Quantcast
Channel: New Delhi Samachar
Viewing all 3285 articles
Browse latest View live

Article 0

$
0
0

Prime Minister Modi & Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore bilateral talks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held high level bilateral talks with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore, on his second day of his tour.
T201806012603.JPG
A gamut of strategic, economic and technological issues figured during their talks. Several MoUs were signed. Prime Minister expressed gratitude to Singapore’s PM and said he has always made untiring efforts towards strengthening relations with India.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister was accorded ceremonial welcome at Istana, the official residence of Singapore President.
After the bilateral talks, India and Singapore will sign and exchange agreements and MoUs in areas of higher education, capacity building, defence, urban infrastructure, people to people contacts among other things followed by a joint statement.
He will call on Singapore President Halimah Yakub and visit Nanyang Technical University and interact with Students. Later, Mr Modi will deliver key-note address in the 18th Shangri La dialogue, a global platform that discusses security related issues in the Asia Pacific region .
Mr Modi who is the first Indian leader to deliver a key note address at this international forum, is likely to emphasis on India’s perspective on security concerns in this region.
He is expected to focus on geopolitical issues in the region, particularly highlight the role that India could play in stabilising the security of Asia and its waters

Prof. B.N. Goswamy lecture SOME ASPECTS OF TIME

The lecture will be delivered by Prof. B.N. Goswamy, a distinguished art historian. His talk titled ” SOME ASPECTS OF TIME: The Indian Painter and His Work” will reflect on the handling of time by Indian painters of the past. As noted by Prof. Goswamy, those painters work, reflects on thier being completely at home with the notion of time as manipulable and elusive.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BLACK HOLE GOBBLES UP A STAR

Article written: 31 May , 2018
by 
At the center of our galaxy resides a Supermassive Black Hole (SMBH) known as Sagittarius A. Based on ongoing observations, astronomers have determined that this SMBH measures 44 million km (27.34 million mi) in diameter and has an estimated mass of 4.31 million Solar Masses. On occasion, a star will wander too close to Sag A and be torn apart in a violent process known as a tidal disruption event (TDE).
These events cause the release of bright flares of radiation, which let astronomers know that a star has been consumed. Unfortunately, for decades, astronomers have been unable to distinguish these events from other galactic phenomena. But thanks to a new study from by an international team of astrophysicists, astronomers now have a unified model that explains recent observations of these extreme events.
The study – which recently appeared in the Astrophysical Journal Letters under the title “A Unified Model for Tidal Disruption Events” – was led by Dr. Jane Lixin Dai, a physicist with the Niels Bohr Institute’s Dark Cosmology CenterShe was joined by members from University of Maryland’s Joint Space-Science Institute and the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC).
Illustration of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF
As Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz – the professor and chair of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, the Niels Bohr Professor at the University of Copenhagen, and a co-author on the paper – explained in a UCSC press release:
“Only in the last decade or so have we been able to distinguish TDEs from other galactic phenomena, and the new model will provide us with the basic framework for understanding these rare events.”
In most galaxies, SMBHs do not actively consume any material and therefore do not emit any light, which distinguishes them from galaxies that have Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). Tidal disruption events are therefore rare, occurring only once about every 10,000 years in a typical galaxy. However, when a star does get torn apart, it results in the release of an intense amount of radiation. As Dr. Dai explained:
“It is interesting to see how materials get their way into the black hole under such extreme conditions. As the black hole is eating the stellar gas, a vast amount of radiation is emitted. The radiation is what we can observe, and using it we can understand the physics and calculate the black hole properties. This makes it extremely interesting to go hunting for tidal disruption events.”
In the past few years, a few dozen candidates for tidal disruption events (TDEs) have been detected using wide-field optical and UV transient surveys as well as X-ray telescopes. While the physics are expected to be the same for all TDEs, astronomers have noted that a few distinct classes of TDEs appear to exist. While some emit mostly x-rays, others emit mostly visible and ultraviolet light.
As a result, theorists have struggled to understand the diverse properties observed and create a coherent model that can explain them all. For the sake of their model, Dr. Dai and her colleagues combined elements from general relativity, magnetic fields, radiation, and gas hydrodynamics. The team also relied on state-of-the-art computational tools and some recently-acquired large computer clusters funded by the Villum Foundation for Jens Hjorth (head of DARK Cosmology Center), the U.S. National Science Foundation and NASA.
Using the model that resulted, the team concluded that it is the viewing angle of the observer that accounts for the differences in observation.  Essentially, different galaxies are oriented randomly with respect to observers on Earth, who see different aspects of TDEs depending on their orientation. As Ramirez-Ruiz explained:
“It is like there is a veil that covers part of a beast. From some angles we see an exposed beast, but from other angles we see a covered beast. The beast is the same, but our perceptions are different.”
In the coming years, a number of planned survey projects are expected to provide much more data on TDEs, which will help expand the field of research into this phenomena. These include the Young Supernova Experiment (YSE) transient survey, which will be led by the DARK Cosmology Center at the Niels Bohr Institute and UC Santa Cruz, and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescopes (LSST) being built in Chile.
According to Dr. Dai, this new model shows what astronomers can expect to see when viewing TDEs from different angles and will allow them to fit different events into a coherent framework. “We will observe hundreds to thousands of tidal disruption events in a few years,” she said. “This will give us a lot of ‘laboratories’ to test our model and use it to understand more about black holes.”
This improved understanding of how black holes occasionally consume stars will also provide additional tests for general relativity, gravitational wave research, and help astronomers to learn more about the evolution of galaxies.

Hillary: Naresh, it’s been a big month for Democrats

Onward Together!
Naresh, it’s been a big month for Democrats.
Half of the women running in House primaries have won their races so far, thanks in no small part to the work of our friends at Emerge America. Young, diverse candidates endorsed by Run for Something have continued to win at nearly five times the usual rate for first-time candidates. At least six Swing Left candidates have come out on top, and two District Attorney candidates in North Carolina won after Color of Change mobilized tens of thousands of voters.
Meanwhile, Collective PAC, the Arena, and the rest of the groups that Onward Together partners with have worked tirelessly to get progressive voters inspired and engaged. And I’m just as thrilled as anyone that, thanks in part to our partner groups and thousands of passionate volunteers, Stacey Abrams won her primary earlier this month — and became the first black woman to be a major party nominee for governor in the history of our country.
This month, Onward Together celebrated our first anniversary. I can’t believe how much we’ve accomplished together in just one year, and I’m looking forward to another year of fighting for our progressive values alongside you.
But we can only grow if this team continues to step up. Please make a contribution today to become an official member of Onward Together:
Thank you. I hope you’re as proud as I am.Hillary

Launch of guidelines for adventure Tourism

Naresh Kumar Sagar
Naresh Kumar Sagar
@Nksagar
·
10h
Sagar Media Inc. – Launch of guidelines for the adventure Tourism.(link: https://youtu.be/xUfFBjusY1g) youtu.be/xUfFBjusY1g
Embedded
Naresh Kumar Sagar
Naresh Kumar Sagar
@Nksagar
·
14h
Sagar Media Inc: These days experiential is buzz for tourists and look for adventure . Secretary GOI Rashmi said was there traveling for Buddhist. Tourism the foreign asked us adventure Tourism.
Embedded
Naresh Kumar Sagar
Naresh Kumar Sagar
@Nksagar
·
14h
Sagar Media Inc : International year of Adventure Tourism is 2018- Launch of Indian Adventure Tourism Guidelines at Ashoka hotel New Delhi
Embedded
Tourism Minister K J Alphons launched the Government guidelines on adventure tourism in India. with 50K adventure tourism provider in travel and tourist sectors, 8ks-Km of coastal lines, 70% of Himalayan range within Indian territory, ks of heritage destinations are all assets for the adventure tourist guidelines launch.India the oldest civilization with four main religions Hindu,Budhism, Jainism and Sikhism is best to visit the religious fervor.
Releasing the guidelines in New Delhi yesterday, Mr Alphons said, India has immense potential for adventure tourism ranging from the Himalayas to the coastal regions. He said, these guidelines are a beginning to building adventure tourism in India.
AIR correspondent reports that these guidelines on safety and quality norms have been formulated along with the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India in an effort to make adventure sports safer.
The aim of this initiative is to help adventure tour operators understand and execute safety guidelines in a better manner. These guidelines cover land, air and water-based activities which include mountaineering, trekking, bungee jumping, paragliding, kayaking, scuba diving, river rafting and many other sports. The guidelines codify the standard operating procedures and instructions for risk mitigation and emergencies as well as provide for details like safety precautions, training required and insurance. It covers the role of a guide, important equipment required, inspections and maintenance process, operating instructions and medical safety and others.

Denmark ban face veil

Naresh Kumar Sagar
denmark-burqa-ban.jpg
@Nksagar
·
7m
Sagar Media Inc: Denmark ban face veil. passes banon  full-face veil in public spaces, following Belgium, France, Netherlands, Bulgaria and parts of Switzerland.
Denmark voted to ban  burqa, thus the fifth European country to pass such a law.
Lawmakers voted 75-30 in favour of the legislation which had been put forward by the governing centre-right coalition.
Law bans any full-face garment, if  there is no ‘recognisable purpose’ for wearing it, such as cold weather or complying with laws such as wearing helmets on motorcycles.
Politicians insist the law does not target any religion, but it has become known colloquially as the ‘burqa ban’. Headscarves, turbans and Jewish skull caps will not be affected by the law.
Justice Minister Soeren Pape Poulsen said that it will be up to police to use their ‘common sense’ when enforcing the law, which will apply from August 1.
First-time offenders risk a fine of 1,000 kroner (£118). Repeat offenses could trigger fines of up to 10,000 kroner (£1,180) or a jail sentence of up to six months.
Amnesty International has called the ban “a discriminatory violation of women’s rights.
Englishmen fear to speak in (link: http://Britain.US) Britain.USEx Ambassadors call Trump’s tariff silly act. EU Mexico Canada to retaliate measured on steel Aluminum.S Secretary of state Pompedo still uncertain of US Trump Kim Summit.
Embedded

Article 1

$
0
0

NAPM expresses solidarity with the demands of Gramin Dak Sevaks t


NAPM expresses solidarity with the demands of Gramin Dak Sevaks to implement Kamlesh Chandra Committee Report
Govt. of India must ensure dignified pay scales, benefits & regularization of services of Gramin Dak Sevaks, who are the backbone of rural communication in India
1st June, 2018:  National Alliance of People’s Movements extends its support to the struggle of All India Gramin Dak Sevaks Union (AIGDSU)’s and their demand to implement the recommendation of Kamlesh Chandra Committee Report on Gramin Das Sevaks. Rural India Post Employees (known as Gramin Dak Sevaks) have been on a nationwide protest since 22nd May, 2018 under the banner of All India Gramin Dak Sevaks Unions. While the said Committee submitted its report on 24th November, 2016, it was published after two months and that too after an indefinite hunger strike call given by National Federation of Postal Employees, All India Postal Employees Union GDS and other organizations.
The government has delayed the implementation of the recommendations of the Committee for about 2 years now. Protesting non-implementation of the Kamlesh Chandra Committee’s recommendations and the Seventh pay Commission norms for Gramin Dak Sevaks working in rural areas, Postal staff have been demonstrating in front of several post offices including the head branches in Odisha, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other states as well.
Despite the all round inflation, Dak Sevaks are paid salary only Rs. 6,000 -7,000. Even after working for 20-25 years, they are not considered as permanent employees and are not eligible for many other benefits due to government employees. It was in the light of this situation that Kamlesh Chandra Committee had recommended minimum scale of Rs. 10,000 for 3 hours, Rs. 12,000 for 4 hours and Rs. 14,500 for 5 hours work, 3 promotions (financial up gradation) on completion of 12, 24 and 36 years of service, maternity leave for 6 months and paternity leave for a week, Children’s  education allowance and support for hiring accommodation, office maintenance, electricity charges etc.
Despite numerous technological and communication related strides, the postal department plays an important role even today, particularly in rural areas across the country and the Grameen Dak Sevaks are at the heart of these services.  It is both unfortunate and unacceptable that the human resource which serves as the backbone of the rural communications system is kept deprived and the entire postal department itself is structurally and systematically sidelined, due to increasing privatization of postal services and a flawed global-capitalist friendly economic policy of the State.  
National Alliance of People’s Movements stands in solidarity with many of the long-standing and genuine demands of the Grameen Dak Sevaks and calls upon the Department of Posts and Ministry of Communication and Information Technology to acknowledge and fulfill their charter of demands to implement the recommendations of Kamlesh Chandra Committee and fix a time limit to regularize their services and make them permanent.

Alien INC – No Roti, Kapda, Makan, Water, Power, Transport+  

June01, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com
Surjewala appears to be closest to INC power center his article in TOI was very ordinary and then I saw RPN Singh engage in a DIRTY fight on TV Channels. I have also gone through INC shabby document ‘India Betrayed’ – I upload 100 Times more Data And INFO than Congress in spite of Age & Investment Limitation which are delivered to all Parties & Governments and NGOs all FREE – INC can’t even digest readymade info.
Why can’t Surjewala or Sibal or RPN Singh or Manish and others talk about Roti, Kapda, Wages, Makan, Bijli, Pani, Railways, Buses, Drinking Water Supply, Education to Children, Healthcare, Exports, Defense, Security or Law & Order and JOBS, Foreign Relations, MONEYLENDERS & MIDDLEMEN?

Ø Total Emoluments Growth in Last 4 Yrs of UPA was 94% almost Doubled from Rs.1,40,70 Cr to Rs.2,72,415 Cr than Dipped to 12.8% in FY2015
Today around 70% people are literate – or 80% Voters are Literate or Semi-Literate INC should talk to them with REAL Figures not just Manipulated Data.
When Ruler talk in numbers as its USP often pass of Inflated figures INC doesn’t respond at all – 7% or 8% GDP Growth doesn’t matter – here in Tables culled from RBI we can see out of Rs.5,93,900 Cr Non Food credit [NFC] growth in FY2017-18 – allocation to
Ø Agriculture was only Rs.37,800 Cr or just about 6% for 60% population
Ø Industry was even less Rs.19,500 Cr or 3.3% but Credit to
Ø Services was Rs.2,48,300 Cr or 42% of NFC and
Ø Personal Loans numbers were Rs.2,88,500 Cr which is more than 48% of NFC.
In 4 Years term NFC Credit growth was Rs.21,22,400 Cr but in this Credit Growth to
§  Agriculture was Rs.3,60,800 Cr, JUST 2% of GDP in 4 Years,
§  Industry was Rs.1,76,400 Cr, JUST 1% of GDP in 4 Years,
§  Services was Rs.7,13,599 Cr, JUST 4% of GDP in 4 Years, and
§  Personal Loans Rs.8,71,800 Cr, JUST 5% of GDP in 4 Years
RBI – Deployment of Gross Bank Credit by Major Sectors – Rs.Billions
SN
Sectors
Mar.22,
2013 – C
Mar.21,
2014 – D
%
D/C
Mar.31,
2017 – A
Mar.30,
2018 – B
%
B/A
I
Gross Bank Credit (II + III)
49642
56572
14.0%
71345
77223
8.2
II
Food Credit
946
912
-3.6
400
338
-15.5
III
Non-food Credit (1 to 4)
48696
55660
14.3%
70945
76884
8.4
1
Agriculture & Allied Activities
5899
6694
13.5%
9924
10302
3.8
2
Industry (Micro, Small, Medium Large )
22302
25229
13.1%
26798
26993
0.7
3
Services
11519
13370
16.1%
18022
20505
13.8
4
Personal Loans
8976
10367
15.5%
16200
19085
17.8
Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS
Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857
Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,
Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Delhi Energy Consumption Growth 18.9%, Load 29.8% 6 Yrs +

June02, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com
Since Electricity Tariffs for Air-Conditioning Load is reduced this year, when AC Load draws PEAKING HIGH COST POWER should be charged as per peak demand linked tariff, there shall be unusual growth in Peak Load – yesterday i.e. June01, 2018 Peak was 6651 MW at 3:36 PM. Minimum load was 4359 MW at 7:03 AM.
When Electricity Energy consumption grew 29.8% in 6 Years from 5028 MW in Summer 2011 to 6526 MW last year – Energy demand growth was reasonable – 18.9% from26,751 MU to 31,825 MU. This is less than Population Growth.
Obviously there are OPTIONS to Cut Peak Demand.
1.      Promote ROOFTOP Solars – subsidize upto 5 KW Off-Grid Systems. 2,00,000 Installations would add up to 1000 MW in FY2018-19. Rs.50,000 subsidy per installation to Cost Rs.1000 Cr – but Delhi shall save 1500 MU every year worth Rs.1000 Cr annually and avoid 2000 MW Capacity Additions to cost Rs.15,000 Cr or more on Power Projects, Transmission & Distribution network, same for FY2019-20.
2.      Instead of Standard Time for All Shops & Private Offices – Shops on One Side may operate from 6AM to 3PM and other side 1PM to 10 PM. Stocking of Shops could be moved to Early Morning or Late Evening hours. This means SHOPPING LOAD is spread over 16 hours from 9 hrs presently [10:30AM to 7:30PM]
3.      Identify 1000 MW of Generators spread over Delhi to provide PEAKING POWER by Switching to Own Generation for 2 hrs When Delhi Peak Demand Exceed 6000 MW than Load Shedding.
4.      Distribute 5m LED Lamps & 5m Energy Efficient Ceiling Fans – Rs.200 Cr Subsidy @ Rs.100 for LEDs and Rs.300 for Ceiling fan – Reduce 400 MW Load saving Rs.6,000 Cr on New Power Plants, Transmission & Distribution.
Others Programs

5.    Distribute 5 Stage UV Water Purifiers Cost Rs.1500 Each Free to 2m Consumers – Cost Rs.300 Cr shall reduce Water Lost in RO Systems, Same Electricity and Reduce Health Cost.

6.    Storage Dams on Yamuna to Ensure CLEAN, BLUE Water Supply to Water Treatment Plants and To Consumers – 24 hour Water Supply.

7.    Uninterrupted Power to Avoid Home UPS could save 2000 MU of Power.

8.    Energy Efficiency to save 2000 MU to 4000 MU every year.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS
Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857
Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,
Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Article 0

$
0
0

Modi, Mattis pledge to continue strong US-India strategic partnership  


India and the United States have pledged to continue their strong bilateral strategic partnership, the Pentagon said after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.
Mattis met the prime minister on the sidelines of the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ 17th Asia Security Summit — also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue — in Singapore on Saturday.
“The two discussed the importance of the US-India relationship, and the role of both nations in cooperating to uphold international laws and principles, and to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific,” defence spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said here yesterday.
The two leaders “pledged to continue the strong US-India strategic partnership and affirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” Davis said in a readout of the meeting. — PTI  

RFID chips for keeping track of organoids

Researchers in the U.S. and Japan plan to use Radio frequency identification (RFID) chips for keeping track of organoids, samples of human tissue that mimic pieces of organs and are grown from stem cells. The organoids the researchers embedded with RFID chips functioned normally and withstood extreme conditions, suggesting that they could be a useful way to organize and identify the large quantities of organoids that are often needed in experimental situations.
Human organoids are a promising avenue for research into human development and disease because they replicate the structure, function, and phenotype of our organs in miniature in the lab. Grown from human induced pluripotent stem cells, they divide, differentiate, and self-assemble according to the growth programs of their corresponding organs. And particularly in medicine, they can illustrate the effects of certain drugs on our organs in ways that more traditional cell cultures cannot.
More work needs to be done to scale up the production of these hybrid organoids, and the research team is currently working to develop a system that could scan the radio frequency and fluorescence of an organoid at the same time. The team also hopes that other kinds of microchips could be integrated into organoids in the future and that RFID chips with sensing technologies could be used to record real-time data about the organoids.
biospectrumasia.com

13 Indian beaches will get the Blue Flag certification.

Environment-friendly, clean and equipped with amenities of international standards for tourists, 13 Indian beaches will soon get the Blue Flag certification. These beaches of Odisha, Maharashtra and other coastal states will be the first in not just India, but in Asia, to get the Blue Flag certification.
The Indian beaches are being developed by the Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), an environment ministry’s body working for the management of coastal areas.
Project Head of SCIOM Arvind Nautiyal said that to make the beaches environment and tourist-friendly in accordance with the Blue Flag standards, a beach has to be plastic-free and be equipped with a waste management system.
They also have to ensure availability of clean water for tourists, have amenities of international standards for tourists and be equipped with facilities for studying environmental impact around the beach, he said.
Mr Nautiyal was speaking at a five-day conference, which was organised to commemorate the World Environment Day, about making the beaches pollution free.
He said that according to the Blue Flag standards, a beach has to strictly comply with 33 environment and tourism related conditions. There is not a single Blue Flag beach in Asia so far, he added.
The Blue Flag beach standards were established by Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1985. The Blue Flag programme, which requires 33 standards in four areas to be met to make beaches environment-friendly, first started from Paris.
Within the next two years, almost all beaches in Europe were accorded the Blue Flag certification. This campaign spread outside Europe, to South Africa, in 2001.
Asia remains untouched by it till date. The environment ministry started a pilot project to develop the Indian beaches according to the Blue Flag standards in December 2017.
A senior ministry official said that 13 beaches from the coastal states had been chosen for the Blue Flag certification under the project. For this, these beaches are being developed in accordance with the Blue Flag beach standards under a Unified Coastal Areas Management Programme.
This project has two main aims. Firstly, to improve the aquatic habitat by cleaning the growing pollution and garbage in the Indian beaches. Secondly, to develop ecological tourism with constant progress and development of tourist facilities.
According to ministry sources, Chandrabhaga beach of Odisha’s Konark coast was the first to complete the tag certification process. It will be awarded the honour on the World Environment Day tomorrow.
Maharashtra’s Chiwla and Bhogave beaches are also being made a part of this initiative. Apart from these, one beach from Puducherry, Goa, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands each has been chosen as Blue Flag beach.

Met Dept advisory

Met department has issued a weather warning of thunderstorm, gusty winds and lightning at various places in the country today. According to the advisory, thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds and lightning are very likely at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Rayalaseema and Interior Karnataka and Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Heavy rain is also expected at isolated places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
The advisory further said, heat wave conditions are very likely to occur at one or two pockets over West Rajasthan.

Indian Navy evacuated stranded Indians from Socotra island

Indian Navy today evacuated 38 stranded Indians from Socotra island in Yemen where they got stuck after cyclone Mekunu hit the area 10 days ago, forcing India to launch an operation to rescue them.
Indian Navy Spokesperson Captain D K Sharma said, the Navy evacuated the Indians as part of operation ‘NISTAR’ carried out off the coast of Socotra early today and embarked them at Indian Naval ship INS Sunayna to bring them back to India.
He said, the evacuated Indians were immediately provided with medical care, food, water and telephone facilities to call and reassure their families and all have been reported to be safe. He said, post evacuation, the ship is proceeding towards Porbandar.

Myanmar: Ready take back 700K Rohingya Muslim refugees

Myanmar today said it will take back all 700,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled to Bangladesh if they volunteer to return.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Myanmar’s National Security Adviser Thaung Tun said, if you can send back 700,000 on a voluntary basis, we are willing to receive them.
Mr. Thaung Tun said Myanmar does not deny that what is unfolding in northern Rakhine is a humanitarian crisis. He said that while the military had the right to defend the country if investigations showed they had acted illegally, action would be taken.
Since August 2017, about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a military crackdown in the country.
Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years.
Myanmar signed an agreement with the United Nations on Thursday aimed at eventually allowing the Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh to return safely and by choice.

Madrid’s direct rule ends with new Catalan regional government in place

A new regional government has been formed in Spain’s Catalonia region, ending 7 months of direct rule by the central government in Madrid. After months of tension with the central government, a new cabinet led by separatist Quim Torra was sworn in yesterday.
It came as Spain’s new prime minister took office the same day. Socialist Pedro Sanchez replaced Mariano Rajoy, who had been ousted following a corruption scandal.
Last October, the Spanish government withheld Catalonia’s autonomy, after the region unilaterally declared independence from Spain. The Catalan parliament was dissolved and its leader, Carles Puigdemont, was dismissed.
In December, pro-independence parties won a majority in the regional parliamentary election. The new government was formed after several failed attempts.

G7 FMs ask Trump no tariffs on Steel-Al imports

Finance Ministers of Group of Seven nations have urged US President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to impose new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. The group has ended it’s annual meeting at Whistler in Canada.
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin faced sharp criticism from the Finance Ministers of other G-7 nations over the issue. The group that inculdes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, expressed unanimous concern and disappointment to the US President. United States is also a part of this group.
Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau said, discussions should continue at the G7 leaders’ summit beginning on Friday in Quebec. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said, the participants had tense discussions, describing the meeting as far more a G6-plus-one than a G7.
Germany Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said, US tariffs were a very severe problem for transatlantic relations. After Mr Mnuchin faced criticism over the US decision, US President Donald Trump said in a tweet that Washington cannot afford to lose a trade war when it is being ripped off.
Finance leaders of the closest US allies vented anger over the Trump administration’s metal import tariffs but ended a three-day meeting in Canada on Saturday with no solutions, setting the stage for a heated fight at a G7 summit next week in Quebec.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin failed to soothe the frustrations of his Group of Seven counterparts over the 25 percent steel and 10 percent aluminium tariffs that Washington imposed on Mexico, Canada, and the European Union (EU) this week.
“Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors requested that the United States Secretary of the Treasury communicate their unanimous concern and disappointment,” the group said in a summary statement written by Canada.
“Ministers and Governors agreed that this discussion should continue at the Leaders’ Summit in Charlevoix (Quebec), where decisive action is needed,” the statement said.
All six of the other G7 countries are now paying the tariffs, which are largely aimed at curbing excess production in China. The topic dominated discussions at the finance meeting in the Canadian mountain resort of Whistler, British Columbia.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the US has only a few days to avoid sparking a trade war with its allies and it is up to the US to make a move to de-escalate tensions over tariffs.
Speaking after the meeting, Le Maire said the EU was poised to take counter-measures against the new US tariffs.
The meeting of top economic policymakers was seen as a prelude to the trade disputes that will dominate the two-day G7 summit that begins on Friday in Quebec.
Mnuchin is regarded as one of the more moderate voices on trade in the Trump administration,
The US steel and aluminium tariffs were imposed early on Friday after Canada, Mexico and the EU refused to accept quotas in negotiations with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Japanese metal producers have been paying the tariffs since March 23.
Officials at the G7 meeting said the tariffs made it more difficult for the group to work together to confront China’s trade practices, especially when Beijing, like most G7 members, supports the current World Trade Organization-based trade rules and the US is seeking to go around them.
media agencies

Hodeidah in Yemen under seige

Saudi-led coalition is reportedly seeking direct US support to recapture the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen. The battle for the humanitarian lifeline would spell disaster for the locals, human rights agencies warn.
 Saudi-led coalition forces have been preparing to launch a large-scale offensive on Hodeidah, the fourth-largest city in Yemen, with a population of 400,000 people, in an effort to recapture the city’s port which currently serves as one of the remaining humanitarian lifelines in the war-stricken country.
United Arab Emirates approached Washington with the request. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is now waiting for a “quick assessment” of the UAE’s plea, which seeks US intelligence capabilities, mainly drone overflights, to help a Saudi-led coalition retake Hodeidah. Washington’s potential involvement has excited a number of US officials and has left others worried about the potential consequences of such an operation. While the US is weighing its options, the UAE and Saudi Arabian officials have allegedly assured the US that they will stay clear of the port.
Recapturing Hodeidah and its port is crucial for Saudi Arabia. Over the course of the conflict, Riyadh has repeatedly tried to blockade the docks, claiming that the port is being used to smuggle arms for the Houthi rebels. Repeated calls from human rights groups and the UN have kept the port open, on and off, so that vital aid can be delivered to the country.
While human rights groups warn that the battle to retake Hodeidah would spell humanitarian disaster.

Volcan de Fuego,Eruptions

 25 people have been killed and dozens injured, after the Volcan de Fuego in Guatemala erupted, shooting smoke and rocks 10 km into the air and forcing a mass exodus from nearby villages blanketed by ash.
Twenty-five people have been reported dead, mainly in the community of El Rodeo, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction in Guatemala (Conred) confirmed, while at least another 20 were injured. Local reports indicate that some 2,000 people have fled the area.
At least two of the victims were children, who burned to death while standing on a bridge watching the eruption unfold, according to the head of Conred Sergio Cabanas.

Secure Ballots to Cost Rs.90 Cr vs Rs.1,80,000 Cr EVM Scam

Secure Ballots to Cost Rs.90 Cr vs Rs.1,80,000 Cr EVM Scam
June03, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com
Honorable Chief Justice of India,
Supreme Court of India,
New Delhi -110001
Secure Ballots to Cost Rs.90 Cr – Poll Cost Rs.1,80,000 Cr

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Secure Ballots for 2019 with many Currency Note Security Features shall cost only Rs.90 Cr – when General Elections 2014 alone cost Rs.20,000 Cr for Engaged Staff and Their Logistics, GDP Loss Rs.1,50,000 Cr and Candidates Expenditure of Rs.10,000 Cr, Plus Cost of EVMs Acquisition & O&M and Training of Polling Agents etc all adding well overRs.1,80,000 Cr.
Yet 95% of the Candidates SUSPECT their Working. There are 8,00,000 or 85% more EVMs or Control Units deployed – From 1st Polling day to End of Counting Day – up to 39 days EVMs are SEALED & STORED and Guarded.
Secure Ballots shall be Counted Like ‘Currency Notes’ Fully Accounted for Used & Unused and FULLY VERIFIABLE for 100% Reliability forever.
2019 Elections can be concluded in 4 Phases and 10 days without EVMs –
Saving Over Rs.1,00,000 Crores in CONDUCTING FREE & FAIR ELECTIONS.
50 Ballot Counting Machines like Currency Counting Machines can count 18 lakh Votes Per Hour and result declared in just 30 minutes to one hour.
25,000 BCM Required for 2019 General Elections may cost Rs.25 Cr Only.

Honorable Sir,
Consider this simple fact – when Printing of Currency notes cost only about Rs.2.5 that have Scores of Security Features – Secure Ballot Papers shall cost only Rs.1 each with 4-5 security features shall CostRs.80 Crores only that shall be Readable on Fast Counting Machines like Currency notes at over 500 Per minutes.
[LS2014 -TOTAL ELECTORS 83,40,82,814 & TOTAL VALID VOTES 54,78,00,004]
A5 Size Ballots [Cut to 5.5 in x 8 in] that shall have 10mm Strip of Space for ID of Election, Constituency Number, serial number – Polling Booth Number to be stamped on day of polling and signed by polling officer with time and Serial No. of Voting Register. 1-24 Boxes for Candidates to Stamp or Punch or Tick Mark with Special Ink in one box as per their selection.
Securest Ballots in the World to Cost Rs.90 Cr
90 Cr Secure Ballots Shall Weigh only 3000 Tones in Trunks or Pallets shall be Printed in Security Presses – Securely Stored well in advance and Airlifted, Couriered to All Constituencies 2-7 days in advance and Delivered to Polling Officers hours before Polling is to begin.
Bungling of ECI in General Elections 2014  & 86% Extra EVMs
1.   8m Extra EVMs Deployed: For 9,27,553 Polling Centers – ECI deployed 17,20,080 Control Unit and more equipment – VVPATs are to be introduced this time. Nearly Twice more EVMs were deployed than required. Refer Para 17 & 19 of the Press Note. Suspicion of Malfunctioning & Manipulations.
In 2019 ‘Exact Number of Ballots shall be Printed’ for each constituency. All Secured Ballots shall be Accounted for – Used & Unused and stocked. 

