VOL 9 ISSUE 9 ● NEW YORK ● MAR 06 - MAR 12, 2015 R IMPACT All is not well with AAP: Yadav, Bhushan dropped NEW DELHI (TIP): AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal stamped his dominance over the party on Feb 4 when two of his critics, Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, were removed from the Political Affairs Committee, while his own offer of resignation as national convener of AAP was unanimously turned down. Page 15 Delhi HC upholds 10-yr jail for Chautala, son Visit theindianpanorama.com ●PRICE 40CENTS Airline to launch fourth daily service to the Big Apple NEW YORK (TIP): Emirates, a global connector of people, places and economies, announced that it will launch its fourth daily service from its home and hub, Dubai International Airport (DXB), to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on March 8, 2015. The new service, EK 207, will depart Dubai at 2:50 p.m. and arrive in JFK at 8:35 p.m. The return flight, EK 208, will depart at 4:30 p.m. and arrive in Dubai at 1:15 p.m. the following day. "This new service will provide passengers with the contd on Page 3 NEW DELHI (TIP): The Delhi high court on Feb 5 upheld the conviction and 10-year jail term of former Haryana chief minister O P Chautala, 80, observing that he cheated the youth of his state in the JBT teachers' recruitment scam. Page 15 A huge thank you to our readers for making The Indian Panorama the second most read Indian American English language newspaper in the U.S. ● www.theindianpanorama.com Emirates to Increase Services to New York JFK The Indian Panorama eaders will recall our investigative story titled A Benevolent Law Abused, published in February 13 edition. We had also done an investigation a couple of months earlier in to the abuse of the law by racketeers who use SIJS to make big money. The story caught the attention of media and NBCNY Channel 4 came up with its investigative story for which it sought the cooperation of The Indian Panorama Chief Editor Prof. Indrajit S Saluja. We have since learnt that the authorities concerned have taken a note of our investigative stories. We will carry the details of the impact in the next issue of The Indian Panorama. ● Tel: 646-247-9458 Emirates Cabin Crew mark the celebration of Emirates' fourth daily service from John F. Kennedy International Airport beginning March 8 with a giant Connect 4 Hasbro game in New York's Herald Square, Thursday, March 5, 2015. De Blasio announces 2 Muslim Holidays for NYC Public Schools NEW YORK (TIP): New York City Public Schools will soon begin recognizing Muslim holidays, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced Wednesday, March 4. Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year all contd on Page 34 New York Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said Wednesday, March 4 that new Muslim school holiday closures would honor families Hillary's private email account opens up political virus "I want the public to see my email": Hillary WASHINGTON (TIP): A March 5 CNN report says Hillary Clinton broke her 48-hour silence over the use of her personal email account while she served as secretary of state with a late-night tweet Wednesday, March 4, saying she wants "the public to see my email." But her response is unlikely to tamp down the pressure for answers as she faces the deepest scrutiny she's been under since leaving the contd on Page 34 SARIKA GERA Associate Real Estate Broker 104-02, 120th Street, S. Richmond Hill, NY 11419 NO Wi (Ne xt to nH Pate ick lB roth svil ers ) le 516-279-3000 393 S Broadway ƔHicksville ƔNY 11801 Residential | Commercial | SBA Loans Your Trusted Name in Mortgages since 1996 Registered Mortgage Broker - NMLS# 1071249 | NYS Dept. of Financial Services. All Loans Arranged through 3rd party providers 2 www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 ADVERTISEMENT THE INDIAN PANORAMA THE INDIAN PANORAMA NEW YORK www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 3 Emirates to Increase Services to New York JFK CONTD FROM PAGE 1 convenience of an afternoon departure from both Dubai and New York, to complement the morning and evening departures of our existing three services," said Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West. "New York is one of our busiest and most popular routes in the United States. Adding this fourth service will give our passengers even more choice of connectivity when flying from any part of our global network, in particular the Far East and South Asia. Once in the U.S., our partnership with JetBlue adds even more seamless connectivity onto its network of 65 destinations from JFK." Passengers from New York will be able to enjoy convenient connections to destinations such as Johannesburg, Nairobi, India, and many cities throughout Emirates' Middle East network with connection times of less than four hours. Thanks to Emirates' codeshare agreement with JetBlue Airways (B6) the new fourth daily service will provide good connectivity with JetBlue flights to points across the United States and Caribbean. At JFK, JetBlue operates from its highly acclaimed Terminal 5, while Emirates operates from the adjacent Terminal 4, enabling fast and easy connections between flights. Emirates and JetBlue's partnership dates back to 2010 and has deepened over the subsequent four years, moving from an interline agreement to incorporating bilateral code-sharing, terminal co-location in Boston, and reciprocal benefits for each airline's frequent flyers. Members of Skywards, Emirates' frequent flyer program, can earn miles on JetBlue-operated flights and also redeem miles for flights to any of Fans play a larger than life Connect 4 Hasbro game in New York's Herald Square, Thursday, March 5, 2015, to celebrate Emirates' fourth daily service from John F. Kennedy International Airport beginning March 8. Photos/ Jason DeCrow/AP Images for Emirate JetBlue's 86 destinations throughout North, Central and South America. Similarly, members of JetBlue's TrueBlue loyalty program can earn points for Emiratesoperated flights worldwide. "As New York's Hometown Airline, we are delighted to see Emirates continue to expand at our main base of operations with this fourth daily service," said Scott Laurence, JetBlue's senior vice president of airline planning. "Emirates is a valuable partner for JetBlue, providing our shared customers with high standards of service across an incredible network." The fourth JFK service will be operated with one of Emirates' fleet of A380 aircraft featuring 14 First Class Private Suites, 76 Business Class lie-flat beds and 399 Economy Class seats on the main deck. Its upper deck features Emirates' iconic On-Board lounge for premium passengers and two unique Shower Spas for First Class passengers. Passengers in all cabin classes can enjoy access to up to 1,800 channels of films, TV shows, music and games through ice, the airline's award-winning inflight entertainment system. Emirates launched services to New York in June 2004 and has since flown more than 4.5 million passengers on the route. It currently offers two other nonstop services between DXB and JFK, operated by A380s, and one service that routes via Milan, operated by a U.S.-built Boeing 777. Passengers traveling in First Class and Business Class on Emiratesoperated flights, as well as Skywards Platinum and Gold members, can access the Emirates Lounge at JFK. Dubai is one of the world's most exhilarating destinations: a glittering city that offers swathes of golden beaches; world-class shopping, dining and nightlife; hosts electrifying events and sporting championships; and, for all the family, is one big adventurous playground. Where tradition meets ambition and renowned for its futuristic architecture, this visionary city is also proud to display its rich heritage and culture. Emirates and the U.S. Founded in 1985, Emirates is a global connector of people, places and economies. Based in Dubai, the airline's global network serves 147 destinations in 84 countries across six continents. Its luxurious amenities, regionally inspired gourmet cuisine, awardwinning in-flight entertainment system - ice and unmatched hospitality provided by its iconic multilingual Cabin Crew have made Emirates one of the world's most recognized airline brands. Emirates has carried more than 9 million passengers on U.S. flights since launching services to New York in 2004. The airline currently serves nine U.S. gateways - Chicago (ORD), Boston (BOS), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH), Washington (IAD) and New York (JFK), as well as operating a trans-Atlantic route between JFK and Milan and a freighter service to Atlanta. Emirates SkyCargo transports up to 650 tons of U.S. exports each week - including auto parts from New York, apples and cherries from Seattle, and oil and gas equipment from Houston - stimulating trade and opening new markets for American businesses across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. For more information, please visit www.emirates.com. AWESOME Television Celebrates its First Anniversary EDISON, NJ (TIP): It was a very special day on February 26th, 2015 for Awesome Television as it celebrated its first anniversary. Despite a cold weeknight in New Jersey, throngs of well-wishers, friends, family members and media attended this lavish party that exuded warmth with a tastefully decorated ballroom in a beautiful blue theme with centerpiece candles and custom monogrammed rose petals and wine bottles. Hosted at the Edison Hotel, the party was hosted by co-founders and visionaries extraordinaire Ritesh Parikh and Nutan Kalamdani. The evening began with a rendition of a Hindi film song by the young & talented singer Neel Nadkarni followed by a welcome dance performance by the equally talented students of Satrangi School of Fusion. One of Awesome Television's star team member Samina Mughal, a main stream and celebrated fashion designer showcased her exquisite collection in a fashion show with some of the most beautiful models from New York City. Samina showcased 3 of her collections in three separate segments. Ritesh gave a welcome speech while Nutan introduced the entire Awesome team of talented individuals. The latest to join Awesome Television is Mr. Subroto Bhattacharya who has worked with ZEE TV for 15 years and currently in the US. Having crossed many milestones and having achieved many firsts in the industry, Mr. Bhattacharya was elated to join the young team at Awesome. Awesome Television is already beaming with pride to have the veteran from the field of media Mr. John Perry on their Board of Advisors. The duo have come up with a host of The Team of Awesome Television with founders Ritesh Parikh and Nutan Photo Courtesy: Gunjesh Desai contd on page 34 Kalamdani 4 NEW YORK www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 Indian American Intellectuals Forum condemns Racial attack on a Sikh student: demands safety and security for Sikh children NEW YORK (TIP): Narain Kataria and Arish Sahani, President and Vice President respectively of the Indian American Intellectuals Forum (IAIF) have condemned the racial attack on a Sikh student in Georgia. In a statement released to the press, they said, "We express our disgust, shock, anguish and pain at the racial attack on a Sikh student in Georgia. We deeply deplore such actions." "The shocking video of the Sikh boy seen sitting in what appears to be a school bus being racially abused and called "terrorist" by other students has gone viral all over the USA and created a sense of fear and insecurity in the minds of all our Sikh children. "Moreover, this is not the first time that such type of racial and slanderous epithets have been thrown on our Sikh brothers. According to our information so far more than 200 incidents of mistaken identity against Sikhs have taken place. "Sikhs are being targeted and victimized in this country because they are confused with Islamic terrorists because of their beards and turbans. Most Americans do not know that Sikhism originated in India. Sikh people in India have the reputation of being peace-loving, but also extremely brave, heroic and dignified people. In the historical past several of the Sikh gurus gave up their lives and suffered inhuman torture by the Muslims because they spoke up on behalf of Hindus. That is why we Hindus always remember the bravery and martial spirit of the Sikhs with great affection. The relationship between Hindus and Sikh is akin to the two arms of one body. "It is a matter of great regret that because of their attire and beard, Sikhs are mistaken for cut-throat, radical Islamists. In fact, Sikhs have nothing to do with Islam, Middle East or Iranian people. "Hence, we request the concerned authorities to take severe deterrent action against the perpetrators of such religious / racial hate crimes. We ask the US government to restore the positive image of Sikh people as peaceful and law-abiding citizens.. THE INDIAN PANORAMA Telugu Literary & Cultural Association (TLCA) Holds First Women's Forum NEW YORK (TIP): For the first time, TLCA Women's Forum was initiated by President Raji Kuncham when she took office in February 2015. To realize the vision Kuncham created the Women's Forum Team: Dr. Jyoti Jasti & Vijaya Nyayapathi (CoChairs), Nirmala Shastry ( Advisor), Sirisha Tunuguntla, Rama Vanama, and Uma Reddy. The purpose of the Women's Forum is to bring women together in order to advance women's issues, foster networking, encourage participation and bring awareness to all members of the Telugu Community. Our mantra is to promote social and emotional wellness" said, President Raji Kuncham. Just a month into inception of new team, the TLCA Women's Forum rolled out its very first event, "Women's Health Initiative" on March 1st 2015. The program centered on educating women in recognizing a variety of critical health matters symptoms of common pelvic, gastrointestinal ,musculoskeletal and neurological diseases and how they can be prevented, current screening guidelines in preventing breast and colon cancer, understanding and living with osteoarthritis , ergonomics to avoid repetitive strain, and the importance of wellness visits. The speakers panel included Dr. Tulasi Polavarupu, Dr. Shalini Patcha, Dr. Sridevi Bhumi and Dr. Shailaja Kalva , specialists in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Neurology ,Gastroenterology and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation respectively. Following the talk, there was an interactive Q&A session where President Raji Kuncham welcoming all to the First TLCA Women's Forum Health Initiative. Panelists: (Right to left) Dr. Tulasi Polavarapu, Dr. Shalini Patcha, Dr. Sridevi Bhumi & Dr. Sailaja Kalva. concerns of the audience were answered by the experts. The program was moderated by Co Chair Dr. Jyothi Jasti, who is an Internist by profession. A sumptuous lunch, in a congenial atmosphere, was the perfect prelude to the Health Talk. The event was well attended despite the inclement weather. The overwhelming success of this first event, and the warm outpouring of appreciation and encouragement portend many more milestones to achieve for the new TLCA team. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Queens & Long Island Chapter (AAPIQLI) proudly joined the Telugu Literary & Cultural Association (TLCA) to bring this informative health session to the TLCA members. The TLCA Women's Forum is excited and already planning their next event to commemorate Mother's Day in early May. The program will begin with an emphasis on wellnessthe science of breath and mindfulness, followed by a Mother's Day luncheon. The next major TLCA event is the celebration of the Telugu New Year, Ugadi on March 28th at the Hindu Temple Auditorium in Flushing from 3:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Nirbhaya documentary to be released in the US by Women Make Movies 'India's Daughter' by Leslee Udwin screened in the UK, banned in India. NEW YORK (TIP): The controversial documentary 'India's Daughter' by BAFTA award winning filmmaker Leslee Udwin, based on the horrific gang rape of a 23year-old physiotherapy student on a moving bus on the streets of Delhi, and subsequently her death because of the beastly assault, in December of 2012, has been banned in India, but will see the light of day in the US later this month, through DVDs as well as on-demand screenings by the organization Women Make Movies (WMM). The gang rape and death of the victim, who was named as 'Nirbhaya' by the media in India, in compliance with Indian laws that do not identify sexual assault victims, led to widespread protests all over India. This week, the documentary, which also carries excerpts of interviews with the perpetrators of that deadly attack - who have been sentenced to death and remain incarcerated in Delhi's Tihar Jail - was banned in India and will not be broadcast as scheduled on March 8, the International Women's Day. The Indian government's measures also prompted the documentary to be screened on BBC Four's Storyville, on March 4, instead of March 8. WMM stated that the documentary will be available in the US later this month, and is available for pre-order, as well as for screenings. WMM, an organization begun in 1972, which has grown from a feminist filmmakers' collective into an industryleading nonprofit media arts organization and distributor, said in a statement: "With exclusive access, Udwin goes behind prison walls to interview the rapists and further exposes an institutionalized view of women as second-class, undesirable, citizens, a mindset which leads to such heinous crimes. An impassioned plea for change, INDIA'S DAUGHTER pays tribute to a remarkable and inspiring young woman and explores the compelling human stories behind the incident and the political ramifications throughout India." THE INDIAN PANORAMA ADVERTISEMENT www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 WINTER SALE Drastic Price Reductions (Owner will not refuse a reasonable offer) YOUR PHOTO HERE 17 Mercer St, Pt. Jefferson NY 11776 1 Family Det. 4Br, 3.5Fbth, Fin Basement, Lot size: 113x100 51 CROYDEN LANE, HICKSVILLE NY 11801 Asking Price $ 519,000 Asking Price $ 499,000 526 Harvard Ave Baldwin NY 11510 1 Family Det. 3Br, 2Bth, Fin Basement, Det Gar. Lot 40x105 123 Redbrook Ct. Melville NY11747 Family DET, 6Br, 5Fbth,Fin. Basement, Pool, Gar. 3Car, Lot 1.69Acres Asking Price $ 379,000 Asking Price $ 1.379,000 309 Woodbury Road, Hicksville, NY 1 Family DET, 6 BR, 1.5 FBTH 837 Elda Ln., Hicksville NY 1 Family DET, 4BR, 3 FBTH Asking Price: $ 479,000 Asking Price: $ 479,000 1 Family Det. 5Br, 3Bth, Fin. Basement, 5 6 MICELLANY www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 THE INDIAN PANORAMA USAID Woos Indian American Investors for Diaspora Investment Initiative SAN FRANCISCO (TIP): The India Diaspora Investment Initiative, a unique program President Barack Obama unveiled during his visit to India for the Republic Day celebrations, is seeking investment from Indian American and other investors to support sustainable development in India. In an interview to the media here Manpreet Singh Anand, deputy assistant administrator in the Asia bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said that it is the first time an initiative earmarked for a specific diaspora community in the U.S. has been launched by USAID. If it is successful, he added, it could be a model for the agency in other countries. "It is a new model for development," Anand said. "It is a more efficient use of resources to leverage innovation through the private sector." USAID staff has been working on the initiative for about a year, he added. India was not a random choice for the initiative. USAID said in a fact sheet that there are three factors why India was selected: "An increased desire on the part of Indian Americans to make a development impact in their home country; a strengthened diaspora connection to India after the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi; and a strong demand from Indian social businesses seeking debt capital to scale up their programs targeting 'Base of the Pyramid' populations." USAID, working with a partner - Bethesda, Md.-based Calvert Foundation, a nonprofit with experience in offering "Community Investment Notes" for sustainable development - plans to mobilize at least $50 million in debt financing from private sector financial sector institutions in India and abroad over the next 18 months. USAID will provide "up to a 50% credit guarantee" to three non-bank finance companies (Caspian Impact Advisors, Intellegrow and Gramen Impact India) and two Indian banks (YES Bank and Ratanakar Bank), who make the loans to small- and medium-sized enterprises in India. Anand pointed out that without USAID's credit guarantee, the barriers for Indian SMEs to get the loans "would be almost impossible to overcome." "We want the Indian diaspora to become engaged and stay engaged," he added. It works like this: Investors - Indian Americans or those wanting to support sustainable development in India - purchase a Calvert Foundation Investment Note. Investors can receive fixed interest payments every six months and select investment tenors from one, three, five, seven and even 10 years. The notes will be available later this year, Anand said. USAID is negotiating on terms of the loan credit guarantees with all five partners. Calvert will make the loans to the Indian NBFCs and banks, which invest in social projects in healthcare, small businesses, education, agriculture, renewable energy, and other priority areas for India. USAID provides its 50% loan guarantee. "Our new Indian Diaspora Investment Initiative will allow folks back home to generate a new stream of financing for Indian businesses that are investing in nontraditional, and too often overlooked, markets - from providing healthcare to rural communities, to improving water and sanitation, to opening up those new bank accounts," Obama told the U.S.-India Business Summit in New Delhi Jan. 26. USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, who in February left the agency, said in India in January, "We'll match the diaspora community's immense passion and resources to the small businesses that form the backbone of India's economy." "By creating a transparent investment vehicle, any investor can contribute to sustainable, social businesses that create jobs and train a new generation of local entrepreneurs." USAID's annual funding to India negotiated between the Obama administration and Congress - is currently "just short of $100 million a year," Anand sadi. It is the Indian American's second stint at the agency. Previously, he was a presidential management fellow in the Office of the Global Development Alliance. He also worked as a senior policy advisor on geopolitical and socioeconomic issues at Chevron Corp., was a senior policy advisor for South and Central Asia issues on the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Married to a physician, Anand has an MBA and an M.A. in international studies from U.C.-Berkeley and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Another significant program announced by USAID during Obama's visit was support of Modi's Jan Dhan initiative to prioritize financial inclusion for all Indian citizens. USAID is partnering with over 20 U.S., Indian and international private sector organizations and the World Economic Forum to extend the ability for Indian consumers and businesses to participate in the formal economy. "More than 110 million people have signed Manpreet Singh Anand is a deputy assistant administrator in the Asia bureau at USAID. up in India (under Jan Dhan) for bank accounts in the last few months," said Anand, who accompanied Shah and Obama on the India trip in January. "It will really empower consumers in India when they can use cards instead of cash." USAID said that currently only six percent of retail enterprises in India can accept digital payments. One particular area of focus for USAID in India is reducing child mortality rates. "India constitutes 24 percent of the preventable under-five deaths in the world," Anand said. "There's a lot we can and are doing (to reduce child mortality rates) in India." Last year USAID formed the U.S. Global Development Lab within the agency to leverage science and technology advancements for public-private partnerships around the world, Anand said. Experts from Google and other technology companies are forming a think-tank within the agency to work with NGOs to solve some of the most pressing social problems around the world. For more information on the Diaspora Investment Note, visit: http://www.calvertfoundation.org/india. SMOKING DEATHS HIGHER THAN FIGURES REPORTED: STUDY MINORITIES WILL BE MAJORITY OF US BY 2044: CENSUS REPORT WASHINGTON (TIP): The US Census Bureau has projected that by 2044 more than half of all adults in America will belong to a minority group. The report released Tuesday, March 3 projects that the non-Hispanic white population will still be the largest, but no racial or ethnic group is likely to have more than a 50 percent share of the total population. Among the other findings made in the Census report: ● ● ● ● ● ● The US is already nearly a majority-minority nation among those under age 18. By 2020, 50 % of children in the U.S. are expected to be a part of a racial or ethnic minority. By 2044, 50.3 % of all adults in America will be from the minorities. The country's population will swell to 417 million by 2060, compared to roughly 320 million today. Nearly 20 percent of Americans will be foreign born by 2060, compared to 13 percent in 2014. Hispanic will be the largest foreign-born group, followed by non-Hispanic Asian. The population of "single-race non-Hispanic White" children will drop to 36 percent by 2060, compared with 52 percent today. AUSTIN, TEXAS (TIP): While many of the dangers of smoking have been well known for some time, new research shows that the consequences may be larger and deadlier than previously thought. