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US cop arrested for murder after video shows him shoot unarmed black man in back

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Video of the incident shows 50-year-old victim running away from South Carolina officer when he was shot.

Screenshot from the by-stander's video footage which shows Officer Michael Slager in the process of shooting a fleeing Walter Scott in the back.

Screenshot from the by-stander’s video footage which shows Officer Michael Slager in the process of shooting a fleeing Walter Scott in the back.

by Al Jazeera

A white police officer from the US state of South Carolina has been charged with murder after a video showed him shooting eight times at the back of a 50-year-old black man who was running away.

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said on Tuesday that state investigators decided to charge officer Michael Slager, 33, with the murder of Walter Scott after they viewed the video of the incident, which followed a traffic stop on Saturday morning.

The FBI and US Justice Department have begun a separate investigation.

“When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” Summey told reporters. “If you make a bad decision, I don’t care if you’re behind the shield or just a citizen on the street, you have to live by that decision.”

The incident began after Scott was pulled over for a broken brake light, police said.

A video of the encounter published by the New York Times appears to show a brief scuffle between Slager and Scott before the latter begins running away.

Eight shots fired

The video, apparently recorded by a bystander, shows the officer firing eight shots at Scott as he runs away. Scott then slumps face down onto the grass.

A police incident report says that Slager, who joined the department in 2009, told other officers Scott had taken his stun gun. In the video, Scott does not appear to be armed while fleeing from Slager.

With the victim lying face down on the ground, Slager approaches him and puts him in handcuffs, the video shows. The officer then walks several paces back to where he opened fire, before returning to Scott and appearing to drop an object next to him on the ground, it shows.

Chris Stewart, an attorney for Scott’s family, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tension over the deadly use of force by US police, particularly by white police officers against black men – including 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by a white police officer last year in Ferguson, Missouri, sparking nationwide protests.

Centre extends AFSPA in Arunachal Pradesh

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Photo: V. Sudershan, The Hindu

Photo: V. Sudershan, The Hindu

New Delhi: India has granted the Army shoot-to-kill powers to fight militants in a wide swathe of the far-flung state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Army was already exercising “special powers” in other northeastern states, where various separatist, leftist and tribal rebels are waging insurgencies, but Arunachal Pradesh has been relatively peaceful until recently.

Last month, three soldiers were killed in an ambush in the state that the Army blamed on militants from the Naga tribe.

Rebel groups have set up camps across the state, the Home Ministry said in its “special powers” order, and use it as a base to launch attacks in the neighboring state of Assam, which has been hardest hit by an upsurge in militancy in the region.

The order, obtained by Reuters and dated March 27, extended the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to all districts of Arunchal Pradesh that border Assam – a measure that will affect most of the state`s 1.3 million people.

“We were compelled to expand the jurisdiction of AFSPA due to a drastic rise in violence in the north-east region. The separatist groups have been targeting the police and security officials,” said a senior home ministry official in New Delhi.

The northeastern states, are connected to the rest of the country by a thin sliver of land, and contain diverse ethnic groups, some with links to neighbouring Myanmar.

Militant activity surged in the states, known as “the Seven Sisters”, last year with 465 deaths reported, up from 252 a year earlier, according to the South Asian Terrorism Portal, a think-tank that tracks militancy.

In Assam, the death toll tripled to 305, making 2014 the state`s worst year since 2009. Only nine people were killed last year in Arunchal Pradesh.

The special powers for “disturbed areas” was first used in 1958 to control Naga separatists, and was subsequently extended to most of the north-east. It has been in force in the disputed region of Kashmir since 1990.

Human rights groups blame AFSPA for a host of extra-judicial killings and arbitrary detentions by security forces. On Wednesday, lawmakers in Kashmir called for it to be repealed.

Citizens from the rest of India require a permit to visit Arunchal Pradesh, which is the size of Austria, and heavily militarised along parts of border with China.

China has not responded to the new measure, but Beijing has become increasingly vocal in recent years about India`s control of the region it calls South Tibet.

(Reuters)

VHP, RSS force Muslim to sell off his bungalow in Hindu neighbourhood

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Praveen Togadia

Bhavnagar: The atrocities of the VHP and RSS groups have grabbed the headlines again after the Hindu right-wing activists forced a Muslim scrap dealer to sell off his bungalow in a Hindu neighbourhood.

