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Moody’s warns Modi: Rein in BJP members or risk losing credibility

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modi-sword

New Delhi: International rating agency Moody’s Analytics on Friday cautioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India might lose domestic and global credibility if he did not rein in controversial members of his Bharatiya Janata Party.

In a report titled India Outlook: Searching for Potential, Moody’s Analytics said for the country to reach its growth potential it has to deliver the promised reforms.

“Undoubtedly, numerous political outcomes will dictate the extent of success,” it said. The ruling BJP does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha and crucial reforms bills has been met with an obstructionist opposition.

“But in recent times, the government also hasn’t helped itself, with controversial comments from various BJP members.
While Modi has largely distanced himself from the nationalist gibes, the belligerent provocation of various Indian minorities has raised ethnic tensions.

“Along with a possible increase in violence, the government will face stiffer opposition in the upper house as debate turns away from economic policy. Modi must keep his members in check or risk losing domestic and global credibility,” Moody’s said.

It projected that India’s GDP growth for September quarter at 7.3%, while for the full fiscal it would be 7.6%.
“Key economic reforms could deliver greater potential GDP, as they would improve India’s productive capacity. These include the land acquisition bill, a national goods and service tax, and revamped labour laws. They are unlikely to pass through Parliament in 2015, but there is an even chance of success in 2016,” Moody’s said.

As regards interest rates, it said low rates will buttress the economy in the short-term but reforms are needed to reach long-term potential growth.

The Reserve Bank kick-started the recovery by cutting the repo rate by 1.25% this year.

It said positive signs are emerging with the State Bank of India, the nation’s largest bank, cut its base lending rate earlier this month.

“Capacity utilisation has been low across industries this year. The capital expenditure pipeline is running dry. However, interest rate cuts should encourage investment, as will the softer inflation profile,” it added.

(PTI)

Israeli forces kill three Palestinians including a baby

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Eight-month-old child suffocates from tear gas inhalation, bringing death toll of Palestinians to 69 in one month.

Palestinians decry Israel's heightened security measures which have led to several killings [Al Jazeera/Ezz Zanoun]

Palestinians decry Israel’s heightened security measures which have led to several killings [Al Jazeera/Ezz Zanoun]

by Al Jazeera

Three Palestinians – including an eight-month-old baby – have died from Israeli fire and another is critically wounded, while many others were injured in West Bank and Gaza protests.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed on Friday the death of Ramadan Mohammed Faisal Thawabta, the baby who suffocated from tear gas inhalation in a village near Bethlehem.

He died in Beit Fajjar in clashes as the Israeli army sprayed tear gas at Palestinians.

The ministry also confirmed the first incident, citing the death of Qasem Sabaana, 20, and the injury of a 17-year-old, as yet unnamed, at a checkpoint south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

An Al Jazeera journalist who witnessed the incident said police fired at least seven shots at the Palestinian now fighting for his life in hospital.

Israeli police claimed that the two Palestinians had approached the checkpoint on a motorbike carrying knives.

Also in Jerusalem on Friday, another Palestinian succumbed to wounds inflicted earlier in the morning.

Train security officers shot the alleged attacker on the light rail in occupied East Jerusalem with live ammunition after he allegedly attacked an Israeli settler, the police said.

Israeli forces regularly fire live ammunition at protesters who gather to demonstrate against the Israeli occupation [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]

Since October 1, Israeli forces or settlers have killed 69 Palestinians – including unarmed protesters, bystanders and alleged attackers – across Israel, the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

Nine Israelis have died in stabbing or shooting incidents in the same period.

Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker in Jerusalem said the city is heavily policed and Palestinians are monitored closely.

“Israeli security forces have clamped down on occupied East Jerusalem; it’s completely surrounded. People have to walk one by one, Palestinians often have to lift their shirts to show they are not carrying a weapon,” she said.

Clashes erupt

Outrage over the killings sparked Palestinian-led protests outside the Israeli settlement of Beit El, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Around 500 Palestinians protested and clashed with Israeli forces, according to witnesses.

Israeli troops shot at least one protester in the chest with live ammunition, said Mohannad Darabee, a photographer at the clashes.

At least 69 Palestinians have been killed in the month of October as Israeli-Palestinian tensions rise [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]

“Medics told us he is in critical condition,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that an Israeli Jeep ran over another protester.

Orient Radio, a local media outlet, captured the soldiers running the protester over on video.

“When medics tried to help him and journalists approached the area, the soldiers attacked all of them with pepper spray and [tear] gas. Then they arrested the man [who was run over].