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, 21 different causes of death are attributed to smoking, with some 480,000 deaths in the United States each year. A study coauthored by epidemiologist Brian Carter with the American Cancer Society examined the corollary health impacts even further. "We identified at least six new causes of death that we think are probably associated with smoking," Carter said, "and if you look at these as an aggregate, that would add about 60,000 deaths per year to that 480,000 number." The additional smoking-related death links include kidney failure, hypertensive heart disease, infections and various respiratory diseases, Carter said. The study looked at data covering about 1 million people from 2000 to 2011 and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The analysis also found an association between smoking and increased mortality rates for breast and prostate cancer, and Carter said the links to these deaths and the others identified should spur more scrutiny. "I think researchers really need to look at them in a much more focused manner to see exactly how smoking might cause these diseases," he said. "If they're replicated in other more focused studies, I think they need to be incorporated into annual estimates of the number of deaths caused by smoking." Current estimates, which don't take into account the additional health issues outlined in the study, put the number of smoking-related deaths in Texas at 28,000 per year. The study is online at nejm.org. U.S. data is at cdc.gov. Texas smoking data is at tobaccofreekids.org See more at: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/201502-20/health-issues/study-smoking-deaths-higherthan-figures-reported/a446701#sthash.XFpSmDHI.dpuf THE INDIAN PANORAMA ADVERTISEMENT www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 7 8 www.theindianpanorama.com EDITORIAL FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 AS I SEE IT GUEST COMMENT AAP falls from shining hill WHO RAPES Kejriwal's immense loss of credibility India's daughters? Time to confront uncomfortable questions ex crimes have become a norm in India. Committed with impunity, even the most heinous crimes have ceased to shock due to their recurrence. Therefore, it's strange that a documentary that exposes the mindset of remorseless rape convicts has found all the stakeholders of law and justice up in arms against the film. Leslee Udwin interviewed Mukesh Singh, the convict on death row for the Nirbhaya rape case, and other rape convicts lodged in Tihar jail for her documentary "India's Daughters." The convicts and the defense lawyers have blamed the victim for inciting the crime in the film. Their statements have shocked the sensibility of a 'woman-worshipping' nation. To sidetrack the issue of laxity and delay in our law and justice delivery system, which is the real culprit behind rising crimes against women, ethical issues are being raised about interviewing a criminal on death row! The shocking mindset of rapists has been endorsed several times in public by our respected politicians, khap leaders and even judges, repeatedly in the past. If punishing a criminal is essential, is it not equally important to understand the mind of a criminal to scrutinize the sociological aspects of the crime? In the high-profile Nirbhaya case, that had triggered changes in the law and was put on a fast track, the parents of the victim are still waiting for justice. Such delays embolden criminals. While the judicial system comes into force only after the crime has been committed, it is important to probe the society that produces not only rapists but also such protectors of the law as the defense lawyer who claimed in the film, without a trace of qualm, that he would burn his daughter alive if found crossing the line. Should we treat sex crimes in a crime-and-punishment manner, or is it time we probed society for breeding gender inequality which allows such unbridled power play by the males that turns fatal victims of rape out of its women. (Tribune, Chandigarh) S A huge thank you to our readers for making The Indian Panorama the second most read Indian American English language newspaper in the U.S. Visit www.theindianpanorama.com The Indian Panorama New York and Texas editions are available on our website theindianpanorama.com THE INDIAN PANORAMA By S Nihal Singh n the Aam Aadmi Party, morality collided with realpolitik. Unsurprisingly, the latter won. Many supporters of the party, who gave it such a stunning victory in the Delhi assembly elections, are nursing their hurt and are reconciling themselves to the end of another illusion. The AAP leader and now Delhi's Chief Minister, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal, was never in doubt on two points. One, he had to stamp his authority on the baby party. Second, while the morality stick was good to wave, the hard reality of playing politics had to take the first place. Mr. Yogendra Yadav and Mr. Prashant Bhushan, with their persistent admonitions and waving the flag of morality, had simply become too distracting and inconvenient for Mr. Kejriwal's plan to rule his fledgling party with an iron hand. He had had a taste of their mettle by their objecting to some of the tainted candidates fielded by the party and they had raised questions about large dubious donations. Mr. Kejriwal thus came to the conclusion that nothing short of a purge of the two from the Political Affairs Committee will do. And he set about it in the hoary tradition of Indian political culture pioneered by the Congress party and followed by all others. First, seek their resignation while airing Mr. Yadav's clandestinely taped conversation with a journalist to embarrass him. Then offer inconsequential posts to sideline them. When every trick failed, they were voted out in the executive by a surprisingly narrow 11 to 8 margin. True to the accepted political tradition, Mr. Kejriwal absented himself with the plausible excuse of undergoing treatment while sending in his own resignation as party convener, predictably rejected. Mr. Kejriwal has won a victory at great cost. Its quantum remains to be determined. The plan did not run to script because neither of the gadflies had an ulterior motive in raising the questions they did. They sought to keep AAP on the straight and narrow: moral imperatives that had persuaded them and so many others to support a party seeking a higher moral ground. The immense response it got in Delhi was due to the electors' conviction that here was a new party of leaders with conviction who wanted to change the way politics functioned. As far as the bulk of supporters are concerned, the let-down has been tremendous. While some compromises are necessary in politics as in life, the duplication of the traditional deviousness practiced by Mr. Kejriwal's henchmen was breathtaking. One can expect the Delhi Chief Minister to "While some compromises are necessary in politics as in life, the duplication of the traditional deviousness practiced by Mr. Kejriwal's henchmen was breathtaking. One can expect the Delhi Chief Minister to undertake an act of showmanship to try to surmount his huge embarrassment, but he will find it difficult to regain trust", says the author. I undertake an act of showmanship to try to surmount his huge embarrassment, but he will find it difficult to regain trust. Perhaps the questioning duo was being unrealistic in trying to keep AAP to a high moral benchmark. Perhaps it also became a question of Mr. Kejriwal's "amour proper", of men of an intellectual standing challenging his actions in the party. Perhaps the leader who abandoned Anna Hazare's movement to start a political party felt that only as an unchallenged leader could he deliver on his promises. By their very nature, these are assumptions, but the crisis in AAP poses larger questions. Can a party that sought to give a new direction to Indian political culture survive the body blow that has been dealt it? How will Mr. Kejriwal convince his bewildered supporters that he is sincere in fulfilling his promises? Has he indeed misjudged his two critics in believing that they can be tackled through traditional methods of placating or expelling them? These are portentous questions that go to the heart of the rationale for a new party. Judging by the number of defections to the Bharatiya Janata Party after its impressive victory in the Lok Sabha elections last year, politicians gravitate towards power, especially when the future of the losing party seems bleak. To give one example of horsetrading, we all know how Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao converted his minority government at the Centre into a majority dispensation. The shock over how the AAP crisis was managed was in the tawdry nature of the tricks that were played upon the dissenting duo by Kejriwal loyalists. They hopelessly misread the dissenters who were not raising objections for their own aggrandizement, but were highlighting the nature of the compromises made in winning the Delhi elections. Mr. Kejriwal's stance of being above the conflict by absenting himself from the executive meeting and sending in his own resignation are old tricks in the political game. It is worth noting, however, that in a vainglorious move, he has divested himself of all portfolios in the newly-formed Delhi ministry so that he remains the monarch of all he surveys. The tragedy for those who voted for AAP in Delhi - and millions more across the country cheering the new kid on the block -- is that the melodrama played out in the executive committee came so soon after its unprecedented triumph. It represents a let-down of immense proportions. Mr. Yadav and Mr. Bhushan, who were sought to be banished from AAP, have not taken the bait. Mr. Yadav has said he would abide by the party's decisions and help the party go forward because it had been founded on so many hopes and aspirations. Obviously, he will raise questions troubling him at the party's larger forums. Whatever the future holds for AAP, the party has witnessed its watershed moment. The party on the hill has tottered and Mr. Kejriwal's task now is how to rescue it from the dirty politics played in his name and presumably under his direction. He has time to think through his tactics while undergoing treatment. There would be little profit in dissembling to suggest that he was unaware of what was being enacted. Many AAP supporters and the wider public will wonder whether they had again backed the wrong horse. By turning the party's back on two of its most illustrious founder members, it has betrayed the trust of many. It remains to be seen whether the duo will be allowed to play any role in the party's larger forums, given the level of animosity Kejriwal loyalists have displayed. (The author is a well known columnist and contributes regularly to The Tribune, Chandigarh) THE INDIAN PANORAMA PERSPECTIVE www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 9 BJP government’s Budget: a Fraud in the name of Ramrajya The non-resident Indian author finds nothing "Progressive, Positive, Practical, Pragmatic, Prudent, Pro Poor and Pro Growth" in the BJP government's budget. By Devendra Makkar JP, the Party that promised to bring Ramrajya under the leadership of modern Ram PM Narendra Damodardas Modi has defaulted on its promise. It looks like it was election rhetoric (Chunavi Jumla in the language of BJP President Shah). The truth is the very first full Budget presented by BJP is an insult to the philosophy of Ramrajya and Hinduism. The nonplan expenditure i.e. just to run the "System" or the government that includes Police, Military, Judiciary, Postal Services, President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Governors, 53 Ministries with numerous departments, 1 Department of Atomic Energy, Commissions, Committees, 543 MP's, various government employees etc. is Rs 13, 12,200 crore out of the total budget of Rs 17, 77, 477 crore against the net revenue Rs 11, 41,575 crore. On top of that total debt servicing accounts for Rs 6, 81,719 crore (debt payment Rs 2, 25,574 crore plus interest Rs 4, 56,145). The non-plan expenditure is 74% and debt servicing is 40% of the total budget that leaves Rs 4,65,277 crore that too after taking a new loan of Rs 5,55,649 under the plan expenditure for 1200 crore population out of which 88 crore are living in acute poverty. FM Jaitley has not shown or has even pretended that he is serious to do some thing about the problem or suggested public or political dialogue on the issue of massive spending on government and high debt servicing. PM Modi aka Modern Ram the Supreme Leader of BJP must understand 74% to run the system and to pay 40% in debt out of the total revenue that too by borrowing Rs 5,55,649 crores is not permissible under Ramrajya. Nor does it qualify under good governance i.e. small government and more governance: his own slogan that brought him and his party BJP to power in Delhi in 2014. Jaitley could have announced some measures to at least restructure the 53 Ministries to cut down their massive size, Complete ban on Official Functions in 5 Star Hotels & Resorts, Abolish Pension for MP's, Ban on allocation of properties for Political Party Offices, end to VVIP & VIP culture of providing security & subsidized housing, pension to MP's, cap on telephone bills, air travel, foreign trips, rail travel of elected & appointed officials and un-necessary appointment of officials under Ministers and various departments, commissions and committees. Can Jaitley explain how come a law maker is entitled to Pension and princely perks after winning one election only even if he never gets elected again; whereas a government servant is entitled to a pension only after 20-25 years of service? Jaitley could have proposed a road map to cut down the non-plan expenditure from present 74% to at least 60% in the next 4 years. Some of the budget announcements without any significant Expenditure plans for social schemes like Toilets, Nirbhaya Fund, old age pension, Accidental Life Insurance, education loans, Mudra Bank for small business loans, National skill development, Gramin Kaushal yojna (rural skill development) etc are a step in the right direction. On education loan one has to pay 12.5% interest they do not have the luxury of paying 0.1% interest reserved for poor corporations like TATA or Ambani's. National skill and Rural skill development for what? When village after villages are taken up by industrialists, builders and government and practically every thing of daily use in India is made in China that could have used rural or city youth if made in India. MNREGA with Rs 34,699 crore allocation has been retained after PM Modi made fun of it under arrogance and snobbery in Parliament with no significant increase in its funding even to account for inflation. PM Modi also forgot his own party under PM Bajpai never did any thing to re-structure MNREGA. Then on the other hand expenditure on Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan has been cut from Rs 28,000 crores to Rs 22,000 crores, the Integrated Child Development Scheme from Rs 16,000 crores to Rs 8,000 crores and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme Rs 13,000 crores to Rs 9,000 crores. On top of that Scheduled Caste Sub Plan allocation has been cut from Rs 43,208 crore to Rs 30,000 crore and Tribal Sub Plan from Rs 26,714 crore to Rs19,000 crore. More significantly, the money needed to implement MNREGA, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, National Rural Livelihood Mission, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Midday Meal Program and many others have been shifted to State plans. Previously, Centre was giving money directly to the implementing agencies such as Panchayats and Gram sabhas. Now it will be routed through the State governments. This is the reason for the decrease in the Center's spending on social B sector and rural development and increase in the Center's contribution to State plans. Jaitley has Rs 4,65,277 crore only even after taking Rs 5,55,649 crores in new loans to service his so called growth plans for a population of 120 crore out of that 52% are farmers. He has allocated a princely sum of Rs 25,000 crore in Rural Development Fund for 62 crore farmers. That works out to be Rs 403 per farmer in one year provided there is no corruption. On irrigation and flood control Rs 5,300 crore that works out to be Rs 85 per farmer per year. Out of the 12 crore hectare farming land only 5 crore hectare has irrigation facility rest 7 crore hectare depends on Mother Nature God; if there is timely rain the farmer will have a crop, if the rain is delayed by a month or no rain whatever input including his labor the farmer has put in will go waste. It is a shame even after 67 years after independence there is no irrigation facility for the farmer. The government brags about Rs 70,000 crore subsidy to the farmers where as the fact is it is given to big corporations for the sale of poisonous fertilizer and pesticides to ruin the health of the farmers and consumers as well as to ruin the soil. In 2007 there was 17 crore hectare of farming land vs. 12 crore hectare now. The 5 crore hectare land was given to big corporations under Special Economic Zones and other projects. Jaitley has made it very clear that this process will continue and now we have Japanese bullet train project also. It cannot be disputed that infrastructure improvements are vital if growth is to be inclusive. The question is, what types of infrastructure will be developed or investment undertaken, and who will benefit as a result. All indications are Rs 20,000 crore spending on infrastructure will not improve things for ordinary people, but instead may intensify dispossession and displacement as well as theft of resources that has already been occurring in the country under the guise of industrial corridors, Tech Cities, Luxury housing, Office Complex, Malls and SEZs, etc. To the middle class Jaitley has told them that they are on their own by raising indirect taxes on them while not raising the exemption limit of Rs 2,50,000. This is the same Jaitley as Lok Sabha candidate from Amritsar on April 20, 2014 demanded a raise in the Income Tax ceiling from Rs 2, 00,000 to Rs 5, 00,000. Advocating low tax structure, he said, "Direct Tax should be reduced. If the Income Tax limit is raised from Rs 2 lakhs to Rs 5 lakhs, 3 crore people will save Rs 24 crore which will lead to a small impact of 1 to 1.5 per cent of National Tax Fund." Now he has raised service tax from 12.36% to 14%. On top of that Increase in basic custom duty on Metallurgical coke from 2.5 % to 5%, on iron and steel and articles of iron and steel increased from 10% to 15% and on commercial vehicle increased from 10 % to 40%. A few days before the budget his counterpart Railway Minister Prabhu raised the passenger and freight rates by 14%. Even a high school economics student will tell them that it will bring cost push inflation and affect the very basic commodities and services needed to live by poor as well as middle class. Now the Corporate sector, the darling and massive financial donors of BJP. Jaitley in an interview to Headlines Today said he has given Rs 2, 00,000 crore to this sector. They will get Rs 20,000 crore in the first year, Rs 40,000 crore in the second year, Rs 60,000 crore in the third year and Rs 80,000 crore in the fourth year. Estimated revenue forgone due to corporate concessions for 2013-2014 is Rs. 76,116 crore or 19% of collected corporate tax revenue. By way of comparison this corporate subsidy is 82% of the food subsidy of Rs 92,318 crore for the same year. Corporations are celebrating Jailey's intent to bring down the Corporate Tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent in the next four years. In USA where the corporate Tax is 35% according to CAG, US Corporation's effective rate of tax was 12.1% in 2011 that is 40 years low. On top of that the bigger the US Corporation the less or no tax they pay. U.S. corporations actually pay incredibly low taxes due to the ever-proliferating loopholes, credits, and deductions in the tax code and the use of overseas tax havens. If the effective rate in USA is 12.1% in India it has to be under 10% or in some cases 0 because Indian Corporations are more innovative: they get subsidized loans, land, electricity, break on all kinds of taxes and can book their profits in foreign countries by over invoicing or under invoicing and route it back through Mauritius. Besides plethora of credits and deductions in tax code they buy super luxury cars, luxury homes & farm houses, air planes and yachts in their corporation's name for their personal, family, executive and for the use of politicians and top bureaucrats. Laws to curb Black Money is nothing but another rhetoric similar to the one made by Modi during campaigning of bringing back Black Money and after election labeled by BJP Party President as Chunavi Jumla (Election Rhetoric). Unless the route of Mauritius that accounts for 40% FDI to India is closed how can one stop the generation of black money? Arun Jaitley as Union Cabinet Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs opened the Mauritius route in 2001 for official money laundering by big corporations. There are unconfirmed reports now as Finance Minister he wants to give same status to Singapore since Ambanis are involved in a scandal for routing their black money via Singapore. People are living in fool's paradise if they think Jaitley or Modi are serious about curbing black money generation or bringing back black money stashed abroad. All the laws to curb black money are for those who do not know or do not have the means to use Mauritius route. Nowhere in his budget Jaitley has acknowledged rising economic inequality and shown any intentions to come up with a plan to stop it. It looks like for FM Jaitley whose net worth is more than Rs 1000 crore, 88 crore poor, especially agricultural labor, casual labor, self employed, the name sake business owners, unemployed youth, schedule castes, schedule tribes and minorities are invisible. Because they are not organized like big corporations with lobbyists that can plead their case to the law makers. They do not have means to have a voice to make complaints or demand social justice because the Fourth Pillar of Democracy "The Media" is also owned by industrial houses and in some cases the law makers themselves through their spouses or relatives. Above all they are the slaves of an elite class behaving like British rulers of the past. Even after Congress party's catastrophic defeat in 2014 due to rampant corruption and massive scams the country's crony capitalists are unlikely to suffer as a result. The nexus between business and politics is as tight as it has ever been. BJP spent Rs 32,000 crore to bring Narendra Modi to power with massive corporate donations. BJP is estimated to have spent at least Rs 6,200 crore on print and broadcast advertising alone. Of these donations, around 90% comes from unlisted corporate sources who will be rewarded when the time comes. Reliance is now India's biggest media company, as well as its biggest conglomerate. Reliance, Adani, Tata, Jindal, Ruias etc have unprecedented political access and power. All these corporations unlike East India Company do not have their private army but soon will be making all kinds of warheads, missiles, helicopters, air planes, ammunition and other sophisticated military gadgets because Jaitley has increased the FDI limit to 49% from 26% for this Industry. Just a few days before the budget Middleman/Lobbyist has been legalized in India for deals with the government including defense deals. Now there won't be any shortage of Radias openly operating in the corridors of power to influence law makers for favors for corporate clients. PM Modi aka modern Ram of BJP has said that this budget is Progressive, Positive, Practical, Pragmatic, Prudent, Pro Poor and Pro Growth. Can PM Modi explain on what page or paragraph the rising economic inequalities have been addressed by this budget? On what page or paragraph high cost of governance, British style perks for politicians, nexus between politicians and corporations, undue economic favors to corporations etc has been addressed? It looks like Modi and BJP who worship Shahid Bhagat Singh has no respect for his ideals. Bhagat Singh said, "There can be no equality, not even in politics and before the law, so long as there is glaring inequality in economic power." (The author is based in New Jersey, USA and contributes regularly to The Indian Panorama. He can be reached at [email protected]) 10 SOUTH ASIA www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 Shia lawyer shot dead in Pakistan KARACHI (TIP): A lawyer from Pakistan's minority Shia sect, who was a counsel for several activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, was shot on March 6 dead by unidentified gunmen here with police suspecting it to be a case of sectarian violence. Advocate Ali Hasnain Bukhari was on way to his office this morning when two motorcycle-riding gunmen shot him dead in Korangi area. The gunmen shot the lawyer three times and escaped from