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Death toll rises in deadly 24 hours in Afghanistan

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Attacks on military base and other areas in Kabul kill at least 40, including NATO soldier

Afghan security staff inspect the site of a truck bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday, August 7, 2015. (Photo: Rahmat Gul/AP)

Afghan security staff inspect the site of a truck bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday, August 7, 2015. (Photo: Rahmat Gul/AP)

by Nadia Prupis, Common Dreams

As of Saturday, a deadly 24 hours in Afghanistan has seen more than 44 people killed and hundreds wounded in a wave of attacks on a military base and other sites in Kabul.

Among those killed were dozens of civilians and service members, including one NATO soldier. The attacks targeted a police academy, a residential area, and the military base Camp Integrity, all in Kabul.

The nationality of the NATO soldier has not yet been released. One international service member and eight Afghan contractors were killed in the attack on Camp Integrity, with several others wounded. The bombing of the police academy killed at least 20 and wounded 24, when a man dressed in a police uniform reportedly detonated an explosive vest as recruits lined up for classes.

The Guardian reports:

While the truck bomb exploded outside a Ministry of Defence base, the exact purpose remains unclear, and the timing of the attack [at 1am] was unusual. According to a security source speaking to the Guardian, the US military frequently visits the Afghan army base in Shah Shaheed, which also contains a facility housing several high-level detainees.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahed, said the group was responsibile for the attack on the police academy, but no one has yet claimed the truck bomb attack or the assault on Camp Integrity.

Reuters adds:

Previously seen as open to reviving peace talks, the Taliban have since pledged to press on with the insurgency that has killed and wounded thousands this year.

….The conflict between the Western-backed government and the Taliban has intensified since the NATO combat mission ended last year, but Afghan security forces and civilians have borne the brunt of the violence.

There have been almost 5,000 civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first half of the year, U.N. figures show.

No death penalty for Colorado theatre massacre gunman

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Jury fails to agree on capital punishment, meaning James Holmes will serve life in prison without parole for 12 murders.

Prosecutors argued Holmes deserved to die because he methodically planned the 2012 assault [File: Reuters]

Prosecutors argued Holmes deserved to die because he methodically planned the 2012 assault [File: Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

United States theatre gunman James Holmes will be sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury failed to agree on whether he should get the death penalty for his murderous attack on a packed movie premiere in Colorado in 2012.

The nine women and three men said on Friday that they could not reach a unanimous verdict on each of the murder counts. That automatically eliminates the death penalty for the failed neuroscientist, who blamed his calculated murders of 12 people on mental illness.

Prosecutors argued Holmes deserved to die because he methodically planned the 2012 assault at a midnight screening of a Batman movie, even blasting techno music through ear phones so he wouldn’t hear his victims scream.

The same jury had rejected his insanity defence, finding Holmes capable of understanding right from wrong when he murdered 12 people and tried to kill 70 others.

But the defence countered that his schizophrenia led to a psychotic break, and that powerful delusions drove him to carry out one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings.

There was never any question during the gruelling, four-month trial as to whether Holmes was the killer.

Holmes surrendered outside the theatre, where police found him clad head-to-toe in combat gear.

The trial hinged instead on the question of whether a mentally ill person should be held legally and morally culpable for an act of unspeakable violence.

It took jurors only about 12 hours of deliberations to decide the first part – they rejected his insanity defence and found him guilty of 165 felony counts.

The defence then conceded his guilt, but insisted during the sentencing phase that his crimes were caused by the psychotic breakdown of a mentally ill young man, reducing his moral culpability and making a life sentence appropriate.

The jury’s final decision came after days of tearful testimony from relatives of the slain.

Palestinian baby’s father also dies from settler attack

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Saad Dawabsheh, the father of Ali, dies from severe burns caused by firebomb attack, his brother tells Al Jazeera.

The UN says at least 120 attacks by Israeli settlers have been documented in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of 2015 [Reuters]

The UN says at least 120 attacks by Israeli settlers have been documented in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of 2015 [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

The father of the Palestinian 18-month-old baby boy who died in last week’s settler arson attack in the occupied West Bank has also died from his wounds.

Saad Dawabsheh, the father of Ali, died early on Saturday, his brother told Al Jazeera.

The 32-year-old died in Soroka hospital, where he had been treated for second-degree burns to more than 80 percent of his body.

