Alice Jay - Avaaz 

To

nksagar_1@yahoo.com

Today at 1:22 AM

Finally -- great news from the global climate talks in Paris! A coalition of more than 100 countries just announced itself and said it was going to drive through an ambitious, fair and legal climate agreement! But to get that deal --India, China, Brazil and South Africa need to come on board. We have 48 hoursto win on 100% clean. Add your voice now and tell everyone -- for every 10,000 of us who sign, delegates will get an SMS straight to their phone inside the plenary: SIGN THE PETITION Dear Avaazers, Finally -- great news from the global climate talks in Paris! A coalition of more than 100 rich and poor countries from across the planet, which was secretly formed six months ago, announced itself and said it was going to drive through an ambitious legal climate agreement! But unless India, China, South Africa and Brazil come on board, the deal we need for 100% clean won't happen. We have just 48 hours to let them know that people everywhere want them to join this high ambition push for a fair deal. With enough pressure, Brazil, China and South Africa could be moved to join the champions. And with ambitious solar energy targets already put forward by PM Modi, India doesn’t want to be blamed for killing this planet-saving deal. This is how we win Paris! Sign the urgent call and tell everyone -- for every 10,000 people that sign, an SMS will be sent to the Indian delegation saying that the whole world wants them to speak out for a deal which moves the planet to 100% clean energy:  https://secure.avaaz.org/en/coalition_of_ambition_india/?bTfWiab&v=70741&cl=9138880358 This coalition, started by the Marshall Islands, represents over half the countries in the world, including 79 countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as big emitters from the EU, and the United States. They are pushing for 100% clean energy, finance for the poorest countries to make the transition, and a stringent set of rules to hold all countries to account and increase their commitments over time. This is the only way we can stop disasters like the floods in Uttarakhand, Kashmir, Chennai and other places. To date every attempt to get a global climate deal has been stymied by a split between the major polluter nations and countries who feel they are least responsible for the crisis. But this new alliance has brought them together and, while rightly putting the main responsibility on polluters to fund the energy shift, the proposal ensures the whole world moves to decarbonise our economies. If we can help this powerful new group push the other influential nations to join, this is our best chance for a strong 100% clean deal with teeth. India wants to keep burning coal, but China is already leading the world in renewables. And Brazil has set a very ambitious national goal to transition to clean energy -- so there is no reason they can’t sign up to a deal that allows the whole world to go with them. They say we can’t set targets that don’t deal with the interests of the poor, but Angola is inside this coalition, representing the 48 most vulnerable countries. And expert studies have shown that lack of action on climate change could complicate poverty reduction efforts. If we all join right now and get everyone we know to sign, we could create a chorus of pings across the negotiations straight from us to those who can make or break this deal. We haven’t before raised the stakes to SMS, but this precious deal for a safe and clean future is on a knife edge. Join now: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/coalition_of_ambition_india/?bTfWiab&v=70741&cl=9138880358 Our community has been working for eight years to get this climate agreement. Together we have created the two biggest climate marches in history, and the largest petition ever for 100% clean energy has rung out through the Paris conference halls. As the clock ticks down in the final tense hours of talks -- let's make sure all of us that marched, sent messages, signed petitions, or tweeted, are brought right into the conference plenary. With hope and determination, Alice, Alex, Meredith, Antonia, Camille and the entire Avaaz team MORE INFORMATION: COP21: Ministers in final push for Paris climate deal (BBC) http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35022090

MERKEL ‘PERSON OF THE YEAR’

DECEMBER 10, 2015 | NARESH KUMAR SAGAR | EDIT

Time Magazine has named German Chancellor Angela Merkel as its “Person of the Year”. The magazine cited her role in Europe’s crises over migration and Greek debt. Editor Nancy Gibbs wrote, Ms Merkel had provided steadfast moral leadership in a world, where it is in short supply.

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was named runner-up and third place went to US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump.
Ms Merkel, 61, joins an eclectic list of former winners, including Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill and Richard Nixon. She is only the fourth woman since 1927 to be named winner outright and the first in 29 years. The other women to win were Wallis Simpson (1936), Queen Elizabeth II (1952) and Corazon Aquino (1986).

Cabinet approves Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015

December 10, 2015

Naresh Kumar Sagar

Just now ·

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji has approved the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 which will now be taken up for consideration and passing by the Parliament.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill is a initiative to protect the interest of consumers, promote fair play in real estate transactions and to ensure timely execution of projects.

