Archives for 2015

New Zealand bowl, South Africa hand debut to Wiese

August 19, 2015 by Nasheman

Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images

by Firdose Moonda, ESPNcricinfo

David Wiese was handed an ODI debut as South Africa looked for another solution to their all-rounder conundrum as they were put in to bat by New Zealand in the first ODI in Centurion. But that won’t be the biggest problem on the hosts’ hands: their bowling plans were leaked when a document meant for Dale Steyn was sent to another guest at the hotel South Africa are staying in. AB de Villiers shrugged it off and said the bowlers “enjoy being under pressure,” so don’t see it as too much of a bad thing.

The attack is vastly changed from the T20s, with Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Imran Tahir all returning. Kyle Abbott was confined to the bench, as he was during the World Cup semi-final, when these two teams last met.

Both sides wear a different look from that day, with South Africa missing Faf du Plessis through injury and JP Duminy and Morne Morkel, who are both on paternity leave. Rilee Rossouw will bat up the order with Farhaan Behardien, the extra batsman, in the middle.

New Zealand do not have Brendon McCullum or Ross Taylor or their two leading seamers Tim Southee and Trent Boult. They have stuck with the same crop who played in the T20s. Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan were tasked as the frontline seamers with New Zealand opting for two spinners on a pitch that is expected to slow down as the game goes on.

South Africa: 1 Morne van Wyk (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 AB de Villiers (capt) 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 David Wiese, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Dale Steyn 11 Imran Tahir

New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Colin Munro, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 James Neesham, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Ish Sodhi

Foriegn films round up

August 19, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

FILMMAKING ON THE RISE IN CUBA

Now that US & Cuba have confirmed the official opening of their respective embassies this month, interest in Cuba continues to mount, not just among US film makers, but also amongst producers from Latin America & Europe. “Ever since both countries announced the thaw in their relations, more film & TV producers from the US, Latin America & Europe have been making inquiries & visiting Havana to explore and in some cases, begin developing their projects here,” said Lia Rodriguez, the Havana Film Festival’s industry department head. A Spanish – German mini series, ‘Vientos De Cuaresma’, is currently shooting in Havana. Some American film makers have managed to make their feature films in Cuba, despite current restrictions, including documentary footage & reenactments to qualify. To date, only US docs are allowed to shoot in Cuba. The 1st such US film to hit the big screen is Rhode Islander Ben Chace’s ‘Sin Alas’ (‘Without Wings’), which had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in Jun, 2015 preempting Bob Yari’s English language Hemingway biopic ‘Papa’, which was shot roughly at the same time in Cuba and is also seeking a US distribution.

MENEMSHA FILMS AQUIRES ‘DOUGH’

LA based Menemsha Films has acquired all North American right to John Goldschmidt’s dramedy ‘Dough’. Repped by Umedia, ‘Dough’ is set to open the 35th San Francisco Jewish film festival on 23rd Jul, 2015, ahead of its theatrical release. Set in London’s East End, ‘Dough’ tells the story of an old Jewish baker (Jonathan Pryce) whose failing business gets an unexpected boost when his young Muslim apprentice (Jerome Holder) accidentally drops cannabis into the dough and the chollah starts to fly off the shelf. Menemsha’s founder & prexy Neil Friedman described “‘Dough’ as an endearing film with great breakout potential.” Friedman added, “The film is very funny with a tender cross cultural friendship at its core, beautifully showcasing our shared humanity.” ‘Dough’ is produced by Docler Entertainment’s György Gattyán & András Somkuti, Viva Films’ John Goldschmidt & Three Coloured Dog Films’ Wolfgang Esenwein. The UK -Hungarian co – production was penned by Yehuda Jez Freedman & Jonathan Benson.

AZ ACQUIRES NORTH AMERICA ON ‘MARSHLAND’

Todo Cine Latino, the speciality label of Paul Hudson’s Outsider Pictures, has teamed with Canada’s AZ Films to acquire North America rights to ‘Marshland’ (‘La Isla Minima’), one of Spain’s biggest recent movie hits. The 5th feature from Alberto Rodriguez, ‘Marshland’, a noir – ish period cop thriller, has ticked multiple boxes, including scooping 10 Spanish Academy Goya Awards, among them are “Best Picture”, “Best Director’ & “Best Actor” (Javier Gutierrez). Produced by Atresmedia Cine, Sacromonte Films & Atipica Films and a competition frontrunner at San Sebastian, where it world premiered on 20 Sept, 2014, winning the jury prize & “Best Actor” (Gutierrez), ‘Marshland’ went on to gross €7.5 million ($8.4 million) in Spain, a standout achievement for its distributor, Warner Bros. Entertainment España. With the North American deal in place, Film Factory has sold ‘Marshland’ to every major territory worldwide. After ‘Wild Tales’ (10 nominations), ‘Marshland’ now figures with 9 category recognitions as the leading contender for 2015’s Platino Awards, taking in movies from Spain, Latin America & Portugal, which takes place on 18th Jul, 2015 in Marbella.

