BRUISED GUJARAT LIMPS TO

Transcription

VOL 3 ISSUE 28
DALLAS
AUG 28 - SEP 03, 2015
Tel: 646-247-9458
www.theindianpanorama.com
BRUISED GUJARAT LIMPS TO
NORMALCY UNDER ARMY WATCH
AHMEDABAD (TIP): Ravaged by violence since August 25,
Gujarat limped back to normalcy on Thursday, August 27,
even as the army was moved into three more cities to curb
tensions following riots that claimed ten lives, officials said.
Besides Ahmedabad, soldiers joined paramilitary and state
police in Surat, Rajkot and Mehsana to patrol the cities.
Though there were no major incidents of violence on August 27,
the situation remained tense, and roads were deserted in most
major cities and towns.
Schools and colleges were shut, and so were most shops, offices
and commercial establishments.
However, all government offices as well as public and private
banks reported near normal operation on August 27.
Curfew imposed in certain areas of Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot
and other cities since Tuesday was relaxed on August 27, enabling
residents to go out and buy essentials including milk, vegetables
and medicines.
But night curfew may continue in the worst-hit cities and
localities, officials indicated.
While auto-rickshaws and taxis started plying on Thursday,
public transport, which bore the brunt of mobs in Ahmedabad,
contd on Page 20
The PAAS mega rally saw the participation of 1.20 million Patidars seeking reservations in education and jobs, virtually swamping
Ahmedabad on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston teen wins 2015 MetLife
South Asian Spelling Bee
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ
(TIP): Shourav Dasari
correctly spelled the word
"Psocoptera" (an order of
insects including booklice)
during the 2015 MetLife
finals to clinch the title of
national champion and took
home a cash prize of $10,000
from MetLife
During the MetLife event
on Aug.14, which was taped
live for broadcast on Sony
Entertainment Television,
Shourav along with 23 other
finalists competed for the
title. Siyona Mishra of
At the check presenting ceremony. ( L to R): MetLife
Representative, Chander Sharma, National Champion Shourav
Dasari along with MetLife mascot Snoopy and Founder Rahul Walia
Florida and Smrithi
Upadyayula of Texas were
National runners up.
contd on Page 3
Ex-Broadcaster Kills 2 on Air in Virginia
Shooting; Takes Own Life
ROANOKE, VA (TIP): He was a fired
television reporter with a history of
conflicts at work and rage apparently stoked
by racial grievances. And when he sought
revenge on Wednesday, August 26, gunning
down two former colleagues, he used the
tools of social media to ensure that his
crime was broadcast live, recorded from
multiple angles and posted online.
Vester Lee Flanagan II, 41, identified by
the authorities as the gunman, waited until
Alison Parker and Adam Ward, young
journalists at WDBJ in Roanoke, were on
air, then killed them while recording on his
own video camera. Mr. Flanagan shot
himself in the head hours later, the
authorities said, but as the chase for him
was on, he wrote about the shooting on
Twitter, uploaded his video to Facebook and
sent a manifesto to ABC News that spoke
admiringly of mass killers and said that as
a black, gay man he had faced discrimination
and sexual harassment.
The shooting and the horrifying images it
produced marked a new chapter in the
intersection of video, violence and social
media.
The day began with the most mundane of
early-morning interviews. Ms. Parker and Mr.
Ward were working on a story for WDBJ about
the 50th anniversary of Smith Mountain Lake,
a reservoir tucked among farms and rolling
mountains that is popular with anglers,
contd on Page 20
Appellate Court Rules: Sonia Gandhi
Not Liable for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots
Historic Order, after historic argument by attorney Ravi Batra
NEW YORK CITY (TIP):
"Hon. Circuit Judges Jose A.
Cabranes, Renna Raggi and
Richard A. Wesley on
August 25, 2015 issued an
Order which: Upheld free
India's sovereignty, to
manage her internal affairs
without outside
interference, and that the
anti-Sikh riots do not "touch
and concern" the United
States; Sonia Gandhi is
NOT liable for the 1984 antiSikh riots; SFJ abandoned
the claim of "shielding,
protecting and rewarding"
contd on Page 20
Sonia Gandhi (left) is not liable for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the
Appellate Court ruled. Attorney Ravi Batra (right) said, " I have
the high honor in vindicating Sonia Gandhi's innocence, as well
as upholding free India's sovereign right, as every nation must".
2
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2015
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TEXAS
3
Houston teen wins 2015 MetLife
contd from Page 1
The event was organized by the
South Asian advertising firm
Touchdown Media Inc. and
sponsored by MetLife, a leading
global provider of life insurance,
annuities, employee benefits and
asset management. Sony
Entertainment Television was the
exclusive rights holder and
broadcast the event across the
globe in over 119 countries.
Food major Kawan Food
returned as Powered by sponsor
and this year leading brand
Britannia joined up as presenting
sponsor for its fondly known as the
Gold Standard in Spelling Bees.
"On behalf of MetLife, I'm
pleased to congratulate Shourav,
Siyona, Smrithi, and all the
contestants who took part in this
year's competition on a job well
done," said Laurel Daring,
assistant vice president, Diverse
Markets, MetLife Premier Client
Group. "In cities across the
country, our financial
professionals are part of the fabric
of their local South Asian
communities, and this event
provides a wonderful opportunity
for all of us to give back."
The special guest at the finals
was Gokul Venkatachalam, the
2014 MetLife South Asian Spelling
Bee National Champion and 2014
Scripps National Co-champion,
who helped co-host a portion of
the event.
The event was open to children
up to 14 years of age and was held
in 12 regional centers across the
United States. These areas
included, New Jersey, DC Metro
area, Dallas, Houston, Chicago,
Seattle, New York, Boston, Los
Angeles, Bay Area and the newly
added Orlando.
The contest was conducted in
written and oral format at the
regional levels which served as the
elimination as well as selection
process for the finalists.
After registering their child
online, parents brought them to
the designated center and a 25word written test was
administered. Children had to
spell 15 or more words correctly to
qualify for the afternoon oral
round and from there the top three
were awarded prize money and the
top two qualified for the finals.
"We are extremely happy with
Shourav's win at the Bee as it goes
to show that todays South Asian
kids are all rounders and highly
dedicated to their craft. We
produced a special secton called
"Meet the Spellers where the
viewers will have an opportunity
to get to know some of the spellers
including Shourav better," said
Tim Tan, Managing Director,
Kawan Food, makers of the world's
most popular Roti Paratha Brand
in the world - Kawan Paratha.
"Nail Biting contest year after
year and I personally was unable
to get up during the bee! It's
amazing to see the pool of talent
from our community and am
happy for Shourav's win and
excited to get to know him and
some of the other spellers better in
the "Meet the Speller" series airing
shortly on Sony," said Jaideep
Janakiram, Head of North
America, Sony Entertainment
Television-Asia.
Children up to 14 years of age
were eligible to participate and the
contest saw spellers of even 6
years of age compete and make it
past a few rounds. Registration for
2016 will open in October this year
and for more information and to
register your child, please
visitwww.SouthAsianSpellingBee.
com.
4
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INDIAN AMERICANS
Indian American Girl from NJ
Crowned Miss Nepal US-Ambassador
The crowning glory. Nisha Kalamdani is being crowned Miss Nepal US-Ambassador
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Nisha
Kalamdani, a resident of New Jersey
was crowned Miss Nepal US
Ambassador 2015, on Saturday August
22nd at the New York Society for
Ethical Culture in New York City. Nisha
is the first ever Indian American to win
the crown.
The star-studded event; 5th Miss
Nepal US with the theme of "Rebuilding
Nepal" primarily focusing on charity
for Nepal's earthquake disaster relief in
the hopes of recovering and rebuilding
was organized by Event Planet Inc. in
association with Consulate General of
Nepal in New York & Nepalese
American Foundation.
Bollywood actress & Goodwill
Ambassador of Nepal Government PM
Fund for Disaster; Manisha Koirala
graced the occasion as a Guest of
Honor & Chief Jury along with several
other dignitaries.
With their annual Miss Nepal USA
pageant, the organizers opened up a
new platform this year to elect an
Ambassador from American females of
all races, in an effort to strengthen the
Nepalese-American Youth relationship
and to give opportunities to those who
want to help Nepal, and have
elaborately formulated relief effort
concepts to support the Nepal
earthquake victims and thus give an
opportunity to the winner to help in the
development of a newer Nepal.
Nisha was bestowed this honor by the
unanimous vote of the judges. Nisha
will be representing the USA and will
also be visiting Nepal for an official trip
to meet with the Government officials,
including the President and the Prime
Minister of the country to formulate a
plan to work on her project related to
support Rebuilding Nepal campaign.
The organizers of the Miss Nepal US
Ambassador are currently working
with the Consulate General of Nepal
with the required formalities. It is a
proud moment for all Indians and
Americans, as Nisha is the first Miss
Nepal US Ambassador, as well as the
first American of Indian descent to get
this high honor.
Nisha has been doing volunteer work
since her high school days, be it for
Autism Awareness, Cancer patients at
the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital,
Veteran's Home in New Jersey, Indian
Soldiers, The Lions Club or other such
causes.
Nisha is a fashion model and an
actress. She has done many fashion
shows as a showstopper for Indian &
Main stream American designers. She
has been featured in 3 American
magazines. She has also done several
commercials in the US and shot for
products for print ads in India. She has
acted in short films and a couple of
feature films. One of her feature films
'Uncommitted' has been awarded Best
Narrative Feature at The World Indie
Film Fest (TWIFF). Uncommitted also
bagged another award - Best Feature
Film at Online Film Festival (#TOFF)
in June 2015. Uncommitted was
officially selected by The Los Angeles
CineFest and Brooklyn, New York City
based 'Festival of Colors 2015'. The
movie world premier will be held by
TWIFF on September 26th, 2015 at New
People Cinema in San Francisco, CA.
Nisha has recently completed a
Gujarati feature film 'Romance
Complicated'. The movie has been shot
in New York, New Jersey, Florida,
Ahmedabad & Rajkot.
Last year, Nisha was selected as the
TOP 5 finalists at the Miss India USA
2014 pageant, where she also won the
Miss Beautiful Hair award. Later, she
also won the Miss Photogenic at the
IMIFF 2015. In addition, she has walked
the ramp at the exclusive fashion show,
as a Showstopper for Silk Threads by
Designer Ruby Bhandari at the recently
concluded 2-day Glorious Gujarat 2015
in New Jersey.
Always a photographer's delight, she
plans to Major in Acting, pursue her
career as a Model & Actor and is keen
to do some quality work in this
profession.
Nisha says, " It's a great feeling to be
receiving the honor that I was given. I
think it's very important for anyone
who is given such platform to utilize it
and make a difference in people's lives.
I believe it's even more important for
me because my generation is the one
that should make the most difference,
as we are the next leaders. With this
Miss Nepal US Ambassador platform I
plan on raising awareness and
knowledge around the world. I think in
America we are blessed with resources
and education, but it's important for us
to extend beyond that to help the less
privileged. As a Miss Nepal US
Ambassador, I plan to truly help
rebuild Nepal and make a difference in
their lives. I feel that through this
honor and platform, I will have more
access to the needed resources and thus
help the less fortunate in a better way. I
hope that my friends and colleagues
will further assist me in every possible
way to help those affected. This is not a
task that any single person can
accomplish. It is a joint effort and I
request each and every one to do their
little bit in this mammoth task of
rebuilding our neighbor - "Rebuilding
Nepal".
THREE INDIAN-AMERICANS AND 3 INDIANS NAMED AS
FELLOWS BY AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR METALS
SACRAMENTO, CA (TIP): Three Indian-Americans and as
many persons from India are among 29 people, who have been
named as Fellows this year by the American Society for
Metals, for their contributions in the field of materials
science and engineering.
The Indian-Origin Fellows are Pranesh Aswath, Suveen
Mathaudhu, Muthukumarasamy Sadayappan - while the
achievers from India are - Pradeep Goyal, Vivekanand Kain,
and Gankidi Madhusudhan Reddy.
Aswath is a professor and associate dean for the University
of Texas at the Austin College of Engineering. He was
selected for his significant contributions to the science of
tribology through establishing fundamental relationships
between lubricant additive chemistry, tribofilm formation
and friction and wear.
Mathaudhu is an assistant professor at U.C. Riverside. He
was selected for his scientific leadership, management, and
advocacy of the U.S. Army materials research efforts, and in
particular for the development and support of new advanced
Pranesh Aswath and Suveen Mathaudhu are among the three
Indian Americans named Fellow by American Society for Metals
lightweight metals and bulk nanostructured materials.
The fellowship was created in 1969 to provide recognition
to ASM members for their distinguished contributions to
materials science and engineering, and to develop a broadbased forum of technical and professional leaders to serve as
advisers to society.
The fellows will be presented with their awards for the
recognition during the Materials Science and Technology
2015 event in Columbus, Ohio, in October.
5
Individual
registration begin
for Modi's Silicon
Valley event
WASHINGTON (TIP): Individual registration to the
Silicon Valley community reception for Prime
Minister Narendra Modi have kicked off here, less
than a month before his scheduled second visit to the
US.
Through posts on social media and the website -www.pmmodiinca.org -- the Indo-American community
of West Coast on Thursday said individuals have time
till August 31 to register for the September 27 reception
at the SAP Centre in San Jose, California.
This registration is preceded by registration for
members of the 500 community organisations who all
have joined hands to host the reception. Surprising
even the organisers, more than 40,000 people signed up
for the reception, surpassing the 30,000 registrations
for the Madison Square Garden reception in New York
last September.
Once the registration process ends on August 31, all
the registrants would be put to a computerised draw of
lots to ensure that the 18,000 audience at SAP Center
has a fair representation of all Indian communities,
organisations, age and gender groups.
Prime Minister Modi is to travel to the US late
September to attend the 70th annual session of the UN
General Assembly. While no official announcement has
been made yet, Modi is also expected to travel to San
Francisco to address the Indian- American community
in the Silicon Valley on September 27.
Given that only a maximum number of 18,000 people
can be accommodated at the SAP Centre for the mega
event, organisers said they are working on some other
plans as well, which are still under planning stage.
This would be Modi's second address to the IndianAmerican community in the US. Last year when he
made his first trip to the United States as the Prime
Minister, he addressed some 20,000 Indian Americans
at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in mid-town
Manhattan.
Nikki Haley
appoints Indian
American as
chief of staff
WASHINGTON (TIP): South Carolina Governor
Nikki Haley has appointed Indian-American Swati S.
Patel as her new chief of staff.
Patel, who served as chief legal counsel for the
Indian-origin governor since 2011, is a veteran of two
gubernatorial administrations. She will succeed James
Burns on September 1, The Post and Courier daily
reported on Wednesday.
Burns had recently announced plans to return to
Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP law firm,
where he was a partner before joining Haley's office in
2014. "I can't think of anyone who is more widely
respected or uniquely qualified to lead our team than
Swati Patel," The State quoted Haley as saying.
Patel has also worked as legal counsel to former
governor and US Representative for South Carolina's
first congressional district, Mark Sanford during
portions of his two terms in office.
"Swati's steady leadership as legal counsel has
strengthened our staff, guided our administration and
helped us deliver results to the people of South
Carolina - and, as chief of staff, Swati will keep that
momentum going," Haley added.
Holly Pisarik, special assistant to state department
of social services director Susan Alford, will succeed
Patel as Haley's chief legal counsel.
6
US
Suspected shooter in
custody at Mississippi
State University, no
injuries reported
WASHINGTON DC (TIP): Mississippi State University
said on Twitter on August 27 it had a suspect in custody
after an active shooter was reported on campus.
The university said there was "no report at this time of
any shots that have been fired" and that no injuries had
been immediately reported.
Despite the apprehension of a suspect, on Twitter the
college instructed people to "continue to shelter in place
until further notice."
"Stay away from campus. Stay inside buildings," it
added.
Obama will raise cyber
security concerns with
China's Xi
WASHINGTON (TIP): The White House said on August
26 that President Barack Obama will "no doubt" raise
concerns about China's cyber security behavior when he
meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.
Obama will host Xi at the White House in September for
a state visit.
The United States has alleged Chinese hackers have
stolen information from US computer servers.
Police: Student with gun
who took school hostages in
custody
PHILIPPI (TIP): A 14-year-old boy held 29 students and a
teacher at gunpoint in a West Virginia high school
classroom before he released them after negotiations and
surrendered, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
The student took a pistol into a second-floor classroom
Tuesday afternoon at Philip Barbour High School in the
north-central part of the state, State Police Lt Michael
Baylous said in a statement.
It was the ninth day of the new school year in Philippi,
a town of some 3,000 residents located about 115 miles
south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Barbour County Schools Superintendent Jeffrey
Woofter credited the teacher for maintaining control when
classes were about to change and praised the Philippi
police chief for talking the suspect into giving up.
Woofter said the teacher talked the boy into not
allowing the next group of students to enter the
classroom.
"The teacher did a miraculous job, calming the student,
maintaining order in the class," Woofter said, declining to
identify the teacher by name.
Students who opened the door to enter for the next class
were asked to leave. Those students went across the hall to
alert another teacher, who then alerted school officials.
An assistant principal raced to the hallway outside the
classroom, then called the office asking that police be
alerted, Woofter said.
Kayla Smith, a 17-year-old senior, said initially no one
in her classroom in another area of the school took a
"code red" warning seriously.
"Then we all held hands and said a prayer," she said.
Local authorities got first reports about 1:30 pm yesterday
of someone with a gun in the building. Students who
weren't in the classroom with the suspect were sent to a
football field before they were accounted for and sent
home by bus.
Woofter said Philippi Police Chief Jeff Walters
negotiated the release of the students from the classroom
and eventually got the suspect to surrender a few hours
after it began. Walters "did an awesome job negotiating
with this very troubled young man," Woofter said.
Barbour County Prosecutor Leckta Poling said she
plans to pursue unspecified charges against the suspect,
who was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Poling said
that because the case involves a juvenile, the court
process would be closed. Police haven't identified the
student.
State Police Captain Dave Reider said there will be an
increased law enforcement presence at the school on
Wednesday when classes resume.
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
Obama to seek unity with
Pope Francis on many issues
WASHINGTON (TIP): Sweeping into
office in 2009, President Barack Obama
captured near rock-star status around
the world among millions who saw him
as the embodiment of a new sense of
social purpose. Now, that baton has
largely been passed to Pope Francis,
whose visit to the White House next
month will put his common cause with
Obama on vivid display.
Obama has made no secret of his
affection for the outspoken pope,
calling him a "transformative leader"
whose influence has transcended the
Roman Catholic community. The pope
has embraced many of the issues
Obama has sought to advance,
including global warming, poverty and
diplomacy with Iran and Cuba.
