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Archives for March 2018

Minister Pramod Madhwaraj’s campaign vehicle seized for running without permit

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The district officials on Wednesday, March 28 seized district in-charge minister Pramod Madhwaraj’s campaign vehicle.
The team led by probationary IAS officer Poovitha seized the vehicle for using it for campaigning without permission.
The campaign vehicle has a party symbol and minister’s picture on it. It is alleged that the vehicle was used for campaigning ahead of Assembly polls without getting prior permission.

Confirming the news IAS officer Poovitha said, “Licence was issued until March 31. Since the model code of conduct came into effect soon after the Election Commission declared Karnataka election dates on March 27, they were supposed to renew the vehicle licence, which they did not. As per IPC section, for violation of model of conduct by exposing the vehicle to the public, the officials seized it. The driver and the party are at fault. Under Media Certification Monitoring Commitee, action has been taken by the officials and court will decide the further course of action.”
FIR registering process against Block Congress president and the committee is under process, she added.
The campaign vehicle had run into controversy over absence of Congress symbol and pictures of party leaders on the vehicle, stirring speculations of Madhwaraj joining the BJP. A picture of Pramod Madhwaraj was displayed prominently on it with the message: ‘The leader who walked the talk’. ‘My step towards development, let your step be with mine’ was also inscribed on the campaign vehicle. He was criticized for not reflecting any achievements of the government on the vehicle. However, Madhwaraj dismissed all speculations saying the video played inside the vehicle was all about Congress, and that his fans had arranged the vehicle.
Later, the Congress symbol was appeared alongside Madhwaraj’s picture.

Pakistan TV gets first transgender newscaster

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A Pakistani news channel has hired the country’s first transgender TV newsreader.

Marvia Malik, a journalism graduate who has also worked as a model, told the BBC Urdu she was moved to tears when she was offered the job.

She anchored her first show on private broadcaster Kohenoor TV on Friday, after three months of training. Transgenders face discrimination in Pakistan and many struggle to find work. Some are forced into begging, dancing or prostitution to earn money.

Malik told the BBC she had to stop herself from screaming with joy when she learnt she had got the job. “The dream that I saw for myself, I was able to climb on the first stair to achieving it,” she said.

Malik said she hoped her work would help improve the lives of Pakistan’s transgender community.

“Our community should be treated equally and there must not be any gender discrimination. We should be given equal rights and be considered ordinary citizens, (not as) third gender.”

The owner of Kohenoor, Junaid Ansari, told Voice Of America that Malik was selected on merit, not on gender issues.

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Senate voted to support a bill protecting the rights of transgender people and allowing them to determine their own gender identity.

(Ians)

A mere Rs 1 cr for tribal scheme in 2016-17, Congress-ruled states ignored

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The allocation for a Centre-sponsored tribal welfare scheme launched in 2014 has come down to a mere Rs 1 crore ($154,000) in 2016-17 from Rs 200 crore in 2015-16 and Rs 100 crore in 2014-15, according to an RTI reply that also indicates that the lion’s share of the allocations went to BJP-ruled tribal states while Congress-ruled states were ignored.

The Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY) was launched in 2014 by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs for the overall development of the country’s estimated 60 million tribal population, the indigenous people.

It was included as a Central Sector Scheme in the ministry’s annual plan with an initial allocation of Rs 100 crore for 2014-15.

However, the then Congress-ruled states of Meghalaya, Manipur (both predominantly tribal states), Congress-ruled Karnataka and Uttarakhand (which then had a Congress-led government) don’t feature in the list provided by the ministry.

Among the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states that did not feature in the list are Goa, Haryana and Punjab (then ruled by SAD-BJP alliance). The last two don’t have any tribal population.

Andhra Pradesh received Rs 10 crore in 2014-15 and Rs 5 crore in 2015-16. Arunachal Pradesh got not even a penny in 2014-15 while in 2015-16 it got Rs 6 crore.

Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal received no funds under the scheme in 2014-15. However, in 2015-16, Tamil Nadu received Rs 7 crore, Uttar Pradesh Rs 2 crore and West Bengal Rs 2.45 crore.

