LONDON (TIP): Prime Minister Theresa on May 29 and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn faced tough questions and a skeptical audience in a live TV event May night ahead of next week’s parliamentary elections.
It was not a debate, but did air policy and stylistic differences between the two foes. They did not appear together but were questioned separately by members of the audience and by aggressive interviewer Jeremy Paxman.
The June 8 election pits May, the Conservative Party leader who opposed Brexit before the referendum last June but now favors it, against Corbyn, who has alienated many longtime Labour supporters with his hard-left views.
The “Battle for Number 10” show broadcast on Sky News and Channel 4 brought the two prime contenders together in the same studio at the same time, but they did not appear together at any point. Voters are not likely to get a true debate before the vote.
Facing harsh questioning from Paxman, one of Britain’s best known TV journalists, May defended her about-face on Brexit. She rebuffed his repeated attempts to get her to say whether she now thinks leaving the European Union is a good idea, saying only that the British voters have decided and that she is determined to get the best deal possible.
“We are doing the right thing in making a success of Brexit,” she said, vowing to maintain her reputation as a “bloody difficult woman” during talks with European Union leaders if her party wins the election and keeps power. But Paxman set the tone by saying that if he were an EU negotiator who had observed all her recent flip flops, he would think of her as a “blowhard who collapses at the first sound of gunfire.”
May often found herself on the defensive as audience members grilled her on cuts to the police, National Health Service and education, and a so-called “dementia tax” that might make it harder for elderly Britons to pass on their property to their heirs.
At one point a heckler yelled, “You’ve clearly failed.” Corbyn did not enjoy smooth sailing either, with Paxman making numerous accusations and typically cutting Corbyn off before he could reply. Paxman challenged Corbyn’s refusal to denounce the Irish Republican Army and his having met with Hamas officials and suggested the Labour leader would seek to abolish the monarchy if his party triumphed.
Corbyn said getting rid of Britain’s constitutional monarchy is “certainly not on my agenda.” He said he was fighting the election for “social justice” and to reduce poverty, not to change the law regarding the monarch. (AP)
LONDON (TIP): Mosques have refused to bury the body of Manchester-born suicide bomber Salman Abedi who blew himself up at a concert last week killing 22 people. The city’s authorities are reportedly doing “everything in their power” to stop the 22-year-old Libyan-origin bomber’s cremation, burial in any way in the Greater Manchester area, the Metro reported today.
Councils, funeral directors and Mosques in Manchester have refused to bury Abedi’s body. It has emerged that his corpse is currently being held in a morgue outside the city. Twenty-two people were killed and dozens injured after the bomber struck following a concert by American singer Ariana Grande.
Over 50 of the injured people were still admitted in eight hospitals. A total of 16 people have been arrested in connection with the investigation. Three have been released while 13 still remain in custody.
A moment of silence was held in Manchester’s St Ann’s Square after hundreds of mourners paid an emotional tribute to the victims of the suicide bombing on Monday, exactly a week after the attack.
CAST: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland
DIRECTION: James Gray
GENRE: Adventure
DURATION: 2 hours 21 minutes
STORY
Set in the early 1900s, ‘The Lost City of Z’ tells the story of Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) and his unexpected discovery – proof of an ancient South American civilization, in this biographical drama directed by James G.
REVIEW
Creating a biographical action-adventure drama understandably presents a lot of challenges, namely: staying true to the historical figure being depicted, and to the series of events in his life that make him distinctive enough for a biopic.
Director James Gray chooses to tell Percy Fawcett’s story from his early days as a British officer, his interactions with the Royal Geographical Society, his voyages into the Amazon forest, his service during WWI – all interspersed between his personal life and the relationships with his family. At first, Percy’s motivations appear to be an attempt to ‘restore his family name’, gradually evolving into something much grander and altruistic. If this appears to be a lot to juggle between – you’re onto something.
It’s not unusual for biopics to paint across the vast canvas of a person’s life, but James Gray could have benefitted by penning a tauter, leaner screenplay. The film feels stretched out at over two and a half hours, and wouldn’t be as hard to sit through if the lead character’s evolution was depicted with some charisma to elevate the protagonist’s passion and motivation. Charlie Hunnam adds ample substance to Fawcett, but key elements of his persona – his drive, and curiosity to discover a new civilization, and the conflict faced by leaving his family behind on each journey, don’t come across as profoundly as intended. Hunnam is surrounded by a more versatile cast – Sienna Miller as his wife Nina and (surprise) Robert Pattinson as fellow explorer Henry Costin, each have moments that shine, although it is Tom Holland as his son Jack who adds more emotional weight towards the end.
There are memorable moments even if the film fails to build on them to keep the momentum going, and to justify such a bloated runtime. Gorgeous cinematography and inspired performances are thrown off by clunky editing to make ‘The Lost City of Z’ an unbalanced, but fascinating watch.
Actress Emma Watson reportedly wants to break tradition and propose to her partner William ‘Mack’ Knight. “Emma and Mack have been telling a select few of their friends that they feel ready to take their relationship to the next step and get engaged.
Emma is really thrilled and happy – he’s been a great support to her and has been a wonderful boyfriend,”
“But being so passionate about gender equality in her career has really opened her up to a new way of thinking about the traditional roles that men and women play, specifically when it comes to marriage.”
“Emma has been telling friends she wants to be the one to propose to him and break tradition. She doesn’t see why it should be such a big deal and wants to encourage more women and young girls to think differently,” the source added.