Vice-President Joe Biden, a Catholic,
said the pope's Sept 23 visit will mark
an important moment not only for
Catholics but also for all Americans.
"Pope Francis has breathed new life
into what I believe is the central
mission of our faith: Catholic social
doctrine," Biden said in a statement to
The Associated Press. Invoking key
elements of Obama's agenda, Biden
added that Francis "has become a
moral rudder for the world on some of
the most important issues of our time,
from inequality to climate change."
The pope's brief visit to the White
House is part of his highly anticipated
trip to the US and Cuba. It's a reunion
of sorts for Obama and Francis, who
first met when the president visited
the Vatican last year.
Despite deep differences on some
social issues such as abortion, Obama
and the pope are expected to focus on
areas of agreement. The White House
said economic opportunity,
immigration and refugees, and
protection of religious minorities were
high on the agenda.
"It's going to be a come-to-Jesus
moment _ no pun intended _ for the
many politicians who want to claim
the mantle of Pope Francis," said
Michael Wear, a former White House
official who led faith outreach for
Obama's 2012 campaign.
For Obama, the visit offers a chance
to imbue his remaining goals with a
sense of moral authority as he
approaches the end of his presidency.
Viewed as largely above politics,
Francis is extremely popular in the US.
Tickets to his speech to Congress are
such a hot commodity that an overflow
crowd of thousands is expected to
watch on Jumbotrons from the
National Mall, the grassy expanse that
leads to the Capitol.
"In a way, Pope Francis has become a
conscience for this age of the world.
When President Obama came to office,
he too had that aura for at least the
first couple of years," said Stephen
Schneck, who runs the Catholic
politics institute at Catholic University
of America. "But Pope Francis'
message is moral and religious. He's
not going to be talking about
legislation."
The White House has praised
Francis for involving himself in issues
usually left to politicians. In a rare
move, Francis personally intervened to
help the US and Cuba restore relations,
writing leaders of both countries and
hosting their delegations at the
Vatican for final talks. And on climate
change, a cornerstone of Obama's
desired legacy, Francis added the
weight of the pulpit by publishing a
landmark encyclical calling climate
change real and man-made.
Yet there are risks for Obama if he
glosses over other, stark differences in
views.
When he visited Francis early last
year, Obama contradicted the official
Vatican account of their meeting by
saying they hadn't discussed social
issues in any detail. Papal aides
insisted the two leaders indeed
discussed religious freedom, life and
conscientious objection _ buzzwords
for abortion, birth control and parts of
Obama's health care law.
"That's the delicate dance," said
Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian
at Princeton University. "The idea is to
point out common areas of concern,
rather than say, `We are total allies."'
Dust-covered woman from iconic 9/11
photograph dies of cancer
WASHINGTON (TIP): A survivor of
the September 11, 2001 attacks on New
York who was featured in one of the most
haunting photographs of the outrage has
died of stomach cancer. She was 42.
The family of Marcy Borders first
announced her death Monday on
Facebook.
Borders, who was 28 at the time of the
attacks, was just one month into a job for
Bank of America in one of the Twin
Towers.
As one of the towers collapsed, she
took refuge in a nearby office building,
where AFP photographer Stan Honda
took a haunting photo of her completely
covered in a thick layer of ash, which
earned her the moniker "The Dust Lady."
The air appeared heavy and a
distraught Borders was shrouded in a
cloud of dust and backlit by an eerie
yellow luminescence.
"I can't believe my sister is gone," her
brother Michael Borders wrote on
Facebook, asking for people's prayers.
Her cousin Elnardo Borders wrote:
"My emotions are all over the place right
now."
He later wrote: "She @ peace now!!!"
After the attacks, Borders spiraled into
a decade-long deep depression and
alcohol and drug abuse, though she
eventually recovered.
She lost her job at Bank of America,
where she ignored repeated offers of a
transfer.
She spent much of her time
sequestered in her two-room flat, in one
of the poorer parts of Bayonne, a
bedroom community in New Jersey over
the bridge from Manhattan.
Something inside of her had died on
that fateful day.
"I still live in fear. I can't think about
being there, in those targets, the bridges,
the tunnels, the (subway) stations," she
told media in a whisper in a March 2012
interview.
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
US
Pentagon probing alleged
distorting of war intelligence
WASHINGTON (TIP): The Pentagon's
inspector general is investigating an
allegation that the U.S. military
command overseeing the anti-Islamic
State campaign distorted or altered
intelligence assessments to exaggerate
progress against the militant group, a
defense official said Wednesday.
The official was not authorized to
discuss the probe publicly and so spoke
on condition of anonymity.
The investigation was first disclosed
by The New York Times. The paper
reported that the investigation began
after at least one civilian Defense
Intelligence Agency analyst told
authorities that he had evidence that
officials at US Central Command were
improperly reworking conclusions of
assessments prepared for policy
makers, including President Barack
Obama.
Details of the allegations were not
available. A spokeswoman for the
inspector general's office, Bridget
Serchak, declined to comment.
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook
said he could not confirm the probe.
The Pentagon typically does not
publicly comment on the work of the
inspector general's office, which is an
independent arm of the Defense
Department.
Cook said defense secretary Ash
Carter "counts on independent
intelligence and analysis from a variety
of sources to help him make critical
decisions about the nation's security."
A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt.
Jeff Davis, said Pentagon and Central
Command officials have been publicly
candid about the difficulty of the war
against the Islamic State. At times,
however, they have painted a rosier
picture than was reflected by
developments on the ground.
On May 15, for example, Brig. Gen.
Thomas Weidley, who at the time was
chief of staff to the military
headquarters running the war, told
reporters that the Islamic State was
"losing and remains on the defensive."
Even as he spoke, Iraqi officials were
saying that IS fighters had captured the
main government compound in
Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province.
Two days later the city fell, marking a
significant victory for IS and a setback
for the US and Iraq.
Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder, a
spokesman for Central Command, said
he could not discuss ongoing
investigations.
"The (inspector general) has a
responsibility to investigate all
allegations made and we welcome and
support their independent oversight,"
Ryder said.
Ryder said the government's
numerous intelligence agencies
routinely produce a wide range of
"subjective assessments related to the
current security environment," and that
it is customary for agencies to comment
on others' draft assessments.
"However, it is ultimately up to the
primary agency or organization
whether or not they incorporate any
recommended changes or additions.
Further, the multi-source nature of our
assessment process purposely guards
against any single report or opinion
unduly influencing leaders and
decision-makers," Ryder said.
US civil rights activist Amelia Boynton
Robinson dies at 104
MONTGOMERY: Amelia Boynton
Robinson, a US civil rights activist who
nearly died while helping lead the Selma,
Alabama civil rights march in 1965,
championed voting rights for blacks and
was the first black woman to run for
Congress in that southern state, died
today at age 104, her son Bruce Boynton
said.
Boynton Robinson was among those
beaten during the voting rights march
across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in
Selma in March 1965 that became known
as 'Bloody Sunday'. Fifty years later,
Barack Obama, the first black president
of the United States, pushed her across
the span in a wheelchair during a
commemoration.
Boynton Robinson, who was
hospitalized in July after having a major
stroke, turned 104 on Aug 18.
In January, she attended the State of
the Union address as a special guest of
Democratic Alabama Rep Terri Sewell,
who said Boynton's 1964 run for Congress
paved the way for her. Sewell is Alabama's
first elected black congresswoman.
Boynton was the first woman to run on
a Democratic ticket in Alabama and the
first black woman to run for Congress in
the state, according to the Encyclopedia of
Alabama.
"Mrs Boynton Robinson suffered grave
injustices on the Edmund Pettus Bridge
in Selma at the hands of state troopers on
Bloody Sunday, yet she refused to be
intimidated," Sewell said in January 2015.
"She marched with Dr Martin Luther
King, my colleague Rep John Lewis and
thousands of others from Selma to
Montgomery and ultimately witnessed
the day when their work led to the
passage of the historic Voting Rights Act
of 1965."
Boynton Robinson asked Martin
Luther King Jr to come to Selma to
mobilize the local community in the civil
rights movement. She worked with the
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference and helped plan the Selma to
Montgomery march.
Her role in the event was recaptured in
the movie 'Selma' where she was
portrayed by actress Lorraine Toussaint.
She was invited as a guest of honor to
attend the signing of the Voting Rights
Act of 1965 by President Lyndon B
Johnson.
7
California to organize
parade to honour heroes
who thwarted France train
attack
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA (TIP): Three young men
who disarmed a gunman on a high-speed train bound for
Paris will get a heroes' welcome in their hometown in
California, the mayor of Sacramento said on Monday.
"Big news!" Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson tweeted.
"We are throwing a parade for our 3 hometown heroes!" He
used the hashtag "#SacramentoProud."
The state capital will strike up the bands for student
Anthony Sadler, 22, Spencer Stone, a 23-year-old U.S.
airman, and National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, 22. The
men grew up in the Sacramento area, attended middle and
high school together and have remained friends.
They were touring Europe, partly to celebrate Skarlatos'
return from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, when they saw
the gunman, who was armed with a box cutter, a pistol and
a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle.
When they saw him cocking the rifle, they said they had
no choice but to react.
Sacramento, parts of which are still suffering from the
financial crisis, has been buzzing with pride for the
Americans ever since.
"I hope it's a parade to end all parades, Mr. Mayor," Bill
Bird, a spokesman for the senate's top Republican, Bob
Huff, tweeted in response to Johnson, a Democrat.
"Finally," tweeted another conservative, who used the
name LVN Nancy. "Something to be proud of in
California."
Johnson's chief of staff, Daniel Conway, said the parade
was being organized and details would soon be announced.
At Sacramento State University, where Sadler is a
senior, president Robert S. Nelsen said he looked forward
to thanking the kinesiology major in person when he
returns to class. French President Francois Hollande
bestowed France's highest honor on Monday on the three
Americans along with a Briton who helped disarm the
suspected Islamist militant.Stone, whose thumb was
almost severed by the attacker, has also been credited with
saving the life of another passenger who had been shot
and was bleeding profusely.
Air Force Secretary Deborah James said Stone's unit
was nominating him for the Air Force's highest medal for
non-combat bravery.
California Governor Jerry Brown tweeted on Saturday,
"Proud of the brave Californians who helped prevent
yesterday's attack in France & saved countless lives."
Obama caught between
Clinton, Biden ambitions
WASHINGTON (TIP): President Barack Obama is
caught between the White House aspirations of two of his
closest advisers: Vice President Joe Biden and former
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
For months, White House officials expected Clinton to
be the Democratic nominee in the 2016 election. Some of
Obama's top political advisers moved to New York to run
her campaign and Obama appeared to give his tacit
approval, saying she would be an "excellent president.''
But that bet on Clinton suddenly looks less certain. With
Biden weighing his own presidential run more seriously
amid signs of weakness in Clinton's campaign, the White
House faces the prospect of a family feud over who will
become heir to Obama's legacy.
"Certainly he's got something at stake here,'' White
House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday of Obama's
interest in the 2016 election.
Biden's recent overtures to donors and Democratic
officials have led to palpable awkwardness in the West
Wing as aides _ many with close ties to Clinton, the vice
president or both try to maintain impartiality.
Earnest raised the prospect that Obama could endorse a
candidate in the Democratic primary, though others close
to the president say it's unlikely he'd publicly put his
thumb on the scale if Clinton and Biden were locked in a
close contest. In picking between Biden and Clinton,
Obama would be making a choice between two of the most
influential members of his administration.
Obama and Clinton long ago turned their political
rivalry from the 2008 primary into an alliance. Clinton left
the administration in early 2013 after four years as
Obama's secretary of state, but she and the president still
get together for occasional meetings.
8
EDITORIAL
AS I SEE IT
COMMENT
Great Fall of China Needs
Checks and Balances
Prof I.S.Saluja
Time to derecognize nondemocratic notfor -profits
he India Day Parades in celebration of
India's Independence in New York and New
Jersey are left behind and the season ahead
will witness various Dessert and Diwali
celebrations. Most of these events are organized
by not-for-profits, with the funds coming in from
the public and the corporate world which includes
the government of India undertakings.
Government of India undertakings support the
Indian events ostensibly out of their desire to
strengthen the organizations of NRIs engaged in
preservation and promotion of Indian cultural
values. Otherwise, they probably are not obliged
in any way to part with the money of the public.
However, at the end of the day, it is found that
many of these organizations are not truly
representative of the public at large. These are
either individual centric, or at the best coterie
centric. Take the case of Federation of Indian
Associations, NY/NJ/CT. It claims to be the
largest umbrella organization of Indian
Associations. But the FIA has never made public
the list of the associations which are the
members of the FIA. Look at the people who run
the FIA. It is a small coterie of fewer than twenty
persons of a closely knit group, belonging to one
region of India, professing mostly one faith, and
possibly one political ideology, and owing
allegiance to one man.
The coterie which runs the FIA is being fed on
the money of the people of India which comes to
them through Air India, Tourism department of
government of India, and the government owned
banks. It is estimated that together government of
India enterprises and departments pay close to
$200,000 towards organizing the India Day Parade
in New York City. According to the Income Tax
Return of 2012 (from 3-1-12 to 2-28-13), FIA claimed
to have a total revenue of $332,220.00, with the
expenditure of $316,772.00. It is for GOI "outlets"
to weigh their contribution in supporting the
coterie.
It is time people told the coterie to make FIA a
democratic body, with representation to NRIs
from all parts of India and from all faiths. If the
coterie fails to do so in the coming months, let the
democratic government of India withdraw its
support to FIA. Let the Consulate here not
recognize the FIA. Let the government of India
departments and enterprises withdraw their
support to FIA, for the sake of democracy and
equality.
We will, in time, come up with more examples
of undemocratic not-for-profit organizations and
prick the conscience of those managing them, to
democratize and be truly representative of the
NRIs.
T
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
By Prof. Charan Singh
he global financial markets are in
turmoil because of developments
in China. The economic growth
of China is slowing down since the last
five years and is projected to grow at 6.3
per cent in 2016, from double-digit
growth for nearly last three decades.
The manufacturing sector in China is
recording slower growth mainly due to
a slowdown in exports because of a
difficult global economy, mainly the US
and Europe.
In addition, within China there are
pressures to increase wages and
improve working conditions in
factories, which implies that the era of
cheap exports could be coming to an
end. There are still more problems in
China like resistance to reforms in
state-owned enterprises and the
banking sector, and fight against
corruption.
The economic difficulties and
meltdown in China is not surprising to
many policy analysts. As a matter of
fact, for nearly a decade, China's growth
model was considered to be weak and
susceptible to collapse. The savings
rate of nearly 50 per cent and current
account surplus of consistently more
than 4 per cent, while touching a peak
of 10 per cent in 2007, was not
considered sustainable. The IMF, USA
and other policy makers had been
advising China to move to a more
market-based financial system and
monetary policy framework, reform the
banking system specially shadow
banking, moderate investment
especially in residential real estate,
liberalize interest rates, eliminate
implicit guarantees, reform state-owned
enterprises, adopt floating exchange
rate and strengthen fiscal framework
which includes finances of local bodies,
social security system, and tax policy.
Further, China had been advised
consistently to increase consumption
level within the economy, adjusting the
exchange rate to appropriate levels and
shifting its growth strategy from
exclusive focus on exports. Some
progress was made but much remained
to be done in China.
In view of the global pressure, China,
has been making some efforts, more
recently though, to be more marketoriented and find a respectable place in
the global economy, which would
T
In view of the tectonic shift in China's economic policy, a
pertinent question for global analysts is whether in
these difficult times, would the Fed Reserve of the US be
able to raise interest rates, as was anticipated earlier,
from September 2015?
facilitate in making Renminbi an
international currency. Thus, there is a
conscious shift taking place in policy
making in China. In addition, to
enhance domestic consumption, focus is
beginning to change from
manufacturing to modernizing services,
which accounted for nearly 48 per cent
of GDP in 2014. Chinese, with rising
income levels and 60 per cent of
population living in urban areas, are
increasingly demanding better services
like communication, healthcare, and
basic utilities.
Earlier, on August 11 and 12, Chinese
authorities had made an exchange rate
adjustment by mainly devaluing the
currency which sent shivers across the
financial markets of the world. And,
still earlier, in July 2015, there was a
correction in the Chinese stock market,
and the authorities responded with a
range of measures to stabilize the
market. In the recent episode of August
24 and 25, Chinese authorities have
responded by lowering the rate of
interest and reserve ratios in an
attempt to restore orderly conditions in
the market. In fact, despite these
corrective measures, Chinese markets
are wobbly and that is creating tensions
in the international arena.
The uncertainty caused by
development in China has implications
for India and rest of the world. The
implications for India are immense,
especially for its banking and export
sectors, and the fiscal policy. First, the
uncertainty brought in by China's
initial devaluation on two consecutive
days, followed by a small appreciation
on August 14 will add to the already
increasing uncertainty of the timings
of US Fed's policy which has
implications for capital flows in India.
The commercial banks, which lend
against exports, would now need to
factor the uncertainty in the Chinese
market, in addition to evaluating the
clients and commodities. Second, the
vulnerable sectors, where NPAs of
banking sector are high in India,
include steel and textiles. The price of
Chinese steel will decline further
because of devaluation and the Indian
authorities may have to dynamically
adjust the import barrier upwards, or
provide subsidy to domestic
manufacturers, while stressing the
fiscal deficit. On textiles, exporters
from India would probably seek support
to compete with products from China.
Third, policy makers would have to be
on high alert to next measures initiated
by China to match the steps if India
nurses the dream to internationalize its
own currency and expand its presence
in international markets. Finally, in any
case, this is a golden opportunity for
India to expand its exports markets and
consolidate its position as a stable and
responsible economy in a galaxy of
nations.
For international markets,
developments in China's stock market
would only enhance the level of
uncertainty but cannot make any
significant impact, given its localized
stock market. Therefore, global
markets, including India, staged a
recovery within two days of the
problems emerging in China's market.
However, pertinent question for global
analysts is whether in these difficult
times, would the Fed Reserve of the US
be able to raise interest rates, as was
anticipated earlier, from September
2015? This question would the most
important issue to churn for the global
markets now.
To conclude, the Chinese economy
needed to be market-oriented and seems
to be on the way for market
determination of interest rates and
exchange rates. Theoretically speaking,
these are measures in the right
direction for the market orientation of
the economy. The concern is whether
the Chinese authorities have the
capability to ensure a soft landing or
would there be a noisy hard landing
like Russia in the early 1990s.
While the Chinese have to accept the
new philosophy and not intervene in
the market as they did during the stock
market crash in July 2015, the rest of
the world and the global markets have
also to factor the changing paradigm in
China. After all, structural changes are
never easy, be it an individual or a
country and so would not be easy for
China either.