Assam and Bihar too did not receive any amount in 2014-15, while in 2015-16, they got Rs 8.52 crore and Rs. 7.6 crore, respectively.

BJP-ruled states got the lion’s share under the Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana. Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan were allocated Rs 10 crore each in 2014-15.

In 2015-16, Chhattisgarh received Rs 13.84 crore, Gujarat got Rs 17.23 crore, Jharkhand Rs 13.44 crore, Madhya Pradesh Rs 19.09 crore, Maharashtra’s share was Rs 14 crore and Rajasthan got Rs 10.46 crore.

On the other hand, Himachal Pradesh was allocated Rs 10 crore in 2014-15 while it received a zero sum in 2015-16.

Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala too did not receive any amount in 2014-15. In 2015-16, J&K and Kerala got Rs 5 crore and Rs 3 crore lakh , respectively.

Odisha got Rs 10 crore in 2014-15 and Rs 16.50 crore in 2015-16.

Other northeastern states like Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura — all of which have substantial tribal populations — received no funds in 2014-15. However, in 2015-16, Mizoram got Rs 4.95 crore, Nagaland received Rs 7.66 crore, Sikkim Rs 3.82 crore and Tripura Rs 6.13 crore.

Telangana, meanwhile, got Rs 10 crore in 2014-15 and in 2015-16, it was allocated Rs 42.7 crore.

Stressing that the Adivasis were in bad shape, Congress President Rahul Gandhi had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the Gujarat election last year and asked: “Where did the Rs 55,000 crore meant for the Vanbandhu scheme go?”

This was Gandhi’s 10th question as part of a Congress strategy wherein he would put one question daily to Modi ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls. He had apparently got his figures wrong.

“Neglect left Adivasi society in tatters, Modiji, where did Rs 55,000 crore for the Vanbandhu scheme go?” Gandhi had asked.

(Ians)

NASA delays launch of next-gen space telescope until 2020

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NASA is now targeting May 2020 for the launch of its James Webb Space Telescope, the $8 billion dollar Hubble successor.
The announcement on Tuesday made after an independent assessment of remaining tasks for the highly complex space observatory further pushes the launch target of the next-generation space telescope by about a year.

“Webb is the highest priority project for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate, and the largest international space science project in US history,” said acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot.

“All the observatory’s flight hardware is now complete, however, the issues brought to light with the spacecraft element are prompting us to take the necessary steps to refocus our efforts on the completion of this ambitious and complex observatory,” Lightfoot said.

Testing the hardware on the observatory’s telescope element and spacecraft element demonstrate that these systems individually meet their requirements.

However, recent findings from the project’s Standing Review Board (SRB) indicate more time is needed to test and integrate these components together and then perform environmental testing at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Redondo Beach, California, the project’s observatory contractor.

NASA said it is also establishing an external Independent Review Board (IRB), chaired by Thomas Young, a highly respected NASA and industry veteran who is often called on to chair advisory committees and analyse organisational and technical issues.

NASA will consider the findings and recommendations of both the boards’ findings for defining a more specific launch time frame.

The US space agency will then provide its assessment in a report to Congress this summer.

Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.

NASA will work with its partner, ESA, on a new launch readiness date for the Ariane 5 vehicle that will launch Webb into space.

ESA is providing the Ariane 5 as part of its scientific collaboration.

Once a new launch readiness date is determined, NASA said it will provide a cost estimate that may exceed the projected $8 billion development cost to complete the final phase of testing and prepare for launch.

Additional steps to address project challenges include increasing NASA engineering oversight, personnel changes, and new management reporting structures.

“Considering the investment NASA and our international partners have made, we want to proceed systematically through these last tests, with the additional time necessary, to be ready for a May 2020 launch,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

(Ians)

Kerala Assembly adopts bill to hike salaries of MLAs

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The Kerala Assembly has passed a bill proposing to nearly double the salaries and allowances of ministers, MLAs, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader of Opposition, and chief whip with effect from April 1.

With the revision, the salaries and allowances of ministers and others would increase to Rs 90,500 from Rs 55,000 and that of MLAs from Rs 39,500 to Rs 70,000.

The bill suggesting revision of salaries and allowances was based on the recommendation of Justice (retd) J M James Commission.

