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Erdogan to New York Times: “Who are you? Know your place”

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Protesters are confronted by police during a demonstration at Kizilay square in central Ankara June 16 | Photo: Reuters

Protesters are confronted by police during a demonstration at Kizilay square in central Ankara June 16 | Photo: Reuters

by teleSUR

Erodgan said New York Times would face dire consequences if it criticizes the US administration in the same way it does with Turkey.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed the New York Times newspaper on Monday for publishing an editorial on May 22 accusing the president of attacking the media in the country.

“As a newspaper, you [the New York Times] should know your place,” he said in a televised speech in Istanbul. “You are meddling in Turkey’s affairs by writing something like this. By publishing this editorial, you are overstepping the limits of freedom,” he added.

In its editorial, the New York Times claimed that Erdogan had a long history of intimidating and co-opting the Turkish media. “Erdogan appears increasingly hostile to truth-telling. The United States and Turkey’s other NATO allies should be urging him to turn away from this destructive path,” the editorial read.

“Who are you? Can you write such a thing [writing a critical editorial] against the U.S. administration? If you do, [the administration] would immediately do what is necessary,” Erdogan said during a panel organized by a think-tank in Istanbul.

Moreover, this is not the first time that Erdogan has clashed with the New York Times. In September, the Turkish president also criticized the U.S. daily for running a story claiming that Turkey is one of the biggest sources of recruits for the Islamic State group.

Rohingya families' escape to the safety of New Zealand

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Rohingyas who fled Myanmar 20 years ago share their thoughts about friends and family facing persecution back home.

Rohingya

by Al Jazeera

After escaping from Myanmar 20 years ago, Rohingya Muslim Shah Alam Ali and his brother worked in Thailand and Malaysia before being granted residency in New Zealand.

They say that the people they left behind are never far from their thoughts.

“It’s like they are living in an open space prison,” Ali told Al Jazeera. “They have no rights to go out. They have no rights to study.”

He says that if they had stayed in their hometown of Sittwe, in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, they would likely be with four of their brothers and sisters in camps.

Since 2012, more than 100,000 people, mainly Rohingya Muslims, have been forced from their houses because of attacks led by Buddhists, and are unable to return.

Cameron Hudson of the US Memorial Holocaust Museum told Al Jazeera that inherent racism and xenophobia now exists within a cross-section of Burmese society.

Earlier this month, researchers from the museum travelled to the country and found what they termed early warning signs of genocide.

Others disagree with the use of the term genocide, but there is no doubt in the minds of Shah Alam Ali, his friends and family that those still in Myanmar are in danger.

Bofors deal not a scandal, but a media trial: Pranab Mukherjee

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Republic Day Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has said the Bofors arms scandal of the 1980s was more of a “media trial” and none of the charges have been proved in any Indian court.

Mukherjee, a former defence minister, made the remarks in an interview with Dagens Nyheter newspaper ahead of an official visit to Sweden next week.

“The first point is no Indian court has given a verdict on it, and though the process of trial is going on…unless somebody, some authoritative institutions describe it as a scandal and punish it, how could you say that it is a scandal,” he said.

“You may have some doubt, you may have some suspicion, but that’s not the proof,” Mukherjee said in response to a question whether a scandal such as the Bofors affair could be avoided in future.

“The so-called scandal which you talk of, yes, in the media, it was there. There was a media trial. But I’m afraid, let us not be too much carried by publicity,” he said.

“But up to now, no Indian court has given any decisive verdict about the alleged scandal.”

Relations between Sweden and India were seriously damaged when allegations surfaced that Swedish arms manufacturing company Bofors had paid $640 million as kickbacks to secure a $1.3 billion contract to sell 410 howitzers to the Indian Army.

The scandal contributed to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s defeat in the 1989 parliamentary polls. Mukherjee, a senior leader of the Congress, was a close confidante of Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1991.

Mukherjee asserted during the interview that it was “yet to be to be established that there was a scandal”. He further said that despite the scandal, the Bofors howitzers were prized by the army.

“I was the defence minister of the country long after Bofors, and all my generals certified that this is one of the best guns we are having. Till today, the Indian Army is using it,” he said.

The Bofors howitzers played a key role in the campaign to push back Pakistani troops who occupied strategic heights in the Kargil sector of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in 1999.