Al Jazeera’s Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from West Jerusalem, said Saad’s wife, Riham, and four-year-old son Ahmad remain in critical condition, in Tel Hashomer hospital.

“His mother and brother also remain at the hospital. They both remain in very serious condition.

“In fact the mother’s condition for several days was thought to be worse than the father’s so the fact that he succumbed to his wounds raises alot of concern about her,” Tyab said.

Early last Saturday morning, a firebomb was thrown into the family’s bedroom in a suspected settler arson attack, setting the house alight.

A funeral is expected to be held later on Saturday in Duma, where last week’s attack took place.

The Palestine Liberation Organization has said it holds Israel’s government “fully responsible” for the death of the 18-month-old baby and will lodge a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The attack was roundly condemned around the world, including by Israeli leaders, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ringing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and saying they must fight “terrorism” together.

The US state department condemned the “vicious terrorist attack” in “the strongest possible terms”, urging Israel to “apprehend the murderers” and calling on both sides to “avoid escalating tensions”.

According to the UN, at least 120 attacks by Israeli settlers have been documented in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of 2015.

A recent report by Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organisation, showed that more than 92.6 percent of complaints Palestinians lodge with the Israeli police go without charges being filed.

DomainX™ 2015 becomes the first Live-streamed domain name conference internationally

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DomainX

Bangalore: DomainX™, the 1st dedicated international domain name conference that was held today in Bangalore, was a great success with over 600 participants from diverse domains attending the event that was held over two days of inspiration, networking and knowledge.

Mr. Ron Jackson, Publisher of DNJournal.com from Tampa Bay, Florida, presided over the event as the chief guest.

DomainX™ not only educated the participants about the thriving global domain name industry and its various facets but also facilitated an impactful interaction of prominent investors, successful entrepreneurs, tech-savvy innovators and domain name investors to open a spectrum of business opportunities for all involved.

DomainX™ created a history of sorts with becoming the first Live-streamed domain name conference anywhere in the world. DomainX™ was applauded for bringing together a galaxy of international industry experts to a common platform.

Ron Jackson, founder, editor and publisher of Domain Name Journal; Nidhi Hola, Director – Marketing of Godaddy India; Samarth Kholkar, Business Development Leader for IBM Cloud Business; Rodney D Ryder, Advisor to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India; Anirudh Suri, Founding Partner at India Internet Fund were some of the eminent speakers amongst others.

The keynote address on domain names as an investment class was delivered by DomainX™ Brand Ambassador Mr. Deepak Daftari who showcased through his keynote the appeal of domain names to investors across the world and the impending growth on the horizon of the domain name industry.

Zak Muscovitch, Founder of DNAttorney.com discussed UDRP, URS & INDRP issues in an enlightening panel discussion moderated by INDRP Arbitrator Ankur Raheja.
Veteran domain name investor and mentor Deepak Daftary hosted a fireside chat with Ned O’Meara and Martjin Schneider to explore domain name markets in countries such as Australia and the Dutch market.

The event emphasised the ambition of DomainX™ 2015 to deliver ‘two days of inspiration’ with a business networking session on 7th August which connected global experts and key domain name investors in an intimate environment where knowledge was shared freely and key business ties were forged.

Organised by Domain Name Owners Association of India (DNOAi™), the DomainX™ conference was supported by Godaddy, Escrow.com, IBM, INForum.in, Resello, .Desi & Airfare.in. Godaddy is the world’s leading domain name registrar and provides domain name registration services to individuals and organisations world over. While Escrow.com pioneered the process of online escrow services and is one of the leading providers of secure business and consumer transaction management on the Internet

The organisers expressed their pleasure on the immense success of DomainX™ and said, “We are enthralled at the astounding success of DomainX 2015. It’s very heartening to see realization of our dream to provide a common platform to various stakeholders of the industry. We are sure that this conference will keep pushing the envelope on innovating to contribute to the growth of a flourishing domain name industry in India.” The DomainX™ organizers included Manmeet Pal Singh and Gaurav Kohli..

About DNOAi™

DNOAi™ is the first (in India) privately held association of similar minded domain name owners who have joined hands in order to bring investment, monetization and general awareness towards the domain name sector as well as web development industry.

With experience in domain names and website development, DNOAi aim to grow DNOAi™ into the largest domain name organization in India. Domain Name Owners Association of India™ tries to bring together top brass investors, successful entrepreneurs and tech-savvy innovators in India, to demonstrate and exhibit the impact of our industry on thefinancial market.

