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190 countries to participate in Expo 2020 Dubai

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 A total of 190 countries will take part in Expo 2020 Dubai, it was announced here on Monday.

The announcement comes on the opening day of Expo 2020’s third International Participants Meeting (IPM), which will see hundreds of delegates from around the world gather in Dubai to receive information and updates on the delivery of the biggest event to ever be held in the Arab world.

Reem Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Director General, Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, said: “In less than two years’ time, Expo 2020 Dubai will welcome the international community to the UAE for a six-month celebration of human ingenuity and progress, allowing millions of people to experience the world in one place.”

The two-day IPM will cover a wide range of topics relating to the design, delivery and content of country pavilions.

Vicente G. Loscertales, Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the governing body of World Expos, said: “As the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, the UAE and Dubai has been working to create a platform to foster creativity, innovation and partnership globally.”

For the first time in the 167-year history of World Expos, each participating country will have its own pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

A number of nations will sign their official Expo 2020 participation contracts during the IPM, after confirming their chosen sub-theme and pavilion plot.

Countries that have already unveiled their pavilion plans include Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Oman, Poland, Switzerland, the UK and the United Arab Emirates.

More are expected to follow in the coming months.

With 25 million visits expected between October 2020 and April 2021, and 70 per cent of visitors projected to come from outside the UAE, Expo 2020 Dubai will bring the international community together for a six-month celebration of human ingenuity and progress.

Expo 2020 Dubai is slated to take place in October 2020.

 

IANS

Kerala Water Minister quits

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 Kerala Minister for Water Resources Mathew T. Thomas resigned on Monday in accordance with a decision by the national leadership of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).

The party has decided to replace Thomas with veteran K. Krishnankutty.

With Thomas submitting his resignation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier in the day, he became the fourth minister to quit the Vijayan cabinet since it assumed office in 2016.

Thomas addressed the media outside Vijayan’s residence and said there was no pre-condition to his quitting.

“There is no question of me moving towards the ‘right’. The natural place of the Socialist is always with the Left and there is no question of me moving anywhere else,” said Thomas as he was proded about his next move.

The JD-S is the third largest ally of the CPI-M-led government and has three legislators Thomas, former State Minister C.K. Nanu and K. Krishnankutty.

JD-S national President and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda called his three legislators to Bengaluru last week, but Thomas did not turn up and the meeting with the others took place on Friday, when the decision was taken.

The present impasse in the JD-S began when the Vijayan government completed its two-and-a-half years in office.

Even though Thomas denied that there was an agreement that he would step down after completing half the term of five years, the other faction in the party led by Krishnankutty has always claimed there was one.

Thomas also denied he was in the running for the post of the party president in the state unit, as Krishnankutty would be soon sworn in.

In the past, CPI-M’s E.P.,Jayarajan quit over nepotism allegations, NCP leader A.K. Saseendran quit over sleaze allegation and Thomas Chandy, who replaced him quit over land grab allegations.

Earlier in 2018, both Jayarajan and Saseendran returned to the cabinet after the court cleared them.

 

IANS

India will never forget 26/11 terror attack: Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India will never forget the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and their perpetrators and was “waiting for the appropriate time” as law would take its course.

“India will never forget 26/11 attack, and neither forget the perpetrators. We are waiting for the appropriate time….” he said with a pause without elaborating as the crowd cheered him when he was addressing an election meeting here.

“Law will take its course. I want to assure the country,” he said.

Slamming Congress for doing politics over the 26/11 terror attacks in 2008, Modi said, “Today is November 26, when there was a Madam rule in Delhi through remote control, when there was Congress government in Maharashtra. There were Congress governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra and 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai… terrorists killed people and security forces of our country.”

“It is 10 years of that attack. I can still remember when the terror attacks happened in Mumbai, election campaign was going on in Rajasthan.”

Modi said that the Congress leaders then used to accuse the leaders of other parties of doing politics when they condemned the attacks.

“What they (Congress leaders) said then, I still remember. They said it is a war, Pakistan has attacked India. And these people are doing politics. At this time one need to strengthen the hands of the Centre and there should be no politics on the terror attacks. They used to preach this,” he said.

The Prime Minister accused the Congress of attempting to use the 26/11 Mumbai attack to win elections in Rajasthan and attacked the party for questioning the 2016 surgical strike carried out by the Indian Armed forces across the border.

