough the Chief of Staff asked Shah to draft a defense for them to look into.
In the ensuing letter drafted by Shah, she wrote: “A presidential transition is always a time of wild rumors and unfounded gossip, so I’d like to set to rest a few baseless reports that have been circulating on the Internet.”
“First, I’ve never been affiliated – in any way, shape or form – with any Indian political party or similar group. To clear up one false rumor: I’ve never been affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or any such organization. I’ve never been involved in Indian politics, and never intend to do so,” Shah added.
“Second, my personal politics have nothing in common with the views espoused by such groups. I’ve always condemned any politics of division, of ethnic or religious hatred, of violence and intimidation as a political tool,” she further defended.
“Third, some Internet rumors have attempted to link me to Hindu nationalist groups through a variety of tenuous connections: Relief work I’m proud to have helped coordinate following the Gujarat earthquake of 2001, or cultural and religious affiliations of some of my family members, or apolitical humanitarian work… I have no ties to any such groups, and never have,” Shah explained.
Starting from April 2009 until August 2011, Shah served as the Director of Office of Social Innovations and Civic Participation in the White House.
NEW DELHI: India is steadily stitching up “white shipping” pacts with different countries for reciprocal exchange of information on merchant vessels to bolster its maritime domain awareness (MDA) and tackle threats emanating from the sea.
“Of the 29 countries and three multi-national const three multi-national constructs identified for the purpose, white shipping agreements have already been inked with 10-11 till now. The main focus is on our primary area of geopolitical interest stretching from Africa’s east coast to beyond the Malacca Strait,” said a defence ministry source. India, sitting astride several busy shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as it does, needs to develop “a holistic operational picture” of the seas around it to ensure it can detect, track and tackle both conventional and unconventional threats.
But while Navy, Coast Guard and other agencies try to keep track of “grey” (foreign warships) and “black” (illegal) ships through warships, patrol aircraft, drones, satellites and the like, the number of “white” or commercial ships is simply too large to be effectively monitored. As per one estimate, there are over one lakh large merchant vessels around the globe. This is where the “white shipping” pacts come into play, with countries exchanging AIS (automatic identification system) transponder data and other information on cargo vessels to mutually enhance their MDA. “No one country can keep the vast areas on the high seas under surveillance…some of the gaps can be plugged through such pacts to share real-time positional information. It can help in detection of threats away from our shores, providing us with enough reaction time to neutralise them,” said the source. Apart from countries like Japan and the US, India has gone in for such white shipping pacts with countries astride what it considers “choke-points” in the Indian Ocean Region.
In November last year, for instance, India finalized the sharing of commercial shipping information with Singapore and Malaysia during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to these countries next to the Malacca Strait and other crucial shipping lanes.
Washington: Irrespective of the outcome of the US presidential elections, India and the US must deepen military ties over the next few years, two senior Republican party members said. They also advocated that US must do away with its “outdated” export control policy that limits defence cooperation with India.
“The next American president must be ready to welcome Indians with open arms into the US rebalance,” wrote senior Republican members and Trump campaigners Puneet Ahluwalia and Alexander B Gray in the leading US publication ‘National Interest’.
Mr Ahluwalia – who is a member of the Asian Pacific American Advisory committee for the Trump campaign – and Mr Gray – who previously served on the US Armed Services committee – outlined the Republican foreign policy agenda. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is a front-runner in the US presidential elections.
“To begin with the American foreign policy establishment should begin referring to the ‘Indo-Pacific’ with greater regularity. This is not only an accurate description of the map on which the US and China will be competing, it is also an important rhetorical recognition of India’s strategic importance,” they said.
The next administration must reform the “antiquated” export control regime limiting defence cooperation between Washington and New Delhi, they advised.
“Such restrictions are hampering technology transfers and defence cooperation. The US has long castigated India for its byzantine bureaucracy; it is time the US fixed its own paperwork deficiencies to strengthen this relationship,” they said adding that a deeper relationship with India was important for the US to counter China’s growing belligerence in the region.
“While Beijing’s brinkmanship in the South and East China Seas and bullying behaviour towards US’ partners like Philippines, Japan, Australia and Singapore have most occupied Washington policymakers, there is another important but underused arrow available in the US quiver to fully implement the much-heralded ‘re-balance’ to Asia,” they wrote.
New Delhi: US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will address a rally of Hindu-Americans in New Jersey on October 15 and half of the proceedings from the event will be used for the benefit of Kashmiri Pandits.
