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Archives for January 2019

Karan Johar emotional to walk ramp at Royal Opera House

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[Nasheman news] Mumbai For filmmaker Karan Johar, walking the ramp at the Royal Opera House here brought back a flurry of childhood memories.

Karan was one of the star showstoppers apart from Tabu for designer Gaurav Gupta’s opening show for the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/Resort 2019 at the iconic venue, which continues to hold significance in the cultural fabric of contemporary Mumbai.

After the show here on Tuesday night, he said: “This is very emotional moment for me. I have so many memories of watching movies in this particular space. Royal Opera House is where I have come as a child several times, watched movies, and I can’t believe that this has now transformed into this hugely iconic space.

“Just walking the ramp in this particular place makes me feel like life is completing an entire circle.”

While talking about life in circles and orbiting things that are beautiful, Karan said these things make him think of Gupta. whose work, he feels, comes with an edge.

On walking the ramp, the filmmaker who was dressed in black with a red embellished blazer adding spunk to the look.

“When I heard Tabu was opening the show, it was kind of a given that I will be here because Tabu and I go a long way back and I do believe in what Gaurav said that she is truly one of the country’s best actors — versatile like Gaurav’s garments, adaptive like Gaurav’s garments and timeless like Gaurav’s garments,” said Karan, who was recently in Davos for the World Economic Forum.

300mn people’s promotion to winter sports already works: IOC chief

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[Nasheman news] Beijing Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), gave thumps-up to China’s vision of promoting 300 million people to winter sports and said he is very sure about the success of the Games during a visit to Beijing 2022 competition zones here on Tuesday.

“We can see the great progress, but what is even more important is we can see the plan raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping to make 300 million people familiar with winter sports obviously already works,” Bach told Xinhua after visiting the Zhangjiakou and Yanqing competition zones.

“We have met many children who love winter sports. We have seen athletes practicing winter sports. We have seen the halfpipe and other slopes which are already hosting the World Cups. The progress is really impressive,” he added.

Beijing 2022’s vision of giving 300 million people in China access to winter sports has already been visible. According to official statistics, by October 2018, more than 800 ski facilities have been built and about 50 million Chinese citizens have skied for at least once, influencing about 150 million to participate in winter sports directly or indirectly.

Beijing 2022 will utilise 24 competition and non-competition venues located in three competition clusters of downtown Beijing, Yanqing district and Zhangjiakou of Hebei province.

During the visit, Bach first went to the Zhangjiakou competition zone, which is located in Chongli district, about four hours’ drive from the capital. With a total of eight competition and non-competition venues, the zone will host two sports, six disciplines and 51 medal events.

All of the venue construction in the zone has started. Bach was impressed with the design concept of the National Ski Jumping Center, the venue for ski jumping and Nordic combined. 

At the Genting Snow Park, home to competitions of freestyle skiing and snowboarding, Bach interacted with Chinese snowboarders training at the halfpipe of Genting, among whom Li Fanghui just won bronze medal at the snowboard halfpipe World Cup held here last December.

Bach gave Li a pin of the Olympic rings and said, “I wish you good luck in 2020. When I get this (pin) back, I hope to give you a gold medal instead.” Li replied by saying she will do her best to win a gold medal in Beijing 2022.

Bach then visited Yanqing Zone of Beijing, which is situated in the mountainous area of Xiaohaituo Mountain. It has a total of three competition and non-competition venues.

A series of environmental protection measures have been carried out before and during the construction in Yanqing in a bid to deliver a “Green Olympics”. The venue construction includes the transplanting of trees in the mountains above 800 meters above sea level. 

To better protect the trees, experts from Beijing Forestry University conducted an ecological background survey on this area and worked out a protective transplant plan.

At the National Alpine Ski Center and National Sliding Center deep into the mountain, Bach encouraged engineers and builders to create architectures of its era.

“The organizing committee is doing excellent work. We see very thorough and detailed planning. We see all the schedules are respected so far. It’s the Chinese way. We are really very sure about the completion of the work at the right time and also the success of the Olympic Games,” Bach said.

Temperatures rise across Himachal, snow likely

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[Nasheman news] ShimlaThe hills of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday saw a marginal rise in temperatures due to a dry spell, but the Met has forecast rain and snowfall over the next two days till Friday.

“There are chances of rainfall and snow till February 1,” Meteorological Office Director Manmohan Singh told IANS.

He said the western disturbances — storm systems originating from Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region — would be active in the region.

Most of the prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Manali and Dalhousie — located in mid-hills — might see snowfall, he added.

Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest place in the state with a low of minus 14 degrees Celsius against Tuesday’s minus 16.2 degrees.

The state capital recorded a minimum at 2.2 degrees. It saw a rise of 1.4 degrees from Tuesday.

Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius, while it was minus 2.4 degrees in Manali, 3.4 degrees in Kufri, 1.3 degrees in Dalhousie and 2.2 degrees in Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama lives.

Gandhi remembered on his death anniversary

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[NASHEMAN NEWS] New Delhi President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday paid their tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary.

“On Martyrs’ Day, we gratefully remember Mahatma Gandhi and the countless freedom fighters who sacrificed their all for our Independence,” the President tweeted. 

Modi said: “We reiterate our commitment to follow the path shown by him and abide by the values he stood for. 

“We salute all the martyrs who laid down their lives for India. The country remains eternally grateful to them for their service and sacrifice.” 

Sharing a quote by the Father of the Nation, Rahul Gandhi paid tributes to the leader of the Indian independence movement, who was assassinated on this day. 

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its weak and vulnerable members are treated,” Gandhi tweeted. 

Besides, Chief Ministers of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee also paid homage to Gandhi. 

“Let us not forget the fact that it is the hatred bred by the fundamentalist ideology of Sangh that took away Bapu. Let us also not forget the fact that it is the same ideology that is staring at us with its ugliest face yet, now,” Kejriwal tweeted. 

India’s largest financial scam, Rs 1 lakh crore of public money lent to DHFL

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In what appears to be the biggest financial scam in Indian history, the primary promoters of DHFL have been found to have siphoned off more than Rs. 31,000 crore of public money. The scam has primarily been carried out through grants of loans and advances to shell companies and by using other means. Money has also been routed through these dubious companies and parked outside India, to acquire assets. Cobrapost has unearthed the scam by closely analyzing documents available with public authorities and information available in public domain.

Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan happens to be the brand ambassador of this group.

The biggest victim of this alleged scam, according to Cobrapost, are Indian banks that are already reeling under enormous stress due to scams hitting the PNB, AXIS BANK and ICICI.

As illustrated in the table, together these banks have a cumulative liability of a whopping Rs 96,880 crore. These are mostly public sector banks with the exception of Kotak, ICICI, HDFC and Axis. Loans issued by the State Bank of India amounts to Rs 11,650 crore, while Bank of Baroda and Bank India loaned more than Rs 4,000 crores each.

Today’s revelation comes just days after the federal probe agency CBI booked former CEO and MD of ICICI, Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and Venugopal Dhoot, the promoter of Videocon along with several other big names from the banking industry in connection with a Rs 3,250 crore scam.

The anatomy of the scam, as highlighted by Cobrapost, has repercussions for the larger financial system in India. As an industry practice, loans are advanced to companies and are secured by not only the properties of the borrowers company but also by personal guaranty of the promoters of the companies.

By lending to shell companies without due diligence, the DHFL has ensured that the recovery of such dubious loans is impossible since the companies or their directors themselves do not own any assets.This way the properties/private wealth acquired by the Wadhawans and their associates by using the funds from these dubious loans are completely ring-fenced from any recovery process.

Another highlight of today’s expose by Cobrapost is the donation made by a group of companies belonging to DHFL to the ruling BJP. In total, companies owned by the DHFL have donated Rs 19.6 crore to the BJP. One of the subsidiaries, RK Developers, had hidden their donation of Rs 9.93 crore made to the BJP in their balance sheet.

The role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come under a huge scanner after his close friends Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi fled India by defaulting the PNB worth over Rs 5,000 crore of loans. The opposition Congress has been causing grief to the ruling BJP and PM Modi for his alleged complicity in aiding Nirav Modi and Choksi to commit the large scale scam.

With the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in less than two months time, this expose is bound to have serious ramifications on the political discourse. It remains to be seen if the government will act with a lookout notice against the Wadhawans before they also leave India just like Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi did.

Courtesy : Cobrapost Exposes

Nepal’s Chhaupadi Tradition

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The Practice Of Exiling Menstruating Women & Girls From Their Homes & 0ften To A Cow Shed

 By: Husna Rizwan 

The tragic recent deaths of a mother & her 2 sons in a Chhaupadi hut in Nepal has again brought the issue of this exclusionary practice to the forefront of international human rights & media attention. 

 Despite being illegal, Chhaupadi, the practice of exiling menstruating women & girls from their home, often to a cow shed – is still practised in some areas of Western Nepal. Chhaupadi is an extreme example of the stigmas & the restrictions around menstruation that exist not only in Nepal, but also globally. 

