Tata Steel organises tribal sport Sekkor tourney for Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh

Two-day Sekkor tournament at Gitilader, Tantnagar Block Maidan, Chaibasa

Tata Steel organises tribal sport Sekkor tourney for Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh

Posted : Sat, 14/07/2012 - 1:37pm | SportzPower Team

MUMBAI: Set up in 1993, Tata Steel’s Tribal Cultural Society (TCS) has been working to promote ethnic identity and tribal heritage in Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
In its strive to promote traditional sports, TCS has been implementing various sporting and cultural events to popularize tribal culture amongst youth and general masses.
As another step towards this direction, a two-day Sekkor tournament which begun Friday has been organised at Gitilader, Tantnagar Block Maidan, Chaibasa.  It is one of the traditional tribal games being promoted by TCS by encouraging youth to participate in a tournament. Sekkor is a game played by the Ho tribe. According to the “ho” mythology, this ancient game was first played between two early men and Devils and eventually the early men won. Traditionally, this game is played during summer season to prevent drought and bring rain.

“We focus on three important issues: education, improvement of livelihood opportunities and the preservation of the ethnic identity of the tribal community. This game of the “ho” tribe is losing its significance amongst the tribal and with passage of time it is becoming less known to the people. We have taken steps to promote this ethnic game” said Urmila Ekka, secretary, Tribal Cultural Society, Tata Steel.

About 40 tribal teams participated in the tournament. The League matches were played Friday while the finals are later on Saturday. 
Biren Bhuta, chief, Corporate Sustainability Services, Tata Steel, said, “In keeping with our philosophy of improving the quality of life of the communities we serve, Tata Steel always has, and shall continue to support, nurture and promote sporting talent in the country, especially the one from tribal communities. Reviving tribal sports is one of the key areas of intervention for Tribal Cultural Society (TCS).”
 

Debate begins on Putin contentious law

U.S. State Department expressing its concerns over Russia’s NGO and Internet blacklist law amounts to infringement in the country’s internal affairs, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
“Such actions can only be perceived as attempts of rude and unacceptable interference in the work of Russian state authorities and the sovereign legislative process,” Konstantin Dolgov, the ministry’s human rights ombudsman, said in a statement.“Moscow is not always satisfied with certain discussions and decisions by the U.S. Congress, but we’re principally abstaining from interfering with the legislative activity in the United States. We are entitled to expect it to be mutual,” Dolgov said.
The law on NGOs, branding politically active non-governmental organizations that use foreign funding “foreign agents,” was passed by the State Duma this week, along with a law introducing a blacklist for internet websites with “harmful” content. Critics said the laws could be used to limit freedom of expression.
Vladimir Putin returned to the Kremlin, Russia’s parliament has rushed through a flurry of legislation giving him new powers to nail down the opposition movement.“This is Vladimir Putin’s post-electoral package of repressive bills aimed at harshly clamping down on internal politics in the country,” said human rights lawyer and blogger Pavel Chikov.The amendments “will undoubtedly be used actively against the awakening civil society in Russia,” he told.
Last month, the parliament has passed laws massively raising fines for misdemeanours at protests and allowing the government to block access to blacklisted Internet sites.On its last pre-holiday session on Friday, the lower house voted through a bill recriminalising slander and libel with massive fines, and another ordering NGOs with international funding to call themselves “foreign agents.”
The bills now need to be passed by the Federation Council upper house and then signed into law by President Putin.The day was swiftly named Black Friday by opponents.
The authorities insist that the measures reflect international norms and that civil society even stands to benefit.
“These are laws that are in the interests of civil society. They are not against anyone. They are for protecting the safety of civil society,” said the head of the lower house’s security and anti-corruption committee, Irina Yarovaya.
Yet critics say the laws are clearly aimed at dampening opposition to Putin.
“Now it is possible to create a criminal case against any active person. Not necessarily put them in jail, but stub out their desire to take part in protests,” said political analyst and editor of Russky Zhurnal website, Alexander Morozov.
A key question is how the powers will be used against protest leaders, particularly charismatic lawyer, blogger and anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny.
Rallying slogans coined by Navalny, “Putin is a thief” and “Party of Swindlers and Thieves ” to describe the ruling party, would fall under the new slander law, hinted the lower house’s deputy speaker, Sergei Zheleznyak.
“When people try to use slander to prove crimes by the authorities, accusing whole large groups of people, then they are criminals! This is unacceptable,” he said in televised comments.Media agencie

