News around the world by sagarmedia August 8, 2012
Syrian defector says Iran providing arms, funds to Assad
A former Syrian diplomat says Iran has provided weapons and funds
to President Bashar al-Assad since the start of anti-government
uprisings in March last year.Former Syrian ambassador to Iraq Nawaf
Fares spoke to an NHK correspondent in Doha on Monday.Fares, who
defected from Syria in July, said the killing of Syria’s defense
minister in an explosion last month was a big blow to the government and
has affected the leadership of its security institution.He quoted a
Syrian government source as saying that the president is shuttling
between the capital Damascus and Latakia in northwestern Syria, fearing
assassination attempts and moving frequently.
Fares also said he attended a meeting of Syrian and Iranian
high-ranking officials in March last year, shortly after anti-government
protests began.He said Iran urged that civilian protests be thoroughly
suppressed and offered all-out cooperation to the Syrian government,
including supplies of arms and funds.Fares added that arms and funds are
being brought to Syria from Iran via Mediterranean ports and Iraq.Referring to support for anti-government forces in Syria, Fares said Qatar and Saudi Arabia continue to provide political support, but not enough. He called for providing more weapons and funds to the forces.Reports NHK
Typhoon Haikui creates havoc in East China
Typhoon Haikui lashing downpours and flooding which
stranded dozens of people in east China after landing in Zhejiang
Province early Wednesday morning, the provincial observatory said.Haikui
landed in Hepu Township, Xiangshan County near the Sanmenwan Gulf in
central Zhejiang at 3:20 a.m. with the maximum wind speed at 150
kilometers per hour, said the observatory.The rain-triggered flooding
stranded about 130 people in three farmer’s hotels in the city of Lin’an
which the provincial capital Hangzhou administers, said Lin’an
municipal rescuers.
By 8 a.m., 123 people have been rescued while ten others have yet to be reached by the rescuers, they said.
The rescuers once had difficulty to reach the hotels as roads towards it have been flooded and they had to march the last two kilometers on foot, rescuers said.Haikui is the third typhoon to wallop China’s eastern coast in a week, after storms Saola and Damrey hit the region over the weekend.
The rescuers once had difficulty to reach the hotels as roads towards it have been flooded and they had to march the last two kilometers on foot, rescuers said.Haikui is the third typhoon to wallop China’s eastern coast in a week, after storms Saola and Damrey hit the region over the weekend.
Opposition parties submit Noda no-confidence motion
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is facing a censure
motion and a no-confidence motion against his Cabinet over his plan to
raise the consumption tax.Six opposition parties submitted a
no-confidence motion against Noda’s Cabinet to the lower house on
Tuesday.Seven opposition groups also submitted a censure motion against
the Prime Minister in the opposition-controlled upper house.
The parties and groups said most Japanese oppose an increase in the
consumption tax, and the Noda Cabinet’s attempt to push it through
violates the Democratic Party’s own 2009 election pledge. They
criticized Noda for continuing to turn his back on the public. At a
joint news conference, Your Party Secretary General Kenji Eda said the
no-confidence motion must be given priority over all other discussions
in the Diet.He said the parties are seeking support from as many
lawmakers as possible to have the motion passed. Even if the all the
opposition parties, including the Liberal Democrats and New Komeito,
support the no-confidence motion, it will not pass the lower house,
where the Democratic Party holds a majority. However, if more than 15
Democrats also support it, the motion will pass the chamber.
The tax bills are a product of the agreement reached in June among the Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito on amending bills for social security and tax reform.
It remains to be seen whether the Liberal Democratic Party will submit its own no-confidence motion against Noda’s Cabinet to the lower house.New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi has voiced opposition to submitting such motions before a vote on the tax bills.Reports NHK
The tax bills are a product of the agreement reached in June among the Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito on amending bills for social security and tax reform.
It remains to be seen whether the Liberal Democratic Party will submit its own no-confidence motion against Noda’s Cabinet to the lower house.New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi has voiced opposition to submitting such motions before a vote on the tax bills.Reports NHK
Philippines floods toll rises to 53
Half of Manila was under water as torrential rain paralysed the city, sweeping away houses, stranding residents on rooftops and triggering a landslide.
Torrential rains from a typhoon and the seasonal monsoon have left at least 53 people dead in the central Philippines.Typhoon Soala struck the country over a week ago, bringing incessant downpours that caused widespread flooding and landslides.
Heavy monsoon rains continue to pound parts of the country, including the capital Manila. Weather officials say the city has had more than 30 millimeters of rain per hour since Monday evening.
The Marikina River in the northeastern part of the city has flooded, leaving houses and stores in the suburbs inundated.Disaster management authorities say about 270,000 people are taking shelter at schools, gyms and other facilities.The military and police are using trucks and boats to rescue stranded residents.
orrential rains from a typhoon and the seasonal monsoon have left at least 53 people dead in the central Philippines.Schools, financial markets and most government and private offices were shut as key roadways in the capital - a city of some 15 million people were submerged by waters that in some areas reached neck-deep. “If we put it in a percentage, at least 50 per cent of Metro Manila is flooded,” Gine Nievarez from the state weather service told the news agency. As local television flashed live footage of rampaging rivers carrying off houses and residents marooned on the roofs of their homes, President Benigno Aquino said the government was doing everything it could to help. “Everybody who is supposed to do something is doing what he is supposed to do,” he told reporters after meeting with civil defence officials. Bad weather from seasonal southwest monsoons has been pounding Manila and nearby areas for over a week.Meteorologists said the crisis in the capital came as over half a month’s rain fell on the city in 24 hours. x-small;”>The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that more than 800,000 people had been affected, with 18,600 in government evacuation centres and some 231,000 seeking refuge with friends or relatives.Tuesday’s deaths brought the number of people killed by the monsoon rains across the Philippines to 68 over the past week, according to civil defence officials. Nine people from the same family were killed when a landslide struck a slum in the north of the city, officials said. “The rain softened the soil and four houses were buried,” said Maribel Mendoza of the local public safety office.In nearby provinces also hit by floods, four people drowned in Bulacan and two were killed in Batangas. Manila’s population includes millions of squatters, who were forced to flee the huge shantytowns lining rivers and sewers overnight for the safety of schools, gymnasiums and government buildings.
Torrential rains from a typhoon and the seasonal monsoon have left at least 53 people dead in the central Philippines.Typhoon Soala struck the country over a week ago, bringing incessant downpours that caused widespread flooding and landslides.
Heavy monsoon rains continue to pound parts of the country, including the capital Manila. Weather officials say the city has had more than 30 millimeters of rain per hour since Monday evening.
The Marikina River in the northeastern part of the city has flooded, leaving houses and stores in the suburbs inundated.Disaster management authorities say about 270,000 people are taking shelter at schools, gyms and other facilities.The military and police are using trucks and boats to rescue stranded residents.
orrential rains from a typhoon and the seasonal monsoon have left at least 53 people dead in the central Philippines.Schools, financial markets and most government and private offices were shut as key roadways in the capital - a city of some 15 million people were submerged by waters that in some areas reached neck-deep. “If we put it in a percentage, at least 50 per cent of Metro Manila is flooded,” Gine Nievarez from the state weather service told the news agency. As local television flashed live footage of rampaging rivers carrying off houses and residents marooned on the roofs of their homes, President Benigno Aquino said the government was doing everything it could to help. “Everybody who is supposed to do something is doing what he is supposed to do,” he told reporters after meeting with civil defence officials. Bad weather from seasonal southwest monsoons has been pounding Manila and nearby areas for over a week.Meteorologists said the crisis in the capital came as over half a month’s rain fell on the city in 24 hours. x-small;”>The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that more than 800,000 people had been affected, with 18,600 in government evacuation centres and some 231,000 seeking refuge with friends or relatives.Tuesday’s deaths brought the number of people killed by the monsoon rains across the Philippines to 68 over the past week, according to civil defence officials. Nine people from the same family were killed when a landslide struck a slum in the north of the city, officials said. “The rain softened the soil and four houses were buried,” said Maribel Mendoza of the local public safety office.In nearby provinces also hit by floods, four people drowned in Bulacan and two were killed in Batangas. Manila’s population includes millions of squatters, who were forced to flee the huge shantytowns lining rivers and sewers overnight for the safety of schools, gymnasiums and government buildings.
Hamid Ansari re-elected as Vice President
UPA candidate Hamid Ansari was on Tuesday re-elected as
the Vice President, becoming the second person to get the second
consecutive term as he defeated NDA nominee Jaswant Singh by a large
margin of 252 votes.75-year-old Ansari, a former IFS officer,
got 490 votes against 238 bagged by Singh out of 736 votes polled
earlier in the day.Altogether 787 Members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha
were eligible to vote but 47 MPs did not cast their votes, who include
ailing Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh who is admitted in a Chennai
Hospital.
Eight votes were invalid, according to T K Vishwanathan, Lok Sabha Secretary General and Returning Officer for Vice Presidential poll.
Ansari is the second Vice President to be re-elected after S Radhakrishnan who was the first to get two terms from 1952 to 1962.
Formerly the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Ansari’s name came as a surprise in 2007 election when the Left parties, supporting the UPA-I from outside, proposed him and the Congress-led alliance accepted it.
The Left parties, which faced divisions on the Presidential poll, however, had no problems in supporting Ansari for a second time.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said 21 members from BJD, 11 from TDP, 6 from Congress and supporting parties and two nominated members did not cast their votes.
Others who did not vote include 2 each from BJP, AGP, RSP and TRS and Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, one of the two members of YSR Congress. BJP members who did not vote were Shatrughan Sinha, who is was sick, and Dilip Singh Judev, whose mother was not well.
Trinamool Congress members Kakoli Dastidar and Kabir Suman were abroad. So was SP member Brij Bhushan Singh.
Out of the total 790 members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that form the electoral college for Vice Presidential poll, 3 are vacant with Pranab Mukherjee becoming President, Vijay Bahuguna Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and the election of BJP MP J Shanta having been set aside by a High Court.A Padma Shree awardee, Ansari became Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University in May, 2000 and held the post till March, 2002.Ansari also tried to innovate in the House proceedings when he shifted the Question Hour to post-lunch session to avoid loss of opportunity for members to question the government on account of routine disruptions in the morning.The move was given up after just a session when he found the members themselves being absent from the House when their questions were taken up and the government also not very enthusiastic about the move.
The monsoon session of Parliament opening on Wednesday promises to kick up a lot of heat and dust as Opposition parties are planning to raise issues like rising prices, economy and drought etc.Government managers have been insisting that they were ready for discussion on any issue.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal expressed hope that like the last session, this session too would be a good and productive one as regards transaction of government business.Ahead of the session, UPA will project a united picture with the first meeting of the Coordination Committee of the ruling alliance scheduled tomorrow.
As many as 31 bills have been listed for consideration in the session, which will conclude on September 7. The bills include those on Forward Contracts, Banking laws, whistle-blowers and women’s reservation as also the Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials bill.While the much-talked about Lokpal bill has not been listed for consideration, the managers have been maintaining that it would be brought up expeditiously once the report from the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha is submitted.
Eight votes were invalid, according to T K Vishwanathan, Lok Sabha Secretary General and Returning Officer for Vice Presidential poll.
Ansari is the second Vice President to be re-elected after S Radhakrishnan who was the first to get two terms from 1952 to 1962.
Formerly the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Ansari’s name came as a surprise in 2007 election when the Left parties, supporting the UPA-I from outside, proposed him and the Congress-led alliance accepted it.
The Left parties, which faced divisions on the Presidential poll, however, had no problems in supporting Ansari for a second time.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said 21 members from BJD, 11 from TDP, 6 from Congress and supporting parties and two nominated members did not cast their votes.
Others who did not vote include 2 each from BJP, AGP, RSP and TRS and Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, one of the two members of YSR Congress. BJP members who did not vote were Shatrughan Sinha, who is was sick, and Dilip Singh Judev, whose mother was not well.
Trinamool Congress members Kakoli Dastidar and Kabir Suman were abroad. So was SP member Brij Bhushan Singh.
Out of the total 790 members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that form the electoral college for Vice Presidential poll, 3 are vacant with Pranab Mukherjee becoming President, Vijay Bahuguna Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and the election of BJP MP J Shanta having been set aside by a High Court.A Padma Shree awardee, Ansari became Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University in May, 2000 and held the post till March, 2002.Ansari also tried to innovate in the House proceedings when he shifted the Question Hour to post-lunch session to avoid loss of opportunity for members to question the government on account of routine disruptions in the morning.The move was given up after just a session when he found the members themselves being absent from the House when their questions were taken up and the government also not very enthusiastic about the move.
The monsoon session of Parliament opening on Wednesday promises to kick up a lot of heat and dust as Opposition parties are planning to raise issues like rising prices, economy and drought etc.Government managers have been insisting that they were ready for discussion on any issue.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal expressed hope that like the last session, this session too would be a good and productive one as regards transaction of government business.Ahead of the session, UPA will project a united picture with the first meeting of the Coordination Committee of the ruling alliance scheduled tomorrow.
As many as 31 bills have been listed for consideration in the session, which will conclude on September 7. The bills include those on Forward Contracts, Banking laws, whistle-blowers and women’s reservation as also the Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials bill.While the much-talked about Lokpal bill has not been listed for consideration, the managers have been maintaining that it would be brought up expeditiously once the report from the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha is submitted.
Indonesia to continue buying Iranian crude:
Indonesia will continue buying Iranian crude
regardless of economic sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation, the
official Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing the Indonesian
ambassador to Iran.
“Indonesia needs the trade with Iran, especially the purchase of Iranian oil, and it will pursue this cooperation,” Dian Wirengjurit told IRNA.
The ambassador didn’t elaborate on the amount of crude his country imports from Iran, according to the report today. Indonesia wasn’t among the nine importers, including the European Union, that together bought 91 percent of Iran’s crude in the first half of 2011, according to the most recent data from the US Energy Information Administration.
Shipments from Iran have plunged since the European Union banned the purchase, transport, financing and insuring of Iranian crude on July 1, building on US-led sanctions. The US and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop atomic weapons under the cover of its nuclear program, a charge the government in Tehran denies.
Last month, Iran pumped 2.86 million barrels a day, down 300,000 barrels from June and the lowest level since February 1990. The Islamic republic is the third-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in July, after Saudi Arabia
“Indonesia needs the trade with Iran, especially the purchase of Iranian oil, and it will pursue this cooperation,” Dian Wirengjurit told IRNA.