The recent protests at the Sabarimala temple in India, in which women of menstruating age are not allowed to enter the temple, are another example of menstrual pollution beliefs. The image of menstruating women & girls being forced to leave their homes & be confined to a cow shed dominates the media coverage of the issue in Nepal.

 But this view over simplifies what is a much more complex issue. Chhaupadi is not only limited to the physical practice of sleeping in a shed, it goes beyond this to include deeply rooted cultural beliefs about impurity, which sees women & girls as inferior & often lead girls to internalise these feelings. Girls are told they are impure from a young age, which can have a damaging effect on their psyche & sense of self -worth. 

Many NGO’s & activists are destroying the sheds & the Nepalese Government has introduced new penalties & sanctions, such as removing state food support & other service. While this might seem like a welcome move, in some areas there are reports that this can make it more dangerous for women & girls as instead they sleep outside in the caves or the jungle without even a shelter or a mosquito net.

 These practices are deeply ingrained in the culture & even the society. So many women may leave their homes despite sanctions for fear of bringing harm if they don’t. 

Tham Maya Thapa, Nepal’s minister for women, children & senior citizens, believes it will take time to end the rituals of the Chhaupadi, as this is a custom that has been deeply entrenched in a Nepalese society for 100’s of years.

Nepal is an exceptionally diverse country of 125 ethnic groups. To tackle Chhaupadi, a nuanced understanding of how menstrual practices & beliefs differ amongst varied religious & ethnic backgrounds is required. Although the tradition of Chhaupadi hits the headlines, there is no one all -encompassing single narrative on menstruation in Nepal.

A research on gender education & gender – based violence in Nepal over the past 2 & a half decades has been going on & they are working on a project on the origins of menstrual beliefs & practices which explores the diverse range of the beliefs, the practices & the historical & the cultural roots which underpin menstrual health customs in all the 7 provinces of Nepal. 

They are working with the local organisations & the activists such as Radha Paudel, to challenge menstrual stigma, as a deeper understanding of the diverse menstrual practices beyond the Chhaupadi is needed to do so. Their previous research has highlighted a range of the stigmas & the restrictions, such as not being able to visit the temple & even to participate in religious ceremonies, as well as being forbidden to look in mirrors, cook, or have any contact even with the men. Because while Chhaupadi is a serious human rights issue, other issues of gender – based violence, such as thesexual violence & even the domestic abuse do not get the same widespread media coverage that it really deserves.

 A range of the academics & also the activists are challenging even the media representation with their photography, their films & also their art which empowers the so called women & even the so called girls to speak out about their experiences. These can be powerful tools, ensuring that the voices of the women & the girls are heard & highlighting that the women & the girls can be the most active agents of change, rather than simply the passive victims of oppression. 

Collaboration with local communities & partners is a key to the changing attitudes & this can be done using participatory & creative methods. For example, a team of experts from the University of Pittsburgh in partnership with the Nepal Fertility Care centre used collaborative filmmaking to include girls in the conversation around menstruation.

 The girls who made the film have gone on to be advocates for change & are challenging menstrual stigmas & taboos in their community. Bringing them to Kathmandu increased the confidence of the girls & engaged policy makers, Government ministers & NGO’s. The film received an international audience at the Kathmandu Film Fest as well as media coverage.

 Meanwhile, the  MenstruAction conference in Kathmandu in Dec, 2018 brought together local expertise working towards challenging stigmas & restrictions thereby enabling & empowering women to realise their sexual & reproductive rights & their basic right to be free from harm & discrimination. 

The Government ministries need to engage in these events & work together with grassroots activists to promote change. Complex problems require complex solutions. Menstruation is often framed as a “health & hygiene” issue, but a range of actors are needed to bring about a long – term change. The media have a role to play in raising awareness, but they must be careful not to sensationalise the issue & to also listen to & report, the voices of activists & change makers in the community.

Only when we put women & girls & their voices at the centre of research, policies & interventions, can we truly understand the nuanced nature of the deeply embedded practice of Chhaupadi.

In conclusion one would also like to point out that the similar practise of menstruation stigma between women & girls has been prevalent & eradicated in most part of Indian villages for centuries but unfortunately it has come to the light like Nepal even now it is prevalent in some parts of India & a positive steps should now be taken firmly to finally eradicate this age old practice forever no matter wherever it is still prevalent in India. This taboo should be removed as now women empowerment is gaining momentum as women & girls certainly & definitely deserve equal rights as compared to their male counterparts.      