the site after the attack. The victim was a member of the MQM's legal aid committee and was representing several party workers in cases related to enforced disappearances and arrests. MQM condemned the murder and demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for the attack. Police said the killing could be linked to the sectarian violence which has rocked the city of over 18 million people. Turkish plane skids off runway at Kathmandu airport, close shave for 238 people KATHMANDU )TIP): Nearly 240 people on board a Turkish Airlines jet had a lucky escape when the plane missed the runway on landing in dense fog at the Kathmandu airport on March 04 and skidded onto nearby grassland. The Airbus A330 from Istanbul skidded off after overshooting it at the Tribhuvan International Airport as it missed the central line of the runway while landing. There were 227 passengers and 11 crew members in the aircraft and all were safely evacuated from the emergency door without any injuries, airport authorities said. The flight from Istanbul had both Nepalese and foreigners on board. The Turkish Flight 726 missed the runway central alignment and landed in between the runway and taxiway that forced the aircraft to skid onto the grassy patch. The incident happened at around 7:40 am (local time) after the aircraft took a circle in the sky before landing due to poor visibility. Bad weather conditions and poor visibility were said to be the main reasons responsible for the incident. However, the exact cause was being investigated, spokesperson of the airport Purna Chudal said. The front wheel and the nose of the aircraft was slightly damaged after landing. Reprieve for Sri Lanka as UN rights council defers report on violations till Sept 15 ZURICH (TIP): Sri Lankan President Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisawa got the good news that his country has been given a six-month reprieve by the UN Human Rights Council during his visit to India this month. The UN Human Rights long-awaited report on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka during the LTTE conflict during the former Rajapaksa government would be published in September instead of March 2015 to give the new government time. This will be relief also for India, which had been voting against the previous Sri Lanka government, and supporting the US in its resolutions in the Human Rights Council, but now wants better relations with Sri Lanka under a new regime. The reprieve followed request by the Maithripala government to the US to repair relations after his victory in January elections. Sri Lanka's other allies, China and Pakistan, are also members of the rights council. The US had sponsored resolutions against Sri Lanka in the Human Rights Council in 2012, 2013, 2014, during the Sri Lanka war under the Rajapaksa government. India had then worked hard behind scenes to temper these. Under pressure from the DMK, the UPA government voted against Sri Lanka and for the US resolution in 2012 and 2013, even though the DMK had just withdrawn support. THE INDIAN PANORAMA Musharraf kept Kayani in dark about Kargil plan, book claims ISLAMABAD (TIP): Pakistan's former army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf kept Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in the dark about the Kargil operation in 1999 despite the latter heading forces responsible for guarding Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, according to a new book by a former general. In his book 'Ham Bhi Wahan Mojod Thay', former minister Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Majeed Malik asserts that Kayani headed the 12 Division that was responsible for guarding Kashmir (PoK) but he was not taken into confidence over the operation which brought Pakistan and India on the brink of a nuclear war. Kayani was later handpicked by Musharraf as his successor in 2007 as the army chief and he served for six years as head of army. In his book, Malik said that Gen Musharraf did not keep Kayani in the loop, who later opposed the operation. Kayani or Musharraf have not commented on the book yet. Malik said only Musharraf was entirely responsible for the operation and even Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not told about the complete Kargil plan. Sharif maintains that he was cheated by his army chief over Kargil. But Musharraf has repeatedly denied it and said that the prime minister was properly briefed before operation. In the book, Malik claimed that Musharraf called on the phone his chief of general staff from China to discuss the Kargil operation which was tapped by Indian intelligence agencies. It was a grave breach of security to discuss such a sensitive issue on a telephone call, Malik said. He also criticized Sharif for appointing FBI to help probe murder of US blogger Avijit Roy in Bangladesh NEW DELHI (TIP): FBI has agreed to help in the invetigation of the murder of American blogger Avijit Roy who was assassinated in Dhaka. Avijit Roy, who critisized religious extremism in his writings, was killed on February 26 when he was returning from a book fair with his wife. The decision to send FBI team came after the Bangladesh government accepted America's offer to engage them in the investigation process, bdnews reported. "The FBI will deploy a small team to Bangladesh shortly to assist and collaborate with Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies to investigate the homicide," said Monica Shie, US embassy spokesperson in Dhaka. The FBI would be able "to provide technical assistance with regard to transnational aspects of the investigation." The elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Monday arrested Farabi Shafiur Rahman, a self-proclaimed Islamist blogger who had previously threatened Roy multiple times. "Avijit's father mentioned Rahman's name as he had threatened to kill his son several times," Commander Mufti Mahmud Khan, director at Legal and Media Wing of RAB said. "A year ago Rahman threatened to kill Avijit Roy, one of the founder moderators of a popular blog Mukto-Mona," he said. January 25 last year, Rahman's Facebook status read, "It's a holy duty of Bangalee Muslims to kill Avijit." Then on February 9, last year, he commented on a Facebook post: "Avijit Roy cannot be killed now. He lives in America." A court on Tuesday remanded Rahman in custody for 10 days for questioning. "He has confessed that he threatened Avijit Roy. Intense interrogation of Farabi could lead to important clues," Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Monirul Islam said. (With inputs from PTI) General Ziauddin Butt after dismissing General Musharraf in 1999 who refused to step down and removed Sharif instead and grabbed power. The book also shares how Pakistan conducted atomic tests. Malik has given full credit to Nawaz Sharif, who, according to him, was mentally ready to go for atomic tests despite opposition from certain close cabinet members. Malik was once very close to Sharif but later switched sides to join Musharraf after the 1999 coup. Human shield to protect Hindus celebrating Holi in Pakistan ISLAMABAD (TIP): A human shield was formed at the Holi celebrations at Swami Narayan Temple in Karachi to show solidarity with and protect Hindus in attendance. The National Students Federation (NSF) organized the formation of a human shield on Friday. The demonstration is an attempt to promote interfaith coexistence and cooperation among different religious and ethnic groups in Pakistan, Dawn reported. The NSF leveraged social media to spread information about the event, extending e-vitiations to others who share their outlook on religious tolerance and wish to participate in the demonstration. A member of the NSF describes it as a "progressive leftist organization" dating back to the NSF of the Ayub Khan era former president of Pakistan . A member of the NSF, Fawwad Hasan, said, "When we showed solidarity with Shias at the Imambargah, Jaipaal Chhabria a doctor by profession joined us and stood alongside us so it's only fair that as a group, we extend the same courtesy to all Hindus in Pakistan who face a lot of prosecution of different kinds." He cited the desecration of Hindu temples, forcible religious conversion of girls against their will, and suppression of culture and religious practices as reasons for showing solidarity with and protecting Hindus. "We are not religious fundamentalists who take religion into our own hands, that is not what we do," he explained. "Society as a whole has to show change and be a part of that change. If you don't stand up for someone else's rights today, tomorrow you will also be targeted and there will be no one to stand up for your rights." These sentiments are echoed by the NSF which seeks to disrupt a narrative of government apathy concerning religious minorities. THE INDIAN PANORAMA ADVERTISEMENT www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 11 Homes for Sale WATER FRONT FAR ROCKAWAY 2 NEW 2 FAMILY HOMES * 2 BEDROOM 1 BATH APTS, * WITH WALK IN BASEMENT * SEPARATE CENTRAL A.C.,HEAT AND ELECTRIC Both homes go together for a TOTAL ASKING PRICE $995,500.00 ASK FOR JOHN at 718 345- 6451 The Indian Panorama New York and Texas editions are available on our website theindianpanorama.com 12 US www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 THE INDIAN PANORAMA California man charged with trying to join Islamic State HARRISON FORD BADLY HURT IN PLANE CRASH LOS ANGELES (TIP): "Indiana Jones" star Harrison Ford was critically injured March 05 when his small plane crash-landed on a golf course outside Los Angeles, media reports and officials said. The 72-year-old suffered multiple gashes to his head and was left bleeding after the crash of a vintage two-seater plane, according to the TMZ celebrity website, publishing a picture of the downed plane, its nose cone ripped open.A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman, who did not identify Harrison, said the pilot of a single-engine plane was critically injured in the crash. "We cannot disclose any of our patients' names," spokesman Erik Scott told AFP, recounting the early afternoon crash at the Penmar Golf Course in Venice, southwest of Los Angeles. "When we arrived on scene we had a small aircraft that was down on Penmar Golf Course, near the Santa Monica airport. We had a solo occupant, an adult male, who was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. "Fortunately no one (else) was injured and the NTSB will perform an investigation," he said, referring to the National Transportation Safety Board. The KTLA television station cited witnesses as saying Ford was helped out of the plane, and that he could use his legs. Delta jet skids off New York runway as winter storm hits US NEW YORK (TIP): An airliner skidded off a runway at New York's La Guardia airport Thursday as a major winter storm battered the United States from Texas to the US east coast. Heavy snow was falling as Delta flight 1086 from Atlanta slid off the runway, up an embankment and into a fence after landing at around 11:00 am (1600 GMT). A spokesman for New York Fire Department reported some minor injuries. Video of the scene showed passengers climbing out of the plane through an exit over a wing and trudging through thick snow. It was the most dramatic incident on a day in which a huge winter storm forced thousands of flight cancellations, and disrupted life across a broad swath of the United States. In Washington DC, government workers were ordered to stay home, schools were closed, and museums shuttered for the day as icy rain turned to heavy snow. Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York were expected to get as much as eight inches of snow, with wind chill temperatures dipping well below average in much of the region. Poor visibility Forecasters had warned of low visibility in New York, and some 40 percent of flights had been canceled at La Guardia before the accident there, according to flightaware.com. "We just crash landed at LGA. I'm terrified. Please," passenger Jaime Primak tweeted from @jaimeprimak. "We have all been evacuated. Everyone is safe. Thank you for your prayers. God is good." Delta said the 125 passengers and six crew members aboard the plane had disembarked via aircraft slides and were moved to the terminal on buses. "Our priority is ensuring our customers and crew members are safe," Delta said in a statement. The airline vowed to "work with all authorities and stakeholders to look into what happened in this incident." The FDNY said on Twitter there was a fuel leak after the McDonnell Douglas MD88 aircraft skidded off the runway. LOS ANGELES(TIP): A 21-year-old man previously charged with lying on a passport application so he could fly to Syria to join the Islamic State terrorist group was indicted on a charge of trying to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Adam Dandach was also charged in the superseding indictment with obstructing justice by trying to destroy records of his online activity to thwart investigators. Dandach was stopped in July in the Orange County airport while trying to board a flight to Turkey with an expedited replacement passport he got after he said he accidentally threw his old one away. Prosecutors said he knew that wasn't true and that his mother had confiscated the passport when she heard about his plan to go overseas. The FBI said Dandach told agents he planned to pledge allegiance and offer to help the Islamic State in Syria any way he could. He told agents he believed the killings of American soldiers were justified. When told he could face criminal charges, Dandach said he was more disappointed about not going to Syria than about getting in trouble with the law, according to court papers. Dandach is in custody and scheduled to be arraigned March 16 on the new charges. "He's going to plead not guilty and we're going to fight them in court," defense lawyer Pal Lengyel-Leahu said. The defendant, also known as Fadi Fadi Dandach, previously pleaded not guilty to lying on a passport application and using a passport secured through false statements. Prosecutors added in the new indictment that he committed those offenses to facilitate international terrorism. If convicted, Dandach could face up to 15 years in federal prison on the terrorism charge, and up to 25 years on each of the other counts, federal authorities said. AAPI CONVENTION & SCIENTIFIC ASSEMBLY IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA Over 2,000 Delegates to Attend Convention From June 17th - 21st, 2015 ORLANDO, FL (TIP): Over 2,000 physicians and families of Indian heritage are expected to gather and deliberate on ways to further their own professional knowledge and identify ways to network and offer a unified voice to protect the rapidly eroding patient's rights as well as explore community outreach opportunities at the 33rd Annual Convention of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) to be held from June 17th through June 21st, 2015 at the Hotel Renaissance Orlando at Seaworld in Orlando, Florida. "The 2015 AAPI Annual Convention & Scientific Assembly offers a rare platform to interact with leading physicians, health professionals, academicians, and scientists of Indian origin," says Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, President of AAPI. "Physicians and healthcare professionals from across the country and internationally will convene and participate in the scholarly exchange of medical advances, to develop health policy agendas, and to encourage legislative priorities in the coming year. We look forward to seeing you in Orlando!" Early registration with highly discounted rates for AAPI delegates groups will end by March 15th 2015. In order to avail the discounted rates, which is $119 per room per night is one of the lowest offered to AAPI delegates at this desirable venue. The booking is heavy now, and AAPI members are encouraged to register and reserve their hotel accommodation at the very earliest in order to avoid any last minute disappointments. The annual convention this year is being organized by AAPI's Florida Chapter, headed by Dr. Amish Parikh. Elaborating on the efforts and preparations that have been devoted to put together this unique event, Dr. Parikh, chairman of AAPI 201 Annual Convention, said, "We have been working for more than two years in putting together an attractive program for our annual get together, educational activity and family enjoyment. I and the CoChairs are fortunate to have a dedicated team of convention committee members from Florida helping us. We are expecting a record turnout and hence I would encourage early registration to avoid later disappointment." "The preliminary program is in place, the major attractions include 10 - 12 hours of cutting-edge CME with renowned speakers, Women's Forum, a first time Men's Forum, Product Theaters to highlight the newest advances in patient care and medical technology, Alumni meetings for networking, also an AAPIIndia Strategic Engagement Forum to showcase the AAPI initiatives in India like Trauma Brain Injury as supported by Shri Amitabh Bachchan, and recognition of AAPI Award winners. After hours, there will be a cultural fare including fashion shows, the best of Bollywood, and for the family, fun filled tours to world's most exciting theme parks." Dr. Parikh elaborated. "AAPI members represent a variety of important medical specialties. Sponsors will be able to take advantage of the many sponsorship packages at the 31st annual convention, creating high-powered exposure to the highly coveted demographic of AAPI's membership," Dr. Jahagirdar, president of AAPI noted. "Many of the physicians who will attend this convention have excelled in different specialties and subspecialties and occupy high positions as faculty members of medical schools, heads of departments, and executives of hospital staff. The AAPI Convention offers an opportunity to meet directly with these physicians who are leaders in their fields and play an integral part in the decision-making process regarding new products and services," Dr. Jahagirdar added. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) is the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States. AAPI is an umbrella organization which has nearly 90 local chapters, specialty societies and alumni organizations. For over 30 years, Indian physicians have made significant contributions to health care in this country, not only practicing in inner cities, rural areas and peripheral communities but also at the top medical schools and other academic centers. Almost 10%-12% of medical students entering US schools are of Indian origin. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, AAPI represents the interests of over 60,000 physicians and 25,000medical students and residents of Indian heritage in the United States. AAPI, the largest ethnic medical organization in the nation, and serves as an umbrella organization. For more details, and sponsorship opportunities, please visit:www.aapiconvention.org and www.aapiusa.org. Lookout for news, views and reviews, log on to www.theindianpanorama.com THE INDIAN PANORAMA US www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 Homeland Security gets another week – proxy battle over President Barack Obama’s immigration reforms WASHINGTON (TIP): Congress narrowly averted a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (which is responsible for securing the country against terror threats and for border control – The department includes Customs and Border Protection, the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency) late Friday amid a proxy battle over President Barack Obama’s immigration reforms. The vote came just hours before the department faced a partial shutdown. Both the House and Senate passed a seven-day extension of funding for the agency, with the House acting just two hours before funding was set to expire at midnight. The House vote was 357-60. The Senate passed the measure by voice vote. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rallied Democrats to support the one-week extension before funding expired. She said that voting for the seven-day measure would put Democrats on a path toward possible passage next week of a $40 billion spending bill that would fund the agency through the end of September. The extension was put forward by the Senate as an emergency measure after Republican House Speaker John Boehner, under pressure from his party’s right wing, refused to allow a vote on a comprehensive funding bill cleared by the Senate earlier on Friday. “This has been a day of confusion both here in the House and for the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security,” said Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., as she urged lawmakers to pass the one-week funding bill. House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., also called for passage of the bill, saying that lawmakers would be abdicating their responsibility to the American people if they let DHS shut down. President Obama called Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, DNev., on Friday night to “ensure that the Department of Homeland Security does not shut down,” said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. Conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives were angry that the measure did not include amendments sought by fellow House Republicans to block President Barack Obama’s immigration executive orders protecting millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. Boehner instead proposed a threeweek DHS spending bill that would have allowed the DHS to function normally and bought time for Republicans to press against Obama’s immigration reforms. However, Republicans, who have a large majority in both houses after midterm elections in November, joined with Democrats in voting down that bill 224203 in the House of Representatives, with conservatives wanting Boehner and others to stick by the amendments to the immigration plan. House Democrats said the chamber should instead support the Senatepassed bill to fund DHS through the end of the fiscal year. But a block of conservative Republicans wanted the House to hold firm and continue to demand that the Senate pass legislation the House had already passed that would derail Obama’s immigration programs. Earnest said Congress’ struggle to find a final resolution to the funding fight “exposes the danger of playing politics with our homeland security.” At the heart of the funding fight was a battle over immigration. House Republicans wanted to use the DHS funding bill as leverage to stop Obama’s executive orders on immigration. Obama issued those orders in November to protect about 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and allow them to work legally in the USA. Indian-American Dhanurjay ‘DJ’ Patil named first US chief data scientist CALIFORNIA (TIP): A 45-year-old IndianAmerican Dhanurjay ‘DJ’ Patil has been named the first chief data scientist by the White House to shape policies and practices that will help the US remain a leader in technology and innovation. Patil— who has worked with several bigname Silicon Valley operations, including LinkedIn, eBay, PayPal, Skype, and venture capital firm Greylock Partners. Prior to his work in the private sector, Patil worked at Department of Defence, where he directed efforts to bridge computational and social sciences in fields like social network analysis to help anticipate new threats to the US. Patil will now work as Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, reporting to US Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith. He will also work on the Obama administration’s Precision Medicine Initiative, which focuses on utilising advances in data and healthcare to provide clinicians with new tools, knowledge, and therapies to select which treatments will work best for which patients, while protecting patient privacy. Over the course of two decades of work in the private and public sectors and in academia, Patil has pioneered new ways for institutions to benefit from data. As a doctoral student and faculty member at the University of Maryland, Patil used open datasets to improve weather forecasting. He worked briefly for the Department of Defense, advising on efforts to use social network analysis, for example, to anticipate emerging threats to the United States. Full story on www.theindianpanorama.com 13 Kent: Another hindu temple attack in US – Indians Concerned WASHINGTON (TIP): A Sanatan Dharam temple was vandalised in Washington state with windows broken and the word “Fear” painted on it, less than a fortnight after another temple was attacked. Members of the the Sanatan Dharma Temple in Kent, about 30 km from Seattle, who came for worship Friday “were greeted by shards of broken glass after vandals targeted the building,” KING5-TV, a Seattle NBC affiliate, reported. According to the temple web site, “Amalaki Ekadashi” was to be observed Saturday. Bricks were used to smash every window of the building and parts of the structure were ripped apart, said KOMO-TV, an ABC affiliate in Seattle. “The crime is smallminded with big intentions, shattering calm with hate,” the station’s reporter, John Humbert, said. “Silence isn’t the answer.”Universal Society of Hinduism President Rajan Zed, said: “Hindus nationwide are highly concerned” by the second attack on a temple in recent days. “It was shocking for the hard-working, harmonious and peaceful US Hindu community numbering about three million, who had made (a) lot of contribution to the nation and society, to receive such signals