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Karnataka cabinet reshuffle on 22 Dec : HDK

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File image of Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy . PTI

Ending the suspense, the Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka on Wednesday announced that the HD Kumaraswamy cabinet would be expanded on 22 December. The decision was taken by the coordination committee of the coalition that met under the chairmanship of former chief minister Siddaramaiah.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda were consulted before deciding the date, Siddaramiah told reporters here after the over two-hour-long meeting of the committee. Six members from the Congress and two from JD(S) would be inducted, he said adding it was also decided to appoint MLAs as heads of corporations and boards on the same day.

There has been growing clamour among the MLAs, especially those from the Congress, for expansion of the cabinet at the earliest, with a few openly expressing their discontent over the delay. This will be the second expansion of Kumaraswamy’s ministry, who currently heads the 26-member cabinet. After the first expansion in June, discontent among the Congress ministerial aspirants surfaced, giving birth pangs to the coalition ministry formed in a post-poll pact after the May assembly elections threw up a hung verdict. The cabinet was expected to be expanded in October itself but had been put off.

Siddaramaiah said the plan was to expand the cabinet on 9 December, but as the legislature session commences on 10 December in the northern district of Belagavi, the date had been deferred. It would be expanded a day after the conclusion of the session on 21 December. The former chief minister, who is also the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) said the coordination the committee also decided to appoint a few MLAs from both partner parties as Parliamentary Secretaries to Ministers. Under the agreement reached during the formation of the coalition in May last, the chairmanship of 20 boards and corporations will go to Congress and 10 to JD(S).

Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal and JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali were the others who attended the coordination committee meeting. Siddaramaiah said measures for the smooth functioning of the government and the speedy resolution of issues raised by MLAs concerning developmental work in their respective constituencies were also discussed at the meeting.

A few MLAs, especially those from the Congress, have reportedly conveyed their unhappiness to the party leadership about the functioning of the government — against a few JD(S) Ministers, including Kumaraswamys brother and PWD Minister HD Revanna. Rubbishing reports about disgruntled MLAs under the leadership of Satish Jarkiholi of Congress planning to join hands with the BJP, Siddarmaiah pointed to Jarkiholi himself denying them. None of the Congress MLAs will leave the party, and such information was only a speculation in the media, he said. Congress and JD(S) parties are totally intact, BJP is only daydreaming about success through operation lotus, but they will not succeed, it is not possible, their dream will remain a dream, he said. The coalition government was stable and would remain so for its full tenure, Siddaramaiah said as he predicted BJPs defeat in the assembly elections in the five states.

Echoing Siddaramaiah’s statement, JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali said the coalition government would last its full five-year terms. He also termed reports about trouble in the coalition in sections of media as BJP sponsored.

PTI

India, Pakistan trade fire on LoC

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Srinagar Indian and Pakistani armies traded heavy fire on the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, defence sources said.

The Pakistan Army used automatics and mortars to target Indian positions on the LoC in Kamalkote area of Uri sector late on Wednesday, the sources said.

“Indian positions retaliated effectively. Firing exchanges continued till Thursday morning. No casualty has been reported from our side,” they added.

Two Indian soldiers were injured on Wednesday in Pakistan firing in the same area.

(IANS)

Priyanka Chopra’s investment in Bumble aimed at social impact

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New Delhi Actress Priyanka Chopra’s maiden venture as an investor in social and dating application Bumble, which has been launched in India, aims at bringing social change and women empowerment by letting only the woman make the first move in heterosexual matches.

India is the first country in Asia to get Bumble, which was founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd shortly after she left Tinder, a dating app she co-founded.

Herd told IANS here: “It was Priyanka Chopra’s idea to get Bumble to India. We always had India on the radar but we thought it might be a long time from now. When Priyanka and I were sitting next to each other at a dinner, we were sharing our missions and visions about the planet, and what we care about.

“We realised we care a lot about the empowerment of girls and women around the world, and she said it’s remarkable what you’re doing with Bumble, and this is so important for India. Let’s take it there.”

Bumble has 45 million users in 140 countries. Apart from being a date-finding platform, it also facilitates friendships with its “BFF mode” and business networking via Bumble Bizz.