“People are angry about the martyr killed in Nablus. They [Israeli forces] are firing a lot of live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets – they are shooting indiscriminately,” Darabee said.

Human rights groups have warned of a risk of vigilantism as many citizens have carried out attacks on Palestinians [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]

Ezz Zanoun, a Gaza-based photographer, said that clashes are also taking place in areas across Gaza’s border with Israel.

“Two journalists have been hit with rubber-coated steel bullets” near the Nahal Oz Israeli military outpost, he told Al Jazeera, referring to an area near eastern Gaza City.

At least 2,000 people participated in the demonstrations, Zanoun added.

“The Israelis are using rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas,” he said. “Participation in the protests here in Gaza is growing.”

Israeli soldiers cursed at the protesters in Hebrew and Arabic, and waved an Israeli flag at them, witnesses said.

“The soldiers did not wait long to open fire,” said Zanoun. “The feeling among Palestinians is that this has become something routine for them, to fire quickly.”

‘Unlawful measures’

Tension has surged amid resentment over Israeli settlements and the incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site for Muslims.

Rights groups have slammed Israel for its harsh measures as it continues to crack down on Palestinians.

This week, Amnesty International warned Israeli forces to end its “pattern of unlawful killings”.

“In some cases, Israeli forces appear to have ripped up the rulebook and resorted to extreme and unlawful measures,” the group said.

“They seem increasingly prone to using lethal force against anyone they perceive as posing a threat, without ensuring that the threat is real.”

Demonstrations are being led by young Palestinians who are growing increasingly anxious over lethal force being used as collective punishment [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]

More than 200 feared dead in Russian jet crash in Egypt

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Rescue teams locate wreckage of Airbus A-321 belonging to Metrojet which came down in central Sinai Peninsula.

Metrojet's Airbus A-321 is seen in this picture taken in Antalya, Turkey on September 17, 2015 [Kim Philipp Piskol/Reuters]

Metrojet’s Airbus A-321 is seen in this picture taken in Antalya, Turkey on September 17, 2015 [Kim Philipp Piskol/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

A Russian plane carrying more than 200 people has crashed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, Egypt’s civil aviation ministry said.

The statement said search-and-rescue teams found on Saturday the wreckage of the Russian passenger jet in the Hassana area, south of the city of el-Arish, where Egyptian security forces are fighting a local affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

It said the plane took off from Sinai Peninsula’s Sharm el-Sheikh, a popular destination for Russian tourists, and disappeared from radar screens 23 minutes after take-off.

Egyptian search and rescue team members said they heard voices in a section of the plane, an officer on the scene told Reuters news agency.

The black box which contains the flight data was also found at the scene.

“There is another section of the plane with passengers inside that the rescue team is still trying to enter and we hope to find survivors especially after hearing pained voices of people inside,” the officer said.

Separately, Egypt’s top prosecutor ordered an investigation into the cause of the crash, a source at his office said.

Nabil Sadek, the prosecutor general, ordered the formation of a team of prosecutors tasked with going to the site of the crash and investigating the debris.

A centre to help relatives of the passengers has been set up at Pulkovo airport, Tass news agency quoted St Peterburg city officials as saying.

The office of the Eyptian prime minister, Sharif Ismail, earlier confirmed that a Russian airliner with more than 200 people on board had crashed in central Sinai.

The Airbus 321 was at an altitude of 9,450m when it vanished from radar screens, the ministry said in a statement.

Most of the passengers are said to be Russian tourists, according to reports. The plane was operated by the small Russian airline Kogalymavia, based in western Siberia.

The pilot reportedly requested clearance for an emergency landing at Cairo airport due to a technical malfunction.

Plane tracking website Flight Radar said Metrojet flight #7K9268 disappeared over Egypt 23 minutes after departure from Sharm el-Sheikh.

Conflicting reports

The Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said in a statement that flight 7K 9268 left Sharm el-Sheikh at 06:51 Moscow time (03:51 GMT) and had been due into St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport at 12:10.

The authority said the aircraft failed to make scheduled contact with Cyprus air traffic control 23 minutes after take-off and disappeared from the radar.

A Cyprus Civil Aviation official said Cairo air traffic control notified Cypriot authorities that they had lost contact with a Russian aircraft early on Saturday.

The official said the aircraft’s last contact was with Egyptian Authorities before disappearing.

He said the aircraft did not make contact with Cypriot authorities.

Turkish government spokespersons said they had no information about the missing Russian plane ever entering Turkish airspace.

Security sources in the Sinai Peninsula later confirmed reports that an aircraft was missing.

