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Noam Chomsky: ‘The Real Question is…What Exactly Is The Threat of Iran?’

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Scholar and activist questions the need for a nuclear agreement when Iran has not violated the nonproliferation treaty

Noam Chomsky tells Al Jazeera that Iran did not deserve to be sanctioned to begin with. (Photo: Andrew Rusk/flickr/cc)

Noam Chomsky tells Al Jazeera that Iran did not deserve to be sanctioned to begin with. (Photo: Andrew Rusk/flickr/cc)

by Nadia Prupis, Common Dreams

As U.S. Congress considers signing the unprecedented nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers announced earlier this month, renowned scholar and activist Noam Chomsky on Wednesday asked a less-considered question: “Why is the deal being pursued?”

The deal constrains what is referred to as “the Iranian threat,” Chomsky said, “but what exactly is the threat?”

In an interview with Al Jazeera reporter Antonio Mora, Chomsky stated that Iran—which is a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), an agreement that seeks to achieve global disarmament—has “lived up to” the mandates of that accord, despite allegations it has violated some of them by failing to declare its enriched uranium program.

“I don’t think anyone ought to have nuclear weapons, including the United States, but that’s not the issue,” Chomsky said. “If Iran’s alleged noncompliance with the NPT is an issue—and I add alleged—that certainly doesn’t require sanctions or a treaty or any other actions.”

Chomsky, who has previously described the U.S. treatment of Iran as “torture,” said on Wednesday that the U.S. and Israel “freely use force and violence” throughout the Middle East—unlike Iran, which would only use nuclear power as a deterrent.

“Furthermore, the U.S. is quite open about [their use of force],” Chomsky continued.

Asked what the U.S. should do if a terrorist plot was developing in a remote area of the region, Chomsky noted that the question illustrates the egregious double-standards of American foreign policy. “We feel free to attack people anywhere and kill them who we claim might be planning to harm us in the future. If anyone else did that, we’d nuke them,” he said.

Watch the interview below:

Amanath Bank Case: Every penny of the depositors should be returned, says judge

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Amanath-Bank

Bengaluru: A single bench by Justice Nazir adjourned the Ama­nath Co-operative Bank trial on Thursday after the strong argument on the recovery of the depositors’ fund.

Bench also asked for meeting all the depositors before confirming on the conversion of the deposits to the share capital and recover the loss.

Every penny of the depositors should be returned, said the judge.

Rahmatullah Kotwal, Amanath Bank’s defense counsel, told Nasheman.in that 32 crores of the depositors’ money will be converted to share capital. He also said that if former Union Minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief, as part of his attempt to revive the loss-making bank, deposit Rs. 75 crore as share capital, then he will have the liberty to choose his own set of directors.

Earth 2.0: NASA finds planet that matches our own

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Space agency’s Kepler mission finds planet outside solar system that may have volcanoes, oceans and sunshine like Earth.

Kepler 452b's star is 1.5 billion years older and 10 percent brighter than our sun [Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle]

Kepler 452b’s star is 1.5 billion years older and 10 percent brighter than our sun [Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle]

by Al Jazeera

Astronomers hunting for another Earth have found the closest match yet, a potentially rocky planet circling its star at the same distance as the Earth orbits the Sun, NASA has said.

Named Kepler 452b, the planet is about 60 percent larger than Earth. It could have active volcanoes, oceans and sunshine like ours, twice as much gravity and a year that lasts 385 days, scientists said on Thursday.

“Today we are announcing the discovery of an exoplanet that, as far we can tell, is a pretty good close cousin to the Earth and our Sun,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

“This is about the closest so far, and I really emphasize the ‘so-far,'” he added, describing Kepler 452b as “the closest twin,” or “Earth 2.0.”

The planet was detected by the US space agency’s Kepler Space Telescope, which has been hunting for other worlds like ours since 2009.

This planet sits squarely in the Goldilocks zone – where life could exist because it is neither too hot nor too cold to support liquid water, the US space agency said.

“Today the Earth is a little less lonely,” said Jon Jenkins, Kepler data analysis lead scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.

Kepler 452b’s star is 1.5 billion years older, four percent more massive and 10 percent brighter than our sun.

But at a distance of 1,400 light-years away, humankind has little hope of reaching this Earth-twin any time soon.

“You and I probably won’t be travelling to any of these planets without some unexpected breakthrough, but you know, our children’s’ children’s children may,” said Jeff Coughlin, Kepler research scientist at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California.

The Kepler mission launched in 2009 to search for exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system, particularly those about the size of Earth or smaller.

On Thursday, NASA released the latest catalog of exoplanet candidates, adding more than 500 new possible planets to the 4,175 already found by the space-based telescope.

The new list includes 12 candidates that are less than twice the diameter of Earth and which are orbiting in the habitable zones of their stars.

Of those 12 new candidates, Kepler 452b “is the first to be confirmed as a planet”, NASA said.

The Kepler mission has cost NASA about $600m, and the US space agency said in 2013 that two of its orientation wheels had lost function, leaving the space telescope beyond repair.