The ambassador didn’t elaborate on the amount of crude his country imports from Iran, according to the report today. Indonesia wasn’t among the nine importers, including the European Union, that together bought 91 percent of Iran’s crude in the first half of 2011, according to the most recent data from the US Energy Information Administration.
Shipments from Iran have plunged since the European Union banned the purchase, transport, financing and insuring of Iranian crude on July 1, building on US-led sanctions. The US and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop atomic weapons under the cover of its nuclear program, a charge the government in Tehran denies.
Last month, Iran pumped 2.86 million barrels a day, down 300,000 barrels from June and the lowest level since February 1990. The Islamic republic is the third-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in July, after Saudi Arabia
NAPM: India:Land Reforms is Need of the Hour
A Paradigm Shift in Development Planning and Land Reforms is Need of the Hour Not Further Acquisition and Cash Compensation
New Delhi August 07: Amidst all the controversies
and conflicts related to Lokpal and Jan Lokpal politics, a very major
enactment (in Bill form) is to be tabled before the Cabinet this week
for approval and there after tabled in the Monsoon session of the
parliament. While this has been in the offing for last many years,
people’s movements across the country from farmers to fishworkers,
landless workers to Dalits, adivasis as well as urban poor, are closely
watching and reacting or responding to every move on the issue: Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation. The
much awaited new “Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Bill” has now been renamed “Right to Fair Compensation, Resettlement,
Rehabilitation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Bill, 2012
with a claim to better reflect Government’s Commitment towards securing
a legal guarantee for the rights of project affected, and ensuring
greater transparency in the land acquisition process. It is
also claimed that the Bill will ensure, in concert with local
institutions of self -government and Gram Sabhas established under the
Constitution, a humane, participative, informed, consultative and
transparent process for land acquisition.
The Bill has no doubt sought comments and suggestions through the website but limited only till 30 days and no regional or state consultations were held by Ministry for Rural Development
as was strongly suggested by NAPM, NFFPFW and many other organisations
across the country. This is a kind of disrespect shown to a large number
of organisations and millions of people engaged not only in conflict
over the issues of land, water, forest minerals or aquatic wealth but
also proposing a new, truly democratic, just and sustainable
‘Development Planning Act’ as an alternative since years.
Now that the all party Parliamentary Standing Committee’s report
(on Rural Development) on the Bill is out and the Ministry of Rural
Development has also made its views / reactions clear and open, we,
the people’s movements, have taken serious cognizance of the fact that
the strong position taken by the Standing Committee on certain critical
issues are either diluted or rejected by the Ministry of Rural
Development, which is shocking. The Ministry that is supposed
to protect the rights and powers of the rural communities has not
accepted some of the standing committee recommendations, towards that
end, which are presented with our comments, herewith:
Food Security and Agricultural Land Acquisition
1. No forcible acquisition of agricultural land, for non-agricultural purpose including single crop and multi crop land.
· Ministry says only multiple crop land can be excluded.
How can the in-between farms that may be unirrigated, rain fed,
single crop be left out, we ask. India has 75% of the agricultural land
as rain fed and most of it single cropped. Such land is mostly held by
Dalits, Adivasis and marginal farms. Protecting them and all farm land
for food security, which comes not from PDS but self sufficient
agriculture, is a must!
Acquisition for Private and PPP Projects
2. No forcible acquisition for private projects, or for PPP, which can not to be categorized as public purpose projects.
· Ministry has rejected this and justified this with a
provision that consent of 80% of project affected People will be sought
before acquisition for any private projects
In this era of neo-liberal economic reforms, private projects
with corporate investment and interests are taking a much larger toll of
land and other rich natural resources as also uprooting by killing
communities which are generations old. This must come to an end and the
same can happen only with stopping the State playing a role of
facilitator and land dealer. At the cost of the livelihood of the nature
based sections and working class section of society, the state can’t
transfer the most valuable livelihood resources such as land, water to
the profiteering bodies in the garb of ‘public interest‘ and ‘public purpose‘.
Bringing 16 Central Acts Under Purview of this Bill
3. The standing committee has recommended that all 16 central
acts should be brought under the purview of the new act, to make all
equal before law (Article 14 of the Constitution).
· Ministry of Rural Development wants to exclude 13 out of
16 Acts including Industrial Development Act, Land Acquisition (Mines)
Act, National Highways Act and others from the purview of the new act.
This means that 90% of the land acquired as on today will continue with
injustice and force used, with no change at all.
The standing committee recommendations must be upheld to end brutal unjust acquisition for all projects.
Role and Consent of Gram and Basti Sabha
4. The Committee asks that all studies – SIA, EIA, expert
committee appraisal be done in consultation with the gram sabhas and the
corresponding reports be made available to the gram sabhas.
· Ministry emphasises that 80% consent of PAFs provision is there in case of linear projects where “consultation”.
Consent and direct involvement of majority of the Gram Sabhas
must be there in each and every project, including public projects for
public purpose. 80% consent of the project affected population for the
private projects alone is not sufficient. Why should the linear projects be left out?
If it’s consent of 80% affected, there are to be a number of
manipulations that people will have to face. Experiences of 70% consent
in Slum Rehabilitation Scheme in Mumbai are quite telling.
Return of Unutilised Land to farmers and Land Bank
5. The Committee recommended that the land, if not used till 5
years, should be returned after 5 years from the date of possession to
the land owners.
· Ministry accepts the reduced five years time period but
opposes its return to the landowner and suggests it to go to State Land
Bank.
The ownership over the land is of those who till it and if not
used and unutilized then it must be returned to the owners or
distributed amongst the project affected people. We oppose any such
feature which will promote land bank, since it has promoted large scale
acquisition in the past and later illegally transferred the same land to
corporations for real estate and other purposes.
Retrospective Application of the Law
6. On the question of retrospective application of the R&R
provisions Committee has suggested to Ministry to re-examine the issue
and incorporate necessary provisions
· Ministry has not accepted it and refused to do so.
It needs to be noted that nearly 100 million people have been
displaced since independence and with a dismal 17-20 percent rate of
resettlement and rehabilitation we had suggested that not only the
retrospective application of the provisions of the new act but a National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Commission be established to deal with the claims of the projected affected people from various projects.
Resettlement and Rehabilitation Benefits
In terms of the resettlement and rehabilitation benefits Committee
apart from suggesting some cosmetic changes have accepted the provisions
of the Bill, we think this is unfortunate since provisions don’t stand
up to livelihood based R&R, it merely promotes the principle of cash
compensation. It will be a retrogressive step since it negates
the land and employment based R&R as mandated in the Narmada Water
Dispute Tribunal Award, and various other projects. The
proposed provisions of compensating employment with money and high rates
for land acquired will only lead to speculative land market and will
destroy the fragile economy of the rural hinterland which will lead to
further urban migration.
Urban Eviction
The Bill and the comments by both, Standing Committee as
well as MoRD almost totally excludes and have unaddressed the situation
in the urban areas, where there is no land acquisition, but eviction,
brutal and unjust, for any and every elitist real estate development to
infrastructure without guaranteeing right to shelter, right to life and
livelihood. The only provision is to compensate with 20% of
developed land for land owning families in urbanisation projects, which
is not with regard to the cases where land belongs to the government or
private entities but people are evicted. We demand a separate section or a separate act
for the millions of the urban persons and urban land from getting
misappropriated. The Bill with the presently proposed content need to be
called only “Rural Bill”.
The rapacious use of Land Acquisition Act 1894 by the government to
secure land for ‘development’ projects has caused over 100 million
people to be displaced from their land, livelihoods and shelters. The
country is dotted with communities resisting State sponsored land grab
which resonate the demand for a just law to ensure that there is no
forced acquisition of land and resources, including minerals and ground
water. The government must respond to the voices from movements across
places such as Narmada, Koel Karo, Singur, Nandigram, Sonbhadra,
Chindwara, Bhavnagarm, Kalinga Nagar, Kashipur, Raigarh, Srikakulam and
mining areas in central India with genuine efforts to address the
longstanding crisis concerning land Acquisition and resettlement &
rehabilitation.
If the UPA government serious about addressing the
conflicts over the land and other natural resources then it must listen
to the voices of those struggling or else it will only aggravate these
conflicts all across the country. The need of growth,
infrastructure and urbanisation can’t be fulfilled on the graveyard of
millions. A pro-people Development Planning Bill with complete
participation of the Gram Sabha will go a long way in stopping the
massive corporate corruption and lead to decentralization of power having an overall impact on the politics of the country.
We the people’s movements and various alliances such as National
Alliance of People’s Movements, National Forum of Forest people and
Forest Workers, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti and others will hold a public discussion (13 August 2012, Constitution Club, New Delhi)
on the forthcoming Bill with activists, people from movements which are
fighting for land rights and representatives from national political
parties. Thousands of people displaced by ’developmental’ projects in
Narmada, Bhakra, Polavaram, Mundra, Pune (Lavasa), Nandigram, slum
displaced people from Mumbai and fish-workers displaced by coastal and
tourist projects will camp in Delhi to warn the government and
protest against passing any such act in this session of the parliament
on 21-23 August 2012.
Medha Patkar, Roma, Dr. Sunilam, Rupesh Kumar
Contact : Madhuresh 9818905316 | Vijayan M J 9868165471 napmindia@gmail.com
===============================================
Ph: 022-24150529
6/6, Jangpura B, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110014
Phone : 011 26241167 / 24354737 Mobile : 09818905316
Web : www.napm-india.org
Facebook : www.facebook.com/NAPMindia
Twitter : @napmindia
Karbonn Mobiles Signs Up as the Title Sponsor of Champions League Twenty20
Leading mobile handset manufacturer Karbonn Mobiles has
signed up as the title sponsor of Champions League Twenty20 starting
with the fourth edition of this marquee tournament due to be held in
South Africa later this year. Karbonn Mobiles signed the deal today with
ESPN STAR Sports, the commercial partners of Champions League Twenty20.
As part of this deal, Karbonn Mobiles will have rights to on ground
title sponsorship with all its entitlements. The tournament will now be
called Karbonn Champions League Twenty20.
Overall, the fourth edition of the Champions League Twenty20 will feature a total of 14 teams and 29 matches across four venues – Centurion, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The Group Stage will be preceded by a Qualifying Stage from 9 October 2012 to 11 October 2012 featuring six teams. These teams have been equally divided into two pools, with each team playing the other two in its pool once. The top team in each pool, in terms of points, will then qualify for the Group Stage.
Commenting on this partnership, Pradeep Jain, Managing Director, Karbonn Mobiles says, “Karbonn Mobiles is extremely proud to be associated as the title sponsor of Champions League Twenty20 and reiterates its commitment to Cricket with this brand association. We are sure that this fourth edition of CLT20 will become a grand success and will bring more edge-of-the-seat entertainment to the cricket fanatics from across the world. Cricket is one game which is considered as a religion in India and our association with it has helped in breaking the clutter and creating right visibility amongst our target audience.”
“During IPL 5 we introduced our new brand extension christened ‘Karbonn Smart’ offering the new range of technologically advanced products along with a complete range of smart-feature phone segment as well; the response of which has been overwhelming to say the least. With Champions League Twenty20 we are confident to take this unique mobile ecosystem to the next level. We intent to leverage this opportunity by utilising the 360 degree communication mix with a focus on TV, print, digital and press,” he further added.
Sudhir Hasija, Chairman, Karbonn Mobiles says, “Our association with the most popular sports of the subcontinent has proved to be a great platform to reach out to the audience, thus giving the brand an opportunity to connect with the consumers at a massive scale. The association with CLT20 is a matter of great pride for Karbonn Mobiles and it gives us a platform to create constructive fan engagement and thus generate a buzz around the brand Karbonn and the Brand CLT20. Looking to create some innovative brand engagement this season we wish to bring in avant-garde product placements and campaigns into the mix which will go a long way in taking CLT20 to the zenith of TV entertainment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the BCCI for partnering us for some time now and wish to forward our whole hearted support in making this endeavor a grand success.”
Speaking on the occasion, Aloke Malik, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, said, “We are delighted to have Karbonn Mobiles come on board as the title sponsor of Champions League T20. I am very confident that this association will deliver a lot of value to Karbonn Mobiles who have been closely invested in T20 cricket for quite a while now.”
“Champions League Twenty20 in just 3 editions has established itself as a marquee cricket property. This year teams from as many as 8 cricket playing countries will feature in the tournament. From the subcontinent alone, we will see 6 teams in action. Besides the 4 IPL teams, for the very first time, we will have representation from Pakistan which will generate further interest in this block buster property,” added Aloke.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajeev Shukla, Chairman – Indian Premier League and Member – Champions League Twenty20 Governing Council, said, “It gives me immense pleasure in witnessing the grand coalition of telecom pioneers Karbonn Mobiles with our affluent brand Champions League Twenty 20.
In my view, our primary challenge has always been to persistently maintain as well as radically enhance the unparalleled standards established by the Champions League T20 brand in the last few years. I am extremely confident in stating that this adroit association shall certainly tender an augmented and enriching experience for the nationwide ardent cricket fanatics.”
CLT20 has shown a consistent increase in TV ratings as well as reach numbers over the past 3 editions. The first edition rated 1.5 TVR; the second edition saw an increase of 33% and the ratings jumped to 2 TVR*, the third edition of the league saw a further increase of 10% in TV ratings generating an overall 2.2 TVR. In terms of reach** as well, CLT20 has shown a positive trend. The first edition reached out to 77 million individuals while the second edition reached out to 95 million. The third edition reached out to 102 million individuals.
*TG Ratings 15+ M ABC CS
**TG Reach CS4+, All India, Live+highlights
About Karbonn Mobiles:
Karbonn Mobiles, launched in March 2009, is the one of the fastest growing mobile brand in the country complemented by a comprehensive portfolio of mobile phones with an array of features. Karbonn Mobiles is a joint venture between Delhi-based Jaina Group and Bangalore based UTL Group. Karbonn already has over 650 service centers established across the country, ensuring great after sales support.
About Karbonn Champions League Twenty20
CLT20 is an initiative of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. The tournament is a platform where the world’s best domestic T20 teams get the opportunity to pit their skills against each other. The tournament is broadcast around the world by ESPN STAR Sports, who is also the commercial rights holder for the event.
Overall, the fourth edition of the Champions League Twenty20 will feature a total of 14 teams and 29 matches across four venues – Centurion, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The Group Stage will be preceded by a Qualifying Stage from 9 October 2012 to 11 October 2012 featuring six teams. These teams have been equally divided into two pools, with each team playing the other two in its pool once. The top team in each pool, in terms of points, will then qualify for the Group Stage.