TRANTER TO LEAVE BBC WORLDWIDE PRODS

Jane Tranter will step down as head of BBC Worldwide Productions & Adjacent Productions to launch her own
production company, BBC Worldwide North America announced recently. She will be replaced by Matt Forde, whose title will change from EVP of TV sales & digital distribution to EVP of content production, sales & distribution. He will split his time between New York & Los Angeles as his role expands to cover Los Angeles based productions. Forde will report to incoming BBC Worldwide North America prexy Ann Sarnoff, who takes the reins from Herb Scannell in Aug, 2015. “Since arriving in US, Jane has systematically grown & diversified our production base in Los Angeles,” commented Scannell. “She energized ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ which concluded its 20th season this year; took the company into scripted development & production with ‘DaVinci’s Demons’ & ‘Getting On’ & grew our network of partners by building relationships with highly regarded cable channels. We wish her the very best in her new venture. Matt is unmistakably a champion of producers, writers & creators, this coupled with his passion for BBC’s unrivaled, high quality output will no doubt prove to be a win for the company and our valued partners.

3 MOVIES AMONGST HIGHLIGHTS AT FRIGHTFEST

Film4 FrightFest, UK’s leading genre film festival, promises to be “bigger, bolder & bloodier” in its 16th year with its largest ever line up. The gorefest, which runs from 27th to 31st Aug, 2015 will present 76 films across 5 screens, plus a host of special events. There are 16 European premieres & 26 UK premieres. Among the films from British & Irish talent receiving a showcase are David Keating’s ‘Cherry Tree’; the world premiere of Steve Oram’s hilariously disturbing ‘Aaaaaaaah!’, starring Toyah Willcox; Dominic Brunt’s sharp edged female revenge saga ‘Bait’; Ben & Chris Blaine’s sexually charged zom – rom -com ‘Nina Forever’; Mark Murphy’s tale of twisted minds ‘Awaiting’; Paul Hyett’s much anticipated ‘Howl’; Adam Levins’ sinister family drama ‘Estranged’; Howard J. Ford’s child abduction thriller ‘Never Let Go’; Corin Hardy’s Sundance sensation ‘The Hallow’; Ruth Platt’s morally challenging chiller ‘The Lesson’; Liam Regan’s gruesome revenge saga ‘Banjo’; Eugene McGing’s supernatural haunter ‘The Unfolding’ & ‘Afterdeath’, a hellish thriller by new directors Gez Medinger & Robin Schmidt. On the main screens are a mix of the monstrous, the macabre & the must see from around the world.

HALL UNVEILS A RESTRUCTURING PROGRAM

BBC Director General Tony Hall has unveiled a restructuring program that will result in the loss of more than 1,000 jobs. The measures will deliver £50 million ($78 million) in savings from merging divisions, cutting down management layers, reducing the number of managers & improving processes. “A simpler, leaner, BBC is the right thing to do and it can also help us meet the financial challenges we face,” Hall said. “We’ve already significantly cut the costs of running the BBC, but in times of very tough choices we need to focus on what really matters, delivering outstanding programs & content for all our audiences.” The BBC has already cut costs in recent years in order to deliver more than £1.5 billion ($2.34 billion) of savings a year by 2017. Much of this has been done through cutting administration & property costs, pay & headcount restraint and decisions like more daytime repeats & shared sports rights. The savings are necessary due to the Government’s decision to freeze for 7 years the license fee, which is the BBC’s primary source of funding.

CINESITE & IMAGE ENGINE MERGE

Leading visual effects companies Cinesite & Image Engine have merged, giving the 2 entities a combined staff of over 525 VFX & animation staff at their studios in London, Vancouver & Montreal. Cinesite, which opened its doors in London in 1994, has contributed BAFTA & Academy Award nominated and winning visual effects to films including ‘X – Men: Days Of Future Past’, ‘Iron Man 3’, the Harry Potter series of films, & ‘The Golden Compass’. It is working on productions including ‘Now You See Me: The Second Act’, ‘Ant-Man’, ‘Spectre’, ‘The Last Witch Hunter’, ‘Gods Of Egypt’, ‘Pride And Prejudice & Zombies’ & ‘The Revenant’. Founded in Vancouver in 1995, Image Engine has built a strong reputation for producing high quality visual effects for film & high end television. Nominated for an Academy Award for its work on Neill Blomkamp’s ‘District 9’ in 2009, the studio has gone on to work on such high profile productions as ‘Elysium’, ‘Chappie’, ‘Jurassic World’, ‘Game Of Thrones’ & ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’. Forthcoming releases include ‘Point Break’ & ‘Straight Outta Compton’.