(The author is RBI Chair, Professor in
Economics, IIM Bangalore. He can be
reached at [email protected])
Read also Is Financial Apocalypse
around the Corner? at
READER’S WRITE
Dear editor:
read with interest the editorial of
professor Saluja and the article by Publy
in the Independence Day Special 2015.
The great statesman and Indian
ambassador to USA in 1977, Nani Palkhivala,
had incredible insights in his book "We, the
people." (UBSPD)
India is a highly developed country with
the worst problems of a developing country.
I
If the corrupt and the inefficient
administration is to be tuned up, it can only
be done by ministers with integrity, ability
and knowledge who are well-versed in the art
of management.
If poverty is to be banished, it can only be
done by men of vision and by a practical
understanding of the ways in which the
wealth of the nation is created.
Dadabhai Naoroji, later known as the
grand old man of India, was elected
president of the Indian National Congress
three times, in 1880, 1893 and1906. It was he
who through his well researched
book,"Poverty and the Unbritish Rule in
India.", made the world conscious of the evil
effects of colonial administration. The
colonial administration is long gone but the
evil persists.
The greatest natural resource of a country
Is its children -President Herbert Hoover.
Are we treating our children right ? We
need similar progress in childcare as we have
in the movie field (Bollywood) and 5-star
hotels. Sky is the limit for India if we follow
our Dharma.
V.K.Raju, M.D., Morgantown, WV
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
PERSPECTIVE
9
ISLAMIZATION OF AMERICA
Sharia Law vs. U.S. Constitution
By Anand Ahuja
haria or sharia law is the Islamic legal
system derived from the religious
precepts of Islam, particularly the
Quran and the Hadith (Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia). Various recent studies
demonstrate that the Islamization of
America is accelerating at fast pace and is
gradually penetrating into America's courts
and judicial system. Today, Islamization is
visible not only in American political system
but in education system also, and is
spreading rapidly into American culture.
Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker,
has called Sharia "a mortal threat to the
survival of freedom in the United States and
in the world…." According to him, Muslims
in the U.S. want to manipulate Sharia into
U.S. legislation. New York City's Mayor, De
Blasio has already added Muslim holidays to
the school calendar whereas Hindu holidays
are to be considered by his administration.
Due to high rates of birth, immigration
and conversions, the Muslim population in
USA is growing at a much faster rate than
the national. 'Islam's growth in American
prisons is particularly troubling. About 80%
of Americans who convert to a religion while
in prison become Muslims, who now
comprise about 20% of American prison
population'.
(www.billionbibles.org/sharia/islamizationof-america).'Sharia law has been advancing
in other American institutions as an
increasing number of public American
schools with Muslim students are holding
Islamic prayers towards Mecca. In 2013,
Skokie School District 68 in Illinois became
the first US school district to celebrate Eid alAdha, a Muslim high day, as a school holiday,
in lieu of Veterans Day. In 2014, Rocky
Mountain High School in Fort Collins,
Colorado became the first high school to
recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic,
replacing "One nation under God," with "One
nation under Allah." In 2000, the Republican
National Convention became the first US
presidential convention to open with a
Muslim prayer to Allah, the moon god. In
2007, Quran for the first time was used to
swear into office a new US Congressman,
Keith
Ellison.'(www.billionbibles.org/sharia/islami
zation-of-america.html).
According to the report, a group of
Muslims in northern Texas has created what
may be the first official Shariah law system
in the United States. (The State Of Texas
Accepts Sharia Law, And Will Have The First
Sharia Court In The United States: By Ted,
Shoebat.com 02/04/2015). However, Mayor
Beth Van Duyne of Irving, Texas, is
advocating for a law that would ban any such
S
In this well researched article, well known attorney Anand Ahuja has laid bare how Sharia is
diametrically opposed to the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Federal Code. He asserts:"The imposition of
Sharia on American citizens is in direct conflict with the U.S. Constitution and U.S. Federal Code. It is,
therefore, morally imperative for us to mitigate Sharia's influence in the USA".
Sharia courts there. Recently, concerned that
Muslims residents weren't buying enough
homes in his city, Seattle's Democrat Mayor
Ed Murray had appointed a committee to
investigate it. Last year, Minneapolis Mayor
Betsy Hodges donned a hijab when she met
with Somali leaders in her city. (Major U.S.
city poised to implement Islamic law: By Leo
Hohmann, Published in WorldNetDaily
07/23/2015 www.wnd.com/major-u-s-citypoised-to-implement.). As per National
Report, the city council of Dearborn,
Michigan became the first US city to
officially implement all aspects of Sharia
Law. (Nationalreport.net/city-michigan-firstfully-implement-sharia-law)
In 2009, Hudson County Superior Court
Judge Joseph Charles Jr. ruled in S.D. v.
M.J.R. that the Muslim ex-husband is entitled
to sexually assault his Muslim ex-wife, both
before and after their divorce. Evidence at
trial established, among other things, that
the husband told his wife, "You must do
whatever I tell you to do. I want to hurt your
flesh" and "this is according to our religion.
You are my wife, I c [an] do anything to you."
However, the judge denied the ex-wife's
request for a permanent restraining order
against her ex-husband, citing the Muslim
man's "belief" and "practices": "The court
believes that [defendant] was operating under
his belief that it is, as the husband, his desire
to have sex when and where he wanted to,
was something that was consistent with his
practices." (S.D. v. M.J.R, Docket No. A-610708T2, Superior Court of New Jersey,
Appellate Division, Decided July 23, 2010).
The sexual submission (tamkin) by wife to
her husband is prevalent under Sharia. This
Sexual submission is traditionally regarded
as unconditional consent for the remainder
of the marriage. Under Sharia law, man is
considered superior to woman. Further,
under Sharia: A woman becomes subservient
to her husband and needs his permission to:
"leave the house, take up employment, or to
engage in fasting or forms of worship other
than what is obligatory." A man, under
Sharia, is entitled to up to four wives, but a
woman may only have one husband. A man
can divorce his wife by making a declaration
(talaq) in front of an Islamic judge
irrespective of the woman's consent. Even
her presence is not required. For a woman to
divorce a man (khula), his consent is
required. There is no joint property; the man
owns all property, except for what the woman
owned before the marriage. (Women's Rights
Under Sharia: An overview of the lack of
equality and oppression of women under
Sharia - the position of women in Muslim
majority societies. By Elliot Friedland, Wed,
February 19, 2014)
Sharia, which is a religiously-based legal
system, conflicts with the America's secular
legal system. Under Title 5 Section 3331 of
the U.S. Code, all elected and appointed
officials are to take oath of the U.S.
Constitution. As per Article VI of U.S.
Constitution, the Constitution is the supreme
law of the land and, "…all Executive and
Judicial officers........, shall be bound by Oath
or Affirmation, to support this Constitution."
Further, under U.S. Constitution, sovereignty
lies with its People. However, under Sharia
the emphasis is on the sovereignty of Allah
(God) and submission to Him: "Sovereignty
in Islam is the prerogative of Allah Almighty
alone." (Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence,
Mohammed Hashim Kalamali)
The premise of the U.S. Constitution is
'Equality, Liberty and Justice for all. The 14th
Amendment states: "… nor shall any State
deprive any person of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law; nor
deny to any person within its jurisdiction the
equal protection of the laws. Under Sharia
laws, non-Muslims are not considered equal
to Muslims before the law. Under Shariah
law, women, girls, apostates, homosexuals
and "blasphemers" are all denied equality
under the law. (Shariah: The Threat to
America, www.shariahthethreat.com). Under
Sharia law, women are equated to property. It
says, "When one is given a woman, servant,
or cattle, one should seize its forehead and
pray to Allah" (Ibn-i-Majah vol.3 no.1918 p.157.
See also Muwatta' Malik 28.22.52). From
intelligence point, women are considered not
Half as Intelligent as men. According to the
Muslim Sharia (Law), the witness of a
woman is equal half that of a man, "because
of the deficiency of the woman's mind."
(Bukhari vol.3 no.826 p.502), Mohammed said
that a nation will never succeed that makes a
woman their ruler (Bukhari vol.9 no.219
p.170-171) (Quoted from
www.MuslimHope.com/OriginsOfIslam.htm).
'Freedom of Religion' is provided under the
First Amendment of U.S. Constitution. It
states, "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof….." The
U.S. Constitution guarantees the freedom to
practice one's faith and religion without
government interference. Sharia, on the
other hand, restricts any such freedom in
religious matters. It states: "Fight and slay
the unbeliever wherever you find them and
lie and wait for them in every stratagem of
war" (Quran 9:5); and "But take not friends
from their ranks until they flee in the way of
Allah. But if they turn away from Islam,
seize them and slay them wherever you find
them, and take no friends or helpers from
among their ranks." (Quran 4:89) "Whoever
changed his [Islamic] religion, then kill him"
(Sahih al-Bukhari, 9:84:57).
Under U.S. Constitution (First
Amendment) 'Freedom of Speech' is
guaranteed. It states, "Congress shall not
abridge "the freedom of speech." There is no
such freedom of speech under Sharia. Any
speech that defames Islam or Muhammad is
considered "blasphemy", and is punishable by
death or imprisonment. First Amendment,
further, provides 'freedom to dissent'. It
states, "Congress cannot take away the right
of the people "to petition the Government for
a redress of grievances." However, under
Sharia, Non-Muslims are not to harbor any
hostility toward the Islamic state or give
comfort to those who disagree with Islamic
government. (Shariah: The Threat to
America www.shariahthethreat.com).
Right to due process and fair trial is
provided under 5th, 6th and 7th Amendments
of U.S. Constitution. Fifth Amendment states,
"no person shall be held to answer for a
capital or otherwise infamous crime...
without due process of law.", and Sixth
Amendment guarantees a "public trial by an
impartial jury." Whereas Seventh
Amendment provides "the right of trial by
jury shall be preserved." Under Sharia,
according to Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari
quoting Muhammad, "No Muslim should be
killed for killing a Kafir (infidel)." NonMuslims are prohibited from testifying
against Muslims. Under 8th Amendment of
U.S. Constitution, cruel and unusual
punishment is prohibited. On the other hand,
under Sharia, punishments are barbaric.
"Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they
are male or female, as punishment for what
they have done - a deterrent from Allah."
(Quran 5:38). A raped woman, under Sharia
is not considered a victim and is punished.
"The woman and the man guilty of adultery
or fornication - flog each of them with a
hundred stripes". (Sura 24:2). (Shariah: The
Threat to America
www.shariahthethreat.com).
The imposition of Sharia on American
citizens is in direct conflict with the U.S.
Constitution and U.S. Federal Code. (Sharia
and the U.S. Constitution By John Guandolo
Posted on June 22, 2014 at his blog:
Understanding the Threat). It is, therefore,
morally imperative for us to mitigate Sharia's
influence in the USA.
(The author is an Attorney at Law with Anand
Ahuja Associates, Attorney at Law and
International Business Consultants. He can be
reached at [email protected] or via
phone (516) 502-3262, (718) 850-1952)
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
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10
INDIA
BANGLADESH EXPORT ADDS
TO ONION CRISIS
MALDA (TIP): Just when the Indian government is planning
to take the import route to keep supply of onions on the
common man's platter steady, the pricey commodity is being
sold at almost half the price in Bangladesh. Thanks to rampant
export through the border area, Indians are paying around Rs
80 per kg while Bangladeshis are getting it at Rs 40 per kg.
According to sources, almost 2,500 tonnes are being exported
daily through the five export centres in the state. Onions are
being exported at $405 per tonne, which translates into Rs 26
per kg. No wonder then that in Bangladesh, the price is
hovering around Rs 40.
"Unlike previous years, the government has not imposed any
restriction on export in the wake of price hike. So the price of
onion is not expected to come down any time soon," said Samir
Ghosh, a member of the Federation of Bengal Exporters'
Association. West Bengal has five export centres — Petrapol
and Gojadanga in North 24-Parganas, Hili in South Dinajpur,
Changrabandha in Cooch Behar and Mahadipur in Malda.
Despite the recent political unrest in Bangladesh, 500-600
tonnes of onions were exported daily from Mahadipur alone.
On an average, around 35-40 trucks are sent to Bangladesh
from Mahadipur every day.
"The price or export rate of onions is determined by the
National Agricultural Co-op Marketing Federation of India Ltd
(Nafed). So onions are exported according to an existing
contract. As a result, Bangladesh is getting onions cheaper. We
are facing loss as well. We have asked Nafed to determine the
price following market price or our country will suffer and
exporters will lose interest," said Uzzwal Saha, the joint
secretary of the Exporters' Coordination Committee.
Bihar polls: BJP may finalise
seat sharing by September
PATNA (TIP): Under pressure from its allies in Bihar to
finalise the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming
Assembly polls, the BJP indicated on Thursday that it would
seal the deal in the first week of September.
Speaking to reporters, BJP general secretary in-charge of
Bihar Bhupender Yadav said they had informally met leaders
of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party
(RLSP) and the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) over the
seat-sharing arrangement and formal talks over the issue will
be held in the first week of September. The BJP’s allies have
been mounting pressure on the party’s leadership to finalise
the seat-sharing arrangement at the earliest.
Sources said the LJP wants to contest from 75 seats, while
the RLSP has sought 66 seats for itself. Former CM Jitan Ram
Manjhi-led Morcha is learnt to have demanded 40 seats. The
BJP, on its part, wants to contest on at least 160 seats in the
243-member assembly. Yadav said the campaign in the state,
led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has already put
development on the centre stage of the campaign. He said
Modi’s rallies had set off a “storm of change” in the state
which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his foe-turned-ally
Lalu Prasad ruled for 25 years between them.
From Nitish turf, Kejriwal targets PM Modi
In the run-up to the Bihar Assembly polls, Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal travelled to Patna on Thursday and
threw his weight behind Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by
calling him a sushashak (good administrator) during a state
government function.
Kejriwal also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over
his recent “DNA test” jibe and accused him of trying to “buy
out” the people of Bihar with his special package. “It is wrong
to challenge Bihar’s DNA. This state has given so many
important people to the country. They (BJP) also targeted me
before the Delhi elections and said that I came from an
upadravi gotra (anarchist community). It backfired. Janta to
bata deti hai (people give a befitting answer),” Kejriwal said.
Speaking at a Bihar government function to celebrate the
implementation of the Right to Public Services (RTPS) Act,
the Delhi CM said his government planned to emulate Bihar’s
successful RTPS model that had benefitted about 11 crore
people.
Calling the Central government “confrontationist”, he
accused it of deliberately giving a thumbs down to Delhi
government’s every move. The Delhi CM also claimed that
AAP won Delhi after BJP’s resounding Lok Sabha win and at
a time when it was winning almost every state election.
Kejriwal, who was shown black flags by protesters outside the
Patna airport, mocked the BJP for seeking votes with a
promise to bring back black money and then focusing on yoga.
“Yoga is a good thing but let there be clarity among people if
you are seeking votes in name of black money or yoga,” he
said. Kejriwal also accused the Centre of violating the spirit of
cooperative federalism. As Kejriwal wrapped up his attack on
AAP’s and JD(U)’s common political enemy, the Bihar CM
thanked him for coming to the state and even reiterated his
support for Kejriwal’s demand for full statehood for Delhi.
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
CENTRAL GOVT ANNOUNCES
98 SMART CITIES
NEW DELHI (TIP): The union
government on August 27 released the
list of 98 cities that will be developed
under the Smart Cities mission.
These cities together have a
population of 13 crore, accounting for
35 per cent of India’s urban
population. Names of two cities — one
from Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar
Pradesh each — are yet to be revealed.
The metros with a population of over
50 lakh each on Smart Cities list
include Chennai, Greater Hyderabad,
Ahmedabad and Greater Mumbai.
Some of the other important urban
local bodies that have been included in
the list are the New Delhi Municipal
Council, Vishakhapatnam,
Chandigarh, Surat, Kochi, Bhopal,
Navi Mumbai, Thane, Bhubaneswar,
Amritsar, Jaipur, Allahabad and
Lucknow.
The Smart Cities mission, launched
by PM Narendra Modi in June this
year, will provide central funding of Rs
48,000 crore to the selected cities for
improving their infrastructure and
service delivery through application of
better technology and e-governance.
Explaining the meaning of Smart
Cities in an Indian context, Venkaiah
Naidu, Minister for Urban
Development, said that it would ensure
robust IT connectivity and digitization
as also core infrastructure such as
water supply, electricity supply,
sanitation, public transport, solid
waste management and affordable
housing. “We are not just aiming at
making our urban landscape fanciful
and flashy but the prime objective is to
enhance quality of urban life,” he said.
He added that central government
will immediately release Rs 2 crore to
each of the cities for preparation of
their smart city plans.
The state and urban local bodies
have to provide a matching
contribution of Rs 48,000 crore to each
city for the five year mission. This is in
addition to thousands of crores worth
investments from the private sector
which they will be allowed to recover
through levy of user charges on say
water supply or urban transport. “In a
situation such as the recent financial
crisis, when private firms are looking
for safe investments, I assure them that
Smart Cities are safe investment. The
land is going to be readily available
and the returns are assured,” he said.
According to the union government,
twenty four cities on the list are
industrial or business centres, 18 are
cultural or tourism hubs, five are port
cities and three are educational and
heath care hubs and capital cities
account for a quarter of total Smart
Cities. However, nine state capitals
have been left out of mission. These
include Patna, Bengaluru,
Trivandrum, Kolkata, Puducherry,
Gangtok, Shimla, Daman, Itnanagar.
All states and union territories were to
send in their nominations according to
the quota allotted to them by the centre
by July 31st.
The quota was assigned based on
the the number of statutory cities and
towns in the state and its total
population. Accordingly, UP had the
highest allotment at 13 followed by
Tamil Nadu at 12 and Maharashtra at
10. The smaller states, North eastern
states and union territories mostly
have only one smart city slot each. The
J&K government has asked for more
time to decide on whether the winter
capital of Jammu or the summer
capital of Srinagar should be their
smart city candidate. The conflictridden state is allowed only one
nomination to the mission after
demands by the state government to
allow for two was turned down by the
Centre.
According to the ministry, both
Jammu and Srinagar have similar
scores in the grading system. The
same is the case with Rae Bareli and
Meerut both of which had a tie for the
13th position in Uttar Pradesh.
What is a 'smart city'?
A city equipped with basic
infrastructure to give a decent quality
of life, a clean and sustainable
environment through application of
some smart solutions.
Basic infrastructure
Assured water and electricity
supply, sanitation and solid waste
management, efficient urban mobility
and public transport, robust IT
connectivity, e-governance and citizen
participation, safety and security of
citizens.