Commenting on this partnership, Pradeep Jain, Managing Director, Karbonn Mobiles says, “Karbonn Mobiles is extremely proud to be associated as the title sponsor of Champions League Twenty20 and reiterates its commitment to Cricket with this brand association. We are sure that this fourth edition of CLT20 will become a grand success and will bring more edge-of-the-seat entertainment to the cricket fanatics from across the world. Cricket is one game which is considered as a religion in India and our association with it has helped in breaking the clutter and creating right visibility amongst our target audience.”
“During IPL 5 we introduced our new brand extension christened ‘Karbonn Smart’ offering the new range of technologically advanced products along with a complete range of smart-feature phone segment as well; the response of which has been overwhelming to say the least. With Champions League Twenty20 we are confident to take this unique mobile ecosystem to the next level. We intent to leverage this opportunity by utilising the 360 degree communication mix with a focus on TV, print, digital and press,” he further added.
Sudhir Hasija, Chairman, Karbonn Mobiles says, “Our association with the most popular sports of the subcontinent has proved to be a great platform to reach out to the audience, thus giving the brand an opportunity to connect with the consumers at a massive scale. The association with CLT20 is a matter of great pride for Karbonn Mobiles and it gives us a platform to create constructive fan engagement and thus generate a buzz around the brand Karbonn and the Brand CLT20. Looking to create some innovative brand engagement this season we wish to bring in avant-garde product placements and campaigns into the mix which will go a long way in taking CLT20 to the zenith of TV entertainment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the BCCI for partnering us for some time now and wish to forward our whole hearted support in making this endeavor a grand success.”
Speaking on the occasion, Aloke Malik, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, said, “We are delighted to have Karbonn Mobiles come on board as the title sponsor of Champions League T20. I am very confident that this association will deliver a lot of value to Karbonn Mobiles who have been closely invested in T20 cricket for quite a while now.”
“Champions League Twenty20 in just 3 editions has established itself as a marquee cricket property. This year teams from as many as 8 cricket playing countries will feature in the tournament. From the subcontinent alone, we will see 6 teams in action. Besides the 4 IPL teams, for the very first time, we will have representation from Pakistan which will generate further interest in this block buster property,” added Aloke.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajeev Shukla, Chairman – Indian Premier League and Member – Champions League Twenty20 Governing Council, said, “It gives me immense pleasure in witnessing the grand coalition of telecom pioneers Karbonn Mobiles with our affluent brand Champions League Twenty 20.
In my view, our primary challenge has always been to persistently maintain as well as radically enhance the unparalleled standards established by the Champions League T20 brand in the last few years. I am extremely confident in stating that this adroit association shall certainly tender an augmented and enriching experience for the nationwide ardent cricket fanatics.”
CLT20 has shown a consistent increase in TV ratings as well as reach numbers over the past 3 editions. The first edition rated 1.5 TVR; the second edition saw an increase of 33% and the ratings jumped to 2 TVR*, the third edition of the league saw a further increase of 10% in TV ratings generating an overall 2.2 TVR. In terms of reach** as well, CLT20 has shown a positive trend. The first edition reached out to 77 million individuals while the second edition reached out to 95 million. The third edition reached out to 102 million individuals.
*TG Ratings 15+ M ABC CS
**TG Reach CS4+, All India, Live+highlights
About Karbonn Mobiles:
Karbonn Mobiles, launched in March 2009, is the one of the fastest growing mobile brand in the country complemented by a comprehensive portfolio of mobile phones with an array of features. Karbonn Mobiles is a joint venture between Delhi-based Jaina Group and Bangalore based UTL Group. Karbonn already has over 650 service centers established across the country, ensuring great after sales support.
About Karbonn Champions League Twenty20
CLT20 is an initiative of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. The tournament is a platform where the world’s best domestic T20 teams get the opportunity to pit their skills against each other. The tournament is broadcast around the world by ESPN STAR Sports, who is also the commercial rights holder for the event.
Multi-level marketing employees rallied before Parliament
Over 7,500 volunteers representing multi-level marketing employees
and MMEF all over India today rallied before Parliament under the banner
All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) demanding proper law to protect
the interests of the multilevel marketing employees, consumers and the
corrupt and underhand practices of the MNCs.
Inaugurating the rally, veteran parliamentarian and General
Secretary of AITUC declared that that AITUC, all other unions affiliated
to AITUC and himself will be in the forefront along with MMEF to force
the government to bring in immediately the necessary law to protect the
employees. “If you struggle, take the struggle deep down to every nook
and corner of the country and come back to the national capital in
larger numbers, Parliament and the central government will be forced to
listen to your demands and act positively. In India lakhs of educated
young people are engaged in multilevel marketing sector. These employees
have been dependent for years on this sector for meeting their
livelihood needs.”
The AITUC leader said that the multilevel marketing in the name of
reaching the consumers quality products at a cheap price, exploits its
employees to the full by denying them all genuine and accepted workers’
rights. A small share of the profit is being distributed to the
employees in the sector as remuneration without any consideration for
their job security and family’s welfare.
The youngsters are joining this sector with the belief that the
plans and packages worked out by most of the MNCs, domestic business
majors and the newly entering small traders are generally beneficial
both to the employees and the consumers. As a marketing tactics and with
an aim to win over both the employees and consumers, these companies
come out with copies of all kinds of certificates, testimonials and
awards along with photographs to prove that their products were used and
satisfied by people who matter in the society including political
leaders, professors, teachers, doctors and others
The rally, which began from the Barakambha Road and marched to
Parliament house, was led by EC Satheesan, PV Ashokan, Chidambaram N, V
Sreenivasan, Muben Mohamed, James Mathew, V R Sreenivasan, Sasidharan,
Baby Sebastin, Jairo K James, Deepak Bajan, Gowran Nehra, ADV Pradeep,
Awani Kumar Sharma and TV Stephen. The rally was stopped by police in
front of the Parliament Street police station where it got converted
into a public meeting.
AITUC national secretary and reception committee chairperson
Amarjeet Kaur who presided over the meeting at Parliament street said
that multilevel marketing has today become a reality everywhere in the
world including India. Therefore this sector could not be just ignored
and is growing at a tremendous pace in India too. The sector is being
made fully and legally operational in our neighbouring country China. In
several countries, there is separate law and even a separate ministry
to deal with the sector and those engaged in multilevel marketing
including also both employees and consumers.
She demanded a central government law to identify and protect the
real multilevel marketing companies as well as the employees involved in
the sector. The law must be immediately enacted and brought into
practice so that the employees who have taken MLM as a career can live
with a pride.
She pointed out that the high-power seven member inter-ministerial
committee set up by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs with nominees from
various ministries and the RBI unfortunately does not have any employee
representation. This lacuna will seriously affect the quality of the
fact-finding report, which will recommend and finally be submitted to
the government by August 31, 2012. Therefore we demand appropriate steps
by the government to consult all stakeholders including the MMEF before
drafting thre report.
CPI Rajya Sabha member M P Achuthan who spoke in detail of the
MMEF’s successful struggle in Kerala assured all help and support to get
enacted a proper law. He said that though each of these companies
involved in multilevel marketing has rules and regulations, they carry
out their violations — small and big — most intelligently and at times
even make use of the loopholes in the legal set up in India.
AITUC deputy leader H Mahadevan, who referred to other countries
and the epmployees’ struggle experience said that even some of the
companies after amassing enough wealth are least bothered about the
consequential outcome of their operations. If need be they do not think
twice to shut down their activities and flee away from the scene,
throwing the employees to the mercy of the public and law enforcing
agencies.
Among others who spoke are MMEF-AITUC general secretary E C
Sateesan, AIYF general secretary Aftab Alam Khan, AISF Delhi state
president Kunal Kumar, MMEF leaders from various states and Delhi AITUC
leader Babban.
E. C. Satheesan Amarjeet Kaur Chidambaram N
General Secretary National Secretary National Media Co-ordinator
MMEF-AITUC AITUC MMEF-AITUC
Dish TV launchesIndia’s first SD Recorder withunlimited capacity
Delhi, 7th August 2012: Dish TV the pioneer and market leader of India’s DTH industry brings yet another unique technology, “Dish+”, India’s first standard definition box with unlimited recording facility. Dish+ is positioned at a highly consumer friendly and competitive price of Rs. 1690 (against all other SD boxes at Rs 1590)with a 4 GB pen drive free as
promotional offer. Post VCR there is no recording device available with
consumers and there is a huge vacuum to fulfil the consumer need. Dish+ fulfils the ‘need gap’ of recording facility for the consumers.
Speaking on the launch, Mr. R.C Venkateish, Chief Executive Officer, Dish TVIndia,
said “Being pioneers and market leaders we have constantly reinvented
and redefined the market with thought leadership to be ahead of the
pack. Dish+ is being launched in 42 cities of Phase I and Phase II of
digitization and will clearly demonstrate Dish+ as a better alternative
for all viewers who will shift from analog to digital.”
Mr. Salil Kapoor, Chief Operating Officer, Dish TV India, emphasizes “Dish+
is a comeback of recorders in the living room and is a clear
differentiator vis-Ã -vis other alternatives including digital cable. Its
highly competitive launch price will position it as a preferred option
amongst all DTH buyers”.
Dish+ has been designed with fine detailing, curved edges with sleek and modern looks. The unique feature of Dish + is its compatibility with any USB device enabling consumers to simply plug and play an existing USB stick/ HDD, and build an entire genre based library of their favorite program.Dish+
offers unmatched advantage of recording on SD. Dish+ is user-friendly
with features like “plug-n-play” through an external USB device. This
enables all benefits of a traditional DVR like recording and playing
back programs, Pausing or Rewinding live TV, different play-back
positions, event based recording (EBR), time based recording (TBR) and
so on.
About DishTV India
Rio+20: A Move Towards More Sustainable Transportation
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AirAsia asean officially launched for group’s regional expansion
Jakarta, 8 August 2012 – AirAsia asean, the regional base of the world’s best low-cost airline, was officially launched in Jakarta today.
The launch reaffirms AirAsia’s commitment to the Asean region, which it considers home, and coincides with the eve of the 45th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
With its new regional base, AirAsia strengthens its position as the
Asean airline. AirAsia asean was set up as part of the regional
expansion strategy of the group, which now includes six airlines, five
of which are anchored in Asean: the short-haul carriers AirAsia
Malaysia, AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Indonesia, AirAsia Philippines and
AirAsia Japan, and the long-haul carrier AirAsia X.
Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia, and Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun,
Deputy Group CEO of AirAsia, will be based at the AirAsia asean office.
“The establishment of the AirAsia asean office in Jakarta as our regional base is to help to more fully deliver on our pledge – Now everyone can fly
– to all the people of Asean and beyond. We are blessed to be located
in a part of the world where economic growth is expected to be sustained
despite the chilly economic winds blowing through Europe and the United
States. Shifting AirAsia’s emphasis to a regional strategy is, we
believe, not just good business, but also a move that will keep us ahead
of the inevitable competition that is heading our way,” Fernandes said.
AirAsia asean, as the nerve center of the group’s regional
expansion, will help ready the group for the implementation of the ASEAN
Open Skies policy and the ASEAN Economic Community, initiatives that
the ASEAN Secretariat is now actively pushing in its 10
member-countries.
“AirAsia asean will help ensure that our voice, our concerns and
our appeals are heard much more clearly in the corridors of power with
ASEAN. One of the reasons for locating the office in Jakarta is to help
us engage more closely with the ASEAN Secretariat, which is
headquartered here,” Fernandes said.
By focusing on regional growth, AirAsia expands its market base to
600 million people and brings Asean closer – within four-hour flight
radii – to mega populations in neighboring giants China and India as
well as in Japan and Korea. The Asean region, Northeast Asia and South
Asia have a combined population of 3 billion people, or 43% of the
world’s population.
“No single domestic market in Asean, not even Indonesia, can match
the potential of a regional ASEAN market of 600 million people,” he
added.
AirAsia is supporting its regional growth with a fleet expansion
program that includes firm orders for 375 Airbus A320, 25 Airbus A330
and 10 Airbus A350 aircraft. The group currently operates a fleet of
104 Airbus A320, nine Airbus A330 and two A340 Airbus aircraft. It
operates more than 160 direct city-to-city links and flies to 85
destinations, of which 55 are in Asean.
AirAsia’s commitment to Asean goes beyond its network of
destinations. It has provided employment to 10,000 individuals from
across Asean and flown more than 140 million guests since its launch as a
low-cost airline in 2001. It has championed the region in various
projects, including in sports and youth development, on the global
stage. Last month, AirAsia asean debuted Aseanita, a female Asean
caricature, online to promote the region via popular social media
channels and serve as a guide to the region. Aseanita has so far
garnered more than 2,700 likes on Facebook (facebook.com/Aseanita),
where she engages an average of 500 fans daily. Aseanita also
encourages discussions regarding Asean on Twitter (@Aseanita), where she
has close to 250 followers.
UPA-II Is No More ‘Aam Aadmi Sarkar’
8th, August, 2012:New Delhi: The Central
Secretariat of the Communist Party of India (CPI) strongly decries the
maiden announcement by Sri P Chidambaram, after returning to the finance
ministry. It is no strange the FM has come out with an anti-people,
anti-worker, anti-aam aadmi assessment. Anybody who knows him
from close quarters, including many even in his own party, will agree
that he has been handpicked by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh so that
the corporate as well as MNC interests are protected.
As far as his move to exempt multinational companies, including
Vodafone, from payment of tax on assets they acquire in India and to
facilitate tax avoidance by foreign and Indian corporates, is a
full-fledged attempt to reverse the retrospective effect in the tax law.
He has in fact insulted Parliament, which while adopting the Finance
Bill accepted this norm. Vodafone will of course get a tax relief of Rs
12,000 crore on acquisitions in India, through the new step.
Another measure announced by the FM is aimed at enabling tax
avoidance by companies using the Mauritius route. For that he is going
to review norms under the General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR).
The neo-liberal package of measures worked out by the FM does not
speak of workers’ rights, drought relief measures to peasantry, food
security and universal PDS, interest-free study loans for students, more
jobs for youth, pension and other social security measures for aam aadmi.
The CPI demands that economic policies announced by the finance
minister should be withheld and the new policies should be discussed in
Parliament.