US is the largest market for Bumble, but its high-growth markets include Australia, Canada, UK, Germany and Netherlands. For the Indian market, language and cultural localisation has been done.

Available in Hindi and ‘Hinglish’ on iOS and Android, Bumble has incorporated a religion filter, apart from letting users mention astrological signs, whether the person drinks or smokes, has pets or not, and the option for women to only mention the initial of their first names — giving them the choice to disclose only what they want.

“In India, Bumble started in October 2018, and it’s doing well so far. It goes to show there’s a real need, and the statistics are promising in a short time. You would assume it’s just another dating app, but it’s so much beyond that. Only 30 per cent users are using it exclusively for dating, and there’s a huge chunk looking at the business networking and friend finding. We are just trying to facilitate the digital empowered version of what we all need in the physical realm — which is connections in business, friendship and love,” said the 29-year-old Herd.

Sarah Jones Simmer, Chief Operating Officer, Bumble, said they understand that there may be reserved mindsets about dating in India, but they saw the country as a progressive society.

“Our eyes are open to the challenges, but we see them as opportunities,” Simmer said, adding that they may look at spreading their wings later by creating a physical place for people to connect — akin to a Bumble Spots pilot they are doing in the US.

As for competition, there are apps like Tinder, Truly Madly and OKCupid in India. But Herd is confident about what she is offering.

“Competition is a great thing. It means that the need is validated… But with what we have, there is no competitor. We are approaching this with a true desire to create change and impact, and to empower women and men globally. A lot of the platforms that you may think are competitors, are truly just entering the market for numbers. That’s what sets us apart.”

Bumble was launched in India officially at an event here on Wednesday night. It was attended by newly married Priyanka and her American singer husband Nick Jonas.

The idea, as Priyanka’s manager Anjula Acharia — who is also a strategic advisor for Bumble in India — said, emerged as they felt women in India don’t just need dating apps, but something which helps them in all areas of life.

“Priyanka is very purpose-driven. She is very driven by things that make the world better and have a social impact,” Acharia, who has a huge role to play in the actress’ successful crossover from Bollywood to Hollywood.

The actress will be the brand’s face in the country, but her “celebrity status is only the icing,” Herd said.

“We never even approached our work with Priyanka thinking she’s a celebrity. We clicked with her passion to chase a common vision and mission with us and that is what became so special about this collaboration. Her celebrity status is just the icing on the top because what’s special about Priyanka is that she is not just the face of the brand here, but also very invested in this. She cares about it.”

(IANS)

Kashmiri terrorist Zakir Musa hiding in Punjab, high alert sounded

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Chandigarh Security agencies have been put on high alert in Bathinda and Ferozepur districts of Punjab on Thursday following intelligence reports that Kashmiri terrorist Zakir Musa could be hiding in the area.

The intelligence reports have suggested that Musa could be disguised as a Sikh and wearing a turban. He is the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind chief and is said to be aligned with a global terror group.

Army troopers, Punjab Police and other para-military were stationed in and around important places like the Bathinda railway station and checking was being carried out since early Thursday.

Security agencies have put up posters carrying photographs of Musa, including one of him disguised as a Sikh, at various places to make the public aware in both districts.

Posters of Musa had earlier been put up in the frontier districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar in November following similar reports that he could be hiding in Punjab.

Musa, who heads the terrorist outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), a cell of Al-Qaeda, in Kashmir Valley, is said to be well-acquainted with places and people in Punjab.

He was a student in an educational institution in Punjab’s Mohali district, adjoining Chandigarh, from 2010 to 2013 before joining the militant ranks.

He had succeeded Burhan Wani as the chief of the terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen following Wani’s death in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir in July 2016.

Punjab Police officials said here that the high alert had been sounded to nab the terrorist.

In recent weeks, the Punjab Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police have busted modules, including engineering students, who had carried out terror activities in Punjab.

(IANS)

Cold Thursday morning in Delhi, ‘very poor’ air

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New Delhi It was a cold Thursday morning in the national capital with the air quality remaining ‘very poor’ as the minimum temperature was recorded at 9.8 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average, the Met said.