of hatred and anger.” On February 15, the Hindu Temple Cultural Centre in Bothell city, about 35 km from Seattle, found a swastika painted on it and “Get Out” scrawled in large letters with spray paint. In the US, white supremacists have adopted the Nazi swastika as an ideological symbol. The two temple attacks came after President Barack Obama’s criticism of India at an inter-religious prayer meeting earlier in February where he said intolerance there “would have shocked Gandhiji”. Both temples do not have security cameras “and info on the vandals remains elusive,” KOMO-TV said. The incidents are under police investigation. Several attacks on Hindu temples have taken place across the US in the last few months. In August a murti (idol) of Shiva at the Vishwa Bhavan Hindu Mandir in Monroe in the state of Georgia was desecrated with black paint. The local sheriff ’s office arrested two people in connection with the attack. Between July and October in Loudon county in Virginia, police have documented 17 separate incidents of anti-Hindu vandalism, the Hindu American Foundation said. In a twist to the Kent incident, an Islamic organisation tried to deflect attention away from Hinduism, claiming that the attack was directed against Muslims, even though the building had a large sign, “Kent Hindu Temple.” Full story on theindianpanorama.com US-Israel spat intensifies over Netanyahu speech WASHINGTON (TIP): The US and Israel escalated their increasingly public spat on February 25 over Benjamin Netanyahu’s Republican-engineered congressional speech next week, with the Israeli prime minister accusing world powers of rolling over to allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons. Secretary of State John Kerry openly questioned Netanyahu’s judgment on the issue. The comments injected new tension into an already strained relationship between the close allies ahead of Netanyahu’s address to Congress next Tuesday. More Democratic lawmakers announced they would boycott the speech, which was orchestrated by Republican leaders without the Obama administration’s knowledge. Netanyahu hopes his speech will strengthen opposition to a potential nuclear deal with Iran, President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy objective. US and Iranian officials reported progress in negotiations this week on a deal that would clamp down on Tehran’s nuclear activities for at least 10 years but then slowly ease restrictions. Netanyahu lashed out at the US and other usual staunch allies of Israel. “It appears that they have given up on that commitment and are accepting that Iran will gradually, within a few years, will develop capabilities to produce material for many nuclear weapons,” he said in Israel. “They might accept this but I am not willing to accept this,” he said in remarks delivered in Hebrew and translated. Full story on www.theindianpanorama.com 14 INDIA www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 UN lauds India’s improved disaster risk management UNITED NATIONS (TIP): Lauding India's improved disaster risk management and accuracy of its meteorological department, the UN has said timely warnings on cyclones have helped "dramatically" reduce mortality during natural calamities. The global assessment report on disaster risk reduction released by the United Nations said that the accuracy of forecasts made by the Indian Meteorological Department has greatly improved over the years. It cited the 2013 cyclone Phailin that hit Odisha, saying "in a significant improvement" from previous years, warnings were disseminated four days before the cyclone made landfall. "The cyclone made landfall in a pre-electoral period, meaning that both the national and state governments deployed all available resources to ensure that the disaster was well managed and its impacts minimised," the report said. Comparing the casualty figure of 9,843 in the 1999 supercyclone that had hit Odisha, the report said no more than 47 people died during Phailin. "This dramatic reduction in disaster mortality has been attributed to improvements in disaster risk management effected by the Odisha State Government," it said. The report further said that the case of Odisha is indicative of a trend in which improving development conditions and strengthened disaster management lead to dramatically reduced mortality, at least in those events for which warning is possible. The report said that success stories from countries like Bangladesh, Chile, India, the Philippines in their disaster preparedness "show that timely and effective warning and communication coupled with risk information and a prepared population significantly reduces mortality." According to the report, an annual global investment of six billion dollars in disaster risk management strategies would generate total benefits in terms of risk reduction of 360 billion dollars. "For many countries, that small additional investment could make a crucial difference in achieving the national and international goals of ending poverty, improving health and education and ensuring sustainable and equitable growth," the report says. While countries are devoting resources to disaster management, the report stresses that more needs to be done to foster a culture of prevention and incorporate disaster risk reduction into the post-2015 development agenda. The report also noted that the cost of disasters worldwide has reached an average of USD 250 billion to USD 300 billion every year, urging countries to increase their commitments to strengthen their population's resilience. The report, produced by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, stresses that the economic losses caused by disasters are also hindering countries' paths to achieve sustainable development, making risk reduction central to social, economic and environmental progress. "If we do not address risk reduction, future losses from disaster will increase and this will impact countries' capacity to invest money in other areas such as health and education. If we do not take the necessary measures now, it will be difficult to achieve development, let alone sustainable development," said UN secretary general's special representative on disaster risk reduction Margareta Wahlstrom. "The report is a wake-up call for countries to increase their commitment to invest in smart solutions to strengthen resilience to disasters," Wahlstrom said, adding that they will have an opportunity to do so at the third conference on disaster risk reduction taking place in less than two weeks in Sendai, Japan. At the conference, countries will adopt a framework to success the hyogo framework for action. Born in 2005 out of the world conference on disaster reduction, the framework is a 10-year plan, the first to detail the work that is required from all different sectors and actors to reduce disaster losses. The report added that in many countries, climate change is magnifying risks and increasing the cost of disasters. THE INDIAN PANORAMA Don’t use RS majority to stop development: Modi KHANDWA (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 5 took on the opposition over the prospects of defeat of important bills in the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in a minority. "You may have a majority in the Rajya Sabha, but don't use it to stop development of the nation," said Modi while addressing a large gathering here. The Prime Minister was referring to important legislations like the land acquisition bill which the government is finding hard to push in the Rajya Sabha because of a united opposition. His jibe at the opposition comes just two days after parties had united in the Upper House to force an amendment to the motion of thanks on President's address. The opposition's amendment had referred to the absence of corruption or black money in President's speech. Defending his government's land acquisition policy, Modi said that a year ago, the UPA had passed a land acquisition law to garner votes before elections, but the farmers opted to vote for a different government. The Prime Minister said the government wanted a series of small industries developed in rural areas as farming alone could not sustain the economy. "Today's farmer, who has three sons, does not want all of them to harvest his fields. He wants one son to be a farmer and the other two employed in industries. Where will employment in industries come from?" said the Prime Minister, who was in Khandwa to inaugurate the first phase of 1,200 MW Shri Singaji thermal power plant. Modi said there was no basis in opposition's charge that he was antifarmer. "They (farmers) need canals for irrigation. Can irrigation projects be constructed in the skies? Government needs land to make homes for poor. Roads in villages, schools and hospitals cannot be constructed in heavens. How can development take place without acquisition of land," he asked. PM pulls up absent MPs after humiliation in Rajya Sabha NEW DELHI (TIP): A day after the government faced embarrassment due to division of votes in Rajya Sabha over an amendment to the President's address, an 'unhappy' Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Feb 4 sought explanation from members of his party (BJP) and NDA allies for being absent from the Upper House at the crucial moment of voting. As many as 10 out of 46 BJP members and 12 from allies were absent in the House when the CPM members Sitaram Yechury and P Rajeeve moved the amendment and pressed for division of votes. The amendment was passed with 118 votes in favour and 57 against it. "All these members including couple of ministers who were absent in the House during voting have been asked to explain the reasons of their absence", said a source. Though their presence wouldn't have made much difference as the NDA is in a minority in Rajya Sabha, the explanation should ensure that these members are present in full strength next time when such a situation arises. Since a number of bills are lined up for the Rajya Sabha in the ongoing budget session, such a situation cannot be ruled out. Besides 46 of BJP, the NDA has six members from TDP, three each from Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), two from PDP and one each from other smaller parties. The NDA could, however, get 57 votes during the division despite the absentees as members from the friendly AIADMK and couple of Independents voted against the amendment. Though the Opposition was also not present in the House in full strength, it could easily manage to sail through as members of almost all opposition parties including Congress, SP, BSP, Trinamool Congress, DMK, BJD, JD(U) and CPI voted for the CPM's amendment. ‘LAND BILL NOT AGAINST FARMERS’ Even as the government is getting ready to push the contentious Land Acquisition Bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday after the Holi break, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Opposition of using its majority in the Upper House to stall the country’s progress. Virtually taking the impasse over the land bill to public, Modi said: “I appeal you to raise your voice against them.” He was speaking at inauguration of two units of 600 MW of Shri Singhaji Thermal Plant and laying foundation stone for two units of 660 MW each in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. While accusing the previous government of passing a law that he termed as “anti-farmer and antidevelopment”, Modi said: “We are accused of being anti-farmers, but when I told them in the Rajya Sabha that I am ready to amend the legislation, they did not come up with one point.” In his old Gujarat election campaign style, he asked a series of questions to the gathering to drive home the point that land was essential for schools, roads, hospitals and factories because “they can’t be built in the sky.” “Do you want your sons to end up in slums in Delhi or Mumbai? Would you rather have your sons employed in nearby places,” he said, while accusing the UPA Government of not allocating land for schools, hospitals and factories. “I have no personal business or interests,” he said and called himself a chowkidar (watchman), a term he used frequently during campaigning for the general elections. Alleging corruption in the coal block allocation during the UPA rule and the subsequent cancellation by the Supreme Court, he said, “they sinned and created problems for us.” Referring to the recent auction of 19 coal blocks and the `1.10 lakh crore it generated, Modi said his government has proved the then CAG right. “We are transparent and don’t work behind curtains. Not one paisa will be swindled,” he said and added, “no one can estimate the amount that will be generated when the auction of the remaining coal mines is over.” “It’s your money,” he told the audience while referring to the `40,000 crore Madhya Pradesh will get from auction of four coal mines. THE INDIAN PANORAMA INDIA www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 15 AAP CRISIS Kejriwal insisted on ouster of Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav from PAC NEW DELHI (TIP): AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal stamped his dominance over the party on March 4 when two of his critics, Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, were removed from the Political Affairs Committee, while his own offer of resignation as national convener of AAP was unanimously turned down. While one chapter of the bitter feud in AAP might have ended now, it may not be the end of the story. The decision to remove Bhushan and Yadav wasn't unanimous - in fact, as many as eight voted against it while 11 voted for - indicating that there are a number of people in the PAC who share some of the concerns raised by the Bhushan-Yadav duo. Kejriwal himself stayed away from the meeting, possibly because of his poor health (he went to Bangalore for naturopathy treatment of his very high sugar levels), but more likely to make the point that he was above the squabbling lot - in other words, truly the first among the so-called equals. Kejriwal also avoided engaging with the Bhushan-Yadav duo on any of the issues raised by them. Even last night the duo, or one of them, is learnt to have sought a oneon-one meeting with Kejriwal but there was no response to the overture. At the end, he apparently insisted on their removal from the PAC as a precondition for his staying as the National Convener. A fresh letter of resignation as national convener on Wednesday morning only reiterated his firm stand. Before Wednesday's PAC Meeting, there were serious efforts to sort to bring about a reconciliation between Kejriwal and the duo. Many options were considered, including one where the duo would offer some kind of apology. Most senior leaders found this Prasanth Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav reasonable as they also didn't want the party's unity to be affected in any way. However, when the leaders reached Kejriwal, he insisted on the duo's removal from PAC, indicating a rather quick graduation of AAP to hard-nosed power politics. Sources said that while many recognized that the issues raised by the duo were important and needed to be addressed, their presence in the PAC was untenable after the recent war of words. At the meeting, Bhushan and Yadav suggested that the PAC be reconstituted, allowing new members to come in. This was, however, opposed by the Kejriwal loyalists, who insisted on a resolution seeking the removal of the duo. The resolution was moved by deputy CM Manish Sisodia and put to vote and the duo lost 11-8. Interestingly, some senior AAP leaders like Anand Kumar, Ajit Jha, Rakesh Sinha voted against their removal while Mumbai's Mayank Gandhi and treasurer Krishnakant Sevada abstained. Sources said that considering that the resolution was backed by Kejriwal it was a democratic process of open voting that was followed without fear of recrimination. Yadav was also removed as the party's chief spokesman. Kejriwal loyalists criticised Bhushan and Yadav at the six-hour meeting for not showing confidence in the Delhi election team. They pointed out that this lack of confidence was despite the team crafting a stunning win for AAP in the election. The duo's continuing criticism of the team only showed that they were out of synch with the popular mood, the loyalists said. Bhushan and Yadav also raised the need for an internal ethics committee that had also been mentioned in their note. "There is a huge trust deficit between the two groups and it will take a while for it to be bridged, if it is bridged at all. In the last few days a lot of things have been said which have left everyone with a bad taste in the mouth. There was criticism from both sides with very little middle ground," a senior leader said. The removal of the Bhushan-Yadav duo was announced by Kumar Vishwas who said that the duo have been "freed" of their responsibilities in the PAC and would be given new responsibilities. The new responsibilities were, however, not spelt out. He said "personal opinions and personal differences" will not come in the way of the unity of the party, which will deliver on its promises and will not betray the trust of the people. While there is an unmistakable sense of triumphalism in the Kejriwal camp, having removed the "two thorns", leaders and members close to the duo felt that Bhushan and Yadav's ouster from PAC only lent credence to their charge about the party being made into a "one-person" show. Still, Yadav and Bhushan are unlikely to leave AAP. They are likely to raise the same issues at the meeting of the AAP National Council - an all-India body of leaders, members and volunteers - that is scheduled for the month-end. The duo believe, said sources close to them, that the broader body would be the right forum to test whether their misgivings was shared by AAP members or not, or was it just a Delhi-centric opposition to their criticism. Speaking after the meeting Bhushan said, "The NE by majority decision decided that we should not remain the PAC. I hope that the party which was created and inspired millions of people as a party wedded to the principles of transparency, accountability, inner party democracy and Swaraj will not disappoint the people on whose efforts the party was founded.'' TEACHERS’ RECRUITMENT SCAM DELHI HC UPHOLDS 10-YEAR JAIL FOR EX-HARYANA CM CHAUTALA, SON NEW DELHI (TIP): The Delhi high court on March 5 upheld the conviction and 10-year jail term of former Haryana chief minister O P Chautala, 80, observing that he cheated the youth of his state in the JBT teachers' recruitment scam. Justice Siddharth Mridul also upheld the prison terms of Chautala's son Ajay, two IAS officers Sanjiv Kumar and Vidya Dhar along with the former CM's political adviser Sher Singh Baddhami — all of whom had got 10 years — pointing out that a teaching cadre "inducted through patronage, nepotism and corruption cannot, morally, be higher than the methods that produced it and be free from the sins of its own origin". "So this is the end of the road, appeals have been dismissed," the judge remarked before pronouncing the verdict. He, however, took a lenient view of the remaining 50 convicts, recognizing that they were pressured to be part of the scam and reduced their jail term to two years. They had been awarded 4-10-year terms. A CBI court had on January 22, 2013, found the Chautalas and others guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained teachers in 2000. The court observed that Chautala, as the then chief minister of Haryana, could have been a figure of hope and inspiration to the youth of the state. "Cheating them of their future deserves punishment of the highest kind," it said, refusing to show any leniency to the politician on grounds of his advanced age and OP Chautala and Ajay Chautala the fact that he is "towards the tail end of his political career". While IAS officer Sanjiv Kumar, the then director of primary education, had claimed to be a whistleblower on the scam, the court found evidence establishing his complicity. The other officer, Vidya Dhar, was the then officer on special duty (OSD) to the chief minister. Justice Mridul, in his 400-page verdict found "overwhelming evidence" of the manner in which the scam was given effect to, adding it showed the "shocking and spinechilling state of affairs in the country". It directed Ajay Chautala, out on medical bail, to surrender immediately to serve the remaining sentence. Referring to the role played by the politicians and the senior bureaucrats in the scam, HC noted that "an ingenious employment scam spanning across 18 districts of state of Haryana was given effect to by persons at the helm of power and the entire bureaucratic machinery fell prey to its satanic influence". It said the common thread between Chautalas, the two IAS officers and Sher Singh Badshami was the "flagrant disregard towards the system" that led to shaking of public confidence. "Each one of them played a role in disrupting the established process to achieve their object. Not only did they offend every duty they had to the office they were holding, but in the process, also challenged the ethical standard of every other public servant and compelled them to abandon their otherwise perfect career records," HC observed. It added that "such scams not only result in dissemination of poor quality education to millions of children who are bound to suffer, but also unfairly deprive the competent participants in such selection processes an opportunity to gain public employment and meaningfully serve the country." 16 INDIA www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 ALLEGED RAPIST PARADED NAKED, KILLED IN NAGALAND DIMAPUR (TIP): An alleged rapist, suspected to be an illegal Bangladeshi migrant, was beaten to death on March 5 by a mob which stormed the high-security central jail in Nagaland's commercial town of Dimapur, officials said. At least 10 vehicles were also set ablaze by the unruly mob forcing the authorities to clamp curfew in Dimapur district. Syed Farid Khan, a 35-year-old second hand car dealer, had allegedly raped a 20-year-old Naga woman on February 23 and 24 at different locations. Police arrested Khan on February 25 and later a lower court sent him to judicial custody. "A mob of around 4,000 people stormed the central jail after breaking the two gates and took the accused out of jail and paraded him naked to the city tower in the heart of Dimapur town, before we could rescue him from the mob," district police chief Meren Jamir told IANS. He said Khan died after he was badly thrashed by the mob. "The body was retrieved from the mob after police fired in the air to disperse them," Jamir said. "We have clamped curfew in Dimapur district to contain the law and order situation following the unfortunate incident," district magistrate Wezope Kenye told IANS. He said the district authorities had made all efforts to prevent the mob from storming the central jail. "We resorted to firing blanks and tear gas shells to disperse the mob but they managed to pull out Khan from the jail," Kenye said. "The situation is tense and we are making all efforts to restore normalcy in the district," he added. Thousands converge in Punjab for Hola Mohalla ANANDPUR SAHIB (TIP): Tens of thousands of devotees converged in this Sikh holy town on March 6 to offer prayers at Gurdwara Keshgarh Sahib during "Hola Mohalla" celebrations which coincides with the Holi festival. All roads towards this holy town, which is home to the second most important Sikh shrine after "Harmandar Sahib" (popularly known as Golden Temple) in Amritsar, experienced heavy vehicular movement with people coming in hordes on buses, trucks, tractor-trolleys and other vehicles. "Thousands of people have arrived here for 'Hola Mohalla'. It is a great atmosphere. Our family has also come to offer prayers," Balbir Singh, a resident of Kharar town, 20 km from Chandigarh. Anandpur Sahib is located about 85 km from Chandigarh.The shrine and the town are famous as it was here in 1699 that the Tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh, baptised five men and founded the Khalsa Panth, which is the modern day Sikh religion. Elsewhere in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, the festival of Holi was being celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm. Despite rainfall in and around Chandigarh, and some parts of Punjab and Haryana on Thursday night, children and youth could be seen playing Holi on early Friday. The skies cleared up on Feb 6 morning over Chandigarh, allowing people to celebrate the festival. "The rain and clouds went away in the morning. Otherwise, everyone was worried that the Holi spirit will be spoilt by the weather. This time, though, the weather is much colder than in previous years and people may not be playing as freely with water colors as in the past," Ritu Goyal, a housewife in Chandigarh, said. Nearly 1,000 police personnel and officials were deployed at various places in Chandigarh to control any rowdy behaviour. THE INDIAN PANORAMA Nirbhaya filmmaker allowed inside Tihar Jail without background checks NEW DELHI (TIP): The home ministry, in its haste to approve British filmmaker Leslee Udwin's application to shoot interviews of gender crime convicts inside Tihar jail, ignored its own 2012 circular mandating background security checks to be run on foreigners seeking to visit Indian prisons. According to home ministry sources, a set of guidelines was issued in December 2012 to regulate movement/visits of foreign visitors inside Indian jails. These norms specifically state that background checks should be done on all foreigners