General Secretary: S. Sudhakar Reddy
(S.S.Bhusari)
Office
Secretary
COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA
Central Office
Ajoy Bhavan, 15, Com. Indrajit Gupta Marg, New Delhi-110002
Telephone: 23232801, 23235058, Fax: 23235543, Email: cpiofindia@gmail.com
________________________________________________________________________
Syrian premier Riad Hijab’defects’ blow to Assad
If confirmed, Hijab’s defection would be the highest-ranking of the
17-month uprising, and a new blow to President Bashar al-Assad, who has
already seen no fewer than 31 of his generals cross the border into
Turkey to join the rebellion and a growing number of his ambassadors
break ranks.
Hijab was a leading Sunni Muslim in Assad’s minority
Alawite-dominated government. His home province of Deir Ezzor in the
northeast has been one of the key battlegrounds of the conflict and seen
a mounting death toll from operations by the army in recent weeks.
“Riad Hijab has defected from the regime,” the director of the
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told a news
agency.
Abdel Rahman said there were conflicting reports on Hijab’s current whereabouts.
“Some sources say he has arrived in Jordan, others say he was arrested before making his escape,” said Abdel Rahman.
State television reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Local
Government Minister Omar Ghalawanji had been appointed caretaker
premier.
“Prime Minister Riad Hijab has been dismissed,” it said in a terse report.
According to the state-owned newspaper, Hijab presided over two
meetings at the local government ministry on Sunday to discuss “measures
to redevelop areas that have been cleansed of armed terrorists.”
The 46-year-old was only appointed on June 6 following a widely
boycotted May 7 parliamentary election that was hailed as a centerpiece
of reform by the Assad regime but dismissed as a farce by Arab and
Western governments.
An agricultural engineer by training, he was agriculture minister
under his predecessor government Adel Safar who was appointed in April
2011, shortly after the outbreak of the uprising.
The morning bombing struck management offices on the third floor of
the television building in the heavily protected Omayyad district of
the capital.
“It is clear that the blast was caused by an explosive device,” said Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi.
“Syria’s television is being targeted because of its bravery,” Zoabi said.
“But nothing will stop the voice of Syria.” On June 27, gunmen
armed with explosives attacked the Al-Ikhbariya offices outside Damascus
killing three journalists and four security guards.
On Saturday, rebel fighters attacked the state television building in Syria’s second city, Aleppo.
“May this be a lesson to all those who support the regime,” it said.
In Aleppo, the army bombarded a string of rebel neighbourhoods
after government security officials said that troops had completed their
build-up and that a 20,000-strong force was poised for a ground
assault.
A rebel commander was killed in the Salaheddin district in the
southwest, and troops shelled the Palace of Justice, as well as the
Marjeh and Shaar districts, the Syrian Observatory said. A total of nine
people were killed in Aleppo early today, among them eight civilians,
the watchdog.Lopez Nunez won gold120 kg Greco-Roman wrestling
Mijain Lopez Nunez won gold for Cuba in the men’s 120
kg Greco-Roman wrestling Monday, beating Estonia’s Heiki Nabi on points
in the final.Lopez Nunez won 3-0.
Estonia’s Heiki Nabi claimed Estonia’s first medal in London with
silver.World champion Riza Kayaalp of Turkey beat Lopez Nunez to the
world title last year but was forced to settle for bronze, beating Guram
Pherselidze of Georgia 3-0.The second bronze medal match, Johan Euren
of Sweden beat his Belarusian opponent Ioseb Chugoshvili 3-1.
Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus won Olympic gold
Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus won Olympic gold.World silver medalist Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus won Olympic gold in the women’s shot put Monday.Ostapchuk posted a winning distance of 21.36 in the third round.
Defending champion Valerie Adams of New Zealand taking the silver after throwing 20.70.
Evgeniia Kolodko of Russia snatched the bronze on her last attempt with a personal best 20.48.
Poisonous threat to Delhi residents
Poisonous threat to Delhi residents from Farooq Abdullah Ministry & landfills in the sky
Poisonous threat to Delhi residents from Farooq Abdullah ministry & landfills in the sky.Delhi
faces threat from nano particles, ultrafine particulate matter, Dioxins
& heavy metals.Amidst bitter protest against Okhla Incinerator,
construction of incinerator plants at Narela-Bawana & Ghazipur
underway
New Delhi: ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA) gave a presentation to Indian
Association for Air Pollution Control (IAAPC) on ጡndfills in the
sky⠯utlining the disastrous public health consequences of waste to
energy incinerators in Delhiâ³ Okhla, Narela-Bawana and Gazipur on August 4
at the meeting of their executive/managing committee. The presentation
is attached.༤iv>
Notably, a related matter has been listed for hearing in the
Supreme Court on October 1, 2012 in the Writ Petition (Civil) No. 888 of
1996. Delhi High Court is seized with the petition of Sukhdev Vihar
residents against the Okhla incinerator plant since 2009. It heard the
matter on July 3, 2012. The next hearing is on October 3, 2012. ༯div>
༯div>
In its presentation to IAAPC, TWA submitted that the burning of
2050 Metric Ton of municipal waste at Okhla by Jindal Ecopolis company,
4000 Metric Ton project at Narela-Bawana by Ramky company and 1300
Metric Ton project at Ghazipur by GMR company. Delhi generates
approximately 22500 Ton of municipal solid waste daily, out of which
7050 Ton is sought to burnt to create landfills for toxic cocktail of
contaminants in the sky. All the three projects are using unapproved
technologies. The probe of Okhla waste to energy incinerator plant by
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revealed that there is Industrial
Disaster Management Plan has not been prepared and the company is using
a Chinese technology although environmental clearance was taken for
Refuse Derived Fuel technology in a clear case of environmental
lawlessness in the heart of the national capital with impunity. CPCB
report and its critique is attached.
Even the Union Environment Minister has acknowledged that the plant
has violated the EIA Notification, 2006 as not only was the clearance
based on fake public hearing even the clearance has been amended twice
without legal mandate. TWA had reminded the Delhi Chief Minister about
the letter from the Environment Minister. ࠦnbsp; ࠦnbsp;
TWA site visited has revealed that residents and villagers are protesting against the proposed Dioxins emitting plant. The plant at Okhla is situated not only in the proximity of New Friends Colony, Maharani Bagh, Sukhdev Vihar and the business district Nehru Place – but also several prominent institutions, including hospitals like Apollo, Escorts and Holy Family. The proposed plant at Narela Bawana is in the vicinity of Sannaut village. Even Gazipur site is surrounded by residential colonies.
In its presentation, TWA submitted that every time something is burnt, itâ³ a backward journey to the beginning of the linear society (extraction- manufacture-consumption-waste). One quarter of the mass of the waste that is burned is ash.
By municipal/household waste, the most toxic substances are created than any chemical laboratory can make it. These include: polyhalogenated dibenzo para dioxins and furans (PCDDs, PCDFs, PBDDs, PBDFs etc) called “dioxins” for short. There are literally thousands of these substances. Incineration releases many toxic metals like lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium etc go into the air, at best they are captured in the fly ash in the air pollution control devices.
For every four tons of waste burned one gets at least one ton of ash: 90% is called bottom ash (that is the ash collected under the furnace) and 10% is the very toxic fly ash. No one knows as to where do the ash from the waste incinerator that is plaguing the national capital due to financial incentives of Farooq Abdullahâ³ Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) gets disposed off. MNRE has a waste to energy policy that distorts waste management by promoting incinerator technologies through subsidy of 1.5 crore/MW of waste based power in violation of the Supreme Court Order of May 15, 2007. MNREâ³ driving concern is energy at any human or environmental cost.
TWA underlined the threats from ultrafine particulate matter and nanoparticles which remains beyond regulation which has failed to factor in nanotoxicology. These particles have exquisite biological properties which are very worrying. They are so tiny that they can cross the lung membrane and enter the bloodstream. Once there they can enter every tissue in the body including the brain.
The problem with waste incineration is twofold: a) because every object in commerce is likely to end up in an incinerator any toxic element used in these products is likely to end up in the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles from incinerators are the most dangerous of any common source. b) There are NO regulations in the world for the monitoring nanoparticles from incinerators.
In most countries the particles regulated are 10 microns and above. In some countries they regulate particles at 2.5 microns. But neither standard comes closer to monitoring nanoparticles.
TWA cited a Statement of Evidence -Particulate Emissions and Health from Dr. Vyvyan Howard from Northern Ireland which is the most up to date review of the issue of nanoparticles and incineration available. Before any new incinerator is built in Delhi, or anywhere else for that matter, government officials should force the project proponent director to produce a scientific response to the key questions of nano toxicity posed in this paper.
If they cannot do so, then clearly building such a plant is taking a reckless gamble with the public’s health. Such a gamble cannot be justified on either economic or environmental grounds, both local and global.
Pollution is the most recognized and best-studied problem of incineration. Despite intensive scrutiny over many years, however, much remains unknown about releases of pollutants from incinerators. Waste burners produce hundreds of distinct hazardous byproducts, and only a handful of them have been studied thoroughly. Hundreds more may remain unidentified.
Dioxins are the most notorious pollutant associated with incinerators. They cause a wide range of health problems, including cancer, immune system damage, reproductive and developmental problems. Dioxins biomagnify, meaning that they are passed up the food chain from prey to predator, concentrating in meat and dairy products, and, ultimately, in humans.
TWA recalled that Dioxins became famous as the culprit in such public health disasters as Love Canal, Seveso, Times Beach, and Agent Orange, in which populations were exposed to large quantities of dioxins. These exposures resulted from improper waste disposal (Love Canal and Times Beach), industrial malfunction (Seveso), and the spraying of a herbicide (Agent Orange) contaminated with dioxins as a war chemical. The introduction of approximately one gram of dioxins and 50 kilograms of PCBs into animal food supplies in Belgium triggered widespread food recalls that caused some US$3 billion in damage to the Belgian economy. Worldwide, incinerators are the primary source of dioxins.
Incinerators are also a major source of mercury pollution. Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin, impairing motor, sensory and cognitive functions, and mercury contamination is widespread. Incinerators are also an significant source of other heavy metal pollutants such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium.
Other pollutants of concern from incinerators include other (non-dioxin) halogenated hydrocarbons; acid gases that are precursors of acid rain; particulates, which impair lung function; and greenhouse gases. However, characterization of incinerator pollutant releases is still incomplete, and many unidentified compounds are present in air emissions and ashes.
Incinerator operators often claim that air emissions are ãµ®der control,ä ¢ut evidence indicates that this is not the case. First, for many pollutants, such as dioxins, any additional emissions are unacceptable. Second, emissions monitoring is uneven and deeply flawed, so even current emission levels are not truly known. Third, the data that do exist indicate that incinerators are incapable of meeting even the current regulatory standards.
Dioxin causes cancer in laboratory animals, and several studies of humans show an increased incidence of various forms of cancer. It is also toxic to the immune system, and it interferes with normal reproduction and development. Primate studies show an association between dioxin exposure and endometriosis. Dioxin interferes with thyroid hormone levels in infants. These effects may occur at extremely low exposure levels. Large accidental or occupational exposures cause a skin rash (chloracne), weight loss, fatigue, decreased libido, altered glucose metabolism, and neurological damage. Dioxin repeatedly causes cancer in virtually all studies in experimental animals at doses well below those which are otherwise toxic.
When air pollution control equipment does function, it removes pollutants from the air and concentrates them in the fly ash, creating a hazardous waste stream that needs further treatment. Thus, the problem of pollutant releases is not solved; the pollutants are simply moved from one medium (air) to another (solids or water). Incinerator ash is highly hazardous but is often poorly regulated. Even landfill disposal is not safe, as landfills leak; but in some places the ash is left exposed to the elements or even spread in residential or food-producing areas. TWA underlined that it is a fraudulent carbon trade project, how every incinerator based waste to energy plant has failed in its journey from Delhiâ³ Timarpur to Elikatta Village of Andhra Pradesh and how one Australian companyâ³ six proposals for WTE plant had to be shelved.
These incinerator projects are destroying the livelihood of about 3.5 lakh waste recycling workers and valuable resource material for compost that is required to be treated by composting/anaerobic digestion/vermin composting/other biological processing for stabilization as per Municipal Solid Waste(Management & Handling) Rules framed under Environment Protection Act, 1986. In the CPCB report, Dr A B Akolkar, Director, CPCB emphasized that as per Municipal Solid Waste(Management & Handling) Rules ᢩodegrdable waste⠩s to be treated using biological method rather than deriving RDF or by incineration as is being done by Jindal Ecopolis. It demonstrates that the Timarpur-Okhla Waste to Energy Incinerator Plant violates the Rules.
TWA site visited has revealed that residents and villagers are protesting against the proposed Dioxins emitting plant. The plant at Okhla is situated not only in the proximity of New Friends Colony, Maharani Bagh, Sukhdev Vihar and the business district Nehru Place – but also several prominent institutions, including hospitals like Apollo, Escorts and Holy Family. The proposed plant at Narela Bawana is in the vicinity of Sannaut village. Even Gazipur site is surrounded by residential colonies.
In its presentation, TWA submitted that every time something is burnt, itâ³ a backward journey to the beginning of the linear society (extraction- manufacture-consumption-waste). One quarter of the mass of the waste that is burned is ash.
By municipal/household waste, the most toxic substances are created than any chemical laboratory can make it. These include: polyhalogenated dibenzo para dioxins and furans (PCDDs, PCDFs, PBDDs, PBDFs etc) called “dioxins” for short. There are literally thousands of these substances. Incineration releases many toxic metals like lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium etc go into the air, at best they are captured in the fly ash in the air pollution control devices.
For every four tons of waste burned one gets at least one ton of ash: 90% is called bottom ash (that is the ash collected under the furnace) and 10% is the very toxic fly ash. No one knows as to where do the ash from the waste incinerator that is plaguing the national capital due to financial incentives of Farooq Abdullahâ³ Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) gets disposed off. MNRE has a waste to energy policy that distorts waste management by promoting incinerator technologies through subsidy of 1.5 crore/MW of waste based power in violation of the Supreme Court Order of May 15, 2007. MNREâ³ driving concern is energy at any human or environmental cost.
TWA underlined the threats from ultrafine particulate matter and nanoparticles which remains beyond regulation which has failed to factor in nanotoxicology. These particles have exquisite biological properties which are very worrying. They are so tiny that they can cross the lung membrane and enter the bloodstream. Once there they can enter every tissue in the body including the brain.
The problem with waste incineration is twofold: a) because every object in commerce is likely to end up in an incinerator any toxic element used in these products is likely to end up in the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles from incinerators are the most dangerous of any common source. b) There are NO regulations in the world for the monitoring nanoparticles from incinerators.
In most countries the particles regulated are 10 microns and above. In some countries they regulate particles at 2.5 microns. But neither standard comes closer to monitoring nanoparticles.