As per a report published in a national daily, a Muslim scrap dealer Ali Asgar Zaveri had bought a bungalow worth Rs 49 lakhs in Bhavnagar, a Hindu locality.

However, Zaveri was not welcomed by the Hindus living in that area and they protested against him.

Gatherings were held outside Zaveri’s bungalow and VHP leader PraveenTogadia was invited to address the gathering.

A senior RSS leader, who had participated in this protest, told The Indian Express that the Muslim scrap dealer tried everything possible to sort out things, but all in vain. They pressurized him to sell of his bungalow to Bhumiti Associates, a real-state firm owned by Jains.

Confirming the same, president of VHP’s Bhavnagar city unit, S D Jani, as quoted in The Indian Express, said, “Due to our agitation, the vidharmi (one from another faith, Zaveri) realized he would not be able to settle in and eventually gave in.”

(Agencies)

Chittoor encounter 'survivor' surfaces, cops come under fire

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Chittoor_encounter

Chittoor: A rights group said on Wednesday it has traced a “survivor” from a group of loggers shot dead by Andhra Pradesh police in an incident dubbed as a “massacre” of wood-cutters from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

On Tuesday, Andhra Pradesh police had claimed to have shot dead 20 illegal red sandalwood smugglers in a forest close to the temple town of Tirupati, sparking violent protests in the neighbouring state which continued on Wednesday.

Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee member Kranthi Chaitanya, in the forefront of a demand for a judicial enquiry into the encounter, said the organisation has “managed to establish contact with the survivor through relatives of the deceased who have come here (Chittoor) from Tamil Nadu.

“He is being kept at a safe place. We will produce him before the National Human Rights Commission,” he added.

The NHRC has already taken suo moto cognizance of the incident and asked for reports from the Andhra Pradesh chief secretary and police chief.

Family-members of a few of the slain “smugglers” arrived at the government mortuary in Chittoor also said the “survivor” was among of 8 wood-cutters hired by red sanders smugglers in Andhra.

The identity of the “survivor”, said to be from Arjuna Puram village in Thiruvanamalai district of Tamil Nadu, was not given.

They quoted him as saying that seven of his group were pulled out of a bus on Monday by police during a search at Nagari on the inter-state border.

“They were traveling in a bus from Thiruvanamalai to Chitoor on Monday afternoon. The bus was stopped by police and seven of the eight men were arrested. He was sitting separately and managed to slip away quietly,” said Raja Babu (38), a relative of one of those killed in the encounter.

The survivor is said to have returned to village on Tuesday morning, around the time news of the encounter broke on TV.

Media reports said that right group Amnesty International has also called for a fair probe into the incident.

Meanwhile, protests continued in Tamil Nadu with incidents of stone-pelting on buses originating in Andhra.

Police said four persons have been arrested over the attacks on buses. Several outfits organised protests in some parts of Tamil Nadu condemning the incident.

Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam had written to the Andhra government, demanding a probe into what he called a massacre of innocent Tamils.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh also called up Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu over the incident.

(Agencies)

A Brief About Kundalini Holoistic Healing Centre

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Komal Kundalini

Is it just medicines that can be the cure of the mental  & the physical health care? But not as per  Komal Kundalini. Hence, Komal Kundalini introduces an all new therapy “Holistic” that is characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account the mental & the social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease.

Therefore, in aid to provide the mental and the physical health care, Komal Kundalini has opened her brand new healing studio namely “Kundalini Holistic Healing Centre”.

So speaking about her brand new healing studio “Kundalini Holistic Healing Centre” Komal Kundalini averred, “It’s a pre conceived notion that only medicines can cure the mental and the physical diseases which in case has severe side effects but “Kundalini Holistic Healing Centre” offers the best of the holistic treatment which not only heals the diseases but also brings inner peace. Hence, my new studio puts more emphasis on holistic treatment rather than medication. ”.

She continued in the same breath, “I am privileged to have such a huge turnout of family & friends to come forth in order to support the studio. Having people given me the strength & the reverence to  the studio gives me that confidence to come with such healing therapies so that it can help everyone and they can enjoy the benefit” she says.

