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Karnataka govt warns of another year of dry spell in state

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drought karnataka

Bengaluru: Faced with deficit of rainfall and low water level in most reservoirs, Karnataka government on Wednesday warned about another year of dry spell in the state.

“We have discussed about the rainfall in the state so far in the Cabinet, even meteorological department predictions are not favourable. There are chances, we may face a situation that is worse than last year,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said.

Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting, he said, “We have to take precautionary measures, water in reservoirs should be used for drinking purpose only, and water should be provided for standing crops only if there is severe necessity.

“During Irrigation Consultative Committee meeting farmers and general public should be made aware of the water crisis that may occur on lesser prospects of good rains.”

Karnataka last year witnessed its “worst” drought in recent times and the government had already declared 137 taluks as “drought hit”.

Pointing out to drinking water shortage, Jayachandra said “water level in almost all the reservoirs in the state other than Narayanapura and Almatti are low”. Narayanapura and Almatti reservoirs are full because of good rains in Maharashtra, other than that none of the catchment areas whether it is Cauvery or Krishna got good rains.

“Though in Harangi reservoir there is adequate water, but the overall situations is not good.”

Government had last week said overall rainfall in the state till first week of August has been 503 mm against normal rainfall of 537mm, which is about six per cent less.

Warning of drinking water crisis, he also advised farmers to consider water and rain situation before they go for cropping. Various cabinet committees like the one drinking water among others have been asked to meet and review the situation and take necessary steps.

Karnataka cabinet has also cleared entrusting the work of re-circulation of water at world famous Jog falls to create all season water falls to M/s BRS Ventures Abudhabi.

(Agencies)

Amnesty India closes offices following sedition charges

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abvp

Bengaluru: Following an accusation of sedition in a police complaint in Karnataka, Amnesty International has temporarily closed its offices in Chennai, Pune , Delhi and Bengaluru after protests by hundreds of young right-wing activists.

The human-rights organization held an event to discuss the crisis in Kashmir on the weekend. Anti-India slogans were heard at the event. Amnesty issued a statement saying that its members did not make these statements, but the group has been accused of sedition by the ABVP.

(Agencies)

Kashmir unrest toll rises to 66

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Kashmir truck attack victim dies

Srinagar: With one more civilian’s death in Kashmir, the toll in the ongoing unrest rose to 66, officials said on Thursday.

Police said the victim identified as Shabir Ahmad Moonga, 30, was killed in Khrew area of Pulwama district on Wednesday night when security forces clashed with a protesting mob.

Locals, however, alleged security personnel had beaten Moonga without any provocation.

Authorities continued with curfew and restrictions for the 41st day on Thursday as the protest shutdown called by the separatists also continued.

For the first time since the ongoing cycle of violence started in the Valley on July 9 following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Wani, authorities imposed night curfew in Srinagar district.

The 48-day Amarnath Yatra that started on July 2 is concluding on Thursday.

This year, 2,20,339 pilgrims performed the Yatra despite the violence in Kashmir.

(Agencies)

Iranian women should not face arrest and threats for watching volleyball

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The ability for Iranian women to be at stadiums is symbolic of their right to occupy public spaces, and to celebrate key moments in the life of the country

A woman holds a banner reading "Let Iranian women enter their stadiums" during the men's qualifying volleyball match between Russia and Iran at the Maracanazinho stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 15, 2016, during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman holds a banner reading “Let Iranian women enter their stadiums” during the men’s qualifying volleyball match between Russia and Iran at the Maracanazinho stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 15, 2016, during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV (Photo credit should read KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images)

by Solmaz Sharif, NYT

The Rio Olympics are underway and sports fans around the world are waking up early, staying up late, gathering around TV sets or furtively streaming the competitions online from work computers. Others are fortunate to witness records broken and precedents set live from the stands and bleachers — perhaps none so noticeably as Darya Safai, an Iranian woman protesting Iran’s ban on women watching volleyball matches. In my home country of Iran, women have bravely paved their paths in politics, science and the arts — yet they are still striving for the right to be part of key public spaces: stadiums (volleyball and soccer, among others.)