(Agencies)

Bangalore University split into three universities

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Bangalore University

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has approved amendments to the Karnataka State University Act in order to split the Bangalore University into three. The boundaries of the new universities will be based on Legislative Assembly constituencies.

Currently, more than 600 degree colleges are affiliated to Bangalore University. The three parts that the university would be divided into are: Bangalore University, Bangalore Central and Bangalore North.

Sources in the State Secretariat said that while the Bangalore University would continue to function from its Jnana Bharati campus, the new Bangalore Central University would be located at Central College campus in the City.

The campus of Bangalore North University would be located at Jangammana Kote in Sidlaghatta taluk, Kolar district. For the time being, the Bangalore North University would commence functioning from its Post-Graduation Centre in Kolar.

Each university is expected to have 200 affiliated colleges. All the three universities would include teaching and research activities.

The Bill related to splitting Bangalore University three-way, is expected to be passed in the State Legislature session that is likely to be held in July.

(Agencies)

US media highlight Modi govt's first year failures

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CHINA-INDIA-POLITICS-MODI

New York: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi- led government marks its first year in office on Tuesday, American media has taken a critical view of his accomplishments, saying his flagship ‘Make in India’ drive is “so far mostly hype”, job growth remains sluggish amid “outsize expectations”.

“India’s Modi at One Year: ‘Euphoria Phase’ Is Over, Challenges Loom,” reads a headline in the Wall Street Journal of an article on Modi’s first year as Prime Minister.

“A year after Indian voters handed Narendra Modi a once-in-a-generation mandate for change and economic revival, messy realities are sinking in,” the WSJ report said.

It said that Modi’s ‘Make in India’ drive, aimed at supercharging manufacturing growth, ” is so far mostly hype”.

It cited economic parameters like exports to say that the “economy is merely limping along”.

Inflation-adjusted lending for capital investment last year fell to a level not seen since 2004, it said adding that exports were down for the fifth straight month in April, corporate earnings were dismal and foreign institutional investors have pulled around USD 2 billion out of Indian stocks and bonds in May so far.

The New York Times, in a news analysis, said Modi must face the reality that much of his agenda is still only potential.

“From abroad, India is now seen as a bright spot, expected to pass China this year to become the world’s fastest-growing large economy. But at home, job growth remains sluggish. Businesses are in wait-and-see mode. And Modi has political vulnerabilities, as parliamentary opposition leaders block two of his central reform initiatives and brand him ‘anti-poor’ and ‘anti-farmer’,” the NYT article titled ‘After a Year of Outsize Expectations, Modi Adjusts His Political Course for India’ said.

It said “most formidable of all is a problem” Modi has “made for himself: outsize expectations that he would sweep away constraints to growth in India, like stringent laws governing labour and land acquisition.

The NYT quoted senior vice president at leading Indian garment exporter Orient Craft’s Vimarsh Razdan as saying that the Modi government’s “image became larger than they themselves.

“They have become superheroes. And everyone knows superheroes don’t exist,” he said in the report.

The WSJ article said that while Modi has swaggered across stages from New York to Paris to Sydney, helping put the country back on investors’ maps, “on other key fronts, Modi has moved less decisively, frustrating investors who hoped for bolder change after last year’s election.”

His government has avoided privatising state-run banks and companies, which could trigger unpopular job cuts.

Despite vows to improve India’s reputation for unpredictable tax collection, the government has hit investors with demands for back taxes they say they should not have to pay, it said.

The leading US dailies did give credit where due to the Modi government, saying as he marks the anniversary of his swearing in, he can point to some accomplishments.

The WSJ report said Modi has allowed more foreign investment in railways and defence and helped cut red tape.

His government has also deregulated fuel prices and permitted private competition in coal mining–“market-friendly moves designed to attract investment.”

His administration has also helped open millions of bank accounts for the poor and created new pension and insurance programs.

It quoted Krish Iyer, president and chief executive of Wal-Mart Stores Inc in India, as saying that the company is “seeing a lot of progress in ease of doing business. We feel encouraged by the market- and consumer-driven policies of the government.”

The NYT analysis said chief executives feel that since Modi came to power, India’s business culture has “indeed changed”.

“They rejoice that they no longer have to notarize all documents submitted to the government and say that it is far easier to find bureaucrats at their desks during the workday,” it said.

“By most measures, India’s economy has had a good year,” the NYT report said adding that India is heavily reliant on imported oil, and plunging prices have cut the cost of government fuel subsidies, allowing the authorities to rein in a chronic budget deficit.