TWA cited a Statement of Evidence -Particulate Emissions and Health from Dr. Vyvyan Howard from Northern Ireland which is the most up to date review of the issue of nanoparticles and incineration available. Before any new incinerator is built in Delhi, or anywhere else for that matter, government officials should force the project proponent director to produce a scientific response to the key questions of nano toxicity posed in this paper.
If they cannot do so, then clearly building such a plant is taking a reckless gamble with the public’s health. Such a gamble cannot be justified on either economic or environmental grounds, both local and global.
Pollution is the most recognized and best-studied problem of incineration. Despite intensive scrutiny over many years, however, much remains unknown about releases of pollutants from incinerators. Waste burners produce hundreds of distinct hazardous byproducts, and only a handful of them have been studied thoroughly. Hundreds more may remain unidentified.
Dioxins are the most notorious pollutant associated with incinerators. They cause a wide range of health problems, including cancer, immune system damage, reproductive and developmental problems. Dioxins biomagnify, meaning that they are passed up the food chain from prey to predator, concentrating in meat and dairy products, and, ultimately, in humans.
TWA recalled that Dioxins became famous as the culprit in such public health disasters as Love Canal, Seveso, Times Beach, and Agent Orange, in which populations were exposed to large quantities of dioxins. These exposures resulted from improper waste disposal (Love Canal and Times Beach), industrial malfunction (Seveso), and the spraying of a herbicide (Agent Orange) contaminated with dioxins as a war chemical. The introduction of approximately one gram of dioxins and 50 kilograms of PCBs into animal food supplies in Belgium triggered widespread food recalls that caused some US$3 billion in damage to the Belgian economy. Worldwide, incinerators are the primary source of dioxins.
Incinerators are also a major source of mercury pollution. Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin, impairing motor, sensory and cognitive functions, and mercury contamination is widespread. Incinerators are also an significant source of other heavy metal pollutants such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium.
Other pollutants of concern from incinerators include other (non-dioxin) halogenated hydrocarbons; acid gases that are precursors of acid rain; particulates, which impair lung function; and greenhouse gases. However, characterization of incinerator pollutant releases is still incomplete, and many unidentified compounds are present in air emissions and ashes.
Incinerator operators often claim that air emissions are ãµ®der control,ä ¢ut evidence indicates that this is not the case. First, for many pollutants, such as dioxins, any additional emissions are unacceptable. Second, emissions monitoring is uneven and deeply flawed, so even current emission levels are not truly known. Third, the data that do exist indicate that incinerators are incapable of meeting even the current regulatory standards.
Dioxin causes cancer in laboratory animals, and several studies of humans show an increased incidence of various forms of cancer. It is also toxic to the immune system, and it interferes with normal reproduction and development. Primate studies show an association between dioxin exposure and endometriosis. Dioxin interferes with thyroid hormone levels in infants. These effects may occur at extremely low exposure levels. Large accidental or occupational exposures cause a skin rash (chloracne), weight loss, fatigue, decreased libido, altered glucose metabolism, and neurological damage. Dioxin repeatedly causes cancer in virtually all studies in experimental animals at doses well below those which are otherwise toxic.
When air pollution control equipment does function, it removes pollutants from the air and concentrates them in the fly ash, creating a hazardous waste stream that needs further treatment. Thus, the problem of pollutant releases is not solved; the pollutants are simply moved from one medium (air) to another (solids or water). Incinerator ash is highly hazardous but is often poorly regulated. Even landfill disposal is not safe, as landfills leak; but in some places the ash is left exposed to the elements or even spread in residential or food-producing areas. TWA underlined that it is a fraudulent carbon trade project, how every incinerator based waste to energy plant has failed in its journey from Delhiâ³ Timarpur to Elikatta Village of Andhra Pradesh and how one Australian companyâ³ six proposals for WTE plant had to be shelved.
These incinerator projects are destroying the livelihood of about 3.5 lakh waste recycling workers and valuable resource material for compost that is required to be treated by composting/anaerobic digestion/vermin composting/other biological processing for stabilization as per Municipal Solid Waste(Management & Handling) Rules framed under Environment Protection Act, 1986. In the CPCB report, Dr A B Akolkar, Director, CPCB emphasized that as per Municipal Solid Waste(Management & Handling) Rules ᢩodegrdable waste⠩s to be treated using biological method rather than deriving RDF or by incineration as is being done by Jindal Ecopolis. It demonstrates that the Timarpur-Okhla Waste to Energy Incinerator Plant violates the Rules.
TWA informed IAAPC that it was in March 2009 that Sukhdev Vihar
Residents filed the Writ Petition (Civil) which was initially dismissed
on 12th August, 2009 because of misrepresentation of facts by A S
Chandiok, Additional Solicitor General (ASG). The court later found that
it was misled earlier by ASG which had led to it dismissing the
petition.Ï® December 18, 2009, ASG sought time to file his reply as
Court’s order.Ô¨e Petition was restored and the bench headed by the Chief
Justice, Delhi High Court in an order dated 15th January, 2010 The
court observed, ã´¨at the project in questionä ¡nd ã´¨e location of the pilot
project in Delhi was neither recommended by the Expert Committee nor
approved by the Supreme Court.ä ”he respondents, the government was
“granted one week’s more time to file reply as a last chance” by the
court in its order dated February 3, 2010. Till date ASG’s reply has not
been filed.༯div>
Delhi High Court order of July 18, 2011 reads: “It is submitted by
Mr. Nigam, learned senior counsel for the petitioner that the plant is
going to be operated to be soon. Learned counsel has submitted that
he has been instructed to state that Delhi Pollution Control Committee
has issued the consent to operate. Mr.Waziri, learned standing counsel
for GNCTD and DPCC submitted that consent to establish has been given
but consent to operate has not yet been given. Needless to
emphasize, without obtaining consent for operation, the plant cannot be
operationalized.” But even as this submission was given by the Delhi
Government to the Court, the plant started operating since January 2012
with impunity. Instead on January 24, 2012, the Court observed in its
order, “The respondent No.9 arranged for the power point / video
demonstration of the plant in question. Learned counsel for the
respondent No.9 seeks permission to place the same on record supported
by an affidavit and explaining the process.” It appears to be a case of
justice delayed and justice denied because the project proponents now
have created a fait accompli situation for the court. ࠼/div>
IAAPCâ³ Delhi Chapter deliberated on the crisis of environmental
toxicity due to these incinerators at its executive/managing committee
on August 4, 2012. S K Gupta, Secretary of IAAPC and other members of
IAAPC opined that the burning of mixed municipal waste laced with heavy
metals is a matter of concern. Its health impact studies ought to be
undertaken to ascertain its adverse impact.
For Details: Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance,͢: 9818089660, E-mail: krishna1715@gmail.com,
Web: toxicswatch.blogspot.com
Web: toxicswatch.blogspot.com
Mars rover Curiosity has landed on the Red Planet
NASA’s most advanced Mars rover Curiosity has landed on
the Red Planet. The one-ton rover, hanging by ropes from a rocket
backpack, touched down onto Mars Sunday to end a 36-week flight and
begin a two-year investigation. Mars rover Curiosity touched down
successfully on the Red Planet at 5:31 UTC on Monday.The largest-ever
probe sent to another planet was launched last November. It is the size
of a small car and weighs nearly one ton.
NASA says Curiosity deployed a parachute and used the reverse thrust of its rocket engines to drastically reduce its speed after entering the Martian atmosphere.The difficult landing routine kept mission control engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles on their toes. They erupted in cheers and applause when the spacecraft’s safe touchdown was confirmed.The 6-wheeled spacecraft beamed back its first images from the Martian surface minutes after landing, using a camera installed at its bottom. One black-and-white image shows the rover’s shadow cast on the surface of Mars.
Curiosity will explore the planet’s surface over the next 2 years. The robotic explorer is packed with sophisticated instruments and is designed to carry out on-the-spot analysis of rocks and sand for evidence of organic matter.
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft that carried Curiosity succeeded in every step of the most complex landing ever attempted on Mars, including the final severing of the bridle cords and flyaway maneuver of the rocket backpack.
“Today, the wheels of Curiosity have begun to blaze the trail for human footprints on Mars. Curiosity, the most sophisticated rover ever built, is now on the surface of the Red Planet, where it will seek to answer age-old questions about whether life ever existed on Mars — or if the planet can sustain life in the future,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “This is an amazing achievement, made possible by a team of scientists and engineers from around the world and led by the extraordinary men and women of NASA and our Jet Propulsion Laboratory. President Obama has laid out a bold vision for sending humans to Mars in the mid-2030′s, and today’s landing marks a significant step toward achieving this goal.”
Curiosity landed at 10:32 p.m. Aug. 5, PDT, (1:32 a.m. EDT Aug. 6) near the foot of a mountain three miles tall and 96 miles in diameter inside Gale Crater. During a nearly two-year prime mission, the rover will investigate whether the region ever offered conditions favorable for microbial life.
“The Seven Minutes of Terror has turned into the Seven Minutes of Triumph,” said NASA Associate Administrator for Science John Grunsfeld. “My immense joy in the success of this mission is matched only by overwhelming pride I feel for the women and men of the mission’s team.”
Curiosity returned its first view of Mars, a wide-angle scene of rocky ground near the front of the rover. More images are anticipated in the next several days as the mission blends observations of the landing site with activities to configure the rover for work and check the performance of its instruments and mechanisms.
“Our Curiosity is talking to us from the surface of Mars,” said MSL Project Manager Peter Theisinger of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “The landing takes us past the most hazardous moments for this project, and begins a new and exciting mission to pursue its scientific objectives.”
Confirmation of Curiosity’s successful landing came in communications relayed by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter and received by the Canberra, Australia, antenna station of NASA’s Deep Space Network.
Curiosity carries 10 science instruments with a total mass 15 times as large as the science payloads on the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Some of the tools are the first of their kind on Mars, such as a laser-firing instrument for checking elemental composition of rocks from a distance. The rover will use a drill and scoop at the end of its robotic arm to gather soil and powdered samples of rock interiors, then sieve and parcel out these samples into analytical laboratory instruments inside the rover.
To handle this science toolkit, Curiosity is twice as long and five times as heavy as Spirit or Opportunity. The Gale Crater landing site places the rover within driving distance of layers of the crater’s interior mountain. Observations from orbit have identified clay and sulfate minerals in the lower layers, indicating a wet history.
The mission is managed by JPL for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Mission controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said they received signals relayed by a Martian orbiter confirming that the rover had survived a make-or-break descent and landing effort to touch down as planned inside a vast impact crater. NASA has described the achievement as perhaps the most complex ever in robotic spaceflight.A mission is to see if Mars ever have supported life in forms like microbes or possibly the humans could survive there someday. Media agencies .http://www.nasa.gov/mars
NASA says Curiosity deployed a parachute and used the reverse thrust of its rocket engines to drastically reduce its speed after entering the Martian atmosphere.The difficult landing routine kept mission control engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles on their toes. They erupted in cheers and applause when the spacecraft’s safe touchdown was confirmed.The 6-wheeled spacecraft beamed back its first images from the Martian surface minutes after landing, using a camera installed at its bottom. One black-and-white image shows the rover’s shadow cast on the surface of Mars.
Curiosity will explore the planet’s surface over the next 2 years. The robotic explorer is packed with sophisticated instruments and is designed to carry out on-the-spot analysis of rocks and sand for evidence of organic matter.
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) spacecraft that carried Curiosity succeeded in every step of the most complex landing ever attempted on Mars, including the final severing of the bridle cords and flyaway maneuver of the rocket backpack.
“Today, the wheels of Curiosity have begun to blaze the trail for human footprints on Mars. Curiosity, the most sophisticated rover ever built, is now on the surface of the Red Planet, where it will seek to answer age-old questions about whether life ever existed on Mars — or if the planet can sustain life in the future,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “This is an amazing achievement, made possible by a team of scientists and engineers from around the world and led by the extraordinary men and women of NASA and our Jet Propulsion Laboratory. President Obama has laid out a bold vision for sending humans to Mars in the mid-2030′s, and today’s landing marks a significant step toward achieving this goal.”
Curiosity landed at 10:32 p.m. Aug. 5, PDT, (1:32 a.m. EDT Aug. 6) near the foot of a mountain three miles tall and 96 miles in diameter inside Gale Crater. During a nearly two-year prime mission, the rover will investigate whether the region ever offered conditions favorable for microbial life.
“The Seven Minutes of Terror has turned into the Seven Minutes of Triumph,” said NASA Associate Administrator for Science John Grunsfeld. “My immense joy in the success of this mission is matched only by overwhelming pride I feel for the women and men of the mission’s team.”
Curiosity returned its first view of Mars, a wide-angle scene of rocky ground near the front of the rover. More images are anticipated in the next several days as the mission blends observations of the landing site with activities to configure the rover for work and check the performance of its instruments and mechanisms.
“Our Curiosity is talking to us from the surface of Mars,” said MSL Project Manager Peter Theisinger of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “The landing takes us past the most hazardous moments for this project, and begins a new and exciting mission to pursue its scientific objectives.”
Confirmation of Curiosity’s successful landing came in communications relayed by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter and received by the Canberra, Australia, antenna station of NASA’s Deep Space Network.
Curiosity carries 10 science instruments with a total mass 15 times as large as the science payloads on the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Some of the tools are the first of their kind on Mars, such as a laser-firing instrument for checking elemental composition of rocks from a distance. The rover will use a drill and scoop at the end of its robotic arm to gather soil and powdered samples of rock interiors, then sieve and parcel out these samples into analytical laboratory instruments inside the rover.
To handle this science toolkit, Curiosity is twice as long and five times as heavy as Spirit or Opportunity. The Gale Crater landing site places the rover within driving distance of layers of the crater’s interior mountain. Observations from orbit have identified clay and sulfate minerals in the lower layers, indicating a wet history.
The mission is managed by JPL for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Mission controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said they received signals relayed by a Martian orbiter confirming that the rover had survived a make-or-break descent and landing effort to touch down as planned inside a vast impact crater. NASA has described the achievement as perhaps the most complex ever in robotic spaceflight.A mission is to see if Mars ever have supported life in forms like microbes or possibly the humans could survive there someday. Media agencies .http://www.nasa.gov/mars
‘Bellissimo’ brand launched by Panariagroup of Italy & Asian Granito India
High-end luxury tiles under ‘Bellissimo’ brand launched by Panariagroup of Italy & Asian Granito India
New JV co Asian Panaria to invest Rs 100 cr over next 3-5 years
New Delhi, 6 August 2012: Panariagroup
Industrie Ceramiche S.p.A. of Italy, one of the world’s leading ceramic
tiles company, has joined hands with India’s leading tiles maker, Asian
Granito India Ltd., to form a new 50:50 joint venture company, Panaria
Asian Pvt. Ltd., to tap the high-end luxury tiles market in India. This
new JV’s products will be sold under the new brand ‘Bellissimo – STILE
ITALIANO’ to reflect Italian elegance, technology and innovation. It
plans to invest Rs. 100 crore over the next 3-5 years in manufacturing
as well as setting up a nation-wide distribution network for luxury
tiles.