Now RBI chief Rajan raises voice against intolerance in India

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RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan

New Delhi: Amid the raging debate over intolerance, Reserve Bank Chief Raghuram Rajan today said excessive political correctness stifles progress and called for an improved environment for tolerance and mutual respect.

Rajan also said protection of right to question and challenge was essential for India to grow.

Speaking at the convocation of IIT Delhi, the RBI Governor said actions that physically harm anyone or show verbal contempt for a particular group, so that they damage the group’s participation in the marketplace for ideas, should certainly not be allowed.

“Sexual harassment, whether physical or verbal, has no place in society. At the same time, groups should not be looking for slights any and everywhere, so that too much is seen as offensive; the theory of confirmation bias in psychology suggests that once one starts looking for insults, one can find them everywhere, even in the most innocuous statements,” he said.

On whether ideas or behaviour that hurt a particular intellectual position or group be banned, he said: “Possibly, but a quick resort to bans will chill all debate as everyone will be anguished by ideas they dislike. It is far better to improve the environment for ideas through tolerance and mutual respect.

(Agencies)

Uddhav Thackeray calls BJP ‘arrogant’, threatens to withdraw support from Maharashtra government

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uddhav thackeray

Mumbai: After Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis compared Shiv Sena to a drama company, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday threatened to bring down the state government.

“People taught lesson to Indira Gandhi then what is BJP? If the government keeps behaving in this way, then we will have to bring it down. I will ask all my ministers to resign from the government,” Thackeray, whose party is a junior ally of the BJP-led government in Maharashtra and at the Centre, said.

Earlier, addressing a public gathering in Dombivali, Fadnavis compared Shiv Sena to a drama company while referring to Eknath Shinde’s resignation. Shinde had publicly tendered his resignation from the government in a rally in presence Uddhav Thackeray. However, Thackeray refused to accept his resignation.

Referring to the incident, CM Fadnavis described it as mere theatrics by Shiv Sena to attract attention of the people ahead of local body elections.

riday was the last day of campaigning for the upcoming Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections. BJP and Shiv Sena are fighting the polls separately.

Relations between the Sena and the BJP have deteriorated rapidly ever since the Ghulam Ali concert was cancelled under pressure from Sena activists and then ink was smeared by Sena activists on former Vajpayee aide Sudheendra Kulkarni.

The BJP believes that this is a deliberate attempt by the Sena to embarrass the BJP amid of the all important Bihar assembly elections, where the BJP is locked in a dead heat with the Grand Alliance led by Nitish Kumar.

BJP’s opponents are harping on the cancelation Ghulam Ali concert and the Kulkarni ink attack incident in a big way and highlighting this as proof of the intolerant face of BJP’s friends and the PM’s inability to rein in the fringe.

(Agencies)

Movie Review: ‘Te Aath Divas’ offers a clean & wholesome family entertainment after a long time

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TE AATH DIVAS

Producer: Kishore Dhargalkar & Shekhar Pradhan
Director: Shyam Swarnlata Ghanorkar
Starcast: Renuka Shahane, Tushar Dalvi, Aaroh Velankar, Deepali Muchrikar, Avinash Masurekar, Sunil Joshi, Atul Todankar etc
Genre: Drama
Verdict: GOOD

Plot: The story of this film revolves around a big joint family. In the beginning of the film, there are preparations going on for the wedding of the young girl from this family (Deepali Muchirkar) to her would – be groom (Aaroh Velankar). The boy is also eager to marry this girl; but there is confusion in the mind of this girl, when the film takes you into flashback. 8 days before the marriage, the girl’s mother (Renuka Shahane) arrives from USA. This ambitious woman had left the girl years ago in the custody of her husband (Tushar Dalvi), only to pursue her career there. Her arrival sparks off a new wave of happiness in the family. But when she comes to know that the marriage of her daughter is being fixed much against her own wish, she decides to help her.

Aces: The subject matter of the film is quite impressive with a wonderful twist in the 2nd half. That apart the credit also goes to director Shyam Swarnlata Ghanorkar for treating the film in a light hearted manner. And of course the presence of seasoned artistes like Renuka Shahane, Tushar Dalvi etc was like an added bonanza. A left handed compliment also goes to young actors like Aaroh Velankar, Deepali Muchrikar, Sunil Joshi etc.

Minuses: Some of the loose ends of the film which are the results of a not properly structured script.
Last Word: Te Aath Diwas is something different than the other stereotyped lavani based Marathi films. Te Aath Diwas also offers a clean & wholesome family entertainment after a long time.