For more information visit www.DNOAi.com

Foriegn films world wide round up

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Alvinnn

‘COLLIDE’ REVERSES OUT OF US RELEASE

The US rights for Eran Creevy’s action thriller ‘Collide’, which was due for release Stateside by Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity on 30th Oct, 2015 have allegedly reverted to the producers, according to a recent report. The news follows Relativity’s entry into Chapter 11 last week. The movie, which stars Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Ben Kingsley & Anthony Hopkins, is now seeking a new US distributor. Stuart Ford’s IM Global is handling US deal. ‘Collide’, which was formerly titled ‘Autobahn’, is produced by Brian Kavanaugh – Jones, Ben Pugh & Rory Aitken. The screenplay, which was written by Creevy & F. Scott Frazier, kicks off when a heist goes terribly wrong. Casey Stein (Hoult) finds himself on the run from a ruthless gang headed by mob boss Hagen (Hopkins). Casey has a precious cargo that belongs to Hagen, who will stop at nothing to retrieve it.

HOLLYWOOD AGENCIES WORK WITH EUROPEAN COUNTERPARTS

The popularity of foreign talent in Hollywood movies & TV series has sparked a shakeup at US agencies, incentivizing them to team up with their counterparts across the globe. Most non – American stars now have 2 or 3 agents worldwide who work together on everything from reading scripts to negotiating contracts. And most important, they are willing to split commissions. “The world of acting has gotten much smaller,” says UTA’s Theresa Peters. “When a film gets made, whatever the language, casting agents are able to cast the net wider” because of Skype & digital auditions. From UTA’s Beverly Hills base, Peters reps foreign talent such as Sweden’s Alicia Vikander, Denmark’s Pilou Asbaek, France’s Tahar Rahim (“A Prophet”) & Charlotte Le Bon, a Canadian who now lives in France. Michael Douglas recently noted that Brits & Australians are taking many of the best American roles, but new waves of French & Scandinavian thesps & directors are also getting more & more work in US or on English language pictures financed in Europe.

NIKELDEON PICKS UP 2 US RIGHTS

Nickelodeon has snatched up US rights to the 1st 2 seasons of the CG -animated reboot series ‘Alvinnn’ & ‘Chipmunks’. Delivered by Bagdasarian Productions & OuiDo Productions, the series comprising of 104 episodes of 11 minutes each is penned & directed by Janice Karman. Sales outfit PGS Entertainment handles worldwide rights outside France, where the series was acquired by M6. Karman and her husband, Ross Bagdasarian, who own the franchise, also provided the voices & produced the series as well as the previous 1980s hit TV series and the three ‘Chipmunks’ movies. Bagdasarian, Karman, Sandrine Nguyen, Boris Hertzog are executive producing. ‘Alvinnn’ & ‘Chipmunks’ has been airing on Nickelodeon’s international channels since April, 2015 and has topped ratings across 20 markets since its launch. “I’m thrilled with the shows that Janice has created and excited to share them with our fans in US.” Bagdasarian said. “Nickelodeon has been amazing to support the show launch across the world and we can’t wait to extend success with them in US.” said Guillaume Soutter, who runs PGS with Philippe Soutter.

‘DAMASCUS COVER’ NOT AMONGST RELATIVITY CASUALTIES

A spokesperson for sales company Carnaby International has confirmed that espionage thriller ‘Damascus Cover’, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers & John Hurt, is not one of the “casualties” of Relativity Media’s decision to file for Chapter 11. “As an official representative of the film, I can confirm that there are no contractual commitments in place between these 2 parties and the film is still in pre – sale negotiations with buyers worldwide,” said Carnaby’s press representative, Hayley Hamburg, director of Rave PR. Hamburg issued the statement recently in response to “inaccurate reports” in a trade publication, not Variety, and BBC. Both erroneous reports have been corrected. At the Cannes Film Festival, ‘Damascus Cover’ went to South Africa’s Crystal Brook, India’s Empire Networks, Vietnam’s Vistcom & China’s HGC. At Berlin, it had been sold to Gulf Films (Middle East), PT Prima Cinema (Indonesia), Flins y Piniculas (Spain), Discovery (former Yugoslavia) & KRU Group (Malaysia).