Inflation fell to 4.87 per cent in April and foreign direct investment has risen by more than 25 per cent, to USD 28.8 billion in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

It noted other “flurry of changes” that the Modi government introduced including deregulating prices for diesel, petroleum and cooking gas, and raising limits on foreign investment in the defense and insurance sectors to 49 per cent.

Coalfield leases, found to have been sold at artificially low prices, were reallocated through a transparent process as were telecom spectrum allocations, it said.

(PTI)

Black money: Names of Yash Birla, four others with Swiss bank accounts disclosed

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Yash Birla

Berne: Industrialist Yash Birla, along with two Mumbai-based individuals behind City Limousines scam, are among five Indian nationals with Swiss bank accounts whose names have been made public in Switzerland’s official gazette with regard to ongoing tax probes against them in India.

The others are Gurjit Singh Kochar, son-in-law of late realty baron Ponty Chadha, and a Delhi-based businesswoman Ritika Sharma.

The names of these five “Indian nationals” have been made public in Switzerland’s Federal Gazette with regard to details sought about them by the Indian authorities.

Among these, some details have already been shared by the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (FTA) with India including about Birla and Sharma of Blessings Apparel.

These are in addition to the two other Indians – Sneh Lata Sawhney and Sangita Sawhney – whose names have also been made public in similar manner for being probed by the Indian tax authorities.

In the case of Sayed Mohamed Masood, being probed for a major ponzi scheme run from Mumbai through City Limousines, some details were shared by the Swiss authorities in the past. His accounts were also frozen a few years ago following a request from the Enforcement Directorate.

Fresh details about him and about Chaud Kauser Mohamed Masood have been sought by the Indian authorities, as per the notifications published in Switzerland’s official gazette.

There was no reply to queries mailed to Birla’s office, while repeated calls to Sharma did not elicit any response. Earlier also, when Birla’s name had come out in a leaked HSBC list of Swiss bank accounts, he had declined to comment.

A family representative declined to comment on the notification issued about Kochar, who is believed to be outside India. He is facing probe by the Income Tax Department and other agencies for quite some time. No contact details were available for comments from Masoods.

Making public these names, the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (FTA) has asked them to file an appeal within 30 days before the Federal Administrative Court if they do not want their details to be shared with the Indian authorities under their ‘mutual assistance’ treaty on tax matters.

In the case of Birla and Ritika Sharma, whose details have been already shared by the Swiss authorities, the notifications also mention their addresses in India, but the information given to India has been withheld from the gazette.

No further details – other than their names and dates of birth – were made public for other “Indian nationals”.

Similar is the case for other foreign nationals including the British, Spanish and Russians. In case of American and Israeli citizens, their full names have been withheld and they have been identified by their initials and dates of birth. At least 40 such ‘final notices’ have been published in the Swiss Federal Gazette so far this month, while more such names are expected to be published going forward.

The alleged stashing of wealth by Indians in Swiss banks has been a matter of great debate in India. The Indian government has been pushing the Swiss authorities for a long time to share information on the suspected tax evaders, while Switzerland has shared some details in cases where India has been able to provide some independent evidence of suspected tax evasion by Indian clients of Swiss banks.

While there was no reply to queries mailed to the FTA spokesperson in this regard, these names are being published in the Swiss Federal Gazette in the backdrop of the Swiss government being flooded with requests on suspected black money hoarders in Swiss banks from various countries including India.

As per these notices, the concerned persons can file an appeal before the Federal Administrative Court within 30 days, while providing the reasons and evidence in their support. Through these gazette notices, the Swiss FTA is also looking to give the concerned persons an opportunity to resort to legal remedies. These are the persons about whom foreign governments are requesting information.

As per a report in the ‘Sonntagszeitung’ weekly, the Swiss authorities have been “inundated with requests for assistance” and the nations that wanted to know details about their suspected tax-dodging citizens included “France, Germany, Russia, India and half a dozen other countries”.

“Now, the authority will publish the names of those affected in the Federal Gazette, which is available to everyone on the internet,” it said, while adding that those being named may include “well-known personalities”.

As per the report, banks do not have much interest in contacting such customers as many no more hold the accounts.

It further said that questions have been raised about requests made by India and Germany being based on stolen data.

The report, however, quoted FTA’s Alexandre Dumas as saying, “We are never sure if they are stolen data. However, there is the principle of faith”.