2.   Almost 10m Public Servants were ‘Deployed for Election Duty for 70-90 days’because ‘They Have to Undergo Special Training’ – Their Salary & Logistics cost alone add to over Rs.20,000 Cr.

3.   Instead of 10 Phase elections – From Mar05, 2014 Press Note to Swearing in on May26, 2014 is over 83 days, Elections Could Be Conducted in 4 Phases in 10 days, in 50 days – GDP Loss due to EXTRA LONG elections and its hangover at 1%+ of GDP is Rs.1,50,000 Cr.

4.    Total number of Contestants were 8251 in 2014 – @ Rs.1.2 Cr average Poll Expenses by Parties, Candidates & Supporters add up to over Rs.10,000 Cr.

Poll End 3 days to 38 days Tamasha – 72 hour Lock Down
5.   In 2014 GE Re-polling was ordered in just 301 out of 927553 Polling Stations but at5PM on May12 TV Channels began EXIT POLL Results and India watched TAMASHA for 72 hour until final tally was announced on May15 Evening.

6.   EVMs were Electronically Locked with RESULTS on Polling Days from April07 to May12, 2014 by 6PM which was not declared – Last set of EVMs were SEALED on 12th, TRUCKED to Counting Centers, Guarded for 38-2 Days, Unsealed and Votes Counted for Each machine from 8 AM to 5 PM on May15, 2014.

7.   In 2019 GE – A Polling Center in Charge with 2-3 other Officers to take Secure Ballots Used and Unused in a Car with Escort to Counting Station – Votes Counted in 5 minutes and Fed in to Central Server – result announced as early 6 PM on last polling day.
There is Enough Time to Switch to SECURE BALLOT VOTING in Elections – Currency Printing Presses Have Surplus Capacity to Print say 2-3 Crore Secure Votes Per Day.
Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS
Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857
Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,
Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects
 EC Rules Out Bringing Back Ballot Papers for Elections
Kolkata: Ruling out any possibility of bringing back ballot papers for elections, chief election commissioner OP Rawat on Saturday said the EVMs were being made a ‘scapegoat’ as the machines cannot speak and political parties needed to blame someone or something for their defeat.
“There is absolutely nothing about the integrity of the system… However, time and again whenever there are eruptions on this, we clarify the issue,” Rawat said at an interactive session on “Electoral Integrity and Role of Money in Elections” organised by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said the panel had last July announced that all elections henceforth would be conducted using EVMs coupled with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines. — IANS

Article 1

$
0
0

Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Salehi holds press

 
 
[facebook url="https://www.facebook.com/PRESSTV/videos/2064793020229141/" /]
Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Salehi holds press conference

 
 
Salehi: Iran will not accept at all new JCPOA.AEOI had prepared itself for new scenarios in case JCPOA face problems.
Salehi : Iran Can return to nuclear activities before JCPOA.
Salehi: Iranian nation has stood strongly against enemies over past decades
Iran leaders: Limitation on country's Missile program a dream that will not come true

Article 0

$
0
0

NCC BOY CADETS MOUNTAINEERING EXPEDITION 2018 TO MT SAIFEE PEAK

FLAGGING OFF CEREMONY : NCC BOY CADETS MOUNTAINEERING
thumbnail (4).jpg
EXPEDITION 2018 TO MT SAIFEE PEAK
Keeping in toe the NCC traditions the NCC Boy Cadets Mountaineering Expedition for the year 2018 was flagged off for Mt Saifee (6167). Mt Saifee is a magnificent, semi difficult and technical peak to climb and is situated in GarhwalHimalayas of Uttarakhand state.
Lt Gen PP Malhotra, VSM, DGNCC flagged off the expedition by handing over the flag to the expedition leader Col Dhirendra Singh and wished good luck to the entire team comprising of Maj Neeraj Maan, Dy leader, 17JCOs & NCOs & 20 NCC Boy cadets. The DGNCC in his speech said that he is confident that the team will cadets for their motivation & enthusiasm to become part of the Mountaineering Expedition.

A dramaturgical adaptation of Shrilal Shukla’s  “RAAG DARBARI” 

Invitation
Dear Friend, 
It gives me an immense pleasure in informing you that the 1st year students’ of National School of Drama is coming on the floor with their new production
A dramaturgical adaptation of Shrilal Shukla’s
“RAAG DARBARI” 
Adaptation: Sarah Mariam, Space Design: Asim Waqif
Set & Costume Design: Vidisha Purohit, Light Design: Rajesh Singh
Direction: Amitesh Grover
The performance are scheduled from 06th to 10th June, 2018 daily 06:30 p.m. with an additional show on 09th June, 2018 at 03:00 p.m. at Bahumukh auditorium, Bahawalpur House, Bhagwandas Road, New Delhi.
Director, NSD invites you to witness the above production. You may spare some time from your busy schedule to witness any of these shows and please inform us about your requirement so that necessary arrangement could be made accordingly.
Play contains adult language, children below 18 years will not be allowed. For more information please contact 23031120/21
We look forward to welcoming you to the performance.
With regards,
A.K. Barua
Public Relations Officer
National School of Drama
New Delhi
981329401
anoopbarua@gmail.com

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja witnessed in Delhi for ‘Veere Di Wedding’ special screening

IMG_2052.JPG
   The B-town diva Sonam Kapoor Ahuja visited a theatre in the capital for the special screening of her latest release flick ‘Veerey Di Wedding. She arrived at PVR, Chanakyapuri to gauge the public reaction. Where the crowd went wild. She interacted with the crowd and as well as media and grabbed positive response for her film ‘Veerey Di Wedding which also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Swara Bhaskar, Shikha Talsania in prominent roles.
   Along with crowd, Sonam herself witnessed highly enthusiastic for this special screening. While interacting with media peeps Sonam stated, “It’s a good commercial film, it doesn’t matter whether there is a man or a woman in the movie. I am very very happy! I am really happy for my sister Rhea Kapoor, who is a creative producer, even for the entire team. I am super happy and I am super excited.”
   Well, Veere Di Wedding is a female-centric comedy film, directed by Shashanka Ghosh. The film is co-produced by Rhea Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, and Nikhil Dwivedi. Featuring under the banner of Balaji Motion Pictures, Anil Kapoor Films & Communication Network, the film also stars Sumeet Vyas, Vishwas Kini, Manoj Pahwa, Neena Gupta, Vivek Mushran, Edward Sonnenblick and more in prominent roles.

Raj Kundra grilled on trade, GainBitcoin

Businessman and actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Bitcoin scam. Kundra is presently being questioned in Mumbai. The ED is recording Kundra’s statement.
06tweet1.jpg
The Enforcement Directorate today questioned Raj Kundra, husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, in connection with a money laundering probe related to a bitcoin transactions case, officials said. The businessman was summoned at the ED office in Mumbai and was asked questions about his involvement in the trade, termed as illegal by the government, they said. There are some instances of the case that are linked to Kundra and hence, he has been asked to record his statement, the officials said without elaborating. The Enforcement Directorate sometime back, had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against bitcoin-based investment website GainBitcoin, its founder Amit Bhardwaj and eight others.
Fiscal irregularities are of the tune and is alleged that about 8,000 investors lost about Rs 2,000 crore by transacting in this scheme. The ED had filed its case based on an FIR of the Maharashtra Police in this case and the Pune Police arrested Bhardwaj and his brother Vivek from Delhi earlier. Bhardwaj reportedly was behind ventures like GainBitcoin, GBMiners, MCAP and GB21, and the investors were allegedly duped after transactions on these portals.
Last year, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had informed Parliament that there are no regulations governing virtual currencies in India and the RBI has not given any licence to any entity/company to operate such currencies. The government had also cautioned investors to be wary of virtual currencies such as bitcoin, saying they are like Ponzi schemes with no legal tender and protection. — PTI

Sitharaman no scandal in the Rafale deal

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said, Indian forces will respond to any unprovoked attack to keep the borders safe.
Mrs Sitharaman was addressing a press conference in New Delhi about the achievements of her Ministry in the last four years. She said, it is the government’s duty to guard the border and India will not stop if it is provoked.
The Minister said, terror and talks cannot go hand in hand with Pakistan, adding that this is the government’s stand which has already been told by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Replying to a question, Mrs Sitharaman said, there is no scandal in the Rafale deal and assured the nation that not a single paisa corruption was done. She also said, there is no shortage of Defence ammunition today. The Minister added that the Armed Forces faced funds shortage under the UPA government. However, there are no shortages now.
Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “There is no shortage of defence ammunition today. Allegations of scam in the Rafael deal are baseless,” Sitharaman stated while addressing a press conference on the occasion of the completion of four years of the National Democratic Alliance government.
But on the other hand, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has long been criticising the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, alleging that the government has signed an overpriced deal.
Gandhi had also said the United Progressive Alliance government had cracked a better deal, while the incumbent government’s deal will be causing a loss of over Rs 40,000 crore. In February, Gandhi posed eight questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the deal and alleged that the Prime Minister personally went to Paris and changed the deal. — ANI
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the Ramzan ceasefire with Pakistan.  Addressing a press conference, Sitharaman says terror and talks cannot go together. She said the army was consulted before the ceasefire was announced. The defence minister said 50 terrorists were killed in 19 weeks before Ramzan, while seven terrorists were killed in two weeks during Ramzan. “We will keep our borders safe,” the minister said.
On the Ramzan ceasefire, the minister added, “When it is an unprovoked attack the Army was given the right to retaliate. We honour the ceasefire but of course, a margin was given to us when there is an unprovoked attack. The MoD’s role isn’t to asses whether it was successful or not. It’s our business to guard the border and we won’t stop if we’re provoked. We shall be alert that no unprovoked attack goes without us responding. It’s our duty to keep India safe.”
She said the defence ministry spending was its highest last year for over a decade. She said there was no real cash crunch in defence. She said when the government came in there was an ammunition shortage, but not any more.

Asad Durrani in fix on “The Spy Chronicles:

The Pakistan Army has said that former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani, will be punished as per the law and the country’s Army Act for controversially co-authoring the book “The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI And The Illusion Of Peace” with India’s former Research and Analysis Wing chief A.S. Dulat.
Interacting with the media on Monday afternoon, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said an inquiry has been ordered against the former ISI chief and outcome of the inquiry will be shared with the media.
“He (Durrani) is retired as a three-star general and you know the circumstances of his retirement – it was premature. He’s involved in the Asghar Khan case as well,” said Major General Ghafoor, adding that the army is clearly unhappy with what the retired officer had done.
“As soon as the book was published, we took action. We all know why he [Asad Durrani] was kicked out from the Army. He remarked that no one can become an angel after wearing the army uniform. He also noted that Durrani’s book referred to incidents that took place after his tenure. It was not okay for the retired spy chief to use his experience to comment on matters that happened after his retirement,”said Major General Ghafoor.
“We are all human, we make mistakes. But when you make mistakes, you suffer the consequences. The Pakistan Army has never forgiven any mistake, whether made by a soldier or a general. What will happen to Durrani will be in front of you,” he said.
He added that the reason why the forces had reacted so sharply to Durrani’s book was because the army does not take violations of its code lightly.
“Had he taken an NOC (no objection certificate) for the book, all of this would not have happened,” he said. — ANI
Further tweets on AsadDurrani has been barred from leaving  after the release of his new book “The SpyChronicles: RAW,ISI & the Illusion of Peace,”which has been co-authored by A.S. Dulat his former counterpart in RAW.
Pakistan Army has ordered an inquiry into a former spymaster who has co-written a book that says Osama bin Laden was handed over to the United States.
The army has asked the government to block Lieutenant-General Asad Durrani, a retired spy chief who headed the ISI in the early 1990s, from leaving the country because of revelations in a book he co-wrote with Amarjit Singh Dulat, a former head of the Indian intelligence Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Tharoor to face trial

Taking cognizance of the Delhi Police charge sheet, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal asked Shashi Tharoor to appear before him on July 7
A Delhi court today summoned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor as an accused in the Sunanda Pushkar death case and asked him to appear before it on July 7. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal said there were sufficient grounds to proceed against Tharoor for commission of offences in the case.
Tharoor has been charged with abetting the suicide of his wife Sunanda Pushkar, who was found dead in a five-star hotel in Delhi in 2014. Her last mails and messages on social media have been taken by the police as her dying declaration.
The parliamentarian from Kerala has also been accused of cruelty to his wife in the chargesheet submitted in court last month

Delhi Court extends interim protection to P Chidambaram

Delhi Court give interim protection from arrest to Chidambaram till July 10
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram was summoned by ED today.The agency had issued a fresh summon to Mr Chidambaram yesterday to appear before the investigating officer of the case.
Former FM  appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case, he arrived at the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi and was accompanied by a lawyer. The ED is expected to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Mr Chidambaram’s role has come under the scanner in the 3,500 crore rupee Aircel-Maxis deal in which the ED has already questioned his son, Karti.
The former Finance Minister had last week approached the court of Special Judge OP Saini seeking relief from arrest by the ED in the case.
The same court today directed ED not to take any coercive action or arrest him till the 10th of next month. The court passed the order after ED sought more time to file a detailed reply to Mr Chidambaram’s plea.
The case pertains to grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd in 2006 for investment in Aircel.
The Supreme Court had, in March, directed ED and CBI to complete their probe into the 2G spectrum allocation cases, including the Aircel Maxis case, in six months.

Shubhankar Sharma earns US Open berth with tied fifth finish at Sectional Qualifier

Shubhankar Sharma earns US Open berth with tied fifth finish at Sectional Qualifier 
Shubhankar_Sharma.jpg
Twenty-one-year-old set to become fifth Indian to appear at year’s second Major, also youngest Indian to achieve the feat 
Columbus, Ohio, USA, June 5, 2018: Indian golfing sensation Shubhankar Sharma added another feather to his cap by earning his ticket to the year’s second Major, the US Open, scheduled to be held at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, from June 14 to 17.
Two-time European Tour winner and world no. 77 Shubhankar qualified for his maiden US Open after finishing tied fifth at the Sectional Qualifier staged at Columbus, Ohio, on Monday. The top 14 players in the field of 120 made the grade. It was the Indian’s third attempt at qualifying for the US Open.
Twenty-one-year-old Sharma, the current Asian Tour money list leader, returned a three-under-69 at the Brookside Golf & Country Club and followed that up with a four-under-68 at the Lakes Golf & Country Club to finish with a seven-under-137 total at the 36-hole qualifying event.
Shubhankar, who made his Major debut at the Masters earlier this year after receiving an invite, is now set to become the fifth Indian to play the US Open when he tees it up at the 118th edition of the event next week.
The four Indians who have previously appeared at the US Open include Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Shiv Kapur and Anirban Lahiri. Shiv Kapur’s tied 23rd at the 2014 US Open is the best finish by an Indian at the event.
After setting the record for becoming the youngest Indian to play the Masters, Sharma will now also have the distinction of being the youngest Indian to play the US Open at age 21. Anirban Lahiri held the previous record as he had appeared at the 2015 US Open at age 27.
Soon after his qualification for the 2018 US Open, Shubhankar tweeted, saying, “I am extremely excited to share that I have qualified for the @usopengolf. Third time lucky but worth every chance I took to get there. It also validates how competitive my primary home tours @PGTITOUR @asiantourgolf and, of course, @EuropeanTour are! Thank you, guys! @OWGRltd.”
Interestingly, Shubhankar will also be playing the 2018 British Open, having booked his place at the year’s third Major after claiming his breakthrough international win at the Joburg Open last December.
The Chandigarh-resident had reached a career-high world ranking of 64 in March this year largely thanks to his two European Tour triumphs at the Joburg Open and Maybank Championship and top-10 finishes at the WGC-Mexico Championship and the Hero Indian Open.
Sharma now has a good chance of emerging as only the third Indian to play all four Majors in the same year after Jeev Milkha Singh (2007) and Anirban Lahiri (2015).

Article 0

$
0
0

Harshvendra Soin appointed as the Chief People Officer of Tech Mahindra – Effective July 1, 2018

Rakesh Soni, the current Chief People Officer to assume an advisory role in the organization

New Delhi, June 6th, 2018: Tech Mahindra Ltd. a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering services and solutions, announced the appointment of Harshvendra Soin as Chief People Officer effective July 1, 2018. Harshvendra Soin will take over from the current Chief People Officer; Rakesh Soni, who will assume an advisory role in the organization.

Harshvendra Soin has been associated with Tech Mahindra since 2012. He brings with him a rich experience of more than 24 years in the industry. Prior to his current role, he was heading the Canada Enterprise Business as Senior Vice President and Country Head at Tech Mahindra (Canada). He was also the Global Leadership Acquisition & Development, and Head - Business HR for APAC & IMEA (Telecom & Enterprise) for Tech Mahindra.

Prior to joining Tech Mahindra, Harshvendra was the Chief People Officer at Fortis Healthcare Limited, looking after all areas of Human Resources. He also worked with Aditya Birla Retail Limited as a Chief People Officer before Fortis. Harshvendra has also worked towards creating innovative HR Processes and Policies in Bharti Enterprises where he was Senior Vice President – People Excellence before moving as the Head – HR for Bharti Retail Ltd. He has also worked with the Oberoi Group and Punwire Limited

He has been a recipient of many prestigious awards including HR Leadership Award – Asia Pacific HRM Congress, Ascent - Most Powerful HR Professionals of India Award – World HRD Congress. Other awards include Talent Magnet Award - Conscious Business Leader Award 2016 by LinkedIn.

About Tech Mahindra: 
Tech Mahindra represents the connected world, offering innovative and customer-centric information technology services and solutions, enabling Enterprises, Associates and the Society to Rise™. We are a USD 4.8 billion company with 112,900+ professionals across 90 countries, helping over 910 global customers including Fortune 500 companies. Our innovation platforms and reusable assets connect across a number of technologies to deliver tangible business value to our stakeholders. Tech Mahindra is also amongst the Fab 50 companies in Asia as per the Forbes 2016 List.

The Mahindra Group is a USD 20.7 billion federation of companies that enables people to rise through innovative mobility solutions, driving rural prosperity, enhancing urban living, nurturing new businesses and fostering communities. It enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership in India and is the world’s largest tractor company, by volume. It also enjoys a strong presence in agribusiness, aerospace, commercial vehicles, components, defense, logistics, real estate, renewable energy, speedboats and steel, amongst other businesses. Headquartered in India, Mahindra employs over 2,40,000 people across 100 countries.

Article 5

$
0
0

Leading Digital Transformation and Innovation

Jun
8
NITI Aayog, India International Centre and Centre for Policy Research are pleased to invite you to a special talk as part of the Metamorphoses: Talking Technology series on
Leading Digital Transformation and Innovation
Speaker:
Prof Soumitra Dutta – Professor of Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and Chair, Board of Directors Global Business School Network (GBSN), Washington DC
Chair: Prof Ambuj Sagar – Vipula and Mahesh Chaturvedi Professor of Policy Studies, IIT Delhi
Friday, 8 June 2018, 6:00 p.m.
Seminar Room I to III, Kamla Devi Complex, India International Centre
Metamorphoses Website
The aim of this talk is to analyse how digital technology has enabled a more widespread start-up culture with reference to India and the US, their impact on public goods like health, education and micro-finance, the viable business models in this space and digital technology as an enabling and empowering instrument for women.
Opening remarks by Air Marshal (Retd.) Naresh Verma – Director, IIC
Speaker:
Prof Soumitra Dutta – Professor of Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and Chair, Board of Directors Global Business School Network (GBSN), Washington DC
Chair: Prof. Ambuj Sagar – Vipula and Mahesh Chaturvedi Professor of Policy Studies, IIT Delhi
The talk will be livestreamed on the IIC website; available on Facebook-live on the Metamorphoses Facebook page; and video recordings will be available on YouTube, as well as disseminated through social media channels hosted on the Metamorphoses website. The promotional video for Metamorphoses can be accessed here.​
Sign up for the event at this link. This is necessary given seating requirements.
Questions will be taken on a special number through SMS, provided at the venue, and selected ones will be answered given time constraints.
Soumitra Dutta is an authority on innovation in the knowledge economy, with a refreshing global perspective. Throughout his distinguished career, he has focused on how to drive business innovation and growth through the right combination of innovative people and technology. Soumitra Dutta is currently a Professor of Operations, Technology and Information Management at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, New York.  Previously he was the founding Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (April ’16 till Jan ’18) and the 11th Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean and Professor of Management of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management (July ’12 till June ’16). Prior to July 2012, he was the Roland Berger Chaired Professor of Business and Technology at INSEAD and the founding director of eLab, a center of excellence in the digital economy. Professor Dutta obtained his Ph.D. in computer science and his M.Sc. in business administration from the University of California at Berkeley.
His current research is on artificial intelligence, technology strategy and innovation policies at both corporate and national levels. He has won several awards for research and pedagogy and is actively involved in strategy and policy consulting.His research has been showcased in the global media and he has received several awards including the Light of India Award ‘12 (from Times of India media group), the Global Innovation Award ’13 (from INNOVEX in Israel) and the Distinguished Alumnus award from his alma mater IIT Delhi. He is one of the very few faculty members around the world and across all disciplines who has been invited to Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos for more than 14 years. He has been a member of the privileged “Davos Circle” group of participants.
Ambuj Sagar is the Vipula and Mahesh Chaturvedi Professor of Policy Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Prof. Sagar’s interests broadly lie in science & technology policy, environmental policy, and development policy, with a particular focus on the interactions between technology and society. While his current research focuses mainly on energy innovation and climate policy, he also studies, more broadly, various facets of technology innovation, environmental politics and processes, and engineering education and research. His recent papers have dealt with energy innovation policy and strategies (in areas such as biofuels, clean cookstoves, coal-power, and automobiles and institutional mechanisms such as climate innovation centers), climate change policy, and capacity development for the environment. He currently is advising/interacting with various agencies of the Indian Government and several multilateral and bilateral organizations; while in the US, he worked with a range of private and public-sector organizations in the US (including as a staff researcher for a major study on energy R&D for the White House). He currently is a member of the Indian Government’s Expert Committee on Low-Carbon Strategies for Inclusive Growth, the US-India Track-II Dialogue on Climate Change, as well as other advisory groups in the Indian Government.

Metamorphoses is a modest effort to try and bridge the gap between digital technologies, which are transforming our lives, and our understanding of their multiple dimensions. It will unfold in a series of nine interactions covering different aspects of the digital revolution.
This series will examine the impacts of digital technologies on the human psyche and on societies – exploring ways in which some of the negative elements may be mitigated. There will be a peep into the future – of what machine learning and artificial intelligence may bring to human experience – and the moral and ethical dilemma associated with these. It will also delve into issues relating to data privacy and cyber security as well as the emerging legal regime to regulate this critical domain.

Fathers are one of the best – UN


Fathers are one of the best, yet most underutilized child development resources – UNICEF
In honor of June Father’s Day commemorations around the world, UNICEF launches parenting site to bring fathers together to share experiences of parenthood
NEW YORK, 7 June 2018 – As Father’s Day is celebrated across nearly 90 countries this month, UNICEF today launched a new parenting site as part of its ‘Super Dads’ campaign recognizing fathers’ role in their children’s early development. UNICEF is calling for more support for fathers globally, including for policies that give parents the time and resources they need to spend quality time with their children.

“More than just a second parent or an extra set of hands, fathers are one of the best child development resources we have, and if we are going to give children the best start in life, we all need to fully recognize and utilize this role,” said UNICEF Chief of Early Childhood Development Dr. Pia Britto.

The online site will bring together fathers from across the world to share their parenting tips, their struggles, their needs, and their successes. It will also feature ‘mini parenting master g nutrition for healthy brain development.

The ‘Super Dads’ campaign is intended to remind parents everywhere that when fathers nurture their young ones in their earliest years of life – by providing love and protection, playing with them, and supporting their nutrition – their children will learn better, have less behavioural issues, and become healthier, happier human beings.

UNICEF is also using Father’s Day to renew its call to break down cultural and financial barriers preventing fathers from spending quality time with their young children.

“There is no time more critical for brain development than the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, and there’s a growing body of evidence that fathers hold a huge stake in this process. Yet this evidence is not being matched with investment in the support that fathers urgently need to step-up and be the best they can be,” said Britto.

Advances in neuroscience have proven that when children spend their earliest years of life – particularly their first 1,000 days – in a nurturing and stimulating environment, their brains can develop at optimal speed. These neural connections determine a child’s cognitive ability, their health and happiness, how they learn and think, their ability to deal with stress, and their ability to form relationships. Good nutrition, protection, play and love in early childhood spark these neural connections in children’s brains.

Research suggests that when fathers are able to bond with their babies from the very beginning of life, they are more likely to play a more active role in their children’s development, and will have better psychological health, self-esteem and life-satisfaction in the long-term.
The Lancet’s Series, Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale, launched in October 2016, revealed nearly 250 million children under 5 were at risk of poor development due to stunting and extreme poverty. The Series also revealed that programmes promoting nurturing care can cost as little as 50 cents per capita per year when combined with existing health services.
# # #
Multimedia content: As part of the campaign, world-renowned photographer Adriana Zehbrauskas travelled with UNICEF to capture fathers’ earliest moments with their newborns in delivery rooms across five diverse countries – Guinea Bissau, Mexico, Thailand, Turkmenistan and the United Kingdom. UNICEF hopes the series will encourage fathers across the world to play a more active role in their young children’s early years. The photos, released today, can be viewed here:https://uni.cf/2sJpRAv
About ‘Super Dads’
The ‘Super Dads’ initiative is part of UNICEF’s#EarlyMomentsMatter campaign, which aims to drive increased understanding of how children’s environments and experiences in early childhood can shape their future health, well-being, ability to learn, and even how much they will earn as adults.

Note for Editors

The #EarlyMomentsMatter Campaign in India

Building on the success of last year’s #BaapWaliBaat #EarlyMomentsMatter campaign around #FathersDay this year UNICEF India will celebrate the ABCs of good parenting for healthy brain development and highlight the importance of protection, nutrition and stimulation in the earliest years of life. This year’s focus in India will be on nutrition and will build a community of dads online and offline who can share their experiences of parenting especially around feeding their child and exchange parenting tips.

With the FIFA World Cup starting before Father’s Day and with the Indian National Football Team currently on the pitch in Mumbai, UNICEF will build on many dads’ passion for sports with a series ofexclusive videos from the Team captain, players and coach that will be released on UNICEF India’s social media channels from 14 June and will be available for download here.

A special awareness drive around enhancing awareness on what to feed children and at what age utilizing local foods, will also be initiated.

Please follow us on on FacebookTwitterInstagrambecause the #EarlyMomentsMatter. For more information on UNICEF India and its work visitwww.unicef.in.

SAM – Royal Philips open advance oncology imaging

Singapore-  Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, and the Singapore Institute of Advanced Medicine Holdings (SAM) officially opened the Advanced Medicine Imaging (AMI) centre at Biopolis, an international biomedical research hub in Singapore. The new facility will provide specialized oncology care to the fast-growing number of people confronted with cancer in the Southeast Asia region. In addition, the centre will facilitate scientific research and development and provide medical training targeted at upskilling the region’s healthcare professionals in the newest cancer therapies.
The AMI centre is equipped with advanced imaging systems and clinical informatics aimed at helping clinicians deliver confident diagnosis of cancer with increased speed and efficiency. The facilities, which will open in phases, are scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.
“The 100 million Singapore Dollar investment in the regional oncology centre reaffirms our commitment to strengthen Singapore’s position as the ‘go-to’ destination for specialized cancer care,” said Dr. Djeng Shih Kien, Founder and Chairman, Singapore Institute of Advanced Medicine Holdings. “Together with partners, including Philips, Varian Medical Systems and IBA Worldwide, we have a shared goal to provide a one-stop patient-centric hub where patients across the region can access the latest and most sophisticated technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.”
Cancer imposes an ever-increasing health burden in Asia, with the region accounting for half of the global burden of cancer. Due to the region’s ageing and growing populations, together with lifestyle and socioeconomic changes, the incidence of cancer cases in Asia is expected to increase from 6.1 million in 2008 to 10.6 million in 2030. This rising threat not only affects the population, it also has a dire economic impact as treatment costs spiral upwards. With healthcare systems already operating with limited resources and expertise, advanced technologies need to be leveraged to drive efficiency and deliver optimum patient outcomes.
Advanced imaging technologies realize accurate and timely diagnosis of cancer
With a comprehensive portfolio of advanced imaging systems and clinical informatics, the AMI centre will empower clinicians to deliver fast and robust oncology imaging. It will house two Philips Vereos PET/CTscanners, the world’s first and only fully digital PET/CT systems. Using proprietary Digital Photon Counting (DPC) technology, Philips’ Vereos PET/CT provides outstanding anatomical imaging and enhances lesion detectability with improved contrast and resolution.
Another world-first solution at AMI is Philips’ IQon Spectral CT, a new generation Computed Tomography (CT) solution that allows clinicians to characterize tumors with greater certainty than is possible with black and white images from conventional CT scans.  Philips’ IQon Spectral CT is also the world’s first spectral detector-based CT that allows clinicians to do both in-depth spectral information on demand and retrospective analysis at low-dose – a direct benefit to patients.
The AMI centre also has a Philips Ingenia 3T MRI equipped with Philips’ unique Ambient Experience, which uses dynamic lighting, video and sound to provide patients with a calming immersive environment.
These state-of-the-art imaging systems within the AMI will be complemented by a full suite of Philips clinically-rich healthcare informatics solutions, supporting confident diagnosis and personalized treatment. Philips provides IT solutions to integrate systems, aggregate data, accelerate workflows, and facilitate informed decisions, giving clinical teams the insights they need to work effectively and efficiently. One example is Philips’ IntelliSpace Portal, an advanced visualization analysis and quantification platform featuring a comprehensive suite of multi-modality applications, powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). IntelliSpace Portal will also serve as a collaboration platform for clinical development and research for the Advanced Medicine Education centre within the AMI, which will be open to third parties in the future.
Beyond diagnostic imaging innovations, upcoming facilities at the regional oncology centre also promise more personalized and targeted cancer treatment pathways through the use of radioisotope therapies, such as Lu-PSMA (Lutetium Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen) therapy, and proton beam therapy for tumor treatment.
The regional oncology centre also aims to promote clinical research for breakthroughs in cancer diagnostics and treatment, and cross-border medical training to enhance the knowledge and expertise of the region’s healthcare professionals.