The founder of Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) Shalabh Kumar today claimed that this is the first of its kind event where Mr Trump is scheduled to address only one specific ethnic community.
“…This is a charity concert organised for the benefit of terror victims in various countries…The 50 per cent of the proceeds from this concert will go for the benefit of Kashmiri Pandits in India,” Mr Kumar said.
Mr Kumar is also Chairman of Indian American Advisory Council to the Republican Party.
Chicago: An Indian-American Sikh has been made honorary police assistant in US to bridge gap and increase cooperation between policemen and community members in cases of hate crimes and discrimination.
Nanaksar Sikh Temple chief Baba Daljit Singh, 55, was sworn in as a new chaplain to serve the Rockford Police Department and the community.
Mr Singh, the first Sikh to be made honorary police assistant in Chicago, will bridge gap between policemen and community members in cases of hate crimes and discrimination.
“That is the important thing, we religious persons, spiritual persons, will tell the community, the people of Rockford, the police serves you,” he was quoted as saying by 13 WREX.com news website.
“My goal is to serve the humanity and deliver the message of Sikkhism in western community which are the need of the hour,” he said.
Mr Singh, who was administered the oath by chief of police Oshea, said it is important for religious leaders and police to work together for betterment of the community.
His duties include providing support and assistance to police officers, firefighters, other employees and their families during times of crisis.
Mr Singh will assist police officers and firefighters to communicate with victims when required.
The Chaplain Section of the police department also assists people in emergency-like situations.
Washington: An influential American lawmaker slammed Pakistan for continuing to provide “tacit and overt” support for terrorism and allowing terror outfits access into India as she pledged to work with other Congressional colleagues to cut back assistance to the country.
Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US House of Representatives, said Pakistan has “continued to allow terrorist organisations to operate within their borders, moving across borders and unchecked, allowing access into India”.
She said the recent terrorist attack in Uri which killed 19 Indian soldiers is deeply troubling.
“People within the Pakistani government continue to provide tacit and overt support for terrorism. This is not new – this pattern of attacks has been occurring now for the past 15 years, and it must end.”
“That’s why I’ve continued working in Congress to cut back US assistance for Pakistan and increase pressure on Pakistan to stop this violence. In the past, the US government took steps to increase pressure on Pakistan, and it’s time to revisit that approach,” Ms Gabbard, a two-term Congresswoman from Hawaii, said in a statement.
She said the Pakistan government must fully cooperate in the investigation of these attacks, take clear, verifiable actions to put an immediate stop to these cross border attacks, and prosecute all those responsible.
“We stand in solidarity with India in the face of these attacks and will continue to work together in this fight against terrorism,” she said.
Donald Trump failed to save his campaign in the crucial second presidential debate.
St Louis: Indian-Americans appeared split in their support for the two presidential candidates, with some favouring Republican nominee Donald Trump by calling him “aggresive” in his attack while others saying that the former secretary of state is more “experienced in governance”.
“Today’s Presidential debate was one of the spirited one,” said Mississippi-based Sampat Shivangi. “Trump was aggressive in attacking Clinton and she appeared subdued. The debate gave a new lease of life to Trump campaign, said Sampat Shivangi, the national president of Indian- American Forum for Political Education and a Republican delegate.
“But she did well on foreign policy discussions and came across as knowledgeable and command over the issues. Trump faltered on the policy matters. Next two days will decide the fate of Trump’s campaign as to how many more Republican Party leaders well abandon him. But today’s debate seems has given lease to his life,” Sampat Shivangi said.
“But one thing is certain come what may he will never quit the race as he has nothing to loose,” he added. “After tonight’s debate, I hope the Republican Hindu Coalition follows the lead of Senator John McCain and other Republican leaders and withdraws its support for Donald Trump,” Rajdeep Singh Jolly, a community leader who is campaigning against Mr Trump disagreed.
“Mr Trump is basically an entertainer, and I don’t believe we should give an entertainer access to nuclear weapons,” he said.
“Trump sidestepped his boorish videotaped comments by asserting: his was only “locker room” talk, while Bill Clinton actually did the bad deeds. Hillary, who clearly is well experienced in governance held sway, even as Wikileaks’ disclosed “public position” and “private position” petered out without being used to much consequence,” Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said.
“But, ultimately this election will come down to: if voters want more of the last few years, you have to vote for Hillary; but, as Trump said, if the voters want a fresh start they have to vote for him.