(AFP)

RK Pachauri removed as TERI chief

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rkpachauri

Bengaluru: Controversial TERI chief R K Pachauri, who is facing sexual harrassment charges, was today removed as the Director General of the green body.

Ajay Mathur, currently Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has been appointed as the new DG in a decision taken at the governing Council (GC) meeting of TERI here.

“The Governing Council (GC) of TERI at its meeting held in Bangalore took a decision to appoint Ajay Mathur as the Director General of TERI.

“Mathur will take up his new responsibilities as soon as he is in a position to do so, subsequent to being relieved from his current responsibilities by the Government of India after a brief period of transition,” an official TERI release said.

On February 13 this year, an FIR was registered against 74-year old Pachauri faces charges of sexual harassment levelled by a senior TERI employee. A Delhi court had granted anticipatory bail to Pachauri.

Earlier, on February 26, the court had restrained Pachauri from entering TERI office premises and contacting its officials. It had asked him not to leave the country and also granted him interim protection from arrest till March 27.

Pachauri was on Friday allowed by a Delhi court to enter his office premises except the head office and a branch in Gurgaon.

The TERI statement said that the GC also considered the question of any action that could be taken on the report of TERI’s Internal Complaints Committee on the issue of alleged sexual harassment.

“Action on this report has been stayed by the Court, which ruled ‘the operation of the report of the Internal Complaints Committee shall remain stayed.’

“This judgment of May 29, 2015 also stated ‘the principles of natural justice have not been followed at all by the said committee, contrary to rules.’ The GC of TERI respects all court proceedings and abides by its direction” the statement said.

The GC observed that the issue of succession to the current leadership of TERI was first discussed in detail by the GC meeting held in Mumbai in September, 2014.

Subsequently, a well-known search firm was entrusted with the task of carrying out a search of candidates for the position, which they performed pro bono and provided the GC with a slate of candidates short listed by them.

A further search was carried out involving all the members of the GC, who interacted individually with several eligible candidates and evaluated senior staff currently working at TERI as well as those who had extensive experience of working in this organization.

“The decision to appoint Ajay Mathur is, therefore, the culmination of an extensive search process and an intensive evaluation of candidates from across the globe,” the statement said.

The statement said that Pachauri has led and built TERI over the last 34 years from a concept to a major, financially autonomous, professionally dynamic organization on the global stage.

“All efforts will be made to aid and assist Ajay Mathur in a smooth and expeditious transition as the latter assumes responsibility as TERI’s new chief executive.

“The GC is certain that the 1200 persons working for TERI in different parts of the world would welcome this development and extend all their support towards a smooth transition and ensuring that this unique Indian organization with a global presence and universal reach attains greater heights in the future,” it said.

Noting that the interests of TERI and its talented staff are paramount, the statement said that the GC members also expressed deep confidence in their dedication and the leadership of the institute.

Mathur has worked in leadership positions in the World Bank in Washington DC, as Director, interim Secretariat, Green Climate Fund in Bonn and in the private sector in India.

He took over as DG of BEE, where he has initiated and directed innovative programs, the statement said.

(Agencies)

Visually-impaired woman denied flat in Delhi for being Muslim

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Reem Shamsudeen

New Delhi: Yet another incidence of discrimination, a 30-year-old visually-impaired woman from Kerala has alleged that she was denied a rented house in Delhi for being a Muslim.

Reem Shamsudeen, who is an assistant professor in a college affiliated to Delhi University, claimed that the owner denied her the rented house just because she was a Muslim.

“I had paid the advance amount to the owner. I was refused to move in the apartment just a few hours before I was about to,” she said.

“It’s really a shame for such discrimination to occur in a city like Delhi where thousands of people come in search of education and jobs,” Reem told Madhyamam Daily.

“The incident was shocking considering the cosmopolitan and metropolitan nature of Delhi,” she said.

In a short video uploaded on the YouTube she urged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to look into the matter.

(Madhyamam)

SC bars head scarf, full sleeve shirt from CBSE medical exam

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cbse-dress

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to interfere with the dress code prescribed by the CBSE for candidates appearing for the AIPMT exam on Saturday, barring them from wearing either a head scarf, full sleeve shirt or burqa.

The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu while rejecting the plea by Students Islamic Organisation of India, said: “If you appear in an examination without a scarf, your faith will not disappear.”

Describing the plea as “nothing but an ego”, the court said that candidates can wear the head scarf after the exam is over.

The court also observed that faith is something different from wearing a particular type of cloth.

(IANS)

Lok Sabha adjourned for the day

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Lok Sabha

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha was on Friday adjourned for the the day within minutes of assembling as the opposition created a ruckus over the Lalit Modi issue and the Vyapam scam.

As soon as the house assembled in the morning, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she had received adjournment motions from the opposition on the controversy about BJP leaders’ closeness with former IPL chief Lalit Modi and the Vyapam scam.

However, the speaker dismissed the adjournment motions and tried to proceed with the question hour. At this point the opposition members led by the Congress trooped near the speaker’s podium and shouted slogans.