In May, a 15-year-old Iranian girl defied the rules and dressed up as a boy to gain entrance into Azadi (“Freedom”) Stadium in Tehran for the Finale of Iran’s Premier League soccer season — she was later threatened with arrest and even death. In July, women in Iran were promised they could buy tickets and attend the International Volleyball Federation’s World League Matches, but as soon as the online sale commenced, a “sold out” alert appeared.

The International Olympic Committee under President Thomas Bach has made “gender equality” one of its central pillars mandating access to sport for all as both players and spectators. At the Rio Olympics, Iranian women were able to watch their national men’s team — which for many only put a spotlight on the ban at home in Iran.

A campaign by Iranian women challenges the International Volleyball Federation, also known as the FIVB, which has so far tolerated stadiums where the crowded rows of spectators exclude half the population. It is crucial that the Federation ensures Iranian women do not have to go to great lengths and risk their safety to simply watch.

The struggle by women against discrimination in Iran takes place on many key fronts, including divorce, custody rights and freedom of speech. However, the ability for women to be at stadiums is symbolic of their right to occupy public spaces, and to take part in and celebrate key moments in the life of the country.

Sports inspired me to confront society and in many cases, the authorities. To deny women the right to such a socially influential part of society is an offense that the FIVB can help resolve.

In February of this year, the FIVB awarded Iran the right to host the first-ever International Beach Volleyball Tournament on Kish Island. Before the games, the FIVB reassured critics that Iran would allow “anyone, regardless of gender” to attend the games — a requirement in the FIVB’s own constitution, which guarantees gender equality. Iranian women traveled across the country to finally participate in the national love of volleyball.

For Iranian women this was not simply a sports event; it was the first opportunity for them to sit in the stadiums they have been banned from for the past four years. This could have been a historic moment for women to regain their rights, and a possibility to open the door to other public spaces.

Instead, Iranian women’s hopes were dashed. When female fans attempted to enter the stadium, they were brusquely turned away from the FIVB’s tournament, and told that entry for them was “forbidden.”

But Iranian women are determined and resourceful, so when some were unsuccessful in getting admitted to the games, they went to a neighboring café and cheered from the rooftop, posting images to social media, while complaining about the FIVB’s betrayal of gender equality.

When the FIVB’s failure to guarantee access for women was exposed in the media, the FIVB shamefully called the whole debacle a “misunderstanding.”

This was no misunderstanding. The FIVB knows that Iranian women have been arrested and threatened before for watching volleyball. In the summer of 2014, Ghoncheh Ghavami, a British-Iranian dual citizen was arrested for attempting to enter Azadi Stadium to watch a volleyball game between Iran and Italy. Ghavami was then accused of “propaganda against the state” and sentenced to a year in prison. She was released after six months, but the chilling message went out that women are not welcome at FIVB tournaments.

The FIVB will soon make an announcement about whether Iran wins the right to host another series of international tournaments in 2017, both men’s beach volleyball and volleyball. If the FIVB is to continue to award Iran the opportunity to host international events, it must demand that—as for volleyball matches in Brazil, Germany, Argentina, or Turkey—women be allowed to watch. It is the FIVB’s duty as an international organization not to compromise on the equality of access to the games, not to side with hardliners excluding women, and not to condone an ugly double standard for Iran’s women.

The FIVB can and should press for the reversal of the ban on Iranian women watching volleyball in stadiums—and if the ban is not lifted, the FIVB should take its international tournament to a country that plays by the rules.

Solmaz Sharif founded Shirzanan, the first magazine dedicated to covering women’s athletics in Iran. She is also the co-founder of Shirzanan — meaning “female heroes” in Persian — a Muslim women and sports advocacy group.

VK Singh denied my promotion, banned illegally: Army chief Dalbir Singh

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Dalbir Singh

New Delhi: In an unprecedented step of a serving Army Chief taking on one of his predecessors, General Dalbir Singh has alleged that he was “sought to be victimised” by Gen(retd) V K Singh, now an Union Minister, with the sole purpose of denying him promotion as Army Commander.