Article 4

$
0
0

UN agency President at EAT Stockholm Food Forum:

UN agency President at EAT Stockholm Food Forum: striking the right balance to feed the world 
Rome, 7 June 2018 – Ending poverty and hunger top the list of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but achieving this shared ambition by 2030 will only happen if the world finds the right balance between meeting rising food demands while simultaneously preserving the environment and building community resilience, according to Gilbert F. Houngbo, the President of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Already more than 800 million people go to bed hungry each night, a man-made travesty that will only worsen as agriculture is increasingly affected by climate change. It is estimated that by 2050, 22 per cent of cultivated areas will suffer impacts, agricultural production will shrink and rising ocean temperatures and acid levels will lead to declines in fish stocks. At the same time, demand for food will more than double as the urban population grows. As a keynote speaker at the EAT Stockholm Food Forum on Monday, Houngbo will explain the tenuous balance between feeding the world, protecting the environment and the role of the poorest most marginalized families.
“How we switch food from being a driver of many of our greatest global health and environmental challenges to instead becoming a powerful tool for tackling them, is one of the most critical questions of our time,” says Alessandro Demaio, CEO of EAT. “Just as these challenges are intimately intertwined, our actions to address them must be integrated across sectors, disciplines and continents. As such, the work of international organizations such as IFAD is critical, and our hope is that the leaders and experts converging in Stockholm this week will make decisive contributions toward the urgent food transformation that is needed to meet the 2030 Agenda.”
Each year the EAT Stockholm Food Forum attracts more than 500 top global leaders from  science,  politics,  business  and  civil  society to share knowledge and  best  practices, and coordinate action across sectors and disciplines  to tackle the intertwined challenges of the global food system. Other speakers alongside Houngbo will include Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate and Deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lövin and Norway’s Minister of International Development Nikolai Astrup.
While in Stockholm, Houngbo will join IFAD’s Recipes for Change chefs Ska Mirriam, a Lesotho born chef and media personality, and Ali Said Mandhry from Kenya, popularly known as Chef Ali L’artiste, a media personality, culinary instructor and food stylist. The Recipes for Change campaign exposes the threats rural communities face as climatic changes impact the essential ingredients used in their traditional foods and daily meals. It demonstrates how IFAD, through the Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme, is working with farming families to adapt to the very real impacts of climate change in their communities. The chefs will join others in the community to launch at the EAT Stockholm Food Forum a Chefs’ Manifesto – a thematic framework that identifies food issues that matter most to chefs and grounded in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Contact:Katie TaftMobile: +39 334 6083657Email: k.taft@ifad.org

Article 3

$
0
0

Kim Jong-Un in Singapore, Trump on way


10kim.jpg
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un touched down in Singapore today, ahead of a planned summit with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders are to meet on Tuesday on Sentosa island where talks on denuclearisation of North Korea in exchange for economic help will be on the table.
Kim Jong Un on Sunday landed in Singapore two days ahead of the much-awaited summit with United States President Donald Trump.
The two leaders are scheduled to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island, where the process regarding denuclearisation of North Korea may kick-start in exchange for economic aid.
Several media reports stated that Kim, who arrived in an Air China 747 that touched down at Changi Airport today, is due to meet Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the city-state later in the day.
The North Korean delegation to the talks includes Kim’s close aide, Kim Chang Son, who is already in Singapore to prepare for the summit. Mr Trump is expected to reach Singapore later today for the meeting.
The US delegation, which is route from the G7 meeting in Canada, will arrive in the evening, and Mr Trump is set to meet with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tomorrow.
The delegation includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.



Trump withdraws endorsement of G7 joint statement


US President Donald Trump withdrew his endorsement of a joint statement at the end of a G7 summit in Canada today in a row over trade. In a tweet, Trump accused the summit chairman and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of dishonesty and making false statements at his news conference.
The US President who is on his way to Singapore for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also reiterated warnings that his administration was mulling tariffs on automobiles flooding the US market.
Trump’s remarks came after Mr Trudeau in a press conference said, Canada will move forward with retaliatory measures on 1st of next month against US decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada, the European Union and Mexico.
Earlier, all the G7 nations agreed on the importance of a rules-based trading system. The eight-page statement also included joint commitments to ensure that Iran will “never seek, develop or acquire a nuclear weapon” as well as demands for Russia to stop undermining Western democracies.


Putin: Me willing to meet Trump


Russian President Vladimir Putin today said, he will be happy to meet US President Donald Trump if Washington is ready to hold such a summit. Mr Putin was talking to reporters in the Chinese city of Qingdao, where he attended the Shanghai Co-operation Organization summit.
The Russian President said, some nations, including Austria, have offered to host his summit with Mr Trump. Mr Putin’s remarks follow a report that White House officials were working toward setting up a meeting.
The US President had said, he was open to having a summit with Mr Putin, who US intelligence officials have said directed Russian meddling in the 2016 elections. Mr Trump has repeatedly said he wants to improve relationships with Moscow.


India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund Demonstrates Further Deepening of South-South Cooperation



Secretary-General:  India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund Demonstrates Further Deepening of South-South Cooperation


Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks on the first anniversary of the India‑United Nations Development Partnership Fund, in New York on 8 June 2018:
It is for me an enormous pleasure to join you to celebrate the first anniversary of the India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund.  India played a very important role in shaping the Sustainable Development Goals.  And even before the Goals were crystallized, India’s own development efforts and vision reflected many of the same priorities and aspirations.  India is, for all of us, a very important inspiration.
Today, in the third year of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, I thank India for its strong commitment to multilateralism and to partnership with the United Nations, which is expressed in many ways across the global agenda and which we see again through the activities of this important Fund.  The Fund that shows the further deepening of South‑South cooperation, an increasingly valuable dimension of our work for development.
But this is also the moment to remind that South‑South cooperation is not an instrument aiming at replacing North‑South cooperation.  South‑South cooperation is not an instrument for the commitments that were made by developed countries now to be put aside.  South‑South cooperation must be a stimulus for an intensified North‑South cooperation, for the Addis Ababa [Action] Agenda to be fully implemented and for everybody to assume their responsibilities in the context of a world in which we want a fair globalization, in which justice prevails in international relations.
And the Fund’s support for Southern‑owned and Southern‑led projects throughout the developing world rightly emphasizes solidarity, mutual benefits, as well as national ownership.  And these are values that are also central when we recently approved in the General Assembly a resolution on the United Nations development system.  And the Fund’s focus on supporting people in least developed countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing States reflects our ambition to reach those that are left furthest behind and to reach them first.
Let me commend India once again for its leadership and solidarity.  And I look forward to further engagement on this timely initiative.  And I will have the opportunity soon in Delhi to congratulate the Indian Government on this very, very important initiative.
***


Antaram   A meaningful Pause for Solutions in Education


Education is the bedrock of a strong nation and a prosperous world. Without it, an individual, a family, society, nation and the world cannot function and grew. But what do we really mean when we say education ? Does it only mean the capacity to read, write and pass examinations ? Or is it the ability to lead a happy and fulfilling life ? Is it something which should be similar for all or can it be personal ? Does India today need an education which is relevant to her ethos and history or do we need an education which homogenises the experiences of a few ? Do we need to seriously ponder on the need of establishing new orders and solutions for education in India and the world ? if yes, what are those solutions ?
India has a huge network of contemporary schools. While the extent of this network is admirable, it also invites deep and damaging criticisms for its inability i) train students in basic creative and analytical aptitude, ii) prepare them for life’s challenges, and iii) instill the depth of character and human values required for them to be good citizens, and caring members of the society it sometimes seems that all the three aspects above simply can’t be done at scale.
To address these multifarious challenges, a serious and thorough brainstorming and debate on these issues is needed on one hand, and glimpses of some actions and possible solutions on the other. India has millennia of accumulated wisdom and experience in the domain of education and even today there are several large and small scale, private / civil society and governmental efforts that harmonize conflicting requirements, and find solutions to the complex challenges.
The Vrindavan cluster of Unnat  Bharat Abhiyan (IIT Delhi) has been working on holistic interventions in government schools in the cluster villages.  This work is being done in collaboration with several other organizations such as Government of Uttar Pradesh (through the Brij Teerth Vikas Board), Akshyapatra Foundation (local resource persons), Vision India Foundation (VIF, providing on-the-ground fellows), Bharat Vikas Nyas (funding and other support for events), Parmeshvari Devi Dhanuka Vidyalaya (reputed school  in Vrindavan town, part of the Vidya Bharti network), and individuals including relevant government officials such as the SDM, and Basic Shiksha Adhikari of Mathura district. The interventions were also preceded by visits to several schools all over the country known to deliver education differently and catering to the holistic needs of the child, such as the Muni international School (Delhi), Gyan Prabodhini (Pune), Riverside School, Rishi Valley School, Sri Aurobindo Ashram school (Delhi), Gyan Prabodhini (Pune), Riverside School, Rishi Valley School, Sri Aurobindo Ashram school and more, incorporating all these experiences, this team team has put together the concept of a conference on education titled Antaram – A Meaningful Pause for Solutions in Education.
The conference aims to understand, contemplate and reflect holistically on education, share innovative interventions and models of both the successes and failures of individuals and institutions kindling change in education in India, and subsequently find simple and implementable solutions for meaningful education in India and the world through active youth engagement. To achieve this, the conference will feature leading educationists, thinkers, practitioners of various education thoughts, leaders and representatives of visionary schools across India, grass-root leaders including government teachers, principals, civil society representatives, education-entrepreneurs, change-makers from Central and State Governments including bureaucrats and ministers. The subsequent pages provides more details of the conference, including the proposed two day schedule.

Article 2

$
0
0

Putin: Me willing to meet Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin today said, he will be happy to meet US President Donald Trump if Washington is ready to hold such a summit. Mr Putin was talking to reporters in the Chinese city of Qingdao, where he attended the Shanghai Co-operation Organization summit.
The Russian President said, some nations, including Austria, have offered to host his summit with Mr Trump. Mr Putin’s remarks follow a report that White House officials were working toward setting up a meeting.
The US President had said, he was open to having a summit with Mr Putin, who US intelligence officials have said directed Russian meddling in the 2016 elections. Mr Trump has repeatedly said he wants to improve relationships with Moscow.

India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund Demonstrates Further Deepening of South-South Cooperation


Secretary-General:  India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund Demonstrates Further Deepening of South-South Cooperation


Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks on the first anniversary of the India‑United Nations Development Partnership Fund, in New York on 8 June 2018:
It is for me an enormous pleasure to join you to celebrate the first anniversary of the India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund.  India played a very important role in shaping the Sustainable Development Goals.  And even before the Goals were crystallized, India’s own development efforts and vision reflected many of the same priorities and aspirations.  India is, for all of us, a very important inspiration.
Today, in the third year of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, I thank India for its strong commitment to multilateralism and to partnership with the United Nations, which is expressed in many ways across the global agenda and which we see again through the activities of this important Fund.  The Fund that shows the further deepening of South‑South cooperation, an increasingly valuable dimension of our work for development.
But this is also the moment to remind that South‑South cooperation is not an instrument aiming at replacing North‑South cooperation.  South‑South cooperation is not an instrument for the commitments that were made by developed countries now to be put aside.  South‑South cooperation must be a stimulus for an intensified North‑South cooperation, for the Addis Ababa [Action] Agenda to be fully implemented and for everybody to assume their responsibilities in the context of a world in which we want a fair globalization, in which justice prevails in international relations.
And the Fund’s support for Southern‑owned and Southern‑led projects throughout the developing world rightly emphasizes solidarity, mutual benefits, as well as national ownership.  And these are values that are also central when we recently approved in the General Assembly a resolution on the United Nations development system.  And the Fund’s focus on supporting people in least developed countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing States reflects our ambition to reach those that are left furthest behind and to reach them first.
Let me commend India once again for its leadership and solidarity.  And I look forward to further engagement on this timely initiative.  And I will have the opportunity soon in Delhi to congratulate the Indian Government on this very, very important initiative.
***

Antaram   A meaningful Pause for Solutions in Education

Education is the bedrock of a strong nation and a prosperous world. Without it, an individual, a family, society, nation and the world cannot function and grew. But what do we really mean when we say education ? Does it only mean the capacity to read, write and pass examinations ? Or is it the ability to lead a happy and fulfilling life ? Is it something which should be similar for all or can it be personal ? Does India today need an education which is relevant to her ethos and history or do we need an education which homogenises the experiences of a few ? Do we need to seriously ponder on the need of establishing new orders and solutions for education in India and the world ? if yes, what are those solutions ?
India has a huge network of contemporary schools. While the extent of this network is admirable, it also invites deep and damaging criticisms for its inability i) train students in basic creative and analytical aptitude, ii) prepare them for life’s challenges, and iii) instill the depth of character and human values required for them to be good citizens, and caring members of the society it sometimes seems that all the three aspects above simply can’t be done at scale.
To address these multifarious challenges, a serious and thorough brainstorming and debate on these issues is needed on one hand, and glimpses of some actions and possible solutions on the other. India has millennia of accumulated wisdom and experience in the domain of education and even today there are several large and small scale, private / civil society and governmental efforts that harmonize conflicting requirements, and find solutions to the complex challenges.
The Vrindavan cluster of Unnat  Bharat Abhiyan (IIT Delhi) has been working on holistic interventions in government schools in the cluster villages.  This work is being done in collaboration with several other organizations such as Government of Uttar Pradesh (through the Brij Teerth Vikas Board), Akshyapatra Foundation (local resource persons), Vision India Foundation (VIF, providing on-the-ground fellows), Bharat Vikas Nyas (funding and other support for events), Parmeshvari Devi Dhanuka Vidyalaya (reputed school  in Vrindavan town, part of the Vidya Bharti network), and individuals including relevant government officials such as the SDM, and Basic Shiksha Adhikari of Mathura district. The interventions were also preceded by visits to several schools all over the country known to deliver education differently and catering to the holistic needs of the child, such as the Muni international School (Delhi), Gyan Prabodhini (Pune), Riverside School, Rishi Valley School, Sri Aurobindo Ashram school (Delhi), Gyan Prabodhini (Pune), Riverside School, Rishi Valley School, Sri Aurobindo Ashram school and more, incorporating all these experiences, this team team has put together the concept of a conference on education titled Antaram – A Meaningful Pause for Solutions in Education.
The conference aims to understand, contemplate and reflect holistically on education, share innovative interventions and models of both the successes and failures of individuals and institutions kindling change in education in India, and subsequently find simple and implementable solutions for meaningful education in India and the world through active youth engagement. To achieve this, the conference will feature leading educationists, thinkers, practitioners of various education thoughts, leaders and representatives of visionary schools across India, grass-root leaders including government teachers, principals, civil society representatives, education-entrepreneurs, change-makers from Central and State Governments including bureaucrats and ministers. The subsequent pages provides more details of the conference, including the proposed two day schedule.

Article 1

$
0
0

Sensor act as Velcro to detect cancer cells

Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University Third Hospital has developed a new type of sensor that acts like Velcro for prostate cancer cells, sticking them to a modified frosted glass slide, like those used in science classes, so that they can be identified from blood samples. According to the researchers, the low-cost method could help doctors better diagnose and monitor the disease.
In men with prostate cancer, some tumor cells exit the prostate gland and circulate in the blood. Detecting these cells could enable diagnosis at an earlier stage or help doctors assess whether treatment is effective. However, because circulating tumor cells are present in very small numbers, finding them can be a challenge.
When the researchers tested blood samples from prostate cancer patients, the device detected as few as 10 tumor cells in 1 milliliter of blood.
Biospectrum

Article 0

$
0
0

 Modis bullet train project in fix

India is set to miss a December deadline to acquire land for a Japan-backed $17 billion bullet train project following protests by fruit growers, government officials said, likely delaying one of Prime Minister Narendra Modis most ambitious projects.
Modis office is now monitoring the project week-to-week, as officials seek to reassure Tokyo that the hurdles can be overcome through intense negotiations with sapota and mango growers in Maharashtra.
Protests, backed by local politicians, have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a 108-km stretch, which is around one-fifth of the entire bullet train corridor connecting Mumbai with Ahmedabad, the largest commercial city in Modis home state Gujarat.
Ive worked hard for three decades to develop this plantation, and they are asking me to hand over this land, sapota farmer Dashrat Purav, 62, said as he showed his orchard in the town of Palghar, a three-hour-drive north of Mumbai.
I havent worked hard to surrender land for the project. I did that for my children.
Purav said he would sell his land only if at least one of his two unemployed sons was promised a government job.
Failure to procure the bullet train land by the deadline would delay disbursal of soft-loans by Japan International Cooperation Agency, a government development body, which is reviewing the project next month, said two senior officials with the state-run Indian Railways, declining to be named.
To assuage Japans concerns, Indian officials have sought a meeting this month with transport ministry officials in Tokyo, one of the Indian officials said. India wants the projects completion target to be advanced by a year to 2022, the 75th year of Indias independence. Rediff.com

Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee health is stable

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, yesterday, has been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. His condition is believed to be stable, but it is uncertain when the former prime minister, who has been ailing for years now, will be discharged.
A team of doctors is closely monitoring his condition.
Yesterday, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi visited AIIMS, followed by BJP chief Amit Shah and Union minister JP Nadda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visted Vajpayee an hour later. Several Union ministers and senior BJP leader LK Advani were seen at the hospital.
A statement issued by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi last night said that appropriate treatment was being administered to him by a team of doctors under the supervision of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria.
The statement added that Mr Vajpayee was admitted to the hospital following complaints of a lower respiratory tract infection and kidney issues and he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited AIIMS yesterday evening to know the condition of Mr. Vajpayee. Mr Modi interacted with family members of Mr Vajpayee and also spoke to Doctors and inquired about his health.
BJP President Amit Shah, Senior BJP leader LK Advani, Health Minister JP Nadda and Congress President Rahul Gandhi also visited the hospital.

Delhi CM spends night at LG’s office

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues spent the night at the Lt Governor’s office after their demands including a direction to IAS officers to end their “strike” and action against officers who have struck work for “four months”, were not met.
12live-kejri.jpg
Kejriwal along with his deputy Manish Sisodia and two other ministers – Gopal Rai and Satyendar Jain — met Lt Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal at 5.30 pm yesterday and since then stayed put at the L-G office.
Last night, the chief minister, who is a diabetic, had to take insulin during the sit-in and got “specific food” from his home, sources said.
It is the first time in the history of Delhi that the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues spent the night at the L-G office to press for their demands.
Kejriwal tweeted at 6.27 am from the L-G office, saying “My dear Delhiites, good morning. Struggle continues”.
A number of AAP MLAs, party’s leaders and workers have also camped near the L-G office, and the police have barricaded the area.
The L-G office slammed Kejriwal’s sit-in, saying it is another protest in the sequence of “dharna without reason”. A statement, issued by Baijal’s office last evening, stated that the L-G was “threatened” to summon officers and issue directions to them to end their “strike” immediately.
In the morning, a letter, signed by Kejriwal, Sisodia, Rai and Jain, was sent to Baijal, asking him to take all necessary steps to end the “strike” by IAS officers including issuing written orders that all those officers who do not return to work will be proceeded against and “if necessary, ESMA may be invoked”.
According to the government, IAS officers have been on strike since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash and are boycotting meetings with AAP ministers due to which public works are getting affected. — PTI Media agencies

Kim Trump meet as the “talks of the century”.

US President Donald Trump, is when asked if North Korea had agreed to denuclearize, Trump said they would be starting that process quickly.
12live-trumpkim2.JPG
Kim said they had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind and that the world will see a major change.
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sign the ‘comprehensive ‘ document, Kim says the world will see a major change. “We have decided to let go the past and now the world will see a major change,” Kim says. “The relationship with the Korean peninsula will be different,” the US president added. Trump, who pumped Kim’s hand several times and gave him a pat on the back, said he would “absolutely” invite Kim to the White House. “We’ll meet again and we’ll meet many times,” the US President said.
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed an unspecified document that Trump described as “important” and “comprehensive,” to conclude their meetings in Singapore, CBS News reports.
Trump said he “absolutely” will invite Kim to the White House. Trump said he thinks the summit went “better than anybody could have expected.”
“We are very proud of what took place today. Our relationship with North Korea and the Korean peninsula has changed today. We’ve spent a lot of time together, a very intensive time. The letter we are signing is very comprehensive,” Trump said.
But it’s unclear yet exactly what that means. A press conference is scheduled for 2:30 pm local time, noon IST, where more details will come forward.
Trump said he thinks he and Kim will have a “terrific relationship,” and Kim, through a translator, said North Korea had to overcome a number of “obstacles” to get to this moment.
Kim Jong-un is believed to have already left Sentosa Island for Changi airport, heading directly home to Pyongyang.  President Trump will be holding the press conference at noon.
US President Donald Trump said he had forged a “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the start of a historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday, as the two men sought ways to end a nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula.
Should they succeed in making a diplomatic breakthrough, it could bring lasting change to the security landscape of Northeast Asia, like the visit of former US President Richard Nixon to China in 1972 led to the transformation of China.
“There will be challenges ahead,” Kim said, but he vowed to work with Trump. Both men sat alongside each other against a backdrop of North Korean and US flags, with Kim beaming broadly as the US president gave him a thumbs up.
As the historic first meeting between a South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday said  Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un met for what local media billed as the “talks of the century”.
US president and North Korean leader began in Singapore, images of Trump and Kim exchanging handshakes and warm words drew jubilant reactions in Seoul and hopes for a new beginning with Pyongyang.
“We hope the summit will be a success and bring us a complete denuclearisation, peace and a new era” in relations between the two Koreas and the United States, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said.
Moon, whose earlier meetings with Kim had paved the way for the Singapore summit, smiled and applauded alongside his cabinet ministers as they watched live-streamed scenes from the summit at the presidential Blue House.
He has spent “a sleepless night” with excitement ahead of the meeting, his office said.
The English language Korea Times welcomed the meeting as a step towards ending tensions on the Korean peninsula, which has been divided between the communist North and democratic South for nearly 70 years.
Since the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea has grown into one of the most prosperous countries in Asia, while the isolationist North has suffered a stagnant economy and alarmed its neighbours with its increasingly sophisticated nuclear weapons programme.
“The two leaders are certainly under great pressure to make the talks of the century a success,” the editorial said.
“We hope today’s summit will make a breakthrough to open a new era of peace and prosperity.”
Many watched live footage of the summit on their phones.
“A great shift in world history is in the making,” one Internet user said in a comment response to a news story.
But others were sceptical of Pyongyang´s intentions, citing earlier attempts to improve relations that later foundered.
“Kim Jong Un’s agreement to meet Trump means he´s having a hard time (from sanctions). But we´re giving him a chance to survive again after we did so with Kim Jong-il,” wrote another, referring to previous peace overtures to the North Korean leader´s father.
Media agencies

The IBC (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 has amended the IBC, 2016 which provides for insolvency resolution of corporate persons in a time bound manner for maximization of value of assets of such persons, and whereas, a need has been felt, inter alia, to balance the interests of various stakeholders in the code, especially interest of home buyers and MSMEs, promoting resolution over liquidation of corporate debtor by lowering the voting threshold of committee of creditors and streamlining provisions relating to eligibility of resolution applicants.
The Hon’ble President has promulgated the IBC (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018. Under this code, in section 5 of the principal Act,
(i)                 in clause (8), in sub clause (f),  the following explanation shall be inserted namely
a)                  any amount raised from an allottee under a real estate project shall be deemed to be an amount having the commercial effect of a borrowing; and
b)                  the expression, “allottee” and “real estate project”  shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in clauses (d) and (zn) of section 2 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016.
Hence, the new ordinance equates an “allottee” of a “real estate project” to be a person having a commercial effect of borrowing.   He is now treated as financial creditor.  He can initiate a corporate insolvency for a resolution against the errant developer.  He acquires the right to be on the committee of creditors.  He gets voting right and can influence the resolution process.  In the unlikely eventuality of liquidation, he stands at par with other financial creditors.

Please find enclosed detailed The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment)  Ordinance, 2018 for your kind reference.

CAIT WILL HOLD NATIONWIDE PROTEST DHARNA on July 02,2018

11th  June, 2018

CAIT WILL HOLD NATIONWIDE PROTEST DHARNA
AGAINST WALMART DEAL ON 2ND JULY
Walmart-Flipkart deal have to face a new attack as the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has declared to hold protest Dharna across the Country on 2nd July against Walmart-Flipkart Deal. Approximately at 1000 places in different cities in different States, the protest will be held. The CAIT took this decision today at its two days meeting of National Governing Council began today at Ahemadabad.
The CAIT in a unanimous resolution passed at the Conference demanded the Government to reject the deal and an e commerce policy is framed and a Regulatory Authority is formed for e Commerce.
CAIT National President Mr. B.C.Bhartia & Secretary General Mr. Praveen Khandelwal said that this time we shall be pursuing the matter with both ED & RBI so that e commerce companies including Flipkart and its newly owner Walmart should not escape from the liability of malpractices, predatory pricing and deep discounting.
The CAIT has said that the e-commerce market in India which remains very critical since its inception in the Country due to ill designed business practices adopted by various leading E Commerce players with a single motto of controlling and dominating retail trade by offering deep discounts and predatory pricing has vitiated the basic fundamentals of e-commerce and in the absence of any policy both in e-commerce and retail trade and easily circumventing the law,
It further said that e-commerce platforms are grossly and openly flouting Press No.3 of FDI Policy issued on 29th March,2016 which restrains e commerce companies for influencing the prices and make responsible for creating an even level playing filed but despite several complaints Government choose to  remain a mute spectator giving them an open play ground to play the game with their own rules.
In the wake of current situation, the CAIT has demanded that till the time the e commerce policy is formulated, strict directions should be issued to adhere to Press Note No.3 and implement the same in toto. To monitor the same a Special Task Force should be constituted with Officials and representative of trade & e commerce platforms. Further, we should be made part of the formulation of e commerce policy.

Driving Industry-Railway Partnerships

Rail Contact 2018
Driving Industry-Railway Partnerships
19 June 2018| Kamal Mahal, Hotel ITC Maurya, Sardar Patel Marg, New Delhi

Ministry of Railways has set itself a vision to transform Indian Railways (IR) to a truly world class, safe and modern transporter. The key plans to achieve the vision include speedy electrification, increasing speed of trains and a complete overhaul of the signaling and telecom network.

With the objective of working closely with IR to achieve its vision through industry partnerships, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), under the aegis of Railway Transportation Equipment Division, in association with Ministry of Railways is organizing National Conference- ‘Rail Contact’– Driving Industry-Railway Partnership on 19 June 2018 at ITC Maurya, New Delhi. The initiative aims to understand renewed vision of the IR, discuss and understand the emerging opportunities for industry members as well as provide a platform to Industry to showcase their readiness to cater to the emerging requirements.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Coal and Finance has kindly agreed to join as the Chief Guest and address at the Inaugural Session of the event. Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog has also agreed to join us during the Valedictory Session.

I am writing to cordially invite you to join and participate in the Conference. To register kindly click here. For further details kindly get in touch with Ms Vasundhra Chopra, +91-11-2465 3305(Dir)/24682230-35, vasundhra.chopra@cii.in / vicechairman.rail@cii.in


I look forward to your kind confirmation and participation.

With regards,
Vasundhra Chopra
Executive
Confederation of Indian Industry
4th Floor, Core 4A, India Habitat Centre,
Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003
Tel: 011-24653305

 Loudest.in & Exchange4Media,

JUNE 12-13, 2018 | JW MARRIOTT, JUHU | MUMBAI

Hi,
Greetings from Loudest.in !
On the bahalf of Loudest (An Exchange4Media Venture), it’s our pleasure to invite you to be part of
Music Inc. scheduled for June 12th & 13th 2018, JW Marriott, Juhu, Mumbai, India. Music Inc. is a two-day eventbeing curated by Loudest.in & Exchange4Media, with an audience of about 500+ in Mumbai.
Our theme for the conference this year is to bring together Brands X Music X Technology. Forming an alliance between three industries, technology, media, advertising & marketing, and music business. The idea is to inspire, inform, connect and celebrate the music business in India. This event presents a great opportunity for you to connect with the key representatives of the music industry.
Meet with Our Esteemed Speakers
  • Anupama Chopra – Author, Film Companion
  • Ashish Bhasin – Chairman & CEO South Asia Dentsu Aegis Network
  • Atul Churamani – Turnkey Publishing
  • Badshah – Musician
  • Bhushan Kumar – Chairman & MD, Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series)
  • Blaise Fernandes – President IMI
  • Clinton Cerejo – Musician
  • Ellis Rich OBE Hon DMus – CEO, Supreme Songs and Former-Chairman, PRS(UK)
  • Llyod Mathias – Former Senior Director of Marketing, Hewlett Packet (APAC & Japan)
  • Raj Nayak – COO, Viacom
  • Sabbas Joseph – Founder-Director, ‎Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd
  • Salim Merchant – Musician
  • Shailendra Singh – Former MD Percept, Incept and many more..
Time: 10:00 am onwards (Registration will start from 8:00 AM onwards)
Venue: JW Marriott Juhu Mumbai
Date: 12 & 13th June 2018
I sincerely hope that you will be able to take out time from your schedule to join us , and be part of our endeavor. Request you to kindly save the date on your calendar & drop a line of confirmation to reserve your seat/seats and confirm your name on the guest list.
Look forward to see you at the event .
Note: RSVP is Compulsory
Regards,
Himani Saxena
BW BusinessWorld

CSIR – Gangotri of Indian R&D & Progress Dry, Corrupted, Polluted

June11, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com
Mercifully this time Industry-Academia interface was not dominated by CSIR-NRDC. Way back in 1978 I reported to PM Morarji Desai that NRDC is Corrupted and Incompetent when Honorable President sh. Ram Nath Kovind was his Special Assistant and in 1978 PM also visited the Pushp Vihar site which had very substandard water supply installation. I temporarily fixed problems on ‘Eve Of Morarji Desai’s Visit’ but nothing improved.
Gangotri of Indian R&D and Development DST-CSIR-NRDC is Dry, Corrupted and Polluted nothing works – Industry, Energy, Exports, Rivers, Drains, Floods, Water Supply, Healthcare, Agriculture, Environment, Transport, Education, Foods are worst managed.
In 1980-81 reported ‘Brief Report on Blunders in Water Supply Installations’ was actually detailed for a Complaint and in Detail how‘CSIR & NRDC had failed to create or award a single Commercial Technology.’
India is let down by CSIR-NRDC Scammed R&D over 70 years – it has Laboratories in all sectors of Industries but had TOTALLY Failed to serve India. 2005 I was asked by Starnews for Story on FAST METERS – though the 30m Program was ready in two days but CEO Starnews wanted expert opinion of CPRI [CSIR] which had R&D facility in the Baghpat Constituency of HRD Minister sh Satya Pal Singh. NO ONE RESPONSIBLE WAS PRESENT IN CPRI TEST CENTER. CPRI was Corrupted and didn’t report anything wrong with Tata & Ambani DISCOM meters – (I reported SOFTWARE Run Fast Meters – similar to VW Tweaking Emissions by cars recently).
China Residents File 300-1700 Times More Patents/Utility Patents
In 2008 I was asked by AAJTAK for BRT in Delhi – in 30m I pin pointed all the BLUNDERS in BRT Delhi design – CRRI [CSIR] operates from OKHLA in Delhi itself.
I warned Rajiv Gandhi instinctively SAM PITRODA is MISLEADING India when he sought huge INVESTMENT to improve TELECOM – 1000 Line Exchanges made in 8 Years were SUBSTANDARD – India had to import DIGITAL TELEPHONE EXCHAGES.
2005 warned GOI Sam Pitroda files ALL BOGUS Patents – but was made ‘Knowledge Commission Chair’ since then India didn’t make any S&T Progress – current S&T Secretary Prof Ashutosh Sharma too files BOGUS Patents. Nothing is progressing.
It is more than 40 years since my reports to PM – India has gone Bad to worse – in 1978 water quality was generally good – most contaminated presently, until 2005 China in R&D achievement was about 3 times ahead of India, in 2016 is 302 times ahead of India in Patent Grants to Residents – 1700 times ahead when Utility Models are included.
Country
Patents Filed
Resident P. Grants
Patents Enforce
Utility M. Applications
India
25,795
1,115
49,575
0000
China
1,257,202
302,136
1,774,402
1,468,295
Top 10 PCT Patent Filings Are By China 2017 [Latest Figures]
PCT Applicant
2015
2016
2017
HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
3,898

4,024
ZTE CORPORATION
2,155
4,123
2,965
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO.,LTD
1,227
3,692
1,818
LE HOLDINGS (BEIJING) CO., LTD.