“Perhaps, most curious was that terror got treated as shopkeepers deal with shoplifting: better security, but essentially cost of doing business,” Mr Batra said.
Indian American, Shalabh Kumar of the Republican Hindu Coalition said Trump won the debate.
“Sixer in Cricket. Touch down in American Football. Home Run in Baseball. Phenomenal incredible WOW, what a night,” Mr Kumar said in a brief statement.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani-American has said that the second presidential debate has turned to be a “defining moment” for Mr Trump whose election campaign seemed to be over after surfacing of his lewd comments against women.
“Today’s speech was a defining moment for Donald Trump’s campaign,” said Pakistani-American Sajid Tarar, founder and head of the Muslim Americans for Mr Trump in a statement.
RICHMOND (KTVU) — A national group is urging that authorities pursue hate charges for two men who allegedly attacked a Richmond man apparently because of his religious beliefs.
The Sikh Coalition, a national group, sent a letter Friday to the Richmond police chief and the Contra Costa District Attorney, urging them to investigate the attack last month on Maan Singh Khalsa.
Khalsa, 41, is a member of the Sikh Center in El Sobrante and a U.S. citizen who works for the Social Security Agency.
Harsimran Kaur, the Sikh Coalition legal director, said Maan Singh Khalsa was attacked near the Hilltop Mall at Blume and Hilltop Drive about 9 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 25. He told police that a white Ford F-150 with as many as six men pulled up and someone threw a beer can at him. When he turned toward Interstate 80 and stopped at a light, he said the suspects approached the car and grabbed him through the window.
Authorities said Chase Little, 31, of Beaumont, Texas, and Dustin Albarado, 35, of Louisiana, were arrested in connection with the incident on felony assault charges. The two posted bail and were released. The Contra Costa County district attorney’s office has not yet said if it will pursue hate crime charges against the suspects.
“They started beating him in the face. They took a knife. His turban got knocked off. They ended up cutting off part of his hair. They said cut his f–ing hair,’” said Kaur, who says Khalsa received severe injuries.
Photos show him with a patch over one eye that is seen in another photo swollen shut. A third photo shows a blackened finger with stitches.
“He may need three root canals, his finger was severely cut by the knife,” Kaur said. “It may need to be amputated. He got a black eye and other cuts and bruises.”
The Sikh Center’s leaders say emotionally, too, is the pain of having one’s hair cut which violates Sikh beliefs.
“We are not supposed to cut our hairs ever. It’s one of our five articles of faith,” said Karanbir Singh, vice-president of the Sikh Center, who says the entire community is stunned.
“He is a very nice man, a very good man. He never fights with anybody,” said Tarlok Singh, a Sikh Center member, who was surprised to see his fellow worshiper’s injuries following the attack.
Khalsa called 911 during the assault and Richmond police arrested Little and Albarado.
“My concern is they said ‘cut his f—ing hair’. so I don’t understand why someone would say that unless that they were they were specifically targeting a person,” said Kaur, who added that Maan Singh Khalsa reported that there were other men in the truck who have not been arrested.
In another high level exit at Cisco, Indian American Zorawar Biri Singh is the latest to leave the networking giant in the midst of an internal exodus or restructuring.
In addition to being CTO, Singh was the senior vice president of cloud services and platforms — a crucial role, given that Cisco, like most vendors, considers the cloud crucial to its future success.
Unlike other departing executives, such as Senior Vice President Rob Soderbery, Singh was not part of Cisco’s old guard under former CEO John Chambers.
He and Chief Digital Officer Kevin Brandy arrived in mid-2015, hired from the outside by incoming CEO Chuck Robbins.
Since the beginning of this year, a few highly visible executives have announced their departures from Cisco. The list includes Soderbery, who ran Cisco’s enterprise business; Kelly Ahuja, senior vice president of the service provider business; and Pankaj Patel, chief development officer.
In addition, the quartet of Mario Mazzola, Prem Jain, Luca Cafiero, and Soni Jiandani have also resigned. They were responsible for three successful spin-ins, including Insieme, the startup that developed Cisco’s Application-Centric Infrastructure (ACI).
In August, Cisco announced layoffs of 5,500, part of a plan to shift priorities to areas such as security, the Internet of Things (IoT), and the cloud.
Cisco confirmed to CRN that Singh, Cisco’s CTO and senior vice president of Cloud Services and Platforms, is leaving due to the company’s evolving engineering strategy.