Gen Dalbir Singh made the allegation in an affidavit filed by him in his personal capacity while responding to a petition moved by Lt Gen (Retd) Ravi Dastane who had alleged “favouritism” during his selection as the Army Commander.

“I was sought to be victimised by the then COAS with the sole purpose of denying promotion to the appointment of Army Commander. False, baseless and imaginary allegations of lapses were levelled against me in the show cause notice (of May 19, 2012),” Gen Dalbir Singh said. V K Singh is currently the Minister of State for External Affairs.

“Despite their being no evidence against me at the Court of Inquiry, the show cause notice was issued malafidely,” he said, adding that, “no material whatsoever of attendant circumstances was provided to me. The show cause notice issued, beside suffering from vagueness, was premeditated and also against the principles of natural justice”.

Dalbir Singh was placed under a discipline and vigilance (DV) ban by the then COAS V K Singh in 2012 for his alleged “failure of command and control” after a Court of Inquiry was ordered into an operation carried out in Jorhat, Assam on the night of December 20-21, 2011 by the 3 Corps Intelligence and Surveillance Unit.

Dalbir Singh, who was the then General Officer Commanding of the unit, said that the imposition of DV ban upon him and issuance of show cause notice by the then COAS “was illegal and premeditated”.

“It is thus established that I was victimized for extraneous reasons by the then COAS and hence the illegal imposition of DV ban by the then COAS could not be made the basis by the apellant to challenge my appointment as GOC-in-C, Eastern Command. In fact, it is the answering respondent who is the victim and not the appellant, as is sought to be made by him,” he said.

The affidavit further said, “The passing of directions for initiating administrative action against me after about one month of having already finalised the Court of Inquiry smacks of a motivated, biased, arbitrary and malicious intent to punish me which the then COAS executed apparently as planned by him”.

Regarding the Jorhat operation, Dalbir Singh has said in his affidavit that “on that day, I was away on part of annual leave and rejoined duty on 26 Dec 2011”.

Dalbir Singh’s promotion as GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, with effect from June 15, 2012 was cleared by General Bikram Singh who had reversed the DV ban after V K Singh had retired on May 31, 2012.

Dastane has alleged in his plea that he was eligible to be the Army Commander but was denied the opportunity by General Bikram Singh who had favoured Dalbir Singh despite the fact that he was under a DV ban at the relevant time.

The Ministry of Defence, in its affidavit filed earlier in the apex court, had rejected Dastane’s contentions and had also censured the manner in which V K Singh had placed Dalbir Singh under DV ban.

(PTI)

Udupi: VHP, Bajrang Dal activists kill BJP worker for transporting cows

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Praveen Poojary

Udupi: In a shocking incident, a group of miscreants belonging to Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal beat up a youth to death for involving in illegal cow transportation near Hebri village in Karkala taluk of Udupi district last night.

The miscreants came to know that the ill-fated cow trafficker was also an activist of Bhartiya Janata Party only after the attack.

The BJP activist Praveen Poojary (29), a resident of Kenjur and cattle trader by profession, breathed his last in a hospital, hours after the attack. His aide Akshay Devadiga (22), who was also injured in the attack, is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The incident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. when Praveen Poojary was loading three cows into a Tata Ace for transportation at Kadike in Santhekatte near Hebri village. Akshay Devadiga was also present.

On receiving the information, nearly 30 VHP and Bajrang Dal activists surrounded the vehicle and attacked Poojary with lethal weapons. Devadiga, who came to his recue, was also assaulted brutally by the miscreants.

The assailants left the spot only after Poojary revealed that he was a BJP worker and had campaigned for the saffron party during last Lok Sabha elections. Though Poojary and Devadiga were rushed to a hospital by local residents, the former breathed his last without responding to any treatment.

Udupi SP KP Balakrishna confirmed to Coastaldigest.com that 18 persons have been arrested for their involvement in the attack. It is learnt that he attack was led by Arvind Sherigar, a VHP member, who runs a petrol bunk.