The last revision was made in 2012.

“During the last five years, prices of all commodities, including petrol, diesel, electricity have increased manifold,” the bill, which was adopted yesterday, stated in its statement of Objects and Reasons.

As per the revision, the constituency allowances of ministers will go up from Rs 12,000 to Rs 40,000 per month and that of legislators, from Rs 12,000 per month to Rs 25,000.

The bill introduced a new provision for air travel allowance to MLAs for travel inside and outside the state, with a cap of Rs 50,000 per year for attending assembly committee meetings.

With regard to the financial implication of the revision, the bill stated that Kerala would incur an additional recurring expenditure of approximately Rs 5.25 crore per year.

A separate bill to increase the pension amount of former MLAs by Rs 1,000 was also adopted.

The maximum pension to which a member is eligible in the aggregate was fixed at Rs 50,000 per month from the existing Rs 35,000

US government installations receive suspicious packages

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Several US government installations near Washington, including three military sites, received suspicious packages in the mail, the FBI reported on Tuesday.

Besides the military installations at Fort McNair and the Anacostia-Bolling naval base, both in Washington, the headquarters of the CIA, Fort Belvoir and the Naval Surface Warfare Center — the latter three in Virginia — also received suspicious packages, Efe reported.

“The FBI responded to multiple government facilities today for the reports of suspicious packages,” the FBI said in a statement. “Each package was collected for further analysis by the FBI.”

The FBI also said that the packages had been determined to contain “potential destructive devices,” adding that they were apparently mailed from Seattle and announcing that one suspect has been arrested.

The man, identified as Thanh Cong Phan, 43, “was taken into custody by FBI Seattle and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at his residence in Everett, Washington,” the bureau said.

Authorities warned, however, that it is possible that the suspect sent other package bombs that may not yet have arrived at their destinations, and so it is working with the US Postal Service to either locate such packages or rule out the possibility that they are in the mail.

Despite the fact that no official details have been released about the mailings, it is known that at least one of the objects, the one received at the National Defense University at Fort McNair, contained a black powder – which could be gunpowder – a fuse and a GPS device, although authorities rendered it harmless.

As a precaution, one of the buildings at the military installation, located in southern Washington, was evacuated, ABC News reported.

The sending of these packages comes at an especially delicate time, after Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, sowed terror for several weeks in and around Austin, Texas, by sending at least five package bombs to various locations, causing the deaths of two people and injuring five others.

Last Wednesday, as authorities were closing in to arrest him, Conditt detonated a bomb he had with him, killing himself.

(Ians)

Angry Russians protest over shopping mall fire

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Thousands of angry Russians took to the streets in the Siberian city of Kemerovo demanding a full investigation into a shopping mall fire that claimed the lives of 64 people — 41 of them children.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who flew to the city to offer his condolences to the victims’ families, declared three days of national mourning beginning on Wednesday. He blamed the blaze on “criminal negligence” and promised that those responsible would be held accountable, Sputnik news agency reported.

Deputy Emergencies Minister Vladlen Aksyonov said that rescue workers recovered the bodies of all 64 victims and they were handed over to Russia’s Investigative Committee.

However, relatives said as many as 85 people were still missing, most of them children, according to Interfax news agency.

The deadly blaze swept through the four-storey Winter Cherry shopping mall on Sunday, the first weekend of school holidays, trapping many families who had gathered at a children’s play area and cinema hall there.

Russian investigators said the mall’s fire exits were blocked and a fire safety technician at the complex “switched off the alarm system” after being alerted about the fire.

The cause of the fire was not yet known, but Russia’s Investigative Committee spoke of “serious violations” at the shopping mall.

It said a criminal investigation into the cause of the fire had begun, although reports suggested that it could have been started by a child misusing a cigarette lighter or malfunctioning electrical wires.

A video released by Putin’s press office showed him laying roses at a makeshift memorial scattered with candles and toys. “What is happening here?”, Putin said after laying a wreath at the scene. “This is no battle or an unexpected methane outburst in a mine.”

“People, children came to relax. We are talking about demography and are losing so many people because of what? Because of criminal negligence, sloppiness,” he said.