9
1,397
SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
710
1,163
972
ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED
16
452
707
TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) Co., Ltd.
981
172
560
YULONG COMPUTER TELECOM TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
71
256
517
GUANG DONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOM CORP., LTD
27
80
474
XIAOMI INC.
126
298
354
Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS
Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857
Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,
Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Talented Tabla player Mehul Sharma

MEHUL SHARMA a young tabla player is build up by his father MR. Rajesh Kumar Sharma. He shared the musical environment, since his childhood days with his musician parents. Brought and build up in musical family, he started learning different classical forms of music at age of 5. He initially learned classical tabla by his father shree  rajesh kumar Sharma and later by shree rohit poddar ji .At age of 18, to refine his art, he started learning tabla under guidance of famous tabla exponent of farukhabad gharana – GURU Devashish adhikari ji . Guru Devashish adhikari ji is a living Tabla legend who gained his knowledge of pure traditional Tabla by his guru ustad sabir khan .
PERFORMANCE:
Mehul has given numerous solo performances and accompanied in different cities of India and has received affection appreciation and blessings by audience. He started his performing career from age of 10, initially in cultural programs of school and different institutions like Sanskriti Kala Kendra for dance and music , Baal Bhavan of Delhi and in music seminars conducted by Vidya Bharti organization. At the age of 18 He went for Rajasthan tour for lecture demonstrations in educational institutes of different cities i.e. Dhaulpu, Alwar , Jaipur ,Bharatpur.
SOME MAZAR PERFORMANCE:
He performed annually for 4 continuous years in workshop conducted by sahitya kal parishad in Delhi.He also performed in youth festival , Delhi by sahitya kala parishad.He gave his marvelous performances in nadotsava organized by CICM (council of Indian classical music)He performed at kala sang am organized by income tax department (chennai) 30TH  all india cultural meet (2010).performed at sopan festival organized by delhi govt . performed at kalasamvad at doordarshan. He has performed with many renowned artists of our Indian classical music.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
An outstanding student academically , Mehul has proved his excellence in his educational field.his qualifications are as follow: He is persuing his graduation from music faculty, of delhi university where he explored the music Hons. Course. He has completed his diploma PRABHAKAR in tabla, which is equevalent to B.A degree ,from prayag sangeet samiti , Allahabad.
He also did his senior diploma in classical vocal from prayag sangeet samiti. He also has done his diploma course(5 yrs) in bhav sangeet from prayag sangeet samiti.
He believes in improving our self every new day because He is a believer that, the competition should not be with the world outside…..but with the world existing inside.
Best:
Mahendr K Awasthi
+91-9990630535

An experience, Modi in Singapore

Yesterday, for the first time I was physically present to hear Prime Minister Modi live at an event. I passed an opportunity to be standing right where he would walk in and shake hands with people simply because I did not want to be that fan who screams like a besotted dumbo. The brain, the brain – use your brain said my brain. Go sedately and listen to his speech said the brain. And so I focussed on reaching on time for the registration, security check and finding the best seats in the gigantic hall at the iconic Marina Bay Sands which can seat over 2,000 people (though I hear some 4,500 people were present). My husband joined later after finishing his office meetings.
Some cultural programmes were staged while we waited for the PM. We texted friends to find out where they were sitting, we waved to people we recognized. Suddenly the screens in front began to show the place where Modi was greeting people after reaching Fullerton Hotel. Live! And there stood some of my friends. The audience in the hall erupted at the sight and went “Modi, Modi, Modi…”
Still later when the PM arrived at Marina Bay Sands and began to come closer to our hall along with Singapore’s Prime Minister, even as every movement of his was telecast on our screens, the excitement began mounting all around me. We saw him going to different booths in an exhibition in the building and people cheered loudly. And then he finally entered our hall. OMGs it was like a movie star making an entry. I do not know if any Indian political leader including anyone from Gandhi or Nehru family has commanded this kind of euphoria, mania or whatever you call it even in a foreign country. [Subhash Chandra Bose is an exception going by the archival photos of the crowds he attracted in Singapore.]
The compere requested everyone to sit and we watched a beautiful dance cum yoga programme by Apsaras Arts Dance Company. It was an excellent audio-visual experience to watch Bharata Natyam and yoga asanas with the screens being used to convey some profound shlokas from the Gita and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Singapore’s got talent!
Next, Singapore’s Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations S. Iswaran came on stage to update us about all the business collaborations going on between Singapore and India. He told us that India has the world’s 3rd largest ecosystem for startups. A Singapore-India Incubation Programme will soon help Singapore start-ups break into the Indian market.
Three digital payment platforms RuPay, Bhim and SBI were launched by PM Modi in the presence of Dr Iswaran to a thunderous reception. 3 platforms which I wish had been launched right in those days when I struggled to send money to India. With these 3 Apps it will be a breeze to spend in India using Singapore dollar accounts or to send remittances.
Finally, the most awaited moment came when Dr Iswaran invited PM Modi to speak on the stage. It was a moment of total delirium all around me. Perfectly normal people in office-wear were chanting Modi, Modi or “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and even “Vande Mataram”. I looked all around to understand what this phenomenon was and then turned to my husband to see if he could decode it for me. But he was busy looking at his iphone to check on the results of the Kairana bypoll. “See how they have all ganged up against him,” he whispered. “BJP has lost to the combined might of the opposition there! 2019 will not be easy.”
The PM spoke.
But, he spoke in English which was a bit of a dampener because we all know his superb oratory in Hindi. But really, you have to give it to this man for being able to speak fluently without tripping, without getting confused in a language he must have learned so late in life. One might laugh at his pronunciation (after a while I felt as if I would start saying “nayver”, “praysence”, institusun, phreedom, breej, naytural, naval sheeps) but it is so much more appealing than a London educated colonized PM speaking in perfect English. How the hell does he reel off data like they are engraved in his mind? He spoke of the staggering pace of infrastructure development going on in India right now. Roads, railways airports, freight corridors, train station modernization, ports, manufacturing, energy generation, banking, social welfare. Hard data which cannot be faked. Here is a man whose every utterance somehow infuses Indians (even Indian-origin foreign citizens) with a little more energy, a little more confidence and makes them walk a little taller than before. I thought of the time when there was no Modi in the horizon. The hopelessness. The helplessness. When it seemed like termites were eating up India.
We’ve got a Prime Minister who motivates like no PM did before! I am remembering the speeches of Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi but none of them made one feel like getting up immediately and doing something, anything for India! The hope and inspiration that Modi has given to millions of Indians worldwide cannot be quantified. We will not know how many industrialists decided to invest in India, how many people began to raise funds for India, how many decided to volunteer in India because of the hope that Modi represented – these are things which cannot be measured. Before Modi, Indians abroad did not feel this connected with India as they do today.
Yes, we need Modi to be elected back in 2019. I know the man focusses too much on development to the exclusion of everything else. I know there have been gaps in the implementation of promises. I know there are many who are upset with his silence and inaction on important matters. All it means to me is that we need to push him more, shake him hard and force him to hear us. We need him to appoint more ministers who are as good as Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goel, Sushma Swaraj, Suresh Prabhu and others. But it has to be him. Him and no one else for PM for another term. Inspiration matters.
Sahana Singh

Union Steel Minister dedicates to nation rebuilt Blast Furnace-1 of Rourkela Steel Plant

New Delhi, 11th June 2018:
Union Steel Minister dedicates to nation rebuilt Blast Furnace-1 of Rourkela Steel Plant 
union steel min.jpg
The Union Minister of Steel, Chaudhary Birender Singh dedicated the rebuilt Blast Furnace-1 ‘Parvati’ of SAIL, Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) to the Nation today. Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram, Dr. Aruna Sharma, Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Binoy Kumar, Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Steel along, senior officers of SAIL and a large number of employees were present on this occasion.  Parvati is the first Blast Furnace of SAIL that was dedicated to the nation on 3rd February 1959 by the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The Blast Furnace was put down on 6th August 2013 for total rebuilding. Although erected on the old foundation, the rebuilt furnace equipped with superior technology has a higher production capacity. With the rebuilding, the annual production capacity, of the furnace has increased from 0.438 Million tonnes (MT) to 1.015 MT.

The Steel Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Burns and Plastic Surgery Department of Super Specialty block at Ispat General Hospital. This unit is the only burns and plastic surgery in the region and will fulfil the requirements of not only Rourkela but also of the people of neighboring districts and states.

The Minister also visited the state-of-the-art New Plate Mill of RSP and planted   saplings in the Pragati Udyan situated in front of the Mill.

Decisions taken by the Union Cabinet


· Cabinet approves the joint issue of postage stamp between India and Russia
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of the agreement signed in connection with release of Joint Stamps between Department of Posts, India and Russia Post (Joint-Stock Company “MARKA” of Russian Federation) to establish postal cooperation and strive towards mutually beneficial operational excellence in the field of issuance of stamps. Bilateral relations between India and Russia are marked by broad understanding on issues of mutual interest. India and Russia enjoy enhanced levels of cooperation in almost all areas of the bilateral relationship.
· Cabinet approves the extension of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Netherlands on technical cooperation in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management and Mobility Management
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Netherlands on technical cooperation in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management and Mobility Management in April, 2018.
Details
The objectives of this MoU are to promote and strengthen the collaboration between the signatories in the areas of Spatial Planning, Water Management and Mobility Management on the basis of equivalence, affordable housing, smart city development, geographical information system (GIS) for water supply & sewerage system, waste water reuse and recycle, conservation of fresh water by artificial recharge of aquifer, integrated solid waste management and heritage conservation and mutual benefit, taking into account the practical needs of both the countries.
Implementation strategy
Under this MoU, a Joint Working Group (JWG) will be set up to strategize and implement programmes on cooperation under the framework of the MoU. The Joint Working Group will meet once in a year, alternately in the Netherlands and in India.
Major Impact
The MoU will promote bilateral cooperation in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management and Mobility Management between the two countries.
Beneficiaries
The MoU is expected to create employment in the areas of Spatial Planning, Water Management and Mobility Management, smart cities development, affordable housing, waste management, urban environment and heritage preservation.
· Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Denmark on technical cooperation in the field of Sustainable and Smart Urban Development
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Denmark on technical cooperation in the field of Sustainable and Smart Urban Development in April, 2018.
Details
The objective of this MoU is to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of sustainable and smart urban development on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit through exchange of knowledge, institutional cooperation, research & development and commercial relations on related issues. Areas of cooperation include smart urban solutions, liveability, sustainable and integrated urban planning, re-development and land use, integrated solid waste management including waste to energy, sustainable transport systems, water and sanitation management, energy efficiency, resource mobilization and other related areas mutually agreed upon.
Implementation strategy
Under this MoU, a Joint Working Group (JWG) will be set up to strategize and implement programmes on cooperation under the framework of the MoU. The Joint Working Group will meet at intervals agreed upon by the Participants, alternately in Denmark and in India.
Major Impact
The MoU will promote bilateral cooperation in the field of Sustainable and Smart Urban Development between the two countries.
Beneficiaries
The MoU is expected to create employment in the areas of integrated solid waste management including waste to energy, sustainable transport systems, water and sanitation management, energy efficiency, resource mobilization.
· Cabinet approves Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III Continuation Programme – Phase 6: Thirty Operational Flights of PSLV
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Continuation Programme (Phase 6) and funding of thirty PSLV operational flights under the Programme. The Programme will also meet the launch requirement of satellites for Earth observation, Navigation and Space Sciences. This will also ensure the continuity of production in Indian industry. The total fund requirement is Rs. 6131.00 Crores and includes the cost of thirty PSLV vehicles, essential facility augmentation, Programme Management and Launch Campaign.
Major Impact:
The operationalisation of PSLV has made the country self-reliant in the launching capability of satellites for earth observation, disaster management, navigation and space sciences. The PSLV Continuation programme will sustain this capability and self-reliance in the launching of similar satellites for national requirements. The PSLV Continuation Programme – Phase 6 will meet the demand for the launch of satellites at a frequency up to eight launches per year, with maximal participation by the Indian industry. All the operational flights would be completed during the period 2019-2024.
The Programme will also meet the launch requirement of satellites for Earth observation, Navigation and Space Sciences. This will also ensure the continuity of production in Indian industry. PSLV Continuation Programme was initially sanctioned in 2008, and four phases have been completed and the fifth phase is expected to be completed by Q2 of 2019-20. The Phase 6 approval will cater to the launch of satellite missions during the period Q3 of 2019-20 to Q1 of 2023-24.
· Status-cum-Progress Report of “Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers”
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the progress report of Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers during 1.7.2016 to 31.3.2018. The progress report on interlinking of rivers has been submitted to the Cabinet in compliance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court judgement dated 27.02.2012 in the matter of Writ Petition (Civil) – 512 of 2002: “Networking of Rivers” along with Writ Petition No.668 of 2002 which directs the Union Government of India to constitute a Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers. A periodical report is required to be submitted to the Cabinet on the progress made by the Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers.
The Status Report of Special Committee on ILR consists of substantial progress made in three priority links namely Ken-Betwa Link, Damanganga-Pinjal Link and Para-Tapi-Narmada Link alongwith status of other Himalayan and Peninsular links identified as per National Perspective Plan of 1980.
· Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and United Kingdom on technical cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Development
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and United Kingdom on technical cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Development in April, 2018.
Details
The objective of this MoU is to facilitate and strengthen India-UK institutional cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development. The areas of cooperation include smart cities development, solid waste management, green affordable housing, waste water management, capacity building of urban institutions, skill development in urban areas, urban mobility, intelligent transport system and transit-oriented development, innovative access to finance and other related areas as mutually agreed upon by the Contracting Parties.
Implementation strategy
Under this MoU, an Indo-UK Joint Working Group (JWG) will be set up to strategize and implement programmes on cooperation under the framework of the MoU. The Joint Working Group on Urban Development is expected to meet once in a year, alternately in UK and in India.
Major Impact
The MoU will promote strong, deep and long term bilateral cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Development between the two countries.
Beneficiaries
The MoU is expected to create employment in the areas of smart cities development, solid waste management, green affordable housing, waste water management, skill development in urban areas, urban mobility, intelligent transport system and transit-oriented development.
· Cabinet approves Continuation Programme for Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved funding for the for Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk-III) continuation programme (Phase-I) consisting of ten (10) GSLV (Mk-III) flights, at a total estimated cost of Rs. 4338.20 crores. This includes Rs. 4338.20 Crores and includes the cost of ten GSLV Mk-III vehicles, essential facility augmentation, Programme Management and Launch Campaign.
The GSLV Mk-III continuation Programme – Phase 1 is the first phase of operational flights that will enable the launch of 4 tonne class of communication satellites to meet the country’s satellite communication requirements. The operationalisation of GSLV Mk-III will make the country self-reliant in the launching capability of 4 tonne class of communication satellites, and sustain & strengthen the space infrastructure and reduce the dependence on procured launches from foreign countries.
The operationalisation of GSLV Mk-III will make the country self-reliant in the launching capability of 4 tonne class of communication satellites and sustain & strengthen the space infrastructure and reduce the dependence on procured launches from foreign countries. The GSLV Mk-III Continuation Programme – Phase 1 will meet the launch requirement of communication satellites to meet the national demand for High Throughput Satellites for rural broadband connectivity, increase and sustain the availability of transponders for DTH, VSAT and Television broadcasters. GSLV Mk-III Continuation Programme – Phase 1 will be the first phase of operational flights of the GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle and the approval will cater to the launch of satellite missions during the period 2019-2024.
· Cabinet approves Revision in the wage structure and allowances of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) of the Department of Posts
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today has approved the revision in the wage structure and allowances of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) of the Department of Posts. The revision in the wage structure would entail an estimated expenditure of Rs 1257.75 crore (Non-recurring expenditure – Rs 860.95 crore and Recurring expenditure of Rs.396.80 crore) during 2018-19. 3.07 lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks will be benefitted by this wage revision.
Details:
i. Time Related Continuity allowance (TRCA) structure and slabs have been rationalised. The total GDSs have been brought under two categories viz. Branch Postmasters (BPMs) and other than Branch Postmasters namely Assistant Branch Postmaster (ABPMs).
ii. The present 11 TRCA slabs will be merged into only three TRCA Slabs with two levels each for BPMs and other than BPMs.
iii. Introduction of new Time Related Continuity Allowance (TRCA) will be as below:
Minimum TRCA of two types of proposed categories of GDSs as per working hours / levels
S.No.
Category
Minimum TRCA for 4 Hours / Level 1
Minimum TRCA for 5 Hours / Level 2
1
BPM
Rs. 12000/-
Rs. 14500/-
2
ABPM/Dak Sevaks
Rs. 10000/-
Rs. 12000/-
iv. Dearness Allowance will continue to be paid as a separate component, and also revised from time to time whenever it is revised for Central Government Servants.
v. It is decided to continue the calculation of the ex-gratia bonus by applying the calculation ceiling of Rs.7000 as basic TRCA + DA till such time a new scheme is devised.
vi. Arrears for the period 1.1.2016 to the date of implementation will be paid by increasing the basic TRCA drawn during the period by a factor of 2.57. The arrears will be paid in one instalment.
· vii. Annual increase at the rate of 3% and the same may be given on 1st January or 1st July of every year as the case may be based on the one time written request of GDSs.
viii. A new Risk and hardship Allowance has been introduced. Other allowances Viz. Office maintenance allowance, Combined duty allowance, Cash conveyance charges, Cycle maintenance allowance, Boat allowance and Fixed Stationery Charges have been revised.
Implementation strategy and targets:
The revision would result in improving the wages, allowances and discharge benefits of Gramin Dak Sevaks resulting in providing efficient & cost-effective basic postal facilities in the rural area. The proposed increased emoluments will enable him to improve his socio-economic standing.
Impact:
The Branch Post Offices are the fulcrum for provision of Communications and financial services in the village and are located in remote areas. The Post Master has to deal with large sums while making payments to customers; hence accountability is already built into his work. The enhanced remuneration will increase the sense of responsibility. Moreover, with the roll out of the India Post Payment Bank (IPPB), the CDS network is expected to play a key role in the process of financial inclusion of the rural population.
· Cabinet approves Revised guidelines on time bound closure of sick/ loss making Central Public Sector Enterprises and disposal of movable and immovable assets
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today has approved the revised guidelines of the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) on time bound closure of sick/ loss making Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and disposal of movable and immovable assets. The revised guidelines would reduce delays in implementation of closure plans of sick/loss making CPSEs. These guidelines will replace the guidelines issued by DPE in September, 2016.
These guidelines provide a broad framework for expeditious completion of various processes and procedures for closure of CPSEs by laying down important milestones in the closure process along with timelines, outlining the responsibilities of the concerned Ministries/ Departments/ CPSE, etc., in the process. The guidelines provide for advance preparatory action to be taken by administrative Ministry/ Department and CPSEs, preparation of closure proposal, settlement of statutory and other liabilities of the CPSE under closure and modalities for disposal of movable and immovable assets of such CPSEs in a time bound manner.
The guidelines give first priority for utilization of land of CPSEs under closure for Affordable Housing as per the relevant guidelines of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Since there are employees working in these CPSEs, Government decided that closure should not cause hardship to them and has now laid down a uniform policy to give workers VRS at 2007 notional pay scale irrespective of the pay scale in which they are working.
These guidelines shall apply to all sick/ loss making CPSEs, where –
i. Approval/ in principle approval for closure has been obtained by administrative Ministry/ Department from the CCEA/ Cabinet; or
ii. the process for obtaining the approval of the competent authority is underway after the administrative Ministry/ Department has decided for the closure of the CPSE.
By assigning priority to Affordable Housing it would make available land parcels of sick/loss making CPSEs under closure for the Government flagship programme of Affordable Housing being managed by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
· Cabinet approves Continuation of Off-grid and Decentralised Solar PV Applications Programme – Phase III
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for implementation of Phase-Ill of Off-grid and Decentralised Solar PV (Photo Voltaic) Application Programme to achieve additional 118 MWp(Mega Watt peak) off-grid solar PV capacity by 2020. Phase-Ill of Off-grid and Decentralised Solar PV Application Programme covers following components:
i) Solar Street Lights: 3,00,000 numbers of solar street lights will be installed throughout the country with special emphasis on areas where there is no facility for street lighting systems through grid power, North Eastern States and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts.
ii) Stand-alone Solar Power Plants: Solar power plants of individual size up to 25 kWp(kilo Watt peak) will be promoted in areas where grid power has not reached or is not reliable. This component is mainly aimed at providing electricity to schools, hostels, panchayats, police stations and other public service institutions. The aggregated capacity of solar power plants would be 100 MWp.
iii) Solar Study Lamps: 25,00,000 numbers of solar study lamps will be provided in North Eastern States and LWE affected districts.
For solar street lights and solar power plants, financial support up to 30% of the benchmark cost of the system will be provided except for NE States, Hill States and Island UTs where up to 90% of the benchmark cost will be provided. For solar study lamps only 15% of the lamp cost to be borne by beneficiary student and balance will be provided as financial support as such systems will be provided to school going children in backward and remote areas. The total project of the three components included under the phase-Ill is Rs. 1895 crore of which Rs. 637 crore will be provided as central financial assistance.
The off-grid solar systems will also open better livelihood opportunities for beneficiaries in rural and remote areas thereby increasing self-employment in such areas. It is estimated that, besides increasing self-employment, the implementation of Phase-Ill is likely to generate employment opportunity equivalent to 8.67 lakh man-days for skilled and unskilled workers.
Off-grid and Decentralized Solar PV Applications Programme has high impact in the rural and remote areas of the country where grid power has either not reached or is not reliable. During the Phase-Ill, the programme is likely to benefit 40 lakh rural households. In addition, the off-grid solar power plants proposed in the programme to provide electricity to schools, hostels, panchayats, police stations and other public service institutions will help communities at large and also help in increasing participation of women in education, social and livelihood activities.
· Cabinet approves construction of a new 6 – Lane bridge with its approaches across River Ganga at Phaphamau, Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the project for construction of 9.9 km long new 6 – lane bridge across river Ganga on NH – 96 at Phaphamau in Allahabad with total capital cost of Rs. 1948.25 crore. The construction period for the project is three years and likely to be completed by December, 2021. The new bridge will resolve the traffic congestion on existing old 2 – lane Phaphamau bridge on NH-96 at Allahabad.
The new bridge will also facilitate to the large congregation of people at Holy City Allahabad during Kumbh, Ardh-Kumbh and other yearly ritual baths at SANGAM in Prayag. This will give a boost to pilgrimage tourism and local economy of Holy city of Prayag. This new 6 – lane bridge will also be beneficial for the Lucknow / Faizabad bound traffic coming from Madhya Pradesh via National Highway – 27 and National Highway – 76 through Naini Bridge.
In addition, this project of new bridge will generate direct employment during construction for about 9.20 lakh mandays. At present all the Allahabad bound traffic coming from National Highway – 96, National Highway – 24 B, Asian Highway -1 and other local highways are using the existing old 2 – lane bridge at Phaphamau for crossing the River Ganga. There is no entry for goods vehicles on this bridge from 06 am to 11 pm. The present traffic on the old bridge is about 40,000 PCUs (Passenger Car Units) which is manifold greater than its designed capacity of 15,000 PCUs (Passenger Car Units), resulting in severe jam over bridge all around the day and night. This new 6 – lane bridge will decongest the old bridge and will also ensure fast and safe movement for traffic.
· Cabinet approves interventions to deal with the current crisis in the sugar sector
In order to improve the problem of liquidity of sugar mills resulting in accumulation of huge cane price arrears of farmers, the Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the following measures involving total amount of about Rs. 7000 crore :Creation of buffer stock of 30 LMT of sugar for one year and to incur estimated expenditure of Rs.1175 crore for this purpose. However, based on the market price and availability of sugar, this may be reviewed by Department of Food & Public Distribution(DFPD) any time. The reimbursement under the scheme would be made on quarterly basis which would be directly credited into farmers’ account on behalf of mills against their cane price dues.
To notify Sugar Price (Control) Order, 2018 under Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to fix minimum selling price of white/refined sugar at the mill gate below which no white/refined sugar can be sold and delivered by a sugar mill in the domestic market. Fixation of minimum selling price of white sugar would be based on Fair Remunerative Price (FRP) of cane and minimum conversion cost of white/refined sugar. The minimum selling price of white/refined sugar shall be initially fixed at Rs.29/kg which can be revised by DFPD subsequently based on revision of FRP etc. This will not affect availability of sugar to consumers at reasonable price and Government will put in place a mechanism to ensure that the retail prices of sugar are kept fully under control. At present, this would be done along with imposition of stock holding limits on sugar mills. The stock limit on mills will be initially imposed for the current sugar season (up to September 2018), which may be reviewed by DFPD at any time.
To augment capacity through up-gradation of existing distilleries attached to sugar mills by installing incineration boilers and setting up new distilleries in sugar mills; government will bear interest subvention of maximum Rs.1332 crore over a period of five years including moratorium period of one year on estimated bank loan amounting to Rs.4440 crore to be sanctioned to the sugar mills by the banks over a period of three years for which DFPD would formulate a detailed scheme in this regard. This would help diversion of sugar during surplus phase to reduce excess inventories.

Commissioner of Police, Gurugram inaugurates Eastman Premier League

The Commissioner of Police played the first over of the tournament which soaked the teams in cricket fever
Gurugram: In an endeavor to promote the spirit of camaraderie and common purpose amongst employees, Eastman Auto and Power Limited (EAPL), one of the leading companies in energy storage and solar solutions today launched a unique cricket tournament on the lines of the much-celebrated IPL series. It will be called EPL – Eastman Premier League. This glorious event comprising 8 teams was attended and inaugurated by Mr. Sandeep Khirwar, Commissioner of Police, Gurugram. He played the first over of the tournament and kick-started the tournament.
 The tournament comprising 15 matches will take place across the month of June 2018 at Sports Maidan, Sector 58, Gurugram.
On the occasion, Mr. Sandeep Khirwar, Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, said, “This is a unique and a noble initiative that will encourage team-building among employees and also drive work-life balance. Cricket as a sport also promotes discipline among players”
The names of 8 teams have been conceptualized after the names of the company’s popular products. Group A comprises RayBar Riders, Solar Charge Controllers, TTC Mavericks, T-Gel Champions and Group B includes Grid Tie Solar Risers, Hybrid Sunrisers, MPPT Supernovas and On-Grid Strikers.
“We, at Eastman Auto and Power Limited, have always strived to provide a perfect work-life balance to all our employees. Cricket is a popular sport and religion in India that cuts across age, gender, and any other demographic construct. This is a unique employee engagement initiative that will thoroughly rejuvenate employees and develop strong bonds amongst them, make them understand the power of team efforts, and strategy,” said Mr. Saurabh Srivastava, President – Marketing & Product Strategy, Eastman Auto and Power Limited.
Meanwhile, employees have welcomed the initiative.
“The initiative is a testimony to the company’s commitment to providing novel experiences of life beyond work. Cricket is my passion and I look forward to leading my team in the tournament,” said Prashant Pillai, Captain of Grid Tie Solar Risers, an employee of Eastman Auto and Power Limited.
This is one of the many recent initiatives that EAPL has taken in this space. Last month it had announced a unique ESOP policy for employees where employees get a chance to co-create growth and value for the organization and themselves. It makes them partners in the quest to achieve professional excellence.
Another unique initiative where Eastman decided to give back to the community was the idea of Solarizing far-flung government schools in India which are mostly off the grid and get very scanty electricity supply. Called the ‘Yellow Umbrella Campaign’ in its first year the aim is to solarize 100 such schools
About Eastman Auto and Power Limited
Eastman Auto & Power Limited is acknowledged globally for its innovative approach, quality, and excellent services. Established in 2002, EAPL is the leading manufacturer, supplier, and exporter of all kinds of energy storage and solar solutions with manufacturing and research units in India. The range of products offered by Eastman is known for its quality, durability, and performance. The company provides batteries for vehicles, Inverters &UPS systems applications as well as E-rickshaw and solar solutions. EAPL also provides the most comprehensive portfolio of customized packages, solutions and services along the solar PV product line for SOHO, Rooftop, Residential and CSR applications. The company support and maintenance services across the world help to ensure efficient solar and energy storage installations.
Thanks & Regards,
 
Pallavi Joshi
9873624951

Article 1

$
0
0

Farmers block oil refineries and depots across France

French farmers began a blockade of at least 14 oil refineries and depots belonging to energy company Total on Sunday evening.
DffdQKZXcAAVLNI.jpg
The demonstrators positioned their tractors and straw bales at the sites to protest against what they see as unfair standards in the importation of palm oil for use in fuel.
President of the National Federation of Agricultural Holders’ Unions Christiane Lambert insisted that the imports can undermine French agriculture, according to local media.
The blockage was described as “illegal” by French Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert. He said that the government is not going to backtrack on its decision to allow Total to use imported palm oil, and warned that the protest could not lead to any “adequate solutions.”

Putin’s visit ‘strong impetus’ to Sino-Russian relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China was successful, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. The spokesman told reporters on Monday, that the visit gave a new “strong impetus” to the bilateral relations and said that the friendship medal given to the Russian leader reflects the “deep friendship” between the two states. He became the first foreign leader to receive one of the highest awards of China, officially called Order of Friendship. Putin came to China on June 8, where his met his counterpart Xi Jingping and later took part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO summit.

Erdogan vows to ‘drain terrorist swamp’

Erdogan vows to ‘drain terrorist swamp’ after strikes in Iraq’s Qandil Mountains.
Turkey has destroyed 14 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq’s Qandil Mountains. The region is considered to be the headquarters of the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara. Some 20 Turkish jets were involved in the attack on Monday. Speaking at a rally in the central Turkish city of Nigde, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to “drain the biggest of the swamps” in reference to the region, which he said was a “source of terrorism” affecting Turkey, according to Daily Sabah.

Netanyahu questioned in probe

Israeli PM Netanyahu questioned in probe for corruption.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been quizzed by the police on Tuesday in his official residence in Jerusalem, in a criminal investigation into his involvement in a telecom corruption case. New testimony, presented by his former confidant Nir Hefetz in the so-called Case 4000, reveals that from 2014 to 2017 Netanyahu had allegedly used his former position of communications minister to have Walla!, a news site run by Bezeq communications giant, provide favorable coverage of him and his wife Sara.