applying for prior permission to visit jail premises. The foreigners visiting Indian jails may not only include mediapersons or filmmakers, but also criminologists, researchers, embassy staff, workers of NGOs engaged in prisoners' welfare, or those seeking to just celebrate festivals like Christmas on jail premises. "Their applications are received from time to time ... the guidelines were issued to standardize the parameters for their access to Indian prisons, and one of the key conditions laid down was to verify the antecedents of the foreign visitor before giving the permission," said a home ministry official. The official added that the background check could have been done by the Intelligence Bureau, with the help of R&AW, or even Delhi Police in Udwin's case. "Though the decision on Udwin's application may well have been positive after the background check, the fact that this parameter was not fulfilled by either the home ministry or the Tihar jail authorities, is a lapse," said the official. Leslee Udwin Meanwhile, the Union home ministry is also verifying how Nirbhaya rape convict appeared for the interview in normal clothes and not in jail uniform. As per prison rules, a convict must only wear prison uniform on jail premises. ‘Nothing sensational in the film’ British filmmaker Leslee Udwin, whose latest film on December 16 gangrape has created furore in India for showing the interview of one of the convicts, said the film is her attempt to examine the attitude of men towards women. Leslee also claimed she took permission from the then Director general of Tijar jail Vimla Mehra before interviewing the convict Mukesh Singh. "I wrote a letter to DG of Tihar. The DG of Tihar had to consult with MHA. The letter basically stated that it was a campaigning film. I had applied permission in May 2013 and I got the answer 'yes' in two weeks. Official permission of MHA had also came. Permission from the prison was also signed," she said. India's Daughter tells the story of the horrific Delhi gang rape in December, 2012, from the perspective of the convicts and victim's parents, she claimed. "We took a lot of time to make the film, almost two years. If we had something sensational, then we would have thrown it out immediately. There is nothing sensational about the film. It's a very serious campaigning film in the public interest. It's designed to see the change," Leslee told reporters here. Before making the BBC documentary, Leslee said she met the parents of all the convicts including the juvenile's. "I actually met all the parents of the convict. Mukesh's (Singh) mother got him to speak. I interviewed his mother and told her we were doing this film and it was important for us to speak to him. She told him to speak to us," she said. In the interview, Mukesh said the women who went out at night had only themselves to blame if they attracted the attention of gangs of male molesters. When asked why she gave a platform to the convict, Leslee, who interviewed Mukesh in 2013, said, "That's a great pity. Indian media should highlight what is going on in their mind. You have to keep repeating it until it stops and changes. Do you want things to change... Why do you resist? Why did I give a platform to girl's parents? The film looks at the issue of mindset and gender inequality. The film paints a picture of a set of attitudes towards women." The BAFTA-winning director, who claimed she had panic attack while making the film, said the most touching moment for her was to sit and watch the film with victim's parents. "Sitting and watching the film through their eyes was a touching moment for me. They were moved by the film. They are extra-ordinary human beings." Modi among 30 most influential people on internet: Time NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been named among the 30 most influential people on the internet by Time magazine in a list which also features US President Barack Obama. The list, which analysed social-media followings, site traffic and overall ability to drive news, also includes British author of the Harry Potter series J K Rowling and singers Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Time said the Indian Prime Minister has roughly 38 million followers on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, putting him ahead of any other leaders in the world except Obama. "And unlike many of his contemporaries, Modi recognises that social media can be invaluable when trying to reach India's 200 million-plus online population directly," the Time magazine said. Modi, an ardent user of social media to communicate with people, announced in an unconventional way, Obama's strategic visit to India in January this year. He took to Twitter to make the announcement, "bypassing traditional media outlets," the magazine said.Time said given the power of the social media, anyone with a web connection can start a global conversation. "Yes, it helps to be famous in real life. But the rise of social networks has levelled the playing field, allowing unknowns to command audiences rivalling those of real-world leaders, even if by accident," it said. On Obama's virtual influence, Time said the US President is the most-liked world leader on Facebook and the mostfollowed on Twitter. "But more impressively, Obama is able to meme himself to push an agenda," Time said citing a video he featured in for American internet news media company Buzzfeed. THE INDIAN PANORAMA ADVERTISEMENT www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 CLAIM 10% DISCOUNT WITH THIS ADVERTISEMENT 17 18 BOLLYWOOD www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 MOVIE REVIEW Dum Laga Ke Haisha THE INDIAN PANORAMA KATRINA KAIF’S WAX STATUE TO BE UNVEILED AT MADAME TUSSAUDS ang Bang hottie Katrina Kaif is all set to join Bollywood biggies at Madame Tussauds, London. The actress will unveil the carefully sculpted wax statue later this month. Katrina is reportedly trying to zero in on what she would wear for the unveiling ceremony. The official Madame Tussauds Twitter handle had earlier tweeted, "Katrina has collaborated closely with our sculptors and artists to decide a dancing pose and outfit for the figure, having given a sitting in Mumbai where all the measurements required to create an accurate likeness were gathered. A team of 20 artists will work on the figure, which will cost £150,000 to produce." There is perhaps only one place in the world where stars like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan can come together under one roof. The prestigious Madame Tussauds wax museum in London brings the best of Bollywood together and freezes the stars in all their glory. B CAST: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Sheeba Chaddha, Alka Amin DIRECTION: Sharat Katariya GENRE: Romantic Comedy DURATION: 1 hour 51 minutes STORY: When more-than-pleasantly-plump Sandhya (Bhumi Pednekar) gets hitched to Prem (Ayushmann Khurrana), the latter cannot bring himself to look beyond his wife's size. Her relentless attempts to win over his attention are in vain and the two end up on the brink of divorce when she overhears him passing objectionable remarks about her to friends. Can blubber hinder love? REVIEW: Dum Laga Ke Haisha is an unlikely quasioriginal offering from the stable that in recent past has made sincere efforts to defy the conventional notions of love. This film might further the cause of breaking away from the bastion but it reeks of predictability. Sharat Kataria pulls off a quaint-yet-flawed film. Set in circa 1995 in Haridwar, he carefully refrains from creating a staple, syrupy affair. The film's first hour sails smoothly sans hiccups, but the second half can be faulted for unspooling tediously. The movie erects a plot whose on-the-face nostalgia factor is almost jarring. Its rustic setting, bustling bylanes and old-world charm does an overt job of selling the VCR era. There's even a desperately-included fight sequence where the couple aggressively play 90s songs. Such scenes might crack you up, but the crackling effect is wiped out as the film moves towards a predictable climax featuring Kumar Sanu, a steady fixture since the first scene. It's the only thing that makes its 'loser' hero look good and is a contrived culmination of the romance we never find blooming. The film's subplots are unnecessary and abrupt, like the sudden demise of a never-mentioned-before uncle which triggers the final act. The actors, however, deliver redeeming performances. For a debutante, Pednekar is surprisingly confident. Khurrana, is the best he has been since his launch venture. Sanjay Mishra and Seema Pahwa are at the top of their game. But in the end, it isn't extraordinary, failing to rise above the idea that a fat girl needs some schmuck to complete her life. Undeniably, the smarts are visible in its original thinking but it doesn't translate into a satiating viewing experience. JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ TO POST SNIPPETS ON INSTAGRAM acqueline Fernandez is fast becoming one of the most loved actresses of B-town. With her pretty looks and her charming ways, she has entranced everyone by performances that just keep getting better with each film. And now, we hear that the talented actress has reached 1 million followers on Instagram. Overwhelmed by the love showered on her by her fans, the gorgeous lady made her Instagram profile private last night, giving access only to her million followers to view, comment and like her Instagram posts as she feels that her first million fans on Instagram deserve this exclusive opportunity. And we hear that she's all set to post interesting, exclusive snippets all day, only for her 1 million followers to see. J THE INDIAN PANORAMA HOLLYWOOD www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 CAMERON DIAZ SAYS EVERYONE NEEDS SEX FOR HEALTHY LIFE 19 MOVIE REVIEW Kingsman: The Secret Service CAST: Michael Caine, Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Jack Davenport, Mark Strong, Sofia Boutella, Mark Hamill, Sophie Cookson ameron Diaz has posed bra-free for April 2015 issue of Cosmopolitan and said that everyone needs to have sex to lead a healthy life. The 'Sex Tape' actress told UK Cosmopolitan in a cover interview that every individual should do exercise to keep themselves healthy, and people who look out for some reasons to walk away C from it and states that their body doesn't allow it but actually their mind restrains them of doing so, the Mirror reported. The 42-year-old actress added that she even treats herself sometimes with a handful of berries and some cake, but instructed the readers not have the whole cake, and have some pieces of it. UMA THURMAN REVEALS WHY SHE ‘RARELY’ SMILES ON RED CARPET Uma Thurman has explained the reason why she rarely smiles on the red carpet saying that she was traumatized about her physical appearance after a childhood incident involving her pearly whites. The American actress revealed in a recent interview that when she was 10-years-old, someone told her that she had an ugly smile and she spent the whole of her younger years feeling embarrassed and never smiling with her mouth open, Us Magazine reported. The 'Kill Bill' star added that they all lose their looks as they get older and there' was a beauty to older people that was just different to the beauty of younger people DIRECTION: Matthew Vaughn GENRE: Action DURATION: 2 hours 10 minutes STORY: The Kingsmen aren't answerable to governments nor are they externally influenced. When one of them is killed thanks to agent Harry's (Firth) judgement error, he backs his fallen comrade's son Eggsy (Egerton) to become a Kingsman. Later, they will have to thwart tech tycoon Valentine's (Jackson) evil designs, involving mind control and mass murder. REVIEW: Colin Firth's performance as an action man is nothing short of a revelation. When the impeccably-suited Harry first meets Eggsy while the latter is a young boy, he gives him a medal bearing an engraved telephone number, for whenever Eggsy is in dire circumstances. Many years later, Eggsy, now directionless , dials it after a squabble with the law, gives the secret code ( " Oxfords, not Brogues " ) and is freed from police custody, no questions asked. Harry then rescues Eggsy from a brutal beating (Harry's motto being an emphatic "Manners. Maketh. The Man"), busts some smooth moves and Eggsy is impressed enough to want to become a Kingsman. Headed by Arthur (Caine) and trained by Merlin (Strong), Eggsy and the other recruits including a woman, Sophie (Cooks on), face a series of gruelling tests before becoming agents. Part Bond parody, part serious and a whole lot of camp, you can't help but laugh (there are plenty of 'LOL' moments) at the obvious 007 dig when Eggsy tells a bartender that he'd like his martini with gin, not vodka ("obviously"), stirred a certain number of times whilst staring fixedly at a fresh bottle of vermouth! Egerton delivers and Jackson is perfect as the villain Valentine whose environmentally-conscious concerns conceal a devious plan for global genocide. His sidekick Gazelle (Boutella) is a vamp plucked straight out a Quentin Tarantino wet dream as does a scene involving hyper-stylized mayhem in a small-town church. Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker, anyone?) also shows up as a genius scientist. Bulletproof brollies that fire bullets, dart spewing wristwatches and cigarette lighter grenades aside, there's a smooth balance of good humo u r, buttkicking action and originality too. Kingsman: The Secret Service is a breath of fresh air in the spy movie genre. 20 www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 ADVERTISEMENT THE INDIAN PANORAMA THE INDIAN PANORAMA INDIA PM’S SEYCHELLES, MAURITIUS, LANKA TOUR BEGINS FROM MARCH 10 NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave on March 10 on a three-nation visit -- Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka -- the External Affairs Ministry announced today with no mention, however, of the Maldives, which was being considered earlier. On his first trip abroad in 2015, the prime minister will be visiting the three countries from March 10 to 14, the ministry said. On March 11, in Seychelles, Modi will hold bilateral discussions with President James Alexis Michel to strengthen bilateral maritime ties and enhance development cooperation. Modi will be in Mauritius on March 11 and 12 where he will have extensive meetings with his Mauritian counterpart, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, to further enhance the special and unique relations. The Indian Prime Minister will also be the Chief Guest at Mauritius's National Day celebrations. The Sri Lanka leg of the trip will be spread over March 13 and 14. During his visit, Modi will hold meetings with Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and other senior leaders across the political spectrum in the island nation. Modi's visit will provide opportunities for building on the close contacts at the highest political level and enhance mutual cooperation and understanding on major issues of common interest, the ministry said. "The visit of the Prime Minister to our friendly maritime neighbours is reflective of India's desire to further strengthen our ties in the Indian Ocean region," the MEA added. China says ‘Mausam’ can be linked to 'One Belt One Road' NEW DELHI (TIP): As Prime Minister Narendra Modi braces to firm up New Delhi’s bid to countervail Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “One Belt One Road” initiative, Beijing has now suggested that India’s own efforts to deepen engagements in the Indian Ocean and Central Asia could rather be linked to that of China. “The One Belt One Road initiatives can also be linked with India’s ‘Spice Route’ and ‘Mausam’ projects, thus forming a new starting point and a new bright spot in China-India cooperation,” Le Yucheng, China’s Ambassador to India, said. He was addressing journalists and foreign and strategic affairs analysts on the occasion of the Lunar New Year of China recently. His remark came just a few days ahead of Modi’s proposed visit to four Indian Ocean nations – Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Maldives – later this month. The prime minister’s tour to the four nations is likely to give a give a fillip to “Project Mausam”, which is intended to boost New Delhi’s engagements with countries in the Indian Ocean, invoking India’s ancient maritime links with them. The initiative is ostensibly a bid to countervail China’s “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” project. New Delhi has also called for revival of the ancient “Spice Route”, which once linked southern India with Europe. Xi has been articulating the idea of a “21st century Maritime Silk Road” reviving economic connectivity between the Pacific and Indian Oceans and linking China’s coastline with south-east Asia, the Gulf and the eastern coast of Africa. He has also been proposing a “Silk Road Economic Belt” reviving the ancient link between China and the Mediterranean through Central Asia. Beijing’s new plan to spread its tentacles further in the Indian Ocean region and Central Asia caused unease in New Delhi, which is already wary of China’s strategic assets encircling India. Though Xi had elicited endorsements from Sri Lanka and Maldives to his “21st century Maritime Silk Road” plan just ahead of his last visit to India, Modi had remained non-committal on supporting the proposal. www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 21 BUDGET 2015-16 GOES FOR GROWTH, INVESTMENT NEW DELHI (TIP): Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Feb 28 announced a budget that put boosting growth before painful reforms, slowing the pace of fiscal deficit cuts and seeking to put domestic and foreign capital to work. In his first full-year budget since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landslide election victory last May, Jaitley said India's economy was about to take off. Modi tweeted that the budget would "further reignite our growth engine". Billed as a test of the nationalist premier's willingness to reform a $2 trillion economy with a bloated public sector and weak private investment, the budget was short on structural reforms and contained revenue targets some called unrealistic. It drew a mixed reception from economists, with some calling it a path to an investor-friendly India, but others seeing a missed opportunity to tackle deep-seated structural problems. "Definitely far from what some were hoping would be an event similar to the game-changing budget of 1991 which ushered in India's economic liberalisation," said Devika Mehndiratta, senior economist at ANZ research. Apparently anticipating such barbs, Jaitley, 62, said his government had acted "rapidly" to right the course of Asia's third-largest economy. "People who urged us to undertake 'big bang' reforms also say the Indian economy is a super giant, which moves slowly but surely," Jaitley told parliament as he wrapped up a 90minute speech. Jaitley promised higher investment in India's decrepit roads and railways, offered the carrot of tax cuts to global companies and the stick of tighter rules to get Indian tycoons to invest at home rather than stash wealth abroad. Tax evaders face jail sentences of up to 10 years, he warned. The tax changes and tougher enforcement would raise $2.5 billion next year, he said. Tax receipts overall would rise 15 percent and government asset sales would raise $11 billion goals that past experience shows may be hard to meet. Although Jaitley forecast that growth would accelerate to 8-8.5 percent in the fiscal year starting in April, up from 7.4 percent this year, the budget contained little obvious support for Modi's call to "Make in India". "It assumes a questionable growth rate, relies too heavily on divestment to meet fiscal targets, does not address the revenue deficit issue head on and leaves the good things for the future," said Arvind Sethi, CEO of Tata Asset Management. Finance Minister Arun Jaitleyleaves his office to present the 2015-16 ederal budget in New Delhi February 28. Capitalizing on windfall savings stemming from cheaper oil imports, Jaitley was able to ramp up infrastructure investment without slashing spending on politically sensitive subsidies and welfare schemes. ROOM FOR RATE CUTS? Jaitley forecast inflation at 5 percent by the end of the fiscal year ending March 2016, undershooting the Reserve Bank of India's 6 percent target and creating room to cut interest rates. Annual inflation was 5.1 percent in January. But he pushed back by a year, to 2017/18, a deadline for cutting the fiscal deficit to 3 percent of gross domestic product. In 2015/16, the deficit will be 3.9 percent of GDP, above the 3.6 percent target inherited from the last government. In volatile trading, the Nifty ended 0.7 percent higher after having briefly fallen into the red on his comment that the fiscal deficit would slip. Ratings agency Moody's gave the budget a cool reception, saying it was neutral for India's credit and left stabilising government finances at the mercy of economic growth. Moody's rates India at the lowest notch of investment grade. "We were not expecting big bang reforms," said Atsi Sheth, a Moody's sovereign ratings analyst. "The big bang reforms are also not desirable because they have a higher chance of rollback. " 22 WORLD www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 Syria says it killed military leader of al-Qaida group BEIRUT (TIP): Syrian state-run news agency SANA says the army has killed the military commander of the alQaida-linked Nusra Front. The agency says Abu Hommam al-Shami was killed during a military operation carried out by the Syrian army that targeted a Nusra meeting in the village of Habeet, in the northern Idlib province. It did not elaborate, but the report suggested he was killed in an airstrike. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that a Nusra Front leadership meeting was targeted in Idlib, killing a number of prominent leaders, including Abu Hommam. It said it was not clear whether the meeting was targeted by a U.S.