Pak SC ask PM to open cases against Prez Zaradari

Pakistan’s Supreme Court ask  Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to approach Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, envisage  July 25 deadline triggering a fresh political crisis.Repeat  issue on Yousuf Raza Gilani, costed his job.Gilani was convicted of contempt in April and disqualified Gilani for five years last month after he refused to act on the apex court’s orders to reopen the graft cases.

A five-judge bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa directed Ashraf to write to the Swiss authorities without any further consultations on the matter with legal experts or within the government.
The apex court had earlier directed the Premier to inform it whether he would contact the Swiss authorities about the graft cases.The bench said it expected the Premier to write to the Swiss authorities and furnish a report on complying with the court’s order at the next hearing on July 25.

If the PM fails to do so, the court will take action under the Constitution against him, the bench warned.
The bench rejected Ashraf’s response, submitted through Attorney General Irfan Qadir, that the issue of the graft cases was discussed by the Cabinet at a meeting Wednesday and the government wanted more time so that the Law Minister and Law Secretary, who had recently assumed office, could study the matter.
The ruling came just hours after President Zardari signed into law the Contempt of Court Bill, 2012, which was passed by the National Assembly two days ago, aimed at protecting top government leaders from contempt of court proceedings.The new law is intended to save Ashraf from possible disqualification by the court for refusing to reopen the cases related to alleged laundering of $60 million during ex-premier Benazir Bhutto’s second term in the 1990s.

Will Kalmadai travel to London for games ?

The sports minister on Friday shot off a letter to IOA, requesting the sports body not to facilitate the tainted Kalmadi administrator's visit to UK on ethical grounds. 

In a letter to Randhir Singh, secretary general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the ministry argued that since Kalmadi is embroiled in corruption cases, IOA should not support Kalmadi in any way.

The sports minister Ajay Maken  said that he will ensure that Kalmadi is not part of the Indian delegation, which is headed for London.

"Taking into consideration the serious charges levelled against Kalmadi in the matters relating to conduct of the Commonwealth Games 2010 and that the court is still seized of the matter, the Ministry requests that the IOA, on ethical grounds, should not facilitate or sponsor the visit of Kalmadi to London in any manner including air travel, lodging and boarding in London and giving tickets for witnessing the opening and closing ceremonies and sports competitions of the London Olympics, 2012," the letter written by Onkar Kedia, joint Secretary, said.

Further, the ministry appealed to IOA to take up the matter with international bodies such as International Olympic Committee (IOC)."The IOA should also take up this issue with the IOC and the IAAF, particularly, in the light of the fact that visit of Kalmadi to London Olympics, before corruption charges against him are cleared by the court, would defy the 'Fundamental Principles of Olympism' as enshrined in the 'Olympic Charter'," the letter said.

Delhi court granted permission to Kalmadi to attend the London Olympics. Kalmadi will travel to London for the games from July 26 to August 13.e CBI had opposed Kalmadi's plea saying that it would hamper day-to-day court proceedings in the CWG Scam in which Kalmadi is an accused. However, the judge overruled the objection and allowed Kalmadi to travel to London.In his plea to Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh, Kalmadi had said he is a member of International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Council and sought permission to go to the United Kingdom for the games from July 26 to August 13.
"Applicant (Kalmadi), in his capacity, as a member of the IAAF Council and as president of Asian Athletics Association (AAA), is required to attend certain meetings, conferences and matters of the IAAF during the London 2012 Olympics from July 26 to August 13," Kalmadi said in his application.Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh had earlier allowed Kalmadi's plea to visit London from 26^th July to 13^th August, while ordering him to furnish a bond of Rs 10 lakh and a surety of the same amount.