Archives for 2018

Beijing Amid the bleeding trade war with the US, China has removed an over five-year-long ban on the import of Indian rapeseed oil meal.

China is the biggest consumer of oil meal of which rapeseed is a variant. Beijing has slapped additional tariffs on US oil meals in a full-blown trade war, looking to import from other countries.

“China has cleared the ban on Indian rapeseed meal. As long as Indian companies comply with Chinese regulations, they can export it,” an Indian government official told IANS.

Beijing in 2012 had banned Indian imports, citing the presence of a particular pest in the crop.

The official said the issue has now been resolved.

Last month, a buyer-seller meet was organised by the Indian and Chinese governments in which Indian exporters made a strong pitch to resume rapeseed exports.

New Delhi’s trade engagement with Beijing seems to be increasing as both sides have pledged to put ties back on track after last year’s Doklam military stand-off.

In an ice-breaking meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Wuhan in April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked that Indian commodities be given more access to the Chinese market.

(IANS)

New Delhi Helping each other, talking, staying connected and learning to say no can help women protect themselves and others from rapes and sexual assaults, says Unicef Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore, who suggests that “every community should stand up and say rape is not acceptable”.

“Speaking up, having a voice in the community, having faith-based leaders who intervene and say this is not right, this the way we should treat our girls, women and also that we should never have rape, never have sexual assault or exploitation — all of these things help,” Fore told IANS during a visit here.

She also said behavioural attitudes will only change “if we change our hearts”.

“Another thing which can help is girls helping girls. You talk to each other about what is safe, what is not safe, where you can safely go; that girls know that they can say no and also that they know how and when to say no. That you move in a group of three so that you can protect each other or you can stay connected on email and text. All these will help in changing the attitude and behaviour,” Fore explained.

She also said that the community also plays an important role in giving a sense of respect to girls and women to bring change.

“If every community begins to stand up and say rape is not acceptable then more people will begin to look after women in their community,” Fore said.

She also believed that separate toilets and well-lit spaces, along with community patrolling, also helps.

“If the whole community is protecting their girls, the situation will improve. Every community should stand up and say rape is not acceptable. It takes a nation, it takes a community to stand up for girls and protect them,” she said.

Talking about sanitation in India, she said it has turned into a movement.

“It is a movement here in India and it is something only a few of our countries have seen. But it has changed how Indians feel about sanitation. It is good for the community and also for the quality of life of its people.

“There has been a remarkable progress (in the field of sanitation) in India and those of us who live in other countries are respectful and admiring the leadership exhibited by the Indian government.”

She also said proper toilets will help in empowering women and girls in the community. “This has also helped girls go ahead with higher education.”

“It will not only help in increasing the number of girls going to school but will also help in bringing drop-outs back to school. Bringing girls back to school will be a great achievement for the society,” she added.

The movement, she added, will need to continue until it achieves 100 per cent of its target.

“Just building toilets is not enough. We need to have trained people and good technology to maintain these toilets.”

She also said good sanitation practices in India had led to lower deaths among children under five and has also helped in bringing up healthier children.

“Fewer children are getting diseases, fewer children are getting vulnerable. The sanitation movement in India has helped save more lives,” Fore maintained.

(IANS)

Tokyo An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale jolted Japan’s Okinawa prefecture on Tuesday but no tsunami warning was issued, the weather agency said.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor’s epicentre was located at a latitude of 24.0 degrees north and a longitude of 122.6 degrees east, and at depth of 30 km, reports Xinhua news agency.

The JMA said the earthquake posed no risk of triggering a tsunami.

There have been no reports of injury or damage to people or vessels in the vicinity of Yonagunijima as a result of the quake.

(IANS)

Washington The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., has said that five of its most valuable artefacts, once thought to be part of the historic Dead Sea Scrolls, were fake and would not be displayed anymore.

German-based scholars tested the fragments and found that five “show characteristics inconsistent with ancient origin and therefore will no longer be displayed at the museum”, the museum announced on Monday.

At 430,000 square feet, and with views of the Capitol, the Bible museum represents a significant investment for its evangelical founders, CNN reported.

Now scholars say the Dead Sea forgeries could be part of the most significant sham in biblical archaeology since the “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife”, a fiasco that hoodwinked a Harvard scholar and made worldwide news in 2012.

Some scholars estimate that as many as 70 forged fragments have hit the market since 2002.

“Though we had hoped the testing would render different results, this is an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of verifying the authenticity of rare biblical artefacts, the elaborate testing process undertaken and our commitment to transparency,” said Jeffrey Kloha, the chief curatorial officer for Museum of the Bible.

“As an educational institution entrusted with cultural heritage, the museum upholds and adheres to all museum and ethical guidelines on collection care, research and display.”

Monday’s revelations are not the first time have courted controversy with their artefacts collection, CNN reported.

Steve Green, the Bible museum’s evangelical founder and chairman, would not say how much his family spent for the 16 Dead Sea Scrolls fragments in its collection.

But scholars say even small fragments with little text can fetch millions in the antiquities market.

(IANS)