Putin did not meet with demonstrators in Kemerovo, who had gathered in front of the local administration office to call for a full probe into the fire. They also demanded that officials be sacked over the fire safety shortcomings.

Members of the distraught crowd cast doubt on the official death toll and demanded that the Forensic Examiner’s Office verify the number, TASS news agency reported.

Footage from the scene showed riot police standing between protesters and the municipal building. “A lot of children died. They died because of irresponsibility of management,” said one protester Svetlana Shestakova.

The main slogans were “Truth!” and “Resign!” — directed at local officials. Dozens of people vowed to stay on the square until Kemerovo’s Governor Aman Tuleyev resigns.

However, Putin said “it was not right to apportion blame right away.” He added that officials at every level will be closely investigated.

Out of 64 bodies, 25 were identified which included 13 children. An official in the emergency services said that another 68 people were injured and poisoned with combustion products. Putin also visited the injured in Kemerovo’s regional hospital.

Meanwhile, the head of the city’s fire department Sergei Yakovlev said that the blaze had spread via flammable thermal insulation that complicated the process of extinguishing the inferno.

(Ians)

CM instructs cabinet colleagues against courting unwanted controversies

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Karnataka chief minister, Siddaramaiah, being a seasoned politician, took time to brief his ministerial colleagues how to conduct themselves till the assembly election is held and stay clear of unwanted controversies, in view of the fact that election model code of conduct has come into force.

The cabinet meeting on Tuesday was expected to approve certain projects. In view of the announcement of the election by the commission, the meeting confined itself to just ratifying the decisions taken at the earlier meeting.

Siddaramaiah, while exuding confidence that Congress will spring back to power in Karnataka, gave some suggestions to the ministers. He told them about the necessity to be very choosy and careful when delivering speeches or issuing statements. He asked them to desist from making any controversial statements which could harm the party’s chances in the election. He also wanted issues between party leaders to be settled among themselves instead of referring them to state level leadership.

The chief minister is learnt to have told his colleagues that anti incumbency factor is not in play in Karnataka now. He asked the ministers to remain upbeat and spread awareness among the people about the people-friendly programmes of the government. He said that district in-charge ministers will have the responsibility to ensure that the party comes out victorious in as many constituencies as possible in their respective districts. He wanted revenue minister, Kagodu Thimmappa, and rural development and panchayat raj minister, H K Patil, to convene a meeting to assess about the drinking water situation in the state in view of increasing temperature and summer season.

Addressing media persons later, law and parliamentary affairs minister, T B Jayachandra, stated that several ministers discussed the issue of worsening drinking water situation in different districts. He mentioned that the issue of drinking water does not fall under the ambit of model code of conduct. He said that the meeting wanted to assess the fund needed to attend to water requirement like supply of water and digging of borewells. He added that the government has also taken up with the centre the need to grant four month extension to state chief secretary, Ratna Prabha, as she is scheduled to retire on March 31. He said that if the centre does not permit extension of her service, then alternative measures would have to be looked into.

A Unique Opportunity for City Students to Participate in The Doon School’s Summer Leadership Programme

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The Doon School – Dehradun, India’s pre-eminent boarding school, has announced its residential ‘Summer @ Doon Leadership Programme’ from 2nd to 16th June 2018. The programme is open to all aspiring girls and boys in Grades 9-12 who are passionate about making a positive impact on the world around them.

Application for this programme closes on April 30th, 2018.
This dynamic and thought-provoking leadership programme will be a blend of creative experiential learning, leadership case studies, design thinking, motivational lectures, outdoor adventures, self-reflection and group interaction. The programme will allow students to expand their horizons across many disciplines and learn through the lenses of psychology, history, geography, philosophy, and economics.
A critically important element will be the relationship between leadership, social service, and environmental responsibility. This programme will ensure that boys and girls develop a deeper understanding of what successful leadership is all about and what is required to demonstrate it in the 21st Century in the context of a developing society in an increasingly globalized world. The programme will be taught by many of the school’s experienced staff as well as by Doon School alumni and other special guests.