Tennis: Prajnesh, Ankita achieve career-best rankings

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Nasheman News :Indian tennis players Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ankita Raina on Monday achieved their career-best rankings of 102 and 168 respectively.

Prajnesh jumped seven places to be at 102 while Ankita vaulted 35 places to sit at 168.

Women’s singles player Karman Kaur Thandi dropped five places to 210.

In the ATP list, Ramkumar Ramanathan dropped two places to 133 while Saketh Myneni also dropped four places to 260.

In the doubles, veteran player Rohan Bopanna (37) and Divij Sharan (40) dropped three places, and Leander Paes dropped 19 places to be at 78.

Bengaluru, Mumbai to host TVS Ladies One Make Championship selection rounds

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Nasheman News : Two-wheeler giants TVS Racing on Monday announced that the selection rounds for the 2019 edition of TVS Ladies One Make Championship will be held in Bengaluru and Mumbai on February 9 and 23, respectively.

The selection sessions will include a full-day training school conducted by national champions of TVS Racing to ensure riders are familiarised with their race-tuned TVS Apache RTR 200 4V Race Edition 2.0.

Based on their best lap timings, physical fitness and racing abilities, the top 15 riders will be selected from each city. 

The final round of selection will take place at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Chennai on May 4. 

The Bangalore selection round will be held at Meco Kartopia in Hennur and the Mumbai round at Island Sports Gokart Track in Wadala.

Speaking on the occasion, B Selvaraj, Team Manager, TVS Racing said: “We are the only manufacturer in India committed to women’s racing with 4 consecutive seasons of the TVS Ladies One Make Championship. We introduced this initiative to train and equip talented women riders to enter the mainstream racing arena.”

“With each passing year, I am delighted to see the increasing number of participants, which is a testimony to our effort of creating a gender-neutral space for motorsports in India. I wish all the women participants the very best and hope to see them excited about professional racing,” he added.

The team will compete in five rounds for the championship astride the race-tuned TVS Apache RTR 200 4V Race Edition 2.0. 

Post the final selection round in Chennai, the racers will undergo specific training under the aegis of the national champion riders from TVS Racing to improve physical fitness and hone their racing skills before the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (INRC) begins in June.

Centre gives Rs 949 cr aid to drought-hit Karnataka

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Nasheman News :  The central government has approved Rs 949.49-crore aid to drought-hit Karnataka, said Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday.

“The central government has approved Rs 949.49-crore assistance to drought-hit Karnataka for Kharif 2018-19 season,” Singh tweeted.

Karnataka in October 2018 sought drought relief aid of Rs 2,434-crore to compensate for the crop losses in drought-hit districts.

The state had pegged the losses incurred due to the drought situation in 100 sub-districts (taluks) in 24 of the state’s 30 districts at Rs 16,500-crore and asked the central government for a relief of Rs 2,434 crore.

A total of 26.18 lakh hectares of agricultural area and 1.94 lakh hectares of horticulture area have suffered more than 33 per cent crop loss, the state earlier said.

Several districts, particularly the northern and north interior regions, have been reeling under drought due to scanty rainfall.

Karnataka is estimated to have suffered Rs 20,000 crore loss due to floods and drought since last year, according to the Revenue Department.

“The prevailing condition is unprecedented as the state was affected by floods (in August 2018) and is facing acute drought conditions during kharif and rabi seasons, impacting the state’s economy,” the Revenue Department said earlier.

NIA arrests two JMB members in Burdwan blast case

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Nasheman News :  The NIA has arrested two suspected Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) members from West Bengal’s Hooghly district for their alleged involvement in the 2014 Burdwan blast case, the agency said on Tuesday.

The arrested members have been identified as Kadar Kazi alias Kadoor and Sajjad Ali.

“Both the JMB members were arrested in different operations on Monday. We arrested Kadar Kazi from Arambagh area in Hooghly district while his associate Sajjad Ali was held in a late night operation,” a National Investigation Agency official said. 

The official said that Kazi was wanted in the Burdwan blast case and was also declared a proclaimed offender while Ali was involved in the activities of the JMB, a Bangladesh-based terror group. 

Both the accused will be produced before a special NIA court in Kolkata later on Tuesday. 

A bomb had ripped through a house in Khagragarh locality of Burdwan on October 2, 2014, killing two people and exposing a web of Bangladeshis running a virtual arms-and-explosive network in West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand. 

The NIA in March 2015 submitted a chargesheet in the case, saying terrorists were using territories in the three states to overthrow a democratic government in Bangladesh and replace it with a hardline Islamic regime.

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