The humidity at 8.30 a.m. was 93 per cent, an unfavourable condition for pollutants to disperse.

The sky will remain clear throughout the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) told IANS.

The average PM2.5 readings at 9 a.m. was recorded at 186 micrograms per cubic metre while the average PM10 readings at the time were 346 micrograms per cubic metre.

The maximum temperature was likely to hover around 26 degrees Celsius.

On Wednesday, the maximum temperature settled at 25 degrees Celsius, the season’s average while the minimum temperature was recorded at 9.8 degree Celsius, the season’s average.

(IANS)

Amit Shah lied about manifesto’: Congress appeal to EC

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The Congress on Tuesday approached the Election Commission seeking action against BJP president Amit Shah for allegedly “stoking communal tensions” in Telangana by twisting the Congress manifesto and spreading misinformation.

Campaigning at Amangal in Ranga Reddy district on December 2, Shah accused the Congress of “minority appeasement”, claiming that the Congress in its manifesto promised free electricity only to mosques and churches in the state while leaving out the temples.

Contrary to Shah’s claims, the Congress manifesto has promised free electricity supply not only to mosques and churches but also to temples and other places of worship.

Taking strong exception to Shah’s statement, a Congress delegation led by former ministers Kapil Sibal and Kamal Nath submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission seeking action against the BJP chief.

“Shah by lying about the Congress manifesto tried to vitiate the environment and create communal tension. We have asked the EC to take cognisance of Shah’s speech and send him a notice. The EC must take strong action to ensure elections are free and fair,” Sibal told the media.

The Congress delegation also raised objection over the pre-dawn preventive detention of its state unit’s working president Revanth Reddy, ahead of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s election rally in Vikarabad district.

“The way Reddy was arrested at 3 am without giving any reason indicates the government’s intention of hurting the Congress by all means. We have urged the Election Commission to take notice of that and ensure that no such arrests are made during the polls,” said Sibal. Elections to the 119-member Telangana Assembly are scheduled for December 7.

PTI

Bhadre Gowda wins Bengaluru Deputy Mayoral polls from JDS

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Image result for . Bhadre Gowda was the candidate of the JD(S)-Congress

Nagapura ward corporator B Bhadre Gowda of the JD(S) has won the Deputy Mayoral polls held in Bengaluru. Bhadre Gowda was the candidate of the JD(S)-Congress alliance and was elected unopposed as the BJP did not file any nomination. He had held the position of Chairman of Standing Committee in 2016, overseeing ward-level works. The elections for the position of Deputy Mayor were held on Wednesday following the untimely demise of former Deputy Mayor Ramila Shankar, necessitating the elections.

Elections were also held for the positions of chairperson for 12 standing committees of the BBMP Council as well. The elections were conducted by IAS officer Randeep D, who was recently transferred out of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and given the additional charge of Deputy Election Commissioner of the district. The Congress and JD(S) had finalised Bhadre Gowda’s candidature following a closed-door meeting held between former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy.

Prior to Wednesday, however, there were speculations of differences of opinion between the Congress and the BJP about the nominations to different standing committees.

The BJP was also undecided about its senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka, MP PC Mohan and MLA Satish Reddy, having a visible argument just ahead of the voting. Meanwhile, Ramalinga Reddy also chaired meetings for the Congress.

On October 5, then newly elected Deputy Mayor Ramila Umashankar, passed away at the age of 44, following a heart attack. She had been a JD(S) corporator from the Kaveripura ward.

Along with the Congress’ Gangambike Mallikarjun, who was elected to the post of mayor, Ramila Umashankar was also elected unopposed as the BJP staged a walkout even after nominating Padmanabha ward councillor Shobha Anjanappa as its candidate for Mayor and Nayandahalli corporator Pratibha Dhanraj as its candidate for Deputy Mayor.

Although BJP emerged the single largest party in the 198 ward council with 100 corporators in 2015, the Congress-JD(S) alliance has been winning all elections in the mayoral polls even MLAs, MLCs and MPs in Bengaluru have a vote, which tilts the balance in the favour of the alliance.