The Udupi district unit of BJP, which always encouraged the violent acts so of called gau rakshaks, is now in a dilemma as they have killed their own man.

(Agencies)

Najma Heptullah to be Manipur Governor

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najma_heptullah11

New Delhi: Former Union Minister Najma Heptulla was on Wednesday made governor of Manipur while ex-Rajya Sabha MP VP Singh Badnore goes to Punjab in new gubernatorial appointments announced for four states with all of them being associated with the BJP.

Banwarilal Purohit, a three-time former member of Lok Sabha from Nagpur and managing editor of Central India’s daily ‘The Hitavada’, will be the governor of Assam while Delhi-based BJP leader and former MLA Prof Jagdish Mukhi was made Lt governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique.
Heptulla, 76, had last month resigned as Minority Affairs Minister from Union Cabinet.

The resignation had come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is believed to have set an unwritten writ of ’75-year age bar’ for ministers and had kept veterans like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi out of the Cabinet and co-opted them in ‘Margdarshak Mandal’.

Meghalaya governor V Shanmuganathan was holding the additional charge as Manipur governor.

68-year-old Badnore, who hails from Rajasthan, will be the new governor of Punjab, the communique said. Haryana governor Kaptan Singh Solanki was holding additional charge of Punjab, which goes to polls next year, after Shivraj Patil’s term ended last year.

Nagaland governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya was holding additional charge as Assam governor, a post which will now be assumed by 76-year-old Purohit.

Professor Jagdish Mukhi, who has been member of Delhi legislative assembly from Janakpuri constituency, has been appointed as Lt governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the communique said.

73-year-old Mukhi has been appointed in place of Lt General (Retd) A K Singh, it said.

(PTI)

AOL event ‘completely destroyed’ Yamuna floodplains, NGT told

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Ravishankar Art of Living

New Delhi: The ‘World Culture Festival’ extravaganza organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living (AOL) on Yamuna has “completely destroyed” the riverbed, an expert committee has told by the National Green Tribunal.

“The committee observes that entire floodplain area used for the main event site i.e. between DND flyover and the Barapulla drain (on the right bank of river Yamuna) has been completely destroyed, not simply damaged. The ground is now totally levelled, compacted and hardened and is totally devoid of waterbodies or depressions and almost completely devoid of any vegetation.

“The area where the grand stage was erected (and the area immediately behind it) is heavily consolidated – most likely with a different kind of external material used to level the ground and compress it. Huge amount of earth and debris have been dumped to construct the ramps for access from the DND flyover and from the two pontoon bridges across the Barapulla drain,” the expert committee, set up by the NGT, told a bench headed by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.

The tribunal had directed the seven-member expert committee headed by Shashi Shekhar, Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources, and senior scientists and experts from National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, IIT, Delhi and other agencies to inspect the site of the World Culture Festival was held this year.

The committee, in its 47-page report, has said that due to the three-day event, the floodplain has lost “almost all its natural vegetation” like trees, shrubs, tall grasses, aquatic vegetation including water hyacinth which provides habitat to large number of animals, insects and mud-dwelling organisms.

“These organisms were rendered homeless, driven away by intense activity and many were consigned to graves under the debris. This is invisible loss of biodiversity which cannot be easily assessed and most may never be able to return. Far more significant changes are expected in the micro-organisms which are critical to ecosystem functioning,” it said.

The report further states that construction of ramps and roads, alteration of water bodies and flattening of the ground has completely damaged the diversity of habitats.

“The physical damage in the floodplain and its wetlands include a change in topography which has a direct bearing on the diversity of habitats. Construction of ramps and roads, filling up of waterbodies and levelling of the ground together with compaction have almost completely eliminated the natural physical features and the diversity of habitats,” the report said.