Is South China Sea, in crucible treat

Modi  echoed American rhetoric about a “shared vision of an open, stable, secure and prosperous” Indo-Pacific, which he described as “a natural region” — countering those who wonder if an area stretching from Bollywood to Hollywood might too vast and disparate to be cast into a geopolitical fact on the ground.
Modi also heaped praise on China, despite its border dispute with India and increasingly close economic ties with Pakistan, India’s neighbor and nuclear rival.
“Our cooperation is expanding. Trade is growing. And, we have displayed maturity and wisdom in managing issues and ensuring a peaceful border,” Modi said.
Ending the “provocative actions” is an essential step towards easing tensions around the Korean Peninsula and creating the “atmosphere of trust” in the region, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. This was in response to US President Donald Trump’s statement that it was now “inappropriate” to stage war games in light of the negotiation process. Trump made the remark after the historic summit with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Stopping the US-South Korea war games was one of the conditions Pyongyang proposed for denuclearization.
China’s foreign ministry described Modi’s speech as “positive,” while one of its military delegation at the Singapore conference gloated that India and the U.S. “have different understandings, different interpretations, of this Indo-Pacific.”
The Trump and Kim summit has its new fulcrums, US denuclearisation means North Korea dismantling its nuclear arsenal, for Pyongyang it means scaling down of US forces from both South Korea and Japan, besides ending the annual military drill between the US and South Korea.
Further, there was no mention of missiles, an issue that was brought to the fore in 2017.
Also, the text on MIA remains implies US military figures will visit North Korea. As contained in the joint text, the US and North Korea commit to recovering PoW/MIA remains including the immediate repatriation of those already identified. However, commitment to ‘expeditious’ implementation is good.
The most important of those four key points in the joint text is the third point in which both Trump and Kim ‘commit to work towards the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula’.
Indeed, there is plenty of wriggle room in committing to work toward denuclearisation.
The joint text clearly mentions thus: ‘President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his form and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.’
According to Jonathan Cheng of The Wall Street Journal, there are four key points in the Trump-Kim Declaration.
First: The US and North Korea commit to establish new US-North Korea relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.
Second: Both would make efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
Third: Reaffirming the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration, North Korea commits to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
And fourth: Both sides commit to recover PoW/MIA remains including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.
China welcomed the summit as ‘historic’. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi observed the fact that the two leaders ‘can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating new history.’
Wang also spoke of the need for a peace mechanism for the peninsula. While calling for ‘full denuclearisation’ to resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Wang observed: ‘Resolving the nuclear issue, on the one hand, of course, is denuclearisation, full denuclearisation.’
‘At the same time, there needs to be a peace mechanism for the peninsula, to resolve North Korea’s reasonable security concerns.’
It needs to be remembered that Beijing is Pyongyang’s sole major ally and main trading partner. However, it supported others in implementing a slew of UN sanctions to punish the North over its nuclear and missile tests.
Yet, Beijing welcomed Kim twice in quick succession prior to the latter’s summit with Trump. That China continues to remain relevant in any peace process in the Korean Peninsula remains unquestioned.
Despite tensions, the Cold War-era allies sought to mend ties recently, and Kim even borrowed an Air China plane to travel to the landmark summit with Trump in Singapore.
Take others view, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s account of a conversation he had with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, was startling.
During a meeting between the two leaders in Beijing in May 2017, the subject turned to whether the Philippines would seek to drill for oil in a part of the South China Sea claimed by both countries. Duterte said he was given a blunt warning by China’s president.
“[Xi’s] response to me [was], ‘We’re friends, we don’t want to quarrel with you, we want to maintain the presence of warm relationship, but if you force the issue, we’ll go to war,” Duterte recounted.
A year later, Duterte was asked for a response to news that China had landed long-range bombers on one of the South China Sea’s Paracel Islands — a milestone that suggests the People’s Liberation Army Air Force can easily make the short hop to most of Southeast Asia from its new airstrips. “What’s the point of questioning whether the planes there land or not?” Duterte responded.
His refusal to condemn China’s military buildup underlines China’s success in subduing its rivals in the South China Sea. Since 2013 China has expanded artificial islands and reefs in the sea and subsequently installed a network of runways, missile launchers, barracks and communications facilities.
These military advances have led many to wonder if Beijing has already established unassailable control over the disputed waters. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have overlapping claims to parts of the South China Sea and its islands – claims that are looking increasingly forlorn in the wake of China’s military buildup.
“What China is winning is de facto control of nearly the entire South China Sea, including all activities and resources in it, despite the other surrounding Southeast Asian states’ respective legal rights and entitlements under international law,” said Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea.
At stake is the huge commercial and military leverage that comes with controlling one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, through which up to $5 trillion worth of trade passes each year.
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis insists that China faces “consequences” for the “militarization” of South China Sea, which he says is being done for “the purposes of intimidation and coercion.”
“There are consequences that will continue to come home to roost, so to speak, with China, if they do not find the way to work more collaboratively with all of the nations,” Mattis said on June 2 at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, a security conference organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Mac Thornberry, chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, added that the U.S. naval presence means China does not have a free hand in the South China Sea.
“I think you will see more and more nations working together to affirm freedom of navigation through the South China Sea and other international waters,” Thornberry told the Nikkei Asian Review.
But what those consequences might be was left unsaid by Mattis, who suggested that there was little prospect of forcing China to give up its growing network of military facilities dotting the sea.
“We all know nobody is ready to invade,” he said.
Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, “There is no reasonable basis for the U.S. to use military force to push China off its outposts, nor would any country in the region support such an effort.”
The U.S. pushback so far has included disinviting China from a major Pacific naval exercise. It also continues to carry out so-called freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPs, the most recent of which took place on May 27. This was followed by U.S. military aircraft flying over the Paracel Islands in early June, a move that prompted a countercharge of “militarization’” against the U.S. by China’s Foreign Ministry.
China regards the FONOPs as sabre-rattling and “a challenge to [our] sovereignty,” according to Lt. Gen. He Lei, Beijing’s lead representative at the Singapore conference.
He restated the government position on troops and weapons on islands in the South China Sea, describing the deployments as an assertion of sovereignty and said that allegations of militarization were “hyped up” by the U.S.
Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana stopped short of endorsing the FONOPs but told the Nikkei Asian Review that “it is our belief that those sea lanes should be left open and free.”
In contrast to Duterte’s reluctance to confront China, his predecessor as president, Benigno Aquino, was frequently outspoken about China’s increasing control of the sea. He pressed a case against Beijing to an arbitration tribunal in 2013 after a protracted naval stand-off the year before around Scarborough Shoal, a rock claimed by both countries and lying about 120 nautical miles off the Luzon coast.
In mid-2016 the tribunal dismissed China’s expansive “nine-dash line” claim to much of the South China Sea and its artificial island-building and expansion, all of which the tribunal said contravened the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.
Duterte said he would not “flaunt” the tribunal outcome, in contrast with his campaign pledge to assert the country’s sovereignty — he even vowed to ride a jet ski to one of China’s artificial islands and plant the Philippine flag there. Manila hopes for significant Chinese investment in roads, rail and ports, as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, a multicontinent plan outlining China-backed infrastructure upgrades.
Defense Secretary Lorenzana emphasized in remarks to the media in Singapore that good relations with China remain a priority, regardless of bilateral disputes. “It is just natural for us to befriend our neighbor. We cannot avoid dealing with China, they are near, [and] many Filipinos, including me, have Chinese blood.”
For the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, there are growing doubts about whether the American navy would protect them in a conflict with China, something Duterte, a brusque critic of the U.S., has questioned publicly.
Mattis, like former President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, sidestepped a question on that issue in Singapore, saying, “The reason why public figures do not want to give specific answers is that these are complex issues.”
American evasiveness is a reminder to the Philippines that the U.S. might not risk war with China over its old ally. “It is debatable whether Filipinos believe that the U.S. will have its back in a conflict with China,” Batongbacal of the University of the Philippines said. “Duterte’s repeated statements against the reliability of the U.S. as an ally tends to undermine this further.”
Duterte’s reticence has left Vietnam as the sole claimant willing to speak up. Discussing recent developments in the South China Sea, Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich told the Singapore conference, “Under no circumstances could we excuse militarization by deploying weapons and military hardware over disputed areas against regional commitments.”
Lich did not name-check China in his speech, but described “a serious breach to the sovereignty” of another country that “violates international laws, complicates the situation and negatively affects regional peace, stability and security.”
As well as hindering oil and gas projects in waters close to Vietnam, China’s navy has for several years harassed Vietnamese fishing boats — as it does around the Philippines — and continues to occupy islands seized from Vietnam nearly five decades ago.
In 2014, anti-China riots kicked off across Vietnam after China placed an oil rig in South China Sea waters claimed by Hanoi. In early June there were demonstrations against proposals that protesters claimed will give Chinese businesses favored access in so-called Special Economic Zones in Vietnam.
Vietnam’s response to potential isolation has been a cautious dalliance with the U.S. In late 2016, shortly before the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, American warships docked in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay naval base, the first such visit since the former antagonists normalized ties in 1995. That landmark was followed in March this year by the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier to the central Vietnam city of Danang.
Hanoi recently called for greater Japanese involvement in the region’s maritime disputes, perhaps signalling an interest in a wider effort to counter China. But unlike the Philippines, Vietnam, which like China is a single party communist-run state, is not a U.S. treaty ally. Historical and ideological differences mean that there are limits to how closely Vietnam will align with the U.S.
“I think there is a good momentum with defense cooperation with the U.S. But I don’t think that it would immediately mean jumping into the ‘American camp,’ whatever it means,” said Huong Le Thu, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
U.S. has sought to widen the array of countries it hopes will join it in countering China’s rising influence. During his 12-day swing through Asia in late 2017, Trump peppered his speeches with references to the “Indo-Pacific,” dispensing with the long established “Asia-Pacific” label in favor of a more expansive term first used by Japan.
The “Indo-Pacific” was then mentioned throughout the U.S. National Security Strategy published soon after Trump’s Asia trip — a document that alleged China aims to “challenge American power” and “is using economic inducements and penalties, influence operations, and implied military threats to persuade other states to heed its political and security agenda.”
Three days before his Singapore speech, Mattis announced in Hawaii that the U.S. Pacific Command would be renamed the Indo-Pacific Command, describing the expanded theater as stretching “from Bollywood to Hollywood.”
Mattis later added some gravitas to the cinematic catchphrase, saying in Singapore that “standing shoulder to shoulder with India, ASEAN and our treaty allies and other partners, America seeks to build an Indo-Pacific where sovereignty and territorial integrity are safeguarded — the promise of freedom fulfilled and prosperity prevails for all.”
The Trump administration clearly hopes for greater Indian involvement in its efforts to counter China’s growing influence. Kori Schake, deputy director-general of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that while “Indo-Pacific isn’t yet an established part of the lexicon,” the implications of the term are clear.
“India is an Asian power. The countries adopting the term are encouraging India into greater cooperation in maintaining the maritime commons in the Indian and Pacific oceans,” said Schake, a former U.S. State Department official.
South Korean media were sharply divided in their assessments of Tuesday’s historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with conservative news outlets blasting the meeting and one liberal paper lauding it.
North Korean media regard Tuesday’s summit with the United States as an epoch-making event to create “a radical switchover” in hostile bilateral relations.
State-run media reported on Wednesday for the first time that the nation’s leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump had held an “epoch-making meeting” in Singapore and signed a joint statement.
The report says the leaders shared the recognition of the principle of step-by-step and simultaneous action in achieving peace, stability and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It suggests that Trump showed his understanding of a North Korean demand for the phased denuclearization of the peninsula.
The media report quotes Kim as saying that “it is urgent to make a bold decision on halting irritating and hostile military actions against each other.”
It says Trump expressed his intention to halt US-South Korea joint military exercises over a period of goodwill dialogue between North Korea and the United States.
The report says Trump suggested the US would offer security guarantees to North Korea and lift sanctions against it, if mutual relations improve through dialogue.
It says the summit was an “event of great significance in making a radical switchover in the most hostile North Korea-US relations, as required by the developing times.”
The media made no mention of Trump’s remarks to reporters that the leaders had discussed the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea, or that Kim had agreed to destroy a major testing site for ballistic missile engines.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton will hold follow-up talks with North Korean officials next week.
But some observers say the upcoming talks are likely to face twists and turns because the leaders did not agree on any details of the denuclearization process
media agencies

Bangladesh’s Rohingya Refugee Camps need HR

16406965_1284808271556899_3998595658197036646_n.jpg
This is beginning of the monsoon and the sojourn camps dwelling are of conflicting Rohingya with their colleague in old settlement for and on trivial matter, putting the life of each other in disarray are finding themselves in natural catastrophe, where safety is first priority. Myanmar  government needs to send some spiritual and best motivators to teach to live in peace and harmony for the betterment of the the inhabitants are their native place with brotherhood among,  the Buddhist, the Hindu and the Muslims and the Christians. Lesson of ethics is also responsibility of the democratic government of land.
Cox’s Bazar – Heavy monsoon rains that began on Saturday (9/6) have caused severe structural damage to Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar Rohingya refugee camps. Over 31,000 of the camps’ one million refugees, who fled Myanmar, are still living in areas considered to be at high risk of deadly flooding and landslides.
Within 24 hours of the rains starting, humanitarian agencies reported some 59 incidents, including landslides, water logging, extreme wind and lightning strikes. The incidents are being mapped and shared on an interagency communal incident overview platform. Over the same period aid agencies reported that over 9,000 people were affected and that this number will increase as the rains continue.
IOM, the UN Migration Agency, is working against the clock to secure infrastructure, including road access and drainage, and to improve preparedness. Working with partners, it is ensuring that refugees continue to receive lifesaving assistance, including water, sanitation and hygiene, health, protection and shelter support during the monsoon.
The risks remains huge, given the vast size and nature of the congested, makeshift camps. The hilly terrain is now largely bare of vegetation and the rains have made the soil extremely unstable, increasing the risk of large scale flooding and landslides.
IOM and its partners have responded by relocating thousands of vulnerable households to safer ground ahead of the rains. Since January, 5,196 households (about 25,000 individuals) vulnerable to landslides and floods or in areas of communal infrastructure construction have been moved to safer areas. Before the end of June, IOM and its partners plan to move another 1,602 vulnerable households  (7,248 individuals) to safer ground.
In Unchiprang, a camp in Teknaf sub-district, IOM moved 787 households ahead of the heavy rains. But another 65 households remain at risk of landslides and floods.  “Yesterday 19 households were identified as at risk of landslides and moved to learning centers and child friendly spaces of the camp. They’ll be relocated to a new land once the rain stops. Relocation of these families is not possible as their shelters can’t be properly constructed amid continuous heavy rains,” said IOM site manager Mohammed Manun.
“The situation in the camps is growing more desperate with every drop of rain that falls,” said Manuel Pereira, IOM’s Emergency Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar. “You have close to one million people living on hilly, muddy terrain with no trees or shrubs left to hold the ground in place. People and their makeshift shelters are being washed away in the rains. We are racing to save lives, but we urgently need more funding to maintain and expand key humanitarian support during these rains. Without this, our operations, which are currently only 22 percent funded, will run out of money by the end of this month,” he added.
IOM, WFP and UNHCR have also strategically positioned heavy machinery in key camp locations for disaster response operations in a joint project called the Site Maintenance Engineering Project (SMEP.) Teams are also continuously working to increase available land for relocations. IOM has already prepared 186.8 acres of new land to relocate at least 7,000 people.
Existing refugee shelters have also been upgraded to better withstand heavy rain and high winds, and refugees have been advised on measures they can take to reduce their vulnerability to any upcoming disaster.
Key shelter and non-food items have been stockpiled to ensure sufficient provision during times of high demand. Mobile medical teams will also ensure that displaced and hard to reach populations have uninterrupted access to healthcare.
Access to clean water also poses a huge challenge during the monsoon and IOM and its partners have worked to improve water and hygiene infrastructure, as well as pre-positioning acute watery diarrhea kits and aquatabs in remote areas to meet basic needs.
For more information, please contact IOM Cox’s Bazar:
Manuel Pereira, Tel: +8801885946996, Email: mpereira@iom.int
Shirin Akhter, Tel: +88034152195 or +8801711187499, Email: sakhter@iom.int

CII Business Delegation to Belarus : 4-6   June , 2018

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)   organized a business delegation  to Belarus  on 04 to 6th  June 2018. The visit aimed to promote Indian industry’s commitment to strengthen investment and trade between India and Belarus. The 14-member delegation met with diverse stakeholders – including government, industry and media in a bid to strengthen the economic relationship  between the two countries.
CII business delegation comprised of 14  members from 8 companies  interested in setting up business in Belarus   in sector such as Textile,Machinery, Agro Chemicals, Automative, Tractor and Farm Equipments, Financial Technology (Fintech) , Power Transmission. Members of the delegation included Industry Representatives from Bajaj Industries Limited,  Expotech International Pvt Ltd, KEC International Limited, Maruti Suzuki India Limited ,Tafe Limited, Iris Business Services Limited and  Uniphos International Ltd and Durofibretex.
India- Belarus Business forum   
India-Belarus  Business Forum was organized in Minsk  (Belarus  ) on June 4th, 2018. Indian Ambassador to Belarus  H.E  Saangeeta Bahadur  and Leader of Indian Delegation Mr Pankaj Bajaj spoke from Indian side during the forum. Ambassador stressed the need to  reimagine the existing pattern of economic relations between the two countries and open news ways of economic cooperation for private sectors of both the countries.  For example Joint Manufacturing for EAEU market, parternering the reform process of Belarus by  sharing IT and regulatory support  and increasing the current level of trade between the two countries were the main topic of discussion among Forum members. Vladimir Ulakhovich   Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) adressed the forum and  led the Belarussian Delegtaion during the forum. A presentation on Business and investment climate of the Republic of Belarus was done by Mr. Mikhail Dashuk. The deputy director of the National Agency of the Investments and   Privatization
More than 50 representatives from various industries of Belarus participated in the Forum.Many Belarussian companies participated in   the B2B meetings organized by the BCCI.
Delegation met with Deputy Minister of Economy, Deputy Minister of  Anti-Monopoly  and Regulation, Chairman of Belarussian Stock Exchange, Head of Settlement Registry of Belarus Central Banks and Mr Myasnovich Speaker of Belarus National Assembly.
Visit  to Special Economic Zone – Orsha 
Some of the delegation members visited the special economic zone located in Orsha region of Belarus . Chairman of the Orsha  District Executive Committee hosted a business lunch and participated in business negotiation with the interested members of Indian Delegation.
Orsha region is located near the border of Russia and has very well developed infrastructure for  setting up industries, logistics  hub and can be an  important business hub/transit point  for  Indian Businesses interested in EAEU market
Manish Kumar
Deputy Director, International
Confederation of Indian Industry
The Mantosh Sondhi Centre
23, Institutional Area
Lodi Road, New Delhi 110 003
Tel: +91 11 4577 1000
Ext:463
Email: manish.kumar@cii.in
Mobile:8860030312
Website: www.cii.in

Article 0

$
0
0

Odisha can produce 100 million tonnes of steel: Steel Minister

Union Minister of Steel interacting with MDs/CEOs of major steel producing units in Kalinganagar, Odisha
Union steel

Union Minister of Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh visited Kalinganagar on 12th June, 2018 and interacted with MDs/CEOs of major steel producing units located in the State of Odisha.  In his remarks the Minister stated that India has become the second largest steel producing country. In the financial year 2017-18, India produced more than 100 million tonnes of steel.  Indian Steel Industry has come out of the difficulties faced during 2014-15 and 2015-16 due to various policy interventions by the Government of India.  National Steel Policy and DMI&SP Policy were notified during 2017 giving direction and fillip to the domestic industry.

Odisha is a major steel producing State contributing more than half of steel production in the country.  It is rich in minerals and mines and has a potential to produce 100 million tonnes of steel out of 300 million tonnes envisaged in National Steel Policy by the year 2030-31.  Kalinganagar is a major industrial hub.  Around 15 steel plants are located in this region which include public sector plants like NINL and private sector plants like TATA Steel, Jindal Stainless Limited, Visa Steel and MESCO.  To achieve the common objective of producing 300 million tonnes by 2030, enhanced production from Kalinganagar and Odisha State is important.  The Minister expressed the hope that Kalinganagar will develop potential for downstream facilities which include ferro alloy plants, duct iron pipes, steel furniture, power component manufacturing as well as stainless steel units.

Industry representatives spoke about increased need for utilizing iron ore fines for pellet manufacturing so that precious iron ore can be preserved.  The Minister discussed in detail the challenges to the growth of Indian Steel Industry, such as logistics in terms of development of ports and increasing capacity of Indian railways, creating dedicated freight corridors to move raw materials as well as finished goods. The Steel Minister expressed confidence that both Central Government and State government together find solutions at policy and operational level to achieve higher level of production in Odisha.

Officers from the Central Government and the State Government were also
present in the meeting.

Procter & Gamble:First ‘Women Business Empowerment Program’ in India

thumbnail (7).jpg
P&G India recently concluded it’s first ‘Women Business Empowerment Program’ in India with its partner WEConnect International.
20 women entrepreneurs, who were selected via an application process graduated from the four-week program aimed at developing capability of women entrepreneurs. As part of the program, P&G conducted training and workshops with real-time case studies covering various aspects of building a sustainable business including professional skills like consumer engagement, digital marketing, legal and tax system, effective communication etc. Taking this a step further, the holistic program also provided women entrepreneurs access to business opportunities with P&G and its partners. Through the holistic Women Business Empowerment program, 25% of participants secured business opportunities with P&G and its partners.
The training sessions and workshops were mentored by senior leaders from P&G and prominent women leaders and entrepreneurs from across industries. P&G India has committed itself to sourcing US$30 million from women-owned businesses across India over the next three years. This initiative to support women entrepreneurs is built on P&G’s global commitment to promote greater gender equality in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) India along with its partner WeConnect International recently concluded the Women Business Empowerment Program in India. 20 women entrepreneurs, who were selected via an application process, graduated from the four-week programme aimed at developing capability of women entrepreneurs.
As part of the programme, P&G conducted training and workshops with real-time case studies covering various aspects of building a sustainable business, including professional skills like consumer engagement, digital marketing, legal and tax system, effective communication and others. Taking this a step further, the holistic programme also provided women entrepreneurs access to business opportunities with P&G and its partners. Through the holistic Women Business Empowerment programme, 25% of participants secured business opportunities with P&G and its partners.
The training sessions and workshops were mentored by senior leaders from P&G and prominent women leaders and entrepreneurs from across industries, including Richa Arora, COO, Consumer Business, Tata Chemicals; Simran Hoon, Executive Vice-President, Viacom18; Poorvi Chothani, Founding and Managing Partner, LawQuest; Vineeta Dwivedi from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR); Richa Pai, FMCG Merchandising head, Aditya Birla Retail; Aarti Bindra, Managing Director, ACPL Systems, Kalpana Anantraman, CEO, Avion Systems and Gauri Sawant, transgender activist and Managing Trustee, Sai Savli Foundation and Founder ‘Aaji Cha Ghar’.
P&G India has committed itself to sourcing S$30 million from women-owned businesses across India over the next three years. This initiative to support women entrepreneurs is built on P&G’s global commitment to promote greater gender equality in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Madhusudan Gopalan, CEO, P&G, India Subcontinent, said, “We are delighted to conclude the first edition of the Women Business Empowerment program (WBEP). Through this initiative, we conceived a holistic capability platform which will help women entrepreneurs build their businesses sustainably. This initiative is in line with our global commitment to empower women-owned businesses which is an important aspect of our citizenship efforts. We are committed to source $30 million from women-owned businesses across India over the next three years. Through this commitment, we believe, we will not only be able to stimulate economic growth but also bring about a social change via empowering women entrepreneurs.”
Gender Equality is a priority focus area of P&G’s Citizenship efforts. P&G has been steadily working to improve gender equality by leveraging its unique strengths in partnership and collaboration with industry stakeholders. P&G has also announced a series of measures designed to support a push towards gender equality across the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and Africa region and the recent initiative in India is another strong statement in that direction.

Media Invitation 13 June 2018

safe_image (1)
Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari will preside over the signing of the Concession Agreement for the development of sewage treatment plant through Hybrid Annuity based Public-Private Partnership for India’s first city-wide integrated sewerage infrastructure for Mathura and signing of agreement with IOCL for the re-use of treated waste water for Mathura refinery.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship along with Union Ministers of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Dr. Satya Pal Singh and Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal will also grace the occasion.
Date:
June 13, 2018 (Wednesday)
Time:
12.30 PM
Venue:
Convention Hall, The Ashok, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110021
Dated: 12th June, 2018
INVITATION
Dear Sir/Madam,
You are cordially invited to cover the following event:
EVENT
:
Union Minister of State, (I/C) for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Giriraj Singh will interact with media on 4 years achievement of Government.
DATE
:
13.06.2018 (Wednesday)
TIME
:
11:15 AM
VENUE
:
Room No. 172, “Kaustubham”, 1st Floor, Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi
Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment will preside over the “3rd Meeting of National Council for Senior Citizens” Shri Vijay Sampla, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment and Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ms. Nilam Sawhney will also be present.
13th June, 2018 (Wednesday)
Time
2.00 PM
Venue
Committee Room -A, Vigyan Bhawan, Annexe, Maulana Azad Road, New Delhi-110001

OPENING RECEPTION: JUNE 16, 6 PM – 8 PM 2632 S. La Cienega Blvd. 

B.A.D. SUMMER
Jonathan Casella
Mark Cooper
Kim Eull
JUNE 16 – SEPT. 8
OPENING RECEPTION:
JUNE 16, 6 PM – 8 PM
2632 S. La Cienega Blvd. 
Baik Art is pleased to present B.A.D. Summer, a multidisciplinary collaboration including works by Jonathan CasellaMark Cooper, and Kim Eull. This exhibition highlights the nature of each artist’s practice as they navigate commercial signifiers, art historical tropes, and contemporary kitsch aesthetics. This exhibition will be on display from June 16, 2018, through September 8, 2018. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2018, from 6 pm – 8 pm.
As the lines between globalized spectacle and institutional preservation become increasingly blurred, it is imperative to approach such endeavors in ways that prove adaptive and experiential. This exhibition reflects on the ability of creative practice to traverse both informed viewership and mass accessibility by blending a multitude of cultural signifiers. The vibrant and encompassing installation looks to challenge notions of taste and connoisseurship as well as the role of craft objects within the canon of fine art.
The show’s emphasis on traditionally industrialized motifs such as clocks, shelving units, and books examine the commercialized exchanges around art and the resulting cultural homogenization that occurs within domestic and institutional spaces. Distinctions between academic austerity and marketability are then renegotiated through the artist’s contrasting use of fine art objects, stylized furnishings, and omnipresent barcodes. A point further highlighted by the storefront’s eccentric retail-esque display.
Akin to other artist groups such as Danish collective, Superflux, B.A.D. Summer’s collaborators look to develop experimental and participatory experiences that challenge socio-economic status, art historical tradition, and cultural representation. This grouping of internationally based visual artists aims to build on Baik Art’s continued focus on global collaboration, experimentation, and ideological exchange.
B.A.D. Summer marks the launch of Baik Art’s online design store, which will act as an extension of our fine art exhibitions. Baik Art Design [BAD] will provide global offerings of art editions, hand-made goods, and gallery publications in an effort to make our programming more accessible to our viewers and future patrons.

Article 0

$
0
0

International Day of Family Remittances:

International Day of Family Remittances: Working to build prosperity at home

Rome, 14 June 2018 – Ahead of the International Day of Family Remittances to be observed on 16 June, Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) called for continued efforts to help remittance-receiving families build a sustainable future for themselves and their communities.
Houngbo’s message comes as the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Tuesday which endorses the International Day originally created by IFAD’s Governing Council. The resolution highlights that remittances play a key role in sustainable development.

In 2017, 200 million migrants sent USD481 billion to remittances-reliant countries of which $466 billion went to developing countries, helping sustain about 800 million people across the world. This amounts to more than three times the annual official development assistance that countries give in aid.

According to IFAD estimates, $6.5 trillion in remittances will be sent to developing countries between 2015 and 2030, involving over 1 billion senders and receivers. Close to half of remittances will go to rural areas where poverty and hunger are the highest.
“Remittances are vital for millions of families, helping them to address their own development goals, but we can help them do more and build their longer-term future,” Houngbo said.
According to IFAD analysis, families spend about 75 per cent of their remittances on basic needs such as food, housing, education and health. Remittances help reduce hunger and malnutrition, improve education and health levels, and lift people out of poverty. By doing so, remittances contribute directly to the Sustainable Development Goals set by the international community three years ago.
According to IFAD, the remaining 25 per cent, over $100 billion, can be invested in financial and tangible assets such as savings or small business development that help families build their future. These productive activities can also create jobs and transform economies, in particular in rural areas.
“Given appropriate investment options, customized to their circumstances and goals, remittance families will invest more and become agents of change in their communities,” Houngbo said.
To this end, more than 400 decision-makers, representing the public and private sectors, civil society and IFAD, attending the Global Forum on Remittances, Investments and Development in Kuala Lumpur in May endorsed a set of recommendations to make remittances a full engine for development.
In particular, the recommendations propose ways to develop access to basic financial services, such as saving and credit, which are fundamental for families to make productive use of their money. Today, most remittances are still received in cash and consumed immediately.
Recommendations were also made to develop investment mechanisms and opportunities tailored to the needs of diasporas keen to invest back home.
In recognition of the high cost of sending remittances, on the international day IFAD is calling for a further reduction in transfer fees. While the cost of sending money has been reduced by half over the last five years, it still represents, on average, 7.13 per cent of the amount sent. In many places, costs are much higher, for example in Sub-Saharan Africa senders can spend as much as 9.3 per cent.
It is estimated an additional $20 billion would be available to families in developing countries if the 3 per cent fee target set by the international community in Sustainable Development Goal 10, reducing inequalities,  was reached.
According to Pedro De Vasconcelos, senior remittance expert at IFAD, mobile technologies and digital money could potentially transform markets radically, reduce costs and time for sending remittances, in particular to rural areas but their development is still hampered by a lack of harmonization of regulations between countries.
“The promise of digital technologies still has to be delivered, it is imperative that regulatory environments enable the implementation of safe, cheap and rapid transfer solutions for the benefits of families,” De Vasconcelos said.
For more than a decade IFAD has worked to increase the development impact of remittances. Its dedicated programme has a portfolio of over 60 innovative projects in more than 45 countries. Completed projects resulted in increased competition, reducing transaction costs through mobile technology, and promoted financial inclusion and literacy.

Contact:
Caroline Chaumont
International Fund for Agricultural Development
Communication Division

Thematic Workshops Parallel to AIIB’s Third AGM in Mumbai

Around 90 CSOs and Social Movements to Organize Thematic Workshops Parallel to AIIB’s Third AGM in Mumbai 
Raising the serious issues of social and environmental costs in infrastructure projects, its economic burden on public and financial non-viability, Civil Society Organisations and social movements are set to organize a three day convention on Infrastructure Financing from June 21 – 23rd in Mumbai parallel to the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank’s third Annual Governors Meeting slated for June 25-26 in the same city.  
During the Convention, almost 90 regional, national, and international grassroots and research organisations have come together to organise 20 workshops related to Infrastructure Financing; Development Financial Institutions; Policies and Safeguards; Urban Development; Transport; Port and Coastal Infrastructure; Energy and Energy Finance; Trade and International Financing; Water and Water Sector Reforms; Privatisation and PPPs, Gender; Social Marginalisation among other areas.
“The participants of these workshops would include activists, researchers, projected affected people among others. So far, over 200 people from across the country have registered for these workshops. The Convention will be attended by Prof. Arun Kumar, Medha Patkar, Prof. Anil Sadgopal, Ulka Mahajan among others. The registrations for the workshops are still open for the individuals and media,” said Himshi Singh, one of the coordinators of the Convention.
Speaking about the Peoples Convention on Infrastructure Financing, Maju Varghese, another coordinator of the Convention, said, “the Convention is a resistance to International Finance Institutions, which are pushing massive infrastructures like industrial corridors, smart cities, sagarmala, bullet trains over peoples land and livelihood. The massive physical infrastructure will not improve peoples lives, livelihood, and social infrastructure like schools, hospitals will be left behind.”
Deliberating on this, Ulka Mahajan of Sarvahara Jan Andolan says, “The infrastructure that is being developed is not what people demand, but it is what global capital demands. The international financial institutions are promoting corporate interests over that of people and also pushing the states to the financial debt. On the one hand, the Maharashtra government does not have money to allocate 26,000 crores for the social sector, on the other hand, it has 42,000 crores for the Mumbai-Nagpur expressway, which will reduce the present distance only by 24 km.”
The Peoples Convention intends to demand accountability from the development financial institutions, particularly AIIB which lacks robust policies on environmental-social safeguards, transparent public disclosure and a complaint handling mechanism.  
Meera Sanghamitra from the National Alliance of People’s Movements stated that The push for massive infrastructure projects has become a legalised way of grabbing land. Andhra Pradesh has a history of justifying land grabbing and resource appropriation in the name of multilateral donor-funded development aid and the WB-AIIB funded Amaravati Capital City Project joins this bandwagon by further legalizing the loot, leading to livelihood loss for thousands of families and a shared debt on all people of the state. Projects like Sagarmala, industrial corridors that are being pushed and promoted without considering the irreversible impact on the people’s traditional livelihoods and the environment are disasters-in-the-making.
The movements and CSOs will hold the Convention under the aegis of  Working Group on International Financial Institutions (WGonIFIs), which include around 90 people’s movements and other CSOs, including National Alliance of People’s Movements, National Hawkers Federation, National Fishworkers Forum, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Ghar Bachao Ghar Bano Andolan, Soshit Jan Andolan, Samajwadi Jan Parishad, Bhumi Adhikar Andolan; Environment Support Group; North East Peoples Alliance, and others.