The 27-year-old actress is planning a “quirky and unique” proposal, but even though she hasn’t asked the tech entrepreneur to be her husband yet, they are already making wedding plans. Source: IANS
The A-list movie star released a statement via Facebook on Wednesday afternoon, claiming that she did not pose for or authorize People magazine’s latest cover story detailing her divorce from Ben Affleck.
“It has been brought to my attention that there is a People magazine cover and article out today that appear to be coming from me,” Garner wrote. “It isn’t unusual for me to receive calls from loved ones thinking I forgot to tell them I am pregnant–with twins!–(Geez Louise), but those are so ridiculous they’re easy to ignore.”
The proud mom-of-three continued, “This isn’t a tragedy by any measure, but it does affect me and my family and so, before my mom’s garden club lights up her phone, I wanted to set the record straight.” “I did not pose for this cover. I did not participate in or authorize this article,”
Garner shared. “While we are here, for what it’s worth: I have three wonderful kids and my family is complete.” “Have a beautiful day,” the Miracles From Heaven star concluded. “Love, Jen.” Garner officially filed for divorce from Affleck in mid-April after 10 years as husband and wife. The former couple filed the petition and response together, requesting joint legal and physical custody of Violet, 11, Seraphina, 8, and Samuel, 5.
“It’s been a hard few months but you would never know,” an insider recently told E! News of how the celebrity is moving forward after the split. “Jen always has her head up high and a smile on her face. She does a great job of keeping it together for the kids.” Source: Eonline.com
Sachin Tendulkar plays himself in this sports-docudrama that traces the life and times of one of the world’s biggest cricket phenomenas.?
REVIEW
When the protagonist has been the collective voice and conscience of India’s cricketing history, then he’s a tough subject to make a film on. Naturally, James Erskine puts Sachin on a pedestal and tells the story with an unnatural amount of reverence.
It’s a treat to get a peek into Sachin’s childhood. And it’s also a fan-shriek moment to see footage of him in his personal space, looped to Dire Straits and Bappi Lahiri with his wife Anjali, his children—Arjun and Sara, his family and friends.
The fact that Sachin is the sutradhar(narrator)who walks the viewer through his victories and injuries is an additional bonus.
Tendulkar fanatics can also feel the adrenaline rush because the film revisits his introduction to the world—yes, the time when he hit Pakistan’s Abdul Qadir for four sixes in one over at the 1989 Exhibition Match. And yet another indelible memory revisited here, is the one in which he reduced Australia’s Shane Warne into a punching bag in the 1998 Chennai test against the Aussies. His achievements are far too many to be accommodated in one film! Cynics may argue that YouTube has it all, but for those whom Sachin is an emotion, watching this footage on the big screen and without constantly having to hit the search button, the experience is priceless.
But, wait there’s a flip side too. Most controversies around the cricketing God are glossed over. Many of us (me included) die-hard Sachin fans are ready to face the fact that our icon may have displayed feet of clay on occasion. However, the film doesn’t take chances. Sachin’s poor performances in some key matches and his reluctance to comment on some of his boorish seniors are just touched on fleetingly.
The hagiographic narrative continues with commentators, critics and colleagues–Dhoni, Kohli, Ganguly, Sehwag and Harbhajan are (sigh!) only eulogizing the Little Master.
Vidya Balan is all set to don the hat of an RJ once more in her upcoming movie ‘Tumhari Sulu’. Off late Bollywood movies have been rehashing the blockbuster hit songs from the 90s and presenting it to the audience with a modern twist.
Vidya Balan will be seen recreating Sridevi’s iconic dance number from the movie ‘Mr India’ Hawa Hawaii. Along with Vidya, her co-star Neha Dhupia will also be seen shaking a leg for the song.
Talking about it, the director of the film, Suresh Triveni told a leading tabloid, ” Music plays an important role in our film as it is set in the world of radio. The song isn’t just a promotional track. It appears at an important point in the story. “
He further added, ” Vidya’s Sulu is a big fan of Sridevi and we wanted to pay a true tribute to the original, reviving it in its full glory. “
Speaking about the rehearsal of the song, Suresh said, ” Vidya and Neha will start rehearsing in a week and we will shoot the final song sometime in mid-June. It will have the right balance of the original’s charm and a contemporary vibe. ” Suresh also spoke about the looks of the actors in the song. He said, ” You might see some glimpses in terms of the moves, but the look will be our interpretation of the original visuals. We haven’t zeroed down on the final look yet though.
Priyanka Chopra is being trolled relentlessly since pictures of her meeting with PM Narendra Modi in Berlin hit the internet.
Reason?
She wore a knee-length white dress and sat cross-legged in front of the Prime Minister! The sight of her bare legs seems to have caused more distress to the sanskaari people than that of a man begging for his life moments before being lynched by a mob, thanks to rumours about him being a child abducter.
However, Priyanka shut trolls down in style. She posted a picture of herself with her mom, both showing off their legs in short dresses, and captioned it, ‘Legs for days’. Classy? Yeah. Sassy? You bet!
For the trolls though, no amount of clap back seems to have any effect. Take the case of Monali Thakur, who was shamed by a woman for wearing a short dress.
The singer shut her down by giving a very detailled description of what her bare legs can achieve with a kick. When Disha Patani found herself at the receiving end of trolls for her choice of outfit, she made it clear that women were not ready to go by anybody’s idea of an ‘Indian girl’. And singer
Abhijeet’s Twitter account was suspended for a second time after he made derogatory comments about women. And yet, the tsunami of sanskaar rages on.
Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness. Today it is practiced in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity.
Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11 December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga by resolution 69/131. The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.
Yoga is more than just burning your calories and toning your muscles. It is a mind body workout where you have strengthening and stretching poses along with deep breathing techniques to relax your mind and body There are more than 100 different forms of yoga. Some are fast paced and intense. Others are gentle and relaxing. Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being. The word yoga literally means union. Through yoga you can explore profoundly the very mechanics of life.
International Day of Yoga at Times Square, New York
The fact is that yoga is a way of life. While all the other exercises take care of your physical conditions, yoga helps you to control your mind and body. There are various yoga postures or asanas that help you to keep your body fit and healthy. Pranayama or breathing exercise helps you to rejuvenate your mind and soul. It is said you should begin your day with pranayama and it helps you to think better and stay calm and peaceful. Sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diet and stress – all these lead to various diseases. Yoga teaches you to control all these through exercises.
Launching a particular date for practicing yoga all across the world and celebrating as yoga day was initiated by the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi. In a yoga day essay for students, it is important to mention that international day of yoga which is also called as the world yoga day is celebrated on the 21st of June. The declaration was done after the call by the Indian Prime Minister to the United Nations General Assembly on 27th of September in 2014 during his address to the UN General Assembly.
International Day of Yoga at the Queens Museum in 2016.
The celebration of the event international day of yoga is supported by various global leaders. More than 170 countries including USA, China, Canada took part in this event which was celebrated for the first time on the 21st of Jan 2015. It was celebrated on international level by organizing the activities like yoga training campus, yoga competitions and so many activities to enhance your awareness about the innumerable benefits that you can derive by practicing yoga on a daily basis. This event is celebrated to create the awareness of the wholesome effects of yoga among the public all over the world.
Thus it can be concluded as; meditation or ‘dhyana’ teaches you how to discipline your mind. Through a systematic practice of yoga, you can overcome your negative thinking which in turn gives you confidence and enhances your mental power. This increases self-awareness and helps you to increase your attention and concentration; hence yoga is suitable for children also.
The first International Day of Yoga was observed world over on 21 June 2015. … 35,985 people, including Narendra Modi and a large number of dignitaries from 84 nations, performed 21 yoga asanas (postures) for 35 minutes at Rajpath in New Delhi.
The declaration of international day of yoga is a great moment for India. It took less than three months to be declared as the world yoga day by the United Nations general assembly. Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had called for it on 27th of September in 2014 which was finally declared on 11th of December in 2014. It was first ever in the history that the initiative of any country has been proposed and implemented in the UN body within 90 days. This resolution has been adopted under the global health and foreign policy by the general assembly in order to provide a holistic approach to you for your health and well-being.
International Day of Yoga at the United Nations in 2016
Official name of this day is UN International Yoga Day and also called as Yoga Day. It is a worldwide event celebrated by all countries through practicing yoga, meditation, debates, meetings, discussions, variety of cultural performances, etc.
Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi has put his views for adopting a day especially for yoga while addressing to the United Nations General Assembly. He asked the world leaders for adopting international yoga day to deal with the declining health because of negative climate changes. Especially, he suggested 21st of June for adopting the international day of yoga as this day is the longest day in northern hemisphere regions as well as of great significance in many parts of the world.
Yoga is a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation.
The Myriad Benefits of Yoga are:
Yoga is very necessary and beneficial for you if it is practiced on a daily basis in the morning. It is a combined workout of the mind and body which enhances your brain functions, reduces stress and rejuvenates your body and soul.
Yoga is beneficial for the mental, physical and emotional development of children. In this world of fierce competition, yoga helps to reduce stress and tension.
It helps you to gain flexibility, manage stress, improves posture, memory and concentration.
Apart from these benefits, yoga also helps in flexibility of spine, induces relaxation and strengthens lower back.
Thus on a final note, yoga helps you to achieve the perfect harmony between your mind, body and soul. It drives away all negativity from your system and promotes in the achievement of a healthy and a happy life.
MADRID/NEW DELHI (TIP): India and Spain on Wednesday stressed that there should be “zero tolerance” to terrorism and called on the international community to end “selective or partial” approaches in combating the menace which poses the gravest threat to international peace and stability.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Spain since 1992, met the European country’s top leaders and they stressed that states and entities which encourage, support, finance terrorism, provide sanctuary to terrorists and glorify terrorism should be subjected to international laws including restrictive measures. The prime minister held wide-ranging talks with President of the Spanish government Mariano Rajoy at the Moncloa Palace and invited Spanish firms to invest in India which offers “many opportunities” for them in various fields.
After the talks, the two sides signed seven agreements, including pacts on transfer of sentenced persons and visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports.
Five MoUs were signed between the two countries on cooperation in organ transplantation, cyber security, renewable energy, civil aviation and one between India’s Foreign Service Institute and Diplomatic Academy of Spain. The two sides also issued a joint statement in which the two leaders welcomed the recent positive developments in bilateral trade and investment partnership, buoyed by the positive economic outlook in both countries and called for stronger ties between the businesses of the two countries.
Spain is the 12th largest investor in India and the seventh largest trading partner in the EU. There are more than 200 Spanish companies in India that are actively involved in road construction projects, railways, wind power, water desalination, defense and smart cities.