“Earlier this week, we announced to employees an updated alignment of our engineering teams. We believe these changes will help us simplify our development efforts and accelerate delivery of value for our customers. As a result of these changes, Zorawar Biri Singh will leave Cisco at the end of October,” a Cisco spokesperson wrote to CRN in an emailed statement.
Following the Uri attacks, the tension between India and Pakistan have worsened and India is upfront to seal the Indo-Pak border to safeguard the interest of India and the lives of its defense personnel.
“The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has set a target to seal the Indo-Pakistan border by December 2018. The action plan is time bound.” Said India’s Home Minister, Rajnath Singh.
The Home Minister told that there will be proper monitoring of the action plan and he will ensure nothing goes against the plan to seal the Indo-Pak border by Dec 21, 2018.
“There is a new concept keeping in mind border security, which is the border security grid. Border security related stakeholders will be part of it. In the meeting, the state governments gave their suggestions and based on this the border security grid will be given final shape,” Singh added on his meeting to focus on monitoring mechanism and to complete the plan within the deadline
Carefully monitoring will be done at riverine locations such as Sir Creek and advanced technological solutions will be introduced to sealing the border and halt terror activities that keeps brewing on the different side of the border.
Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minster brought attention to the land of famers across the border, and the problem of drugs and arm smuggling that’s weakening Punjab’s youth and damaging the entire image of the state.
On the other side, Rajasthan CM Vasundra Raje also drew attention to some serious issues including one integrated Check Post to establish at Muunabao to provide more security and protection in case of emergency.
The aftermath of Uri and Baramulla attack will lead to serious consequences because India is not in the mood to stay silent.
Mr. Singh requested all the citizens to have faith in the armed forces that’s safeguarding the nation with their lives on the stake.
Islamabad: Shortly after Lt General Ranbir Singh, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), announced at a press conference that India has carried out surgical strikes across Line of Control targeting terror launchpads, Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif has criticized India sharply for their behavior. Mr Sharif has said that this is a direct attack on tourism industry in Pakistan and it will not be tolerated.
Thought from Pakistan: Such is our infamy that whenever there is a lunatic who blows himself up in a foreign land, we wait anxiously, our fingers crossed, hoping that the perpetrator is not one of us. Our country accounts for more suicide bombings than Iraq or Afghanistan and has more than its fair share of sectarian and other hate crimes.
We keep blowing up our schools so that our girls don’t get an education, keep silencing our moderates who preach tolerance and keep living in the false belief that the world is out to get us. The fact is that for most of the rest of the world, which in any case is moving ahead, we are not more than a headache that refuses to go away.
Tensions have been high across LoC after the terror attack in Uri earlier this month and now India has responded by striking on terror launchpads on the other side of LoC.
“First they came for our agriculture by reviewing Indus Water Treaty, then they came for our manufacturing by reviewing MFN status, and now they are directly attacking our tourism industry by targeting the terror camps. Terrorists from all over the world come to Pakistan to enjoy our hospitality. Now India wants to scare them away through such attacks, this is an act of war”, Pakistani PM Mr Sharif said at a press conference.
“We suffered huge losses when our esteemed guests like Osama Bin Laden, Mullah Mohammed Omar and Mullah Akhtar Mansour etc were killed inside Pakistan. However, USA pays us more than what we earn through terror tourism so we didn’t make much noise about our losses then, India to paise bhi nahin de raha humein. We worked hard and somehow managed to rebuild our industry and convinced terrorists that we are still a safe and enjoyable place to visit. However, this direct strike by India really jeopardizes things and hurts our economy”, Mr Sharif added.
When someone asked whether Pakistan is preparing any response to the surgical strikes by India, Mr Sharif said,”That is a question for the wrong Sharif, I don’t decide things here.”
Except for the comment the article was first published by First Post and is a satire or Fake News
Ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to India, China on Monday said it is “ready” for talks with India on its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), but defended extending a hold on India’s bid for a UN ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar, saying Beijing is opposed to anyone making “political gains in the name of counter-terrorism”.
Briefing media here on Xi’s visit to India this week to take part in the BRICS Summit in Goa, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong again harped on the need to build consensus over the admission of new members in the 48-member NSG.
Asked if any progress on the issue of India’s admission into NSG can be expected in the meeting between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Li said NSG rules stipulate consensus among the members to admit new ones.
“These rules are not to be decided by China alone. On the issue, China and India have maintained good communication and we are ready to continue consultations with India to build consensus and we also hope India can go to other members of the NSG as well,” Li said replying to a question on China’s reservations on India’s admission to the elite nuclear trading club.