Kim invites Trump to visit Pyongyang

Kim Jong Un invited Donald Trump to visit North Korea during their historic summit and the US President accepted, Pyongyang state media reported Wednesday, calling it the start of a “radical switchover” in the nuclear-armed Cold War foes’ fraught relations.
199063_8820616_updates.jpg
The unprecedented encounter in Singapore Tuesday saw the leader of the world’s most powerful democracy shake hands with the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, standing as equals in front of their nations’ flags.
Kim agreed to the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula”, a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a “verifiable” and “irreversible” way.
In its first report on the landmark summit, the official KCNA news agency ran a glowing dispatch on the talks, describing them as an “epoch-making meeting” that would help foster “a radical switchover in the most hostile (North Korea)-US relations”.
The report said the two men each asked the other to visit their country.
“The two top leaders gladly accepted each other’s invitation,” KCNA said.
Pyongyang has reason to feel confident after the meeting which was a major coup for an isolated and heavily sanctioned regime that has long craved international legitimacy.
In a blockbusting press conference after the summit, Trump said the US would halt military exercises with Seoul — something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion.
The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force.
“We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money,” Trump told reporters, adding that “at some point” he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South.
Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and analysts expressed immediate concern.
Ending the drills “is in excess of all expert consensus, South Korean requests, and even a close reading of North Korean demands”, said Adam Mount of the Federation of American Scientists.
The KCNA report said Trump committed to ending the drills during his meeting with Kim.
It added that denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula would be dependent on the two sides “refraining from antagonising… each other out of mutual understanding”.

US approves sale of Apache attack choppers

US Govt has approved a deal to sell the Indian military six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for $930 million,the contract also includes night vision sensors, GPS guidance &hundreds of Hellfire anti-armor &Stinger air-to-air missiles.
 United States government has approved a deal to sell the Indian military six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for $930 million, the State Department said Tuesday.
The agreement has been passed to the US Congress for approval, but if no US lawmaker raises an objection the contract is expected to go ahead.
Boeing and Indian partner Tata have begun to produce Apache fuselages at a plant in India, but Tuesday´s approval concerns a direct sale of finished products from US manufacturers.
The lead contractors are US arms, aviations and engineering giants Lockheed Martin, General Electric and Raytheon.
In addition to aircraft, the contract includes night vision sensors, GPS guidance and hundreds of Hellfire anti-armor and Stinger air-to-air missiles.
“This support for the AH-64E will provide an increase in India´s defensive capability to counter ground-armored threats and modernize its armed forces,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said, in a statement.
“India will have no difficulty absorbing the helicopters and support equipment into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”

Media poll: Trump’s handling of North Korea

Nearly over half of all Americans say they approve of how President Donald Trump has handled North Korea, but only a quarter think that his summit this week with Kim Jong Un will lead to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Wednesday.
In a joint declaration following their meeting in Singapore on Tuesday, the North Korean leader pledged to move toward complete denuclearization of the peninsula and Trump vowed to guarantee the security of the United States’ old foe. Forty percent of those polled said they did not believe the countries would stick to their commitments.
Another 26 percent said they believed the United States and North Korea would meet their commitments, while 34 percent said they did not know whether they would follow through.
Thirty-nine percent believe the summit has lowered the threat of nuclear war between the United States and nuclear-armed North Korea, slightly more than the 37 percent who said they did not believe it changed anything.
Trump has pursued what he calls a “maximum pressure” campaign” against Pyongyang to force it to give up its nuclear weapons. He toughened up international sanctions to further isolate North Korea and then agreed to meet directly with Kim after South Korea’s president convinced him that the North was committed to giving up its nuclear weapons.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests the Republican president has broad support for one of his biggest foreign policy efforts, despite criticism from non-proliferation experts that Trump had exacted few concrete commitments from Kim on Tuesday on dismantling his nuclear arsenal.
Republicans appear much more enthusiastic than Democrats about the potential benefits of the summit. The poll found that Republicans were twice as likely as Democrats to say that the meeting lowered the threat of nuclear war, and they were three times as likely to say that both sides would follow through on their commitments.
Democrats typically give Trump low approval ratings – only 12 percent approve of his overall job performance. But about 30 percent said they approved of his handling of North Korea.
Trump, who returned to Washington early on Wednesday, hailed the meeting with Kim, the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, as a success that had removed the North Korean nuclear threat. Their seemingly friendly meeting was in sharp contrast to their tit-for-tat insults and bellicose rhetoric late last year while Pyongyang carried out its biggest nuclear and missile tests.
In the poll, Trump received a 51 percent approval rating for his handling of North Korea and also led the list of leaders who should take the most credit for the summit and the joint pledge. Forty percent say the former real estate developer should take the most credit, followed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in
Trump has repeatedly touted his role in bringing the reclusive North Korea to the negotiating table, a feat that he says his predecessors were unable to pull off.
It may be too soon though to know whether Trump’s diplomatic breakthrough will help Republican candidates in congressional elections in November, when Democrats will attempt to retake control of both houses. Typically foreign policy is not a major concern for mid-term voters.
“It’s too early to say if there is a net positive out of that,” said Republican strategist Alice Stewart. “It’s a good step to have the conversation but that doesn’t yet mean that it’s a success.”
Ron Bonjean, also a Republican strategist, said voters were more likely to be influenced if there was serious and measurable progress closer to the election.
Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll was conducted online in English, between June 12-13 in the United States. It gathered responses from more than 1,000 adults, including more than 400 Democrats and 400 Republicans.
It has a credibility interval, a measure of the poll’s precision, of 4 percentage points for the full sample and 6 percentage points for the Democrats and Republicans, meaning that the results could vary in either direction by that amount.
Media agencies

Trump: Oil prices high the cartel “at it again.”

Iran and Donald trump exchange barbs over higher oil pricesand sanctions. ‘This is business Mr Trump, we though you knew it,’ Iran‘s representative said. In Iran media rteports, Iran blames Trump policies for high oil prices.

Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, Iran’s OPEC governor, emphasized that the sanctions that Trump had devised against Iran and Venezuela were largely to blame for high oil prices.
“You cannot place sanctions on two OPEC founder members and still blame OPEC for oil price volatility,” he said in a statement to Reuters.
Kazempour Ardebili’s comments came in response to a Trump message in which he had accused OPEC of working to push up the prices.
DfIF2I2X4AA2pK-.jpg
“Oil prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good!” he wrote in a post on Twitter.
Oil prices have risen by around 60 percent over the last year after OPEC and some non-OPEC producers including Russia arrived at an agreement in 2017 to reduce supplies, Reuters wrote in its report.
The price of Brent crude peaked in May at $80.50 a barrel, then pulled back, trading on Wednesday near $76 at barrel, partly in anticipation that the agreement may end.
OPEC will meet next week in Vienna, and producers are seen as likely to raise production, perhaps before the limits are due to sunset at year-end.
The oil supply agreement is set to continue through the end of 2018, but plans for its continuation were unclear. The calculus changed after Trump announced in May that the United States was pulling out of the 2015 deal that restricted Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the removal of sanctions.
Trump also said he would launch mechanisms to re-impose what he described as the “highest level of sanctions” against Iran.
US President Donald Trump and Iran exchanged sharp words over oil prices on Wednesday, with Trump blaming OPEC for high oil prices and Tehran accusing him of stoking volatility after he withdrew last month from a global nuclear arms deal with Iran.
Trump sparked the latest back-and-forth when he renewed his attack on OPEC in a tweet that said oil prices are too high and that the cartel was “at it again.”
Oil prices have risen around 60 percent over the last year after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and some non-OPEC producers, including Russia, started reducing supplies in 2017. The cartel meets June 22-23 in Vienna, and producers are seen as likely to raise production, perhaps before the limits are due to sunset at year-end.
Iran’s OPEC governor, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, fired back at Trump in a statement to Reuters. “You cannot place sanctions on two OPEC founder members and still blame OPEC for oil price volatility,” he said, referring to his country and Venezuela.
“This is business, Mr. President — we thought you knew it.”
The oil supply deal is set to continue through the end of 2018, but plans for its continuation were unclear. The calculus changed after Trump announced in May that Washington was pulling out of the 2015 deal that restricted Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the removal of sanctions.
The US move has pressured European and Asian clients to stop importing Iranian oil or doing business with the country. Saudi Arabia, Iran’s rival and OPEC’s largest producer, and Russia, the world’s largest producer and a party to the deal, have already increased supply. Saudi Arabia supported Trump’s decision to exit the Iran nuclear agreement.
“I think the Trump tweet makes the Saudis’ job of getting compromise at the OPEC meeting tougher,” said Joe McMonigle, senior energy policy analyst at Hedgeye Potomac Research in Washington.
Saudi production rose to 10.03 million barrels per day (bpd in May, in line with deal quotas, according to OPEC data. Russia’s production was 11.1 million barrels a day at the beginning of June, exceeding its quota, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The price of Brent crude peaked in May at $80.50 a barrel, then pulled back, trading on Wednesday near $77 a barrel, partly in anticipation that the deal may end. US crude traded Wednesday near $67 a barrel.
“Oil prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good!” Trump wrote in his post on Twitter after last raising the issue in April.
The potential for OPEC to boost production has raised concerns about the cartel’s limited spare capacity, which could fall to as low as 2 million bpd. This would make it harder to respond to a supply shock, such as in Venezuela, where output has declined to a 33-year-low due to an economic crisis.
“OPEC has the lowest spare capacity ever right now,” said fund manager Pierre Andurand, in a tweeted response to Trump. “There is going to be a real issue,” he wrote, predicting prices above $150 per barrel within two years.
In the United States, gasoline pump prices nationwide have risen to near $3 a gallon during the peak summer travel season, still less than the $4 a gallon during the 2007-2009 Great Recession. Gasoline demand has remained strong, rising to an estimated 9.9 million bpd as of last week, according to US Energy Department data.
Trump sent his tweet hours after returning to Washington from a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.
Separately, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the US House of Representatives was pushing legislation that would subject OPEC to US antitrust law and fight what the group called artificial production controls.
The measure would have to pass the full House and the US Senate before Trump could sign it into law. Past presidents have not supported similar bills when they have been proposed.

Moon meets Pompeo

Moon meeting Pompeo raises many eyebrows on the global scale and the leaders of Russian and Chinese  group has welcome the move but with the vast amass of interest of Chinese the fulcrum which has shifted to US is likely to be on the condition of the US and its allied forces or the other polar are to make their interventions in time of development to have their influence too embedded in the region so the best is the route of follow of International laws or conventions to bring durable peace to the regions and the influence by way of trade and economical development is shared in its proportion.
199211_2542516_updates.jpg
South Korean President Moon Jae-In said on Thursday the world had escaped the threat of war after this week’s Singapore summit, echoing US President Donald Trump’s upbeat assessment of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump and Kim issued a joint statement after their historic meeting that reaffirmed the North’s commitment to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”, an end to joint US-South Korean military exercises and gave US guarantees of security to North Korea.
“There have been many analyses on the outcome of the summit but I think what’s most important was that the people of the world, including those in the United States, Japan and Koreans, have all been able to escape the threat of war, nuclear weapons and missiles,” Moon told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ahead of a meeting between the two in Seoul.
The summit statement provided no details on when Pyongyang would give up its nuclear weapons program or how the dismantling might be verified.
Skeptics of how much the meeting achieved pointed to the North Korean leadership’s long-held view that nuclear weapons are a bulwark against what it fears are US plans to overthrow it and unite the Korean peninsula.
“I am confident that we took a very good, significant step in Singapore,” Pompeo told Moon on Thursday ahead of a trilateral meeting including Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.
Pompeo insisted after the meeting that Pyongyang was committed to giving up its nuclear arsenal but said it would “be a process, not an easy one”.
Pompeo asked the South Korean president to play a leading role in the process of denuclearizing North Korea, using his close personal relationship with the North Korean leader, according to the Cheong Wa Dae spokesman.
Moon and Kim have held bilateral summits on April 27 and May 26, while they are also set to meet again in Pyongyang before the end of the year.
Pompeo said there remained many tasks to be discussed and done but insisted the ongoing U.S. efforts to rid the North of its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles will prove to be successful and eventually bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, according to the pool reports.
The top U.S. diplomat arrived here Wednesday to directly explain the outcome of the historic U.S.-North Korea summit to his South Korean counterparts.
President Moon stressed the importance of close discussions and cooperation between the allies to swiftly and thoroughly implement the outcome of the U.S.-North Korea summit.
Kim Jong Un understood getting rid of his nuclear arsenal needed to be done quickly and there would only be relief from stringent UN sanctions on North Korea after its “complete denuclearization”, Pompeo said.
United States has long insisted on complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization by North Korea but, in the summit statement, North Korea committed only to the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”, phrasing it has used in the past.
Pompeo said a day earlier he would like to accomplish major nuclear disarmament in North Korea within Trump’s current term.
“Absolutely … you used the term major, major disarmament, something like that? We’re hopeful that we can achieve that in the 2-1/2 years,” he said.
Pompeo, who is charged by Trump with leading follow-on negotiations, bristled at a question about why the words “verifiable” and “irreversible” were not used in the summit joint statement in the context of denuclearization.
“It’s in the statement. You’re just wrong about that … Because complete encompasses verifiable and irreversible. I suppose you could argue semantics, but let me assure you that it’s in the document,” Pompeo said on Wednesday.
Trump returned to the United States on Wednesday and took to Twitter to hail the meeting, the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader, as a major win for American security.
“Everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office,” Trump tweeted. “There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea. Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience. North Korea has great potential for the future!”
Democratic critics in the United States said the agreement was short on detail and the Republican president had made too many concessions to Kim, whose country is under UN sanctions for its nuclear and weapons programs and is widely condemned for human rights abuses.
Tokyo has reacted with concern at Trump’s plans to cancel military exercises with South Korea, saying such drills are vital for East Asian security.
Two North Korean missiles flew over Japan last year as Pyongyang made rapid advances in its program to develop a missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland with a nuclear warhead.
Tokyo is working on arranging a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kim Jong Un, with one possibility including the premier’s visit to Pyongyang around August, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.
A government source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Japanese officials planned to discuss the summit meeting with North Korean officials at an international conference on Northeast Asian security to be held in Mongolia on Thursday and Friday.
Despite Trump and Moon’s assertions about the North Korean nuclear threat being over, a senior US official responsible for studying the North Korean military said the US intelligence assessment of the nuclear and other military threat posed by North Korea to US and allied forces in Asia and the northwest Pacific remained unchanged.
U.S. officials said it was unclear what types of training involving US and South Korean troops might cross into Trump’s now forbidden zone of “war games”. But big, joint US-South Korean exercises appeared off-limits under the new guidance.
“Make no mistake, we are going to maintain the readiness of our forces in South Korea,” said one US official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official acknowledged, however, it was still not certain how that was going to happen.
The United States maintains about 28,500 soldiers in South Korea, which remains in a technical state of war with the North after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
Media agencies

Nissan alliance to launch midsize electric vehicles by 2020

Nissan Motors alliance with Renault of France and Mitsubishi is trying to boost its  lagging sales in Southeast Asia, various fiscal,marketing and technical cooperation are being sorted out to give big leap inits sales of cars in region of South Asia. Electric car innovation work is in progress and as per media reports the midsize electric vehicles will be launched by 2020.
Renault-Nissan Alliance stands as number three among, top 10 biggest car manufacturers in the world in 2018, Chairman of Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi signals focus on lowering prices and Electric car range issue has been solved, says Ghosn.
https_s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.compsh-ex-ftnikkei-3937bb4images722513725227-5-eng-GB20180423-Carlos-Ghosn-in-HK
Nissan Motor will deepen ties with Mitsubishi Motors through such steps as rolling out each other’s vehicles.
Mitsubishi Motors on Tuesday held an opening ceremony for a plant in Indonesia that is expected to supply multipurpose vehicles to Nissan starting as early as 2019. MPVs, commonly known as minivans, are widely popular in Indonesia.
The 65 billion yen ($585 million) plant, located in Bekasi regency in the province of West Java, is operated by a joint venture of Mitsubishi Motors, trading house Mitsubishi Corp. and a local partner and has an annual output capacity of 160,000 units.
The factory will initially churn out 30,000 units of Mitsubishi Motors’ Pajero Sport sport utility vehicle. It will also produce 80,000 units of an MPV to be released as early as this fall. The Colt L300 commercial vehicle will also be made.
The plant’s output is expected to reach 140,000 units a year. With the remaining capacity, Mitsubishi Motors will be able to supply Nissan, President Osamu Masuko said.
Nissan, for its part, may produce Mitsubishi Motors vehicles, said Carlos Ghosn, chairman of both automakers. Nissan became the largest shareholder of Mitsubishi Motors last year by taking a 34% stake.
Nissan has been struggling in Southeast Asia. Its Asian sales, including the Oceania region, accounted for just 6% of its global total of 3.99 million vehicles in the April-December period.
Family-oriented MPVs make up 70% of the new-car market in Indonesia, while low-cost green cars represent just shy of 30%. Lacking an attractive MPV offering, Nissan holds a mere 4.2% market share in the country, trailing Mitsubishi Motors’ 6.6%.
Top 10 biggest car manufacturers in the world in 2018:
1. Volkswagen Group
2. Toyota
3. Renault-Nissan Alliance
4. General Motors
5. Hyundai-Kai
6. Ford
7. Honda
8. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
9. Suzuki
10. PSA Group
Nissan Motor’s alliance with France’s Renault and new partner Mitsubishi Motors generated 5.7 billion euros ($6.71 billion) in synergies in 2017, as the automakers combined procurement and development operations.
The alliance’s impact grew 14% from the 5 billion euros seen in 2016. Nissan alone gained 3.1 billion euros in cost savings and increased revenues. Renault reaped 2.3 billion euros in benefits. And Mitsubishi enjoyed 300 million euros in savings and revenues during its first full year in the alliance. Nissan acquired a 34% stake in its smaller peer in October 2016.
The trio is aiming for more than 10 billion euros in synergies by the end of 2022.\
Collaboration on procurement and the integration of the automakers’ research and development operations reduced costs across the board. The companies have also begun sharing warehouses for repair parts in Europe, Japan and Australia. Nissan and Renault’s sales financing operations now offer auto loans and other financial services for Mitsubishi.
Nissan and Renault have adopted common vehicle platforms, slashing development and production costs. The Japanese partner makes Renault vehicles at its plants in Mexico and elsewhere, raising efficiency in production. In Thailand, Nissan has teamed up with Mitsubishi to more cheaply transport cars from the factory to dealerships.
All three companies plan to jointly develop a platform for midsize electric vehicles by 2020, and to launch a $1 billion venture capital firm.

IFAD attracts business to climate smart investments

Rome, 13 June 2018– Agriculture is stepping up in the fight against climate change with help from the private sector. A new report from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) shows that investing in climate-resilient agriculture can attract sizeable contributions from the private sector.
The Business Advantage – Mobilizing Private Sector Led Climate Actions in Agriculture, a study of IFAD investments through its Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP), shows that for every dollar of ASAP investment, between US$0.77–2.85 was leveraged in private-sector investments – helping countries reach climate finance commitments scheduled under the Paris climate agreement.
“IFAD works with the private sector on adaptation investments that are both financially profitable and socially and environmentally sound,” said IFAD President Gilbert F. Houngbo. “Many of these adaptation investments were deemed high risk by the private sector, but ASAP operates as a de-risking or insurance instrument to encourage business to invest in them.”
Previously, in Bhutan the private sector was wary of investing in small scale dairy farms due to product quality concerns. With IFAD investment leading the way, however, local farmers improved the quality of their milk and then partnered with a local dairy company to create an assured market. In the first year, the investment ($77,429) was close to 2.5 times the amount invested by IFAD. The company’s supply of milk was greatly improved while farmers reported their income from dairy sales increased by 54 to 170 per cent.
In Vietnam, a grant scheme was established by IFAD’s partners to finance company business plans that helped to develop climate resilience among smallholder farmers. With this approach, the development of the companies was bound to the development of the rural communities.
With upfront payments and revolving funds paid to farmers by the project, farmers were encouraged to invest in good cropping practices and select high-quality seeds, which eventually ensured high-quality supply of agricultural products to business. The total investment was close to $1.5 million, of which IFAD contributed $0.4 million and the remaining $1.1 million was from private companies.
“This report is ground-breaking work that links the private sector into climate change adaptation by finding opportunities for partnership that benefit both businesses and smallholder farmers,” said Bruce Campbell, Program Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, which led the research for the report. “Public-private partnerships are an essential ingredient of the agricultural transformation we need to address climate change.”
According to Margarita Astralaga, Director of IFAD’s Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division, the private sector is becoming an increasingly important partner in IFAD’s work. “While the fundamental goals underpinning IFAD’s purpose have remained constant over the years, the way by which IFAD is achieving these goals has undergone changes, with business taking a more central role in the agenda,” she said. “IFAD wants to include producers in these new partnerships with business. Valuable lessons are being drawn from IFAD’s experience in partnering with the private sector, via mechanisms such as public-private-producer partnerships (4Ps), where business is increasingly recognized as a main force in development.”
For a copy of the Business Advantage Report click on to this link

Ten new Swachh Iconic Places launched under Swachh Bharat Mission

सन २०१४ में हुआ स्वच्छ भारत अभियान का प्रक्षेपण, आज तेज़ी से अपने आखिरी पड़ाव की ओर बढ़ रहा है यह जन आंदोलन। आइये हम सब मिलकर इसका हिस्सा बनें और देश को स्वच्छता की ओर ले चलें । #SBM
Image may contain: 7 people, text
Ten new iconic sites, namely, Raghavendra Swamy Temple (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh); Hazardwari Palace (Murshidabad, West Bengal); Brahma Sarovar Temple (Kurukshetra, Haryana); VidurKuti (Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh); Mana village (Chamoli, Uttarakhand); Pangong Lake (Leh-Ladakh, J&K); Nagvasuki Temple (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh); ImaKeithal/market (Imphal, Manipur); Sabarimala Temple (Kerala); and Kanvashram (Uttarakhand) have been taken up under Phase III of the flagship project Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
The project envisioned by the Prime Minister is being coordinated by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation with the support of State governments and local administration. The consultation is in process for finalizing the PSUs/corporates for extending support to new sites as CSR partners. These new sites have joined the 20 iconic places under Phase I & II where special Sanitation work is already underway.
Launched in 2016, the Phase I iconic places were: Ajmer Sharif Dargah, CST Mumbai ,Golden Temple, Kamakhya Temple, Maikarnika Ghat, Meenakshi Temple, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Shree Jagannath Temple, The Taj Mahal and Tirupati Temple.
Phase II of Swachh Iconic Places was launched in Nov 2017, included Gangotri, Yamunotri, Mahakaleshwar Temple, Charminar, Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assissi, Kalady, Gommateswara, Baidyanath Dham, Gaya Tirth and Somnath temple.
SIP is a collaborative project with three other central Ministries: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, M/o Culture, and M/o Tourism. It also involves local administrations in the concerned States and Public Sector and Private Companies as sponsoring partners.
The third phase of SIP was launched at Mana village which is situated close to the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand. The village, which now becomes a Swachh Iconic Place, is visited by tourists and pilgrims as it houses places of mythological interest.
The Phase I iconic sites have witnessed initiatives taken up such as improvement in sewage infrastructure, drainage facilities, installation of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), sanitation facilities, water vending machines (Water ATMs), Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) set-up, structure restoration, roads maintenance, lighting arrangements, beautification of parks, better transport facilities in approach and access areas besides at the main sites. The annual review of Phase I & II iconic sites for assessing the progress is scheduled at iconic site, Charminar, Hyderabad later this month. Further, four major SLWM activities in Mana village, including community soak pits, compost pits, separation centre for organic and inorganic waste, and naalis for liquid waste with a sanctioned amount of Rs. 26.87 lakhs were also launched recently.

RBI Blind, Incompetent – Creating Loss Making Monopolies 

June13, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com
It is two years since Urjit Patel took over as RBI Governor ahead of more experienced Banking Professionals. Ever since he took over entire Banking in India is subjected to all kinds of stresses likeDemonetization, Schemes to Write of Corporate Loans at 50% to 70% Price, Loss Making Companies taking over Loss making Companies.
Banking NPAs as per his own admission are Rs.8.99 Lakh Crores as on Dec.2017. It could go beyond Rs.12,00,000 Cr this time 2019.
RUCHI SOYA’s NPA of Rs.12,000 Cr Shall Be CHARGED 66% or Rs.8,000 Cr as ‘HAIR CUT’ for lending banks – ADANI FAMILY who already owe Rs.1,10,122 Cr to lenders shall Contribute Just Rs.4000 Cr that too from BANK LOANS – already taken or to be taken.
It is scandalous ADANI GROUP which has a group turnover ofRs.77,060 Cr, reports Operating Profits of 15,182 Cr but Net Profit is NEGATIVE Rs.815 Cr and Borrowings of Rs.1,10,122 Cr. [Fortune India 500]
Adani Group itself is NPA Case NOT EARNING PROFITS For Shareholders.
Adani-Wilmar already has 55% Branded Vegetable Oil Market Share – 4 million tones of Annual Capacity by adding nearly 5 million tones capacity of RUCHI SOYA – it shall more than Double Vegetable Oil Processing Capacity.
Why RBI do wants to Create Monopolies?
Adani-Wilmar is 50%-50% partnership – 50% owned by Singapore Company.
So WILMAR is acquiring RUCHI SOYA EQUITY at 66% Discount.
Ø RUCH-SOYA operates Processing Plants in 16 Locations – Can be SPLIT and Sold to 16 different HEALTHY PROMOTER COMPANIES through AUCTION. Perhaps Banks could recover even 100% of their dues.
Ø It is better to SPLIT a Company which has MULTI-LOCATION Plants.
Ø Urjit Patel was Blind as Director of GSPC – almost Rs.25,000 Cr SCAM – not producing a drop of Oil or Gas.
Ø New Consortium Banks with EXPERTS in Engineering & Technologies located close to the Industrial Centers like NOIDA or JAMNAGAR to ensure regular monitoring of Companies NEEDS or BUNGLING.
Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS
Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857
Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,
Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Dear Naresh, Ask Congress: Stop Jeff Session

Dear Naresh,
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s calculated dismantling of the asylum system may well turn out to be one of the most lasting and damaging legacies of the Trump Administration. This week he made a sweeping ruling that aims to block women and children fleeing domestic violence from protection in the United States, sending them back to danger.
At a time when thousands of women and children are fleeing unspeakable violence at home, his effort to bar most survivors of domestic abuse and gang violence from protection may be a death sentence. Without refuge in the United States, these individuals will be left in the direst of circumstances.
Tell Congress to stand up to Jeff Sessions’s cruel attacks and disdain for the human rights of women. And make no mistake, seeking refuge is a human right.
Fighting to protect the asylum system,