CHANDIGARH (TIP): Despite more than 1.4 lakh students in Class X and XII failing in English this year, the Punjab Education Department is on its way to introduce English as the medium of instruction in at least 400 government schools, which are yet to be picked. The department has moved a proposal for budgetary provisions for the same.
“Back-to-back meetings are being held to implement the proposal. Parents prefer private schools only because these have English as the medium of instruction,” explained
Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary, clarifying the students could opt for English or Punjabi as the medium of instruction. “Separate sections will be carved out for both,” she said.
Pointing out that 77,000 (24 per cent) Class XII students and 70,000 (21 per cent) Class X students had flunked the English exam this year, DS Punia, general secretary, Democratic Teachers’ Front, said: “Only those nations imparting education in their mother tongue are doing well.
Hence, Punjabi must remain the medium of instruction.” Opposing the move, Akali leader Tota Singh, who as Education Minister had made English compulsory from Class I, said: “Our decision to introduce English as a subject at the primary level, while retaining Punjabi as the medium of instruction, was an effort to save the Punjabi language.
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to redraw its strategy for contesting the Gujarat assembly elections, which is scheduled to be held later this year, and take a few steps back in favour of consolidating its position in Delhi and Punjab.
Just five months ago, the party launched an elaborate exercise in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state to spread its reach and contest the polls there as a direct challenge to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Its plan was to go all out in the western state, with senior leaders including Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia put in charge of different zones to oversee election preparations. The change in course will be discussed at the meeting of the party’s national executive – the highest. executive body of AAP comprising around two dozen top leaders – on Sunday, an AAP leader said.
This is the first such meeting after the Delhi municipal polls and the last round of assembly elections in which the AAP fell way short of its expectations of forming a government in Punjab and making electoral gains in Goa.
A series of crises, including infighting in the Delhi and Punjab units, have hit the party since. The last meeting of the NE was held in April 2016.
“A final decision on Gujarat will be taken in a meeting of those involved with the party’s expansion in the state with Arvind Kejriwal next week. It is now a question of how many seats to fight in the assembly elections there,” a party leader privy to the deliberations so far said.
Kejriwal, the party’s national convenor, has called the meeting on June 6. Before that, the party’s top leaders will deliberate on the change in course.
A senior leader said that the consensus within the party brass is to go slow on Gujarat, and therefore the national expansion plan, and look at “consolidating our position in Delhi and Punjab.” “Gujarat is no longer our priority.
Regaining lost ground in Delhi is of utmost importance. Punjab has given us a good opportunity by making us the principal opposition party. We need to build on that,” he added. Source: HT
NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW (TIP): Veteran BJP leaders LK Advani, MM Joshi, Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti, BJP MP Vinay Katiyar, VHP’s Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and Sadhvi Rithambara and six others will stand trial for criminal conspiracy in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case, with a special CBI court on May 31 (Tuesday) framing charges against them.
The trial under the serious criminal conspiracy charge will commence against them from Wednesday, after having been dropped by the trial court in 2001. The verdict was upheld by the Allahabad High Court in 2010. However, the Supreme Court ordered restoration of conspiracy charge against them on April 19 after the CBI approached it for the same. The charge of conspiracy is in addition to the existing charges against them for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion for which they are already facing trial.
The Congress, meanwhile, demanded the resignation of Bharti and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to uphold the law and the Constitution. “One of the accused, Uma Bharti is a Union Cabinet Minister. Having been charge sheeted, she must resign. The Prime Minister must come forward and uphold the rule of law and the Constitution,” AICC incharge of communications Randeep Surjewala said. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu claimed the BJP leaders accused in the case were “innocent” and will emerge “unscathed”.
The accused, who spent nearly three hours in the court on Tuesday, had sought discharge for the offence of criminal conspiracy, which the judge rejected.
Before Advani reached the court, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met him at the VVIP guest house in Lucknow. Just before appearing in the court, Uma Bharti said, “I was present in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, which is no secret. Crores of BJP workers, lakhs of officials and thousands of political leaders participated. It was an open movement like the movement against the Emergency. I don’t see any conspiracy.”
All six were granted bail by CBI Special Judge SK Yadav on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each after rejecting the CBI’s opposition to their bail plea.
The court will resume hearing on Wednesday. Claiming that even Muslims now wanted construction of a Ram Temple at Ayodhya, BJP MP from Unnao Shakshi Maharaj, who was in Lucknow in connection with the case, told The Pioneer, that no power on earth could stop the construction of the temple at Ram Janma bhoomi.
Reacting to the chargesheet, Vinay Katiyar demanded that SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav should also be made an accused in the Babri mosque demolition case because he has given a statement that he had ordered the police to open fire in which 16 people were killed.
“This statement is a confession and action should be taken against him,” he told reporters.
Besides the six, conspiracy charges were also framed against Ramvilas Vedanti, Baikunth Lal Sharma, Champat Rai Bansal, Mahant Nritya Gopaldas, Dharam Das and Satish Pradhan, all of whom were allegedly present when the mosque was pulled down.
Judge Yadav passed two orders, one for grant of bail and the other for framing of charges. The accused are also facing charges of having made assertions “prejudicial to national integration and injuring or defiling a place of worship”.