Movie Review: ‘Titli’ is a good watch albeit very dark & disturbing

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titli

Producer: Aditya Chopra & Dibakar Bannerjee
Director: Kanu Behl
Star Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Shashank Arora, Lalit Behl, Prashant Singh & Shivani Raghuvansi
Genre: Drama
Verdict: VERY GOOD

Plot: In the badlands of Delhi’s dystopic underbelly, Titli (Shashank Arora), the youngest member of a violent car – jacking brotherhood, plots a desperate bid to escape the ‘family’ business. His struggle to do so is countered at each stage by his indignant brothers (Ranvir Shorey & Amit Sial), who finally try marrying him off to ‘settle’ him. Titli, finds an unlikely ally in his new wife Neelu (Shivani Raghuvanshi), caught though she is in her own web of warped reality & dysfunctional dreams. They form a strange, beneficial partnership, only to confront their inability to escape the bindings of their family roots.

Aces: The best thing about Titli is the excellent direction of Kanu Behl and the outstanding performances of its principal cast right from Ranvir Shorey to Amit Sial, Shashank Arora, Latit Behl, Prashant Singh & Shivani Raghuvanshi.

Minuses: Some of the most violently shocking scenes topped with brutal cuss words galore.

Last Word: Titli is a must watch film for one & all albeit strictly not recommended for weak hearted persons.

Movie Review: ‘Mere Sai Ram’ is a clichéd film with nothing new to offer

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Mere-Sai-Ram

Producers: Sujit Ghosh & Arundhati Ghosh
Director: Navin Joshi
Star Cast: Rahul Barapatre, Piew Jana, Mukul Nag, Smita Dongre, Master Sairaj, Sunil Singh, Reshma Merchant, Kiran Sharma, Arvind Singh, Dhananjay Chaudhary, Vinod Anand, Nidhi & Sudhir Dalvi as Sai Baba.
Genre: Docu Drama
Verdict: AVERAGE

Scores of films have been made on Shirdi Ke Sai Baba, the 1st one being patriotic actor Manoj Kumar’s Shirdi Ke Sai Baba and now director Navin Joshi’s directorial offering Mere Sai Ram offers nothing new albeit Navin Joshi has given a romantic twist to the devotional theme to lure the cine goers.

Plot: The scenario kicks off with Dhondiram (Mukul Nag) who is a simple villager hailing from a very poor background. As an ardent devotee of Sai Baba (Sudir Dalvi) Dhondiram always converses & shares his day to day problems with Sai Baba. In fact his core belief centers around Sai Baba. Once Dhondiram dreams of Sai Baba who asks him to build a temple. Besides there is sub plot which revolves around the love story of Prakash (Rahul Barapatre), the village antagonist Zamindar’s (Dhananjay Choudhari) son, and Dhondiram’s sister (Piew Jana). The 2 stories connect and forms the crux of the film.

Aces: Sudhir Dalvi once again excels in the title role of Sai Baba. Mukul Nag as Sai Baba’s devotee is quite impressive. And last but not the least debutante actor Rahul Barapatere has a good screen presence which will prove to be a good advantage for him in the long run. That apart some of the Sai Bhajans are quiet catchy.

Minuses: The snail’s pace and some of the over repetitive scenes of the film prove to be a hindrance in the narrative.

Last Word: This docu drama Mere Sai Ram is strictly recommended for the most ardent Sai Baba devotees and above all the most ardent Sai Baba fans.

Imran Khan, Reham divorce with mutual consent

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Imran Khan Reham

by Sammar Abbas, Dawn

Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and TV journalist Reham Khan have divorced with mutual consent after 10 months of marriage, PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq said Friday.

‘Divorce is painful’

In a series of tweets, Imran Khan wrote that the divorce is painful for him, Reham and their respective families and requested everyone to respect their privacy.

He categorically denied the rumours about any financial settlement between them adding that he has great respect for Reham’s moral character and her passion to help and work for the underprivileged people of society.

Six months in, rumours that the marriage was falling apart began to circulate. While the couple was seen together on occasion, Imran last month tweeted an apparent refutation of the rumours: “I am shocked at a TV channel making slanderous statement about my marriage. I strongly urge the media to desist from such baseless statements.”

Earlier, Haq had also told DawnNews that Imran Khan had requested the media to avoid speculation and respect the sensitivity of the situation.

‘Just not getting along’

A source close to the PTI chairman, who asked not to be named, said the two were “just not getting along.”

“She wanted to get involved with politics and that is not what Khan wanted at all. She just did not want to sit at home,” he told Dawn.com.

“There were teething problems as well over other issues which were being resolved but this was a major issue — she wanted to get into politics and was not ready to back down.”