ADAM TO DELIVER A KEYNOTE

Adam Crozier, CEO of ITV, UK’s biggest commercial broadcast, will deliver the Mipcom Media Mastermind Keynote. In it, he will discuss how he turned around ITV from a seemingly ailing TV network with limited growth potential both in UK and in the free – to – air broadcast business into a model of expansion, geographic & sectorial, driving energetically into the acquisition of production companies, primarily in US: Gurney Prods, High Noon Ent., Thinkfactory Media, DiGa Vision & Leftfield Ent. The largest producer of non – scripted TV in US, ITV has also bought John De Mol’s Talpa, producer of ‘Big Brother’ & ‘The Voice’, and upped the ante on its drama production biz via a US joint venture, Tomorrow Studios, with vet producer Marty Adelstein. Coinciding with the launch of ‘Beowulf’ & ‘Jekyll & Hyde’, Crozier’s keynote conversation will also take in ITV studios’ growing fiction content business, Mipcom organizer Reed Midem announced recently.

‘TERMINATOR’ HEADS SLOW WEEKEND

Opening on Thursday, ‘Terminator Genisys’ earned $11.1 million from 1.49 million admissions over 4 days. Giving prominent billing to Korean actor Lee Byung- Hun, the 5th instalment of the Terminator franchise is the 1st Paramount title locally handled by Lotte Entertainment since the 2 struck a long term distribution agreement in Mar, 2015. The numbers are on a par with ‘Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins’ which had earned $989,000 from 1.67 million admissions in 4 days in 2009 and went on to earn $26.5 million from 4.50 million admissions. Patriotic war drama, ‘Northern Limit Line’ dropped to 2nd place. Accounting for 33% of the total weekend box office revenue, the NEW release earned $6.88 million from 997,000 admissions between Fri & Sun, with a week – on week drop of 12%. It has amassed $21.9 million from 3.23 million admissions after 2 weekends on release. ‘Jurassic World’ took 3rd, with $2.44 million between Fri & Sun, extending its total to $38.72 million after 4 weekends. Local legal drama ‘Minority Opinion’ dropped to 5th place. Earning $258,000 between Fri & Sun, it has made $2.26 million since 24th Jun, 2015 release. Auteur Shin Su – Won’s Cannes Un Certain Regard selection ‘Madonna’ debuted Thurs, earning $69,700 from 9,920 admissions over the opening 4 days, including previews.

Arvind Kejriwal, Nitish Kumar take on Modi

August 19, 2015 by Nasheman

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday extended his support to JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar for upcoming Bihar Assembly elections while also felicitating the latter during Bihar Samman Samaroh in Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar thanked Kejriwal for inviting him at Bihar Samman Samaroh.

“It’s good that people have voted for AAP. Arvind Kejriwal is a right choice for Delhi. 67 out of 70 seats is a surprising mandate. And, AAP got this mandate when PM Modi had said that Delhi’s mood was same as that of nation’s and vice versa. After Delhi has shown its mood, PM Modi is trying hard for Bihar,” said Nitish.

Further, extending his support to Bihar CM, Arvind Kejriwal assured him that he will go to Bihar whenever Nitish will call him.

“Before elections PM Modi says something and post elections something else. Had he announced before during Rewari rally that OROP scheme will take some time to be implemented, he wouldn’t have got votes,” said Kejriwal.

“Two days back we heard PM saying in Bihar 50…60…70 thousand crore. Was he there to sell Bihar? If they (govt) have so much money then PM should first go and implement OROP scheme,” Kejriwal slammed Modi govt on Bihar package.

(Agencies)

Cobrapost film on Bihar Dalit massacres ‘exposes’ BJP links

August 19, 2015 by Nasheman

New Delhi: Investigative web portal Cobrapost on Tuesday claimed that it has confession on camera of operatives of Ranveer Sena claiming to have been involved in mass murders in Bihar between 1994 and 2000. As many as 144 Dalits were killed in these massacres including several women and children.

The Cobrapost on Tuesday claimed that its journalist K Ashish got the confessions of Ranveer Sena members Chandkeshwar alias Chandreshwar, Pramod Singh, Bhola Singh, Arvind Kumar Singh, Siddhnath Singh and Ravindra Chaudhry by claiming that he was making a movie on the Sena, a disbanded armed group of upper castes in Bihar.