“I want to ask them and Congress that 10-years ago such a big terror attack happened, whole world was shocked and Congress was playing a trick to win the elections from that,” he said.

“The same Congress at that time used to preach patriotism. And when our country’s forces did surgical strike in Pakistan, when they took revenge, showed their valour and gave a befitting reply to the enemies in their home, in such a crucial time, Congress asked for showing the video of the surgical strike,” he said.

“Will the armed forces take cameras in their hand during such operations. At that time they did not remember patriotism,” he said.

Modi also said that during his four years of rule, terror attacks have been restricted to Jammu and Kashmir.

“Remember those times when terror attacks took place across the country. We have fought against terrorism in such a way that they are unable to move out of Kashmir as they see their death,” he said.

The elections for the 200-Assembly seats in Rajasthan are scheduled for December 7. Counting of votes will take place on December 11.

 

IANS

Tributes paid to martyrs on 10th anniversary of 26/11 attack: In pics

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Floral tributes were paid Monday to those who laid down their lives while fighting Pakistani terrorists who had attacked the metropolis on this day 10 years ago.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was among the dignitaries who paid homage at the 26/11 police memorial site at the Mumbai Police Gymkhana in south Mumbai.

“I pay homage to the brave policemen who fought for Mumbai’s safety and laid down their lives for us on 26/11. We are proud of them and we will strive hard for the safety and security of our state,” Fadnavis said.

Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Maharashtra Police Chief Datta Padsalgikar and Mumbai Commissioner of Police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal also attended the ceremony.
Family members of the policemen who lost their lives during the attacks were also present during the ceremony.

On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists arrived by sea route and opened fire indiscriminately at people killing 166, including 18 security personnel, and injuring several others, besides damaging property worth crores.

The then Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, Army Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Mumbai’s Additional Police Commissioner Ashok Kamte and Senior Police Inspector Vijay Salaskar were among those killed in the attack.

The attacks had begun on November 26 and lasted till November 29.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Hotel, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital and the Nariman House Jewish community centre, now renamed Nariman Light House, were some of the places targeted by terrorists.

Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive. He was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012.

 

PTI

Man killed by speeding car in Kolkata, woman fashion designer held

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 A woman fashion designer was on Sunday arrested here after her speeding car ran over a man, police said.

The accident took place in the city’s Eastern Metropolitan bypass on Sunday afternoon.

“A man in his 40s was waiting for a bus on the E.M bypass when he was hit by a speeding car. He was declared dead in the hospital. The woman who was on the wheels has been arrested,” an official from the Pragati Maidan police station said.

Onlookers said that the car, cruising at a high speed, jumped the traffic signal before hitting the man.

The police said that CCTV footages were being checked and the arrested woman was being interrogated.

IANS

Social networking sites operate for profit, need for proper control: Australian cybersecurity expert

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Kiev, Ukraine – October 17, 2012 – A logotype collection of well-known social media brand’s printed on paper. Include Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, Vimeo, Flickr, Myspace, Tumblr, Livejournal, Foursquare and more other logos.

 There is need for proper control of services provided by social networking sites as their nature is to make profits and not improve the world, an Australian cybersecurity expert has warned, noting that countries such as China and Korea have taken steps to “stop bad things happening”.

In an interview with IANS while on a visit here, Richard Buckland, who teaches at UNSW, Sydney, said that companies like Facebook operate to earn profit.

“We trust these sites for communication and maintaining relationships with people… They don’t have any duty towards the people of the country (in which they operate). So we cannot trust these companies. It’s not that they are bad, but that is their nature. The nature of the Facebook and other social networking sites is to survive and make profit, not to improve the world,” he said.

“So, there is need for proper control on the services of these social networking sites at the government, national, trans-national and international levels to control bad practices,” he added.

“If the governments leave their own interest and think about the citizens and regulate social networking sites like China and Korea, they can stop bad things happening. If social networking sites are regulated properly, some good things will also happen as Facebook helps in communities getting together,” said Buckland, a Professor in Cybercrime Cyberwar and Cyberterror at the School of Computer Science and Engineering UNSW (University of New South Wales), one of Australia’s leading research and teaching universities that is seeking to attract more and more students from India.

He stressed on educating people about cyber activities and advised India, as well as other countries, to learn from the alleged Russian meddling through social media during the 2016 US presidential elections.