The main features of the Bill are as follows:

· Establishment of ‘Real Estate Regulatory Authority’ in States/UTs to regulate real estate transactions.

· Applicable both for commercial and residential real estate projects.

· Registration of real estate projects and real estate agents with the Authority.

· Deposit of specified amount in a separate bank account to cover the construction cost of the project for timely completion of the project.

· Mandatory disclosure of all registered projects, including details of the promoter, project, layout plan, land status, approvals, agreements along with details of real estate agents, contractors, architect, structural engineer etc.

· Civil courts jurisdiction prohibited from taking up matters defined in Bill, however, consumer court allowed to hear real estate matters.

· Provision of Appropriate Government to make rules for the matters specified in the Bill, and the Regulatory Authority to make necessary regulations.

· Establishment of fast track dispute resolution mechanisms for settlement of disputes through adjudicating officers and Appellate Tribunal.

· Promoters barred from changing plans and design without consent of consumers.

The Bill provides uniform regulatory environment to ensure speedy adjudication of disputes and orderly growth of the real estate sector. It will also boost domestic and foreign investment in the Real Estate sector and help in achieving the objective to provide ‘Housing for All’ by enhanced private participation

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December 10, 2015

MID-DAY News Headlines:-

* Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses concern over repeated disruptions in Parliament; Says democracy cannot function at the whims and fancies of anyone.

* Both houses of Parliament continue to face disruptions over National Herald issue.

* Supreme Court upholds validity of Haryana law fixing minimum educational qualification for candidates contesting Panchayat polls.

* In Tamil Nadu, respite from rain in most parts of the state; Relief measures in full swing.

* Bombay High Court acquits Salman Khan of all charges in hit and run case.

* The United Nations calls upon China to halt torture of human rights activists by government.

* Sensex trades in green in afternoon session.

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My message to Muslim Americans

December 10, 2015

Hillary Clinton

To

nksagar_1@yahoo.com

Today at 7:04 AM

We must stand together.

Naresh — Donald Trump has made a name for himself in this election by trafficking in prejudice and paranoia. Now he says he wants to stop all Muslims from entering the United States. That’s a shameful idea. It’s also dangerous. At a time when America should be doing everything we can to fight radical jihadists, Mr. Trump is supplying them with new propaganda. He’s playing right into their hands. Some Republicans have been quick to condemn Trump’s statements, but the truth is, many GOP candidates have also said extreme things about Muslims. Ben Carson says a Muslim shouldn’t be president, Marco Rubio compares Muslims to members of the Nazi party, and Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz have suggested we should only allow Syrian refugees to come to America if they’re Christian. Naresh, I’m proud that you and I are working to build a country that stays true to our founding principles, where all people are welcome to practice their faith free of persecution. If you’re with me, I hope you’ll add your name right now. To Muslim Americans, I want to say this: What you’re hearing from Trump and other Republicans is absolutely, unequivocally wrong. I’m proud to be your fellow American, and many, many other Americans feel the same way. Now is the time for all of us to stand up to hateful, dangerous words and deeds. Just a few days ago, two young women wearing headscarves were trying to have breakfast at a café in Austin when another diner started shouting racist things at them. The girls left in tears — in part because of the ugly words, but also because no one came to their defense. As they left, one of the girls asked the room, “Who cares about us?” Somebody called out, “Nobody.” “We left,” they said, “because it was true.” But it’s not true. And we have to make sure Muslim Americans know that. It’s how we stay true to our values as Americans. And it’s how we show the world who we really are — a strong, proud, united country that still knows, after all these years, that all men and women are created equal. If you agree, Naresh, I hope you’ll add your name to stand with me right now: Add my name Thank you, Hillary

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December 10, 2015

• The Third Paris Gunman

  RT News reports : Police have identified the third Paris gunman from the attack on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris as a Frenchman who fought in Syria. The gunman’s father said if he had known about his son’s plans he would have “killed him himself.”

  French police have identified the third attacker at the Bataclan, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Wednesday without giving the name of the assailant.

  The French national Foued Mohamed-Aggad, 23, was one of the three gunmen who carried out the attack on the Bataclan concert-goers in Paris on November 13 killing 90 people and injuring hundreds, French media reported citing police.

  He was born in Strasbourg and was recruited by some Mourad Fares, one of the main jihadist recruiters in France. Fares was arrested in 2014 in Turkey and handed to French authorities.

  Together with his brother Karim and a group of about a dozen men Foued travelled to Syria at the end of 2013, according to police sources.