With a presence in over 100 countries, the over Euro 300
million Panariagroup is a world leader in the manufacture and
distribution of high-end and luxury porcelain stoneware flooring and
wall coverings, with production sites in Italy, Portugal and the USA.
Asian Granito India, a Rs. 620 crore plus company, listed on the NSE and
BSE, is one the top 5 ceramic tiles company in India with a strong
distribution network across the country and five manufacturing plants in
Gujarat.
Welcoming this new initiative, Mr. Kamlesh Patel, Chairman of Asian Granito India Ltd.
said, “The joint venture company headquartered at Ahmedabad, Gujarat
will offer products comprising a selected range of Panariagroup’s best
sellers manufactured in Italy and collections produced in Asian
Granito’s Indian plants under an exclusivity agreement. It will be
supported by Panariagroup’s technical team to ensure that touch of
Italian style.”
Explaining the focus of this high-end brand, Mr. Sanjay Monga, Country Manager – India of Asian Panaria Pvt. Ltd.,
said, “Bellissimo sets out to be the point of reference for planners,
interior designers, architects and end users who are looking for
products that combine the highest technical standards and the aesthetics
of Italian products, which for centuries have been the symbol of unique
excellence throughout the world. With production of over 600 million
square metres per year and annual growth rates in double digits, India
is the third-largest ceramic tile market in the world in terms of
consumer spending.”
Mr. Andrea Campaner, Managing Director of Panariagroup India,
added, “We want to become the market leader in the Indian luxury
ceramic tiles market in the next five years and capture 35% of the total
luxury market share in value terms. We will bring in R&D
activities, differentiation, focusing on the market and to become a
close partner to all the needs and requirements of our clients.
Important brands such as Panaria ceramiche, LEA ceramiche and Cotto
d’Este will become important assets to create value right from the
start. Panariagroup believes strongly in the essential importance of our
human resources, that is made up of enthusiasm, entrepreneurial
attitude and responsibility with a very strong background. All the main
activities and experience will be in place with our strong team of
Italian and Indian members to promote our new creation, the BELLISSIMO
brand.”
About Panariagroup Industrie Ceramiche S.p.A.:
Panariagroup Industrie Ceramiche S.p.A., with headquarters in
the area known as the “ceramic tile district” between Modena and Reggio
Emilia, heads a Group with 30 years’ experience in the manufacturing and
sale of ceramic materials for flooring and wall coverings, with a focus
on the luxury and high-end segments of the market. With approximately
1,700 employees and 6 production facilities, Panariagroup ranks among
the leading national and international manufacturers, distributing its
products in more than 100 countries, through a sales network comprising
500 employees and 300 Sales Agents that serve a base of roughly 9,000
customers.
Panariagroup, listed on the Star segment of Borsa Italiana
since November 2004, operates through 8 leading brands (Panaria, Lea,
Cotto d’Este, Fiordo, Margres, Love Tiles, Florida Tile and Blustyle),
all in the high-end and luxury market segments.
Asian Granito India Limited:
Asian Granito India Ltd, listed on the NSE & BSE, reported
sales of Rs 623 crore in 2011-12, with annual growth rates exceeding
20%. The company has more than 4,000 customers throughout the country
and 5 production plants in the state of Gujarat with production
capacities of 81,000 square metres per day. Asian Granito is today among
the top 5 Indian ceramic tile manufacturers and one of the leading
manufacturers of porcelain stoneware in India. The company owns 20
showrooms throughout the country.
Hiroshima marks 67th a-bomb anniversary
Hiroshima has marked the 67th anniversary of the US atomic bombing
of the city by calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and the
development of energy sources that are safe and secure.
About 50,000 people gathered on Monday at Hiroshima’s Peace Park near
ground zero.At the memorial ceremony, attended by representatives of
about 70 countries, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui referred to the
nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant last year.He called on the government to establish an energy policy that would protect the safety and security of citizens.An updated list of 280,959 victims was placed at the cenotaph. It contains the names of 5,729 who died or were confirmed dead in the past year.The peace bell was rung at 8:15 AM to mark the exact time the atomic bomb was dropped, and all participants observed a moment of silence.
In the Peace Declaration, Mayor Matsui said Japan learned a lesson from the Fukushima nuclear accident and is now engaged in a national debate over its energy policy. He noted that some voices are insisting that humankind and nuclear energy cannot co-exist.NHK reports
Seven killed in Shooting in Oak Creek Gurudwara
A gunman opened fire inside a Gurudwara in
Wisconsin during congregation preparation for Sunday morning prayers,
killing at least six people.
The FBI will oversee the criminal investigation. Edwards said there were “numerous individual deceased” and “multiple injured.”
FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Teresa Carlson said the agency
is working closely with the Oak Creek Police Department and other local
and federal agencies to investigate the shooting incident.
This tragic incident unfolded at around 10:30 pm on Sunday as
members of the Sikh community were gathering in the 17,000 sq ft
Gurudwara in Milwaukee’s Oak Creek suburb.
The unidentified gunman walked into the Gurudwara where he opened
indiscriminate firing, killing six people.The gunman was also shot and
killed by a police officer who also sustained serious injuries. Police
said there were a large number of women and children and the women were
preparing meals to be served after the traditional prayer ceremony.
Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards said the police is “treating the incident as a domestic terrorist-type incident.”
President Barack Obama offered his condolences to the victims of
the shooting and said that his Administration will provide whatever
support is necessary to the officials who are responding to this tragic
shooting and moving forward with an investigation.
“Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn of the shooting that
tragically took so many lives in Wisconsin, Obama said in a statement.
“As we mourn this loss which took place at a house of worship, we
are reminded how much our country has been enriched by Sikhs, who are a
part of our broader American family,” Obama said.
Vietnam curb anti-China protests
Vietnam start suppressing anti-China protests. The
Vietnamese government apparently wants to avoid a further escalation of
its territorial dispute with China.Police in the capital Hanoi dispersed
about 50 people who had gathered in a square on Sunday. They also
detained about 20 who have been organizing the protests since July.
Demonstrations are strictly limited in Vietnam under Communist Party
rule. But the authorities had given their tacit approval for anti-China
rallies, with police controlling traffic when protesters took to the
streets.The two nations are increasingly at odds over the Spratly and
Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
Vietnam passed a maritime law in June that declared sovereignty over the islands.China, on the other hand, has upgraded the status of the islands to a city. A Chinese state-run oil company has announced a plan to explore natural resources in disputed areas.
Vietnam passed a maritime law in June that declared sovereignty over the islands.China, on the other hand, has upgraded the status of the islands to a city. A Chinese state-run oil company has announced a plan to explore natural resources in disputed areas.
Iran tests new short-range missile
Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi says his country has successfully test-fired a new short-range missile. He says the missile is more accurate than previous models.State-run television showed the launch of a Fateh-110. The missile has a range of more than 300 kilometers and can reach targets in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.Vahidi said the missile’s guidance system allows it to strike on land or sea with precision.
He said Iran plans to add the system to all its existing
missiles.The United States and European nations are tightening
sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programs, targeting its oil
exports.Conservative lawmakers in Iran have called for the country’s
leaders to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key Middle East oil-shipping
route.
Iran test-fired a mid-range missile last month.Observers say the weapons tests are meant as a show of force for the United States and Israel.
Iran test-fired a mid-range missile last month.Observers say the weapons tests are meant as a show of force for the United States and Israel.
Syrian military controls all of Damascus
A Syrian military official says President Bashar
al-Assad’s troops have regained control of all opposition strongholds in
the capital, Damascus.The military began using tanks to attack
opposition forces near the city center on Friday.Anti-government troops
have been intensifying their offensive in parts of the capital since
mid-July.
A military commander told the media that Syrian forces retook all
opposition positions in the capital on Saturday.Government forces are
also stepping up attacks in the northern city of Aleppo. They are
deploying fighter jets to bombard suburban residential and commercial
areas.A human rights group based in Britain says more than 20 people,
including civilians, were killed on Friday and Saturday.
Putin proposes to cooperate Japan
Russian President Vladimir Putin said, Russia and Japan
should cooperate to stop poaching, smuggling and other problems in his
country’s Far East.He told Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba that
an ongoing territorial dispute on Russian-held islands claimed by Japan
off Hokkaido should not prevent the countries from working
together.Putin who met Gemba in the southern Russian resort of Sochi on
July 28th.
Gemba referred to a dispute over a group of Russian-held islands
claimed by Japan off Hokkaido. He suggested that foreign and vice
foreign ministers meet to hammer out a peace treaty.Putin responded that
Russia is ready to explore a solution. But he also said he doesn’t
believe the lack of a peace treaty should prevent the two countries from
working together.Media agencies
Draghi vowed to “do whatever it takes to preserve the euro.”
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi vowed to “do
whatever it takes to preserve the euro.” In its policy meeting on
Wednesday, the ECB decided to keep its existing monetary policies
unchanged. But at a press conference after the meeting Draghi said the
ECB doesn’t rule out taking “further non-standard monetary policy
measures” if needed. He also reconfirmed that the euro is
“irreversible.”
US Federal Reserve held a Federal Open Market Committee meeting, its
policy-deciding function, on Monday and Tuesday. Contrary to market
expectations, the Fed kept its monetary policy unchanged, taking no
additional easing steps.
Bank of Japan holds a policy meeting starting on Wednesday and Thursday. Japan has been struggling to break out of deflation, which drags prices down over long periods, and the yen continues to strengthen against other currencies. The business community is starting to call for further monetary easing by the BOJ. However, BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa is on record as saying excessive easing could have negative side-effects such as a jump in long-term rates and inflation. That has led to a widespread belief that Shirakawa is reluctant to take further easing measures.
We will ask Rikkyo University Professor Teizo Taiya for his analysis of the responses of the ECB and the Fed, what action he expects the BOJ to take next week, and his outlook for the European crisis in the context of the ECB’s expected responses.Media agencies
Bank of Japan holds a policy meeting starting on Wednesday and Thursday. Japan has been struggling to break out of deflation, which drags prices down over long periods, and the yen continues to strengthen against other currencies. The business community is starting to call for further monetary easing by the BOJ. However, BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa is on record as saying excessive easing could have negative side-effects such as a jump in long-term rates and inflation. That has led to a widespread belief that Shirakawa is reluctant to take further easing measures.
We will ask Rikkyo University Professor Teizo Taiya for his analysis of the responses of the ECB and the Fed, what action he expects the BOJ to take next week, and his outlook for the European crisis in the context of the ECB’s expected responses.Media agencies
India to set up three more mega manufacturing zones
Against the backdrop of sharp decline in manufacturing
growth, India will be setting up three more mega industrial and
investment zones as part of its endeavour to push the contribution of
the sector up to 25 pc of GDP by 2020.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said the notification for setting up the National Manufacturing and Investment Zones (NMIZ) is expected to be issued by this month end.”We are seriously considering three National Manufacturing and Investment Zones (NMIZ) of which one will be in Andhra Pradesh and two in Karnataka,” said Sharma who is on a three-day visit to Colombo.The decision, by which the total number of NMIZ will go up to 12, comes against the backdrop of sharp decline in manufacturing growth to 0.3 percent during the January-March quarter from 7.3 percent in the corresponding period of 2010-11.Sharma said there are four proposals pending with the government, including that from Kerala but they are seeking special dispensation in land area requirement of a minimum 5,000 hectares.The government has been taking several steps to increase the share of the manufacturing sector in the GDP to at least 25 percent by 2020 from the present 16 percent.
In this regard, a new National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) was announced recently, which provides for NMIZs. NMIZs will be mega industrial zones with world class supporting infrastructure.
The government is offering a host of incentives like exemption from capital gains tax and a liberalised labour and environment norms to promote these zones. The NMP proposes to create 100 million jobs by 2020.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said the notification for setting up the National Manufacturing and Investment Zones (NMIZ) is expected to be issued by this month end.”We are seriously considering three National Manufacturing and Investment Zones (NMIZ) of which one will be in Andhra Pradesh and two in Karnataka,” said Sharma who is on a three-day visit to Colombo.The decision, by which the total number of NMIZ will go up to 12, comes against the backdrop of sharp decline in manufacturing growth to 0.3 percent during the January-March quarter from 7.3 percent in the corresponding period of 2010-11.Sharma said there are four proposals pending with the government, including that from Kerala but they are seeking special dispensation in land area requirement of a minimum 5,000 hectares.The government has been taking several steps to increase the share of the manufacturing sector in the GDP to at least 25 percent by 2020 from the present 16 percent.
In this regard, a new National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) was announced recently, which provides for NMIZs. NMIZs will be mega industrial zones with world class supporting infrastructure.
The government is offering a host of incentives like exemption from capital gains tax and a liberalised labour and environment norms to promote these zones. The NMP proposes to create 100 million jobs by 2020.
International Conference on People’s Empowerment and Development
Government of Bangladesh organised the International Conference
on People’s Empowerment and Development.Addressing a press conference in
Dhaka today, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes said that the
two day conference which is scheduled to be inaugurated by Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday morning is focused on various
factors interlinked with the” People’s empowerment and a Peace centric
development model “presented by her at the UN General Assembly last
year.
Jairam Ramesh will address the inaugural session of the Conference and will also participate in the Working Session focused on the theme “Creating Jobs for All”.
Jairam Ramesh will address the inaugural session of the Conference and will also participate in the Working Session focused on the theme “Creating Jobs for All”.
UN: First food aid to flood-hit N Koreans
World Food Programme has said it is sending a first
shipment of emergency food aid to flood-hit areas of North Korea, where
torrential rain has killed scores of people and inundated cropland.The
assistance will provide victims with an initial ration of 400 grams (14
ounces) of maize a day for 14 days, the UN body said in a statement
posted yesterday on its website.
It said a UN mission that travelled to flood-hit regions earlier in the week found considerable damage to maize, soybean and rice fields.The country struggles to feed its people even in normal times and suffered a famine in the 1990s that killed hundreds of thousands.The UN mission said immediate food aid was needed for residents of the worst-hit counties, Anju and Songchon in South Pyongan province and Chonnae in Kangwon province.