AMC GLOBAL ACQUIRES ‘HUMANS’

AMC Global has acquired exclusive 1st window television rights to ‘Humans’ from Endemol Shine International. The 8 x 60 mins series will debut in most AMC Global territories in Oct, 2015 with a 2nd season to premiere in 2016. The series will continue to air in UK on the Channel 4 free to air network. AMC Global said that the international broadcast of its upcoming martial arts series, ‘Into The Badlands’, will start in conjunction with AMC US’s 10 p.m. 15th Nov, 2015 launch. With the exception of UK, where it will not go to air until 2016, the show will then re – air in local time zones during primetime. The 6 x 60 mins series starring Hong Hong’s Daniel Wu was produced by AMC Studios. The channel has exclusive 1st window international TV rights to the series. Set in UK and starring William Hurt, ‘Humans’ takes place in a parallel present where the latest must have gadget for any busy family is a Synth, an artificially intelligent servant eerily similar to its living counterpart.

CHANNEL 5 ORDERS BRIT VERSION OF SPIKE’S HIT SHOW

UK’s free – to – air TV network Channel 5, which was bought by Viacom in Sept, 2014, has greenlit a British version of Spike’s US entertainment format ‘Lip Sync Battle’. The show will air in primetime. The series has been commissioned by director of programs, Ben Frow and will be produced for Channel 5 by Whizz Kid Entertainment. Steve Regan, VP, commissioning & production, MTV UK, will executive produce on behalf of Channel 5, reporting to Frow, with Whizz Kid’s chief executive, Malcolm Gerrie & Katherine Allen acting as co – executive producers. Presenting & performing talent will be announced in due course, with the series expected to premiere in UK early next year. Based on the pop -culture phenomenon of lip sync battling, the Spike original series features celebrities going head – to -head lip – syncing the song of their choice. The original US series is hosted by LL Cool J and has featured an array of A – list musical combatants. The series is the most watched original series in the network’s history, averaging nearly 3 million viewers and has been re – commissioned for 20 more episodes in 2016.

LIBERTY GLOBAL UPS ITV STAKE

John Malone’s international cable TV company Liberty Global has increased its stake in UK broadcaster ITV to 9.9%. Liberty Global bought a 6.4% stake in ITV, whose shows include ‘The X Factor’ & ‘Downton Abbey’, last year from European pay TV operator Sky. “Given ITV’s operating & stock price performance, we were able to increase our stake to 9.9% with no incremental investment by hedging our existing equity position,” Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries said. “This investment remains an opportunistic one for us in our largest market. ITV is a well run company with attractive growth potential and we are pleased to increase our position as their largest shareholder.” Liberty Global stated that it does not intend to make an offer to acquire ITV, although it reserves the right to do so in the future. Liberty Global has been steadily increasing its investments in UK. It already owns UK pay TV company Virgin Media and half of All3Media, which comprises a wide range of TV production companies, mostly in UK but also in US. ITV itself has been acquiring production companies in UK & US.

ZURICH FEST TO FOCUS ON NEW IRANIAN FILMMAKER’S

In the aftermath of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, the Zurich Film Festival will make Iran the guest country of its New World View section, which will spotlight the latest generation of Iranian filmmakers. The nuclear deal was hammered out in the Swiss city of Geneva. The Swiss fest will showcase a dozen new features & docus by young Iranian filmmakers, who “despite strict state controls & censorship” have taken it upon themselvs “to tackle & question in an intelligent & entertaining manner the burning topics & taboos occupying Iranian society today,” it said in a statement. While Iranian cinema draws international attention largely due to established names like Abbas Kiarostami, Asghar Farhadi & Jafar Panahi, who won this year’s Berlin fest top prize for ‘Taxi’. Zurich aims to provide a platform for emerging Iranian helmers.

3 PROJECTS ENTER LOCARNO’S OPEN DOORS

Hassan Legzouli’s ‘Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens’, Mehdi Ben Attia’s ‘L’Amour Des Hommes’ & Nejib Belkadhi’s ‘Retina’ are among 12 projects to be pitched at Locarno’s Open Doors showcase, a co – production forum focusing this year on Africa’s Maghreb countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Libya & Algeria. Taking place 8th to 11th Aug, 2015 at the Swiss fest, the event will grant an Open Doors Award, worth CHF50,000 ($51,827); a €20,000 ($22,149) 2nd cash kudo and a new plaudit granted by a new initiative of European Union’s Med Culture program ICAM (Investing in Culture & Art in the South Mediterranean). France’s CNC film – TV board & broadcaster Arte will also offer prizes. 6 out of 12 projects are debuts. The rest are mostly 2nd or 3rd features. ‘Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens’ is the 3rd feature of Hassan Legzouli whose Celluloid Dreams sold ‘The Golden Calf’, a story about a disaffected teen, shared San Sebastian’s Cinema in Motion Award in 2012.