“In this aspect, we are also ready for discussions with India to explore possibilities but things need to be in keeping up with procedures, norms and regulations of the NSG. On this issue, China position is consistent. That is why China has often said international law must be observed,” he said.
Xi will travel to Goa to attend the BRICS Summit scheduled to be held on October 15-16. The BRICS grouping consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
While India has blamed one country, without naming China, for stalling its membership in the NSG, both the countries held talks recently to iron out differences.
After talks with India, China also has held similar talks with Pakistan, which also applied for membership in the influential grouping.
Replying to a question on criticism about China’s move to stall India’s bid for a UN ban on Azhar – head of Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad, Li sought to justify Beijing’s recent technical hold in the matter, saying: “China is opposed to all forms of terrorism.”
“There should be no double standards on counter- terrorism. Nor should one pursue own political gains in the name of counter-terrorism,” he said in a veiled reference to India, which is pressing for the UN ban against Azhar over his role in the Pathankot terror attack.
China had announced the extension of its “technical hold” on India’s bid to get Azhar designated as a terrorist by the UN on October 1, days before it was to expire. The hold can continue for upto three months more.
During today’s briefing, Li said counter-terrorism cooperation will figure in the BRICS Summit.
“On counter-terrorism, it is an important area for cooperation among BRICS members for political security.
Cooperation on this front will enhance BRICS communication and coordination and will contribute to world peace and security. That is quite obvious,” he said.
He said BRICS Foreign Ministers reached agreement on counter-terrorism during their meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly last month.
“We hope and believe that this Goa summit will build on the past consensus and continue to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism and other issues of political security and contribute to world peace and security,” he said. —PTI
Since Ravi Batra is well known to be deeply involved in the Diwali stamp project from the day of the germination of the idea some seven years ago and his enormous effort along with his wife, for bringing to Indians the proud gift of a Diwali stamp, we thought it worthwhile to speak to him how he looked at the Diwali Stamp saga. The man who is always in a hurry because of his fingers in many pies, did not disappoint. The only favor he asked was that we send him our questions and he would email his answers. He kept his promise. Here are the questions and their answers.
Q. What do you feel about the realization of a dream project?
The goodness, the purity, the beauty of Diwali diya were so beautifully woven together with lustrous colors in the Diwali Stamp USPS unveiled, October 5, in the presence of exultant Indian American community, politicians, lawmakers, officials, media and the USPS staff at the Indian Consulate in New York. The gorgeous stamp is the result of the imagination and artistic touch of a triumvirate. The diya was photographed by Sally Anderson Bruce of New Milford, CT. The stamp was designed by Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, VA. And William J. Gicker of Washington DC was the Art Director of the Project Diwali Stamp.
Photos/ Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
RAVI: Seven years ago, I thought Ranju was crazy when she came to me and said she wants to get a Diwali stamp – so that our religion, Hinduism, is also recognized as American; I mean that her goal was great and laudatory, but the vehicle of achieving it at such a mass level of a Diwali stamp was a most difficult goal. It was no less difficult than making the first lunar landing by Neil Armstrong in Apollo 11. You will recall the Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk the moon on July 20, 1969. They had NASA; Ranju only had me to achieve this fabulous, but most difficult goal. After Ranju was already doing Petitions on this for a year or two, she and I said down and discussed all of our dear friends in Congress: because we decided that this social goal needed both grassroots support, which Ranju was spearheading, and a political leader who would partner with Ranju and provide national political leadership – and Carolyn Maloney agreed, and became a tireless advocate as Ranju was relentless at the grassroots level.
Upon the realization of the Diwali stamp yesterday, I was so overcome by this unique and massive acknowledgment: every small Hamlet, village and town across America was tied into one nation by the United States Postal Service – and now, for all time hereafter, in fact forever, Diwali stamp will grace every post office counter and will serve to welcome every American who’s ancestry or faith connect them to India or Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism.
The role of the United States Postal Service is not merely to give United States attorneys like Preet Bharara near universal jurisdiction due to “mail fraud,” rather, its role was to stitch each neighborhood, each community, each Hamlet, each village, town, city and state from sea to shining sea into one nation – what our Stars&Stripes does as a symbol, the USPS did in-fact since its founding.
So, I felt like Buzz Aldrin right behind my very own Ranju, Neil Armstrong, with our dear friend Carolyn Maloney as the Apollo spaceship. I am deeply touched and relish that just as our dear Pope Francis said, both Caroline and postmaster general Megan Brennan actually did: show respect for another person’s religion. So for all the people who wonder why America is the best nation on earth and why we are exceptional, they need look no further than Ranju’s journey to our Diwali stamp!