-led coalition airstrike or a Syrian army strike. Britain launches a massive hunt for the Nanteos Cup LONDON (TIP): A massive hunt has been launched in Britain to trace a historic wooden cup which which is believed to have the power to bestow eternal life. The Nanteos Cup, dubbed the Welsh Holy Grail and reputed to be the cup used by Christ during the Last Supper, was stolen from a house in Weston-Under-Penyard in Herefordshire in July last year. The family and the police have now offered a £2,000 reward for the Holy Grail. It was stolen from an elderly woman's house in a small village in Herefordshire. Burglars struck the house at Weston Under Penyard and stole the world famous Nanteos Cup. Legend has it that the cup was used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch Christ's blood while interring Him in his tomb. Joseph took the cup to Britain and founded a line of guardians to keep it safe which finally ended up in Nanteos Mansion near Aberystwyth, Wales. Visitors in hundreds visit the site to drink from the cup that measures 10 cm by 8.5 cm believing it has healing powers. Parts of it have been nibbled off by the sick in the hope of a miracle cure. West Mercia Police spokeswoman said "The Nanteos Cup was stolen in a burglary. The family who own the Nanteos Cup are now offering a reward for its safe return and information leading to the arrest and subsequent conviction of the offender or offenders. The cup is a medieval mazer bowl, a wooden cup/chalice, widely regarded as the Welsh Holy Grail. It is a dark wood cup and was kept in a blue velvet bag". It added "The family are offering £1000 and West Mercia Police are offering an additional £1000 for the safe return of the cup and information leading to the arrest and subsequent conviction of the offender or offenders. Some experts say the Cup dates back to the 14th century, some 1,400 years after the Cruxifiction. Descendants of the Nanteos' original occupants are reported to have recently kept it in a bank vault, but loaned it to a seriously ill woman with connections to the family. The burglars are believed to have raided her house while she was in hospital. THE INDIAN PANORAMA China police shoot man dead after 9 hurt in knife attack BEIJING (TIP): A man was shot dead by police and another detained after a knife attack at a Chinese train station which left nine people wounded March 06, police said. The incident at the main station in Guangzhou happened as China's communist-controlled parliament meets in Beijing and just over a year after a mass stabbing at a railway station in Kunming, when 31 people were killed and four attackers died. "Someone with a knife slashed a crowd at Guangzhou train station," the southern city's municipal public security bureau said on its verified account on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter. Police shot dead one suspect and captured another, the statement said. No further details were provided, and Guangzhou police did not respond to calls from AFP. Domestic reports said one of the suspects cut a policeman's right hand. A lone attacker was shot and detained after a slashing attack that wounded six people at the same station last May. Authorities blamed separatists from the restive mainly Muslim region of Xinjiang for the attack last March in Kunming, the capital of the southwestern province of Yunnan. Hundreds of people died in Xinjiang last year, most of them members of the Uighur minority according to rights groups. On March 05 in Beijing China opened the annual session of the National People's Congress, the legislature which is subordinate to the Communist Party. World's oldest person celebrates 117th birthday in Japan China hiked military spending by 10% as Japan moves towards militarization BEIJING (TIP): China has announced it will enhance defense spending by around 10 percent this year. The announcement signals competitive defense spending as it comes at a time when hitherto pacifist Japan has declared a record 2.8 per cent in military expenditure. From China's point of view, the increase in defense expenditure is lower than the 12.2 per cent growth seen in 2014, and the lowest in the past five years. Though the Chinese move is lower than last year's increase of 12.2 percent in defense expenditure, it will hugely increase Beijing's spending on top of $131 billion that was sanctioned in 2014. The new increase of 10 per cent will be on top of $131 billion that was sanctioned for spending in 2014 although actual expenditure may have been higher. TOKYO (TIP): The world's oldest person says 117 years doesn't seem like such a long time. Misao Okawa, the daughter of a kimono maker, made the comment on Wednesday, at a celebration a day before her 117th birthday. Appropriately, she was wearing a pink kimono decorated with cherry blossom prints. Okawa, born in Osaka on March 5, 1898, was recognized as the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records in 2013. "It seemed rather short," she said after Osaka government official Takehiro Ogura, who brought her a big bouquet, asked how she felt about living for 117 years. Okawa, her hair decorated with a pink daisy pin, looked up from her wheelchair and said she was "very happy" to be that age. Asked for the secret of her longevity, she responded nonchalantly, "I wonder about that too." Japan has the most centenarians in the world, with more than 58,000, according to the government. About 87 per cent of them are women. Okawa has slowed down in recent months and is having trouble hearing, but she still eats well and is in good health, according to her Osaka nursing home, where Wednesday's televised celebration was held. Okawa married her husband, Yukio, in 1919, and they had three children — two daughters and a son. She now has four grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren. Her husband died in 1931. THE INDIAN PANORAMA WORLD www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 23 33 MINERS FEARED DEAD AFTER PIT BLAST IN EAST UKRAINE DONETSK (TIP): Seventeen miners were confirmed dead and rescuers held out little hope for another 16 still missing after a blast at a coal mine in the rebel-held city of Donetsk near the battle front in eastern Ukraine on March 04. Mine officials said the explosion was most likely caused by gas and not linked to fighting in the war between Moscow-backed rebels and Ukraine government forces. Nevertheless, Kiev suggested the war had made the disaster worse, accusing the separatists of holding up a rescue effort by restricting access. Outside the gates of the Zasyadko mine, about 30 relatives clamoured for information about any survivors. Sergei Baldayev, a miner injured in the blast, mingled with the crowd, his face covered in scratches and one arm hanging motionless by his side, the result of a broken collarbone. The sister of one miner who was in the pit at the time of the explosion, Alexei Novoselsky, stood in tears. "Tell me, are there survivors? Why are you concealing the truth," she said as a rescue worker tried to calm her. The Donetsk regional administration said 16 injured people were in hospital. Emergency services said that of the 32 people who were in the mine, the bodies 16 had been found, the RIA news agency reported. Earlier in the day, the body of one miner was recovered. Eduard Dmitrenko, a miner who went down the affected shaft after the blast, said it was unlikely any of the missing miners would be found alive. "But they will of course find bodies," said Dmitrenko, his face covered with coal dust. Trucks and buses were driven to the mine in preparation for transporting the bodies to local morgues. Asked what were the chances of trapped miners surviving, a medical worker said: "It's getting smaller and smaller all the time, because of the methane, the hot air, burns to the airways." Heavy fighting Donetsk has been the scene of heavy fighting between Moscow-backed separatist rebels, who control the area, and forces loyal to the government in Kiev. A ceasefire has sharply reduced the violence in the past week. The neighbourhood around the mine has come under artillery fire, with fragments from Grad rockets visible on surrounding roads, but mine officials said the explosion was unrelated to the fighting and most likely caused by gas. IRAQ SAYS ISLAMIC STATE MILITANTS 'BULLDOZED' ANCIENT SITE BAGHDAD (TIP): Islamic State militants "bulldozed" the ancient Nimrud archaeological site near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday using heavy military vehicles, the government said. A statement from Iraq's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities didn't elaborate on the extent of the damage, saying only that the group continues to "defy the will of the world and the feelings of humanity" with this latest act. Nimrud is a 13th century B.C. Assyrian archaeological site located on the Tigris River just south of Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, which was captured by the Islamic State group in June. The extremists, who control a third of Iraq and Syria, have attacked other archaeological and religious sites, claiming that they promote apostasy. Turkey rules out combat mission to to help Iraq retake Mosul Earlier this week a video emerged on militant websites showing Islamic State militants with sledgehammers destroying ancient artifacts at the Mosul museum, sparking global outrage. Last year, the militants destroyed the Mosque of the Prophet Younis - or Jonah - and the Mosque of the Prophet Jirjis, two revered ancient shrines in Mosul. They also threatened to destroy Mosul's 850-year old Crooked Minaret, but local residents surrounded the structure, preventing the militants from approaching. Iraq's national museum in Baghdad opened its doors to the public last week for the first time in 12 years in a move Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said was to defy efforts "to destroy the heritage of mankind and Iraq's civilization." The Islamic State group has imposed a harsh and violent version of Islamic law in the territories it controls and has terrorized religious minorities. It has released gruesome videos online showing the beheading of captives, including captured Western journalists and aid workers. A U.S.-led coalition has been striking the group since August, and Iraqi forces launched an offensive this week to try to retake the militant-held city of Tikrit, on the main road linking Baghdad to Mosul. In Kiev, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said rescue workers had been dispatched by the central authorities, "but the Russian terrorists did not let them reach the scene of the accident," he said, using a term commonly used by Kiev to describe the separatists. The mine, now owned by a private firm, has a history of fatal accidents in the 57 years it has been operating. An explosion at Zasyadko in 2007 killed 106 people. A cemetery next to the pit holds the graves of many miners killed in the past. "When there's an accident, we bury them all here," said the head of security at the shaft where Tuesday's blast happened, who did not give his name. "Coal is a costly business." A welder at the mine, who gave his name as Oleg, said outside the entrance: "I've been down the pit for 23 years, and this is the fourth explosion that I can recall. If they didn't get them out straight away, then later they will only retrieve bodies. An explosion is a terrible thing." The Zasyadko coal mine produced 1.4 million tonnes of coal in 2013. The mine is in the centre of a Donbass region which is Ukraine's industrial and coal-producing heartland. Ukrainian coal production fell 22 percent in 2014 to 65 million tonnes as the conflict disrupted mining operations, leading to some shortages of coal at power plants. North Korea praises knife attack on US ambassador to South Korea SEOUL (TIP): The US ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, was recovering from surgery on Thursday after having his face and arm slashed by a knife-wielding activist in an attack applauded by North Korean state media. The United States condemned the "act of violence" which saw the ambassador rushed to hospital where his condition was described as stable after two-and-a-half hours of surgery that included 80 stitches to a deep gash on his right cheek. Witnesses described how a man armed with a 25centimetre (10-inch) paring knife had lunged across a table and attacked Lippert at a breakfast function in central Seoul. The assailant, dressed in traditional Korean clothes and identified as Kim Ki-Jong, 55, was immediately wrestled to the ground and taken into police custody. During the assault, Kim screamed a slogan in favour of reunifying the divided Korean peninsula, and later shouted his opposition to ongoing joint US-South Korean military exercises. In a brief despatch, North Korea's official KCNA news agency called the attack "just punishment" and a valid "expression of resistance" that reflected South Korean public opposition to the joint drills which went ahead over Pyongyang's bitter protests. Kim was a known maverick activist who had been handed a two-year suspended sentence in 2010 for throwing a rock at the then Japanese ambassador to Seoul. Video footage showed Lippert, 42, being rushed from the breakfast event and bundled into a police car, one hand pressing a cloth to his bleeding right cheek, and his other hand and clothes smeared with blood. 24 WOMEN www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 THE INDIAN PANORAMA RESET BOUNDARIES IN YOUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS o you feel anxious, uncertain vis-avis certain relationships? Do you feel that you are saying 'Yes' too many times when deep within all you want to say is 'No'? Learn to reset your personal boundaries in relationships Cheryl Richardson's said correctly, "When your soul says no, say no. Say it gracefully. Say it lovingly. Say it with confidence. And don't defend your position, over explain, or welcome debate." Saying 'No' means setting clear personal boundaries. This is essential to have a mutually respectful, supportive and caring relationship. If you feel stressed/uncomfortable by others' demands/expectations from you, then the time has come for outlining the boundaries. This will free you from any unwanted feeling of being used. Weak boundaries leave you vulnerable and likely to be taken for granted. Yes, the truth is that initially people around you (for whom you outline the boundary) will not take it kindly. This is solely for their own selfish purpose. They have been used to their own convenience with very little respect for your well-being. So, in simple terms, they are not your wellwishers. So, when you set your boundaries, you might lose some of your so-called friends. But let them go. They are not worth your time or energy. Say no, reset your boundaries Do you feel anxious, uncertain vis-a-vis certain relationships? Do you feel that you are saying 'Yes' too many times when deep D within all you want to say is 'No'? Set aside some time to write down the ways people around you make you feel. Be honest while writing it down in clear terms. And then decide what exactly you want to do to not face such unpleasant and unhealthy feelings. Remember this As they say, 'No' is a complete sentence. Be consistent with your new boundaries. Be very clear in your thought process. You want to say 'No' cause you feel so from deep within. Stay calm at all times. Be firm. Be rooted. Be responsible for your own emotional wellness. Don't feel guilty in saying 'No'. Remember there's no point in carrying forward toxic relationships. By saying No, you are committing a crime. Invest your time and energy in doing things that matter to you. And remember less is more. So having two happy, positive, joyful friends is far better than having 10 toxic relationships. Once you have established strong, clear boundaries, people will give you more respect. You will reclaim your own self and you will feel less stressed. Emotional manipulators will be relegated to the background and you will embrace happy, loving relationships. USE CINNAMON IN YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE FOOD Badam ka halwa hile cinnamon is a spice that lends great flavour to your food, it can also be used in your make-up and skincare routine! We tell you how. Use it like a bronzer. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, corn starch and cocoa powder and mix them together. Check the colour; if you want a darker shade, add a little more cinnamon, or if you want a lighter shade, add some corn starch. If you have dyed your hair in a reddish hue, you can use cinnamon to keep the colour flaming and bright! Add cinnamon to your conditioner and once you have applied it to your hair, wrap them up in a shower cap. Leave your hair for six to eight hour. Wash your hair and you will notice the difference. You can use it to make W Ingredients 2 cups badam 2 ½ cups sugar 2 drops kesar colour 1 cup ghee and 1 cup milk Method Leave the almonds in hot water for an hour. Remove the outer skin and grind to a paste with milk. Make sugar syrup and boil till it reaches one string consistency. Add the badam paste and cook till it thickens. Add the kesar colour and ghee and stir continuously on low heat. Serve hot. a delicious lip balm. Add a tablespoon of powdered cinnamon to hot coconut oil. Once this mixture sets, it will turn into a balm. THE INDIAN PANORAMA HEALTH AND FITNESS FOODS THAT KEEP YOU HAPPY o lead a quality life you need to be energetic and happy. There are magic foods that can help you when clubbed in a trio T FOODS TO BOOST ENERGY Whether you are heading out for an exercise session or suffering from a mid-afternoon slump, there are times when we all need energy boost. Here are three instant pick-me-up foods. Oats If you're feeling worn out, weak or unable to concentrate, you could be deficient in certain B vitamins. These vitamins not only help to keep the brain functioning properly, they also help the body to break down carbohydrates into glucose to fuel the body. For a good source of B vitamins, try incorporating oats into your diet; a morning bowl of porridge should do the trick. Chocolate Amongst the many reported health benefits of dark chocolate (including its ability to lower heart disease risk, prevent wrinkles and boost the mood), the popular treat is also a great pickme-up snack, which is great news for chocoholics. Chocolate is high in energy-boosting chemicals including theobromine (a stimulant found in many popular energy drinks) and caffeine. Beetroot Beetroot not only provides a multitude of health benefits, the vibrant vegetable is also a great source of longlasting energy. First of all, beetroot has a high sugar content which helps to provide an instant energy boost. It is also high in many energy-boosting nutrients including magnesium, iron, vitamin C and nitrate. FOODS TO BEAT THE BLUES We all go through periods of feeling anxious, irritable or depressed. The foods you eat can directly influence the way you feel, so check out these top three foods to cheer you up. Marmite Oily fish Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish are well known for being good for the heart. However, they are equally beneficial for our brain health and mood. A recent study found that participants who had lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood were more likely to be moderately depressed and have a negative outlook. Bananas Bananas are high in natural sugars, making them a great remedy for low energy levels which can leave you feeling down. On top of this they are a great source of tryptophan, an essential amino acid which boosts serotonin levels, helping to regulate your mood. If you're struggling to get a good night's sleep, foods containing tryptophan should be a first port of call. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, helps to raise serotonin and melatonin levels in the body, both of which can help induce sleep. Bedtimefriendly sources include dairy products such as yoghurt and milk. Oats While many of us associate oats with breakfast time, they are also the perfect evening snack. Oats are a good natural source of melatonin, which is often taken as a sleep aid due to its ability to help regulate the body's internal clock. They are also another good source of tryptophan, especially when combined with milk. Flax seeds FOODS TO HELP YOU SLEEP If you're feeling anxious, stressed or depressed, a dose of Marmite, rich in B vitamins, could help to lift your mood. B vitamins are important for normal brain function and producing moodboosting serotonin, with vitamins B12 and B6 being particularly beneficial for regulating your mood. Whether it's a one-off occurrence before a big event or a nightly struggle, most of us suffer from insomnia at one time or another. Fortunately, there are foods that can help you sleep a little easier. Dairy products Flax seeds are great for increasing levels of sleepregulating substance serotonin in the body due to their high levels of both tryptophan and omega-3 fatty acids. Furthermore, the omega-3 fatty acids they contain have been proven to help reduce the anxiety, depression and stress which are leading causes of insomnia. www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 25 THREE-FIVE CUPS OF COFFEE DAILY GOOD FOR HEART eople consuming three to five cups of coffee a day have the lowest risk of clogged arteries and heart attacks, says new research. An international team of researchers led by the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, South Korea, set out to examine the association between coffee consumption and the presence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) which is an early indicator of coronary atherosclerosis (when arteries become clogged). It can cause the arteries to harden and narrow, leading to blood clots which can trigger a heart attack or a stroke. They studied a group of 25,138 men and women average age 41 - who had no signs of heart disease. The researchers estimated the CAC score ratios associated with different levels of coffee consumption compared with no coffee consumption. They categorised coffee consumption as none, less than one cup a day, one to three cups a day, three to five per day and at least five or more per day. The calcium ratios were 0.77 for people who had less than one cup per day, 0.66 for those having one to three cups every day, 0.59 for those consuming three to five cups per day, and 0.81 for people having at least five cups or more every day compared with non-coffee drinkers. The researchers found the prevalence of detectable CAC was 13.4 percent among the whole group of people and the average consumption of coffee was 1.8 cups per day. Possible explanations for the findings, said the researchers, were that chronic coffee consumption had a possible link to reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, a strong risk factor for atherosclerosis. "Coffee consumption might be inversely associated with CVD (cardiovascular disease) risk. Further research is warranted to confirm our findings and establish the biological basis of coffee's potential preventive effects on coronary artery disease," the authors concluded. P CURING MOUTH SORES ore gums can be the result of bad eating habits and unhygienic mouth conditions. But they can be extremely painful and can render you foodless for a long time, if they grow too big. Here's how you can heal them at home. S Baking soda Baking soda has acidic properties that can heal sores. Just make a thick paste my mixing it with a little water and apply directly on the sores. Leave it on for 20 minutes after which you can wash mouth with some regular water. Repeat this process several times a day. Onions Onions have enzymes present in them that prevent the bacteria from spreading further and also work at killing them. They also have cooling properties that internally cool the body. You can heal sores by either eating a raw onion or applying onion juice over them. Teabags Teas have tannins that are effective in healing all kinds of inflammations. All you have to do is wash used tea bags and put them in the refrigerator for twothree hours to chill. Use these over your mouth sores. Since there is no direct application involved you can use them as many times as you wish. 26 SCIENCE & TECH www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 THE INDIAN PANORAMA USING INDIA MADE INSTRUMENT, NASA DISCOVERS PLANET IN 4-STAR SYSTEM NEW DELHI (TIP): Using a new instrument developed with Indian collaboration, Nasa astronomers have discovered a planet 136 light-years away which is attached to four parent stars. They also discovered another planet in the care of a three star family. The discoveries were made using the new Robo-AO adaptive optics system, developed by the Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics located in Pune, India and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This new system, along with the PALM-3000 adaptive optics system, developed by Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and Caltech are fitted to telescopes at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego. The four star system called 30 Ari is located in the direction of the constellation Aries. While the planet itself was known before, it was thought to have only three stars, not four. The new instruments helped scientists discover the fourth parent star. This is only the second time a planet has been identified in a quadruple star system. The first four-star planet, KIC 4862625, was discovered in 2013 by citizen scientists using public data from Nasa's Kepler mission. "Star systems come in myriad forms. There can be single stars, binary stars, triple stars, even quintuple star systems," said Lewis Roberts of JPL, lead author of the new findings appearing in the journal Astronomical Journal. "It's amazing the way nature puts these things together." The system's gaseous planet is enormous, with 10 times the mass of Jupiter, and it SUN'S HELIOSPHERE DOMINATED BY TWO SOLAR JETS: NASA WASHINGTON (TIP): Contrary to earlier visualisations, the sun's heliosphere is dominated by two giant jets of material shooting backwards over the north and south poles of the sun. The heliosphere is created by the solar wind, the changed particles emitted by the sun. The heliosphere extends far beyond the planets of the solar system. These two jets are confined by the interaction of the sun's magnetic field with the interstellar magnetic field. "Everyone's assumption has been that the shape of the heliosphere was molded by the flow of interstellar material passing around it," said Merav Opher, astronomer at Boston University and lead author of the NASA-funded study. Scientists have for decades visualised the heliosphere in the shape of a comet, with a very long tail extending some 464 billion miles. The two jets are similar to other astrophysical jets seen in space, so studying them locally could open doors to understanding such jets throughout the universe. "Scientists thought the solar wind flowing down the tail could easily pull the magnetic fields in the heliosphere along as it flowed by, creating this long tail. But it turns out that the magnetic fields are strong enough to resist that pull - so instead they squeeze the solar wind and create these two jets," said Opher. The team could determine the new shape when they adjusted simulations of the heliosphere based on observations collected from NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft. The spacecraft recently moved outside of the heliosphere into interstellar space. "If there were no interstellar flow, then the magnetic fields around the sun would shape the solar wind into two jets pointing straight north and south," said Jim Drake at the University of Maryland in College Park. orbits its primary star every 335 days. The primary star has a relatively close partner star, which the planet does not orbit. This pair, in turn, is locked in a long-distance orbit with another pair of stars about 1,670 astronomical units away (an astronomical unit is the distance between Earth and the sun). Astronomers think it's highly unlikely that this planet, or any moons that might circle it, could sustain life. Were it possible to see the skies from this world, the four parent stars would look like one small sun and two very bright stars that would be visible in daylight. One of those stars, if viewed with a large enough telescope, would be revealed to be a binary system, or two stars orbiting each other. "About four percent of solar-type stars are in quadruple systems, which is up from previous estimates because observational techniques are steadily improving," said coauthor Andrei Tokovinin of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The new planet with a trio of stars is a hot Jupiter that circles its primary star tightly, completing one lap every three days. Scientists already knew this primary star was locked in a gravitational tango with another star, about 0.7 light-years away, or 44,000 astronomical units. That's relatively far apart for a pair of stellar companions. The latest discovery