The other charges against them include indulging in “deliberate and malicious” acts intended to outrage religious feelings, uttering statements leading to public mischief, rioting and unlawful assembly. The maximum punishment upon conviction after restoration of the conspiracy charge could be up to five years in jail or a fine or both, according to a lawyer who attended the proceedings.The counsel for the accused argued against the framing of charges and pleaded not guilty, saying they had no role in the razing of the mosque.
? BJP’s Meghalaya unit office-bearer Bernard Marak, who had announced a beef party in his hometown to celebrate Modi’s three years in office, quit over new cow-slaughter rules alleging these violated culture of indigenous people
“I quit the party as it is trying to impose its ideology on us. What’s wrong if we planned to celebrate the third anniversary in our traditional way?” Marak was quoted as saying
? BJP leaders, however, say they are not worried because the beef-eating population in the country is only around 2%
NEW DELHI/TARAKESHWAR (TIP): The row over beef eating and cattle trade kept the political cauldron astir today despite Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s attempt to calm frayed tempers by insisting the new Central notification will not interfere with state laws on slaughtering animals.
Following several days of protests, particularly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Jaitley told a press conference in New Delhi that the ban imposed by the Centre on sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter had nothing to do with state legislations.
The animal markets are meant for farmers and not for traders, he said, adding that “This is the only effect of the notification.”
“Every state has its own legislation or no legislation (with regard to slaughter of cattle). You have provision in the Constitution Article 48 (Directive Principles) which says that certain category of animals have to be protected,” Jaitley said.
Prohibition of cow slaughter mentioned in Article 48 of the Constitution is not an enforceable Article, but a Directive Principle of State Policy. West Bengal’s feisty Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been at the forefront of the Opposition’s attack on the ban, added a new twist to the row, claiming the Centre was planning to omit buffalo from the ambit of its notification to favour “certain people close to BJP” involved in trade of its meat. “Some people close to the BJP are involved in the buffalo meat trade and that is why, they (Centre) are planning to allow the slaughter of buffaloes,” she told a public meeting in Tarakeshwar in West Bengal.
Assailing vigilantism in the name of cow protection, she said, “The BJP has got only 29 per cent of the votes, but they are trying to bulldoze the masses. Who are they to decide what one will eat? Who are they to decide what one will wear It is a matter of personal choice.” Source: PTI
JAIPUR (TIP): The Rajasthan high court asked the central and state governments to declare the cow as India’s national animal and ensure life terms in jail for those who kill the animal considered holy by many Hindus.
Justice Mahesh Chand Sharma also listed 11 benefits of cow urine while hearing a petition on the death of more than 500 cows at a Jaipur government-run shelter.
“It is believed that 33 crore gods and goddesses reside inside the cow…cow is the only living being which intakes oxygen and emits oxygen,” the judge said, adding that the animal was a laboratory in itself. He retires on Wednesday.
“It is expected from the government that it should declare cow as national animal and for this purpose the chief secretary and advocate general of state are declared legal custodians of cow,” the judge said in a 139-page order, calling himself a Shiv devotee.
NEW DELHI (TIP): In a rare gesture, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on June 1 (Thursday) broke protocol and hugged BSF constable Godhraj Meena who has suffered 85 per cent disability after militants’ bullets hit him during an attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur in 2014.
Meena’s bus, part of a Border Security Force convoy, was ambushed by militants on August 5, 2014 near the ‘narsu nallah’ area in Udhampur with a heavy gunfire.
The citation of the 44-year-old trooper said he was on guard duty in the bus and his bravery, acute presence of mind and accurate fire kept the two militants at bay and thwarted their attempts to enter and target the about 30 personnel onboard.
Meena, who is not able to speak properly as one bullet had pierced through his jaw, received a thunderous applause from the officials and jawans when the home minister pinned the gallantry medal on his chest.
Even before Meena could accord the mandatory salute, the home minister hugged and patted him and saw him off from the dais with a firm and long hand shake.
BSF officials said as per protocol, the home minister, after pinning the medal and handing over the citation, has to shake hand with the awardee and the person moves ahead after according a salute to him.
“What we saw today is rare, very rare. This is only in very special cases like that of Meena who has suffered 85 per cent disability after the attack. He is not able to talk and walk properly but despite this he dons his uniform with pride,” a senior officer said.
The officer said Meena has now been deputed for conducting administrative duties. This retaliation had led a total of four BSF personnel, including Meena, being decorated with gallantry medals.
The others included constable Subhendu Roy, driver Daljit Singh and constable Rocky who was awarded the ‘Shaurya Chakra’.
Later, during his speech, Singh said he was proud of Meena’s bravery and grit. He also awarded the police medal for gallantry (posthumous) to the wife of the constable and cook of the BSF unit Sanjay Dhar.
Dhar was posted at the ‘Pittal’ border post along the Indo-Pak International Border in Jammu and laid down his life while saving his friend who had got injured in an unprovoked firing incident by Pakistan on July 16, 2014.
Singh, during the annual investiture ceremony of the BSF, also awarded gallantry medals to a total of seven troops of the border guarding force for their daredevil actions during ceasefire violations along the India-Pakistan border and while handling attacks by militants in Jammu and Kashmir.
He also decorated five personnel of the 41st battalion of the force for undertaking an anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker in 2014, where the team killed two Maoists. Source: PTI
BALASORE (TIP): India on June 2 successfully test-fired its indigenous developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile from a test range in Odisha as part of a user trial by the Army.
The trial of the surface-to-surface missile, which has a strike range of 350 km, was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near here at around 9.50 am, official sources said. The trial of the sophisticated missile was successful and the mission objectives were met, they said.