Article 1

$
0
0

ch-,l-ih- }kjk tkjh izsl foKfIr&fnukad 15-06-2018

¼1½lhekorhZ tEew&d'ehj jkT; esa tokuksa dh yxkrkj gks jgh 'kgknr ds chpd'ehjesaofj"BlEikndlqtkrcq[+kkjhdhgR;k ij xgjk nq%[k O;DrA
¼2½vc le; vk x;k gS fd iz/kkuea=h Jh ujsUnz eksnh dh ljdkj viuh vfM+;y uhfr dks R;kx dj vfoyEc ns'kfgr esa viuh d'ehj uhfr ij iqufoZpkj djssA
¼3½tEew&d'ehj esa ih-Mh-ih- o chtsih dh xBca/ku ljdkj gksus ds ckotwn ogk¡ lhek o ogk¡ ds vkUrkfjd gkykr yxHkx csdkcw gSa] D;ksa\
¼4½blds lkFk gh mÙkj izns'k chtsih dh ljdkj }kjk tufgr o tudY;k.k dh yxkrkj ?kksj mis{kk fd;s tkus dh rh[kh vkykspukA ek- eq[;ea=h o ea=hx.k loZKkuh cudj bfrgkl dks pSysUt djus ds ctk; de ls de mu es/kkoh Nk=ksa dh lqf/k ysuh pkfg;s tks muds gkFk ls fy;s x;s bukeh jde dh psd ckmUl gks tkus ls nq%[kh gh ugha cfYd dkQh T;knk vkgr Hkh gSaA
¼5½lkFk gh chtsih 'kkflr vle esa Hkh nks uo;qod gksugkj fgUnw ;qodksa dks ihV&ihV dj ekj Mkyus o egkjk"Vª ds tyxk¡o ds tkeusj esa dq,a esa ugkus ij fiNM+s leqnk; ds nks ukcfyxksa dks ihVus o fuoZL= djds xk¡o esa ?kqekus dh ?kVuk dh rhoz fuUnk % ch-,l-ih- dh jk"Vªh; v/;{k] mÙkj izns'k dh iwoZ eq[;ea=h o iwoZ lkaln lqJh ek;korh thA


ubZ fnYyh] 15 twu 2018 % lhekorhZ tEew&d'ehj jkT; esa tokuksa dh yxkrkj gks jgh 'kgknr ds chp d'ehj esa ofj"B lEiknd lqtkr cq[+kkjh dh gR;k ij xgjk nq%[k O;Dr djrs gq;s ch-,l-ih- dh jk"Vªh; v/;{k] mÙkj izns'k dh iwoZ eq[;ea=h o iwoZ lkaln lqJh ek;korh th us dgk fd vc le; vk x;k gS fd iz/kkuea=h Jh ujsUnz eksnh dh ljdkj viuh vfM+;y uhfr dks R;kx dj fcuk dksbZ vkSj foyEc fd;s gq;s ns'kfgr esa viuh d'ehj uhfr ij iqufoZpkj djssA
lqJh ek;korh th us dgk fd d'ehj dh {ks=h; ikVhZ ih-Mh-ih- o chtsih dh xBca/ku ljdkj dh tEew&d'ehj esa gksus ds ckotwn ogk¡ ds gkykr yxHkx csdkcw gSa rFkk ikfdLrku lhek ds lkFk&lkFk vkUrfjd jkT; esa Hkh fgalk o gR;kvksa dk nq%[kn nkSj yxkrkj tkjh gSA gekjs lSfudksa dh yxkrkj 'kgknr gks jgh gSaA oSls Hkh 'kkfUr o dkuwu&O;oLFkk fdl vkoke dks ilUn ugha gksrh gS] bldks /;ku esa j[kdj gh dsUnz ljdkj dks [+kkldj d'ehj uhfr esa ifjorZu ykuk pkfg;s rFkk jktuhfrd Lrj ij Hkh lq/kkj ds iz;kl rst+ djuh pkfg;sA
mUgksaus dgk fd chtsih dh d'ehj uhfr iw.kZr% tufgr o ns'kfgr ij vk/kkfjr ugha gksdj ikVhZ dh ladh.kZ jktuhfrd lksp ls T+;knk izHkkfor yxrh gS vkSj 'kk;n ;gh dkj.k gS fd chtsih dk tEew usr`Ro Hkh dkQh T;knk LokFkZ esa fyIr ik;k tkrk gS ;g dkj.k tEew {ks= Hkh ruko o fgalk dk f'kdkj gS rFkk vketurk dk thou ogk¡ Hkh =Lr gSA blfy, chtsih dks O;kid tufgr o ns'kfgr dks loksZifj j[kdj viuh tEew&d'ehj uhfr esa O;kid lq/kkj ykus dh t:jr gSA lkFk gh tEew&d'ehj dh turk ds lkFk oSlk rY[+k ¼dM+ok½ ljdkjh O;ogkj drbZ ugha gksuk pkfg;s tSlkfd ikfdLrku dh ljdkj mlds vukf/kd`r dCts okys d'ehj ds yksxksa ds lkFk yxkrkj djrh pyh vk jgh gSA ;g lgh gS fd d'ehjh tuer Hkkjr ds lkFk jgk gS vkSj vkt Hkh gS] blesa fdlh dks dksbZ lansg ugha gksus pkfg;sA
blds lkFk gh mÙkj izns'k chtsih dh leLr ljdkj }kjk tufgr o tudY;k.k dh yxkrkj ?kksj mis{kk fd;s tkus dh rh[kh vkykspuk djrs gq;s lqJh ek;korh th us dgk fd eq[;ea=h ds rkSj ij loZKkuh cudj bfrgkl dks pSysUt djus ds ctk;s de ls de mu es/kkoh Nk=ksa dh lqf/k ysuh pkfg;s tks muds gkFk ls fy;s x;s bukeh jde dh psd ckmUl gks tkus ls nq%[kh gh ugha cfYd dkQh T;knk vkgr Hkh gSaA chtsih de ls de vc ljdkj esa vk tkus ds ckn ladh.kZ o lLrh yksdfiz;rk okys dke cUn djs rks csgrj gS D;ksafd vius yxHkx lok lky ds dk;Zdky esa gh chtsih us mÙkj izns'k esa lekt ds gj oxZ ds yksxksa dk thou dkQh T;knk nq%[knk;h cuk fn;k gS rFkk vijk/k&fu;a=.k o dkuwu&O;oLFkk rFkk fodkl o tufgr dk dkQh T;knk cqjk gky gSA
bruk gh ugha cfYd [+kkldj chtsih ljdkjksa esa loZlekt ds x+jhcksa] etnwjksa] misf{krksa] 'kksf"krksa] nfyrksa] fiNM+ksa o /kkfeZd vYila[;dksa ds izfr HksnHkko o tkfrxr O;ogkj pje ij gS D;ksafd budh ljdkjsa ,sls vlekftd o vkijkf/kd rRoksa ds f[kykQ l[r dkuwuh dkjZokbZ djus dks laoS/kkfud ftEesnkjh ugha le>rh gaSA blh dk izHkko gS fd chtsih 'kkflr vle jkT; esa Hkh nks uo;qod gksugkj fgUnw ;qodksa dks Hkh ihV&ihV dj ekj Mkyk x;kA
bl lEca/k esa egkjk"Vª ds tyxk¡o ft+ys ds tkeusj esa dq,a esa ugkus ij fiNM+s leqnk; ds nks ukcfyxksa dks ihVus o fuoZL= djds xk¡o esa ?kqekus dh ?kVuk dh rhoz fuUnk djrs gq;s lqJh ek;korh th us dgk fd chtsih ljdkjsa vxj ,sls ekeyksa esa l[+r dkjZokbZ djrh jgh gksrh rks bl izdkj dh tkfroknh ?kVukvksa ij dkQh vadq'k yxk;k tk ldrk FkkA xqtjkr] gfj;k.kk] e/; izns'k o >kj[k.M vkfn chtsih&'kkflr jkT;ksa esa ,slh tkfroknh o lkEiznkf;d ?kVuk;sa vke ckr gks x;h gSa D;ksafd ogk¡ dh ljdkjksa dk joS;k ,sls t?kU; ekeyksa esa Hkh ges'kk dkQh T;knk ypj o x+Sj&ftEesnkjkuk gh jgk gS tks dkQh fpUrk dh ckr gSA

tkjhdrkZ %
ch-,l-ih- dsUnzh; dk;kZy;
4] xq:}kjk jdkcxat jksM]
ubZ fnYyh & 110001

Article 0

$
0
0

Shujaat Bukhari laid to rest

Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari was on Friday laid to rest , at his ancestral graveyard in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district. The veteran journalist, who had championed peace in times of conflict and may have been killed for it, the reports of thousands of people from cross section of society attended funeral prayers of Bukhari, held at Idd Gah Ground at Kreeri area of Baramulla.
Bukhari was killed yesterday by unidentified gunmen outside his office near Press Enclave in Srinagar. State government ministers, legislators, officials, leaders of political parties, media fraternity besides people from local and adjacent areas attended the funeral prayers and the last rites. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, Congress leader Prof Saif ud Din Soz, top separatist leader Yasin Malik were among the prominent people who attended the funeral.
The killing of Bukhari and his personal security officers has been widely condemned. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, I & B Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Separatist Leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq & Yasin Malik, strongly condemned the killing and expressed shock and grief over the brutal assassination. So far, no terrorist outfit has taken responsibility for the attack.

President Radev: “Bulgaria Backs NATO’s Efforts to Build Modern Defence Capabilities,”

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev  taking part in a Bucharest Format (B9) Summit here on Friday. At the international forum, the leaders of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia are exchanging views and are coordinating their positions on matters on NATO agenda, ahead of the Alliance’s Summit due in Brussels in July, the President’s Press Secretariat said. “Bulgaria backs NATO’s efforts to build modern defence capacities, and the modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces is part of this process,” Radev said at the B9 Summit in Warsaw.
“Meeting the security challenges that we confront is beyond the limited capacities of the separate countries and requires a joint response,” the head of State stressed in his statement at the forum.
The heads of State and government confirmed the common commitment from Wales to a gradual increase of defence budget resources to 2 per cent of GDP for development of national and joint defence capabilities.
As the President put it, NATO should keep its “open door policy”, and Bulgaria will continue to support the aspirants to full membership in fulfilling the eligibility requirements. Radev singed out strengthening stability, continued reforms, building good-neighbourly relations and promoting the Western Balkans’ Euro-Atlantic perspective as key priorities for Bulgaria. “Without guaranteed security, we cannot possibly achieve sustained stability in the Balkans,” the speaker emphasized. He confirmed Bulgaria’s support, within the framework of NATO’s policy, to assist the countries engaged in the fight against international terrorism and countering the Islamic State in the Middle East in building their defence capacity.
“In its relations with Russia, the Alliance must be guided by realism and pragmatism, in line with NATO’s approach to strengthening defence capabilities while remaining open to dialogue,” the head of State said further on. At the discussion, the President stressed the need to assess the changed conditions, to seek opportunities for easing tensions and normalizing relations while avoiding an aggressive tone. In his words, this will help keep communication channels open and pursue important national economic interests, the way this is done by the leading NATO and EU Member States.
Later in the day, President Radev will attend observances in Warsaw of the 100th anniversary of the restoration of Poland’s regained independence.
Bulgaria’s parliament approved a plan to spend about $2 billion (1.6 billion euros) to purchase 150 combat vehicles and 16 new or used fighter jets to replace its aging Soviet-designed MiG-29s.
Bulgaria’s fleet of 15 Soviet aircraft have raised safety concerns among the country’s military pilots, who refused to fly in a training operation last October in a bid to speed up the new acquisitions. The air force has said just seven of the MiGs are in good flying order.
Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004, in order to get consensus on buy of  warplanes  to replace the MiGs has perplexed  successive governments for more than a decade.
In matter of defense equipment, NATO has inspired its eastern members to develop or buy new equipment from Western alliance members that is compatible with their older Soviet-era systems.
European NATO members that were once Soviet satellites still rely on Russian-made military jets. Two-thirds of Poland’s military equipment dates from the pre-1991 Soviet era, for example.
Government ,under the plan approved by 151 to 7 in the 240-seat parliament, Sofia would acquire the jets in two stages to improve its compliance with NATO standards.
Billing, $1 billion to for the cost of the first eight aircraft, as well as team training and initial logistics support.
Bulgarian, Balkan country meditating to  spend about $1 billion on armored vehicles for three infantry battalion groups, including equipment and training.
Sofia has said it will call for bids to replace its MiGs with aircraft from the United States, Portugal, Italy, France, Sweden, and Israel.
Armored vehicles, the Western outfits lists ,  French state-owned group Nexter Systems, Finland’s Patria, Germany’s Rheinmetall Defense AG , U.S.-based Textron, and the Swiss firm Mowag have expressed interest in supplying armored vehicles, Bulgarian officials said.
http://www.bta.bg – Media agencies
.

“Renew Britain” Dear Naresh Sagar  Keep in touch!

“Renew Britain”
Dear Naresh Sagar 
Keep in touch!
We have recently been updating our systems, and in accordance with the Data Comissioner’s rules regarding GDPR 2018 we have updated our privacy policy. There’s nothing you need to do, however please do take a few a moments to read through the policy at your convenience.The privacy policy can be found on our website under the privacy policy heading. Please also feel free to update your details here so that we have your up to data information. We value the protection of your data very seriously, and should you wish tounsubscribe and be removed from our database please follow the link here.
Best regards,DavidDavid Britten
Director of Operations
0203 239 1692

Jordan’s king approves new govt

Jordan’s King Abdullah issued a decree on Thursday forming a new government led by a former World Bank economist. The king appointed Omar al-Razzaz, a Harvard-educated economist outside the ranks of the traditional political elite, last week to replace Hani Mulki, who was dismissed to defuse public anger that led to some of the largest protests in years. Thousands took to the streets in Amman and in provincial towns against a series of IMF-driven tax rises since the start of the year. Razzaz’s 28-member cabinet is dominated by a mix of conservative politicians and Western-leaning techocrats who held sway in previous administrations, including seven women,

Abdel Fatah el-Sisi swore in a new cabinet

Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi swore in a new cabinet on Thursday after replacing his defense and interior ministers. The high-level security shake-up comes as the country is struggling to combat an Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula. Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Zaki, the head of the Presidential Guard, was tipped to be the new defense minister, replacing Gen. Sedki Sobhi, who had served in the post since Sisi was first elected in 2014. Mahmoud Tawfik, the head of the National Security Department, was chosen to succeed Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar at the Interior Ministry, which supervises the police, AP reports. The new 33-member cabinet is led by Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly, who also serves as housing minister. The government includes eight women and 12 new members.

Nawaz Sharif’s wife suffers cardiac arrest in UK

19sharifs.jpg
 Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a London hospital late Thursday after her condition deteriorated further, her family said on social media. Begum Kulsoom collapsed in the ICU after a cardiac arrest and has not regained consciousness since then as per reports in Pakistan media suggests.
Maryam Nawaz, her daughter, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, both confirmed the development on Twitter, with the former making an “earnest request for duas [prayers]”.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement issued earlier today (Friday), expressed good wishes for Begum Kulsoom’s recovery. He said the Bhutto family and Pakistan Peoples Party is praying for Begum Kulsoom’s health.
Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Nazwaz Sharif’s ailing wife Kulsoom Nawaz’s health has further deteriorated following a cardiac arrest in the UK where she was undergoing treatment following throat cancer surgery.
Kulsoom, 68, was shifted to the intensive care unit of the London hospital late last night after her condition deteriorated further, Maryam Nawaz, her daughter said.
“Ami had a sudden cardiac arrest when we were on the flight and is in ICU and on the ventilator since,” Maryam tweeted.
Maryam, who flew to London along with her father, requested well-wishers to pray for her mother’s health. Kulsoom was readmitted to the hospital on Wednesday, where her health deteriorated and she was immediately taken to the emergency unit in the night and has not regained consciousness since, The Express Tribune reported.
She was rushed to the ICU as she collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest yesterday and has ever since been kept under intensive care. Hussain Nawaz, son of Nawaz Sharif, also appealed to the nation to pray for his mother’s wellness. Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz’s brother, requested the nation to join him in prayers for speedy recovery

Putin invites to Kim Jong Un,

Russian President Putin has issued an invitation to Kim Jong Un, suggesting that they meet at an economic forum in the far eastern port of Vladivostok in September, Senior North Korean official Kim Yong-nam to meet Putin in Moscow. 
Kim Yong Nam, meanwhile, handed the Russian leader a handwritten note from Kim Jong Un, the contents of which have not been made public.
At a meeting in the Kremlin before the World Cup opening ceremony on Thursday, the Russian leader said the recent US-North Korean summit had reduced the threat of conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday met with President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly (legislature) of North Korea Kim Yong-nam. The parliament’s head gave Putin a personal written message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could visit Russia to participate in the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. However, a separate visit could also be organized, the president said at a meeting with Kim Yong-nam, the head of the Presidium of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly in Moscow on Thursday. Russia intends to promote a resolution of the North Korea situation using peaceful means, Putin said. He added that Moscow welcomes the recent meeting of North Korean and US leaders.
Putin confirmed that he invited the North Korean leader to visit Russia. According to the president, it could be a separate meeting or a meeting timed to coincide with the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September. Moscow welcomed a recent meeting between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump, Putin said.

Missing French tourist learning organic farm

DfbOy1GUcAAbjZr.jpg
A 20-year- old French woman who reportedly went missing was found safe in Saarkela village of Alwar district. The woman was missing since June 1.
Gaelle Chouteau was traced by the Rajasthan Police in Saarkela village where she was learning organic farming.
The French national had reached Pushkar on May 30 and stayed in a hotel there, before leaving for Jaipur on June 1.
She was not in touch with her family members and friends, as a result of which they started worrying and were trying to locate her by posting messages on social media.
Earlier on Wednesday, French Ambassador in India Alexandre Ziegler tweeted about the disappearance of Chouteau and asked for information on her whereabouts.
Ms Gaëlle CHOUTEAU, 20 years, 5’3”, has been missing since 1st June 2018. When last in touch, she was leaving Pushkar to go to Jaipur. If you have any information about her, please write to us at: admin-francais․new-delhi-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also took cognizance of the matter, following which the Rajasthan police started the investigation.
Chouteau said she went there on her own and intends to stay for a week more. — ANI

Cabinet apprised of health pact

Union Cabinet was apprised about a pact signed between two health bodies of India and France, which aims at cooperation in medical, life sciences and health research sectors including diabetes and metabolic disorders.
The pact also aims at cooperation in bio-ethics with focus on ethics and regulatory issues of gene editing techniques and rare diseases.
“The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been apprised of an MoU which was signed in March, 2018 between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Institut National de la Santeet de la RechercheMedicale (INSERM), France,” an official statement said.
The MoU will further strengthen relations between ICMR and INSERM within the framework of international scientific and technological cooperation in fields of mutual interest, it said.
“The MoU aims at cooperation in areas of common interest within the medical, life sciences and health research fields. Based on scientific excellence on both sides, the parties have agreed to have a specific focus upon: Diabetes and metabolic disorders, bio-ethics with focus on ethics and regulatory issues of gene editing techniques, rare diseases and any other areas of mutual interest can be considered after discussions between the two sides,” it said.
The scientific excellence on two sides will help to successfully work on health research in specified areas, it added.

Abe to meet Kim Jong Un

Abe is considering meeting with Kim Jong Un this fall, responding to the North Korean leader’s openness to dialogue expressed during a summit with President Donald Trump this week.
https_%2F%2Fs3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com%2Fpsh-ex-ftnikkei-3937bb4%2Fimages%2F2%2F1%2F2%2F3%2F14273212-1-eng-GB%2FRTS1IMK9.jpg
“We see the U.S.-North Korea summit as an opening,” Abe said Thursday in a meeting with family members of Japanese nationals abducted by the rogue state decades ago. “Japan should squarely face North Korea to resolve the issue,” he added. Trump has said he raised the issue with Kim.
Japanese government sources confirm the two sides are discussing times and places for a meeting. The first opportunity seems to be Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum, held in Vladivostok in mid-September, that Abe is expected to attend. President Vladimir Putin repeated his invitation for Kim Jong Un to visit Russia in a meeting Thursday with Kim Yong Nam, leader of North Korea’s rubber-stamp legislature. Mediating a Tokyo-Pyongyang summit would let Putin tout influence over North Korea.
U.N. General Assembly, which convenes in late September in New York, provides another option.
Though Pyongyang has also been suggested as a possible venue, Abe and his aides are leery of having the prime minister visit North Korea before progress is made on the abduction issue. Abe’s political standing would suffer if he returned from the rogue state without concrete results, making a third country a more acceptable choice.
Fumio Shimizu, deputy director general at the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, met Thursday with the head of a research institute affiliated with North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, the Japanese side said. The meeting came during a conference in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.
Tokyo is prepared to pay the initial costs for restarting International Atomic Energy Agency inspections in North Korea, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday. Japan, which contributed $500,000 when the IAEA sent inspectors to North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear facility in 2007, considers such inspections crucial to the ultimate goal of complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.
Japan also could provide rice and medicine via international organizations. During bilateral consultations in Stockholm four years ago, Tokyo promised to consider such humanitarian aid at an “appropriate time.” North Korea agreed to look into the fates of Japanese abductees, but later disbanded the investigative committee. Suga said Japan “will continue asking North Korea to abide by the Stockholm agreement.”
Economic aid for developing North Korean infrastructure is on the table as well. The bilateral Pyongyang Declaration of 2002 named grant aid and low interest loans as examples of Japanese help after normalizing diplomatic relations in the future. When Japan and South Korea established ties in 1965, Tokyo handed over $500 million in economic aid — equivalent to $10 billion in today’s dollars.
Yet Abe cannot commit so much without public support back home.

Journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested in Rangoon

Dear friend
Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested in Rangoon in December last year after investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya men buried in a mass grave. They have now spent six months in prison while their trial continues. This travesty of justice must end. Please email the President of Burma and call for their immediate release.
They were arrested after being invited to meet police officials over dinner on 12th December 2017. The Ministry of Information said that they were “arrested for possessing important and secret government documents related to Rakhine State and security forces”.
Burma’s ambassador to the UN, Hau Do Suan, said that the journalists were not arrested for reporting a story, but were accused of “illegally possessing confidential government documents”.
The journalists were working on a report which describes how security forces and local Rakhine Buddhists were involved in the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men buried in a mass grave in Rakhine state. After their arrest, they were detained for two weeks at an undisclosed location and were not allowed to meet relatives or lawyers. They were charged under the Official Secrets Act and are currently on trial while they remain in detention.
The Official Secrets Act was introduced in 1923, during the colonial era, and carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. In the past, the government used the law against journalists for reporting on current affairs.
Thank you.
Anna Roberts
Burma Campaign UK
Help support the campaign – donate today!

Macedonia’s name changed to the Republic of North Macedonia

Greece and Macedonia managed to achieve a breakthrough on Tuesday, after both the country’s agreed to rename the Balkan country “North Macedonia.”
Embedded image permalink
The decision, which could end a bitter 27-year-old dispute between both the nations, was also made after Greece vowed to lift its veto on its northern neighbour joining the European Union and and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev reportedly held a telephonic conversation, after which the decision was made.
Dfgd8IMWAAAz5rt.jpg
The decision puts an end to a bitter dispute that both the countries have been locked in for 27 years now, that has led to years of protests and endless diplomacy.
As part of the agreement, Macedonia’s name would be changed to the Republic of North Macedonia, or Severna Makedonija in Macedonian and the English name could be used as well as the Slavic term.
The name was chosen to reflect the existence of the Greek region of Macedonia on the other side of the border and the cultural claim by Greeks.
The countries announced that the new name would be used both internally by the government and externally when conducting foreign affairs and in return, Greece would lift its vetoes on the country joining the EU and NATO.
Announcing the agreement in a television press conference after giving details of the deal to the Greek president, Tsipras said, “The name change will be implemented not only in the country’s international relations but also domestically.”
Tsipras added that the 140 countries which had recognized the Balkan state simply as Macedonia would now recognize it as Republic of Northern Macedonia.
He said, “This achieves a clear distinction between Greek Macedonia and our northern neighbors and puts an end to the irredentism which their current constitutional name implies,” adding that Macedonia “cannot and will not be able in the future to claim any connection with the ancient Greek civilization of Macedonia.”
Meanwhile, describing the deal as a “historic agreement of the century,” the Macedonian Prime Minister called on the opposition to back the name change.
He said, “We have been solving a two-and-a-half decade dispute … that has been drowning the country,” adding that the deal “will strengthen the Macedonian identity.”  He urged for support by pointing out that the agreement would guarantee access to the EU and NATO.
Balkan state would be able to call itself the “Republic of Northern Macedonia” (formerly “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”). This title would allow for Skopje’s eventual entry into NATO and the European Union, previously blocked by Greece because it says the use of the name “Macedonia” implies a territorial claim on a northern Greek province of the same name. Greece agreed to recognise its northern neighbour as ‘Republic of North Macedonia’ on Tuesday, ending a decades-long dispute over the name of the former Yugoslav republic.
However, the deal struck on Tuesday still has a few hurdles to cross as nationalists in both countries are opposed to compromise, which could still derail the accord.
The agreement would now have to be ratified by the parliaments in both the countries.
Macedonia however, insisted that the statue is of a “warrior on a horse” rather than the ancient Greek hero.
Over the years, a number of alternatives have been suggested by both sides, which have included Gorna Makedonija (Upper Macedonia), Nova Makedonija (New Macedonia) and Ilinden Macedonia.

CM of Punjab announces Rs.209 crore debt relief for 38000 farmers

Chief Minister of Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced the disbursement of Rs. 209 crore to 38,000 marginal farmers, who are members of the Cooperative Societies, within the next ten days to complete the first phase of his government’s debt relief scheme.
The Chief Minister pointed out that so far 2,77,633 marginal farmers had been provided relief to the tune of Rs. 1525.61 crores in the first phase and this amount has been transferred directly into their accounts. He further said that out of 3.43 lacs marginal farmers, who are members of the Cooperative Societies, 27,179 were found ineligible as they were either serving as Government/Semi Government employees or did not meet the eligibility criteria of the scheme.
The remaining 38,000 will be provided debt relief within the next 10 days. In the second phase, the small farmers linked with cooperative societies would be taken up for disbursement of relief. The commercial banks had already started uploading the data of their loanee farmers on the specially designed portal for this purpose. The Agriculture and Finance departments have been directed to follow up with the commercial banks in the State to ensure expeditious uploading of the data so that the process of verification and disbursing the relief amount to eligible beneficiaries could be completed at the earliest in a transparent manner.
Subsequently, the marginal farmers belonging to the cooperative societies who had not yet received the full eligible amount upto Rs. 2 lacs, and are otherwise eligible to receive relief amount due to them for the loans secured from the commercial banks would also be covered.

Decisions taken by the Union Cabinet


16406965_1284808271556899_3998595658197036646_n
Cabinet approves the extension of tenure of the Commission constituted to examine the issue of Sub-categorization within Other Backward Classes in the Central List
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the final extension of the term of the Other Backward Classes in the Central List currently mandated up to 20th June 2018, till 31st July, 2018. The Commission held extensive meetings with the stake holders including the State Governments, the State Backward Classes Commissions, various community associations and general public belonging to various Backward Classes and Communities. The Commission also obtained records, caste-wise of OBCs admitted in higher educational institution as well as similar caste-wise data of recruits in Central Departments, Central Public Sector Undertakings, Public Sector Banks & Financial Institutions.

·         Cabinet approves Agreement between India and Peru

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved an Agreement between India and Peru which was signed in May, 2018 at Lima, Peru. The agreement aims to establish the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable issues on the basis of mutual benefit equality and reciprocity. The Agreement envisages establishing a Joint Committee to develop Work Plans in order to implement the Agreement. The Agreement will help in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
·         Cabinet approves MoU between India and Viet Nam on Joint issue of postage stamp 
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the joint issue of a postage stamp between Department of Posts and Viet Nam Post. Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications and Viet Nara Post mutually agreed to jointly issue Postage Stamps on India-Viet Nam: Joint Issue on the theme “Ancient Architecture”. The joint stamps were released on 25-01-2018. The Commemorative Postage Stamps on India-Viet Nam: Joint Issue depicts Sanchi Stupa of India and Pho Minh Pagoda of Viet Nam. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between postal administrations of India and Viet Nam for this joint issue on 18-12-2017.
·         Cabinet approves Repositioning of North Eastern Council
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) for the nomination of the Union Home Minister as ex-officio Chairman of North Eastern Council (NEC) – a statutory body with Governors and Chief Ministers of all the eight North Eastern States as its Member. The Cabinet also approved that Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of DoNER would serve as Vice Chairman of the Council.
Impact:
NEC implements various projects through the State and Central agencies. Under the new arrangement with Home Minister as Chairman and Minister of DoNER as Vice Chairman, NEC and all the Governors and Chief Ministers of North Eastern States asMember would provide a forum for discussing inter-state matters more comprehensively and also consider common approaches to be taken in future. NEC can now also perform the tasks undertaken by the various Zonal Councils to discuss such inter-State issues as drug trafficking, smuggling of arms and ammunition, boundary disputes etc. This repositioning of NEC will help it to become a more effective body for the North Eastern Region. The Council shall, from time to time, review the implementation of the projects/schemes included in the project; recommend effective measures for coordination among the state Governments for these projects etc. The Council shall have such powers as may be delegated to it by the Central Government.
·         Cabinet approves proposal for enactment of Dam Safety Bill, 2018
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for introduction of Dam Safety Bill, 2018 in the Parliament.
Benefits:
It will help all the States and Union Territories of India to adopt uniform dam safety procedures which shall ensure safety of dams and safeguard benefits from such dams. This shall also help in safeguarding human life, livestock and property. The draft Bill has been finalised after wide consultation with leading Indian experts and international experts.
Details:
·         The Bill provides for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all specified dams in the country to ensure their safe functioning.
·         The Bill provides for constitution of a National Committee on Dam Safety which shall evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations as may be required for the purpose.
·         The Bill provides for establishment of National Dam Safety Authority as a regulatory body which shall discharge functions to implement the policy, guidelines and standards for dam safety in the country.
·         The Bill provides for constitution of a State Committee on Dam Safety by State Government.
National Dam Safety Authority
·         It shall maintain liaison with the State Dam Safety Organisations and the owners of dams for standardisation of dam safety related data and practices;
·         It shall provide the technical and managerial assistance to the States and State Dam Safety Organisations;
·         It shall maintain a national level data-base of all dams in the country and the records of major dam failures;
·         It shall examine the cause of any major dam failure;
·         It shall publish and update the standard guidelines and check-lists for the routine inspection and detailed investigations of dams and appurtenances;
·         It shall accord recognition or accreditations to the organisations that can be entrusted with the works of investigation, design or construction of new dams;
·         It will also look into unresolved points of issue between the State Dam Safety Organisation of two states, or between the State Dam Safety Organisation of a State and the owner of a dam in that State, for proper solution;
·         Further, in certain cases, such as dams of one State falling under the territory of another State, the National Authority shall also perform the role of State Dam Safety Organization thereby eliminating potential causes for inter-state conflicts.
State Committee on Dam Safety
It will ensure proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all specified dams in that State and ensure their safe functioning. It further provides that every State shall establish a “State Dam Safety Organisation”, which will be manned by officers from the field dam safety preferably from the areas of dam-designs, hydro-mechanical engineering, hydrology, geo-technical investigation, instrumentation and dam-rehabilitation.
·         Cabinet approves MoU between the ICMR and INSERM, France
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed in March, 2018 between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Institut National de la Santeet de la RechercheMedicale (INSERM), France.
Salient Features:
The MoU aims at cooperation in areas of common interest within the medical, life sciences and health research fields. Based on scientific excellence on both sides, the parties have agreed to have a specific focus upon:
1.       Diabetes and Metabolic disorders;
2.       Bio-ethics with focus on Ethics and regulatory issues of Gene editing techniques;
3.       Rare diseases; and
4.       Any other areas of mutual interest can be considered after discussions between the two sides.
The MoU will further strengthen relations between ICMR and INSERM within the framework of international scientific and technological cooperation in fields of mutual interest.  The scientific excellence on two sides will help to successfully work on health research in specified areas.
·         Cabinet approves monetization of 3.70 acres of land at Pragati Maidan for construction and running of a Hotel by a third party including private sector, waiver of charges levied by L&DO and waiver of land charges raised by the Ministry of Railways
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the monetization of 3.70 acres of land at Pragati Maidan by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITJPO) on long-term leasehold basis for 99 years for construction and running of a Hotel by a third party including private sector through a transparent competitive bidding process. This measure is part of the Phase – I of redevelopment project of Pragati Maidan i.e. Integrated Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) Project. It was was approved by the CCEA in January 2017 at an estimated cost of Rs. 2254 crore. IECC project envisages construction of a world class state-of-the-art Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre with a seating capacity for 7,000 pax, exhibition, space of over 1,00,000sq.mtr. and a basement parking for 4,800 vehicles. Traffic decongestion measures in and around the Pragati Maidan will also lead to decongestion of the area.
Funds raised through monetization of land will be one of the means of financing the IECC project which is essential for Central Government and State Governments to hold Summit Level Meetings and Exhibitions/Events for trade promotion. The work for IECC project as well as the traffic decongestion solutions is in full swing. ITPO has stated that the entire project is expected to be completed by September 2019. IECC project will benefit Indian trade and industry, and help increase India’s foreign trade.
·         Cabinet approves proposal for withdrawal of Nalanda University (Amendment) Bill, 2013 pending in Rajya Sabha
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for withdrawal of Nalanda University (Amendment) Bill, 2013 pending in the Rajya Sabha. The Nalanda University was established on the basis of a Joint Press Statement at the 4th East Asia Summit held in Thailand in October, 2009, which supported its establishment as a non-state, non-profit, secular and self-governing international institution. Subsequently, the Nalanda University Act, 2010 was passed by the Parliament and came into effect from 25thNovember 2010.  The present proposal is for moving a motion in Rajya Sabha withdrawing the Nalanda University (Amendment) Bill, 2013 introduced in Rajya Sabha on August 26, 2013 to amend certain existing provisions of the Nalanda University Act, 2010 and add some new provisions.
The Governing Board of Nalanda University has since been constituted as per section 7 of Nalanda University Act, 2010 with effect from 21.11.2016 with, the approval of Hon’ble President of India. The Amendment Bill will need to be discussed with the current Governing Board of Nalanda University before a final decision could be taken on going ahead with the proposed amendments. Further, the current Governing Board may also look into the entire Nalanda University Act, 2010 afresh and suggest amendments/additions wherever necessary. Teaching in the University was inaugurated by Smt.SushmaSwaraj, External Affairs Minister in September 2014. Hon’ble President of India is the Visitor of the University, Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, the Chancellor and Professor Sunaina Singh, is the Vice Chancellor. At present, the University has 116 students in three schools of studies namely School of Historical Studies, School of Ecology and Environment Studies and School of Buddhist Studies. This includes 35 international students from 21 foreign countries.
·         Cabinet approves ‘Three Year Action Plan of Agricultural Education Division & ICAR Institutes
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of the Three Year Action Plan (2017-2020) of the scheme for Agricultural Education Division and ICAR Institutes with an outlay of Rs.2225.46 crore[Rs. 2197.51 crore + Rs. 27.95 crore (State share) as salary component for AICRP-HS]for strengthening and developing higher agricultural education in India.  It comprises of:
1.       “Strengthening and Development of Higher Agricultural Education in India – Rs. Rs.2050.00 crore;
2.       ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) – Rs. 24.25 crore and
3.       ICAR – Central Institute of Women in Agriculture (CIWA) including All India Coordinated Research Project on Home Science (AICRP-HS) – Rs.151.21 crore.
The scheme is aimed to generate quality human resources from the institutions of higher agricultural education.It encompasses several new initiatives including, steps to attract talented students, reducing academic inbreeding and addressing faculty shortage.  It will also take care ofgreen initiatives, mitigating faculty shortage, international ranking, alumni involvement, promoting innovations, inspired teacher network, reducing inbreeding, academia interface, technology enabled learning, Post-doctoral Fellowships, Agriculture Education Portal, Scientific Social responsibility etc. for quality assurance ranking of the agricultural universities has been linked to the financial support under the scheme along with accreditation. Support for strengthening and modernization of infrastructure related to student and faculty amenities and capacity building of both faculty and students in cutting edge areas through Niche Area of Excellence programme will improve teaching and encouraging holistic development of the students.
This will lead to generation of competitive and confident human resource. In addition, research on gender issues in agriculture and allied fields, formulating gender-equitable agricultural, policies/programmes and gender-sensitive agricultural-sector responses will be undertaken by ICAR-CIWA and capacity building needs of the human resources and stakeholders of the entire National Agricultural Research & Education System (NARES) will be catered leading to enhancing of competencies and capacities of the stakeholders including farmers, young scientists, students and agri-industry in NARES by ICAR-NAARM.
·         Cabinet approves raising of additional share capital of M/s. HDFC Bankup to a maximum of Rs. 24,000 crore
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for grant of permission to M/s. HDFC Bank Ltd. to raise additional share capital of up to a maximum of Rs. 24,000 crore, including premium, over and above the previous approved limit of Rs. 10,000 crore, such that the composite foreign shareholding in the Bank shall not exceed 74% of the enhanced paid-up equity share capital of the bank.
The decision would ensure that the composite foreign shareholding in the bank inclusive of all types of foreign investments, both direct and indirect, will not exceed 74% of the enhanced paid-up equity share capital of the bank. It will be subject to Foreign Direct Investment Policy conditionalities and other sectoral regulations / guidelines. The proposed investment is expected to strengthen the capital adequacy ratio of the bank.