In brief Holistic medicine is defined in different ways. In general, it focuses on how the physical, the mental, the emotional & the spiritual elements of a person are interconnected to maintain health. When one part is not working well, it is believed to affect the whole person. Holistic approach focuses on the whole person rather than just on the illness or the part of the body that is not healthy.

The use of holistic approaches to the mental & the physical health care can be substantially helpful to people living with severe mental illness as they cope with the fatigue, the insomnia, the anxiety & the stressors that are often compounded by the serious symptoms & consequences of mental illness. Holistic approach to the mental & the physical Health care, describes complementary approach to mental health care including self – help, diet & nutrition, expressive therapies, acupuncture, yoga,  relaxation & stress reduction techniques and highlights how these approaches & practices can play an important role in recovery and healing.

Modi's 'Make in India' dream sours as defence firms spurn tenders worth $15 bn

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MakeInIndia

New Delhi: Indian firms have spurned some $15 billion worth of government tenders to make a range of weapons since 2013, Defence Ministry officials say, in a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his drive to wean the country off imported arms.

Executives cited unrealistic quality demands from a military short of planes, tanks and guns as a key reason for their reluctance to bid for projects. Complicating things further, the military doesn’t want weapons from Indian firms with no track record in defence manufacturing, experts said.

Irked by India’s status as the world’s biggest arms importer, Modi wants to build an advanced defence industry but almost a year into his “Make in India” campaign, which aims to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse, not one large domestic weapons project has been awarded.

Tenders for anything from air defence guns to surface-to-air missiles to transport planes have lapsed, Defence Ministry officials told Reuters. The tenders total around $15 billion according to a Reuters compilation of offers since early 2013.

“‘Make in India’ is a laudable aim, but it’s moving rather slowly. It’s not a switch you can press and everything will fall into place,” said Vivek Rae, head of procurement at the Defence Ministry from 2010-2012.

Anil Ambani, the billionaire chairman of the Reliance Group, recounted at a recent conference how Modi asked him if he knew India didn’t make tear gas shells.

“Even the tears we shed are foreign,” Ambani quoted the nationalist leader, who took office last May, as saying.

Modi wants to build a strong military after years of neglect that military planners say has left India vulnerable should rivals China and Pakistan ever launch a combined attack, although experts say this is highly unlikely. India is being challenged, however, in its Indian Ocean backyard, where China’s more modernised navy is starting to assert itself.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said new defence production policies will be unveiled this month to address the concerns of private firms: opaque procedures, unrealistic quality requirements and slow decision-making.

“We’re trying to simplify procedures, create a level-playing field but still there are many cases of zero participation in tenders,” said G. Mohan Kumar, the defence production secretary leading the localisation drive.

The military declined to comment, referring queries to the Defence Ministry, which controls procurement.

Ringfencing Projects

India gets 70 percent of its arms from abroad. For decades, it has bought off-the-shelf equipment mainly from Russia, which offered to assemble some weaponry locally but little in the way of technology transfers.

Modi has vowed to change that by ringfencing $100 billion worth of defence deals for domestic companies over the next decade under which they can build on their own or with foreign partners.

Last year the government asked several Indian companies to show interest in an estimated $1.7 billion deal to replace 1960s-era Swedish air defence guns, but only one said it could meet the requirements, said one of the Defence Ministry officials. He declined to identify the company.

The head of one firm which told the government it was not interested in the project said the military laid down “impossible” requirements by insisting on technology that only foreign manufacturers had. He declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of defence issues.

In November, the government put an estimated $2 billion proposal to replace its ageing fleet of Avro cargo planes on ice after the tender attracted only one bidder, a partnership between Europe’s Airbus Group and India’s Tata Sons .

“Even if there is an alternative better solution, as per current practice the requirements cannot be changed, or if they are changed it is questioned,” said M.V. Kotwal, head of defence business at infrastructure group Larsen and Toubro. “The flexibility is not there.”

Over the past 18 months, 41 requests for expressions of interest for naval projects alone fell through because of problems relating to manufacturing requirements, the Defence Ministry official added.