LOCARNO FEST REVEALS TITLES

The Locarno Film Festival has revealed 6 titles that have made the cut for its 1st look on Israeli Cinema pics – in – post showcase. Formerly known as Carte Blanche, Locarno’s 1st Look will provide Israel’s vibrant film industry with a prominent platform where directors & producers will screen their unfinished goods for buyers, sellers & fest programmers during the indie centric Swiss fest’s Industry Days informal mart. The selected titles are
‘A Quiet Heart’ (‘Lev Shaket’) by Eitan Anner, produced by Gal Greenspan (GreenProductions), ‘Ewa’, by Haim Tabakman, produced by David Silber (Metro Communication) & Ronen Ben Tal (Plan B), ‘Hope’ (‘Amal’) by Miya Hatav, produced by Elad Peleg & Haggai Arad (Daroma Productions), ‘Our Father’ (‘Avinu’) by Meni Yaesh, produced by Marek Rozenbaum (Transfax Films Production), ‘Sand Storm’ (‘Sufat Chol’) by Elite Texer, produced by Haim Mecklberg & Estee Mecklberg (2Team Productions), ‘The 90 Minute War’ (‘Milhemet 90 Hadakot’) by Eyal Halfon, produced by Assaf Amir (Norma Productions) & Steve Hudson (Gringo Films GmbH). These works – in – progress will be accessible to industry badge holders only.

DEAUVILLE FEST KICKS OFF

Baltasar Kormakur’s 3D adventure thriller ‘Everest’ is all set to open the 41st edition of the Deauville American Film Festival. Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Sicario’, which world premiered in competition at Cannes, will close the the festival. A Universal Pictures movie, ‘Everest’, which will also kick off the Venice film festival, stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson & Jake Gyllenhaal. Pic is produced by Working Title’s Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner along with Kormákur, Icelandic’s biggest film producer – producer, Nicky Kentish Barnes, Brian Oliver & Tyler Thompson. Deauville is expecting ‘Everest’s “film team” to attend the premiere. Penned by William Nicholson & Simon Beaufoy, ‘Everest’ is based on the tragic 1996 expeditions to Mount Everest that left several climbers dead. ‘Everest’ will be released in US by Universal on 25th Sept, 2015. ‘Sicario’, written by Taylor Sheridan, is an action packed thriller starring Emily Blunt as an FBI field agent facing off a powerful Mexican drug cartel. Pic also toplines Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber. ‘Sicario’ was produced by Black Label Media & Thunder Road Production. Lionsgate will release it Stateside on 18th Sept, 2015. Deauville will run 4th to 13th Sept, 2015.

YMAGIS ACQUIRES FRANCE’S OLDES FILM LAB

The French commercial court of Nanterre has greenly the acquisition of Gaul’s 108 year old film lab Eclair Group which was placed under bankruptcy protection in Jun, 2015. Priced at $742,000 (670,000 Euros), the acquisition by Ymagis covers Eclair Group’s businesses, assets & holdings in France, Germany & Morocco. Ymagis will split the company into two subsids: Eclair Media SAS, which will be dedicated to content distribution & localisation services & Eclair Cinéma SAS, which will handle post production & restoration. Out of the 320 people on Eclair Group’s payroll, 233 will join the pair of newly created Eclair Media SAS, Eclair Cinéma SAS as well as the subsidiaries acquired. Eclair Group’s businesses will complement Ymagis Group’s existing “content services” division, providing digital content delivery to movie theatres and opening the group up to new developments in video biz, such as services for TV channels & VOD platforms in international markets.