  Seven of the group returned to France after several months in Syria, including Karim, and were arrested by police to terror-related charges. Foued chose to stay in Syria until the Paris attacks, according to France Info.

  The other two Bataclan attackers Omar Ismail Mostefai, 29, and former Paris bus driver Samy Amimour, 28, were also French nationals who travelled to Syria. The two died after blowing up their suicide belts up after firing at the concert-goers, while the third attacker was shot by police when they stormed the venue.

  Trilateral Syria talks to be held in Geneva on Friday

  Moscow, Washington and the United Nations are to hold negotiations over the settlement of the Syrian crisis in Geneva on Friday, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. “We will be having consultations in the trilateral format – Russia, the United States and the UN,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told RIA Novosti, adding that Russia will be calling for the “intensification of joint efforts.”The meeting will be focused on UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura who is expected to share information on the UN’s progress “in the inter-Syrian”dialogue.

• Australia’s ex-PM Abbott defends comments on Islam

  Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Wednesday defended his comments suggesting Western culture is superior to that of Islam, AP reported. Abbott, a staunch Catholic, earlier in the day wrote in a Sydney Daily Telegraph opinion piece of the need to “modernize” Islam, saying it propagates a culture that is inferior to that of the West. Critics associated his comments with those of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. “I am more than ready to assert the superiority of a culture that is decent and humane, and welcoming, over a culture that thinks it’s right to kill in the name of God,” Abbott said in a speech in Singapore. He said that more assistance should be rendered by outside powers such as the US and Australia to help local forces fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). Abbott was ousted in September by current leader Malcolm Turnbull in a Liberal Party coup after two years in office.

• US doubles aid to $860mn for developing nations to adapt to climate change

  The US announced plans on Wednesday to double grant funding to help developing countries adapt to climate change to around $860 million a year. US Secretary of State John Kerry announced the new financing pledge during a speech at the UN climate conference in Paris. Negotiators from 195 countries are working to reach an agreement by this weekend on curbing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The pledge may help clinch a global climate pact as developing nations are pressing for more financial assistance to offset the impact of climate change, Reuters reported.

• Torrential rains, flooding leave 31 dead, 20,000 families homeless in Kinshasa

  Torrential rains and flooding have left 31 people dead and 20,000 families homeless in less than three weeks in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, AFP reported. Since November 19, city authorities have recorded 31 deaths “due to the collapse of homes” in repeated downpours hitting the city of 10 million people, said Kinshasa’s Interior Minister Emmanuel Akweti. Most of the deaths occurred in the particularly impoverished southern and eastern districts, notably along the banks of the giant Congo river. More heavy rain was forecast from now until the end of December. The city’s main pumping facility has been seriously damaged by the flooding, with water supplies cut in some areas.

• UN says 170,000 flee Yemen war, appeals for $94mn in aid

  Around 170,000 people have fled war-torn Yemen for the Horn of Africa and the Gulf, the UN said Wednesday.“Around 170,000 Yemenis, refugees and third country nationals have fled to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and some Gulf countries,” the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) said after aid meetings in the Kenyan capital. The UN also said it needed over $94 million to support those fleeing the war in 2016, AFP reported. Most of the refugees have made a perilous crossing across the Gulf of Aden to the Horn of Africa, according to Claire Bourgeois, who heads UN refugee agency operations for those fleeing Yemen. Inside Yemen, an estimated 80 percent of people need aid, including 2.3 million forced from their homes.

• Russia halts work on Turkey’s first nuclear power plant – report

  Russia’s Rosatom has stopped construction work at Turkey’s first planned nuclear power plant, Reuters reported Turkish energy officials as saying on Wednesday. Relations between Moscow and Ankara have soured since the downing of a Russian jet on November 24. The state-owned company Rosatom has not terminated the contract for the building of the $20 billion project, according to the sources. They said, however, that Ankara is assessing other potential candidates for the project. In 2013, Turkey commissioned Rosatom to build four 1,200 megawatt reactors. Moscow has banned some Turkish food imports in retaliation as part of a sanctions package after the jet incident.

  RT News

• The Third Paris Gunman

  RT News reports : Police have identified the third Paris gunman from the attack on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris as a Frenchman who fought in Syria. The gunman’s father said if he had known about his son’s plans he would have “killed him himself.”

  French police have identified the third attacker at the Bataclan, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Wednesday without giving the name of the assailant.