Another confidante of Imran Khan told Dawn.com that there was “a lot of pressure on Khan” from his family to divorce Reham, an apparent reference to Imran’s sister Aleema Khan who had made no secret of her displeasure over the marriage.

Despite several attempts, Reham could not be reached for a comment, but posted an announcement of the divorce on Twitter:

Sources said Reham has left Pakistan for London and is expected to address a conference there.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also asked party leaders to refrain from commenting on Imran Khan’s personal life.

The announcement today stirred a fiery debate on social media, with fans and naysayers of both Khan and Reham posting their two cents and taking sides.

In August this year the PTI chief had announced that Reham Khan, will not be playing an active role in party affairs, following “attacks” on his then wife in the aftermath of the party’s defeat in the NA-19 (Haripur) by-polls.

Loved by millions across the cricket-obsessed nation for winning Pakistan its only World Cup in 1992, Khan’s sporting prowess and rugged good looks brought him international celebrity.

He was considered his country’s most eligible man until he suddenly announced his plans to marry shortly after calling off a movement to topple the government in December after a Taliban attack on a school that killed 150 people.

The PTI chairman and television journalist Reham Khan had tied the knot in a simple nikkah ceremony which took place in January this year at Khan’s Bani Gala residence.

The nikkah, which was a low-key affair, was conducted by Mufti Saeed and was followed by a photo session. The wedding had captivated the entire country, with television channels going all out to cover the event and furnishing their audience with details of wedding sherwani and chappals.

In its early days, the marriage was marked by public appearances of the newlyweds who were seen smiling and happy at various events. Reham on several occasions had candidly expressed her feelings for Imran, saying he is “no longer alone”. In an early interview, she had said: “I didn’t know Mr Khan was Mr Right, you wait your whole life for Mr Right and then you find Mr Most Right.”

Reham had recently also sparked controversy after it emerged that she had not actually attended a college where she claimed to be a student on her website.

Born in 1952 in Lahore into a comfortable family with origins in the Pashtun northwest, Imran Khan was educated at Aitchison College and then Oxford University.

He became one of the world’s greatest ever all-rounders — a fearsome fast bowler and dangerous batsman — whose finest hour came at the 1992 World Cup, where at the age of 39 he led an inexperienced team to the title.

Off the pitch, he had a string of socialite girlfriends and frequented exclusive nightclubs in London until he married Jemima Goldsmith, the daughter of the French-British tycoon James, in 1995

Hi marriage with the Jemima lasted for nine years and ended amicably in 2004 with Goldsmith stating that she was unable to adapt to life in Pakistan.

Imran Khan has two sons from his previous marriage to Jemima.

Reham Khan was previously married to psychologist Ijaz Rehman, with whom she had three children.

EU parliament votes for dropped charges, asylum protection for Edward Snowden

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Resolution passed by European Parliament Thursday calls on member states to prevent whistleblower’s extradition, rendition

A sticker calling for asylum for Edward Snowden seen in Berlin. (Photo: Tony Webster/flickr/cc)

A sticker calling for asylum for Edward Snowden seen in Berlin. (Photo: Tony Webster/flickr/cc)

by Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams

The European Parliament passed a resolution Thursday urging its nations to afford NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden protection.

Passed by a 285 to 281 vote, the resolution calls on EU member states to “drop any criminal charges against Edward Snowden, grant him protection and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties, in recognition of his status as whistle-blower and international human rights defender.”

Snowden, who’s been residing in Russia since 2013, responded to the resolution on Twitter by calling it a “game-changer”:

While the resolution is not binding, Wolfgang Kaleck, Snowden’s lawyer in Berlin, told the Daily Dot in an email, “It is an overdue step and we urge the member States to act now to implement the resolution.”

U.S.-based digital rights group Fight for the Future welcomed the news as well. Evan Greer, the organization’s campaign director, said, “We hope that this resolution leads to a binding agreement in the EU that allows Edward Snowden to move to whichever EU country he wants, and we hope he gets an epic party thrown in his honor when he arrives.”

“The battle over mass government surveillance is a decisive moment in the history of humanity, and it’s hard to think of anyone who has done more than Edward Snowden to educate the public about the grave risks that runaway spying programs pose to our basic human rights, the future of the Internet, and freedom of expression,” he added.

The World Wide Web Foundation, which advocates for an open Internet and was founded by Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, called it a “landmark resolution.” It added in a statement, “We call on national leaders to publicly commit to respecting the will of the European people and offering Snowden asylum.”

Berners-Lee said in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session last year that Snowden “should be protected, and we should have ways of protecting people like him. Because we can try to design perfect systems of government, and they will never be perfect, and when they fail, then the whistleblower may be all that saves society.”

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