The Prithvi-II missile is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target with precision and accuracy.
The state-of-the-art missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the entire launch activities were carried out by the specially formed strategic force command (SFC) and monitored by the scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of training exercise, a DRDO scientist said. “The missile trajectory was tracked by the DRDO radars, electro-optical tracking systems and telemetry stations located along the coast of Odisha,” the sources said.
NEW DELHI (TIP): The BJP has decided to reach out to regional parties over the election of the next President in view of the party’s assessment that several smaller outfits could support an NDA nominee for the post.
Apart from the National Democratic Alliance coalition, BJP is looking for a bigger umbrella of support for its nominee who will replace President Pranab Mukherjee in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The decision to consult regional parties was discussed at a meeting of senior BJP leaders called by party president Amit Shah on Thursday. It is understood that no names were discussed at the meeting.
The proposed consultations come at a time when BJP is weighing the benefits of proposing a ‘moderate’ face for President and in the process gaining wider support rather than a nominee seen to be imbued in a deep saffron hue.
This is a point of debate within senior BJP circles as the party begins the process of installing its choice in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Though the candidate is expected to be pretty much a BJP-Sangh person, there is a discussion on image and perception as a more acceptable candidate can impact the opposition’s moves to put up a ‘joint candidate’.
As things stand, BJP is hopeful of garnering the support of Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the two AIADMK factions along with the support of some smaller outfits. The party has also received feelers about possible cross-voting but is considering the possibility of sealing the support of more parties as well.
Senior BJP leaders had recently asserted that the party was assured of the support of around 54% of the electoral college and was confident of having its way in the presidential poll. The opposition – led by Congress, Left and Trinamool – has been looking to put up a candidate against the NDA to signal their protest against BJP’s politics of “majoritarianism” and make a statement on the viability of an alternative view point.
US Senate confirms Judge Amul Thapar for the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals
WASHINGTON (TIP): The US Senate has confirmed Indian-American Judge Amul Thapar to a key judicial position on the powerful US court of appeals.
The first Indian-American to be nominated by US President Donald Trump for the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals, Thapar was confirmed by the Senate 52-44, a vote which took place on party lines.
With this, Thapar becomes the second South Asian judge to be on a US Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Michigan.
“Judge Thapar will make an outstanding addition to the US Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit,” said senate majority leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday, May 25.
Currently a US District Court Judge, Thapar was nominated by Trump on March 21. Thapar was among the 20 judges whose names Trump had released during his presidential campaign as shortlisted candidates for his Supreme Court nominees.
McConnell said Thapar has a reputation as a qualified judge with an impressive legal mind who will fairly apply the law to all who enter his courtroom.
“Judge Thapar has been recognized for his work on the bench, and the most recent edition of the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary quoted attorneys who agreed that Thapar has excellent legal ability,” he added.
McConnell said that the American Bar Association, which prominent Senate Democrats have called “the gold standard” for evaluating judges, awarded Thapar its highest rating.
The South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA) also congratulated Judge Thapar on his confirmation to the Sixth US Circuit Court of Appeals. “On behalf of SABA, I congratulate Judge Thapar who is a proven asset to the federal judiciary, the people of the commonwealth of Kentucky whom he’s served for almost a decade, and the South Asian legal community,” said SABA president Vichal Kumar.
“Judge Thapar’s confirmation further cements his legacy as a pioneer, esteemed jurist and dedicated public servant. We anticipate that Judge Thapar’s renowned dedication to his craft and commendable judicial temperament will serve him well in this integral position,” he said.
Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said that unlike Sri Srinivasan, Amul Thapar has been elevated while thinking that law is “devoid of equity or compassion”. “There is a difference between reality and a reality show, the latter is fiction. One hopes that he will find the moral compass of the late great Justice Antonin Scalia,” said Batra.
In 2007, the then George W Bush nominated him to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky. At that time, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a voice vote, and Judge Thapar became the first South Asian American federal judge in the history of the US.
Prior to joining the bench, Thapar, winner of SABA’s Pioneer Award, served as the US attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky from 2006-2007, where he was one of the first American Attorneys of South Asian descent.
During that period, Thapar was appointed to the attorney general’s advisory committee (AGAC) and chaired the AGAC’s Controlled Substances and Asset Forfeiture subcommittee. He also served on the Terrorism and National Security subcommittee, the Violent Crime subcommittee, and Child Exploitation working group. He has also taught at the University of Virginia School of Law, Vanderbilt Law School, and the Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law. Thapar received his undergraduate degree from Boston College and his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
WASHINGTON (TIP): While four Indian- Americans received top awards in various categories, an Indian boy has won the world’s largest pre-college science competition in the US in environmental engineering category for his project on biodegradation of pesticides.
Prashant Ranganathan, a 12th grader from Jamshedpur, alongwith over 20 high school students from various parts of India, participated in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. “My project will actually help farmers in biodegrading the pesticide which is plaguing the country,” Prashant told PTI after he was declared winner in the environmental engineering category at this years’ competition.
In all, more than 1,700 students from across the world participated in the week-long event which concluded here on Friday.
Student of Carmel Junior College in Jamshedpur, Prashant’s project ‘Biodegradation of Chlorpyrifos using native bacteria’ said that farmers should not use pesticides.