It also stressed that tens of thousands of families urgently need clean drinking water to prevent disease.Wells had been contaminated by overflowing latrines, creating a high risk of a diarrhoea outbreak, while floods had damaged water sources and pumping stations.Citing government figures, the UN mission said about 50,000 families would need purification tablets or other help to secure clean water.
The North’s state media has reported a total of 119 deaths in recent weeks, with 84,000 people made homeless and 45,370 hectares (122,500 acres) of farmland submerged or washed away.
It said a UN mission that travelled to flood-hit regions earlier in the week found considerable damage to maize, soybean and rice fields.The country struggles to feed its people even in normal times and suffered a famine in the 1990s that killed hundreds of thousands.The UN mission said immediate food aid was needed for residents of the worst-hit counties, Anju and Songchon in South Pyongan province and Chonnae in Kangwon province.
It also stressed that tens of thousands of families urgently need clean drinking water to prevent disease.Wells had been contaminated by overflowing latrines, creating a high risk of a diarrhoea outbreak, while floods had damaged water sources and pumping stations.Citing government figures, the UN mission said about 50,000 families would need purification tablets or other help to secure clean water.
The North’s state media has reported a total of 119 deaths in recent weeks, with 84,000 people made homeless and 45,370 hectares (122,500 acres) of farmland submerged or washed away.
Basel III norms: RBI
Reducing its stake in public sector banks to below 50 pc
is an option before the government to enable them meet capital
requirement norms under Basel III, Reserve Bank of India Governor D
Subbarao said.He said Indian banks need to raise Rs 1.5 lakh
crore to Rs 1.75 lakh crore as capital to meet the BASEL-III norms which
are to be implemented by 31st March 2018.Basel III
international accounting standards were conceived after the 2008-09
financial crisis to strengthen banks’ capital base and improve their
ability to withstand shocks.
“Question is can PSU banks mobilise this sort of capital, or can the government give this sort of capital. We are aware of the constraints on the government”, the RBI governor said in Hyderabad on Saturday.”The alternate to the government is either to reduce shareholding below 50 per cent or slow down PSU growth,” Subbarao said in his keynote address delivered at Centre for Economic and Social Studies.
He was, however, hopeful that the banks in private sector may be able to raise the capital.”Can private banks raise this sort of money? They probably can, because Rs 500 billion was raised in last 5 years,” Subbarao said.
Explaining the outcomes after the financial crisis in 2008-09, Subbarao said, though price stability and macroeconomic stability are important they do not guarantee financial stability.
“Not only that they do not guarantee financial stability but if you have macroeconomic and price stability for too long, you are probably jeopardising financial stability,” Subbarao said. “Because, you become complacent, you are impervious; you’re plying to the cancer building underneath your belly. And when pressures build up, implosion takes place, he added.
He said the take away from this is that central banks and governments and all regulators need to pursue financial stability explicitly, not as a byproduct of price and macroeconomic stability.
Subbarao felt the collection of healthy institutions does not make a collective healthy system. Banks are over confident during safe times and excessively panic during bad times, he said.
He said during the crisis period, it was thought India was decoupled from the affected economies because of the forex resources and regulations but the crisis proved that decoupling is a myth.
“We thought we were decoupled because of the reforms, because of our financial sector is more resilient, manufacturing sectors have grown, forex reserves are sufficient. We thought we were decoupled from the economies. But that proved to be wrong,” he said.
“Question is can PSU banks mobilise this sort of capital, or can the government give this sort of capital. We are aware of the constraints on the government”, the RBI governor said in Hyderabad on Saturday.”The alternate to the government is either to reduce shareholding below 50 per cent or slow down PSU growth,” Subbarao said in his keynote address delivered at Centre for Economic and Social Studies.
He was, however, hopeful that the banks in private sector may be able to raise the capital.”Can private banks raise this sort of money? They probably can, because Rs 500 billion was raised in last 5 years,” Subbarao said.
Explaining the outcomes after the financial crisis in 2008-09, Subbarao said, though price stability and macroeconomic stability are important they do not guarantee financial stability.
“Not only that they do not guarantee financial stability but if you have macroeconomic and price stability for too long, you are probably jeopardising financial stability,” Subbarao said. “Because, you become complacent, you are impervious; you’re plying to the cancer building underneath your belly. And when pressures build up, implosion takes place, he added.
He said the take away from this is that central banks and governments and all regulators need to pursue financial stability explicitly, not as a byproduct of price and macroeconomic stability.
Subbarao felt the collection of healthy institutions does not make a collective healthy system. Banks are over confident during safe times and excessively panic during bad times, he said.
He said during the crisis period, it was thought India was decoupled from the affected economies because of the forex resources and regulations but the crisis proved that decoupling is a myth.
“We thought we were decoupled because of the reforms, because of our financial sector is more resilient, manufacturing sectors have grown, forex reserves are sufficient. We thought we were decoupled from the economies. But that proved to be wrong,” he said.
Don’t Ban MLM Multi Level Marketing just Regulate it
Press conference held at 4 windsor place New Delhi to engage the stakeholders
in order to Regulate Multilevel Marketing And Protect Consumers and Employees
In joint statement issued by the Reception Committee Chairperson
Amarjeet Kaur,Vice-chairman Chidambaram N, General convener E C
Satheesan and MMEF(AITUC) leaders P V Asokan and V Sreenivasan at a
press conference in New Delhi on Saturday August 4, 2012.
Chairperson Amarjeet Kaur said, their main demands of protest in
form of the ‘March to Parliament’ being organised by the Multilevel
Marketing Employees Federation MMEF(AITUC) is to enact a central
legislation to regulate the multilevel marketing sector and protect its
employees as well as consumers.
She further added that In India the multilevel marketing/direct
selling sector is actively functioning since 1996, but not under any
regulation. Instead, each multinational net work and big business house
in India are operating according to its wishes, aimed at making only
huge profits.Also in India about 20 lakhs of youngsters are working in
this sector and this is the only means of their livelihood. Such
operations are rampant in more than one hundred countries. Even in our
neighbouring country China, the multilevel marketing is in operation
with proper separate regulating laws. In certain countries, there are
sections, legally equipped officials and even ministers to look after
and regulate the sector.The noble aim of multilevel marketing/direct
selling is to provide directly without middlemen cheap and better
quality essential items to consumers identified through personal
contacts. A share of the profit is being distributed to the employees in
the sector as remuneration.
She said , several business organisations engaged in multilevel
marketing after cheating and misappropriating the hard earned money of
the consumers disappear all of a sudden throwing the employees and
consumers into wilderness. This is happening due to the lack of any
regulatory mechanism.Multilevel marketing is similar to various other
income-generating jobs. This really provides some relief in India where
unemployment is critical.The multilevel marketing employees must be able
to work in this sector with a healthier environment ensuring both
dignity and security. This can be achieved only through enacting a
proper legislation.
Welcming the media she said, we would also like to reveal to the
Press that attempts are being made by MNCs to instill fears into the
minds of the employees that the government may ban multilevel
marketing/direct selling setup itself. Vested interests in the
bureaucracy and other government machinery are trying their best in this
regard.However, a seven-member committee has been set up under the
chairmanship of the present consumer affairs secretary to study the
problems, assess the sector and submit a report by August 31, 2012.We
demand that the committee and the consumer affairs ministry should
consult all the stakeholders, particularly the employees and the
MMEF(AITUC) before finalising the report.It is to focus on these demands
and seeking urgent steps by the central government towards framing a
legal setup that a trade union has taken birth in the multilevel
marketing sector MMEF(AITUC) for the first time in the world and is
holding the March to Parliament on August 7, 2012, starting at 11 a.m.
from Barakhamba Road signals to Parliament Street via Tolstoy Marg,
Janpath and Jantar Mandir.
MULTILVEL MARKETING EMPLOYEES FEDERATION MMEF(AITUC)
Reception Committee
AITUC Bhavan, 35-36, D.D.U Marg, New Delhi-110 002 Tel: 011-23217320
Chairman: Amarjeet Kaur Mob: 09810144958,
General Convener: E C Satheesan Mob:09446520292
UNGA adopts resolution on Syria
The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a
Saudi-drafted resolution on Syria that expressed “grave concern” at the
escalating violence in the country but India was among the 31 nations
that abstained.The 193-member General Assembly passed the
resolution that denounced Syria’s crackdown on its people and demanded
that the country lockdown it’s chemical and biological weapons.
The resolution also deplored “the failure of the Security Council to agree on measures to ensure the compliance of Syrian authorities with its decisions”.
The resolution got 133 votes in favour, while 12 countries voted against and 31 countries, including India abstained.An earlier draft of the resolution had provisions that demanded regime change, called on President Bashar Al-Assad to resign and asked countries to place sanctions against the country for the violence and killing.
India was not in favour of these provisions and a senior member of Indian delegation had said that officials “worked over time” to get these demands dropped from the resolution.
Others countries like Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa too were not in support of the provisions demanding regime change and sanctions.The Indian Ambassador to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri had also held several rounds of discussion with his Saudi and Qatari counterparts over the provisions of regime change and sanctions in the resolution. Unlike a UN Security Council resolution, the General Assembly resolution is not legally binding. It is only moral and symbolic in nature.The resolution strongly condemns “the continued widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities and pro-governmental militias”.
Addressing the 193-member General Assembly before the vote on the resolution, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the violence and acts of brutality being reported in Syrian cities may constitute “crimes against humanity or war crimes”.
He said despite repeated verbal acceptances of the international envoy six-point plan endorsed by the UN Security Council, the Syrian government and the opposition continue to rely on weapons and not diplomacy, believing that they would win through violence.
The Syrian crisis has escalated in the last 17 months when the uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime began.
More than 10,000 people have been killed and thousands others displaced by the fighting between government and rebel forces.Efforts to restore peace and stability in the troubled nation were dealt a huge blow when the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan announced that he was resigning from his post, six months after his efforts to end the violence and find a political solution to the Syrian crisis yielded no results.
Ban said the violence and bloodshed in Syria was “avoidable” if the Syrian government had from the beginning of the uprising not responded to peaceful demonstrations with brutal force, including mass round-ups and torture.He said observers had predicted at the start of the conflict that unchecked spread of violence in Syria would lead to a rise of radicalisation, extremism and terrorism.
“The next step was also forewarned: a proxy war, with regional and international players arming one side or the other.”“Now, we face the grim possibility of long-term civil war destroying Syria’s rich tapestry of interwoven communities. This would have tragic implications for Syria’s people and could affect stability across the region. We must not let this prediction come true,” Ban said.
He said mediation to solve the Syrian crisis can only succeed if there is a commitment to solving conflict through dialogue and real leverage to back it up.Annan too had blamed a divided international community and UN Security Council for lack of action to stop the violence.
The resolution also deplored “the failure of the Security Council to agree on measures to ensure the compliance of Syrian authorities with its decisions”.
The resolution got 133 votes in favour, while 12 countries voted against and 31 countries, including India abstained.An earlier draft of the resolution had provisions that demanded regime change, called on President Bashar Al-Assad to resign and asked countries to place sanctions against the country for the violence and killing.
India was not in favour of these provisions and a senior member of Indian delegation had said that officials “worked over time” to get these demands dropped from the resolution.
Others countries like Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa too were not in support of the provisions demanding regime change and sanctions.The Indian Ambassador to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri had also held several rounds of discussion with his Saudi and Qatari counterparts over the provisions of regime change and sanctions in the resolution. Unlike a UN Security Council resolution, the General Assembly resolution is not legally binding. It is only moral and symbolic in nature.The resolution strongly condemns “the continued widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities and pro-governmental militias”.
Addressing the 193-member General Assembly before the vote on the resolution, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the violence and acts of brutality being reported in Syrian cities may constitute “crimes against humanity or war crimes”.
He said despite repeated verbal acceptances of the international envoy six-point plan endorsed by the UN Security Council, the Syrian government and the opposition continue to rely on weapons and not diplomacy, believing that they would win through violence.
The Syrian crisis has escalated in the last 17 months when the uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime began.
More than 10,000 people have been killed and thousands others displaced by the fighting between government and rebel forces.Efforts to restore peace and stability in the troubled nation were dealt a huge blow when the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan announced that he was resigning from his post, six months after his efforts to end the violence and find a political solution to the Syrian crisis yielded no results.
Ban said the violence and bloodshed in Syria was “avoidable” if the Syrian government had from the beginning of the uprising not responded to peaceful demonstrations with brutal force, including mass round-ups and torture.He said observers had predicted at the start of the conflict that unchecked spread of violence in Syria would lead to a rise of radicalisation, extremism and terrorism.
“The next step was also forewarned: a proxy war, with regional and international players arming one side or the other.”“Now, we face the grim possibility of long-term civil war destroying Syria’s rich tapestry of interwoven communities. This would have tragic implications for Syria’s people and could affect stability across the region. We must not let this prediction come true,” Ban said.
He said mediation to solve the Syrian crisis can only succeed if there is a commitment to solving conflict through dialogue and real leverage to back it up.Annan too had blamed a divided international community and UN Security Council for lack of action to stop the violence.
Keshubhai Patel quits BJP
Keshubhai Patel, who ushered in BJP rule in
Gujarat in the 90s and has revolted against CM Narendra Modi, has
resigned from the party and announced plans to launch a new outfit which
he claims would be the real BJP.
Addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar on Saturday, the
83-year-old former chief minister announced his decision along with the
resignation of Kanshiram Rana, a former Union minister, from the
party.”Kanshiram Rana and I, who have served the party for the last 60
years, are very sad to send our resignations, from the party that we
have nurtured here, to party president Nitin Gadkari. We are not
switching the party but we are going to form the real BJP,” Keshubhai
said.
The former chief minister launched a stinging attack on Modi saying
the party had become a one-man outfit and gone far away from the
principles of the BJP.
The poor and the middle class have become unhappy with the
government and Modi was keeping away from everyone including the media
to avoid questioning, he said.
The announcement by Patel, who was leading an anti-Modi group
within the state BJP ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections (due in
December), was expected for quite some time, and the formation of the
new party would result in a triangular fight.
Though a powerful OBC leader during his heydays, what impact his
departure would have on the party remains to be seen since he has been
marginalised in the state politics for quite sometime now.In Gujarat,
considered the Hindutva forces’ laboratory, Keshubhai had emerged as a
powerful leader of the numerically strong Patel community, which is the
backbone of BJP’s support base.