Smart solutions
Public information, grievance
redressal, electronic service delivery,
citizens' engagement, waste to energy
& fuel, waste to compost, 100%
treatment of waste water, smart
meters & management, monitoring
water quality, renewable source of
energy, efficient energy and green
building, smart parking, intelligent
traffic management system.
What's the next step?
The next step is identification of the
100 cities and for this a city challenge
competition to be conducted by
Bloomberg Philanthropies is
envisaged. The current plan looks to
select 20 cities this year followed by 40
each in the next two years.
LAW COMMISSION ALL SET TO RECOMMEND
ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Law
Commission of India will soon
recommend abolition of death penalty
in the country, said a report on August
28.
The Law Commission has prepared a
272-page draft report that has been
circulated among its members and will
likely be submitted to the government
next week.
As per The Indian Express, the
report recommends speedy abolition of
the death penalty.
It, however, makes exception for
those convicted of involvement in
terror cases.
India is among 60-odd countries in
the world where courts still award
capital punishment.
Just recently, 1993 Mumbai serial
blasts convict Yakub Memon was
hanged till death on July 30.
As per the daily, the draft report
expresses hope that the “movement
towards absolute abolition will be swift
and irreversible”.
In its draft report, the Commission
observed that “the death penalty has
no demonstrated utility in deterring
crime or incapacitating offenders, any
more than its alternative —
imprisonment for life. The quest for
retribution as a penal justification
cannot descend into cries for
vengeance.”
In its 35th report submitted way
back in 1962, the Law Commission had
recommended retention of death
penalty.
The Supreme Court had last year
asked the Commission to study the
issue of death penalty.
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
INDIA
POWERED BY INDIGENOUS
ENGINE, ISRO LAUNCHES
HEAVIEST SATELLITE
BANGALORE (TIP): India’s space agency ISRO crossed
another milestone August 27 afternoon, launching its first
2,000-kg-plus satellite on a launch vehicle powered by an
indigenous engine.
The 2,117-kg GSAT-6 communication satellite flew into space
on GSLV-D6 launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre at Sriharikota. This was the second successful flight of
the GSLV using the indigenous cryogenic engine with which
ISRO scientists have had a bitter-sweet experience till now.
The GSAT-6 satellite is the same one that had been leased
out to a private company, Devas Multimedia, four years ago for
launching satellite-based mobile communication services.
Devas had been authorised by ISRO to use a part of the S-band
spectrum to roll out its services.
The deal had been cancelled by the government in 2012 after
allegations of favouritism surfaced, and questions were raised
over allotment of S-band that could be used by the security
agencies. The GSAT-6 has a six-metre wide unfurlable antenna
that can facilitate utilisation of S-band space spectrum for
communication and an 80-cm C band antenna that has been
reserved for “strategic uses”.
The launch marks an important step in the deployment of
GSLVs in future projects. GSLV, or Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle, is an advanced launch vehicle that can be
used to carry satellites heavier than 2000-kg, even those
weighing up to 5000-kg, into space. This is the vehicle that
ISRO has been banking on to realise its future projects to
explore deep space, far beyond even Mars. GSLV’s higher
capabilities, as compared to the PSLV or Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle that has made 28 successful launches in a row,
is made possible by a cryogenic part of the three-stage engine.
Cryogenics is the science of extremely low temperatures. The
cryogenic engine uses liquid engine and liquid hydrogen as
propellants.
The first successful flights of GSLV used Russian-made
cryogenic engines, including the GSLF-F04 that carried the
heaviest-ever satellite launched from India, the INSAT-4CR
that weighed 2130 kg, 13 kg more than GSAT-6. ISRO’s initial
attempts to use its own cryogenic engine in the GSLV resulted
in failure. It was only in January last year that the first GSLV
with an indigenous cryogenic-stage engine made a successful
flight.
3 killed, 16 injured in Pak
firing in Jammu & Kashmir
JAMMU (TIP): Three civilians were killed and nine injured
on Friday in heavy and indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan in
Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
"Three civilians were killed and nine injured in
indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan Rangers in R.S. Pura
sector of the International Border in Jammu district," a
senior police officer said.
Subhash Chander, 45, and Bimla Devi, 42, both residents of
Sai Khurd village, and Pawan Kumar, 55, who lived in
Abdullian village, were killed. The injured have been shifted
to a hospital. Pakistan Rangers resorted to shelling and firing
at 1 a.m. on Friday and firing exchanges are still on. Police
said the Pakistani side also used automatics and machine
guns to fire indiscriminately in the area. Many civilians areas
have come under heavy shelling by Pakistan. The Indian side
has appropriately retaliated, he added.
Give greater rights to children
below 6 years: Law
Commission of India
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Law Commission of India on
Wednesday recommended amending the Constitution to
ensure that children below six years of age are protected from
"all forms" of neglect, harm and exploitation.
The Commission also recommended that their right to basic
care and assistance be made an enforceable right, while noting
that the current legal framework in India does not place
enough emphasis on the rights of young children.
It said that the early childhood is the phase of "maximum
vulnerability" and deprivation can seriously impact a child's
health and learning potential.
The Commission, in its report submitted to the Law
Ministry today, also recommended amendments to the Right to
Education Act, Maternity Benefit Act and creation of a
statutory authority for early childhood development to ensure
"proper emphasis" on the promotion of early childhood
development.
11
Census 2011: Hindus dip to
below 80% of population;
Muslim share up
The Muslim community has registered a moderate 0.8 per cent growth
to touch 17.22 crore in the 10 year period between 2001 and 2011, up
from 13.8 crore, while Hindus population showed a decline by 0.7 per
cent at 96.63 crore during the period, the census data said
NEW DELHI (TIP): The percentage of
Muslims in the country’s population
increased 0.8 percentage points
between 2001 and 2011 to 14.23% or
17.22 crore. In the previous decade, i.e.
between 1991 and 2001, their share in
the total population had increased by a
bigger measure or 1.73 percentage
points to 13.43%. They were, however,
the only community to register a
growth in terms of their share in the
total population. The Census 2011 data
on Population by Religious
Communities, released by the Registrar
General of India on Tuesday, also
showed that the percentage of Hindus
dipped by 0.7 percentage points (PP) in
the decade 2001 to 2011, pulling it for
the first time below 80%. Hindus now
constitute 79.8% of the country’s total
population. In the previous decade,
the proportion of Hindus in the
population showed a sharper
fall by 1.94 percentage points.
In January this year, The
Indian Express had
reported about the fall
in percentage of the
Hindu population.
According to the
2011 Census data,
India’s population in
the 2001-2011 grew
17.7% to 121.09 crore,
with Hindus numbering
96.63 crore. The decadal growth rate of
Hindus was 16.8% during the period.
The previous UPA government did not
release the census data on religious
composition in the last couple of years
for political reasons.
The data release coincides with
Assembly elections due in three states
with significant Muslim population —
Bihar in October this year and Assam
and West Bengal in 2016. Except
Madhya Pradesh, the increase in the
Muslim population in all big states
remained above the national average of
24.6%. In Rajasthan, it increased by
29.81%, Bihar 27.95%, Gujarat 27.3%,
Maharashtra 26.3% and in Uttar
Pradesh by 25.19%. In Madhya Pradesh,
the increase was marginally less than
the national average at 24.29%. Among
the other big states which have sizeable
Muslim numbers, Assam has seen their
count increase 29.59% and West Bengal
21.81%, both of which are poll-bound.
Barring Manipur and Puducherry,
Muslims as a percentage of the
population increased in all other states.
In Assam, their share increased 3.3
percentage points to 34.22%. In
Manipur and Puducherry, it fell 0.41
and 0.04 percentage points respectively
to 8.4% and 6.05%. According to the
2011 data, Christians formed 2.3% of
the total population at 2.78 crore. The
Sikh population stood at 2.08 crore
making up 1.7%, Buddhists at 84 lakh
accounted for 0.7%, and 45 lakh Jains
accounted for 0.4% of the total
population. While there has been
no significant change in the
proportion of Christians and
Jains, that of Sikhs has
declined by 0.2 percentage
points and of Buddhists
by 0.1 percentage points
during the decade.
The growth rate of
Christians over the
decade stood at
15.5%, Sikhs at 8.4%,
Buddhists at 6.1%
and Jains 5.4%.
Sheena Bora murder case:
When Indrani Mukerjea broke
down during questioning
MUMBAI (TIP): Arrested media baron
Indrani Mukherjea, accused of
murdering her daughter Sheena Bora, on
August 27 broke down during questioning
by the Mumbai Police.
According to a report, Indrani started
crying when she was told that call
history records of all the accused in the
case matched with that of Sheena's
mobile.
So far, the Mumbai Police have
arrested three people in connection with
the Sheena Bora murder case of April 24,
2012. They are Sheena's mother Indrani
Mukherjea, Indrani's former husband
Sanjeev Khanna from Kolkata whom she
married in 1993, and her driver Shyam
Rai from Mumbai, with the possibility of
more arrests not ruled out in the next few
days. On April 24, 2012, Indrani made a
call from her cell phone to Rahul. On the
same day, at one point of time, locations
of cell towers reveal that mobile phones
of Sheena, Indrani, Sanjeev Khanna and
Shyam Rai were in the same area Bandra West.
For the next few hours after that, the
phone locations were found to be similar,
confirming that the four moved from one
Indrani Mukherjea
location to another.
Next day, all four mobile phones left
Mumbai circle and entered into
Maharashtra –Goa circle. The location
was Raigad district in Maharashtra,
which is around 125 km from Mumbai.
The call history records corroborate by
the claims made by the driver in his
statement to the police.
According to Mumbai Police
Commissioner Rakesh Maria, who is
personally directing the investigation,
Sheena was killed on April 24, 2012 and
her body was found by the Raigad police
on May 23, 2012.
Another Pak
militant held in
Kashmir
JAMMU (TIP): Another
Pakistani militant was captured
and four more were shot dead in a
fierce gunbattle deep in the
Rafiabad jungles of Baramulla as
the Army and the Jammu and
Kashmir Police wound up a fourday joint operation on August 27.
The captured militant, who
initially identified himself as
Sajjad Ahmed, 22, is said to be
from Muzaffargarh, on the banks
of the Chenab river, in southwest
Punjab of Pakistan. Security
agencies said the five made up a
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module
from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Sajjad was forced to come out of
hiding from a natural cave as the
Army lobbed “chilli grenades”.
The arrest comes three weeks
after another LeT suspect from
Pakistan, Mohammad Naved, was
captured following an attack on a
Border Security Force convoy in
Udhampur. It is learnt that the
National Investigation Agency,
which is pursuing the Udhampur
case, is in touch with the Jammu
and Kashmir Police to ascertain if
Sajjad had any links with Naved.
12
WORLD
At least 20 migrants found
dead in truck on Austria
highway
VIENNA (TIP): At least 20 migrants have been found
dead inside a truck on a highway in Austria, police said on
Thursday, the latest tragedy involving people desperately
trying to reach Europe.
The vehicle, which contained between 20 and 50 bodies,
was found in an emergency lane off the highway near the
border with Hungary, police spokesman Hans Peter
Doskozil said at a press conference.
"Today is a dark day... This tragedy affects us all deeply,"
interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said.
"Human traffickers are criminals. Anyone still thinking
that they're kind helpers cannot be helped."
It is thought that the truck had been parked in the area
since Wednesday.
"We cannot confirm yet how they died," Doskozil added.
Forensics teams at the scene said it would take several
days to secure evidence.
The minister announced Austria would tighten its
border controls and intensify checks on international
trains in the coming weeks.
She also called on the other 27 member states of the
European Union to show "zero tolerance" for people
smugglers.
The gruesome find comes as German chancellor Angela
Merkel and Balkan leaders are meeting in Vienna to
discuss how to tackle together the biggest migration crisis
to hit Europe since World War II.
They reacted with shock to the news of the dead
migrants.
"Just another terrible incident, illustrating the urgent
need for quick and determined common action," tweeted
the EU's commissioner for enlargement, Johannes Hahn.
This year has seen record numbers of people trying to
reach the EU by sea and land as they flee conflicts in
Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
In Austria, the number of asylum requests rose above
28,300 between January and June alone - as many as for
the whole of 2014 - and officials expect the total to reach
80,000 this year.
"Austria has more migrants than Italy and Greece
combined... so we shouldn't pretend that only Italy and
Greece are affected," Austrian foreign minister Sebastian
Kurz said ahead of the summit.
Suspected shooter in custody
at Mississippi State University,
no injuries reported
WASHINGTON DC (TIP): Mississippi State University
said on Twitter on August 27 it had a suspect in custody
after an active shooter was reported on campus.
The university said there was "no report at this time of
any shots that have been fired" and that no injuries had
been immediately reported. Despite the apprehension of a
suspect, on Twitter the college instructed people to
"continue to shelter in place until further notice." "Stay
away from campus. Stay inside buildings," it added.
China jails 45 on terror-related
charges in Xinjiang region
BEIJING (TIP): Forty-five people, including five arrested
while attempting to join the East Turkestan Islamic
Movement and the Taliban, have been given jail terms
ranging from four years to life in China's restive Xinjiang
region for terrorism and human trafficking.
The autonomous regions' higher people's court on
Thursday said that the 45 were tried in 10 cases in
courts in Yili, Aksu, Hotan, Kashgar and Karamay
recently.
In two cases, 18 human traffickers from other parts of
the country were found guilty of helping more than 300
people enter Vietnam, making illegal earnings of nearly 2
million yuan (about $312,000 US dollars), it said.
Traffickers Wei Hai and Chen Qianggui were sentenced
to life in prison while the other 16 were handed prison
terms ranging from seven to 15 years, state-run Xinhua
news agency reported.
In a case tried in Kashgar, five locals were sentenced to
eight to 10 years in prison after being arrested on the
border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan while
attempting to join the East Turkestan Islamic Movement
and Taliban terrorist groups.
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
Boat packed with
migrants sinks off Libya;
up to 200 feared dead
TRIPOLI (TIP): A boat packed with
mainly African migrants bound for
Italy sank off the Libyan coast on
August 27 and officials said up to 200
might have died.
A security official in the western
town of Zuwara, from where the
overcrowded boat had set off, said there
had around 400 people on board. Many
appeared to have been trapped in the
hold when it capsized.
By late in the evening, the Libyan
coast guard rescued around 201, of
which 147 were brought to a detention
facility for illegal migrants in Sabratha,
west of Tripoli, the official said, asking
not to be named.
Another local official and a journalist
based in Zuwara confirmed the sinking
but also had no information on
casualties.
The migrants on board had been from
sub-Saharan Africa, Pakistan, Syria,
Morocco and Bangladesh, the security
official said.
The Italian coast guard, which has
been coordinating rescue operations
with the European Union off the
Libyan coast, could not immediately
confirm a sinking.
Libya's coast guard has very limited
capabilities, relying on small
inflatables, tug boats and fishing
vessels.
Zuwara, Libya's most western town
located near the Tunisian border, is a
major launchpad for smugglers
shipping migrants to Italy.
Libya has turned into a transit route
for migrants fleeing conflict and
poverty to make it to Europe. Crossborder smuggler networks exploit the
country's lawlessness and chaos to
bring Syrians into Libya via Egypt or
nationals of sub-Saharan countries via
Niger, Sudan and Chad.
More than 2,300 people have died this
year in attempts to reach Europe by
boat, compared with 3,279 during the
whole of last year, according to the
International Organisation for
Migration.
As many as 50 refugees were found
dead in a parked lorry in Austria near
Italy government puts scandalhit Rome on tight leash
ROME (TIP): Italy's government said on Thursday it would
put Rome city hall under close supervision following
allegations it had fallen under the sway of organized crime,
but allowed the beleaguered mayor to stay in office.
A scandal dubbed "Mafia Capital" has rocked Rome this
year, laying bare suspicions of rampant corruption that
helped explain the shabby state of city streets and the dire
state of municipal accounts.
Rome's many problems have caused particular concern
given the looming Roman Catholic Church Holy Year, which
kicks off in December and is expected to bring some 30
million pilgrims into Italy's ill-prepared capital city over the
following 12 months.
After weeks of deliberation, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's
cabinet decided that only one of Rome's 15 districts, covering
the seaside Ostia neighbourhood, should be put under direct
government control because of alleged mafia infiltration.
The rest of the city will remain under the control of mayor
Ignazio Marino, who has not himself come under
investigation for any wrongdoing, but has faced widespread
criticism for failing to stamp his authority on a flailing local
bureaucracy.
However, interior minister Angelino Alfano said that the
government representative in Rome, the city prefect, would
from now on work alongside the mayor to guarantee the
smooth running of key services, including the awarding of
public contracts.
"I have informed the cabinet that I intend to empower the
prefect of Rome so that he can oversee projects and planning
with the mayor in eight especially delicate areas," he said.
The government also placed oversight for the forthcoming
Holy Year directly into the hands of prefect Franco Gabrielli,
effectively shunting the mayor onto the sidelines for the highprofile, year-long event.
There was no immediate comment from Marino, who has
vanished from the public eye in recent weeks, taking a break
in the Caribbean to write his memoirs.
the Hungarian border on Thursday, and
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said
the discovery had shaken European
leaders discussing the migrant crisis at
a Balkans summit.
Libya has been struggling to cope
with an influx of migrants, putting
them in overcrowded makeshift
detention facilities such as schools or
military barracks where they live in
poor conditions lacking medical care.
The North African country used to
deport migrants it caught but with
fighting between armed groups having
cut off land border crossings to Niger,
Algeria and Chad many stay months or
years in detention facilities.
Britain's former foreign
secretary who announced to
erect Mahatma Gandhi statue ,
rewarded
LONDON (TIP): Britain's former foreign secretary who
first announced UK's plans to erect the Mahatma Gandhi
statue at London's iconic Parliament Square during his visit
to India last year, has been rewarded for his loyalty.
William Hague who stepped down from his role and
abandoned politics early this year to spend more time
writing books will now return to the House of Lords.
Prime Minister David Cameron handed out peerages to 26
Conservatives including Hague who will now be referred to
as a Lord.
Around 45 new peers were appointed on Thursday with the
majority of the new appointees being Tories, with the Lib
Dems getting 11 and Labour eight.
Hague while stepping down from office earlier this year
had said "By the time of the general election next year, I will
have served 26 years in the House of Commons and it will be
20 years since I first joined the cabinet. In government there
is a balance to strike between experience on the one hand
and the need for renewal on the other, and I informed the PM
last summer that I would not be a candidate at the next
general election".