Committing full support to India’s fight against the black money menace, Switzerland last week had said its Parliament would soon consider changes in laws to look into the possibility of sharing information in cases being probed on the basis of stolen data of Swiss bank accounts.

Switzerland’s Economic Affairs Minister Johann Schneider Ammann during his India visit on May 15 said that the Swiss government was sensitive to the fact that the issue of black money was very important for India and needed to be resolved.

“Switzerland has decided to follow international standards, including those framed by OECD, in sharing information and providing assistance to foreign countries probing such cases, but we have to ask our Parliament to make changes in our laws,” he said.

Indian Parliament has recently passed a new black money law under which those found to be stashing illicit funds in foreign locations, including Swiss banks, would face strict penal action, including up to ten years in jail and a penalty of 90 per cent of funds in addition to 30 per cent tax levy.

However, a one-time ‘compliance window’ will be provided before the law comes into force and this would let the persons with foreign assets to come clean by payment of 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty.

(PTI)

Filmmaker Rupesh Paul makes waves at Cannes

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The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha

Filmmaker Rupesh Paul is really making waves at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival with 2 of his films ‘The Monk Who Fucked The Limousine’ & ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’. This time again Rupesh Paul has reached Cannes Film Festival with his 2 films namely ‘The Monk Who Fucked The Limousine’ & ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’.

Incidentally speaking ‘The monk who Fucked A Limousine’ is based on the story of Delhi rape case ‘Nirbhaya – India’s daughter”. ‘The monk who Fucked A Limousine’ was screened for the buyers in the Marche du film section of Cannes. ‘The monk who Fucked A Limousine’ is produced by O. P. Rai, presented by Kala Niketan Entertainment & written by Sritama Dutta. The main lead of monk has been enacted by Omkar Das Manik Puri who was the lead of Oscar nominated movie ‘Peepli Live’. Although the people will not believe but the veteran filmmaker Rupesh Paul has decided to unblock one more buzz & talks by screening his new movies. Unexpected thoughts are the cup of tea of Rupesh Paul. The person who has made an out of the frame movie will be able to do justice with the story of India’s daughter.

Rupesh Paul

Whereas ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’ is being produced under the banner of Rupesh Paul Productions Ltd. Geisha is the term which still needs a clarification. Known to be a girl for entertainment of men.

This time ‘Kamasutra 3D’ director Rupesh Paul is all set to release the trailer of his movie ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’ at the Cannes Film Festival. The poster of ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’ was launched at Cannes on 20th, May, 2015. And people were surprised & happy to see the posters. The story of the movie is all about the memories of a Geisha, as always Rupesh Paul has chosen an Indian girl to play the role of a Geisha. The girl who might have posed nude or semi nude in the film that would be awaited till the trailer comes out. ‘The Memoirs Of An Indian Geisha’ has been produced by Rupesh Paul Productions & executive producer is Akaash.

Rupesh Paul

In this movement of time where the big corporates like Viacom 18, UTV, Yash Raj Films couldn’t make it possible to manage there own booth at Cannes, the same was done by Rupesh Paul’s team. Rupesh Paul avers, “I survive in this industry just because of the content and the titles of the movie. Otherwise this big corporates would have eaten me before. For my survival I keep catchy & sensational titles. ‘Kamasutra’ has a record of getting the maximum number of sales in 2013 defeating all big companies. Cannes is the best way for me to talk about my films. The presence of the great & mighty bollywood in Cannes market is only EROS & Disney India apart from us.”

Dr Mohan Kumar, Indian brand ambassador is in Cannes too. He visited the booth of Rupesh Paul in France at cannes films festival. Rupesh Paul averred, “Dr. Mohan Kumar raised his eyebrows when he saw words like “The monk” & “Fucked” he instantly raised his eyebrows and showed a sign of disbelief. Later on he giggled for the word being used in the poster itself. He was curious to know about why I use these kind of titles for my movies . I explained to him, the reason behind getting a chance to showcase my films are only the titles of my films. My survival depends upon the content & the titles otherwise the corporate companies will vanish me.”

Earlier on Rupesh Paul had got 2 grand premiers in Cannes, ‘Saint Dracula’ in 2012 & ‘Kamasutra 3D’ in 2014.