WILLEM JOINS THE CAST OF ‘WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY’

Willem Dafoe is all set to join Noomi Rapace & Glenn Close in Tommy Wirkola’s sci – fi action thriller ‘What Happened To Monday’. Penned by Kerry Williamson & Max Botkin, ‘What Happened To Monday’ is a dystopian thriller set in a not so distant future, where over population & famine have forced Governments to undertake a drastic one child policy. It turns on 7 identical sisters who are being tracked down by the Child Allocation Bureau which enforces a strict family planning agenda that the sisters outwit by taking turns assuming the identity of one person: Karen Settman. ‘What Happened To Monday’ is produced by Raffaella Productions’ Raffaella De Laurentiis as well as Vendôme Pictures’ Philippe Rousselet & Fabrice Gianfermi. SND handles international sales while CAA reps domestic distribution rights. “We could not have dreamt of a better team with Tommy Wirkola directing & Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe starring to make this unique & thrilling movie,” said Rousselet. Marwan Kenzari, Christian Rubeck & Pal Sverre Hagen complete the cast. Vendôme Pictures’s Guy Stodel & SND’s Thierry Desmichelle are executive producing. The key crew includes Joseph Hodges, production designer, Jose David Montero, director of photography, Oana Paunescu, costume designer, Giannetto De Rossi, make up designer & Bryan Jones, VFX supervisor. ‘What Happened To Monday’ has just started shooting in Bucharest at the Castel Film Studios with Hester Hargett – Aupetit line producing.

VENICE DAYS ADDS ‘LOLO’ TO LINE UP

Julie Delpy’s return to French film making, ‘Lolo’, a high profile comedy starring herself & Gallic superstar Dany Boon has been added as the 11th competition title at the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Venice Days section, which is modelled on the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Delpy stars as Violette, a 40 year old workaholic with a career in the fashion industry who falls for a provincial computer geek, Jean – Rene (Dany Boon), while on a spa retreat with her best friend. ‘Lolo’ is produced by Michael Gentile with Wild Bunch handling international sales. “The presence of Julie Delpy gives us with 1 title 3 key elements of our section: attention for female creativity, passion for comedies & movies that mix fun & smarts and the special grace of French cinema,” enthused Venice Days topper Giorgio Gosetti in a statement. The 11th edition of Venice Days will run from 2nd to 12th Sept, 2015.

Swachh Bharat: Mysuru cleanest city, Bengaluru cleanest capital, Mangaluru bags 11th position

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Swachh Bharat

Mangaluru: Karnataka’s Mysuru has topped the Swachh Bharat rankings of 476 cities in the country based on the extent of open defecation and solid waste management practices, a statement from the Ministry of Urban Development said.

Karnataka has done exceptionally well with another three cities making it to the list of top 10. The coastal city of Mangaluru has secured eleventh position in the list. Bengaluru has emerged as the cleanest state capital among all state capitals in India.

Mysuru leads the pack with minimal open defecation and extensive adoption of solid waste management practices, followed by Tiruchi (Tamil Nadu), Navi Mumbai, Kochi (Kerala), Hassan, Mandya and Bengaluru from Karnataka, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Halisahar (West Bengal) and Gangtok (Sikkim) in that order.

Among the top 100 cities, 39 cities were from the South, 27 from the East, 15 from the West, 12 from the North and 7 from the North-Eastern States, the statement added.

North performed poorly accounting for 74 cities in the bottom 100, while 21 were from the East, 3 from the West and 2 from the South, the statement said.

The worst performer was Damoh (Madhya Pradesh), preceded by Bhind (Madhya Pradesh), Palwal and Bhiwani, both in Haryana, Chittaurgarh (Rajasthan), Bulandshahar (Uttar Pradesh), Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh), Rewari(Haryana), Hindaun (Rajasthan) and Sambalpur in Odisha.

The survey conducted during 2014-15 was commissioned by the Ministry of Urban Development as required under the National Sanitation Policy of 2008.

All 476 Class-1 cities in 31 States and Union Territories, each with a population of above one lakh, were surveyed for assessing total sanitation practices covering a set of parameters, including the extent of open defecation, solid waste management, septage management, waste water treatment, drinking water quality, surface water quality of water bodies and mortality due to water born diseases.

Modi government is losing its Sheen: Rahul Bajaj

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Rahul-Bajaj

New Delhi: Top industrialist Rahul Bajaj has come down heavily on the Narendra Modi-led Central government, saying the shine was wearing off it. Speaking to NDTV’s Sreenivasan Jain, the chairman of the Bajaj Group said, “We had an emperor on 27th of May 2014. Very few places in the world in the last 20-30 years (have) a success like that in the history of a nation. I am not anti this government. But the fact does remain, the shine seems to be wearing off.”

Bajaj was also critical of the government’s black money law. He said it was drafted with a vengeance. “I think drafting has been done with a clear presumption, which I feel, I can’t say for the whole group. I have no sympathy for people who did that. So, this has been done with a vengeance,” he said.