is of a third star in the system, which orbits the primary star from a distance of 28 astronomical units — close enough to have influenced the hot Jupiter's development and final orbit. The fourth star lies at a distance of 23 astronomical units from the planet. Soon, you could talk with computers like friends NEW YORK (TIP): Humans may soon be able to talk to computers and robots the same way they talk to their friends, scientists say. A new programme from the US Defence Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) aims to get computers to express themselves more like humans by allowing them to use spoken language, facial expressions and gestures to communicate. "Today we view computers as tools to be activated by a few clicks or keywords, in large part because we are separated by a language barrier," said Paul Cohen, DARPA's Communicating with Computers (CwC) programme manager. "The goal of CwC is to bridge that barrier, and in the process encourage the development of new problem-solving technologies," Cohen said. One of the problem-solving technologies that CwC could help further is the computer-based modelling used in cancer research. Computers previously developed by DARPA are already tasked with creating models of the complicated molecular processes that cause cells to become cancerous. But while these computers can churn out models quickly, they are not so adept at judging if the models are actually plausible and worthy of further research. If the computers could somehow seek the opinions of flesh-and-blood biologists, the work they do would likely be more useful for cancer researchers. To get computers up to the task of communicating with people, CwC researchers have devised several tasks that require computers and humans to work together toward a common goal, 'Live Science' reported. One of the tasks, known as "collaborative composition," involves storytelling. In this exercise, humans and computers take turns contributing sentences until they have composed a short story. "This is a parlor game for humans, but a tremendous challenge for computers," Cohen said. "To do it well, the machine must keep track of the ideas in the story, then generate an idea about how to extend the story and express this idea in language," Cohen added. Another assignment that the CwC is planning is known as "block world," which would require humans and computers to communicate to build structures out of toy blocks. But neither humans nor computers will be told what to build. Instead, they'll have to work together to make a structure that can stand up of its own accord. Better communications technologies could help robot operators use natural language to describe missions and give directions to the machines they operate both before and during operations. PEN TO HELP DIABETICS MONITOR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS WASHINGTON (TIP): Ballpoint pens filled with high-tech bio-inks can be used to draw sensors directly on the skin to help detect glucose levels in diabetics, scientists say. The research leads to an era when anyone will be able to build sensors, anywhere, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego. The team has developed hightech bio-inks that react with several chemicals, including glucose. They filled off-the-shelf ballpoint pens with the inks and were able to draw sensors to measure glucose directly on the skin and sensors to measure pollution on leaves. Researchers envision sensors drawn directly on smartphones for personalized and inexpensive health monitoring or on external building walls for monitoring of toxic gas pollutants. The team used pens, loaded with an ink that reacts to glucose, to draw reusable glucose-measuring sensors on a pattern printed on a transparent, flexible material which includes an electrode. THE INDIAN PANORAMA BIZ AND FINANCE Maruti told to pay Rs 1L each to 425 sacked workers GURGAON (TIP): A labour court in Gurgaon has directed automobile major Maruti Suzuki India Ltd to pay Rs 1 lakh each as compensation to 425 workers, who were sacked after violence in the company's Manesar plant in July 2012. The order was given by the court of additional district and sessions judge Ajay Parashar on March 2 after more than 20 hearings after the sacked workers filed a petition in 2012. Maruti was asked to deposit Rs 4.25 crore with the court for making payments to workers. The court also observed that the sacked workers were harassed since July 18, 2012 when violence erupted at the Manesar plant. According to the order, each worker will receive Rs 85,000 as compensation while Rs 15,000 will go to the court for expenses incurred. Rajendar Pathak, counsel for the workers, said the company had taken action merely on suspicion. Maruti Suzuki Kamgar Union president Kuldeep Jhangu said. "The compensation is fine but the sacked employees need a job. Therefore, the company should reinstate them." A spokesperson for Maruti Suzuki said, "We will consider further course of action based on our understanding of the court's order." China's 7% growth target lowest in 20 yrs BEIJING (TIP): China has set a growth target of 7% for 2015, lowest in two decades. This lowered target reflects declining exports and foreign investments, besides the government's fear of slipping into a "middle income trap" along with problems like industrial pollution. "Downward pressure on China's economy has continued to mount, and we have faced an array of difficulties and challenges," Chinese premier Li Keqiang said, while explaining why he chose a GDP target that was even lower than the achievement of 7.4% in 2014. China would end 2015 with the highest ever budget deficit of 2.3 % of GDP against last year's 2.1 %, the premier said. The country has entered an era of low growth rates, which is the "new normal," he added. Govt mulls regulating air fares again NEW DELHI (TIP): The aviation ministry has again proposed regulating fares to prevent airlines from charging exorbitant prices in crunch times. Union minister of state for aviation Mahesh Sharma admitted that airlines 'gamble' by charging extreme fares - both while going low as well as on the upper side. Senior aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju's office had late last year initiated a move to cap maximum economy fares at Rs 20,000, a move that did not make much headway then. Sharma said the ministry has begun informal discussions on the issue of extreme fares being charged by airlines. "I feel there should be some limit....but then there are international guidelines on fares which we need to study. Airlines should not swing to extremes, this is gambling." www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 27 INVESTMENT PROPOSALS DON’T MEET PROMISES NEW DELHI (TIP): Investment proposals by corporates are generally associated with improving business sentiment and often linked with the possibility of job creation. The comparison of proposed investment with actual implementation and job creation in the past 23 years, however, shows that the actual delivery has fallen well short of the promise. Data from the department of industrial policy and promotion shows that between August 1991 and March 2014, the government received about 94,000 investment proposals. These proposals include Industrial Investment Intentions through Entrepreneurs Memorandum — IEMs (delicensed sector) and Direct Industrial Licences (licensable sector). Put together, these proposed the investment of more than Rs 102 lakh crore and were supposed to create 2.3 crore jobs. The data on actual implementation of these proposals shows that only Rs 5.1 lakh crore was actually invested and just 20.1 lakh jobs created. That's less than 5% of the proposed investments and 8.9% of the promised jobs. A state-wise analysis of proposals shows that between August 1991 and March 2014 corporates proposed to invest Rs 15.4 lakh crore in Orissa — the highest in the country. It was followed by Gujarat and Chhattisgarh receiving over Rs 10 lakh crore of proposed investments and Maharashtra just a tad below that mark. Overall, there were 15 states, which were each supposed to get over Rs 1 lakh crore of investments in these 23 years. When one analyses actual investments, Haryana has been the most successful among these 15 states in converting proposals to reality as 18.9% of the proposed money actually reached the state. It is followed by Gujarat (12.6%) and Uttar Pradesh (11.4%). The states that fared the worst in this conversion are Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, where less than 1% of the proposed money actually arrived. So, what is the investment to job creation ratio? Overall, the Rs 5 lakh crore actually invested created a little over 20 lakh jobs, which amounts to four jobs per crore of investment. There were 25 states which witnessed the actual investment of more Rs 1,000 crore. Among these states, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the most labour intensive investments, while Gujarat had the most capital intensive ones. Every crore of rupee invested in Jammu and Kashmir created about 12 jobs, while in Gujarat a crore of investment yielded only two jobs. In the investment to job creation ratio, Jammu and Kashmir is followed by Goa, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Punjab, where ten or more jobs were created per crore of investment. The worst state/UTs in this list are Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Daman & Diu, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Oil up in Asia trade despite US inventories rise SINGAPORE (TIP): Oil prices climbed in Asian trade as signs that a refineries strike in the United States is weakening overshadowed a rise in US crude stocks, analysts said. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate added 21 cents to $51.74 a barrel and Brent gained four cents to $60.59 in afternoon trade. Daniel Ang, an investment analyst with Phillip Futures in Singapore, said despite the rise in US inventories, traders focussed on signs that a refineries strike the the US could be settled, allowing more crude oil to be processed. "Although they have not come to a conclusion (on ending the strike) it seems that workers are coming back to work, which shows weakness in the strike and suggests that the strike is coming to an end soon," he said. Workers and management are trying to end the strike at three major US refineries operated by Royal Dutch Shell following a stalemate on February 20. More than 5,000 workers spread across around a dozen installations have been on strike since February 1 demanding improved wages and safety conditions. The US Department of Energy (DoE) on Wednesday said commercial crude inventories jumped by 10.3 million barrels in the week February 27, higher than analyst forecasts. Inventories have set new records for five straight weeks, and US oil production is already high at 9.3 million barrels per day. Sanjeev Gupta, who heads the AsiaPacific Oil and Gas practice at professional services firm EY, said the oil market is also closely watching developments in the talks between Iran and the US on Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "Any positive news about likelihood of lifting of sanctions will lead to downward pressure on the price of Brent," Gupta said. US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif wrapped up three days of "intense" nuclear negotiations in the Swiss lakeside town of Montreux on Wednesday with still no deal, as a March 31 deadline for a framework agreement looms. Iran and the so-called P5+1 - Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany - are trying to strike a deal that would prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb, a goal it denies having. In return, Iran is seeking an easing of punishing economic sanctions. RBI eases norms for home loans for up to Rs 10 lakh NEW DELHI: Giving a boost to affordable housing, the RBI eased the norms for home loans for up to Rs 10 lakh by allowing banks to include stamp duty and registration charges to the cost of a unit. These charges form around 15 per cent of the cost of the house and place a burden on borrowers. "With a view to encourage availability of affordable housing to such borrowers, it has been decided that in cases where the cost of the house does not exceed Rs 10 lakh, banks may add stamp duty, registration and other documentation charges to the cost of the unit for calculating LTV (loan to value) ratio," RBI said in a notification. As per the current practice, banks do not include stamp duty, registration and other documentation charges in the cost of housing property. "It has been brought to our notice that these amounts form around 15 per cent of the cost of the house and place a burden on the borrowers from economically weaker sections (EWS) and low income groups (LIG)," RBI said while easing the norms. THE INDIAN PANORAMA SPIRITUALITY www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 28 SURYA THE SUN GOD s per the Hindu Religion, Surya symbolizes the Sun God. Surya is considered as the only visible form of God that can be seen every day. God Surya is regarded as an aspect of Shiva and Vishnu by Shaivites and Vaishnavas respectively. Surya is also known as Surya Narayana. Surya, the Sun God is also acknowledged as one of the eight forms of Lord Shiva (Astamurti). Surya is the lord of excellence and wisdom. A Surya - The Image The celestial body, Surya (the sun) is visible in the sky. Still according to the Hindu beliefs, Surya is depicted as a red man with three eyes and four arms, riding in a one wheeled chariot pulled by seven horses. Surya - The God of Light Surya forms the major god of the Navgraha (nine planets).Surya is the God of light as per the Vedic texts. Surya is the literal source of life. According to the scientific fact, the whole universe is based on the process of photosynthesis which takes place due to the presence of Surya (the sun). God Surya - The worship It is believed that Surya has been worshipped since ages to receive the kind blessings of God. A simple namaskaar (folding hands) to the lord makes him happy. Offering water to the God is too considered to receive the mercy. Surya is believed to be a generous deity capable of curing sick people, in India. It is also proved in Science that sunlight is a rich source of Vitamin-D. Surya is usually remembered for the brilliance and light in one's life. Surya - The Gayatri Mantra The Gayatri Mantra of the Hindu Religion is also associated with the Sun God, Surya. Aditya Hridayam is another hymn associated with Surya, recited by the sage Agatsya to Rama on the battlefield before the fight with Ravana. Symbol of Surya is also regarded as one of the auspicious signs of the Hindu religion. People place the sign of the Sun over main doors as they think it would bring them good luck. LEGENDS OF GANESHA here are many stories of Lord Ganesha regarding his origin and various others which tell about the nature and traits of his character. Ganesha is known as the god of wisdom, literature and worldly success. He is known as the eldest son of Lord Shiva and Parvati (Uma), younger brother being Kartikay. Here are some legends associated with lord Ganesha. T The Elephant Head This story is about Lord Ganesha's birth and how he gets the head of an elephant. Once upon a time, Parvati was going to take the bath and before going, she made a boy out of the dirt of her body ,to guard the entrance of her house. She asked him not to allow anyone inside .After saying this, she went inside to take the bath. After this lord shiva came himself to meet his consort and he was quite thirsty. Ganesha stopped him at the door as he was unable to recognize his father ,Lord Shiva. Lord Ganesha was beheaded by Shiva, who took him as an outsider, when Ganesha was trying to defend his mother's bath. When Parvati came to know about this, she persuaded Shiva, to restore Ganesha to life. Shiva ordered his servants (Gana) to bring the head of any creature that they come across first. An elephant, the wisest of animals, appeared and became the spontaneous donor in the head transplant of Ganesha. Shiva attached the head of the elephant to the torso of Ganesha. After looking at the child (Ganesha), Parvati asked Shiva that who will consider this god with the face of an elephant. Understanding Parvati's viewpoint, Shiva blessed the child, Ganesha that he will be the lord of beginning and people will worship him first, before any other God in any kind of undertaking. He ordained that the annual worship of Ganesha, should take place on the fourth day of the bright half of Bhadrapada (August-September). Who is elder? Ganesha or Kartikay This is another interesting story of Lord Ganesha.Once Ganesha and Kartikay got into an argument as who was the elder of the two. The matter was told to Lord Shiva for an answer. Lord Shiva asked that whoever would travel around the world and come out first had the right to be the elder of two. Lord Kartikay flew off on his vehicle, the peacock, to take the round of the world. But Ganesha went round his parents and asked for the reward of his success. Lord Shiva said: "Beloved and wise Ganesha! You did not go round the world". Ganesha replied: "No, but I went round my parents. My parents symbolize the entire world.'' The argument was settled in favour of Ganesha and thereafter recognized as the elder of the two brothers. Ganesha got a fruit as reward from his mother Parvati for this. Ganesha and His Love for Laddoo Lord Ganesha is very fond of Laddoo (Modaka - a sweet delicacy). Once upon a day of Ganesha Puja, Ganesha went from house to house and accepted the offerings of laddoo. He stuffed himself to the capacity and decided to take a ride on his mouse at night. Along the moonlit road they got to see a large snake and the troubled rat stumbled, with the consequence Ganpati fell down .He hit the ground hard and as a result his stomach burst open. All the laddoos came out but Ganesha again stuffed them into his stomach. He caught the snake and tied it round his belly. Moon witnessed the whole event and laughed heartily. Lord Ganesha lost his temper and furiously looked about for something to throw at his tormentor. Getting nothing, he pulled out one of his tusks and hurled it at the moon. He cursed the moon that no one should look at the moon on the day of Ganesha Puja .If anyone would look at it , he will get a bad name ,criticism or ill reputation. If anyone gets to see the moon by chance, he would be free from that bad name or blame, after hearing the story of Lord Krishna's clearing, his personality in respect of the Syamantaka jewel. Thus, Ganesha was happy to proclaim this. This page is sponsored by ARISH SAHANI New York Life Insurance Agent Serving Since 1972 Call For Insurance Quotes Sahanis, Arish, Shiv, Priya 718 271 0453 [email protected] (Page also available at www.theindianpanorama.com) THE INDIAN PANORAMA ADVERTISEMENT www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 29 THE INDIAN PANORAMA ASTROLOGY www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 "|| SHRI GANESHAYA NAMAHA ||" Contact BEJAN DARUWALLA: E-mail : [email protected] Phone: +919825470377 PREDICTIONS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH, 2015 Aries Ganesha says the pace is frenetic. You move fast and furious getting things done. You brook no opposition and are moving around like a road roller mowing things down in a slum improvement scheme. New frontiers open up at work and you are crowned with success. You can tame the largest lion in Serengeti in the mood you are in. There is luck on your side. And there is Ganesha. Taurus You now go after everything that you want in the material world without caring about who or what is in your path. You should look for mutual growth. There is enough place even on the Everest for a team! But whatever said and done, this is an extremely productive and growth-oriented period with substantial meaning too. Along with the hard work are maudlin moments too. security in the knowledge. You have come to terms with all your inner demons. Now there is no stopping you. There are maudlin moments but they help refine you, humanize you, and not demonize you. You forgive those who have hurt you and ask for forgiveness too. You know that you could have unwittingly harmed others and you want a clean slate to start afresh. You want to forget the bitterness and move ahead. much effort. You are in your comfort zone. Your life is working out well on your terms. Your consciousness is raised and there is elevation in your personal and professional life. You are less frenzied and look at life with some calm and detachment. Ganesha is pleased. You could travel for experience or get in touch with your real self with specialized study. This is also a good time to expand your business. Libra You break free from all restrictions and obligations of the past. You rebel against all chains and external limitations. You move out of your inner circle and make social intercourse with those who are radically different from your inner circle. If married, there could be a break-up or, at the very least, serious problems with your partner. The institution of marriage may just get too stifling. You look for ultimate freedom, a final liberation of the soul. Capricorn You spend time with the family. You realize that you have received unconditional love from many and have taken it for granted or been unable to reciprocate it for a variety of reasons. You have often been critical and now you realize that you were wrong. Such realizations are powerful. They are cathartic and take you to new heights as a human being. You learn to live in gratitude and thank existence for all its favours. Aquarius Virgo Gemini There is success in all that you undertake. This is a period of reconciliation and consolidation. There is friendship and love, messages, journeys, bonding, spirituality, tantra and mantra. You have achieved a lot. Now you look for more, something beyond mere material accomplishment. You are adamant in your pursuit. Of course, one eye still remains on the bank account. Money is a great intoxicant. It is difficult to let go. Cancer Life is good. That is saying a lot in these strife-ridden times. You have a smile on your lips and a song in your heart. You spend beautiful moments with loved ones. There is a family outing and you build on existing relationships. Children bring joy and the spouse is just perfect! Imagine having a perfect spouse! But yes, that is the mood you are in. It is all about love and bonding. You share joys on a higher consciousness. It favors travel, meetings, conferences, interviews, trips, more brain power, contacts, communication, correspondence and contracts. Mercury has a special connection with the circuits of the brain. Chess, crossword and other such games belong to Mercury. Also, short-distance runners and spin bowlers are controlled by Mercury. Scorpio It is a gold rush. Nothing can stop you now. Unless I know your specific astrological details, I cannot make accurate predictions. But this is the general trend. You realize the good fortune that has smiled on you. In this period you are liberated from illusion. You seek out gods and godmen and finally realize that all paths, though apparently different, lead to the same thing. You realize that all the structures for interpreting the world have the same limitations and rigidity. Sagittarius Leo There are soft moments. You know you road map well and there is peace and Bejan Daruwalla is world's most famous astrologer today. He appears regularly on world wide TV shows. Bejan who has been a professor in English, has authored a number of books on astrology. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi , on March 29, 2012, lunched one of Bejan's books, '2012- End of the World? Bejan contributes to a number of journals and There is progress on all fronts. There is balance and equilibrium in your life. Your affairs run smoothly without too newspapers in many parts of the world which include Berkley Communications (London) Times of India (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai) and The Indian Panorama ( New York and Texas). Bejan's predictions have mostly been correct and people the world over rely on his predictions. You are back to the hard slog. There is partying and fun times too, but there is hard work on the cards. Guard against arrogance, possessiveness, emotional flare-ups and dominance. These are your natural personality traits, depending, of course, on the type of Aquarius you are. You sign important documents. Those in insurance, realty, banking and the media strike pay dirt. It is written in the Dhammapada, 'A ship which is not well prepared, in the ocean, goes to destruction together with its goods and merchants.' You are the wellprepared ship having gone. Pisces You are zooming ahead of the opposition. You are an asset to the organization with your hard work, ethics, amiability and reliability. There are ego drives and you brook no opposition. Your appreciation of beauty, your interest in art, music or poetry are heightened now. You are also filled with love and want to share it with that special person. There are expenses and purchases and many investments. Mutual funds, shares, stocks, capital-raising and all other money matters come to the fore. You live large. Bejan Daruwalla is available for astrological consultations. He can be reached at [email protected]. He can also be reached over phone at 011-919825470377. Bejan Daruwalla's address in India is: A-5 SPECTRUM TOWER, SHAHIBAUG, AHMEDABAD 380004, GUJARAT. 