Except Chaudhary, all others were accused in mass murders. “These mass murderers not only reveal how they planned and carried out indiscriminate killings on such scale with precision and ruthlessness of a war machine but also candidly admit who trained them, who armed them, who financed them and who lent them political support, naming some big-time politicians,” Cobrapost said in a statement on Tuesday.

It also said that this was a reason for abrupt dismissal of Justice Amir Das Commission of Inquiry that the state government had set up on December 27, 1997 in the wake of Laxmanpur Bathe massacre as soon as the JDU–BJP alliance came to power in Bihar.

In an interview with Cobrapost, Justice Das (retd) categorically states that he was asked to shut shop because his report could have implicated some prominent politicos for their support to the private army, the webportal claimed.

The alleged confessions of the accused were released on the day PM Narendra Modi announced a financial package for Bihar. Cobrapost also claimed that Ranveer Sena had political patronage of the BJP, a reason for disbanding of Das commission. The investigations also showed that Sena had a diabolical plan of carrying out 50 massacres in as many villages.

(Agencies)

What did Colonialism do to India?

August 19, 2015 by Ram Puniyani

A video of Shashi Tharoor speaking at Oxford on a debate related to the colonial period has been ‘viral’ on the social circuit for a while. In this video Tharoor makes a passionate plea to the British that they make reparations for the losses to Indian economy during the British rule. He puts the blame of India’s economic decline on the British and also recounts Jalianwala Bag, Bengal famine as the major highlight of British rule which reflected the attitude of British towards this colony of theirs’. Tharoor points out that resources from India were used by British to build there economic prosperity and to fund their Industrial revolution.

However, Dr. Manmohan Singh (2005), the previous prime minister, had made a very different kind of argument. In this Dr. Singh as a guest of British Government extols the virtue of British rule and gives them the credit for rule of law, constitutional government, and free press as the contributions which India benefitted from.

So where does the truth lie? Not only the context and tone of the speeches by these two Congressmen is totally different, the content is also totally on different tracks. Dr. Singh as the guest of the British Government is soft and behaving as an ideal guest and points out the contributions of the British rule and there is some truth in that. Tharoor as an Indian citizen with memory of the past; is narrating the plunder which this country suffered due to the British rule. He is also on the dot. These are two aspects of the same canvass. What Tharoor is saying is the primary goal of British and what Dr. Sigh is stating is an incidental offshoot.

British (East India Company) did come here looking for markets for their industrial products, gradually went on defeating one after another king, ruling in different areas and brought the whole subcontinent under a single rule, which became one of the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ for British as the whole wealth, raw material, resources from India were pumped out to Britain. In order to achieve this goal they did go on to introduce railways, communication network-postal, telegraph-telephone and modern administrative system and modern education to create the assistants for their officers ruling here.

The lacuna in our systems were primarily because the primary goal of British was to plunder the country and as an incidental thing; as by product; the new institutions, rule of law and later some reforms against ghastly social practices also began (like abolition of Sati). Perceptions do matter while Singh and Tharoor are talking of the same phenomenon from two different angles. The third angle is the one that was articulated by British themselves. British presented their rule as part of “Civilizing mission of the East”! There is very little truth in this, but it can be said that British also did help in the process of social reforms at times.

The major point which is unseen in these perceptions is one which had dangerous consequence on the social-political scenario and that was- British planted the seeds of divisive politics. As such broadly speaking the colonial-imperialist rule sows the seeds of ‘divide and rule’ and in this subcontinent they did it with gay abandon. In the wake of 1857 revolt, when the British East India Company’s rule was shaken, British identified existence of two major religious communities where the wedge could be driven. This is where they introduced communal historiography as a part of ‘divide and rule’ policy. James Mill with his ‘History of British India’ periodized the history on communal lines (Ancient Hindu Period, medieval Muslim period and modern British period). Supplementing this were Elliot and Dawson with ‘History of India as told by her historians’, which reduced the history to the eulogizing account of the courtiers of the kings. These played a major role in deepening the communal understanding of the past.

At social level we see emergence of modern classes, industrialists-workers and modern educated classes while the old classes of feudal lords and kings survive though with some reduced influence. The modern classes came forward to build up anti colonial movement; this movement led by Gandhi with people from all regions, religions, men and women both is what built modern India on the infrastructure of industrialization-modern education. This movement tied the people together in the bond of ‘Indian-ness’ and had imbibed the values of the central pillars of transformations of caste and gender relations. The latter aspects most highlighted by Jotirao Phule, Bhimrao Ambedkar and Periyar Ramasamy Niacker on one side and introduction of girls education with Savitribai Phule opening the girls school on the other. This group underlined that ‘India is a nation in the making’.