Cameron has high regard for Hague and had said "William
Hague has been one of the leading lights of the Conservative
Party for a generation, leading the party and serving in two
cabinets. Not only has he been a first class foreign secretary ,
he has also been a close confidant, a wise counsellor and a
great friend". Interestingly Indian tech titan N R Narayana
Murthy's son-in-law Rishi Sunak has filled in Hague's large
shoes. The Conservative Party fielded the Oxford and
Stanford educated Sunak from Richmond (Yorks) in the
recent general elections , which has traditionally been
Hague's seat. He received 27,744 votes , 51% of the vote share,
replacing Hague as the MP from Richmond (Yorks).
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
WORLD
13
Iran may have built extension at disputed
military site: UN nuclear watchdog
VIENNA (TIP): Iran appears to have
built an extension to part of its Parchin
military site since May, the UN nuclear
watchdog said in a report on Thursday
delving into a major part of its inquiry
into possible military dimensions to
Tehran's past atomic activity.
A resolution of the International Atomic
Energy Agency's Parchin file, which
includes a demand for fresh IAEA access
to the site, is a symbolically important
issue that could help make or break
Tehran's July 14 nuclear deal with six
world powers.
The confidential IAEA report, obtained
by Reuters, said: "Since (our) previous
report (in May), at a particular location at
the Parchin site, the agency has continued
to observe, through satellite imagery, the
presence of vehicles, equipment, and
probable construction materials. In
addition, a small extension to an existing
building appears to have constructed."
The changes were first observed last
month, a senior diplomat familiar with the
IAEA investigation said.
The IAEA says any activities Iran has
undertaken at Parchin since UN inspectors
last visited in 2005 could jeopardise its
ability to verify Western intelligence
suggesting Tehran carried out tests there
relevant to nuclear bomb detonations more
than a decade ago. Iran has dismissed the
intelligence as "fabricated".
Under a "roadmap" accord Iran reached
with the IAEA parallel to its
groundbreaking settlement with the global
powers, the Islamic Republic is required to
give the Vienna-based watchdog enough
information about its past nuclear activity
to allow it to write a report on the long
vexed issue by year-end.
"Full and timely implementation of the
relevant parts of the road-map is essential
to clarify issues relating to this location at
Parchin," the new IAEA report said.
According to data given to the IAEA by
some member states, Parchin might have
housed hydrodynamic experiments to
assess how specific materials react under
high pressure, such as in a nuclear blast.
"We cannot know or speculate what's in
the (extended) building. The building itself
is not related to the most interesting
building for us ... It's something we will
technically clarify over the course of the
AUSTRALIAN VISA
CHECK OPERATION
DUMPED AFTER
COMMUNITY OUTRAGE
MELBOURNE (TIP): A major operation to
spot check people's visas on the streets of
Melbourne as part of a crime crackdown was
cancelled today after sparking community
outrage that Australia risked becoming "a
police state".
The controversy erupted after the
Australian Border Force (ABF) released a
statement today saying its officers would join
police and transport officials at various
locations this weekend to speak "with any
individual we cross paths with" to identify
visa fraudsters.
"You need to be aware of the conditions of
your visa; if you commit visa fraud you
should know it's only a matter of time before
you're caught out," said ABF Regional
Commander for Victoria and Tasmania, Don
Smith.
The ABF, part of the Immigration
Department, said the focus would be on
people travelling to, from and around the city
"targeting everything from anti-social
behaviour to outstanding warrants".
But the news spurred an online storm with
users questioning how they would decide
who to stop and whether it would target
those of foreign appearance.
"Great... so that's that then... Just stop
anyone that looks like a migrant and demand
their papers," one netizen, Senor Snap,
tweeted.
Under the Migration Act, an officer may
ask a person they know, or reasonably
suspects, is a non-citizen to show their ID,
proof of citizenship or visa.
Greens MP for Melbourne Adam Bandt
warned the operation would threaten
Melbourne's reputation.
"How will the Border Force distinguish
between locals, visitors and visa holders?" he
asked reporters.
"Will every person in Melbourne now be
asked to show their papers as they move
about the city? Or will they only be stopping
people with certain skin colours?"
As the backlash grew, the ABF issued a
second "clarifying" statement, denying it
would stop people at random and that it
would only conduct background visa checks
on individuals referred by police and other
agencies.
"The ABF does not and will not stop people
at random in the streets and does not target
on the basis of race, religion, or ethnicity," it
said.
By then, a crowd of several hundred
protesters had shut down a main intersection
in the heart of Melbourne, chanting "no to
racism, no to hate, this is not a police state".
year," the senior diplomat said.
Groundbreaking nuclear accord
Under its Vienna accord with the
powers, Iran must put verifiable limits on
its uranium enrichment programme to
create confidence it will not be put to
developing nuclear bombs, in exchange for
a removal of sanctions crippling its oilbased economy. Iran has said it seeks only
peaceful nuclear energy.
Iran has for years been stonewalling the
IAEA inquiry into possible military
dimensions (PMD) to its nuclear project.
But the Islamic Republic delivered on a
pledge under the roadmap to turn over
more information by August 15.
The IAEA report said the agency was
still reviewing the PMD information Iran
provided. Agency director-general Yukiya
Amano said on Tuesday that the
information was substantive but it was too
early to say whether any of it was new.
A second diplomat familiar with the
Iran file said he did not expect any
breakthrough from the documents
provided by Iran.
While sticking to its mandate of
securing compliance with its nonproliferation mandate, diplomats see the
IAEA as being keen not to imperil Iran's
pact with the powers, who tout it as crucial
to reducing conflict in the Middle East.
The success of that deal will hinge on
IAEA verification of Iranian compliance,
but the agency must still issue reports that
are technically sound. "It's a question of
how they will reflect this in a more or less
elegant way," a third diplomat said.
The IAEA has come under pressure,
especially from US lawmakers who will
hold a critical vote next month on whether
to ratify the deal between Iran and the
powers, for not publishing its roadmap
agreement with Tehran.
On that point, the senior diplomat said:
"The agency is doing nothing in Iran in
this area that it hasn't been doing or is not
doing somewhere else. There are no
cutting corners in Iran."
Amano last week rejected as "a
misrepresentation" suggestions from
hawkish critics of the nuclear accord that
the IAEA had quietly agreed to allow Iran
to inspect sections of Parchin on the
agency's behalf.
7 killed, 2 injured in poison
exposure at China paper mill
BEIJING (TIP): Seven workers were killed
and two injured after exposure to poisonous
gasses at a paper mill in central China,
authorities said Saturday, in the latest in a
spate of deadly accidents to strike the country
involving dangerous chemicals.
The accident occurred Friday after an
employee fell into a pool filled with poisonous
waste paper pulp during a cleaning operation,
a statement from the Anxiang county
government in Hunan province said. His coworkers rushed to help him but were
overcome by the noxious gasses, the statement
said.
It follows China's worst industrial accident
in recent history, a massive explosion at a
warehouse storing toxic chemicals in the port
of Tianjin that killed at least 145.
Police have arrested 11 local officials and
company executives in that incident along
with a dozen employees of the firm involved.
Nationwide safety checks were ordered after
the Aug. 12 disaster, focusing especially on the
storage of dangerous chemicals.
All the government officials are accused of
dereliction of duty and abusing their
positions, pointing to major gaps in China's
regulation of industrial safety and
management of toxic substances.
Investigators are looking into how the
Tianjin warehouse gained permission to
handle sodium cyanide and other dangerous
chemicals despite being located inside a
legally-mandated 1,000-meter (1,000-yard)
buffer zone from homes and roads. The
investigation has also found that the
warehouse was storing vastly more chemicals
than it was equipped to handle and had kept
some in a loading zone rather than storing
them securely. Another worker was killed and
nine injured in an explosion at a chemical
plant in the eastern city of Zibo on Aug. 22.
14
SOUTH ASIA
Pak court orders
arrest of ex-PM
Gilani
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI (TIP): A Pakistani court
on August 27 issued arrest warrant for former PM
Yousuf Raza Gilani in a corruption case.
The anti-corruption court issued the warrant against
Gilani for his alleged involvement in the National
Insurance Limited Company (NICL) scam.
The charges carry a jail term of up to seven years as
well as fines.
Protests over Nepal statute
kill at least 9
KATHMANDU (TIP): At least nine people, including
six policemen, were killed and several others injured as
thousands of ethnic protesters demanding a separate
state in the proposed new Constitution on August 24
attacked police with axes, spears and bricks in a western
Nepal district bordering India.
The clash erupted after about 20,000 demonstrators
from the Tharu ethnic group breached the prohibitory
orders and attacked police with weapons in Tikapur in
Kailali district on the issue of dividing the country in
seven provinces, a home ministry spokesperson said.
The situation turned violent after the demonstrators
surrounded police who were enforcing a curfew in
Tikapur and attacked security officials with bricks,
spears and knives, killing six policemen, including an
SSP, the spokesperson said. SSP Laxman Neupane was
hacked to death while a head constable was burned alive
by the protestors, officials said, adding that three
demonstrators were also killed in the clash.
The injured were taken to regional hospitals and the
death toll was expected to rise, they said. Some local
media reports put the death toll at 20 that include 17
policemen. However, there was no official confirmation.
Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam said the government
has also sent troops to the area to try to bring the
situation under control.
A new national Constitution presented in the
constituent assembly , the national parliament, on
Sunday aims to restructure Nepal as a federal state
made up of seven provinces. Demonstrators have been
protesting against the draft charter, saying the proposed
provinces fail to ensure political representation for
marginalised communities.
The Tharu protesters are demanding a separate state
in the new Constitution.Since the last two weeks,
Tharuhat United Struggle Committee has been staging
agitation in the western Terai region demanding
autonomous Tharuhat province, including Kanchanpur
and Kailai districts, in the new federal structure.
Cops `forcibly' take
Maldives ex-president
Nasheed to jail
MALE (TIP): Mohamed Nasheed has been forcibly
taken back to jail by police, a month after the former
Maldivian president's 13-year prison term was
commuted to house arrest, his party claimed on August
24, describing the move as "arbitrary and illegal".
Nasheed's party the Maldivian Dessmocratic Party
(MDP) said policemen, without a court warrant
forcefully entered his home on Sunday , breaking the
main gate of the house and pepper sprayed those inside
the house indiscriminately . The party strongly
condemned Nasheed's arrest by the Maldives
Correctional Service and Maldives Police Service,
calling it "arbitrary and illegal".
The correctional service, however, said that the 48yearold ex-president was "temporarily" transferred to
house arrest for eight weeks due to health reasons -in
accordance with his doctor's advice to allow him to be in
a "stressfree environment". The eight weeks ended last
Friday .
Nasheed was forced to resign as a result of a coup in
February 2011.
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
13 KILLED IN PAKISTAN
ROAD ACCIDENTS
ISLAMABAD (TIP): At least 13
people were killed and 16 injured in
two separate road accidents in
Pakistan on August 25, local media
reported.
Samaa TV said that in the first
accident, a van-oil tanker collision
left nine people dead and six injured
in the country's east Punjab
province.
The passenger van with some 20
people aboard had a head-on collision
with the oil tanker coming from the
opposite direction in Jand area of
Attock, a district located some 95 km
west of the capital Islamabad.
Police said that the over-speeding
oil tanker went out of the driver's
control and hit the van.
The inured people have been
shifted to a nearby hospital where at
least two of them are said to be in
critical condition.
In a separate road accident in the
country's south Sindh province, four
people were killed and 10 injured
when a passenger van hit a dumper,
Geo News said.
Police said that the van driver fell
asleep at the wheel and rammed the
dumper from behind near Larkana
district of the province.
The injured people have been
shifted to a nearby hospital.
Blasts at Afghan gas storage
facility kill 11, mostly children
HERAT (TIP): At least 11 people, most
of them children, were killed in a series
of explosions at an Afghan gas storage
facility, which triggered a massive
inferno in a nearby settlement for
displaced people, officials said today.
It was not immediately clear whether
the blasts late yesterday on the edge of
the relatively peaceful western city of
Herat were the result of an accident or
caused by a militant attack.
"Around midnight (Monday) a gas
tanker exploded which triggered blasts
in a gas storage plant, killing 11 people
and injuring 10 others," Herat police
spokesman Abdul Rauf Ahmadi told
AFP.
The explosions triggered a plume of
flames into the night sky, which rapidly
spread to a nearby settlement of mud
houses for internally displaced people
where most of the deaths occurred.
Ihasanullah Hayat, spokesman for the
governor of Herat, confirmed the toll
and said the majority of those killed
were children.
A resident of the hillside settlement,
who lost a 9-year- old daughter in the
fire, said many of the victims were
trying to flee the towering flames.
"The explosions were powerful and
sparked a huge fire," said the man, who
had sought refuge in Herat after fleeing
the neighbouring restive province of
Badghis.
"After the first explosion everyone
started to flee the area and got caught
up in the flames," he added, reluctant to
give his name.
Mourners gathered at the settlement
for funeral prayers this morning, with
turbaned pall bearers seen carrying
bodies for burial on makeshift
stretchers.
Domestic gas cylinder explosions are
an almost daily occurrence around the
country, where safety standards are
poor and fatal accidents not uncommon.
Herat province, a key business hub
located in western Afghanistan near the
border with Iran, is a relatively
peaceful province in a country
convulsed by an ascendant 14- year
Taliban insurgency.
But in May last year four insurgent
gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on
India's consulate in Herat before being
repelled by security forces, in an
assault highlighting the precarious
security situation in the country.
And at least four Afghans were killed
in September 2013 in a Taliban suicide
attack on the US consulate in the city.
The Taliban are stepping up their
summer offensive, launched in late
April, amid a bitter leadership dispute
following the announcement of the
death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.
Nepal opens Everest expedition after earthquake
KATHMANDU (TIP): A Japanese
climber will be the first to attempt to scale
Mount Everest since a massive earthquake
in April triggered avalanches that killed 18
climbers, shutting an industry that feeds
thousands of people across Nepal.
Nobukazu Kuriki, 33, of Tokyo will
make a solo attempt on the 8,850-metre
(29,035 feet) Everest summit along the
normal Southeast Ridge route pioneered
by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa
Tenzing Norgay in 1953, the Nepal
government said on August 22.
"I have chosen to come now to help
Nepal, which is in troubles because of the
earthquake," Kuriki told reporters.
Kuriki will climb in the autumn season
that starts next month, which is not
usually popular among climbers because
of extreme cold and shorter periods of
daylight.
"Kuriki is climbing at a time when there
is confusion in the world about the safety
in Nepal after the earthquake," Nepal's
tourism minister Kripasur Sherpa said
after handing out the climbing permit.
"This will be an example for other
visitors to come to Nepal which is safe for
mountain climbing."
Two earthquakes in April and May
killed 8,900 people in Nepal, including
scores of climbers and foreign trekkers.
About 400 foreign climbers who were at
the Everest base camp at the time of the
earthquakes were forced to abandon their
attempt after avalanches destroyed their
route through the Khumbu Icefall and
sherpas said the slopes were too dangerous
to climb.
15
TRAVEL
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
RANAKPUR: A SERENE GETAWAY
WITH LOTS TO EXPLORE
anakpur is named after Rana Kumbha
whom Dharna Sah, a Jain
businessman, approached when he had
the vision of his great temple to ask for the
land for its construction. Renowned for some
marvelously carved Jain temples in amber
stone, Ranakpur is one of the five holiest
places of the Jain community and
exceptional in beauty. Situated at a distance
of around 60 km from Udaipur, these temples
were constructed in the AD 1439.
The construction is well documented in a
1437 CE copper-plate record, inscriptions in
the temple and a Sanskrit text SomaSaubhagya Kavya. Inspired by a dream of a
celestial vehicle, Dhanna Shah, a Porwad,
commenced its construction, under the
patronage of Rana Kumbha, then ruler of
Mewar.
This charming village has derived its
name after Rana Kumbha.Well-known for
some excellently carved 15th century Jain
temples in amber stone, Ranakpur is one of
the five holiest places of the Jains and
flaunts outstanding natural beauty. Dharna
Sah, who happened to be a Jain
businessman, approached Rana Kumbha
when he had the vision of his great temple to
request a portion of land for its construction.
The magnificent Jain temples were built
during the rule of the open-minded and
gifted monarch Rana Kumbha during the
15th century. The basement of the complex
covers 48,000 sq. feet area and features four
additional shrines, twenty four pillared halls
and domes supported by more than four
hundred columns. There are 1,444 columns
and all of them are intricately carved with
different appearance.
The Ranakpur Jain Temple were built
under the reign of Rana Kumbha in the 15th
century AD. The Ranakpur Jain temples is
one of the most beautiful Jain temple. An
enormous basement of this temple covers
48,000 square feet. There are four subsidiary
shrines, twenty four pillared halls. The total
number of columns is 1444, all of which are
intricately carved, no two being alike. These
temples are about 400 years old and even
today these temples are well preserved in a
perfect condition.
The architectural design of the Jain
temple Ranakpur is not only fascinating but
also symbolic. It has four sides or four faces
(Charmukha). The construction is symbolic
of the Tirthankar’s conquest of the four
cardinal directions and therefore the cosmos.
While each face of the Jain temple is
identical in terms of features, no two pillars
in the temple are the same. The architect for
the temple, referred to in stone inscriptions
as Depaka, was evidently a genius. For him,
art was an expression of his soul and a
prayer, rather than a means of earning
money. An ascetic himself, he was impressed
by Dharnasha’s lifestyle and religious
conviction, which was the reason why he
agreed to take on the monumental
assignment.
R
Kumbhalgarh Fort
Located 85 kms north of Udaipur in the
wilderness, Kumbhalgarh is the second most
important citadel after Chittorgarh in the
Mewar region. Cradled in the Aravali Ranges
the fort was built in the 15th century by Rana
Kumbha. Because of its inaccessibility and
hostile topography the fort had remained unconquered. It also served the rulers of
Mewar as a refuge in times of strife. The fort
also served as refuge to the baby king Udai of
Mewar. It is also of sentimental significance
as it is the birthplace of Mewar's legendary
King Maharana Partap.
The fort is self-contained and has within
its amalgam almost everything to withstand
a long siege. The fort fell only once that too to
the combined armies of Mughal and of
Amber for scarcity of drinking water. Many
magnificent palaces an array of temples
built by the Mauryas of which the most
picturesque place is the Badal Mahal or the
palace of the clouds. The fort also offers a
superb birds view of the surroundings. The
fort's thick wall stretches some 36 kms and is
wide enough to take eight horses abreast.
Maharana Fateh Singh renovated the fort in
the 19th century. The fort's large compound
has very interesting ruins and the walk
around it can be very rewarding.
Narlai Narlai
After breakfast drive to Luni en-route visit
World famous Jain Temple Ranakpur. The
exceptionally beautiful Ranakpur complex, is
one of the largest and most important Jain
temple in India. The main temple is the
Chaumukha Temple, or Four Faced Temple,
dedicated to Adhinath. Built in 1439, this
huge, superbly crafted and well-kept marble
temple has 29 halls supported by 1444 pillars,
no two alike. Also do the city sightseeing tour
of Prince Jodha founded city Jodhpur - the
stronghold of the fierce Ratore clan, in 1459.