The Act, enacted after high-pitched politicking, deals with the menace of black money stashed abroad and provides stringent punishment of up to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and penalty of 90 per cent along with 30 per cent tax for wilful attempt to evade tax on assets held abroad by a resident.

Given the tough provisions of the Act, the government has also provided for a three-month compliance window up to September 30 to declare such assets and income held abroad under Chapter VI and pay tax and penalty of 30 per cent each by December 31 to escape prosecution.

“I declare it and then you say it’s an illegal declaration.” If that is the case, Bajaj says, “I can’t declare. I won’t declare. I will take my chances, go to Supreme Court, and fight it out. In my lifetime, nothing will happen to me.

(Agencies)

Joshna Chinappa loses in Australian Open squash

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Joshna Chinappa

Melbourne: Indian national champion Joshna Chinappa did not spring any surprise against top seed Hong Kong player Annie Au and went down in straight games 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 in the quarter-final of the Australian Open squash tournament here on Friday.

It was never expected to be easy for the sixth seeded Indian against the World No. 11. All it took the Hong Kong champion was just 34 minutes to chalk up a win and book a semi-final berth.

(IANS)

Australia A defeat India A by 119 runs

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India A

Chennai: Following their comprehensive win against South Africa A in the opener, Australia A drubbed India A by 119 runs to take command and go on top of the standings in the 50-over triangular series at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.

Opting to bat was the perfect choice for the visitors who, based on a 239-run opening wicket partnership between captain Usman Khawaja (100) and Joe Burns (154), guided themselves to put up a formidable total of 334/4 in 50 overs. In reply, India A succumbed to the ever increasing required run rate and folded up for 215 in 42.3 overs.

Khawaja could not have asked for a better start for his side as he with Burns struck the monumental partnership which gave the Australians a brilliant platform to put on a big score on the board, which they eventually did.

While the left-handed Khawaja hammered three sixes and 10 boundaries, Burns smashed an incredible 14 sixes and five boundaries in his 131-ball innings. Both batsmen had scored half-centuries in their previous match on Wednesday against South Africa A.

Towards the end of the innings, wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade also chipped in with an unbeaten 21-ball 34 which included three fours and a six.

India A did not start their chase well, losing four top order batsmen even before reaching the 100-run mark. Though the hosts maintained a run rate of five runs or more, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals which led to their downfall.

Captain and opener Unmukt Chand scored 52 before being bowled while Kedar Jadhav (50) scored a half-century.

Indian-origin Australia A pacer Gurinder Sandhu (4/28) and leg break bowler Adam Zampa (4/49) both picked up four scalps each to knock out the Indians.

Next, India A will take on South Africa A here on Sunday.

Brief scores: Australia A 334/4 in 50 overs (Joe Burns 154, Usman Khawaja 100) beat India A 215 all out (Unmukt Chand 52, Kedar Jadhav; Gurinder Sandhu 4/28, Adam Zampa 4/49).

(IANS)

World Food Program to cut funding for Syrian refugees in Lebanon

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Lebanon is home to some 1.2 million Syrian refugees. (AFP/File)

Lebanon is home to some 1.2 million Syrian refugees. (AFP/File)

by Press TV

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has been forced to cut in half its assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon over a budget shortfall.

The agency slashed its economic funds for Syrian refugees, leaving them with a monthly salary of only $13.50, due to a lack of funds.

“Starting January this year, we had to reduce the value of the assistance we give by 30 percent to make funds stretch over a longer period of time. But in July, the funding shortfall became so severe that we had to decrease the value of the assistance we give by 50 percent,” World Food Program spokesperson Dina el-Kassaby told Press TV.

The WFP, which was forced to briefly halt its assistance to Syrians in Lebanon last December, said it was able to keep the program operating after receiving new funds.

“We do need to continue to have help because basically until a political solution is found and refugees can safely go back home, they will continue to need our assistance,” Kassaby added.

The UN agency provides the refugees with an electronic voucher which allows them to purchase food products at various stores in Lebanon.

Syrian refugees, many living in tents and unable to legally work, say the recent cut in assistance has made their situation worsen significantly.

Lebanon, which has a population of nearly 4.5 million, is currently home to almost 1.2 million refugees.

Millions of Syrians have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the ongoing unrest in their country, fueled by ISIL militants.

More than 240,000 people have lost their lives since the unrest in Syria started in 2011.

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