On the other hand the declining sections of landlords-kings, both Hindu and Muslim, threatened by the modern changes and seeing the rise of their vassals who were escaping from their grip, shouted that their religion is in danger. They upheld the communal historiography introduced by British. Muslim elite gradually came to form Muslim League. For them the raison d’être of their coming together was Islam being in danger. They held that here the Muslim Nation had been there since the time Muhammad bin Kasim had won over Sindh from Hindu Daher in eighth century and so they have to work for creation of a Muslim nation. That’s how they remained aloof from the freedom movement, which was aiming at the Secular democratic India.

The Hindu landlords Kings in due course came to form Hindu Mahasabha and then RSS. For them this had been a Hindu nation from times immemorial and Muslims and Christians are the alien invaders. They also remained aloof from freedom movement and harped on building Hindu nation in contrast to the goal set by National movement, that of secular democratic India. They constructed their own history of a glorious past of the Hindu rulers and its corruption by the Muslim invaders. Gradually they came to construct the ideology that all the ills of Hindu society are due to the Muslim invaders.

While the national movement brought together the people of all the regions, religions, castes: women and men both, the communal streams nurtured the seeds of divisiveness sown by British, and this is what led to communal violence and later the tragic partition of the country. Here also what is generally analyzed mostly is the fault of leader A or B for partition while overlooking the fact that partition was the part of continuing British policy, to have their interests preserved in the sub continent and that’s how they played their cards well enough to create a situation where partition became an inevitable calamity.

If one has to point the major problem which the British rule introduced; apart from the impact on the socio economic life of the sub continent; it is undeniably letting the feudal classes-kingdoms to continue in the face of changing scenario of industrialization-modern education. So in the sub continent on one side we see the emergence of the values of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity as an ideology of the emerging classes, while the feudal ideology of ‘caste and gender hierarchy’ persists as the flag-mast of declining sections of society which came to be represented in the communal organizations, Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha and RSS. These declining groups construct the ideology of ‘Religion based Nation state’ which is a unique synthesis of feudal values with the modern concept of nation state, their communal politics is a modern phenomena but derives its identity from as ancient as time as possible. As neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian Kings were ‘religious nationalist’ so to say; as actually they presided over on the empires based on taxation of the toiling peasants in their kingdoms. Their goals of power-wealth were written on their sleeves; sometimes they adorned the masks of Dharmyudh, Jihad or Crusade for their ambitions of expanding power.

So during freedom movement we see those working for anti colonial movement are saying, ‘India as a nation in the making’ the concept which runs parallel to modernization in transport, industrialization, education and administration in particular. Muslim League said we have been a Muslim nation from eight century and Hindu Mahasabha-RSS asserting that we are a Hindu nation from times immemorial Muslim league derives identity from the Kings’ rule while Hindu Mahasbha-RSS project the concept of nation to times when people were having pastoral pattern and later made a transition to settled agriculture. For the communalists the major transition of industrialization and modern education is of no consequence.

While the declining classes do eulogize the kings of their religions, it is interesting that none of the kings in the history set out to spread his religion, they set out to expand their empires. To make this rule grounded there of course is an exception, Emperor Ashok who did spread his religion.

Today we cannot say what might have been the course of History had India not been colonized, what patterns of Industrialization-modernization would have taken place, but one thing can be hypothesized that this communal politics, abuse of religions’ identity for political goals might not have been here to torment us, to kill and maim the innocents, may not have been ruling our streets and asserting for authoritarian structures right within the democratic institutions which the country has nourished from last six decades.

So while Tharoor and earlier Manmohan Singh are pointing to two supplementary aspects of British rule, we also need to delve deeper and see the result of their policies which gave rise to communal politics, the politics which is tormenting South Asia as a whole and India is witnessing the worst in the form of Hindu Nationalism, Hindutva which is dominating the political ideology.

Compiling suggestions done, IPL working group to submit report

August 19, 2015 by Nasheman

New Delhi: The working group, formed to study the Justice Lodha panel’s verdict relating to the IPL 2013 corruption scandal, has “compiled suggestions from all stakeholders” and will submit its final report to the BCCI’s working committee before it meets in Kolkata on August 28.

“We have compiled all the suggestions from stakeholders and we will be submitting the final report to BCCI working committee, which will meet in Kolkata on August 28,” IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said on Wednesday after the working group’s final meeting in the capital.

The group comprises Shukla, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, IPL governing council member Sourav Ganguly, and is assisted by Usha Nath Bannerjee, the board’s legal counsel.

“There are a number of suggestions but we can’t divulge the findings of the meeting,” Shukla added.