Jumpstart

Trying to move projects along, Modi’s government in February approved an $8 billion proposal to build warships in India that had been awaiting cabinet signoff since 2012.

It has also ordered an accelerated local programme to build six diesel-electric submarines, in addition to six similar vessels that French firm DCNS is assembling in Mumbai port to replace India’s ageing underwater fleet.

A Defence Ministry committee submitted a report last month identifying five private and state-run shipyards where the submarines could be built with a foreign partner. It will now invite expressions of interest for the $8.5 billion project.

Experts said one problem is that some military officers eye technology only available in the west, without understanding what Indian firms can produce.

“The armed forces are reluctant to accept hardware that doesn’t have a record in operational conditions. Indian companies have no track record,” said Bharat Karnad at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.

Retired vice admiral Premvir Das added that to expect Indian companies to manufacture major defence platforms in the forseeable future is to “live in a dreamland”.

(Reuters)

Probe ordered into 'police encounter' killing of 20 sanders

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Red Sanders

Hyderabad: A magisterial inquiry has been ordered by the Chittoor District Collector into the “police encounter” in which 20 alleged red sanders smugglers were shot dead in Seshachalam hill ranges in Andhra Pradesh.

“The Additional District Magistrate, who is also the District Revenue Officer (DRO), has been asked to inquire into the entire events and submit a report to me. It will be subsequentally submitted to the government,” Chittoor District Collector Siddharth Jain said.

“The report will go into details and reasons for the police opening fire and whether the situation warranted it,” Jain said, adding the DRO has been asked to inquire into the matter and submit the report at the earliest.

Twenty alleged red sanders smugglers were killed in a heavy exchange of fire after they allegedly attacked the police early morning today in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district.

Six police personnel were injured in the attack by the smugglers.

Meanwhile, after protests and reported stonepelting on Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) buses APSRTC buses in Tamil Nadu, senior APSTRC officials said today that the matter came up for discussion.

“They are yet to take a call on cancelling APSRTC bus services to Tamil Nadu,” they said.

“We have not yet decided about cancelling any services as of now but may consider it tomorrow morning depending on the situation. The Hyderabad-Chennai bus has already left and once it reaches Nellore (in AP), we may take a call,” an APSRTC spokesperson said.

APSRTC operates around 35 buses to Chennai and other destinations in Tamil Nadu.

(PTI)

"My upcoming film 'Main Hoon Ek Raaz' is a women centric author backed film belonging to the horror genre": Ravi Kumar Nivoria

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Ravi Kumar & Sanjrani Nivoria

Débutante writer & director Ravi Kumar Nivoria’s upcoming film ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’ falls in the genre of the age old trend of HORROR films. So Ravi Kumar Nivoria can also be added to the list of horror filmmakers a la Ramsay Brothers, Vikram Bhatt and others of their ilk. Incidentally speaking ‘Main Hoon EK Raaz’ happens to be a family affair as it is being produced by Ravi Kumar Nivoria’s spouse Sanjurani Nivoria. The duo hopes to continue making good films, with top cast & crew, but not necessary falling in the horror genre.

To kickstart the session tell us what is your upcoming film ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’ all about?

My upcoming film ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’ is a women centric author backed film belonging to the horror genre. When I started writing the story I just fell in love with it. I just liked it so much that I decided to direct it myself.

Please continue…….!

So ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’ narrates the saga of a restless female ghost who is still seeking salvation, mukti for her soul and in the process she goes on a rampage scaring the wits out of everyone around her.

And what according to you are the highlights of ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’?

First & foremost my film ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’ is more scarier than other films of the HORROR genre of course not to forget its special effects which I am sure will make the viewers even more scarier.

And what else?

Not only the horror element but I have alo packaged ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’ with full dose of entertainment & suspense. Music & lyrics are by Surendra Saathi who has earlier written the lyrics of most of the films of Mahesh Bhatt. Believe me he has composed some of the most beautiful & melodious songs for ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’. One special number is an item song ‘Angooribai’ picturised on Laxmi Verma & Mehtab Guzar.

Lastly give us an insight into the cast & credits of ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’.