Visit the Mehrangarh Fort, situated on a low
sandstone hill. Within the fort, visit Moti
Mahal and Phool Mahal. Also visit jaswant
Thada, an imposing marble cenotaph, built in
memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II
around 1899 and Umaid Public Garden. After
sightseeing continue drive to Luni. Arrive
Luni and check-in at hotel. Night stay in Luni.
Mucchal Mahaveer
Once upon a time, the Rana of Mewar was
on a hunt in Ghanerao, in the Pali district of
Rajasthan, when he ventured upon a temple
of Lord Mahavir. The priest offered him
refreshments and prasad. Much to the Rana’s
amusement, the prasad has a white hair,
probably from the priest’s head and he
cracked a joke about the lord having a
moustache. Failing to understand the
humour and probably stumped for an answer,
the priest said yes. Carrying on with the joke,
the Rana told the priest that he would return
in three days to see the Lord’s moustache.
Jain Temple
Ranakpur Jain Temple is famous for its
excellent sculptures and architecture.
Surrounded by the Aravali hills and located
on the banks of 'Magai' river this grand &
gigantic four facet structures was erected
in the 14th Century.The Temple is three
storied, 102 ft. high and its spread over an
area of 48000 sq. ft. The present structure
of the temple came into being after the
hard works of 50 years by various artisans
& sculptors. the land of this temple which
situated at the foot hill of 'Madri hills' was
gifted by Maharana Kumbha of Mewar.
Along with this temple a small town, about
2 kms. from the temple also came into
existence. this town got its name from
'Rana' & was named 'Ranpur' which later
came to be known as 'Ranakpur'. The
temple is dedicated to the first Jain
Teerthkar 'Lord Adinath'. it is built on high
platform, which has about nine basement.
it has 84 idols of gods and demi gods., 1444
pillars elaborately and beautifully
decorated along with 4 'Megh Mandaps'.
surrounding the main temple there are
small shrines of Lord
'Parshwanath','Neminath'& 'Surya
Narayan'.
Sun Temple
The Surya Narayan Temple is another
must-see temple in Ranakpur. The temple is
dedicated to Sun God and is popular for its
various wall projections in circular
structure.
The most interesting sight in this temple is
the image of Lord Surya driving a sevenhorse chariot. Other than this the temple is
also an architectural delight.
Parshuram Mahadev Temple
En route Ranakpur to Kumbhalgarh,
approximately 14 kilometres from Sadri
Village, is the Parshuram Mahadev Temple.
This Shiva temple sits in a cave 3995 feet
above sea-level and it is said that Parshuram,
the lord’s sixth manifestation, made the cave
himself with his axe to worship Shiva in the
serene foothills of the Aravalis. The cave has
naturally formed figures of Lord Ganesh and
Lord Shiva and also has nine kunds or ponds
which never go dry. It is estimated at
approximately 9 lakh pilgrims visit this
temple annually.
16
WOMEN
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
FOOD
WOMEN MORE FLEXIBLE IN
Gulab Jamun CHOOSING SEX PARTNERS
with Fruit Cream
he truth is finally out.
According to new research,
women's sexuality is more
flexible and adaptive than men's and
romantic opportunities appear to
influence women's sexual identities
more than men.
"Women have a greater probability
than men of being attracted to both
men and women which gives them
greater flexibility in partner choice,"
said Elizabeth Aura McClintock,
assistant professor of sociology at the
Indiana-based University of Notre
Dame.
Having flexible sexual attractions
may grant greater importance to
contextual and experiential factors
when it comes to sexual identity, she
added.For her study, McClintock
tracked 5,018 women and 4,191 men as
they moved from adolescence to young
adulthood.
Confirming previous research,
McClintock found that women were
more likely than men to report
bisexuality while men were more
likely to report being either "100
percent heterosexual" or "100
percent homosexual." She also found
that women were three times more
likely than men to change their
sexual identities. "Men are less often
attracted to both sexes. Men's
sexuality is, in this sense, less
flexible. If a man is only attracted to
one sex, romantic opportunity would
little alter his sexual identity," she
emphasised. The results showed that
women with more education and
women who were more physically
T
Ingredients:
1.
2.
3.
4.
1 packet Gulab Jamun mix (Available with Gits or any
other brand)
1 cup fresh cream
1 cup mixed caned fruits (available in most gourmet
stores)
2 scoops anilla ice-cream
Method:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Make the gulab jamuns as per packet instructions.
In a bowl add cream, vanilla ice-cream and fruits and
mix well.
In the serving dish of your choice, pour the cream fruit
mixture.
Add the gulab jamuns and top with fruits.
SHRIMP PAKORA
attractive had higher probabilities of
identifying as "100 percent
heterosexual" than other women. In
addition, women who had a child
were less likely than other women to
identify as "100 percent
heterosexual." Women who avoided
young motherhood, were physically
attractive or highly educated may
have been less likely to explore
relationships with same-sex
partners because they had more
romantic opportunities with male
partners.
"In other words, their social
position facilitated a heteroconformist identity and thus
discouraged alternative sexual
identities," McClintock noted.
Sexual identity is a social
construct. "Social context and
romantic experience might influence
how they [women] perceive and label
their sexual identity," she concluded.
The findings are scheduled to be
shared at the 110th annual meeting
of the American Sociological
Association (ASA) during this week.
VASTU TIPS FOR THE
LIVING ROOM
Ingredients:
Shrimps - 250 gms, peeled, deveined
Onion - 1, chopped
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Green Chilli - 1, chopped
Gram Flour - 1/4 cup
Rice Flour - 2 tsp
Garlic - 1 to 2 cloves, finely chopped (optional)
Coriander Leaves - few, chopped
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil as required
Method:
-
-
Wash and dry the shrimps well.
Transfer them to a bowl.
Add the gram flour, rice flour, garlic, onions, red chilli
powder, green chillies, coriander leaves and salt.
Add lemon juice and 2 tblsp of oil.
Mix well and shape the mixture into balls (or any other
shape). You can also skip this and drop each individual
shrimps into the hot oil.
Heat oil for deep frying in a nonstick pan.
Fry the prepared pakoras for 5 minutes or until golden
brown.
Remove and drain excess oil.
Serve with chutney or sauce of choice.
f you are planning to introduce
new things in your living area,
here's what to keep in mind
Whether you have a modern house
or an ancient one, Living rooms are
the most common yet important part
of it. For the simple reason that man
is a social animal by nature, therefore
he needs a place which he can call as
a place of gathering - where he can
socialize with people and/or spend
quality time with his family.
Dr Madhu Kotiya, body, mind and
soul professional says, "The living
room of your home serves two
purposes - for socializing and for
private time with your family. Since
one room serves dual purpose,
therefore it is important to keep its
vaastu in the correct manner. Follow
these vaastu tips for positive energy."
1. Your living room should always
be in the East or in the North
direction. However if you a have a
south facing house, then your living
room can be in South East corner.
North direction although is the more
beneficial direction for a living room.
2. If you are the type who does not
I
like night parties and get-together,
then have a living room in the NorthWest direction. Since presiding
element of North-West part of a home
is "Air", the guests start to feel
restless after sometime and tend to
leave earlier.
3. If you want to have a small pooja
or a prayer room, then North-East
remains the ideal location as god
presides in this direction.
4. If you love your guests and want
them to stay with you for a longer
period of time, then you should have
your living room located in the South
West direction. However, this place is
best suited for Master Bedroom.
5. The floor of the living area
should slope towards North or East.
Same remains for the ceiling.
6. Having the door of the living
room in East or North brings wealth,
health and overall progress. South,
North-East or South-East entrance
indicates success but then it takes lot
of hard work to achieve. West
entrance is good for scholars and
researchers. North-West entrance
supports development in all areas of
life. South entrance for living area is
inauspicious.
7. Always keep internal furniture,
articles and heavy things in West or
South side. If there is no such option
then use a base of 1-3 inches height to
keep furniture in North or NorthEast.
8. The head of the family should sit
facing East or North in the living
area so that he remains in command
and guests are not able to dominate
him.
9. Put the TV in South-East corner,
otherwise it will breakdown often. The
family will waste a lot of precious
time watching TV only if it is kept in
North-West corner.
10. Keep telephone in East, SouthEast or North, and not in South-West
or North-West.
11. Place air cooler and air
conditioner in West, North-West or
East and never in South-East.
12. You can hang portraits of Gods
or some beautiful painting in the
North-East wall or corner. Do not hang
any portrait depicting negative energy
e.g. war, crime, weeping, etc.
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
HEALTH AND FITNESS
SECRET TO YOUR
WEIGHT LOSS LIES
IN THE KITCHEN
0 changes in how you arrange
and do up your kitchen and see
how you end up loosing extra
kilos. While eating healthier is on
the to-do list for many, our kitchen
can make it harder to eat healthy,
and easier to fill ourselves with
snacks and junk food. But there are
ways to make the home more
conducive to better eating.
Planning meals in advance can go a
long way, but it is also important to
plan how the foods you buy go into
your kitchen.
Making good food easier to see
and access and making unhealthy
foods harder is the trick to a
healthier eating environment.
Here's how you can rearrange your
kitchen to encourage healthy
eating habits.
1
Invest in single-serving
containers
When stashing away leftovers, it
is best to put them away in mealsize portions, whether for future
lunches or dinners. At times,
calorie-dense dinner leftovers
might make for a more appealing
snack than baby carrots, but you
may be less likely to dig in if you
know it will leave you hungry at
lunch the next day. Choosing
freezersafe containers will give you
even more storage options.
Get see-through jars
Follow the school lunch
programme recommendations,
which limit calorie-dense foods like
complex starches, fats and proteins
but make fruits and vegetables
completely available in whatever
quantity people want. Some fruits
and vegetables need advance prep
and cutting, but once they go into
the refrigerator, they should be in
clear containers, to remind you of
what to grab when you are hungry
between meals.
Use your freezer more
If you don't have a definite plan
for your leftovers, then avoid
tossing them in the refrigerator. A
17
DAILY HABITS YOU
NEED TO QUICKLY
CHANGE
T
he commercials sold you to the hand sanitiser and
the bottled water. But are they really good for you?
Experts argue not. Turns out several of the habits
we have cultivated over the years, from being wary of
germs to brushing teeth after every meal are not only
unnecessary but could actually rob us of good health in
the long term. Read on to find out how.
Obsessed with your pearly whites, you have taken to
brushing your teeth after every meal. But your mommy
told you only to brush your teeth twice a day — before
breakfast and before bedtime. Turns out she was right.
Dental experts say that rushing to the bathroom
immediately after a meal is not good for your teeth. The
breakdown of food in the mouth leaves an acidic residue
which weakens the enamel the protective layer on the
teeth. Brushing the teeth when the enamel is weak, can
strip the enamel permanently, causing tooth sensitivity.
Instead: It's a good idea to wait for at least an hour after
the meal before reaching out for the toothbrush. If you
must dislodge food particles that remain after eating,
rinse your mouth with water.
Using the hand sanitiser
Easily visible food provides a
constant reminder of its
availability, and is likely to be
eaten first. So make sure snack
foods don't have a prominent place.
The last thing you want is a clear
cookie jar on the counter.
It's important to make sure the
visible fruits and vegetables are
ones that are easy to eat and don't
invite flies to sit on them. Store
apples, oranges, bananas and as
opposed to grapes, pineapples and
mangoes.
Brushing after meals
Clear your counters
Buy a fruit bowl
freezer allows you to put away food
for future use rather than snacking
down on leftover chicken or
lasagna instead of eating an apple.
It also allows for better meal
planning.
Put healthy eats at eye level
Depending on the type of
refrigerator you have, you may
benefit from some rearranging.
Some refrigerators with a freezer
on the bottom have clear vegetable
bins at eye level. But if you have a
refrigerator where the freezer is at
the top, and the vegetable bin is at
your knees, then there's a good
reason not to keep your veggies in
the drawer. Opaque bins keep your
healthiest — and more perishable
— foods hidden. So if you have
them, don't put fruits and veggie in
the crisper, instead, put them
higher up, in a visible spot.
Prepare fruits and other snacks
in advance
As much as you avoid it, some
snacking is bound to happen. So it
is worth buying the products that
are in little, single packages. It's
much easier then to know exactly
what you're eating."
But for the frugal, those small
packages represent an extra
expense, so pick up some small
bags and doling out portions of
snacks that are healthier, such as
pretzels.
Some similar prep work can help
with snacking before dinner. In
addition, have on hand healthier
snacks, such as yogurt and cheese,
that are already parcelled out.
Add non-food accessories to
your kitchen
Food prepared at home is almost
inevitably healthier than takeout,
so it's important that cooking at
home is an enjoyable experience.
Keeping kitchen counters free of
books, bags and papers so that they
can be used to prepare food is a
start. Some even keep a television
in their cooking space, but you
should ensure that it should be
kept at a spot when you can't watch
from the table.
Eat only in the kitchen
When people eat anywhere in the
house, other activities they do
while eating will often trigger a
signal in the brain to start eating.
Many people eat while watching
TV, or just start snacking.
Confining all eating to the kitchen
can put a dent in that, she said.
Get smaller plates and taller,
narrower glasses
A recent research suggested how
we decide what to eat and how to
eat depends on the plate and
portion size. Larger plates lead to
eating larger portions — people
tend to finish what they put on
their plate. Dish size is a potential
aid for people looking to get new
dishes, or willing to replace old
ones. Have smaller plates. That
advice can carry over to glasses,
given the number of calories some
beverages contain. You'll drink less
from a tall glass than a glass that is
wider. It also gives the illusion of
having more.
Do you have a habit of reaching out for the hand
sanitiser each time you touch the handle on the train,
especially after the last person to hold it was a noticeably
sweaty commuter? You might be doing yourself more
harm than good.
While hand sanitisers are a convenient method of
cleaning hands and getting rid of germs, it's important to
use them properly. According to a research conducted by
University of California Davis, US, most hand sanitisers
contain a chemical called triclosan which gets absorbed
easily by the skin. As it enters the blood stream, it
disrupts cell communication necessary for muscle
coordination. Long term use can leave the skin dry and
cause problems such as infertility, early puberty and poor
heart function.
Instead: When possible, use the time-tested method of
washing your hands with soap and water.
Ditching weights for cardio
Nothing is as good as a run or swim in the morning.
Especially if compared to lifting weights at the gym.
While this could work if your aim is just to stay fit, if you
plan on losing weight, you need to stop being exclusive
with the cardio.
The body gets accustomed to the same type of exercise
and stops burning calories. Celebrity trainer Satyajit
Chaurasia says including some weight training along with
cardio is the fastest way to lose weight and gain muscle
mass alongside. "Alternating between cardio and strength
training keeps the heart rate up while also giving the
whole body a workout. It keeps the body in shock and
doesn't let it get used to a particular type of routine,
where burning calories becomes stagnant."
Instead: If you are an outdoors person and don't like to
join a gym, Chaurasia suggest that you find a bench and a
pair of dumbbells. "For beginners, these will be enough to
work your upper body," he says.
Changing your cosmetics
The luxe cosmetic brand just announced a new product
and you have already bought the new bottle of cream,
ditching it for the tube you just bought last month. While
pumping money into a new skin-care product is bad for
your wallet, it also does great harm to your skin.
Dermatologist Dr Manohar Sobhani says, "The human
skin has a pH (potential Hydrogen) level of 5.5. Cosmetic
makers differ from each other on the pH value of their
products. When people, who have sensitive skin,
experiment with products of varied pH values, it may
result in red, patchy or inflamed skin. For instance, most
soaps have a pH value higher than 5.5 and are alkaline
(harsh for the skin)."
Changing cosmetics once every few weeks can damage
your skin leaving it ridden with rash, pimples or acne.
And no, reaching for another product won't help.
Instead: Sobhani recommends going only for trusted
brands, and always reading the pH value mentioned at the
back of the product.
18
SCIENCE & TECH
SOON, SOLID-STATE
BATTERIES THAT CAN
LAST FOREVER
ew batteries could hold much more charge, last pretty
much forever and not be liable to blowing up like
existing technology, according to researchers.
MIT and Samsung scientists claim that using solid-state
batteries will be much safer, as well as more effective, holding
20 to 30% more charge, rather than the existing liquid
electrolyte. could fix most of the issues that people have with
batteries today. Most electronics — from phones to cars - now
use lithium-ion batteries, which Those are usually presently is
the best solution, but they also store relatively small amounts
of charge, wear out fast, and can blow up.
The researchers claim that the new solid-state electrolytes
will be much safer, as well as more effective, holding 20 to 30%
more charge. The liquid electrolyte — which is used in
batteries to move charged particles from one place to another,
as batteries are charged and discharged-have led to huge
worries, including the grounding of all Boeing 787 Dreamliner
jets in 2013. "All of the fires you've seen, with Boeing, Tesla,
and others, they are all electrolyte fires," said Gerbrand Ceder,
the professor behind the new discovery. that worked on the
new material with five other researchers, in a statement. "The
lithium itself is not flammable in the state it's in these
batteries. [With a solid electrolyte] there's no safety problem
with there's nothing there to burn," he added.
Moving towards solid-state batteries has been difficult
because it has been tough to find solid materials that could
conduct particles as quickly as liquid ones. But the team have
analysed the properties of existing lithium-ion materials, and
will find the compounds that can conduct quickly enough.The
new batteries also perform much more quickly in the cold,
and can provide much more charge. They'll be able to last for
hundreds of thousands of cycles.
N
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
ANDROID WEAR
UPDATE BRINGS
INTERACTIVE
WATCH FACES
NOW, MOBILE APP
TO TRACK YOUR
KID’S SCHOOL BUS A
NASA probe sends stunning
images of dwarf planet
WASHINGTON (TIP): NASA's Dawn spacecraft has
delivered the closest-yet views of the dwarf planet called
Ceres that show the small world's features in unprecedented
detail.
The new images show Ceres' tall, conical mountain, crater
formation features and narrow, braided fractures.
"Dawn's view is now three times as sharp as in its previous
mapping orbit, revealing exciting new details of this
intriguing dwarf planet," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief
engineer and mission director at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in California.
Engineers and scientists will now refine their
measurements of Ceres' gravity field which will help mission
planners in designing Dawn's next orbit -- its lowest -- as well
as the journey to get there.
In late October, Dawn will begin spiraling toward this final
orbit, which will be at an altitude of 375 km.
At its current orbital altitude of 1,470 km, Dawn takes 11
days to capture and return images of Ceres' whole surface.