On Preity Zinta’s reported comments about some Kings XI Punjab players being allegedly involved in suspicious activities, Shukla said nothing was discussed in that regard.

“I think Preity Zinta has already clarified in her statement. Nothing of this sort has been discussed.”

Citing anonymous sources, the story claimed that Zinta pulled up players who she thought weren’t playing fair, dropped them from games and even put them up for auction.

Zinta denied the claims.

Today’s meeting was also attended by controversial IPL COO Sundar Raman and BCCI’s Anti Corruption Unit chief Neeraj Kumar.

The working group will submit its report to the IPL governing council, which in turn will report to the BCCI working committee

Meanwhile, Thakur said that the proceedings of the working group are confidential and whatever have come out are nothing but speculations.

“We have completed our work before time. We have discussed all suggestions and will submit report to the governing council and working committee on 28th.

“The proceedings of the working group are confidential. All speculations that have come out are media speculations,” said Thakur.

On Zinta’s comments, Thakur said: “I think she has categorically issued a statement in this regard.”

(PTI)

Islamic declaration blasts short-sighted Capitalism, demands action on climate

August 19, 2015 by Nasheman

Ahead of UN summit in Paris, new document presents the moral case for Muslims and people of all faiths worldwide to mobilize against fossil fuel addiction and global warming

Released during an international symposium in Istanbul, the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change is signed by 60 Muslim scholars and leaders of the faith who acknowledge that—despite the short-term economics benefits of oil, coal, and gas—humanity’s use of fossil fuels is the main cause of global warming which increasingly threatens “a functioning climate, healthy air to breathe, regular seasons, and living oceans.” (Photo: JohnED76/flickr/cc with overlay)

by Jon Queally, Common Dreams

Just as scientists announced July was the hottest month in recorded history, and ahead of a major climate summit in Paris later this year, an international group of Islamic leaders on Tuesday released a public declaration calling on the religion’s 1.6 billion followers to engage on the issue of global warming and take bold action to stem its worst impacts.

Released during an international symposium taking place in Istanbul, the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change is signed by 60 Muslim scholars and leaders of the faith who acknowledge that—despite the short-term economic benefits of oil, coal, and gas—humanity’s use of fossil fuels is the main cause of global warming which increasingly threatens “a functioning climate, healthy air to breathe, regular seasons, and living oceans.”

The declaration states there is deep irony that humanity’s “unwise and short-sighted use of these resources is now resulting in the destruction of the very conditions that have made our life on earth possible.”

“Our attitude to these gifts has been short-sighted, and we have abused them,” it continues. “What will future generations say of us, who leave them a degraded planet as our legacy? How will we face our Lord and Creator?”

The declaration by the Muslim leaders follows the widely lauded encyclical released by Pope Francis, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, earlier this summer in which he called for a drastic transformation of the world’s economies and energy systems in order to stave off the worst impacts of an increasingly hotter planet. Additionally, hundreds of Jewish Rabbis also released a Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis and dozens of other denominations and churches have joined the global movement to divest their financial holdings from the fossil fuel industry.

Fazlun Khalid, founder of the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences and a signatory to the declaration, said the unified statement “is the work of world renowned Islamic environmentalists” and that its goal is to trigger richer dialogue and further action. Khalid said he would be happy if other people adopt or improve upon the ideas contained within the document.

As with the papal encyclical, the Muslim scholars take special note of how global capitalism—namely the “relentless pursuit of economic growth and consumption”—has fostered an energy paradigm that now threatens the sustainability of living systems and human society.

With a focus on the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP21) talks in Paris, the declaration urges leaders to forge an “equitable and binding” agreement and called on all nations to:

Aim to phase out greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible in order to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere;
Commit themselves to 100 % renewable energy and/or a zero emissions strategy as early as possible, to mitigate the environmental impact of their activities;
Invest in decentralized renewable energy, which is the best way to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development;
Realize that to chase after unlimited economic growth in a planet that is finite and already overloaded is not viable. Growth must be pursued wisely and in moderation; placing a priority on increasing the resilience of all, and especially the most vulnerable, to the climate change impacts already underway and expected to continue for many years to come.
Set in motion a fresh model of wellbeing, based on an alternative to the current financial model which depletes resources, degrades the environment, and deepens inequality.
Prioritise adaptation efforts with appropriate support to the vulnerable countries with the least capacity to adapt. And to vulnerable groups, including indigenous peoples, women and children.