Q. Mrs. Batra spent a lot of time and energy for that. How did you feel then?
RAVI: Well knowing Ranju, even though she’s quiet and humble, her determination knows no limits. I have watched her work until three and 4 o’clock in the morning at home on the computer designing different types of paper petitions, and various and sundry he acts and ideas that she tried during her journey. On a few occasions, I may have yelled at her to shut off the light because it was 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning and I had to be in court and that she was interrupting my sleep working on her impossible dream.
She would make visits to Washington with our miracle daughter, Angela, our son, Neil now lawyer, getting support from other members of Congress for Carolyn’s House resolutions in support of the Diwali Stamp. In fact, I personally assisted in getting the powerful Eliot Engel, Ranker on the foreign affairs committee and who got chairman Ed Royce, co-chair of the India caucus. I especially enjoyed getting the support of the civil rights giant, our nation’s soulful Conscience, John Lewis, who marched with Martin Luther King and excitedly telling Carolyn that our office should follow up for his support. Of course, we have support from our local members of Congress such as Grace Meng, Gregory Meeks, Nita Lowey to name a few.
Q.What can we do to popularize the stamp in our community?
Ravi Batra, the man behind the woman, Ranju Batra who dared to dream and realized her dream. The enormous leg work he did won him the happiness of his beloved wife. What else could a man desire!
RAVI: After Carolyn and Ranju announced on August 23 at City Hall that the Diwali stamp was going to be issued and the dream was being realized, Ranju reached out to Air India and spoke to the regional manager, Vandana Sharma. Given Air India’s support of the Diwali Stamp Project, and Ranju’s hyper activity, the stamp did not have to crawl, walk, and then run.
Instead, it was airborne just by the pre-sales done by the Diwali stamp project in partnership with the Air India, such that the Diwali Stamp on the First Day is already USPS’s bestseller! So, my hat off to Ranju’s idea and Air India support, to make the Diwali stamp the best in Postal Service history as our community’s very big and very real “thank you” to postmaster general Megan Brennan and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.
Q.Was the long fight for the stamp worth it?
RAVI: Over 100 years ago on the West Coast, retail establishments after taking down the sign No Irish Need Apply, or Nina, new signs had gone up: no Indians and dogs allowed. So for all those honest and hard-working Indian-Americans who suffered quietly with insult and shame, it is very worth it. for us, currently living, which includes Harinder Bains, the man who IDeed the Chelsea Bomber, and for every other person who celebrates Diwali, it is worth it.
But best of all, for children yet unborn, who feel some connection to our faiths or India, they belong in our full fledged Americans-is only the United States Postal Service can make you. Next to the American passport the next most important American document is the American stamp. No, all of us have both! This is bigger than President Barack Obama being hugged by prime minister Modi on the tarmac in New Delhi, and both prime minister Modi and president Obama supported Ranju’s Diwali stamp impossible dream.
Q.Postal service is gradually being outdated or replaced with email. What do we gain other than a symbolic achievement?
RAVI: Contrary to conventional wisdom, the United States Postal Service even now delivers more than 40% of the world’s mail. The Postal Service, with its post office is all across our nation, and each letter carrier who goes to every single homerun every single neighborhood across our Great Land is the single biggest distribution system in business. All I know is at the Diwali Stamp is already a profitable bestseller for the United States Postal Service from a most overjoyed and grateful community: all of us. Our pride in the Diwali Stamp will be forever, just like the Forever Diwali stamp.
I was already 100% proud of being an American long before Ranju spoke to me of getting Diwali stamp; now, however, I feel that we have made Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism an American Religion – just like Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The equal protection clause of the Constitution has been honored now in full measure, and forever more, and by so doing, we have helped to form a more perfect union as Thomas Jefferson decreed.
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“We suffered huge losses when our esteemed guests like Osama Bin Laden, Mullah Mohammed Omar and Mullah Akhtar Mansour etc were killed inside Pakistan. However, USA pays us more than what we earn through terror tourism so we didn’t make much noise about our losses then, India to paise bhi nahin de raha humein. We worked hard and somehow managed to rebuild our industry and convinced terrorists that we are still a safe and enjoyable place to visit. However, this direct strike by India really jeopardizes things and hurts our economy”, Mr Sharif added.