Each 11-day cycle consists of 14 orbits.
Over the next two months, the spacecraft will map the
entirety of Ceres six times.
The spacecraft is using its framing camera to extensively
map the surface, enabling 3-D modeling.
Every image from this orbit has a resolution of 450 feet per
pixel, and covers less than one percent of the surface of Ceres.
At the same time, Dawn's visible and infrared mapping
spectrometer is collecting data that will give scientists a better
understanding of the minerals found on Ceres' surface.
Dawn is the first mission to visit a dwarf planet, and the
first to orbit two distinct solar system targets.
It orbited protoplanet Vesta for 14 months in 2011 and 2012
and arrived at Ceres on March 6, 2015.
PUNE (TIP): Parents will be able to
keep up with details of their child's
school bus, its driver and attendant as
well as the school committee, formed
under the state's school transport policy,
through a mobile application developed
by Pune Regional Transport Office
(RTO).
The School Bus Safety Pune app also
includes contact numbers of the bus
driver in case of emergencies, the
registration number of the vehicle in
which the child is travelling, and details
of every member of the school's
transport committee.
Through the same app, the RTO can
monitor the functioning of the school
bus transport committees whereas
school authorities can check the validity
of bus drivers' permits and monitor
complaints against them, if any.
Under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988,
the RTO plays a vital role in governing
and administrating regulations meant
for the safety of school buses. With the
new mobile-based application, the RTO
will get a report from all active vehicles
and buses transporting school children
under their jurisdiction.
Pune regional transport officer,
Jitendra Patil, explained, "School Bus
Safety Pune allows schools to fill in the
data of their respective institution, the
buses operated by them and, buses
contracted by schools or parents. Details
of the driver, attendant, and their
respective transport committees have
also been incorporated in the application
to help users." With over 4,400 schools
registering on the Pune RTO's School
Bus Safety website, information of
almost all schools, with respect to
contact details, names of the committee
members and so on, is available on the
app. The mobile application would also
prove useful to the education
department, app developer Anand
Shinde claimed. "School Bus Safety Pune
enables the education department to
compile documents as per school bus
rules. Formation of schools bus
committees and their member's details is
open to all users so as to bring in
transparency. It is an effective way to
disseminate information, which will
save time, effort and energy."
ndroid Wear update brings
interactive watch facesA
new Android Wear update
adds official support for
interactive watch faces, allowing
for even more at-a-glance
information for you to digest on
your smartwatch. Now, it can
really show off its smarts.
The update brings with it a
whole lot of possibilities for the
interactive watch faces of
tomorrow. But Google has plenty
to choose from right now. Under
Armour's interactive watch face,
for example, puts fitness info front
and center. This will be perfect for
folks who use their Android Wear
devices mostly for working out,
tracking steps and watching the
calories burn away.
Bits is one that's a little more of
a practical choice for everyone. It
stylishly displays general
information like the weather,
calendar appointments, the date, emails and, of course, the time.
Strangely, the name of the
update to Android's watch OS is
nowhere to be found on the
announcement page. It's no
ground-shaking discovery, but the
name Android Wear "v1.3" appears
on the Bits app page.
The update is rolling out today,
but should be widely available,
according to Google, in the coming
weeks.
RE-USABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE TO BE
TESTED THIS YEAR, SAYS ISRO CHIEF
AHMEDABAD (TIP): In a major
technology demonstration which will
cut down cost of satellite launches
significantly, the Indian Space
Research Organisation (Isro) will flight
test an indigenously developed reusable satellite launch vehicle for the
first time in the last quarter of this
year. This was revealed by Isro
chairman A S Kiran Kumar on
Thursday at Space Application centre
(SAC) in Ahmedabad.
Kumar is here to be part of the Ruby
celebrations or 40 years of Satellite
Instructional Television Experiment
that was undertaken in 1975 at Pij
village in Nadiad. This was the
country's first DTH television project.
The main celebrations will be held
on Friday morning at SAC with
luminaries like Professor Yashpal, Dr
PP Kale, former NASSCOM president
Kiran Karnik. These scientists were
part of the SITE project.
Later, Kumar revealed that three
major missions like the Chandrayaan
2, Aditya and AstroSAT mission have
been given the nod. "AstroSAT mission
will be launched in September," said
Kumar. He added that South Korea is
in discussion with India for deep space
exploration missions.
He also told that the Prime
Minister's SAARC satellite mission has
also registered significant progress.
Kumar also said that emphasis was
being laid on encouraging universities
and research institutions for micro
and nano satellite missions.
Isro had recently launched nine USmade micro and nano satellites for the
first time. "In the next one year you
will see a good number of such micro
and nano satellite projects being made
by Indian institutions," Kumar said.
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
BIZ AND FINANCE
IFFCO LAUNCHES JOINT
VENTURE WITH MITSUBISHI
CORP FOR MANUFACTURING
AGROCHEMICALS
NEW DELHI (TIP): Fertilizer cooperative IFFCO on
Wednesday formally launched a joint venture with Japanese
firm Mitsubishi Corp for manufacturing agrochemicals in
India that will start operation in this rabi season starting
October.
IFFCO holds 51% stake and the rest is held by Mitsubishi
in the joint venture IFFCO-MC Crop Science Private Ltd. The
shareholding pact was signed last month.
"The company was formally launched today...The
operations of this new JV will start from this rabi season.
IFFCO-MC will come up with 20 different products across
various product range of agrochemicals," IFFCO said.
IFFCO said it is looking forward to have its own production
units in India as a long term goal.
In a statement, the cooperative said that the logo of the JV
firm was exchanged between IFFCO chairman Balvinder
Singh Nakai and Mitsubishi Corporation India chairman and
managing director Masakazu Sakakida.
Speaking on the development, IFFCO chairman said, "We
were getting continuous demand from farmers across the
country to make available good quality insecticides,
fungicides and weedicides apart from quality fertilisers,
which IFFCO is supplying through cooperative societies."
IFFCO managing director and CEO US Awasthi said, "With
this foray into agrochemical business, IFFCO wishes to fulfil
its commitment towards farming community and will
enlarge its services specially to them and agricultural sector."
RBI SETS RUPEE REFERENCE
RATE AT RS 66.1610 AGAINST
US DOLLAR
MUMBAI (TIP): The Reserve Bank of India, on August 26
fixed the reference rate of rupee at 66.1610 against the US
dollar and at 75.8867 for the euro as against 66.7090 and
77.1089 respectively.
According to an RBI statement, the exchange rates for the
pound and the yen against the rupee were quoted at 103.8794
per pound and 55.28 per 100 yen, based on reference rates for
the dollar and cross-currency quotes at noon.
The SDR-rupee rate will be based on this rate, the
statement added.
IOC stocks up nearly 5 % on
Rs 275-crore pact with Nepal
MUMBAI(ITIP): Shares of State-owned Indian Oil Corp
surged nearly five per cent in early trade after the company
signed a pact with Nepal Oil Corp for Rs 275 crore oil
pipeline.
The company has signed an agreement with Nepal Oil
Corp (NOC) to lay a Rs 275-crore oil pipeline from Raxaul in
Bihar to Amlekhgunj in Nepal, it said in a regulatory filing
on Tuesday.
Reacting to the development, shares of the company surged
4.74 per cent to Rs 413.50 on the BSE.
At National Stock Exchange, the stock opened at Rs 393.75,
then jumped 4.83 per cent to an early high of Rs 413.95 per
scrip.
Nepal depends on India for meeting all its fuel
requirements. Petrol, diesel, domestic LPG and jet fuel (ATF)
are currently trucked from IOC's depot at Raxaul to Nepal.
The 41-kilometre pipeline — 2km in India and 39km in
Nepal — will initially supply petrol, diesel and kerosene.
The pipeline, IOC said, will "ensure long-term supply of
petroleum products to Nepal as well as stability of supplies
from India to Nepal, which will benefit both the countries".
India exports about $1.1 billion worth of petroleum
products per annum to Nepal. Bulk of this volume will be
transported through this pipeline.
19
CHINA FALTERS, AND THE
GLOBAL ECONOMY IS
FORCED TO ADAPT
HONG KONG (TIP): The commodities
giant BHP Billiton spent heavily for
years, mining iron ore across Australia,
digging for copper in Chile, and
pumping oil off the coast of Trinidad.
The company could be confident in its
direction as commodities orders surged
from its biggest and best customer,
China.
Now, BHP is pulling back, faced with
a slowing Chinese economy that will no
longer be the same dominant force in
commodities. Profit is falling and the
company is cutting its exploration
budget by more than two-thirds.
China's rapid growth over the last
decade reshaped the world economy,
creating a powerful driver of corporate
strategies, financial markets and
geopolitical decisions. China seemed to
have a one-way trajectory, momentum
that would provide a steady source of
profit and capital.
But deepening economic fears about
China, which culminated this week in a
global market rout, are now forcing a
broad rethinking of the conventional
wisdom. Even as markets show signs of
stabilizing, the resulting shock waves
could be lasting, by exposing a new
reality that China is no longer a sure
bet.
China, while still a large and
pervasive presence in the global
economy, is now exporting uncertainty
around the world with the potential for
choppier growth and volatile swings.
The tectonic shift is forcing a gut check
in industries that have built their
strategies and plotted their profits
around China's rise.
Industrial and commodity
multinationals face the most pressing
concerns, as they scramble to stem the
profit slide from weaker consumption.
Caterpillar cut back factory production,
with sales of construction equipment in
China dropping by half in the first six
months of the year.
Smartphone makers, automobile
manufacturers and retailers wonder
about the staying power of Chinese
buyers, even if it is not shaking their
bottom line at this point. General
Motors and Ford factories have been
shipping fewer cars to Chinese
dealerships this summer.
It is not just companies reassessing
their assumptions. Russia had been
turning to China to fill the financial
gap left by low oil prices and Western
sanctions. Venezuela, Nigeria and
Ukraine have been heavily dependent
on investments and low-cost loans from
China.
The pain has been particularly acute
for Brazil. The country is already
faltering, as weaker Chinese imports of
minerals and soybeans have jolted all of
Latin America. The uncertainty over
China could limit the maneuvering
room for officials to address the
sluggish Brazilian economy at a time
when resentment is festering over
proposed austerity measures.
The weakness in China is even
compelling officials at the United States
Federal Reserve to think more globally,
as they consider raising interest rates.
William C. Dudley, the president of the
New York Fed, said on Wednesday that
a September rate increase looked less
likely than it did a few weeks ago.
"The entire world is focusing now on
China, watching this crisis unfold,"
Armando Monteiro Neto, Brazil's
minister of development and foreign
trade, told reporters on Tuesday in
Brasilia. "Brazil is already feeling the
effects of China's deceleration. If the
situation gets worse, the impact will get
bigger."
The trouble is, the true strength of
the Chinese economy - and the policies
the leadership will adopt to address any
weaknesses - is becoming more difficult
to discern.
China's growth, which the
government puts at 7 percent a year, is
widely questioned. Large parts of the
Chinese service sector, like restaurants
and health care, continue to grow,
supporting the broader economy. But
the signs in industrial sectors, in which
other countries and foreign companies
have the greatest stake through trade,
paint a bleaker picture.
Adding to the worries are recent
events like the deadly explosion of a
hazardous chemicals warehouse in
Tianjin, which has delayed shipments
through one of China's biggest ports.
Labor protests, already rising, jumped
sharply across coastal China last week
over unpaid wages at struggling export
factories.
The leadership, concerned with
maintaining social stability, has been
quick to act, making aggressive moves
to prop up the stock market, inject
money into the financial system, and
generally stimulate the economy. But
President Xi Jinping doesn't have much
experience managing a downturn, and
some economists worry that the
government is making knee-jerk
decisions that will do more harm than
good.
Many company executives and global
economists say that forecasting China's
growth has become so hard that they
are hedging their bets for the time
being. "This is a complete black art
right now," said Tim Huxley, the chief
executive of Wah Kwong Maritime
Transport Holdings, a large Hong Kong
shipping company. "I can't make any
long-term decisions based on what is
happening today, and so I just keep our
fleet running until we get a bit of
direction."
The problems have been building for
months in areas like commodities and
industrials where just modestly slowing
growth in China has been having
outsize effects.
For more than a decade, prices
surged for iron ore, a main ingredient
in making steel, as new skyscrapers,
rail lines and other infrastructure were
built across China. Last year, BHP
Billiton shipped enough iron ore each
day to China to fill the Empire State
Building.
Now, the industry is retrenching in
the face of China's weaker prospects
and diving commodity prices.
Vale, the Brazilian mining giant, is
racing to unload assets. In Australia,
Vale and its Japanese partner, the
Sumitomo Corporation, sold a coal
mine in July for just $1, after it had
been valued at more than $600 million
three years ago. In Argentina, Vale is
trying to sell a potash mine in which it
invested more than $2 billion.
The fallout in commodities has been
especially painful for emerging markets
that depend on sales of those resources.
With Brazil's revenues declining
sharply this year, President Dilma
Rousseff's government is coming under
criticism over the country's dependence
on China, which surpassed the United
States as the top trading partner in
2009. Brazil's exports to China fell 23.6
percent, to $24.7 billion, in the first
seven months of the year from the same
period in 2014.
In an editorial on Tuesday, the
newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo
described Brazil's relationship with
China as "semi-colonial," claiming that
the country's economy "depends in
excess on Chinese prosperity."
Ilan Goldfajn, chief economist at Itau
Unibanco, one of Brazil's largest banks,
said he was already forecasting the
economy to contract about 2.3 percent
this year, without factoring in the
possibility of a hard landing in China.
"China is the most important risk
factor for Brazil," Mr. Goldfajn said.
China was supposed to be the
financial savior for Russia.
Last year, Russia signed a $400 billion
natural gas deal with China. China
would help finance a nearly 2,500-mile
pipeline to ship fuel from Siberia.
Russia trumpeted that it would
eventually sell more natural gas to
China than Germany, now its biggest
customer.
20
TURN PAGE
contd from Page 1
Bruised Gujarat limps...
Surat, Vadodara and other cities,
operated only partially.
The BRT system, in which buses and
stops were badly damaged, are expected to
resume normal operations only by next
week.
The Gujarat State Road Transport Corp
services also resumed partly after many
buses were attacked and burnt. Rail tracks
damaged by rioters were being repaired,
delaying intra-state and inter-state
services.
The two days of unrest figured
prominently in the Gujarat assembly
where a vociferous Congress demanded
the resignation of Chief Minister
Anandiben Patel, forcing two adjournment
of the house.
The speaker suspended around 30
Congress legislators for the day after they
rushed towards him shouting slogans
against the government.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targeted
Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the
violence in his home state.
"Modi's ideology is of anger... which is
what is happening in Gujarat. Anger helps
no one except Modiji," Gandhi tweeted.
In Ahmedabad, Hardik Patel, 22, the
convener of Patel Anamat Andolan Samiti
(PAAS), denounced the government for the
police action on Patidars on
Tuesdaywhich resulted in a riotous
Wednesday.
"Children and women were hurt. Police
officers responsible for this should be
suspended," Patel said, warning that
essential supplies to Ahmedabad would be
stopped until the guilty policemen were
punished.
He demanded a compensation of Rs.3.50
million to the families of each victim
killed in Wednesday's violence.
Most major cities and towns in Gujarat
erupted from late Tuesday after police
caned members of the Patidar community
who had taken out a mammoth rally in
Ahmedabad demanding caste-based
reservations.
By Wednesday evening, 133 companies
of the Indian Army, Central Reserve
Police Force, SRPF, RAF and BSF besides
Gujarat Police were engaged in
controlling violent mobs in various cities
including Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot,
Jamnagar, Morbi, Vadodara, Mehsana and
Banaskantha.
The PAAS mega rally saw the
participation of 1.20 million Patidars
seeking reservations in education and
jobs, virtually swamping Ahmedabad on
Tuesday afternoon.
The 'maha-revolution rally', as the PAAS
termed it, capped a 55-day long agitation
across the state with scores of mini rallies
in different towns and cities.
Appellate Court Rules...
against Sonia Gandhi; SFJ is out of
business - as they represent no one, and
hence they lack associational standing to
sue; and the Court considered all of
plaintiffs' arguments and found them to be
without merit', stated attorney Ravi Batra.
In a statement sent to The Indian
Panorama, attorney Ravi Batra said,
"Today, Circuit Judges Cabranes, Raggi
and Wesley have upheld a nation's
sovereignty and declared Sonia Gandhi
free of any fault - despite SFJ's
reprehensible defamatory efforts. This
Order is merely the latest example of why
the world holds our impartial and
independent American judiciary in the
highest esteem. As a lawyer toiling in the
vineyard of justice, the fruit of justice is
always best grown by the collective
wisdom of the bench. Judges Cabranes,
Raggi and Wesley are Jewels in the Crown
of Justice, and I hope every citizen of
every sovereign nation appreciates the
unshakable rights bestowed to each of
them by today's court order.
"Personally, I have the high honor in
vindicating Sonia Gandhi's innocence, as
well as upholding free India's sovereign
right, as every nation must, to honestly
confront its past wrongs and to sincerely
comfort genuine victims with dignified
relief. Sikhs are an integral part of India's
pride and history, given their selfless
service and sacrifice in causing India to
be free, keeping India free, and leading
free India. That Hindu families for
centuries had their first-born son made a
Sikh speaks to the intimate collective
honor shared by India's harmonious
multireligious citizenry - exemplified best
by PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, an Indian
Sikh, and the late great President Dr.
Kalam, an Indian Muslim. India's tryst
with destiny is a love affair of individual
liberty with responsibility, seeking to be
always worthy of God's grace.
"That some find joy in causing strife, is
a human dynamic aimed not at enhancing
the public good or public safety - as SFJ's
publicity-seeking litigation campaign has
proven. All SFJ has achieved is hurting
genuine victims of 1984 with false hope
while delaying those who have the right
and responsibility to take whatever
graceful steps a sovereign India wishes to
take to heal every single genuine victim of
1984. SFJ's making false, reprehensible
and defamatory allegations against India's
leaders is the wrong recipe, and as I have
proven repeatedly, I will rebuff such
misdeeds with compassionate defense of
law and justice in court.
"I invite SFJ to publicly apologize to
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and every leader it has
sued without just cause or any legal right
or standing to do so, and state that it will
no longer hurt genuine victims of 1984 by
selling false hope that only re-victimizes
them. SFJ can rehabilitate itself by
announcing that it will not seek to appeal
this Order to the United States Supreme
Court - and will instead work
constructively and lawfully within each
nation's institutions to seek help, not hurt,
victims while SFJ engorges itself with
meaningless media ink inflaming
religious intolerance for self-gain and
useless celebrity. Sikhs are precious and
honored in every society, and SFJ ought
not undermine such public respect and
honor with its publicity-seeking
litigation."