  The French national Foued Mohamed-Aggad, 23, was one of the three gunmen who carried out the attack on the Bataclan concert-goers in Paris on November 13 killing 90 people and injuring hundreds, French media reported citing police.

  He was born in Strasbourg and was recruited by some Mourad Fares, one of the main jihadist recruiters in France. Fares was arrested in 2014 in Turkey and handed to French authorities.

  Together with his brother Karim and a group of about a dozen men Foued travelled to Syria at the end of 2013, according to police sources.

  Seven of the group returned to France after several months in Syria, including Karim, and were arrested by police to terror-related charges. Foued chose to stay in Syria until the Paris attacks, according to France Info.

  The other two Bataclan attackers Omar Ismail Mostefai, 29, and former Paris bus driver Samy Amimour, 28, were also French nationals who travelled to Syria. The two died after blowing up their suicide belts up after firing at the concert-goers, while the third attacker was shot by police when they stormed the venue.

  Trilateral Syria talks to be held in Geneva on Friday

  Moscow, Washington and the United Nations are to hold negotiations over the settlement of the Syrian crisis in Geneva on Friday, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. “We will be having consultations in the trilateral format – Russia, the United States and the UN,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told RIA Novosti, adding that Russia will be calling for the “intensification of joint efforts.”The meeting will be focused on UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura who is expected to share information on the UN’s progress “in the inter-Syrian”dialogue.

• Australia’s ex-PM Abbott defends comments on Islam

  Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Wednesday defended his comments suggesting Western culture is superior to that of Islam, AP reported. Abbott, a staunch Catholic, earlier in the day wrote in a Sydney Daily Telegraph opinion piece of the need to “modernize” Islam, saying it propagates a culture that is inferior to that of the West. Critics associated his comments with those of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. “I am more than ready to assert the superiority of a culture that is decent and humane, and welcoming, over a culture that thinks it’s right to kill in the name of God,” Abbott said in a speech in Singapore. He said that more assistance should be rendered by outside powers such as the US and Australia to help local forces fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). Abbott was ousted in September by current leader Malcolm Turnbull in a Liberal Party coup after two years in office.

• US doubles aid to $860mn for developing nations to adapt to climate change

  The US announced plans on Wednesday to double grant funding to help developing countries adapt to climate change to around $860 million a year. US Secretary of State John Kerry announced the new financing pledge during a speech at the UN climate conference in Paris. Negotiators from 195 countries are working to reach an agreement by this weekend on curbing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The pledge may help clinch a global climate pact as developing nations are pressing for more financial assistance to offset the impact of climate change, Reuters reported.

• Torrential rains, flooding leave 31 dead, 20,000 families homeless in Kinshasa

  Torrential rains and flooding have left 31 people dead and 20,000 families homeless in less than three weeks in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, AFP reported. Since November 19, city authorities have recorded 31 deaths “due to the collapse of homes” in repeated downpours hitting the city of 10 million people, said Kinshasa’s Interior Minister Emmanuel Akweti. Most of the deaths occurred in the particularly impoverished southern and eastern districts, notably along the banks of the giant Congo river. More heavy rain was forecast from now until the end of December. The city’s main pumping facility has been seriously damaged by the flooding, with water supplies cut in some areas.

• UN says 170,000 flee Yemen war, appeals for $94mn in aid

  Around 170,000 people have fled war-torn Yemen for the Horn of Africa and the Gulf, the UN said Wednesday.“Around 170,000 Yemenis, refugees and third country nationals have fled to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and some Gulf countries,” the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) said after aid meetings in the Kenyan capital. The UN also said it needed over $94 million to support those fleeing the war in 2016, AFP reported. Most of the refugees have made a perilous crossing across the Gulf of Aden to the Horn of Africa, according to Claire Bourgeois, who heads UN refugee agency operations for those fleeing Yemen. Inside Yemen, an estimated 80 percent of people need aid, including 2.3 million forced from their homes.

• Russia halts work on Turkey’s first nuclear power plant – report

  Russia’s Rosatom has stopped construction work at Turkey’s first planned nuclear power plant, Reuters reported Turkish energy officials as saying on Wednesday. Relations between Moscow and Ankara have soured since the downing of a Russian jet on November 24. The state-owned company Rosatom has not terminated the contract for the building of the $20 billion project, according to the sources. They said, however, that Ankara is assessing other potential candidates for the project. In 2013, Turkey commissioned Rosatom to build four 1,200 megawatt reactors. Moscow has banned some Turkish food imports in retaliation as part of a sanctions package after the jet incident.

  RT News