TNM

Modi is protector, benefactor, promoter of AgustaWestland: Congress

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 Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being the “protector, benefactor and promoter” of AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmeccanica, the Congress on Wednesday demanded a CBI probe into Modi’s role in “exonerating” the Italian defence and aerospace major which was blacklisted by the UPA.

A day after British national Christian Michel James, a middleman wanted in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, was extradited to India, the Congress attacked Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “using him to launch a smear campaign” against opposition leaders.

Citing Michel’s advocate Rosemary Patrizi Dos Anjos’ July 17 statement, Congress spokesperosn Randeep Singh Surjewala said the “Modi government and its agencies were forcing Michel to sign a false confessional statement naming UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in return for complete exoneration from any charge whatsoever in the AgustaWestland Case”.

“Even Michel’s sister had come out and reiterated the coercions of falsely naming opposition leaders as a ticket for exoneration of Christian Michel. Their interviews were recorded by many Indian TV channels also,” said Surjewala.

“Never before in the history of India has a Prime Minister been found complicit in gaining false evidence against opposition leaders to seek revenge.

“This shocking expose is also a testimony to the disease prevailing in CBI/ED prostrating before the Prime Minister to collect fake and false evidence with a single minded aim of tarnishing the reputation of opposition leaders and serving the political masters as a captive puppet and a willing tool of malicious conspiracy,” alleged Surjewala.

The Congress attack came on a day when both Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah hit out at the Congress saying Michel who has taken Sonia Gandhi’s name, “will spill the beans” on the deal during the UPA government’s tenure.

However, the Congress alleged that the Modi government was indulging in cover-up to “hide its sinister role in helping and promoting the AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica which were blacklisted by the UPA.

“The most intriguing part of the conspiracy is the undisclosed reason on part of Modi government for permitting a blacklisted company to get clearances from Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) and permit its entry as partner or sub-contractor to various Indian corporates.

“Not only this, the Modi government also sought a special opinion from its Attorney General in July, 2014 and permitted AgustaWestland/Finmeccanica to be part of Make in India and bid for 100 Naval Utility Helicopters, besides clearing its investment proposals through FIPB for manufacture of AW119 helicopters in partnership with Tata,” said Surjewala.

The Congress said it was time for the CBI to investigate Modi’s role in exonerating AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica instead of “weaving fake story to deflect attention”.

IANS

Yemen to face worst humanitarian crisis of 2019: UN

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Some 132 million people in 42 countries will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2019, with Yemen topping the list of most-desperate nations, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Funding requirements next year will amount to $21.9bn with Yemen facing the worst humanitarian emergency followed by Afghanistan, Cameroon and the Central African Republic.

Presenting the Global Humanitarian Overview for 2019, Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said the UN and its partner organisations aim to assist some 93.6 million of the most vulnerable with food, shelter, healthcare, emergency education, protection and other basic assistance in 2019.

“Most of the humanitarian crises we have seen in 2018 will continue into 2019 because there has been little progress in addressing the root causes,” Lowcock said while addressing the media in Geneva.

“We need to make it a bigger priority to address the underlying causes: Conflicts, poverty, climate change, food insecurity, development programmes’ failure,” he said.

Lowcock said the figure of $21.9bn needed for 2019 does not include the financial requirements for Syria, which will be confirmed upon finalisation of the 2019 Syria Humanitarian Response Plan in February.

He said it is expected total requirements, including those for Syria, will be comparable to current requirements of about $25bn.

Humanitarian funding has increased if compared to previous years, with donors providing a record $13.9bn as of mid-November 2018 – about 10 percent more than at the same time in 2017, which was itself a record.

At least 10,000 people have been killed since the Yemen conflict started in 2014, according to the UN [AFP]

The UN official said the UN response will have to deal with a higher rate of displacement and increasing food insecurity than in the past.

Nearly 70 million people are displaced by conflict, more than ever before, Lowcock said. In addition, crises are exacerbating gender inequality with girls more likely to drop out of schools in areas affected by humanitarian emergencies.

The average humanitarian crisis lasts more than nine years, affecting three-quarters of the people the UN helped in 2018. Large, protracted crises have commanded the majority of resources. Between 2014 and 2018, war and conflict in Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria alone accounted for 55 percent of all funding requested and received.