Ex-Broadcaster Kills...
kayakers and sunbathers. They stood on
a balcony of Bridgewater Plaza, a
shopping and office complex on the
lakeshore, talking with Vicki Gardner,
executive director of the Smith Mountain
Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Around 6:45 a.m., the shooting began.
The station's own disturbing video
shows Ms. Parker screaming and
stumbling backward as the shots ring out
and a set of jumbled images as the camera
falls to the floor. Eight shots can be heard
before the broadcast cut back to the
stunned anchor at the station, Kimberly
McBroom.
Shortly afterward, Mr. Flanagan wrote
on Twitter, "I filmed the shooting see
Facebook," and a shocking 56-second video
recording, which appeared to be taken by
a body camera worn by the gunman, was
posted to his Facebook page. It showed
him waiting until the journalists were on
air before raising a handgun and firing at
point-blank range, ensuring that it would
be seen, live or recorded, by thousands.
Both social media accounts used the
name he was known by on television,
Bryce Williams, and both were shut down
within hours of the shooting.
Ms. Parker, 24, a reporter, and Mr. Ward,
27, a cameraman, both white, were
pronounced dead at the scene. Ms.
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
Gardner was wounded and underwent
emergency surgery, but was expected to
survive. Mr. Flanagan shot and killed
himself hours later after being cornered
by the police on a highway about 200 miles
away.
If the killings shocked the nation, they
had particular resonance in this rural
area where local reporters are recognized
personalities. Ms. Parker and Mr. Ward
were known as hardworking, cheerful
people who had grown up here and were
romantically involved with other members
of their station's staff. At a midday news
conference, Bill Overton Jr., the Franklin
County sheriff, said Ms. Parker and Mr.
Ward had interviewed him about three
weeks ago, and he was watching live on
Wednesday when they were killed.
"It has really stopped me in my tracks,"
he said. "Like many viewers, I was
watching this morning's broadcast and
couldn't understand, really, what was
happening myself at that time."
Almost two hours after the shootings, a
23-page missive faxed to ABC News
headquarters in New York, apparently
from Mr. Flanagan, pointed to the June
17shooting in Charleston, S.C., in which a
white supremacist is accused of killing
nine black people in a Bible study group.
ABC reported that a man claiming to be
Bryce Williams had contacted the network
several times in recent weeks, saying he
had a story for them. He never said what it
was.
"Why did I do it?" Mr. Flanagan said in
the rambling fax message, which The New
York Times obtained from a law
enforcement official. "I was already on the
edge. The church shooting was a tipping
point. The victims' initials are written on
the bullets."
He echoed the words of the accused
Charleston gunman, Dylann Roof, and
spoke of a race war. He also said Jehovah
had told him to act. He spoke admiringly
of the Columbine High School killers and
the gunman who carried out the Virginia
Tech massacre that left 32 people dead. At
one point, he called his document a
"Suicide Note for Friends and Family."
The fax, which also contained
allegations that he was repeatedly
harassed, bullied and discriminated
against for being black and gay, was
turned over to law enforcement officials.
On Twitter, he made similar charges of
racism and harassment, adding that he
had filed a complaint with the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission, a
federal agency. A spokeswoman for the
agency, Kimberly Smith-Brown, said
federal law prohibited her from
confirming whether the agency had
received a complaint.
"This gentleman was disturbed at the
way things had turned out at some point
in his life," Sheriff Overton said at the
news conference. "Things were spiraling
out of control."
Accounts from former colleagues,
competitors and court records indicate
that Mr. Flanagan, who had graduated
from San Francisco State University and
worked in several markets around the
South, was a skilled broadcaster, but also
volatile, combative, threatening and prone
to seeing himself as persecuted.
The station investigated the alleged
racist comments, and "none of them could
be corroborated by anyone," he said. "We
think they were fabricated."
"He was sort of looking out for people to
say things that he could take offense to,"
Mr. Marks said. "Eventually, after many
incidents of his anger coming to the fore,
we dismissed him. He did not take that
well, and we had to call the police to
escort him from the building."
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
SPORTS
21
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal
at US Open crossroads
NEW YORK )(TIP): Roger Federer
and Rafael Nadal, with 31 major titles
between them, head for the US Open
with their Grand Slam careers at the
crossroads.
Despite turning 34, Federer was an
impressive winner of a seventh
Cincinnati Masters title last weekend,
seeing off world number one -- and US
Open favourite -- Novak Djokovic in the
final.
It was the Swiss star's 87th tour title
and revenge for losing a second
successive Wimbledon final to the Serb
last month.
But Federer has stumbled badly in
New York in recent years.
A five-time champion from 2004-2008,
he was runner-up to Juan Martin del
Potro in 2009 but hasn't been back to the
final since.
His record at the Grand Slams in 2015
has also been mixed.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion
may have at least reached the final at
the All England Club, but that run was
preceded by a shock third round exit to
Italian journeyman Andreas Seppi at
the Australian Open, his earliest in
Melbourne in 14 years.
He then endured a quarter-final loss
at Roland Garros to compatriot Stan
Wawrinka.
Federer's last Grand Slam title came
at Wimbledon in 2012 and if he wins the
US Open this year, he would be the
oldest champion since 35-year-old Ken
Rosewall back in 1970.
"I haven't been in a final (in New
York) since 2009. So I got my work cut
out," said Federer, who was beaten by
eventual champion Marin Cilic in the
semi-finals last year.
In contrast to the Swiss player's
staying power is Nadal's swift, brutal
decline.
The 29-year-old Spaniard, the 2010
and 2013 champion in New York, has
endured a tough year, the knee joints
and wrists looking stiffer and weaker.
After being deposed as French Open
champion -- his quarter-final loss to
Djokovic was only his second ever
defeat in Paris -- Nadal slumped to 10 in
the world, his lowest ranking for a
decade.
He has recovered to eight, but he is
Lionel Messi voted UEFA's
best player of 2014-2015
no longer the player that once struck
terror into rivals.
Nadal has lost 14 times already this
year compared to 11 in the whole of
2014, seven in 2013 and just six in 2012.
He sat out the 2012 and 2014 US Opens
because of injury.
At Wimbledon, he was knocked out in
the second round by Germany's Dustin
Brown while his North American
hardcourt season ended in a quarterfinal loss to Kei Nishikori in Montreal
and a third round exit against Feliciano
Lopez in Cincinnati.
"I never consider myself a big, big
star. So I appreciate when all the good
things are happening to me," said
Nadal.
"I am having a tough year, yes. Not a
terrible year. I cannot make a drama
about these kind of things. This is not
the moment to cry."
Djokovic already has the Australian
Open and Wimbledon titles under his
belt in 2015, taking his majors total to
nine.
The US Open champion in 2011,
Djokovic was runner-up in 2012 and
2013 before suffering a shock semi-final
loss to Nishikori 12 months ago.
The 28-year-old boasts a 56-5 record
this year but two of those defeats have
come this month -- to Andy Murray in
the Montreal Masters final and then
against Federer in Cincinnati.
He has also been troubled by an
elbow injury."I played a couple good
matches and couple not?so?good
matches," said Djokovic, whose
rolleroaster career at the majors has
also seen him lose eight finals.
"The conditions in New York suit me
a little bit better, so I look forward to it."
Murray, the world number three, won
in New York in 2012, ending Britain's 76year wait for a Grand Slam men's
singles champion.
He has made at least the quarterfinals in New York in the last four
years.
The 28-year-old could set a record for
the largest payout in tennis history at
the US Open -- $4.3 million.
That would be $3.3 million for
winning the tournament and a $1
million bonus for winning the US Open
Series title for performances in the
hardcourt warm-up events.
Outside of the 'Big Four', Stan
Wawrinka, the French Open champion,
has made the semi-finals in New York
on just one occasion in 10 visits.
Defending champion Cilic faces the
task of proving he's not a one Slam
wonder.
The 26-year-old world number nine
only started his season in March after
suffering a shoulder injury and has yet
to make a final this year.
World number four Nishikori became
the first Asian man to reach a Grand
Slam final in New York last year.
But despite winning in Washington
and making the semi-finals in Montreal,
the 25-year-old Japanese was forced to
skip Cincinnati with a left hip injury.
PARIS (TIP): Lionel Messi was voted UEFA's best player
in Europe for 2014-2015 ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and
Luis Suarez.
The Argentina star, who won the Champions League,
Spain's La Liga and Spanish Cup with Barcelona, claimed
the award for the second time.
He also won in 2010-2011 and succeeds Real Madrid rival
Ronaldo who won last year.
Jeev Milkha Singh creates
dubious record
MUMBAI (TIP): Top
golfer Jeev Milkha Singh
created a dubious record
by five-putting the 379
yard par-4 fourth hole in
the opening round of the
Czech Masters being held
at the Albatross Golf Club
in Prague on Thursday.
The Chandigarh pro
also dropped four bogeys
in a topsy turvy round
which saw him end the
day at the bottom of the
leaderboard with a total of
four-over 76. Jeev, a fourtime European Tour
champion, was
languishing at joint 143rd
spot in the 156-strong field.
In contrast, two-time Challenge Tour winner Shiv Kapur
fired an eagle on the fourth hole to be one-under 71 to lie
tied 56th. Kapur is five strokes behind the leaders Englishmen Sam Hutsby and Mathew Fitzpatrick, Swede
Pelle Edberg and Scott Jamieson of Scotland.
SSP Chowrasia, who carded an even-par 72, was sharing
the 77th place with compatriot Gaganjeet Bhullar, who
fired three birdies against a double bogey and a bogey in
his round.
HIL auctions: Dhanraj Pillay bats for senior players
MUMBAI (TIP): Air India coach Dhanraj
Pillay was an extremely content man. For,
Air India, who had last won the Guru Tegh
Bahadur Gold Cup hockey tournament way
back in 2008, reclaimed the prestigious title
by defeating Army XI 3-1 via the shootout at
Churchgate's Mahindra Stadium on
Thursday.
But the Olympian, who is also a Khel
Ratna award winner, appealed to Hockey
India (HI) that they reconsider their move of
not including Indian players above the age of
30 for the HIL auctions, as reported by TOI on
Thursday.
"I request Narinder Batra to reconsider the
decision. Players like Adrian D'Souza, Arjun
Halappa, Prabodh Tirkey have left a deep
impact on hockey and they are still as
capable as they were a few years back. If
foreigners who are above the age of 30 can be
accommodated, I am sure Indians can as
well. "These players have given invaluable
services to the sport. Even today in places
like Punjab, Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh,
they are a household name," former India
skipper said.
Pillay also assured that Air India will
acquire services of talented youngsters in
the days to come. "Our plan is to contract a
few talented youngsters. We need
reinforcements to able to create a right
balance in the team. Some of the players
have been playing day-in and day-out for us
for almost a decade now. The idea is to give
them adequate rest between matches. Our
secretary Jagbir Singh was a hockey player
and he has given us the go-ahead and
contract fresh legs. So hopefully when we
return to play in Mumbai's Super League,
next month, we will have a few fresh faces."
22
BOLLYWOOD
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
MOVIE REVIEW
AISHWARYA
RETURNS
AS
Manjhi The
STRONG,
FEARLESS
Mountain Man
MOTHER IN JAZBAA
CAST: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte
DIRECTION: Ketan Mehta
GENRE: Biopic
DURATION: 2 hours 4 minutes
STORY: This is biopic of Dashrath Manjhi, India's
mountain man who single-handedly made a road
through the mountains of Gehlaur. What gave him the
strength to take on this onerous task is his deep love for
his wife who meets with an accident here.
REVIEW: The film starts with a monologue between a
man, Dashrath(Nawazuddin) and a mountain. Wearing
blood-soaked clothes, the diminutive hero admonishes
the mountains,(captured beautifully by
cinematographer Rajeev Jain) that stretch endlessly
before your eyes, saying, ``So you think you are too big?
Well I'm not stopping till I reduce you to rubble.''
The emotion in Nawaz's quivering voice as he
challenges nature sends a chill down your spine.
Further, what piques your curiosity is how this David
will attack Goliath.
Of course for those who are familiar with the story of
Dashrath Manjhi, there are few surprises. This villager
from Gehlaur attacked a mountain for over two decades
and emerged victorious when he managed to build a
path right through.
The story starts in Wazir Ganj in the 50s, where a
young Dashrath is married to a child-bride Phagunia.
Born in abject poverty, Dashrath's family eats dead rats
to survive. The village Zamindar (Tigmanshu Dhulia)
commits atrocities of the kind that makes your stomach
churn. Sample this—those who do not pay their debts
have nails hammered in their feet, like the ones put into
a horse's hooves! This aside, there is third-degree that is
proof of the times when the rich ruled over the
underprivileged.
Before he is a made a slave to this demon landlord,
Dashrath escapes. He returns seven years later, only to
fall deeply in love with his child-bride
Phagunia(Radhika Apte) who has grown into a sensuous
woman.
They marry and despite challenges they make time
for love and babies.
However an accident alters Dashrath's life forever.
Like a demented man, he picks up hammer and chisel
and starts his journey as India's mountain man. This is
a faith-inspiring story of resolve and resilience.
His portrayal of Manjhi is another feather in Nawaz's
cap. The graph he brings to his screen character-- from a
carefree lover to a burdened soul-- is the stuff that
separates actors from many cardboard cutouts, loosely
referred to as stars. Sultry Radhika shines throughout.
Why this film that had so much potential doesn't
deserve superlatives is because of the inconsistency in
the story-telling. While some scenes leave you scarred
and teary-eyed, others don't even scratch the surface.
he first trailer of Bollywood
diva Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's
much-awaited film "Jazbaa" was
unveiled.
The two-minute-31-second clip with
a dark and intense tone features
Aishwarya in the role of a lawyer
racing against time to save her
daughter.
Irrfan Khan, who is working for the
first time with 41-year-old actress, will
T
essay the role of a cool cop, mouthing
cheeky one liners.
Director Sanjay Gupta shared the
trailer on his Twitter account after
series of unedited pictures from the
sets.Aishwarya is making her
Bollywood comeback after a gap of
five years. She was last seen in Sanjay
Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish (2010).
Her actor husband Abhishek
Bachchan and close friend Karan
Johar were among others to post the
link on the micro-blogging site.
"Garma garmi shuru.....
@JazbaaFilm
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature
=youtu.be&v=nx7z1enCLWs..., " Irrfan
tweeted the link.
Also featuring veteran actress
Shabana Azmi and Jackie Shroff in
pivotal roles, Jazbaa is set to hit
theatres on October 9.
KANGANA RANAUT GETS A PIXIE
CUT FOR RANGOON
angana Ranaut 's next
film Rangoon is with
Vishal Bhardwaj and
it will go on floors in October.
One hears that the actress
will flaunt a pixie cut in the
film.
The look test for the movie
was done a few days back at a
popular suburban film studio
and a source from the set
informed us that the actress
will sport a short-hair look in
the period drama, which also
stars Shahid Kapoor and Saif
Ali Khan in lead roles
alongside her. The actionheavy movie will be set
against the backdrop of the
Second World War Burma.
K
THE INDIAN PANORAMA
HOLLYWOOD
23
MOVIE REVIEW
EVA MENDES
SPARKS
ENGAGEMENT
RUMORS
FANTASTIC
FOUR
ctress Eva Mendes, who has been dating
actor Ryan Gosling for four years, has
been photographed wearing a giant
emerald ring on her right hand, sparking
rumours the couple has got engaged.
She was first spotted wearing the bling on July
25 while promoting Estee Lauder's new
Dimensions Skincare line at Nordstrom's
Aventura Mall in Florida, reported Aceshowbiz.
Mendes, 41, has been flashing the alleged
engagement ring in photos she shared on her
Instagram. Neither the actress nor Gosling, 34,
has addressed the rumours. Her representative
also has not yet made any comment on the matter.
Mendes and Gosling first met in the fall of 2011
on the set of their drama flick The Place Beyond
the Pines. Despite their headline making
romance, the couple has been acting very private
about their personal life. They welcomed their
first child together, daughter Esmeralda Amada,
in September 2014.
A
NAOMI WATTS CAN’T GET
HER MAKE-UP RIGHT
CAST: Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell,
Toby Kebbell, Reg Cathey
DIRECTION: Josh Trank
GENRE: Action
DURATION: 1 hour 39 minutes
STORY: This origin-tale tells the story of four
individuals, each of whom acquires a unique and specific
super-ability after teleporting themselves to an alien
planet. Soon, they'll have to join forces to save the planet
from destruction.
irdman actress Naomi Watts
says she hardly ever wears
make-up when she's not
working because she struggles to
put it on. "I rarely wear any in my
day-to-day life, mostly because I'm
horrible at applying it," she
explained.
However, the 46-year-old star has
said there are times when she has
to wear heavy make-up for ten
hours a day for three months while
working on films. Asked about her
favourite skincare product, she
replied, "Cleanser is really
important to me, especially as I
wear too much make-up most of
the time when filming."
B
REVIEW: The Fantastic Four have been deserving of a
reboot for a while now, in full contemporary style. This
film however, feels like an extended, somewhat boring
preamble to the kind of action and excitement audiences
deserve to see, presumably in the next film in this series.
Miles Teller is Reed Richards. More flexible than a
rubber band and silly putty combined, he is also the
brainiest of the lot. Michael Jordan is the volatile Johnny
Storm, a giant blowtorch who has the ability to chuck
fireballs at adversaries. Kate Mara essays the role of The
Invisible Woman. Apart from being the female counterfoil
for all the raging testosterone in the otherwise all-male
gang, she rivals Mr Fantastic (Yes, that title does sound
cheesy, no matter how many times repeated.) in terms of
being level-headed and intelligent. Oh, and she generates
force fields too in the form of giant, super-strong bubbles.
Jamie Bell is The Thing, a creature who looks like he was
fashioned out of a gigantic clump of parched earth. The
closest superhero in terms of comparability is the Hulk.
However, Thing cannot even hold a candle to the latter in
terms of sheer brute force. The villain's role - that of Dr
Doom - is in the film essayed by Toby Kebbell. They
acquire the said superpowers after using a Quantum Gate
(read: fancy teleportation device) to explore Planet Zero,
which is in another dimension. Kebbell is left behind,
tragically, but will ultimately confront the other four.
The script is dull, littered with cliched catchphrases
(eg, "We can't change the past, but we can change the
future!") and humorless. There are barely any action
scenes in the film, save the film's climax, which looks
rushed. Only the visual effects and Teller's performance is
worthy of note. Superhero film fans can only hope that
the next one will be interesting to watch.
24
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THE INDIAN PANORAMA

BRUISED GUJARAT LIMPS TO

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