The main cast of ‘Main Hoon Ek Raaz’ comprises of Ragini Verma enacting the central character of the restless ghost along with Nadeem Mansoori, Raza Murad, Ramesh Goyal, Mahendra Sharma et al. The story-screenplay-dialogues-direction is by me and it has been produced by my wife Sanjurani Nivoria under the banner of our home production namely Shiv Devi Kala Kendra Films.

Kejriwal relaunches Delhi anti-corruption helpline, gets over 12,000 calls in 24 hours

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Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: AAP government’s anti-corruption helpline, re-launched on Sunday in Delhi, has received 12,731 calls in 24 hours, with most of them wanting to know about the process of registering a graft case.

“Most of the calls received at helpline were made to inquire about how to register corruption case with the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB). The calls received so far are being analyzed to segregate between frivolous and real calls,” a senior official said on Monday.

On Sunday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had launched the 24×7 helpline, which can answer over 10,000 calls a day. The made-over re-launch comes after the service, during AAP’s previous stint, could respond to only 1,000 calls a day due to shortage of lines, the official said.

He also said genuine calls, after segregation, would be forwarded to Anti-Corruption Branch for further investigation.

“Some of the calls which have been segregated have already been sent to the ACB for further probe. Cases being forwarded to the ACB include complaints against Delhi Police, Municipal Corporation, Education Department, Transport Department, Jal Board, Delhi Fire etc,” he said.

The data of calls received will be made public on a regular basis for the convenience and information of the public, official said.

In order to strengthen the Anti Corruption Branch, government has increased its strength from 30 to 40 inspectors who work with 40 teams to investigate cases of corruption at any point of time.

Besides increasing its staff strength, Delhi Government has directed to increase the budget allocation to the anti-graft wing to Rs 15 crore from Rs 8 crore.

The official also said the Delhi Dialogue Commission (DDC), an advisory body of the AAP government, will study global practices and define a vision for ACB.

The anti-corruption helpline was first launched during Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) 49-day stint in power after the 2013 Assembly elections, but was later discontinued. Reviving the helpline was one of the poll promises made by the party in 2015.

Last time around 1.2 lakh calls were made on the helpline, during 49 days of AAP’s rule.

(IANS)

Israeli official says military action against Iran 'still on table'

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Last ditch effort to undermine talks slammed as ‘desperate and reckless’

Israeli Minister of Intelligence Yuval Steinitz. (Photo: DFATD-MAECD/cc/flickr)

Israeli Minister of Intelligence Yuval Steinitz. (Photo: DFATD-MAECD/cc/flickr)

by Sarah Lazare, Common Dreams

In a last ditch effort to undercut a framework agreement between world powers and Iran, a top aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Monday that, regardless of the diplomatic process, military action against Iran is “still on the table.”

Yuval Steinitz, Likud Party minister for strategic affairs, told reporters that Israel is still unilaterally weighing the “military option.”

“It was on the table. It’s still on the table. It’s going to remain on the table,” said Steinitz. “Israel should be able to defend itself, by itself, against any threat. And it’s our right and duty to decide how to defend ourselves, especially if our national security and even very existence is under threat.”

“We are going to make an additional effort to convince the U.S. administration, Congress, Britain, France and Russia not to sign this bad deal, or at least to dramatically change and fix it,” added Steinitz.

Netanyahu’s administration, along with hardline allies in U.S. Congress, has vigorously opposed the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and the five members of the United Nations Security Council (U.S., Russia, China, United Kingdom, and France) plus Germany.

Advocates of the nuclear talks—from the administration of President Barack Obama to grassroots civil society organizations—say that the push to undermine the diplomatic process, ultimately, amounts to a call for dangerous military escalation and potentially war.

Leading nuclear non-proliferation specialists, meanwhile, released a statement on Monday championing the framework agreement as a “vitally important step forward.”

Jamal Abdi, policy director for the National Iranian American Council, toldCommon Dreams, “The notion that the military option is still on the table, first of all, ignores the fact that any military option makes an Iranian nuclear weapon far more likely, not less likely. Anybody talking about military action is being disingenuous or just desperate and reckless.”

“Some of our own members of the U.S. Senate are goading Israelis to say things like this,” Abdi added. “Hopefully these people don’t do more and more crazy things to sabotage the more desperate they get.”

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