30 THE INDIAN PANORAMA SPORTS www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 31 HENDERSON SHOWS WORTH AS LIVERPOOL DOWN BURNLEY LIVERPOOL (TIP): Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson underlined his credentials to succeed Steven Gerrard as captain with an impressive goal-scoring performance in a 2-0 Premier League victory over Burnley on March 04. Gerrard is set to leave Anfield when his contract expires at the end of the season and join Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles Galaxy. And Henderson, who has skippered the side in the absence of the injured Gerrard, has emerged as the strongest candidate to replace him since the turn of the year, with his leadership qualities coming to the fore. However, it was his ability on the ball that made the difference against Burnley at Anfield as he scored one goal and created another for Daniel Sturridge. The victory ensured Liverpool kept the pressure up on their rivals for a Champions League place and moved back into fifth place, two points behind fourth-place Manchester United. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers made one change to his starting line-up, recalling Sturridge after leaving the striker on the bench for the 2-1 win over Manchester City last weekend, with Lazar Markovic making way. His Burnley counterpart Sean Dyche named an unchanged team for the fourth successive match, which meant that striker Danny Ings, who has been linked with a move to Anfield, led the attack. Liverpool almost scored in the first minute when a slick move involving Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana carved out an opening for Sturridge, who saw his bobbly effort pushed around the post by visiting goalkeeper Tom Heaton. Burnley have picked up a point away to both City and Chelsea this season and their defensive organisation was evident as they packed the midfield with bodies and set out to frustrate the hosts. It took 20 minutes for Liverpool to create another meaningful opportunity, this time when Henderson's low shot from the edge of the penalty area was deflected behind by Heaton. But shortly before the half-hour mark, the home side had their opening goal. Philippe Coutinho's initial shot was Indian girls have improved a lot: Roelant Oltmans NEW DELHI (TIP): "They need a bit of polishing," Roelant Oltmans, interim coach of the Indian men's and women's hockey teams, said after an extended, high-intensity training session at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Tuesday. The Indian women will take on Ghana in the opening match of the Hockey World League Round 2 starting from March 7. When asked about the level of the women's team as compared to the best in the world, Hockey India's highperformance director Oltmans said his experience of coaching the women's teams in the past has come in handy. "I have coached women before in my life. I know there are a lot of physical differences. These girls are very eager to learn. They work hard and try to improve every moment we are on the ground. I see a lot of progress. They are getting better and better. Our aim is to qualify for the Olympic Games," Oltmans said. The men's team qualified for the Rio Olympics after winning gold at the Incheon Asian Games. The women's team had finished fourth in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the only time they have played in the Olympic Games. Talking about the upcoming tournament, Oltmans said: "For this tournament, our aim is to be in top-2 to make sure that the next step can be taken. I will step back then as the coach. Anthony Thornton will be here next week and start his work with the women," he added. New Zealand's Thornton will replace Neil Hawgood as coach of the senior women's team. Hockey India has roped in men's physical trainer Matthew Eyles for better preparation of the host team. "Mathew is working with the women's team since the men's team does not have any assignments now and I can see the results. We had a meeting today and in a month's time the girls will have their own physical trainer," he said. Talking highly of the improvement made by the women's team, Oltmans said the girls are in a good form. "If you look at Asian Games, the girls performed quite well. And at the moment they are better than what they were at the Asian Games. We tested them two days back and compared to the last five tests this was by far the best we have done," he pointed. "These girls are very competitive. They have improved throughout the year. They didn't start well in the Champions Trophy but finished the year on a high with Asian Games," he said. blocked and fell to Henderson 25 yards from goal, and the stand-in skipper struck a powerful half-volley into the bottom-right corner of the net. Moments later, Coutinho, scorer of two magnificent goals in Liverpool's past two league games against Southampton and City, curled over from a similar position to those stunning strikes. Two minutes before half-time Sturridge was sent clear of the Burnley defence by Coutinho, only for Heaton to narrow the angle and block his effort. The miss did not matter as Liverpool doubled their lead early in the second half, and Henderson was once again instrumental. The 24-year-old showed patience as Liverpool built up the play before producing a magnificent right-wing cross that enabled Sturridge to head in from close range. Liverpool, on the back of a recent hectic schedule, took their foot of the gas and allowed Burnley to creep back into the contest, with goalkeeper Simon Mignolet nervously clearing a couple of errant backpasses. However, despite Burnley's spirit and endeavour to find a way back into the game, the home side closed out the contest to collect the three points and notch their seventh win in their last eight matches. JAPAN’S NISHIKORI SOARS TO WORLD NUMBER FOUR TOKYO (TIP): Record-breaking Japan superstar Kei Nishikori rose to fourth in Monday's new world rankings, equalling Kimiko Date-Krumm as his country's highest-ranked tennis player. The 24-year-old, who is the top-ranked Asian-born man ever, tweeted: "Just saw the new rankings. Very proud of another step...#4 this week." Nishikori, last year's US Open runner-up, now trails only Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal after leapfrogging Britain's Andy Murray, meaning he will avoid the top three until the semi-finals at the major tournaments. "He has the touch of a genius," former Japan number one Shuzo Matsuoka told AFP. "He has the imagination and shots you just can't teach." Nishikori recently won his third successive Memphis Open, his eighth ATP Tour title. He is fast closing in on Nadal and trails the 14-times grand slam champion by just 260 ranking points. "It's an achievement that's almost impossible to explain," Matsuoka told Japan's Sankei Sports, comparing the skinny Nishikori to a sumo grand champion. "He's really playing 'yokozuna'-grade tennis." Nishikori burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old by winning in Delray Beach as a 244th-ranked qualifier in 2008, and is a huge celebrity in Japan. Millions woke up at the crack of dawn to watch his bid to become the first Asian man to win a grand slam at last year's US Open, where he lost in the final to Croatian Marin Cilic. China's Li Na blazed a trail for Asian tennis players by reaching number two in the women's WTA rankings last year after winning the Australian Open, capping a remarkable career in which she also captured the 2011 French Open. She retired seven months later with knee trouble. Nishikori's coach Michael Chang, whose parents came from Taiwan and who was raised in the United States, is a former world number two who won the French Open in 1989. 32 TRAVEL www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 THE INDIAN PANORAMA ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR perfect summer getaway, Andaman and Nicobar, is an archipelago at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. With an array of thrilling water sports, leisure facilities, and a host of activities, a vacation in Andaman and Nicobar can be as relaxed or filled with adventure as you'd like it to be. The weather is temperate most of the year and the best time to visit is between December-May. If you're planning to head here in this summer break then here's a pick of outdoorsy things which will keep you busy. Home to scenic landscapes, gorgeous sunsets, golden beaches and one of the richest coral reef ecosystems in the world, the Andamans is an archipelago of over 570 tropical islands, of which only 36 are inhabited. With a profusion of wildlife and verdant forests, the islands are a naturelover's paradise. Be it a lazy afternoon on a hammock on Asia's best beach, an array of thrilling water sports or a strenuous trek on a challenging-yet-scenic terrain—your Andamans visit is likely to be packed with a range of interesting experiences. A RADHANAGAR BEACH, HAVELOCK ISLAND Beach number 7 (or more commonly known as Radhanagar Beach) was bestowed with the title of 'Asia's Best Beach' in 2004 by the TIME magazine. Known for its picturesque sunset, white sand and turquoise blue waters, the beach is a very popular hub lying on the western coast of Havelock Island. There's a watersports centre at the beach where visitors can hire snorkelling and scuba equipment and boats. MANGROVE CREEK, BARATANG ISLAND Baratang Island is located about 100 kilometres away from the Port Blair city and offers a boat-safari, amidst the nature-made tunnel of thick mangrove plantations. A variety of exotic birds can be spotted along the lush trail of dense tree knots and canopies. This mangrove creek leads to the magnificent Lime Stone Caves, for which you must carry a torch with you. Nicobar. Walking barefoot on the base of the sea offers you an exquisite view of rich marine-life and the corals. If you're heading to Andaman and Nicobar, don't miss this. Skilled life guards accompany you underwater, to ensure maximum safety. available on hire from the Andaman Teal House. Do not forget to acquire food, water, torch, and first aid, before you start. The best time to go hiking here is November-April. MT. HARRIET, THE ANDAMANS NORTH BAY BEACH, PORT BLAIR This trek stretches up 16 kilometres starting from Mt. Harriet to Madhuban, winding across a picturesque terrain. Expect to see exotic birds and rare plants along the lush trail. Taking a guide along is highly recommended. Tents and all the trekking equipment are Located in the heart of Port Blair, the Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex offers an array of aqua-sports: banana rides, jet skiing, parasailing, speed boat rides, rowboat paddling, you name it! This ought to be your first pit-stop in the Andamans. The Centre is well-equipped with changing rooms, and trained staff to ensure safety. Located just 15 minutes away from the Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex, the North Bay Beach offers one of the easiest water sports—Sea-walking—in Andaman and RAJIV GANDHI WATER SPORTS COMPLEX THE INDIAN PANORAMA ADVERTISEMENT www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 33 34 TURN PAGE www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 contd from Page 1 Hillary's private... government. "I asked State to release them," Clinton tweeted at 11:35 p.m. ET "They said they will review them for release as soon as possible." The developments have escalated since the personal email account was first revealed Monday night, turning into both a political tug-of-war between Republicans and Democrats. The account raises questions -- even from within her party -- about transparency, security in the government and her future. While the Clintons have plenty of allies, some on the left are using this opportunity as a sign to flag that the Democrats' frontrunner in the 2016 campaign might still face some of the same organizational challenges and public relations gaffes her campaign had eight years ago. New York Times says Mrs. Clinton's aides contd from Page 3 AWESOME Television... innovative and creative ideas to kick start this decisive second year of Awesome TV with programming from the US, UK, India and other countries. Many new and diverse shows were announced that will be aired starting this Spring on the channel. A presentation was shown to summarize the journey of the channel thus far, along with the promos of its upcoming shows. Those who attended were awe-struck and agreed that Awesome Television has come a long way and has a long road ahead. With the passing of each day, the TV viewership THE INDIAN PANORAMA on Tuesday sought to play down the significance of her exclusive use of a personal email account for State Department business. But an examination of records requests sent to the department reveals how the practice protected a significant amount of her correspondence from the eyes of investigators and the public. Mrs. Clinton's exclusive use of personal email for her government business is unusual for a high-level official, archive experts have said. Federal regulations, since 2009, have required that all emails be preserved as part of an agency's recordkeeping system. In Mrs. Clinton's case, her emails were kept on her personal account and her staff took no steps to have them preserved as part of State Department record. In response to a State Department request, Mrs. Clinton's advisers, late last year, reviewed her account and decided which emails to turn over to the State Department. The State Department says it will now search the 50,000 emails Mrs. Clinton provided in response to Freedom of Information and congressional requests. public schools will close on September 25 in observance of Eid al-Adha. They will also be closed for the end of Ramadan, or Eid alFitr. De Blasio stressed in a statement that the calendar will reflect the "strength and diversity" of New York City. "Hundreds of thousands of Muslim families will no longer have to choose between honoring the most sacred days on their calendar and attending school. This is a common sense change, and one that recognizes our growing Muslim community and honors its contributions to our City," he said. De Blasio and Fariña made their official calendar announcement at PS/IS 30 where the New York City DOE says 36 percent of the student body was absent the last time Eid al-Adha fell on a school day. "This new addition will also enable a teachable moment in the classroom for our students to learn about religious tolerance and the societal contributions of various cultures," Fariña added. The New York City DOE notes that school districts in Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Jersey also already recognize Muslim holiday with school closures. According to the New York City Department of Education, the change in school calendar will make New York City the largest school district in the country to recognize the two Muslim holidays. has grown exponentially and so has their fan base. Several friends of the channel right from politics, community and others were impressed with the progress shown by the team in the last one year and wished them loads of luck. The entire team was equally and immensely thankful to its viewers, fans, well-wishers and the internal media team that keeps Awesome Television going and hoping to make this second year as AWESOME as the last year has been…or more so! Awesome Television is a pioneer in the field of 'Live Television' on the Internet, as it streams live entertainment content from Bollywood, Hollywood, Fashion, Politics and a host of other media events. It is available on a wide variety of platforms like Smart TVs, PCs, Cell phones, Tablets, Laptops, Chromebooks or any device that has an Internet connection. Awesome Television can be watched on www.awesomeitv.com and one can follow them on Facebook & Instagram. Awesome Television creates a brand identity for itself, first and foremost with the Indian Diaspora migrated, integrated and settled here in the United States. Awesome Television covers everything from an exhibition of our culture, the evolution of the arts, and the hustle and bustle of local and social events beyond compare - always there to cover it all! Awesome Television, a unique concept in the way one can watch television, strives to provide a familial closeness and instant awareness at every level, whether it be local, national or international media with people in all walks of life. It's through arts, music, politics, news, fashion, and every possible event that Awesome Television connects intimately with the Indian populace and generally with the crosscultural community that's growing as an audience. It is a channel like no other, that blends both sides of the media spectrum and bridges the gap between the East and the West. It is after all the Future of Broadcasting! For More Information: [email protected] De Blasio announces... The Indian Panorama New York and Texas editions are available on our website www.theindianpanorama.com THE INDIAN PANORAMA DISCLAIMER PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER: Gunjesh Desai/ Masala Junction OVERSEAS CORRESPONDENTS Mohammad Jaffer/ SnapsIndia P.O. Box No. 190067 Prof. Indrajit S. Saluja DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Ashishpal Singh VICE PRESIDENT: Chitagam Saluja Baldev Singh / BJ Videos CHIEF EDITOR: Prof Indrajit S. Saluja Vaaho Photographers South Richmond Hill, NY 11419, Tel: 646-247-9458 Email: [email protected] www.theindianpanorama.com GRAPHICS DIRECTOR: Om Parkash Malik DIRECTOR ADMINISTRATION: Gauri Beri DIRECTOR MARKETING: Karan Beri CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Mohammad Shahzad DISTRIBUTOR : Sukhwinder Singh CORRESPONDENTS : SACRAMENTO: Parminder S. Aujla CHANDIGARH: Manjit Sidhu LUDHIANA: A.S. Arora, R.P.Sharma PATIALA: Bhupinder Batra ROPAR: Paramjit Singh SIMLA: Chandan NEW YORK : Amarjit Anand, Chitagam: AGRA: Pramod Aggarwal Ashok Ojha, Prashant Satwick FRESNO: AHMEDABAD: Rajiv Sethi CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: ATLANTA: Gurbhej NAGPUR: Charanjit Vijay Shah -Photo Journalist. DALLAS: Harjit Dhesi, Amarjit Dhillon PATRON : Dr. Navin Mehta Tarlochan Singh Dallas Edition Vice President/bureau chief Lovllien Kaurr Phone: 972-636-1669 PO Box: 450842 Garland, TX 75045 The Indian Panorama assumes no responsibility for the claims made in advertisements. We only sell space. Views published in the newspaper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper. All rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission in writing from The Indian Panorama is prohibited. THE INDIAN PANORAMA CWC 2015 www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 35 World Cup 2015: AB is the Neo of the cricketing world, says Steyn AUCKLAND (TIP): South Africa captain AB de Villiers' batting blitzkriegs in the last two months have been so good that even his own teammates are in awe of them, fast bowler Dale Steyn said on March 5. De Villiers has scored 241 runs in four innings at the tournament, including a stunning 162 not out against West Indies from 66 balls. He has a strike rate of almost 162 and has the most sixes (11) and fours (22) in South Africa's vaunted lineup. Prior to the tournament, he belted a 31ball century against West Indies, smashing the old record for the fastest ODI ton by five balls. "Oh, man, it's like watching 'The Matrix' movie, really," Steyn told reporters in Auckland on Friday, a day before his side face Pakistan in their Pool B clash at Eden Park. "There is Neo for you right there. He just doesn't understand how good he is. "I think he's actually figured out now ... there is no roof or cap on how good he can possibly be. "He's one of those players that's proven in this year especially just how good he is. I think he's starting to realise that now. "Bowlers are struggling to find a way to get this guy out. The only way to get him out is when he gets himself out." Steyn felt sorry for some of his fellow bowlers having to face his captain, though he said if he had to bowl to de Villiers he had a cunning plan that may work. "I'd trip him on his way out of the hotel ... and hope that he breaks his ankle," Steyn Fighting fire: BCCI asks Virat Kohli to behave NEW DELHI (TIP): Stung by the Indian media's severe criticism of Virat Kohli's abusive rant at a journalist and the bizarre statement on the issue by team's media manager RN Baba, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) rushed in to douse the fire with a statement of apology on March 5. In a carefully-worded statement released to pacify the angry media, BCCI's secretary Anurag Thakur emphasized on the key role media plays in covering and popularizing the game of the cricket. "The BCCI has taken note of the incident that occurred in Perth a couple of days ago. The BCCI has been in touch with the Indian team management on this issue, and has advised that this kind of incident should not be repeated," Thakur said in the statement. Thakur's choice of words suggests a change in BCCI's attitude towards the journalists. "The BCCI respects the role played by the media in covering and popularizing the game of cricket and acknowledges the support of the media in its mission to administer and promote the game of cricket in India," Thakur said. "The player in question has been told to maintain the dignity of the Indian team at all times, and avoid any such behaviour in the future. The BCCI would like to request the concerned parties to move on, and focus on the Indian cricket team's campaign in the ongoing ICC CWC 2015," Thakur added. Baba, in his statement on Wednesday, had strangely dismissed the incident by saying Kohli had not abused the journalist. Iqbal leads Bangladesh to important win over Scotland NELSON (TIP): Tamim Iqbal came agonisingly close to scoring Bangladesh's first World Cup century as his side completed a six-wicket win over Scotland in their Pool A clash at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Thursday. Iqbal scored 95, while Mohammad Mahmudullah (62) and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim (60) also contributed as Bangladesh achieved 322-4, their highest successful run chase in one-day internationals. Shakib Al Hasan (52 not out) and Sabbir Rahman (42 not out) guided Mashrafe Mortaza's side home with 11 balls to spare to cap off the perfectly timed run chase. The victory put all the pressure on England for their showdown with Eoin Morgan's side on March 9 in Adelaide, with Bangladesh now on five points and level with third-placed Australia, while England have two. Both have just two games remaining to play. Scotland had been well placed to achieve their first World Cup victory, days after throwing away the opportunity against Afghanistan, after Kyle Coetzer had scored a career-best 156 in his side's 318 for eight. The 30-year-old's innings was the first World Cup century by a Scotland batsman and also the highest score by someone from an associate nation at the global showpiece. It also ensured his team posted their highest score against a Test nation. Coetzer, who was named man-of-the-match, shared in a 141-run partnership with captain Preston Mommsen (39) and 78 runs with Matt Machan (35) to anchor the innings. Scotland enjoyed their third 300-plus score in one-day internationals, having also achieved the mark against Ireland in 2011 and Canada in 2014. AUSTRALIA CRUSH AFGHANISTAN BY RECORD 275-RUN MARGIN PERTH (TIP): Australia hit the highest World Cup score in tournament history on march 4 as they thrashed Afghanistan by a record 275 runs, a result which was also the greatest winning margin in tournament history.The home team made 417/6 at the WACA led by opener David Warner's 178-run blitz, his fourth one-day international century and his country's highest individual World Cup score as the four-time champions went past the previous best of 413/5 made by India against Bermuda in 2007. said while laughing. "He's a phenomenal player and seeing the ball like no other player is seeing a cricket ball before, and he's playing shots that I don't think most people have seen before. "Hopefully he comes out and executes those same skills tomorrow and going forward in this competition." While Steyn had played against Ireland in Canberra on Tuesday, he said he had been distracted for much of the week with bushfires in Cape Town threatening to engulf his home. He received about 80 messages and 30 missed calls one night from friends looking after his house, who relayed they had been given five minutes to pack what they could carry and get out. "I've never been more scared in my life," he said. "I'm sitting halfway across the world, and everything that I've ever earned or gotten in my life ...is in that house. "It's a pretty tough time back home right now." It was the third 400-plus total at this World Cup after South Africa twice went through the barrier -- 408/5 against the West Indies and 411/4 in the game with Ireland. In reply, Afghanistan could manage just 142 from 37.3 overs, although Nawroz Mangal, who top-scored with 33, gave their smattering of fans at the ground something to cheer about when he hit Mitchell Marsh for successive sixes. Johnson did much of the damage to claim 4-22 from 7.3 overs. Fellow left-armer Mitchell Starc continued his amazing vein of World Cup form with 2-18 and has 10 wickets in the World Cup at just 9.3 runs apiece. Australia were sent in to bat by Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi, a decision greeted by a chorus of cheers from the crowd, and then tormented the minnows. 36 www.theindianpanorama.com FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 ADVERTISEMENT THE INDIAN PANORAMA
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