When it comes to wealthier nations and the oil-rich states of the world, the declaration called on them to specifically:

Lead the way in phasing out their greenhouse gas emissions as early as possible and no later than the middle of the century;
Provide generous financial and technical support to the less well-off to achieve a phase-out of greenhouse gases as early as possible;
Recognize the moral obligation to reduce consumption so that the poor may benefit from what is left of the earth’s non-renewable resources;
Stay within the ‘2 degree’ limit, or, preferably, within the ‘1.5 degree’ limit, bearing in mind that two-thirds of the earth’s proven fossil fuel reserves remain in the ground;
Re-focus their concerns from unethical profit from the environment, to that of preserving it and elevating the condition of the world’s poor.
Invest in the creation of a green economy.

Additionally, focusing on the corporate sector and business interests who profit most from exploitative activities and the current burning of fossil fuels, the declaration argues those institutions to:

Shoulder the consequences of their profit-making activities, and take a visibly more active role in reducing their carbon footprint and other forms of impact upon the natural environment;
In order to mitigate the environmental impact of their activities, commit themselves to 100 % renewable energy and/or a zero emissions strategy as early as possible and shift investments into renewable energy;
Change from the current business model which is based on an unsustainable escalating economy, and to adopt a circular economy that is wholly sustainable;
Pay more heed to social and ecological responsibilities, particularly to the extent that they extract and utilize scarce resources;
Assist in the divestment from the fossil fuel driven economy and the scaling up of renewable energy and other ecological alternatives.

Such a rounded and full-throated declaration was met with applause by climate campaigners, anti-poverty advocates, and social justice voices from around the world.

“Today’s declaration is an unprecedented call by Muslim leaders to end the destruction of Earth’s resources,” stated Lies Craeynest, the food and climate justice director for Oxfam International. “Muslim leaders single out wealthy nations and oil producing states to lead on a fossil fuel phase out and provide support to those less well off to curb emissions and adapt to a changing climate. They also call on big business to stop their relentless pursuit of growth, change their extractive models and provide greater benefits for people and the climate.”

Referring to Pope Francis’ earlier declaration, Craeynest acknowledged the vital importance of religious leaders taking such bold and powerful stances. “As leaders of the two largest global faiths express grave concern about our fragile climate, there is no justifiable way political leaders can put the interests of the fossil fuel industry above of the needs of people, particularly the poorest, and of our planet.”

Wael Hmaidan, international director of the Climate Action Network, called the declaration a potential game changer and said, “Civil society is delighted by this powerful Climate Declaration coming from the Islamic community as it challenges all world leaders, and especially oil producing nations, to phase out their carbon emissions and supports the just transition to 100% renewable energy as a necessity to tackle climate change, reduce poverty and deliver sustainable development around the world.”

Celebrating the growing call among faith communities and religious scholars for bold climate action, Hoda Baraka, the global communications director for the climate action group 350.org, said the Islamic declaration reveals the important ways in which international consensus is solidifying across cultures. “With the end of the fossil fuel era approaching,” declared Baraka, “we have a moral responsibility to expedite the transition to clean energy protecting those most impacted from the climate crisis. The declaration’s call for divestment reinforces the moral impetus behind the fast-growing movement to divest from fossil fuels and helps expand its reach in faith communities around the world.”

Speaking for the UN climate body, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres also welcomed the declaration.

“A clean energy, sustainable future for everyone ultimately rests on a fundamental shift in the understanding of how we value the environment and each other,” Figueres said. “Islam’s teachings, which emphasize the duty of humans as stewards of the Earth and the teacher’s role as an appointed guide to correct behavior, provide guidance to take the right action on climate change.”

Children bearing brunt of war in Yemen, UNICEF says

August 19, 2015 by Nasheman

Nearly 400 children killed and 377 children recruited as child soldiers since the Saudi-led bombing began in March.

At least 1,950 civilians have been killed in the fighting and 1.3 million others have fled their homes [UNICEF]

by Al Jazeera

The conflict in Yemen has killed nearly 400 children since the end of March, and a similar number of children have been recruited by armed groups, according to a new report by the UN children’s agency.

UNICEF’s report released on Wednesday, says that 398 children have been killed and 377 others have been recruited to fight since the Saudi-led coalition began airstrikes in Yemen.

“This conflict is a particular tragedy for Yemeni children,” Julien Harneis, UNICEF Representative in Yemen, said.

“Children are being killed by bombs or bullets and those that survive face the growing threat of disease and malnutrition. This cannot be allowed to continue,” he added.

The UN said that as devastating as the conflict is for the lives of children, it will have terrifying consequences for their future.

On Wednesday, human rights watch dog, Amnesty International, said that all sides fighting in Yemen have left a “trail of civilian death and destruction” in the conflict, killing scores of innocent people in what could amount to war crimes.

The London-based rights group said the violence has been particularly deadly in the southern city of Aden and in Taiz, with dozens of children among those killed.