“The Doon School has long been associated with innovative thinking and leadership and is passionate about being at the forefront of educational opportunity for its students”, said Mr. Matthew Raggett, Headmaster. “Summer @ Doon seeks to create a very special experience that will enable a wider student body of girls and boys to discover essential qualities within themselves that will help them on their journey of action, leadership, service, and fulfillment.”
“The two-week long programme will be an adventure that promises to be challenging and intellectually demanding, enabling students to meet and make like-minded friends, and to learn from each other and the adults leading Summer @ Doon”, added Mr. Raggett.

The course opened in 2014 and has received rave reviews. Some past students have said, “I’ve become more confident and done things that I would never have dared to do before.” Palak Mehta
“All the outdoor activities were meaningful and taught me about endurance. It was a very intellectual, interactive and fun experience.” Zoravar Singh Paintal
For more details about the Summer @ Doon Leadership programme,

ABOUT THE DOON SCHOOL
The Doon School aims to be an institution of excellence, dedicated to finding and developing exceptional students from all backgrounds to serve a meritocratic India. Founded in 1935 by Satish Ranjan Das, The Doon School has had a long and distinguished history on India’s tradition-enriched soil. It offers programmes that lead to the Cambridge IGCSE, ISC and IB Diploma to 560 boys between the ages of 12 and 18 in a fully residential environment. A significant number of students, who come from every socio-economic background and from 26 Indian states, receive scholarships or bursaries as part of the school’s mission to attract exceptional boys irrespective of their religion, caste or economic background.

The curriculum is broad and provides a balance of intellectual challenge, creative problem solving and adventure in addition to a strong sporting tradition and love of the arts. Service, social responsibility and leadership are part of the school’s curriculum and are embedded in its ethos.

Since its foundation, the school has produced many distinguished alumni in all walks of life, including Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, many chief ministers of Indian states, ambassadors and luminaries in the world of arts and letters such as sculptor Anish Kapoor and authors Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh and Ramachandra Guha. Doon is a member of the Round Square Organisation, The Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) and the International Boys’ School Coalition (IBSC) and is also an IB World School.

S. Africa to investigate Indian family’s citizenship

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South African Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs said on Tuesday it will institute a full-scale inquiry into the Indian Gupta family’s citizenship.

Terms of reference for an inquiry will be drawn up once all information has been gathered from the Home Affairs Department and Parliament, said Acting Committee Chairperson Donald Gumede, Xinhua reported.


Members of parliament prepare to vote for or against the motion of no confidence against South African president, Jacob Zuma in the South African parliament, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017, in Cape Town, South Africa. While the president has survived several such votes in the past, this is the first to be conducted by secret ballot. (AP Photo/Rodger Bosch Pool Photo via AP)

“The decision really is to collect all information to decide whether we need a full investigative inquiry or not. In principle, we are not against it,” Gumede said.

This decision drew immediate applause from the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA).

The DA had requested that the committee launch an investigation into the controversy surrounding the naturalization of the Gupta family, which is accused of collaborating with former president Jacob Zuma and some senior government officials in looting from the state coffers, known as state capture.

South African police have launched a manhunt for some of the Gupta family members, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

The DA reveals that more Gupta family members have been granted South African citizenship than previously known.

This information was never revealed or reported to Parliament, as is required by law, the DA said.

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba and his department only explained the circumstances surrounding the naturalization of five Gupta family members granted South African citizenship and registered as voters on the Independent Electoral Committee database, according to the DA.

The DA will ensure that Gigaba and the Guptas have no opportunity to dodge accounting to Parliament, said Haniff Hoosen, DA Shadow Minister of Home Affairs.

“We look forward to this inquiry and ensure that those found guilty of any corruption will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Hoosen said.

Also on Tuesday, Gigaba refused to take the responsibility for granting citizenship to the Gupta family members.

He told MPs that former ministers of his portfolio should also go to Parliament to account for the naturalization of the Guptas.

The Guptas entered South Africa in the early 1990s, therefore the ministers of home affairs at that time should be called here to answer what were the reasons provided to grant them citizenship, Gigaba said.

The Guptas were naturalized between 2002 and 2006.

The ministers of home affairs at that time must come and answer questions about what were the conditions at the time, said Gigaba.

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