Prashant who bagged the coveted award for his innovation for fighting against pesticide and getting rid of its side effects through biodegradable use. “In almost all the states, like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Haryana and Bihar and Jharkhand, there’s extensive farming. Using excessive amounts of pesticides, is affecting the health and the environment around them,” he said.
While the topmost Gordon E Moore Award of $75,000 went to Ivo Zell, 18, of Germany for designing and constructing a remote-control prototype of a new “flying wing”, almost every participant of the Indian delegation returned from the annual competition with one award or the other.
“India really boasts really extraordinary mathematics, science, physics, education,” Maya Ajmera president and CEO of Society for Science and Public, told PTI in an interview. In fact, in every section the award ceremony had the budding Indian scientists on the stage.
So were the Indian American high schoolers, prompting one of the Intel official to say, “Indians and Indian Americans rock today” as the awards ceremony concluded at the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Indian-American Pratik Naidu from Virginia bagged an award in the category of computational biology and bioinformatics, Adam Nayak from Oregon was declared the winner in earth and environmental sciences, Karthik Yegnesh from Pennsylvania in Mathematics and Rahul Subramaniam from Connecticut in the microbiology category.
As a result, Indians and Indian Americans accounted for nearly one-fifth of the top categories of the awards. “I think that many generations of Indian scientists and engineers and computer scientists, have truly paved the way of this generation of young people doing extraordinary things,” Ajmera said referring to the incredible and innovative projects of Indian students who participated in this year’s science competition.
For instance, a sister-brother team – Sairandi Sathyanarayanan & Sacheth Sathyanarayanan – from the National Public School in Chennai have invented a gearbox that generates electricity when a fisherman’s boat is lying idle at night, which they said is enough to meet the energy needs of a fisherman’s house for a day.
The team not only received accolades from the judges but were on the stage on Friday for receiving awards in various categories.
Shinjini Ghosh, a 12 grader from South Point High School, Kolkata was recognized for developing a language identification kit based on the variations in intonation using discrete markov-chain model.
Similarly, Sahithi Pingali from Inventure Academy, Bangalore received multiple awards for developing a new approach to monitoring lakes in developing countries in a crowdsourcing environmental science.
Kunj Siddharth Dedhia, from the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai has developed a smartphone application based on user feedback for cyclists to reduce incidence of lower back pain, while Chaitanya & Geeve George from the Little Rock Indian School in Udupi received an award for developing a smartphone-aided multispectral imaging system. (Source: PTI)
NEW YORK (TIP): The O. Henry Prize, fist awarded in 1918, accolades American and Canadian short stories of exceptional merit. The 99th O. Henry Prize winners were announced on May 26, and a group of twenty writers have been credited for their outstanding literary oeuvre.
Shruti Swamy
Amit Majumdar
Jai Chakrabarti
The O. Henry Prize winners this year include three writers of Indian origin Shruti Swamy, Indian-American nuclear radiologist Amit Majumdar, and Jai Chakrabarti, who is A Public Space Emerging Writer’s Fellow. While Shruti Swamy lives and writes in San Francisco, and has her stories published in Black Warrior Review, New American Writing, The Kartika Review, Amit Majumdar is Ohio’s fist poet laureate, an author of two novels and several poetry collections. Jai Chakrabarti hails from Calcutta who currently lives in Brooklyn and writes poetry, fiction, and mathematical algorithms. Celebrated Bangladeshi author Tahmima Anam is also one of the winners. Tahmima Anam writes from London and has been the recipient of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize along with other acclamations.
Edited by writer Laura Furman, and judged by authors Elizabeth McCracken, Brad Watson, and David Bradley, the 2017 O. Henry Prize Stories anthology will be published by Anchor Books in September this year and according to its website, it will include, “essays by the three eminent guest jurors on their favorite stories, observations from the winning writers on what inspired them, and a comprehensive resource list of the many magazines and journals, both large and small, that publish short fiction.”
Here is a list of the winning stories and their writers:
“Too Good To Be True” by Michelle Huneven (Harper’s)
“Something for a Young Woman” by Genevieve Plunkett (New England Review)
“The Buddhist” by Alan Rossi (Granta)
“Garments” by Tahmima Anam (Freeman’s)
“Protection” by Paola Peroni (The Common)
“Night Garden” by Shruti Swamy (Prairie Schooner)
“A Cruelty” by Kevin Barry (Five Points)
“Floating Garden” by Mary La Chapelle (Salamander)
“The Trusted Traveler” by Joseph O’Neill (Harper’s)
“Blue Dot” by Keith Eisner (Salamander)
“Lion” by Wil Weitzel (Prairie Schooner)
“Paddle to Canada” by Heather Monley (Zyzzyva)
“A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness” by Jai Chakrabarti (A Public Space)
“The Bride and the Street Party” by Kate Cayley (Prism)
“Secret Lives of the Detainees” by Amit Majmudar (Kenyon Review)
“Glory” by Lesley Nneka Arimah (Harper’s)
“Mercedes Benz” by Martha Cooley (A Public Space)
“The Reason Is Because” by Manuel Munoz (American Short Fiction)
“The Family Whistle” by Gerard Woodward (Zoetrope)
WASHINGTON: Former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle initially decided to stay in Washington once he left the White House so their daughter Sasha could finish high school.