Yemen’s conflict pits the Houthis and troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against forces including southern separatists, tribal fighters and troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is in exile in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis are leading a US-backed Arab coalition that is carrying out air strikes against Houthi fighters since March.

Civilian death toll

Overall, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday, at least 1,950 civilians have been killed in the fighting and 1,3 million others have fled their homes.

The UN and aid groups have called repeatedly for ways to get food, fuel, medicine and other supplies into Yemen, but tight restrictions imposed by the coalition on air and sea transport remain in place, while Yemen’s exiled government accuses the Houthis of hijacking aid.

Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world, and its population relies on imports for about 90 percent of its supplies. Attempts at UN-brokered humanitarian pauses to bring in aid have failed.

The new UNICEF report says about 10 million children, or half of the country’s population, need urgent humanitarian assistance.

It also says more than half a million pregnant women in Yemen’s hardest-hit areas are at higher risk for birth or pregnancy complications because they can’t get to medical facilities.

Across the country, nearly 10 million children – 80 percent of the country’s under-18 population – are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance [UNICEF]

Thai police: Bangkok bomber did not act alone

August 19, 2015 by Nasheman

Erawan shrine reopens as police release sketch of man suspected to be behind attack that left 20 people dead.

by Al Jazeera

Thai police have released a sketch of the main suspect in a deadly bombing that killed at least 20 people in the capital Bangkok, as the national police chief said the attack was carried out by “a network”.

Police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said on Wednesday that the attacker did not carry out Monday’s attack by himself, without elaborating further.

He made the comment as he headed into a meeting of national police commanders, adding that he was carrying orders from the prime minister who “is worried about the security of people and tourists in Thailand”.

“He didn’t do it alone, for sure. It’s a network,” Poompanmoung told the Associated Press.

Police say two other suspects have been identified in CCTV footage of the blast site.

Officials various times said that they did not rule out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, though they said it did not match the tactics of Muslim fighters in the south or “red shirt” supporters of the previous administration.

Foreigners dead

The sketch released shows a fair-skinned man with thick, medium-length black hair, a wispy beard and black glasses. It is unclear whether the man was Thai or a foreigner.

The attack left at least 11 foreigners dead, with Chinese, Singaporeans, Indonesians and a family from Malaysia among the victims.

More than 100 other people were wounded by the blast that shredded bodies at one of the city’s busiest intersections.

On Tuesday, the police released grainy closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of a young man wearing a yellow t-shirt.

Police say the sketch could help locate the yellow-shirted man seen in the CCTV footage. A 1 million baht ($28,000) reward has been offered to anyone who can give police information leading to his arrest.

Police also said they would take the sketch to a court and ask that an arrest warrant be issued for a man matching the description.

Shrine reopened

On Wednesday, Buddhist monks led prayers for the reopening of a Bangkok shrine located in busy Ratchaprasong commercial district.

A small explosion on Tuesday by a bridge at the city’s Chao Praya River has been tied to Monday’s bomb.

Colonel Kamthorn Ouicharoen, of the Thai bomb squad police, confirmed the bridge bomb was the same type as the one detonated at the Erawan shrine.

Thailand has experienced a near-decade long political crisis that has seen endless rounds of street violence, but never anything on the scale of Monday’s bomb.

Al Jazeera’s Scott Heidler, reporting from Bangkok, said the bombings came just as tourism is rebounding in Thailand.

“The arrival numbers of the all-important Chinese market doubled for the first half of this year compared to the same period last year,” he said.

About 10,000 additional security forces have been deployed in Bangkok after the bombing, reassuring some tourists.

“At first I was shocked to hear about the blast. After assessing the situation, I think Bangkok might be safer after the bomb,” one Chinese tourist told Al Jazeera.

Brothers behead girl over affair with cousin

August 19, 2015 by Nasheman

Shahjahanpur: A 17-year-old girl was allegedly beheaded by her brothers in Jalalabad area as they were opposed to her marriage with their cousin, police said today.

Phool Jahan was having an affair with her cousin Achchan and both the families were ready for the marriage, but the girl’s brothers Gul Hasan and Mohammad alias Nanhu were against it, Senior Superintendent of Police Bablu Kumar said.

He said that on August 17 afternoon, Gul and Nanhu saw Phool Jahan visiting Achchan’s house in Kalan village.

Agitated over this, Gul and Nanhu beheaded Phool Jahan and moved around the village carrying her head, the SSP said.

Nanhu was arrested last night from Paraur and the knife used in the incident has been recovered, the SSP said, adding Nanhu has confessed the crime.

Kumar said the second accused would be arrested soon.

(Agencies)

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