Following this, Mahajan adjourned the house for the day.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Veerappa Moily moved motions on the Lalit Modi issue, while CPI-M member Mohammed Saleem and AAP’s Bhagwant Mann moved a motion against the Vyapam scam.

(Agencies)

Court rejects Teesta Setalvad’s anticipatory bail plea

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Teesta Setalvad

Mumbai: A sessions court in Mumbai rejected on Friday an anticipatory bail application filed by social activist Teesta Setalvad in connection with a case of alleged foreign donations to her NGO in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

Setalvad, who was at the forefront of the campaign for the 2002 Gujarat riot victims, is likely to move the Bombay high court.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand on July 8 and raided their home and offices a week later. The agency is looking into whether Setalvad’s NGO Sabrang received funding from the United States-based Ford Foundation without government permission.

The Gujarat Police had recently said the social activist and her husband “misappropriated” funds meant for charity for personal expenses ranging from wine, earbuds to expensive mobile phone besides tampering with the evidence.

The CBI registered the case after the home ministry recently asked the agency to conduct a probe into the funding.

A bank account of the firm located in Mumbai was frozen on the instructions of the home ministry. Sources said certain documents were recovered by the agency, which they claimed appears to support the allegations.

Setalvad had earlier said the charges against her are baseless and she was fully cooperating with the CBI.

(Agencies)

Pro Kabaddi: Bengaluru beat Patna, Warriors edge past Pink Panthers

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bengal-kabaddi-league

Kolkata: A last ditch attempt from the defence ensured Bengal Warriors full points against title holders Jaipur Pink Panthers, while Bengaluru Bulls were runaway winners opposite Patna Pirates in two back-to-back games of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 2 at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.

The locals won 28-26 in the match watched by a crowd of around 5,000 people.

Bengaluru on the other hand won 31-26 defeating the Pirates with ease.

The win propelled the hosts to the fourth position on the league, while the Panthers are a rung below with two back-to-back losses.

The win for the Bulls in the second match made sure they were in the third position with two wins from three outings.

With only seconds left on the clock, Warriors had to pin down the raider and they did so with some style bagging three points, and with it, the contest.

It was neck and neck in the first half, with the home team giving the defending champions a run for their money.

However, Jasvir Singh — the star raider for the Panthers — did much of the work for his team with his dashy movements and prolific leg-swings that helped the visitors open up a 15-12 lead at half time, as their owner Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan seemed content.

The second half was enthralling too as the Warriors made it a point to not budge an inch which reflected in their performance as former captain Nilesh Shinde clinched seven tackle points.

Warriors’ skipper Dinesh Kumar joined in the act getting important points for his side as he raided the opponent half and looked to salvage in desperation whatever points he could.

But it took a team effort from the Warriors in the dying seconds of the game to pull off the miraculous victory after being behind for much of the game.

In the second encounter, the man who made the difference for Bengaluru was Manjeet Chhillar, their captain and allrounder, who raided and defended with equal panache to clinch 4 raid points and 7 tackle points for his side and was adjudged the player of the match.

Earlier, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly sang the national anthem in presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who inaugurated the city leg of the Kabaddi League.

“They have to take a bit of ‘panga’. We have won both the IPL and the ISL and I hope we win the kabaddi title too,” said Ganguly, expressing support for Bengal Warriors.

The prolific left-handed willower also batted for the success of the league and congratulated the official broadcaster for their efforts.

“I have not played kabaddi much, but I’ve seen a few matches. It provides a good platform for domestic players.”

Banerjee termed the sport her “favourite game”.

(IANS)

No discussion until Sushma steps down: Rahul Gandhi

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rahul gandhi

New Delhi: Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “silence” on the Lalit Modi controversy, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said his party was against discussion until External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj steps down.

Claiming that Modi’s credibility is on the decline, Rahul said the Prime Minister should listen to the voices of the people of the coutry who are demanding an answer from him over controversies confronting the government.

“The Prime Minister had assured the country that he will not tolerate corruption. His words should carry weight. But he speaks in air, he speaks whatever comes to his mind, his credibility is slowly declining.

“We asked the PM what he thinks about Lalit Modi. We got no answer. We got no answer on the Vyapam scam, no answer on Chhattisgarh and no answer on Sushma,” he told reporters outside Parliament.

Rahul’s comments come against the backdrop of the stalemate persisting in both the Houses of Parliament with Congress-led opposition aggressively pressing for ouster of Sushma and Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan over the Lalit Modi controversy and Vyapam scam, which the government rejected.

He made it clear that there would be no discussion on the Lalit Modi controversy unless Sushma quits office.

“What we have said is that (there will be) no discussion without resignation. Sushma has done a criminal act. He (Lalit Modi) is a ‘fugitive’. You have signed it (the recommendation for grant of travel document). The High Commission does not know about it. The Indian government too in unaware of that,” he said and alleged that there were business links between the families of Lalit Modi and Sushma Swaraj.

(PTI)

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