Yemen’s government to swap hundreds of prisoners with Houthis

In 2019, the UN also foresees an 80-percent chance of an El Nino event affecting 25 countries with droughts, tropical cyclones and floods.

“We don’t project that it will be at the same level of impact as the 2016 El Nino, but it will be a significant event and we are planning for dealing with it,” said Lowcock. Natural disasters affect 350 million people on average each year and cause billions of dollars in damage.

Cash-based aid

Lowcock said Yemen will face the worst crisis of all with 24 million people, 75 percent of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance.

The UN has made an appeal for $4bn to provide aid to 15 million Yemenis, out of whom 12 million would be receiving food assistance. In 2017, the UN was assisting three million Yemenis a month. In 2018, the number increased more than two-fold to eight million people.

Other countries where the humanitarian situation will deteriorate in 2019 are Afghanistan – because of the mixture of drought, instability and economic challenges – Cameroon and the Central African Republic, where there has been an upsurge in conflict and violence.

There will be an increasing number of countries where needs are reduced, such as Somalia – which has been recovering from the drought last year – Iraq, Burundi and Haiti.

UN response plans will no longer be needed next year in countries that have recovered from earlier crises such as Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Senegal. While, for the first time, the UN will set out a humanitarian plan to help countries neighbouring Venezuela deal with the large numbers of Venezuelans fleeing unrest at home.

There are places where needs will remain at exceptionally high levels, said Lowcock, including Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Sudan.

Lowcock said the UN is also working on improving delivery methods.

Among the measures to be implemented more systematically, he said, is the use of cash-based assistance. Lowcock said cash-based aid is more effective in helping the poorest and most vulnerable, especially in areas of conflict.

“We have witnessed cash-based assistance work in Somalia where, in 2017, we were able to prevent a famine. That didn’t happen in 2011 when UN supplies were systematically pillaged and ravaged by al-Shabab fighters,” he said.

The UN will also work to implement measures for the protection of people from sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment, he said.

Aljazeera

Sonia’s name in diary, Michel will reveal secrets: Modi

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 Tomtomming his government’s success in the extradition of Christian Michel, a middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the British national, who has taken UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s name, will spill the beans on the deal during the UPA government’s tenure.

He also said that the government succeeded in the Supreme Court when it said the government had all the right to reassess the past income tax returns of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, who have been claiming that their assessment is “final” after doing “loot”. “Let us see, how long will you escape (in the case),” he said.

Modi also hit out at Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra, saying he will not be spared once the BJP forms the government in the state and said a similar fate would also befell former minister P. Chidambaram.

Addressing an election meeting, the Prime Minister used the “namdaar” jibe and said those leaders, whose four generations ruled the country, had to knock the doors of court and were out on bail and would not be spared.

“You must have read in today’s newspapers about VVIP helicopter scam of thousands of crore. You would be aware about a letter of Madam Sonia Gandhi. When we came to power to find out the files. We kept searching for it and finally found a ‘razdar’ (one who knows all secrets).

“He was a middleman of England, who was living in Dubai. He used to serve the friends of ‘namdaar’ in Dubai. The government has brought him to India. This ‘razdar’ will reveal the secrets. Don’t know where and how far it will go,” he said.

Modi said a ‘chaiwala’ was able to do so because the people who voted him to power.

“Why those who did corruption are on bail today? Why the sons of these corrupt are in jail today? How this ‘razdar’ was brought to India?” he asked the people and answered it himself saying this was possible because of their one vote.

Hitting out at Vadra over the controversial land deal in Barmer district of Rajasthan, he accused the Congress of betraying the farmers and claimed that if the BJP forms the government in the state he would not be spared.

“One relative of ‘namdaar’ snatched the farmers land almost free of cost with the help of then Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and earned crores of money without any investment. Those who looted the money can’t be spared. They must be punished. But it won’t be possible if Congress forms its government. If the BJP forms its government in the state, he will surely be punished,” Modi said.

Without taking his name, he also hit out at Chidambaram for his alleged involvement in the INX Media money laundering case and referred to the arrest of his son Karti, who is out on bail.

“Every time he pleads for next date in the court. How long will you take relief from the court? The judgement will come some day and you will be behind the bars,” Modi said.

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