(PTI)

India rejects Pak’s proposal for FS-level talks on Kashmir

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Photo: AFP

Photo: AFP

Islamabad: India today rejected Pakistan’s proposal to hold Foreign Secretary-level talks on Kashmir and asserted that it would like to discuss aspects related to cross-border terrorism which are central to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Responding to Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry’s invitation, India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar expressed his willingness to travel to Islamabad but maintained Pakistan has no locus standi in addressing any aspect of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which is an internal matter of India, except to put an end to cross-border terrorism and infiltration.

The response was handed over to Pakistan by Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad Gautam Bambawale.

“Since aspects related to cross-border terrorism are central to the current situation in J&K, we have proposed that discussions between the Foreign Secretaries be focused on them.

“We have also conveyed that Government of India rejects in their entirety the self-serving allegations regarding the situation in J&K, which is an integral part of India where Pakistan has no locus standi,” the sources added.

Pakistan on Monday had invited India for talks on Kashmir, saying it is the “international obligation” of both the countries to resolve the issue.

The invitation was extended amid tension in bilateral ties due to the war of words between the two nations over the issue.

Last week, while reacting to a statement by Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz regarding the invitation, India had made it clear that it would talk on “contemporary and relevant” issues in Indo-Pak relations and at this time it included stoppage of Pak-supported cross-border terrorism.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup had said: “India would welcome a dialogue on contemporary and relevant issues in India-Pakistan relations. At this time they include a stoppage of Pakistani support for cross-border terrorism, infiltration of terrorists like Bahadur Ali.

“Incitement to violence and terrorism across the border, parading of internationally recognised terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin, and sincere follow up on the Mumbai attack trial and the Pathankot attack investigation in Pakistan.”

India and Pakistan have been engaged in a war of words over the statements by Islamabad on the situation in Kashmir which is witnessing unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani last month.

Wani was described as a martyr by Pakistan, which has also tried to internationalise the Kashmir issue while India has been maintaining that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the Valley is the root cause of the turbulence.

(Agencies)

Canadian International School Celebrated the 20 th anniversary with an Alumni Meet

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The Principal lighting the lamp

The culmination of the 20th anniversary celebrations and the first ever, exclusive alumni meet was held on campus on Aug 12th. Alumni from the world over visited the school and shared their stories about CIS. The evening was filled with fun and nostalgia, where the pillars of CIS’s strength, its teachers and admin staff, were felicitated.

The Evening started with a band playing in the basketball courts and then everyone moved to The Odeum for an alumni meet and honoring of all the staff of CIS.

The first registered student of CIS was present and many more from all corners of the world. Each one came up and spoke about their experience studying in CIS and those that couldn’t make it sent video clips with their thoughts.

The entire show was live streamed on the Alumni Facebook page so graduates who could not attend the event could watch it live.

Sheweta Sastri, the Executive Director had to say this about the event “It was a pleasure to see so many alumni on campus. The 3rd event in in our celebration of 20 years series was a runaway success! Every teacher and member of staff received gifts from the school. The anecdotes and memories shared by CIS Alumna were those they will cherish for a long long time. What a wonderful evening!”

Established in 1996, the Canadian International School or CIS, is celebrating 20 glorious years. Among the other milestones on the way is the fact that they were the first school in Bangalore to start offering the IB Diploma programme in the year 2000. The current Board of Directors (ownership team of Sterling Developers) took over the school in 2002, built the current campus, and moved to it in 2006 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the school.

2016, is a landmark year for the school. 3 Marquee events were planned to celebrate 20 years. Jan 2016, saw the inauguration of “The Odeum”, – a 470 seat, state-of- the-art performing arts theatre – with a performance,”Isha Rumi” by Sunaad, a group of Indian classical singers. The vision for The Odeum is for it to become the cornerstone for performing arts in North Bangalore, given that this area does not have any comparable performance venue.

On March 22nd 2016 (the date of incorporation 20 years ago), a huge carnival was organised on campus for students and parents and friends of CIS. The finale on the that day was the going live of their solar project, which ensures that CIS meets all of its electricity requirements from solar power, and any excess energy produced is given back to the grid for use by surrounding homes and villages. CIS is doing its bit to reduce the world’s carbon footprint.

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