“In the long run, these problems would be solved by having an educated population. Once people understand cybersecurity, benefits of collaboration of communication, social media would no longer be a problem. If people are not well educated they are easily swayed by emotional arguments,” Buckland said.

He also asserted that countries like the US, UK and Australia are not handling the social media very well.

The professor said in England and Australia particularly, there is a growing level of public awareness of the issues of social media. “There is national discussion about this but there are no government initiatives. it is just the move of newspapers and people.”

“I think we should look at the US experience with Russia during its Presidential elections in 2016. The best way is to learn from others’ mistakes. So by watching what happened in the US we all can learn and think. I don’t think that the US government is really able to do much because of its passion for ‘free speech’ culture,” Buckland said.

He cited lack of cyber security experts behind the challenges the world is facing and warned Indian authorities to take precautions and keep vigil on social networking sites during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections .

He said India has advantages and challenges.

“The challenges are so large as you are moving into so many areas. With quick movements, there comes the ability to do bad things. The largeness of diversity of India makes it an attractive target to bad people and vulnerable to crime, terror and war. Indian people have good values and ethics, and communities are working together. I think, part of the solution to cyber crime will be people working together and trusting each other.”

“For cyber terror and cyber war, there are issues with large infrastructure that is controlled by computers. In Ukraine and Australia, the power sector is an easy thing to attack. In India, I think nuclear power increases the risk of attack. Other sectors that are more vulnerable to cyber attacks are transport with which cities can really be locked, hacking of robots, some high-end cars like BMW, stock market and medical sectors because computers touch every part of our life.”

He said there is shortage of cyber experts. “This industry has zero per cent unemployment. As per one estimate, there are almost two jobs for one graduate. Countries like America take the benefit as they pay most. We need more trained people. So the computing sector has the highest demand,” he said.

He advised against doing anything online which is not safe and laid emphasis on caution, saying there was no harm in being sceptical and suspicious.

 

IANS

US briefly shuts border crossing, uses tear gas on asylum seekers

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 US Customs and Border Protection temporarily closed all vehicle and pedestrian traffic at the major San Ysidro port of entry between Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego, California on Sunday.

The agency made the announcement as hundreds of migrants and refugees marched towards the border in an attempt to put pressure on the US government to allow thousands of asylum seekers to enter the United States.

According to several journalists in Tijuana, US authorities used tear gas on migrants and refugees, including children, who approached the border fence near the El Chaparral crossing. A small group breached the border, local media reported.

“To prepare for the possibility that additional groups would also break off from demonstrations for a possible attempt or attempts to rush illegally through the port of entry, CBP suspended operations at the port of entry,” the agency said in a statement.

The port of entry remained closed for about six hours before being re-opened.

The developments on Sunday come as frustration grows in Tijuana over the slow processing of asylum claims by US authorities.

Thousands of migrants and refugees have arrived in the Mexican border city in recent weeks as part of a caravan, dubbed the Central American exodus. Many have told Al Jazeera they are fleeing violence, poverty or political persecution.

More than 5,000 migrants and refugees have been cramped into a Tijuana stadium complex that is more than 2,000 people over capacity.  Rights groups have accused to the US government of stalling the processing of asylum claims, allegations CBP denies.

Aerial view of Central American migrants and refugees being stopped by federal police officers near El Chaparral port of entry in the US-Mexico border [Pedro Pardo/AFP]

US President Donald Trump has sought to sow fear over the collective exodus by deploying thousands of US military troops to the border and giving them expanded powers, including the “ok” to use lethal force.

US creating border crisis by stalling asylum cases, advocates say

The Trump administration also implemented new asylum rules, which have been temporarily blocked by a federal court. Under the new rules, individuals crossing the border between official ports of entry would not be eligible for asylum. A judge last week blocked the rules from being enforced pending further hearings.

‘Immigrants are welcome’

Prior to the border closure, hundreds gathered in San Diego to march in solidarity with the migrants and refugees in Tijuana.

The group, which included a collection of different rights organisations, accused the Trump administration of creating a “war-like atmosphere” against the Central American exodus in Mexico.

Holding banners that read “immigrants are welcome” and “money for jobs, not walls”, more than 200 people marched towards the San Ysidro port of entry.

“As a mother, I understand that families have to be together,” said 37-year-old Kelly Leon, who attended the march with her family.