Now, their presence in the US capital looks more permanent. The couple paid $8.1 million to buy the mansion in Washington’s swank Kalorama neighborhood that they have been renting since January, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The eight-bedroom, nine-and-a-half-bath home is in the same neighborhood as the home of President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner. Other Kalorama residents include Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post. “Given that President and Mrs. Obama will be in Washington for at least another two and a half years, it made sense for them to buy a home rather than continuing to rent property,” Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis told the paper.
The posh neighborhood has a long history as home to government ministers, Supreme Court justices, Treasury secretaries, and other powerful figures in government and business. Obama and his wife have signed a contract with Penguin Random House to publish their memoirs, reportedly worth more than $60 million. (AFP)
WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Donald Trump talked trade with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a White House visit on May 31 and welcomed the signing of business deals worth billions of dollars and the jobs they would create.
The US Commerce Department announced 13 new transactions with Vietnam worth $8 billion, including $3 billion worth of US produced content that would support more than 23,000 American jobs.
These include deals for General Electric Co worth $5.58 billion for power generation, aircraft engines and services, its largest-ever combined sale in Vietnam. Caterpillar Inc and its dealer in Vietnam also agreed to provide generator management technology for more than 100 generators in Vietnam, the company said. “They (Vietnam) just made a very large order in the United States – and we appreciate that – for many billions of dollars,which means jobs for the United States and great, great equipment for Vietnam,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Commerce Department estimate of the deals was considerably less than the $15 billion figure given by Phuc during a speech at the Heritage Foundation, adding that most of the total involved the import of U.S. equipment. Communist Vietnam has gone from being a Cold War enemy to an important partner for the United States in the Asia-Pacific, where both countries share concerns about China’s rising power.
Phuc told Trump the relationship had undergone “significant upheavals in history” but that the two countries were now “comprehensive partners.” Phuc’s meeting with Trump makes him the first Southeast Asian leader to visit the White House under the new administration.
TRADE FRICTION : However, while Hanoi and Washington have stepped up security cooperation in recent years, trade has become a potential irritant, with a deficit widening steadily in Vietnam’s favor, reaching $32 billion last year, compared with $7 billion a decade earlier. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said it was important to shrink the U.S. trade deficit with Vietnam but noted that the southeast Asian country of 80 million people was the fastest-growing market for U.S. exports, rising 77 percent since 2014 to $4.4 billion.
“The growth of the middle class and the increasing purchasing power in Vietnam are further incentives to strengthening our longterm trade and investment relationship,” Ross said. Trump, who has had strong words for countries with large trade surpluses with the United States, said he would be discussing trade with Phuc, as well as North Korea. Washington has been seeking support to pressure North Korea to drop its nuclear and missile programs, which have become an increasing threat to the United States. Hanoi has said it shares concerns about Korea. ( (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (TIP): A top White House communications staffer has resigned as President Donald Trump considers a major staff overhaul. The departure of Michael Dubke, Trump’s communications director, comes as aides say Trump has grown increasingly frustrated by allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and revelations of possible ties between his campaign and Moscow.
“It has been my great honor to serve President Trump and this administration,” Dubke wrote in a statement. He added, “It has also been my distinct pleasure to work side-by-side, day-by-day with the staff of the communications and press departments. ” Dubke’s last day has not yet been determined. A Republican consultant, Dubke joined the White House team in February after campaign aide Jason Miller. (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (TIP): Hillary Clinton has blamed her unexpected defeat in the US presidential elections on a variety of factors including Russian meddling, her own party, the FBI, the media and “a very broad assumption that I was going to win”.
Clinton, in a lengthy interview at a tech conference in California, for the first time went into detail about the reasons behind her loss to Republican Donald Trump. She said took responsibility for every decision she made during her campaign, “but that’s not why I lost.”
The former secretary of state said Russian interference in the election and the “weaponising” of information and fake news were among the key reasons behind her defeat. She said it was likely that Trump’s associates had a hand in it.
“The Russians, in my opinion, and based on the intel and counter-intel people I’ve talked to, could not have known how best to weaponise that information unless they had been guided,” Clinton said. Some of those people helping the Russians, she said, had access to “polling and data information.”
Asked who those persons could be, Clinton said: “We’re getting more information about all of the contacts between Trump campaign officials and Trump associates with Russians before, during and after the election. So I hope that we’ll get enough information to be able to answer that question.” “I’m leaning Trump,” she added. “I think it’s pretty hard not to.”
The 69-year-old Democrat said her party had fallen behind the Republicans in using technology and data to target voters. She also attacked the media for covering her e-mail controversy “like it was Pearl Harbour” and not following up on the Russian interference. “At some point it sort of bleeds into misogyny,” she said. Clinton, the first woman presidential candidate for a major political party in the US, was widely expected to win the November 8 election as per poll projections and political pundits . The high expectations for her candidacy also did her in, she felt. “I was the victim of a very broad assumption I was going to win.”
Clinton also pointed to ex-FBI director James Comey, who was recently fired by President Donald Trump, for re-opening an investigation into her use of a private email account and server, just over a week before the election.
“Remember, Comey was more than happy to talk about my emails, but he wouldn’t talk about the investigation of the Russians. So people went to vote on November 8th having no idea that there was an active counter intelligence investigation going on of the Trump campaign,” she said. Clinton said she always thought the election would be a close affair, but she ended up winning three million more votes than Trump.
“And let’s just be honest, people who have a set of expectations about who should be president and what a president looks like, they’re going to be much more skeptical and critical of somebody who doesn’t look like and talk like and sound like everybody else who’s been president,” she said. (PTI)
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