BJP asks Siddaramaiah government to hand over Lottery Scam Case to CBI

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Photo: The New Indian Express

Photo: The New Indian Express

Bengaluru: A day after a senior IPS officer was suspended in connection with an alleged lottery scam, senior BJP leader and Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda said the probe should be handed over to CBI as “top officials and some ministers are involved in it”.

“…just because top officials and some of the senior leaders-ministers of the present government are involved in this (single-digit lottery scam) – I think this cannot be investigated by the police of Karnataka. If they are fair enough, they should refer the matter to the CBI so that there could be clean and neat investigation and truth comes out,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.

Alok Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (West Bengaluru), was yesterday suspended for his alleged involvement in lottery scam.

A government order said yesterday, Mr Kumar had illegal contact with Pari Rajan, said to be the kingpin in the scam, and not only helped him but also interfered in the investigation process. Mr Rajan is already in police custody.

However, Mr Kumar has denied any kind of involvement in the case and demanded a fair investigation.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said the action was taken on the basis of a interim report submitted by the CID. Siddaramaiah who had held a meeting of senior police officials earlier this month, had ordered a CID probe into the alleged scam. He had also said that government would take strict action against those involved in the scam.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Suresh Kumar said it was a case of intelligence failure and questioned the intelligence wing for not keeping Siddaramaiah informed for two years.

“How can Home Minister escape from his responsibility? Why did our state intelligence not keep Chief Minister informed for two years? It is a case of intelligence failure, pure and simple. Here is an example of how to weakly handle Home Ministry,” he said.

Government had earlier suspended Dharanesh, Superintendent of Police (Lottery Squad) in connection with the case.

(PTI)

Modi government has only renamed the previous UPA government's policies: Chidambaram

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P-Chidambaram

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government has advertised its work better though it has only renamed the previous UPA government’s policies, former finance minister P Chidambaram today said.

“We didn’t trumpet our achievements as well or as cleverly like this Government does. We have to acknowledge they have advertised their work better,” he said.

“Best flattery is imitation. I am very happy that NDA is following UPA policies,” he quipped.

Mr Chidambaram, one of the seniormost ministers in the Congress-led government, addressed the press conference in response to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s briefing on Friday to mark one year of the Modi government.

He took on Prime Minister Modi on his comments in Shanghai, China, about Indians being ashamed to have been born in India.

“I was born many years ago. I was not ashamed to be born in India. I asked many people – have they been ashamed to have been born in India. If anyone born before May 26, 2014 was ashamed to be born in India, let them ask me a question…,” Mr Chidambaram remarked.

The PM had said, “Earlier, you felt ashamed of being born Indian. Now you feel proud to represent the country. Indians abroad had all hoped for a change in government last year.”

(Agencies)

Muslim Brotherhood leader dies in Egyptian prison

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Defendants stand trial in Egypt for allegedly supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. (AFP/Khaled Desouki)

Defendants stand trial in Egypt for allegedly supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. (AFP/Khaled Desouki)

A leading Muslim Brotherhood member died on Monday morning inside a prison hospital in northern Egypt, a pro-Brotherhood website has reported.

Mohamed al-Falahgi, a former lawmaker and member of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, died in Gamasa prison in Egypt’s Damietta province, according to the Nafezat Masr website.

A lawyer for detained Brotherhood members in Damietta told the website that, prior to his death, al-Falahgi had been taken to a prison hospital with a gallbladder inflammation and kidney stones.

Al-Falahgi was arrested on violence-related charges in August of 2013. He was referred to Gamasa prison in October of the same year, according to the lawyer.

Al-Falahgi had been serving out a three-year jail term for involvement in the torching of a government building in Damietta. However, the verdict had been subsequently annulled and a retrial had been scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

Al-Falahgi was the second Brotherhood member to die in prison this month. On May 14, senior Brotherhood member Farid Ismail died in prison of health complications.

Ahmed Mafrah, who heads the Egypt desk at the Al-Karama foundation, a Geneva-based rights watchdog, told Anadolu Agency that al-Falahgi’s death brought the total number of deaths inside Egyptian prisons and detention facilities to 265 since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi – Egypt’s first elected president – by the army in mid-2013.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, of which Morsi had been a leading member, holds the Egyptian authorities responsible for the deaths of its detained members, citing “negligence” by prison officials.

The Egyptian authorities, for their part, insist that all its prison facilities are operated “in line with international human rights treaties” on the rights of prisoners.

(Andolu Ajansi)

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