“For me, it’s clear that you don’t just travel thousands of miles with your whole family, unless there is something that you [are really running] away from,” she told Al Jazeera.

Embedded video

While Leon grew up in the US, her husband, 40-year-old Armando Leon, was brought by his parents from Mexico when he was a child.

“I think the majority of people in San Diego stand in solidarity with these migrants, that’s what we hear around us,” Kelly Leon told Al Jazeera. “Especially from people who have families themselves.”

Protesters supporting the migrants and refugees in Tijuana, Mexico show their solidarity during a march next to the border wall with Mexico in the San Ysidro neighbourhood of San Diego [Mike Blake/Reuters]

Among the groups present at Sunday’s march was Veterans for Peace.

Paul Ross, 74, who served in the Vietnam War, said he felt compelled to come to the border and make his voice heard.

“Latin America has had one dictator after the other,” Ross told Al Jazeera. “Almost all of which have had support from the United States, in the beginning, to work towards regime change. The poverty and problems they have there now, have a history which we have to understand.”

While holding a flag with Veterans for Peace written on it in combination with a logo with a flying dove, Ross told Al Jazeera he believed the current exodus of Central Americans is a result of the involvement of the US in affairs in these countries.

“Now these places have become very dangerous and problematic, so the people have no place to go any more. They have no choice.”

Other marches in support of migrants and refugees were planned across the US.

 

Aljazeera

Fan of Ambareesh commits suicide

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Shocked over the death of Rebel Star Ambareesh, one of his fans committed suicide by jumping before a running train at Maddur on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Thammaiah (55), a resident of  Gowdanadoddi in the taluk.

Reportedly, his body was found on the railway track at 10.30 am this morning. His slippers, a T-shirt and a photo of Ambareesh were also found nearby the track.

It is suspected that Thammaiah, who was a die-hard fan of Ambareesh, was not able to digest the news of the actors’ death and therefore, he committed suicide.

 

PTI

 

President, PM, Congress remember 26/11 Mumbai attack

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Mumbai President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Congress on Monday paid tributes to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror carnage on its 10th anniversary.

In a message, President Kovind said his “thoughts are with the families and individuals who suffered”.

“We salute those from the police and security forces who made the supreme sacrifice that day. India remains honour bound to securing justice and defeating terrorism.”

He said that the day also marks the 70th anniversary of the adoption of Indian Constitution.

“Let us make the coming year worth this anniversary by giving the Constitutional ethic a greater salience in all our thinking, all our action,” the President urged.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to those who lost their lives in the gruesome terror attack.

“Our solidarity with the bereaved families. A grateful nation bows to our brave police and security forces who valiantly fought the terrorists during the Mumbai attacks,” Modi said.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a message: “Solemnly remembering the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. My heartfelt gratitude and salutations to the security personnel, bravehearts, NSG commandos, police, firefighters and above all the citizens of Mumbai. Lest We Forget.”

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saluted the brave security forces and martyrs who gave a fitting reply to the perpetrators.

“After the attacks, Mumbai’s security has been accorded top priority. The city is now under strict CCTV monitoring and we are committed to intensify our war against terror,” Fadnavis added, referring to the enhanced efforts to secure the country’s commercial capital.

State Congress President Ashok Chavan and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan paid tributes and said “the nation and its people would never forget the extreme sacrifices of their heroes in defending the nation”.

State President of Nationalist Congress Party Jayant Patil, Leader of Opposition in Council Dhananjay Munde and other senior leaders like Ajit Pawar visited the 26/11 martyrs memorial at Chowpatty.

Several functions are being held in the city and other parts of the state on Monday to remember the 26/11 carnage and pray for the 166 victims who perished in the 60-hour long attacks carried out by 10 Pakistani terrorists at multiple locations in south Mumbai, shocking the global community.

(IANS)

Shutdown in Kashmir Valley affects life

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Shops, educational institutions closed down on Monday and lack of public transport affected attendance in banks and government offices as people showed support for a separatist-called shutdown in the Kashmir Valley.

The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a separatist conglomerate headed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik called the shutdown alleging a killing spree in the valley region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Reports from other district headquarters also indicated support for the shutdown.

Authorities deployed security forces to prevent any protest rallies and maintain law and order. Train services in the valley have also been suspended for the day.

 

IANS

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