The saffron party is in power in the state for the last 15
years.”BJP has not remained the real BJP which we had formed by working
for the last 50 years. This party has become a one- man party and gone
far away from its principals,” Keshubhai said, targeting Modi. “I will
tomorrow announce the formation of our new party,” he added.
“The present BJP has gone miles away from democracy and has become insensitive towards the people,” Keshubhai said.
In the last 10 years, people were suffering, decisions of courts
were not being respected, women and children were suffering from
malnutrition, and if the parents of missing children wanted to meet the
chief minister, they were turned away, he said.”In this situation, I
cannot remain silent and be a mute spectator, and that is the reason I
have decided to form a new party which will be the real BJP,” he
said.Modalities of forming the new party were being worked out, he said.
Sources close to Keshubhai said the new party would contest all the 182
Assembly seats.
Keshubhai was unceremoniously removed as Gujarat chief minister in
2001 by the BJP leadership; Modi replaced him.”At this ripe age, I am
not forming a new party for grabbing power, as people have given me
enough. My only aim is to give a better alternative to the people,”
Keshubhai said.
Rana, a powerful leader from Surat, who was the union textile
minister in the NDA government, said, “Vajpayeeji had once told Modi to
follow ‘Raj-dharma’, and inspired by that, we have decided to follow
‘Praja-Dharma’”.
Keshubhai enjoys support of a section of the Sangh Parivar in
Gujarat, including RSS ‘pracharaks’ and members of VHP.Former minister
of state for home in the Modi government, Gordhan Zadafia, who later
formed his own Maha-Gujarat Janta Party, had sometime ago said that he
would merge his outfit with Keshubhai’s party.
Saina wins first badminton Olympic bronze
Saina Nehwal created history by becoming the first Indian
to win an Olympic Games bronze medal in badminton, though under
fortuitous circumstances, as her world number two Chinese opponent
retired from the play-off because of a knee injury.The
22-year-old Saina was trailing 18-21, 0-1 in the high-voltage bronze
medal play-off match when her second seeded opponent Xin Wang retired
hurt, giving India an unexpected medal without having to sweat much.Saina
also became the second Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, after
Karnam Malleswari’s weightlifting bronze in 2000 Sydney Olympics.With
the addition of Saina’s bronze, India’s medal collection in the ongoing
Olympics has gone upto three with pistol shooter Vijay Kumar (silver)
and seasoned marksman Gagan Narang (bronze) being the other medal
winners.The packed Wembly arena, which had a seizable chunk of
vociferous Indian supporters cheering for Saina, were taken by surprise
when the script suddenly changed with Wang getting injured towards the
very end of the first game.Wang got herself medical attention and even
went in for the second game but conceded the match after just one
point.A thunderous roar greeted Saina when it was announced that she had
won the bronze medal and Wang had retired.”I still can’t believe that I
have won a medal. In badminton, I never believed that India could win a
medal because the competition is so tough. It is a dream come true for
me,” Saina said after the match on Saturday.”I had trained hard and
there was a lot of expectation. I initially thought that she was just
taking rest as she was tiring, but then I realised she was injured. It’s
sad that she got injured, but I was confident of beating her as I was
coming into rhythm,” she said.
Saina said her defeat against top ranked player Yihan Wang of China on Friday was still rankling her as she had adopted a wrong strategy against her.
“Today’s match was crucial. But I was still thinking about what happened yesterday. But as the game went, I began to play better. I felt that she was tiring and I had my chance,” the ace shuttler said.Saina, seeded fourth, started off well by taking an early lead but the Chinese clawed back and the score moved neck and neck till 6-6.
From then on, the Chinese increased the lead by not allowing Saina to play her natural game.Wang took a lead of 16-10 but the Indian again showed her tenacity by reducing the margin and engaging her opponent in long rallies, a tactics which she could not do in the semifinal match.The turning point came when the score was 20-18 in the first game. In her bid to finish off the game, Wang leaped into the air and unleashed a blistering smash from the baseline but landed awkwardly and injured her left knee in the process.She bandaged her knee and took the court for the second game but conceded after just one point, much to the delight of the Indian spectators and IOA officials who were present at the venue.
“Today my strategy was to engage her in long rallies and it did work to some extent. Yesterday also we had the same strategy, but it did not work. I should have tried something else and played my own game instead of trying to match her,” Saina said.
“I had never won a match like this before. May be, the medal was written for me. I have always wanted an Olympic medal. I always wanted to see India’s national flag going up at the podium,” she said.The moment it was known that she was the bronze medal, Saina first waved at her coach P Gopichand, who was sitting on the coach’s chair, and then acknowledged the cheers from the spectators, most of whom were Indians.
Saina said her defeat against top ranked player Yihan Wang of China on Friday was still rankling her as she had adopted a wrong strategy against her.
“Today’s match was crucial. But I was still thinking about what happened yesterday. But as the game went, I began to play better. I felt that she was tiring and I had my chance,” the ace shuttler said.Saina, seeded fourth, started off well by taking an early lead but the Chinese clawed back and the score moved neck and neck till 6-6.
From then on, the Chinese increased the lead by not allowing Saina to play her natural game.Wang took a lead of 16-10 but the Indian again showed her tenacity by reducing the margin and engaging her opponent in long rallies, a tactics which she could not do in the semifinal match.The turning point came when the score was 20-18 in the first game. In her bid to finish off the game, Wang leaped into the air and unleashed a blistering smash from the baseline but landed awkwardly and injured her left knee in the process.She bandaged her knee and took the court for the second game but conceded after just one point, much to the delight of the Indian spectators and IOA officials who were present at the venue.
“Today my strategy was to engage her in long rallies and it did work to some extent. Yesterday also we had the same strategy, but it did not work. I should have tried something else and played my own game instead of trying to match her,” Saina said.
“I had never won a match like this before. May be, the medal was written for me. I have always wanted an Olympic medal. I always wanted to see India’s national flag going up at the podium,” she said.The moment it was known that she was the bronze medal, Saina first waved at her coach P Gopichand, who was sitting on the coach’s chair, and then acknowledged the cheers from the spectators, most of whom were Indians.
Launch of AACCI project on “Prevention of Violence and Aggression in children and Youth”
National consultative meeting and Launch of AACCI project
on “Prevention of Violence and Aggression in children and Youth” Saturday, 4th August 2012 IIC, New Delhi:
In view of the escalating violence in many cities of India which involves children and youth in schools, out of school and at home in various aspects AACCI- Association of Adolescent and child care in India felt a need to plan some interventions and decide to spearhead a project that will get together a variety of stake holders to plan practical interventions which are doable at various levels. We at AACCI felt that there is a need for a group of experts, NGO’s and stake holders to come together and brain storm to come out with recommendations for prevention of this escalating violence and aggression and plan intervention strategies at various levels- school. College, community, parents and last but not the least Media .This consultative meeting was planned This project is the brain child of Dr Swati Y Bhave Executive Director AACCI. This is being co-hosted by Dr Anuradha Khairnar and ISHP Indian Society of health care professionals AACCI is a group of doctors from various specialties and mental health professionals who have come together for holistic care of children and adolescents.
Children in schools and youth in college can only be reached through the two main pillars of their wellbeing –parents at home and teachers in schools .With this in mind AACCI has also included in our group parents and teachers Since 2008 AACCI has been doing various programs on parenting, Life skill education, tobacco control, gender issues, healthy life style, anger management and coping with emotions prevention of obesity and other life style disorders in various cities and states in the country. You can visit our website www.aacci.in for more details about us and our activities .Many of The AACCI research and other publications and yearly reports are on the website In the morning Presentations on the subject will be made by renowned psychiatrists: Dr Shekhar Seshadri from NIMHANS, Bangalore, Nimesh Desai IHBAS, New Delhi and Dr Jitendra Nagpal, Expressions India New Delhi The participants are experts in psychology, doctors from various specialties- paediatricians, psychiatrists, adolescent specialists, family physicians, principals, teachers, counselors, legal experts, media experts, social scientists, educationist and parents and representatives from various NGOS. Group discussions will be held under various themes: interventions at parental, school, college, community levels, legal aspects, special situations like rural, tribal and urban slums and specially challenged children.
In addition to the above experts The groups will be led by experts: Dr Jai Shastri Psychiatrist and Dr Anuradha Sovani from Mumbai University, Prof Katy Gandevia from TISS, Dr Jay Shastri a child psychiatrist from Mumbai ,Dr Radhakrishnan from RGNIYD, Dr UNB Rao from UVCT Trust, Seema Khanna Media expert from ASWHD , Dr Farookh Buchia from CASP ,Mumbai Dr Sangeeta Yadav Prof of Pediatrics from MAMC New Delhi, Padmashree Pukhraj Bafna from Chhattisgarh, Adolescent experts like Drs Ashok Gupta from Jaipur, Paula Goel from Mumbai, Anjali Saxena and TS Jain from New Delhi. AACCI has got many partners A multicentre research is planned by AACCI which will be coordinated by Dr Surekha Joshi research coordinator AACCI and analysis will be done by TISS Mumbai.
The results of the discussions will be complied in the form of recommendations and action plan that will be carried out by committed people across the country. The report will also be published Sunday, 5th August 2012 Orientation to master trainers module developed by AACCI for creating awareness and capacity building of teachers , students and children to prevent and ability to cope up with violence. This has been developed by Dr Swati Bhave and Divya Santhanan. AACCI faculty lead by Dr Swati Y Bhave and Anuradha Sovani will explain the way to use this module so that principals and teachers can conduct the program at their schools. We have 25 principals and teachers from various parts of the country .
An unusual part of this consultative meeting is that 18 students from X-XII std will also be part of this meeting and give inputs. As a pilot launch AACCI trained a whole school over 7800 students, 25 teachers and 50 parents whose children had problems in the month of July in a elite south Mumbai School – Activity school .The principal Perin bagli will make a presentation at the meet to share her experience People who will give bytes to the press Dr Swati Bhave , Paediatrician and teen expert Executive director AACCI Dr Anuradha Sovani psychologist , Advisor AACCI Dr Jay Shastri psychiatrist ,Mumbai DR Shekhar Sheshadri psychiatrist NIMHANS Dr Nimesh Desai psychiatrist IHBAS Dr Katy Gandevia social worker TISS . Mumbai Dr Farookh Buchia conselor CASP Dr UNB Rao ,IPS, UVCT Perin Bagli Principal Activity School
on “Prevention of Violence and Aggression in children and Youth” Saturday, 4th August 2012 IIC, New Delhi:
In view of the escalating violence in many cities of India which involves children and youth in schools, out of school and at home in various aspects AACCI- Association of Adolescent and child care in India felt a need to plan some interventions and decide to spearhead a project that will get together a variety of stake holders to plan practical interventions which are doable at various levels. We at AACCI felt that there is a need for a group of experts, NGO’s and stake holders to come together and brain storm to come out with recommendations for prevention of this escalating violence and aggression and plan intervention strategies at various levels- school. College, community, parents and last but not the least Media .This consultative meeting was planned This project is the brain child of Dr Swati Y Bhave Executive Director AACCI. This is being co-hosted by Dr Anuradha Khairnar and ISHP Indian Society of health care professionals AACCI is a group of doctors from various specialties and mental health professionals who have come together for holistic care of children and adolescents.
Children in schools and youth in college can only be reached through the two main pillars of their wellbeing –parents at home and teachers in schools .With this in mind AACCI has also included in our group parents and teachers Since 2008 AACCI has been doing various programs on parenting, Life skill education, tobacco control, gender issues, healthy life style, anger management and coping with emotions prevention of obesity and other life style disorders in various cities and states in the country. You can visit our website www.aacci.in for more details about us and our activities .Many of The AACCI research and other publications and yearly reports are on the website In the morning Presentations on the subject will be made by renowned psychiatrists: Dr Shekhar Seshadri from NIMHANS, Bangalore, Nimesh Desai IHBAS, New Delhi and Dr Jitendra Nagpal, Expressions India New Delhi The participants are experts in psychology, doctors from various specialties- paediatricians, psychiatrists, adolescent specialists, family physicians, principals, teachers, counselors, legal experts, media experts, social scientists, educationist and parents and representatives from various NGOS. Group discussions will be held under various themes: interventions at parental, school, college, community levels, legal aspects, special situations like rural, tribal and urban slums and specially challenged children.
In addition to the above experts The groups will be led by experts: Dr Jai Shastri Psychiatrist and Dr Anuradha Sovani from Mumbai University, Prof Katy Gandevia from TISS, Dr Jay Shastri a child psychiatrist from Mumbai ,Dr Radhakrishnan from RGNIYD, Dr UNB Rao from UVCT Trust, Seema Khanna Media expert from ASWHD , Dr Farookh Buchia from CASP ,Mumbai Dr Sangeeta Yadav Prof of Pediatrics from MAMC New Delhi, Padmashree Pukhraj Bafna from Chhattisgarh, Adolescent experts like Drs Ashok Gupta from Jaipur, Paula Goel from Mumbai, Anjali Saxena and TS Jain from New Delhi. AACCI has got many partners A multicentre research is planned by AACCI which will be coordinated by Dr Surekha Joshi research coordinator AACCI and analysis will be done by TISS Mumbai.
The results of the discussions will be complied in the form of recommendations and action plan that will be carried out by committed people across the country. The report will also be published Sunday, 5th August 2012 Orientation to master trainers module developed by AACCI for creating awareness and capacity building of teachers , students and children to prevent and ability to cope up with violence. This has been developed by Dr Swati Bhave and Divya Santhanan. AACCI faculty lead by Dr Swati Y Bhave and Anuradha Sovani will explain the way to use this module so that principals and teachers can conduct the program at their schools. We have 25 principals and teachers from various parts of the country .
An unusual part of this consultative meeting is that 18 students from X-XII std will also be part of this meeting and give inputs. As a pilot launch AACCI trained a whole school over 7800 students, 25 teachers and 50 parents whose children had problems in the month of July in a elite south Mumbai School – Activity school .The principal Perin bagli will make a presentation at the meet to share her experience People who will give bytes to the press Dr Swati Bhave , Paediatrician and teen expert Executive director AACCI Dr Anuradha Sovani psychologist , Advisor AACCI Dr Jay Shastri psychiatrist ,Mumbai DR Shekhar Sheshadri psychiatrist NIMHANS Dr Nimesh Desai psychiatrist IHBAS Dr Katy Gandevia social worker TISS . Mumbai Dr Farookh Buchia conselor CASP Dr UNB Rao ,IPS, UVCT Perin Bagli Principal Activity School