 The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has expressed satisfaction over the decision of the Supreme Court Bench for not interfering in sealing matter of certain areas despite strong pleas of the Monitoring Committee to direct MCD to conduct sealing in Rajouri Garden and other areas
CAIT Secretary General Mr. Praveen Khandelwal while welcoming the decision said that since the matter of notifying 351 Roads as commercial or mix land use street is pending before the Supreme Court and matter being sub-juice, insistence of the  Monitoring Committee for repeatedly directing the MCD to conduct sealing operations on these roads is a case of exceeding the jurisdiction of the Monitoring Committee.
He further said that it has been seen that Monitoring Committee is more interested in sealing comfortably running business establishments established since decades on one pretext or the other without serving any notice or giving opportunity of hearing which is against the principle of natural justice. We are sure that Supreme Court has never intended like this.
Mr. Khandelwal hoped that Monitoring Committee will now be justified in its action and instead of adopting a coercive approach, it will seek cooperation from the trading community in larger interest of Delhi and its economy

Sitaram Yechury on Banks write of details

The record wrote-off of bank loans is linked not just to Modis and Choksis who escaped India easily and roam freely but also to opaque means of election funding introduced by Modi govt, big spending on his PR campaigns.
he further tweets, Modi govt writes off bank loans worth ₹ 1.44 lakh crore, yes ₹ 1.44 lakh crore, in just one year. None of those will be for the farmers or the salaried workers, they would all be for friendly corporates

Israel medical startup chains

LR Group is investing NIS 50 million in building and operating three shared workspaces for biotechnology and medical startups near three hospitals in Israel – Hadassah Medical Centre Ein Kerem in Jerusalem, Rabin Medical Centre (Beilinson Hospital) in Petah Tikva and Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa. The new chain will be called LR Biohouse and offers a unique combination of technological incubator, shared workspace and synergy with the hospital.
LR Group operates worldwide in developing, financing, building, and managing medium and large scale projects in high growth economies including agriculture, water, energy and power, telecom, health, and construction.
The first of the three shared workspaces has been built in cooperation with Hadassah Medical Centre Ein Kerem and the Jerusalem Development Authority’s BioJerusalem venture and will be launched next week on June 19.
The Jerusalem LR Biohouse will have space for 40-50 early stage and more mature biotech and medical startups as well as a startup accelerator, which will be operated by Hadassah.
The startups in LR Biohouse will enjoy shared equipment and facilities and data processing systems and most importantly access to the hospital’s infrastructure including laboratories, and amenities for animal and clinical trials including access to patients for the trials. LR Biohouse will also help in introducing potential investors, partners and customers.

Article 0

$
0
0

Alexis & Zoran sign agreement on N Macedonia

 Greece and Macedonia on Sunday signed a historic preliminary agreement to rename the country the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a row that has poisoned relations between the two neighbours since 1991.
“This is a brave, historic and necessary step for our peoples,” said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
“We are here to heal the wounds of time, to open a path for peace, fraternisation and growth for our countries, the Balkans, and Europe,” he said.
“Our two countries should step out of the past and look to the future,” said Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
“Our peoples want peace… we will be partners and allies,” he said.
The accord begins to unravel one of the world´s longest — and arguably most arcane — diplomatic disputes, which began 27 years ago with Macedonia´s declaration of independence but whose roots date back centuries.
“The time has come again to sing happy songs in the Balkans,” Tsipras said, moments before the document was signed by the two countries´ foreign ministers.
Zaev and several of his ministers arrived by speedboat at the picturesque fishing village of Psarades under a sunny sky, on the southern bank of Lake Prespa that is one of the natural boundaries between the two countries.
Tsipras and Zaev embraced on the village dock and entered the large tent where the deal was signed to a standing ovation from gathered dignataries and officials.
UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, longterm UN negotiator Matthew Nimetz, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn were at hand.
Nimetz, who turned 79 on Sunday and also signed Sunday´s agreement, had been trying to broker a solution since 1994, first as a US envoy and subsequently on behalf of the United Nations.
But it was the election of Zaev in 2017, replacing nationalist PM Nikola Gruevski, that proved crucial.
An economist and former mayor of Strumica, Zaev made rapprochement with Greece a priority to secure his country´s membership of the European Union and NATO, blocked by Athens for years.
After the signature, Tsipras will cross over to the Macedonian side of Lake Prespa for lunch, becoming the first Greek prime minister to visit the neighbouring state.
Since 1991, Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great´s empire — a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks.
The two premiers, born just months apart in 1974, have bucked strong hostile reactions at home to push ahead with the agreement.

Paul Manafort sent to jail

US President Donald Trump’s former election campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was sent to jail pending trial on Friday after being charged with witness tampering, the latest episode in his long fall from grace.
Manafort, a long-time Republican operative and businessman, is a target of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election and has been indicted on mostly financial-related charges, including conspiring to launder money and defraud the United States.
He pleaded not guilty on those charges and had been on home confinement in Virginia, required to wear an electronic monitoring device.
Mueller last week charged him with witness tampering in the case. Manafort pleaded not guilty to that charge on Friday but US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington revoked his bail, sending him to jail.
“I have no appetite for this … But in the end, I cannot turn a blind eye,” she said. “You’ve abused the trust placed in you.”
Manafort turned around briefly to wave to his wife before heading out a door at the back of the crowded courtroom, witnesses said.
Manafort’s spokesman did not respond to requests for comment on

Glasgow school of Art, blaze – again

Fire devastated one of the world’s top art schools once again on Saturday, destroying four years of restoration work after a previous blaze ripped through the historic Glasgow School of Art. No casualties , but thinking of the heartbroken students and staff after the magnificent Glasgow School of Artwent up in flames for the second time in four years
The famed Mackintosh Building in Scotland’s biggest city has been “extensively damaged”, fire chiefs said.
A restoration project, set to cost between £20 million and £35 million ($26.5 million and $46.5 million; 23 and 40 million euros), had been returning the world-renowned institution to its former glory following a fire in 2014.
But much of that work has been wrecked, firefighters confirmed, after rushing to tackle the inferno which broke out at around 11:20 pm (2220 GMT) on Friday.
No casualties were reported.
“This is a devastating loss for Glasgow,” deputy assistant chief fire officer Peter Heath told a press conference.
He said firefighters who had battled to save the building four years ago were distraught to be back at the scene after it went up in flames again.
“The fire has had a good grip of this building and it’s extensively damaged it, but the emotional attachment — there is a sense of loss not just amongst the firefighters but I am sure the citizens of Glasgow.”
Asked if any of the restoration work had been destroyed, Heath replied: “Given the extent of the fire, that would be a fair comment.”
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her heart “breaks for Glasgow’s beloved” art school, which is housed in one of Britain´s most cherished buildings.
“It is hard to find words to convey the utter devastation felt here and around the world for the iconic Mackintosh building,” she said.
Local residents were evacuated from their homes with the glow from the blaze visible across the city centre.
The fire affected all floors of the art school and spread to a nearby campus and a nightclub.
Writing on Twitter, Paul Sweeney, a Glasgow MP, said: “It looks like the entire interior space is now fully alight. The best we can probably hope for is structural facade retention and a complete rebuild of the interior.”
Britain’s Scotland Secretary David Mundell said he was at the school only a fortnight ago to see the restoration work.
He said the government “stands ready to help, financially or otherwise”.
The previous blaze was in May 2014, badly damaging the building designed by the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
A Glasgow-born architect and designer, Mackintosh (1868-1928) was a leading exponent of Art Nouveau, whose distinctive lines and lettering remain influential.
He won a competition to design the building in 1897 and it took around 10 years to complete. It is now a landmark in the city with special government-protected status.
The school’s alumni include recent Turner Prize for art winners Simon Starling (2005), Richard Wright (2009) and Martin Boyce (2011).
Others include “Doctor Who” actor Peter Capaldi, Harry Potter and James Bond movie actor Robbie Coltrane, and members from the Scottish rock bands Travis and Franz Ferdinand.
“Can’t believe what´s happening to the art school. Terrible,” said Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos.
The 2014 blaze began when a projector ignited gases from expanding foam used in a student project, a fire investigation found.

Delegation to TAIPEI PLAS 2018 – 16th Edition Taipei International Plastics & Rubber Industry Show

INVITATION (Open for all) to join as visitor
Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME)
delegation to 
TAIPEI PLAS 2018 – 16th Edition
(Taipei International Plastics & Rubber Industry Show)

(Exhibitor profile covers:
Plastic & Rubber Processing Machinery; Injection Molding Machinery; Blow Molding Machinery;
Extruders; Printing Machinery; Auxiliary Equipment; Molds & Dies; Parts & Accessories;
Raw Materials; Semi-Finished & Finished Products; etc.)

(Concurrent Show
Shoe Tech
Taipei International Shoe Making Technology Show – 1st Edition
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center
Taipei, Taiwan



Introduction:
Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME – www.fisme.org.in ) has been actively involved in promoting trade between India & Taiwan. In the last couple of years we have organized several delegations to Taiwan viz., TIMTOS (Machine Tool Show), Food Taipei, MTDU0 (Manufacturing Technology Show) etc.

About the fair/exhibition:
Organized by Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry and co-organizers being Taiwan Rubber & Elastomer Industries Association, The Taiwan Plastics Industry Association, Taiwan Synthetic Resins Manufacturers Association, Petrochemical Industry Association of Taiwan, is one of the leading exhibitions in Taiwan in the field of Plastics and Rubber. For detailed and updated information, please do visit the website viz.,www.taipeiplas.com.tw
*Schedule:
(5days/4nights)
14th August 2018
Departure from India (13th evening / 14th morning August 2018)
Arrival in Taiwan (14th August 2018)
Delegates would be received at the airport and thereafter transfer to hotel
(the hotel is in Taipei city where as the Airport is on the outskirts. Travelling time by car is close to one hour. Distance is 35km plus)
Delegates to enjoy free time on their own
Visit to Rahoe Market (departure from hotel at 6pm) Delegates can have dinner at the market.
Overnight at hotel
15th & 16th August 2018
Breakfast at hotel
Transfer to exhibition ground
Day at exhibition
Transfer back to hotel
Dinner (transfer to Indian Restaurant, separate restaurant on both days and at different locations)
Overnight at hotel
17th August 2018
Full day City tour including visit to Chang Kai Shek Memorial, Taipei 101, Tamsui (new Taipei), & Electronics Market.
(Delegates who want to visit the exhibition, arrangement would be made for them accordingly)
Dinner (Indian restaurant or Taiwan Restaurant)
Overnight at hotel
18th August 2018
Breakfast and check out
Delegates to enjoy free time on their own
Departure for Taipei Airport
Board flight for India
Delegate charges per person:
•          Special Delegate Charges (applicable to delegates making payment by 20th June 2018. Thereafter, subject to availability)
Rs 20,500 per person (inclusive of 18% GST) (two persons in one room)
Rs 27,500 per person  (inclusive of 18% GST) (single occupancy, no sharing)
•          Standard charges (till last moment, subject to availability of seats)
Rs 33,000 per person (inclusive of 18% GST) (two persons in one room)
Rs 54,000 per person  (inclusive of 18% GST) (single occupancy, no sharing)
** Inclusions:
·         Hotel accommodation for 4 nights including taxes (accommodation would be provided in hotel Sunworld Dynasty. This is one of the biggest hotel in Taipei in terms of area and number of rooms, centrally located, near to market area)
·         Pick up from the airport to hotel and vice versa drop from the hotel to the airport
·         Pick up from the hotel to the exhibition ground and vice versa from exhibition ground to the hotel
·         Transfers for sight-seeing are included. In addition, transfer to restaurants (for dinner) are also included.
·         Daily Breakfast at the hotel (Both Veg and Non-Veg options are available at the hotel)
·         Submission & Collection of visa application to/from Taipei Economic & Cultural Centre, New Delhi
·         Courier charges (Blue dart courier) for sending the passport after visa is granted.
·         The undersigned (who has been to Taiwan several times and travelled extensively in Taiwan) would accompany the delegation for smooth facilitation
 Exclusions:
·         Airfare: (Air tickets to be booked by the delegates and at their own cost).  The delegates are free to book their tickets on airlines of their choice. Also, they have the freedom to select the flight timing as per their convenience. If the delegate wish to extend the stay in Taiwan they can do so on their own and bear the cost). If the delegates need any assistance for booking the tickets the same would be provided by us (it may be noted that our date of hotel accommodation, pick up and drop from the airport is fixed and is not flexible).
·         Visa Fee: The Visa fee as charged by the Taiwan authorities. Currently, Rs. 3000/- for single entry visa. Indian citizens having valid US or Schengen visa have to complete the visa formalities online only and they are also exempted from payment of visa fee. Any change in Visa fee has to be borne by the delegate.
·         Entrance fee: (where ever applicable for visit to any monument etc in Taiwan). However, entrance to the exhibition is included
·         Food: Lunch & Dinner, delegates have to bear the cost  (for dinner transportation to restaurant and back would be provided and cost included in the package).
·         Others: Whatever is not mentioned in the inclusions (given above) is all excluded and delegates have to bear the same on their own.
Visa:
The decision to grant visa is taken by the officials of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in india and FISME would not be responsible for any liability for refusal to grant visa to any delegate.

Confirmation & Mode of Payment:
The Cheque/Demand Draft should be in favour of Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME). In case of DD it should be payable at New Delhi. For those who want to transfer the payment online, please let us know and we would provide you with our bank details. The final confirmation from our end would be subject to availability of seats & delegates meeting the minimum criteria.
Deadline cum Cancellation:
The last date to avail Special Delegate Charges is 20th June 2018 (along with receipt of duly filled in application form which would be sent on hearing about your interest to join the delegation). Thereafter, the Special Delegate Charges could be extended if seats are still available under that category otherwise delegates have to pay the Standard charges. After confirmation, any cancellation up to 13th July 2018 would result in 30% per cent as cancellation charges and thereafter it would be 100%.
Additional information or clarification:
Kindly contact:
Mukesh Kalra +91 – 9811465438 or write to us at:  mukesh.kalra@fisme.org.in
·         If there is any increase in tax structure the same would have to be borne by the delegate and in case of decrease the same would be refunded to the delegate.
·         The organizers reserve the right to cancel the delegation if the strength is below 15 pax.
·         Delegates opting for room on double occupancy have to find their partner themselves. Otherwise, they would be allotted room on single occupancy and charged accordingly.
 We hope you would find the above in order and look forward to your participation.

Thanks and with best regards

Mukesh Kalra
Joint Secretary (International Trade)
Federation of Indian Micro and Small &
Medium Enterprises (FISME)
B – 4/161 Safdarjung Enclave,
New Delhi – 110029
Cell.:                 +91 – 9811465438
Telephone:    +91 – 11 – 26187948, 2671206446023157, 46018592
Fax:                  +91 – 11 – 26109470

Taxi plows into Moscow crowd

A taxi drove into a crowd of pedestrians near Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday, injuring eight people including two Mexicans in the city for the soccer World Cup which Russia is hosting, officials and eyewitnesses said.
The incident took place as residents and visiting soccer fans thronged the centre of Moscow on a balmy summer evening, a short distance from the Kremlin.
Moscow’s traffic management authority said the taxi driver had a driver’s license issued in Kyrgyzstan, a mainly Muslim ex-Soviet republic. It cited the driver, who was in police custody, as saying he had not driven into the crowd on purpose.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a post on Twitter: “There was an unpleasant incident with a taxi. The driver lost control of the vehicle.”
The city’s police said they had opened a criminal investigation into a suspected violation of the traffic code.
Eight people were hurt and had been taken to the hospital, Moscow city’s healthcare department said in a statement. It said seven were in a satisfactory condition, while one woman was seriously hurt.
The Mexican embassy in Moscow said two Mexican women had been lightly injured. Also among those hurt were a Ukrainian and two Russian citizens, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted a source in the emergency services as saying.
Video of the incident posted on social media showed the yellow Hyundai taxi pull sharply out of a line of stationary traffic, accelerate and mount the narrow pavement, which was packed with pedestrians.
The vehicle drove for about 10 meters along the pavement, bowling over pedestrians, with some of them being carried along on the bonnet of the car.
The taxi came to a halt after hitting a traffic sign. As bystanders tried to pull open the driver’s side door, the driver, dressed in black trousers, and a black T-shirt, jumped out and sprinted away.
More bystanders chased after him and could be seen trying to tackle him to the ground as the footage ended.
Witness said, the people hit were wearing Mexican team colours. Mexico take on Germany on Sunday in their first World Cup match at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium, and thousands of Mexican fans are in the Russian capital.
A second witness at the scene told Reuters about the driver of the taxi: “He was pulled out of the vehicle, he ran off but bystanders apprehended him. He was shouting: ‘It wasn’t me’.”
Another witness, Viktoria Geraimovich, said she called the emergency services on her mobile phone.
Describing the actions of the driver, she said: “He ran into a group of Mexicans. There were shouts, moans. He was only stopped because he hit a traffic sign.”
“Someone gave him a punch in the face. He stayed in the car, people came up to him, said what are you doing, punched him in the face, he opened the door and tried to run away.”
“It’s scary that it was in the centre (of Moscow) and I was right opposite,” she said.
Moscow’s traffic management authority said the driver was not drunk and Interfax news agency cited a source saying there was no alcohol in his blood.
The same source told Interfax the driver had said he fell asleep at the wheel and accidentally pressed the accelerator pedal.
Russian authorities have vowed to host a safe soccer World Cup, which Russia is hosting for the first time ever. It is taking place in 11 cities until July 15.
In central Moscow, authorities have installed heavy concrete blocks across the entrances to pedestrianized areas following a spate of incidents in European cities in which vehicles were used to mow down people.
The U.S. State Department on Friday updated its travel advice on Russia, saying terrorist groups were plotting attacks.
“Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities,” the travel advice stated.

CII Learning Mission on Manufacturing to Germany

24-28 September 2018 | Munich Stuttgart, Berlin, Frankfurt – Germany
The Manufacturing sector globally is witnessing paradigm shifts. Several companies are implementing Smart Manufacturing and reaping benefits such as  increased competitiveness, productivity, sustainability and reliability. CII is of the view that this phenomenon is here to stay and the Indian manufacturing sector will need to prepare for the various challenges and opportunities posed by this new trend.
To help industry understand the contours of this transformation and showcase smart manufacturing in action, CII is organizing a Learning Mission on Manufacturing to Germany from 24 – 28 September 2018. To cover the administrative fees of organizing the mission, CII has proposed a nominal fees of INR 75,000 (CII Member) & INR 85,000 (Non Member) exclusive of GST per participant. (Air travel, stay at hotels and local transportation is to be borne by the participant).
Key Highlights of the Mission
  • Visit some of the best automobile, automation and robotic factories in the world
  • Visit to the most successful and largest high-technology sites in Germany and Berlin
  • Visit one of the most prestigious Institution focusing on R&D
  • Interaction with the German Start-up Council (largest German Association for Start-ups)
  • Meeting with the largest German “Mittelstand” SMEs Association
  • Learn from leaders in manufacturing on how to move from ‘intention’ to ‘action’
  • Learn about cutting edge technologies in manufacturing
I am, therefore, writing to seek your company’s participation as part of the delegation. Companies interested may send their nomination to be part of this delegation latest by 10th August 2018. Please use the attached registration form for sending the nominations.
As there are limited seat available, representation will be on a first come first served basis.
Look forward to your active participation and early confirmation.
Warm regards,
Anuj Khanna
Chairman – CII Western U.P Zonal Council
For further details pls get in touch with
Rohin Agarwal
Confederation of Indian Industry
Western UP Zonal Office
CMA Tower
A-2E, Mezzanine Floor, Sector – 24
Noida 201 301
Uttar Pradesh
Tel : +91-120- 4345972-74 / 4345973 (D)

Countdown to 2019: A Conversation on Politics, Elections, and Money

CPR Invite
Centre for Policy Research & Trivedi Centre for Political Data (Ashoka University) invite you to a talk on
Countdown to 2019: A Conversation on Politics, Elections, and Money
Milan Vaishnav, Director & Senior Fellow, South Asia Program,
Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceWednesday, 20 June 2018, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
The full discussion will be streamed through Facebook live on .
The run up to the 2019 national election promises to be exciting. Join us for a conversation with eminent political scientist Milan Vaishnav for a deep dive into the current state of Indian politics. Dr Vaishnav will focus on the seedy underbelly of electoral politics — how candidates are chosen, how parties and campaigns are financed, and how it all affects electoral outcomes.
This is the second discussion in a new dialogue series on Indian politics launched in a partnership between Centre for Policy Research and Trivedi Centre for Political Data (TPCD) at Ashoka University.
Please RSVP at president.cpr@cprindia.org. The seating at the venue can accommodate up to 60 people on a first come first serve basis.
About the series
The CPR-TCPD Dialogues on Indian Politics is a monthly event that brings together academicians, policy and political practitioners, and civil society actors to grapple with important social and political issues in India. It provides a forum for intellectually rigorous, non-partisan commentary to strengthen public discourse on politics in India. In these polarized times, debates on politics in India have tended to be increasingly noisy, blurring the lines between critical engagement and partisan endorsement. This dialogue series is an effort to carve out a space for critical, nuanced engagement to understand the changing dynamics of Indian political parties, the impact of new and emerging social movements and the use of new instruments of mobilization in our polity.
The CPR-TCPD Dialogues is curated by the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and the Trivedi Centre for Political Data (TCPD) at Ashoka University. Founded in 1973, CPR is one of India’s leading think tanks, providing rigorous policy research on a variety of issues. Founded in 2015, TCPD is among India’s most well-respected institutions working with political data, providing data-driven research, policy work and journalism on India’s political life by producing and disseminating in open access scientifically collected and treated political data. The CPR-TCPD Dialogues leverages the unique strengths of these two institutions to provide rigorous and innovative commentary on India’s social and political challenges.

Media Invitation

INVITATION

Dear Sir/Madam,

Event
Union Minister of Electronics & IT and Law & Justice, Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad to hold a press conference (combined) as part of on-going programme to inform general public about the achievements made in the past 48 months in the Ministries of Law & Justice and Electronics & IT.
Date
Monday, 18 June 2018
Time
03:00 PM
Venue
Conference Hall, National Media Centre, Raisina Road, New Delhi-01

You are cordially invited to cover the event.

Yours Sincerely INVITATION
Dear Sir/ Madam,
You are requested to cover the following event:
Event:
Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Shri Rajiv Kumar andShri Amitabh Kant, CEO will address media after the 4thmeeting of Governing Council of NITI Aayog .
Date:
17.6.2018 (Sunday)
Time:
06:00 PM
Venue:
Room No 122, NITI Aayog, New Delhi

Yours sincerely

(Dr Atul Kumar Tiwary)
INVITATION
Sir/Madam,
You all are cordially invited to cover the following event:
Function:

Union Ministers of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal and Dr. Satya Pal Singh to be chief guests for WAPCOS Run – Hum Fit to India Fit.
Date:
June 16, 2018 (Saturday)
Time:

6.00 AM (Morning)
Venue:
Indian Gate, New Delhi-110001


Yours sincerely,
(Neeta PrasaNVITATION FOR COVERAGE
Dear Sir/Madam,
You are requested to cover the following event:-
Event
The foundation stone of “Auxiliary Production Unite and State-of-the-Art Artificial Limbs Fitting Centre” of Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) under DEPwD, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment will be laid by Shri Manohar Lal, Chief Minister of Harayana. Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment will preside over the function.
Date
16th June, 2018 (Saturday)
Time
11:30 AM
Venue
Village Nawada Tigaon, Ballabhgarh, Faridabad, Haryana

*The Vehicle for the venue will depart at 10.30 AM from Gate No. 2, CGO Complex (Near Metro Station), New Delhi.
Kindly contact Shri R.K. Tripathi, General Manager, ALIMCO on Mobile No. (9839085970) and ShriRaghvendra Singh, (DEPwD) on Mobile No. 9811306868 for any query & assistance.

Yours sincerely,
(SANJAY KUMAR)
To

Apps to look at to stay connected with your favourite team during FIFA World Cup!

Apps to look at to stay connected with your favourite team during FIFA World Cup!
With the commencement of much awaited FIFA world cup 2018, fans all over the world are excited to stay connected with their favourite sport. There are various companies and start-ups that are bringing innovative apps to enhance the experience of the FIFA enthusiasts. Companies are offering unique services like live streaming of the match, live match prediction, social feed, chat forums, etc in order to engage fans during the live matches.
The following apps help fans to stay tuned with their favourite team during the series and in turn bringing fans and sports closer.

  1. Official FIFA App – This is the official app of FIFA which provides fans with all the information and updates of the live match. The app is available on both Android and iOS to allow users to share the complete schedule of the match with the details of participating teams, live scores, and minute to minute description of the match, etc.

  1. Rooter – Rooter is the world’s first sports social gaming platform that connects sports fans and engages them during live sports matches. Rooter offers unique Live match prediction game, Live Fantasy Game and Sports Social Feed across 8 sports and enables a live chat forum where fans interact during live matches with fastest live scores and commentary. The company has geared up for FIFA world cup as well in order to provide a seamless mix of gaming, conversations, and Live scores during the series.

  1. One Football – One football app keeps the fans updated with all the latest happenings around the world cup. It provides all the information to their fans to remain top of the game like live score, news, highlights, stats, etc. The app also helps users to make the personalised content based on their favourite team and player.

  1. Jio TV App – Jio TV by Reliance will live stream all FIFA World Cup 2018 matches starting from June 14 for free. You need to be on the Jio network, to be able to live stream FIFA World Cup 2018 matches as the JioTV app is exclusive to Jio users.

  1. Airtel TV App – Bharti Airtel has rolled out an updated Airtel TV app, to enable users to watch live broadcasts of the upcoming football tournament. The app will help users to stay tuned in regional languages in addition to Hindi and English. The app will also provide fans to with exclusive behind the scenes snippets and match reviews and previews, etc.

Young female footballers of AP’s Anantapur Football League train with Real Betis captain Irene Guerrero at a three-day camp 

Young female footballers of AP’s Anantapur Football League train with Real Betis captain Irene Guerrero at a three-day camp 
The LaLiga Foundation andRural Development Trust-Vicente Ferrer Foundation in India work for the upliftment of children in rural regions
Mumbai, Thursday, June 15, 2018: As part of LaLiga’s commitment to promote grassroot football in India, the LaLiga Foundation invited Real Betis women team captain Irene Guerrero to conduct a three-day interactive clinic for young female players and coaches of the region’s Rural Football League in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. The sessions were attended by close to 500 footballers and coaches from 20 mandals. This is the first time an international woman footballer has visited Anantapur.
On her three-day tour, Guerrero played with the female footballers at various grassroots centres and interacted with them in a fun, relaxed environment. Guerrero, along with officials from LaLiga also distributed training equipment to footballers from the 20 mandals in Anantapur.
Earlier this year through a series of videos, coaches from different football clubs in Spain  took the girls throughvarious training methods and shared invaluable tips, while promoting the virtues of playing sport, as well as empowering women to achieve and succeed.
The LaLiga Foundation and LaLiga’s women’s football department have signed an agreement with the  Rural Development Trust in India, known in Spain as Vicente Ferrer Foundation, with the aim of developing football in the most deprived communities of Anantapur. This will be achieved by establishing conditions in which both individual and collective talent will flourish in India. Through this joint initiative, nearly 2,000 girls and boys between the ages of 9 and 19 will get an opportunity to play sport. Apart from sport, the joint initiative will help instil discipline, self-belief and team spirit in the youngsters, qualities that will help them outside a football field as well.
Commenting on the occasion Mr. Jose Antonio Cachaza, Country Manager India, LaLiga said, “Our support to Rural Development Trust’s women’s football programme is about helping shape the lives of thousands of girls from 20 mandals in Anantapur through football. LaLiga is the best league in the world with some of the greatest players and teams, but we also take our responsibilities at grassroots level seriously, LaLiga is committed to the children of Anantapur. We have seen Jorge Lorenzo and Rafael Nadal extend their support to the Foundation in the past and we are extremely pleased to carry forward the legacy.”
“As professional player, I believe it is our responsibility to support the development of young talent,” said the Real Betis captain Irene Guerrero.  “The initiative by LaLiga Foundation will fuel the passion of young players in Anantapur and build skills that will help them become the stars of tomorrow. Having fun is the most important factor in their development, but meeting a professional reminds kids that we are just ordinary people and that with hard work and dedication they too can forge a career in the game.”
The Anantapur Football League (AFL) is a rural grassroots competition that was founded in 2014/15 season conducted by the Anantapur Sports Academy. The academy is a sport for development initiative by the Rural Development Trust. Since its formation, the AFL has grown in size, expanding both its number of divisions and youth teams.
“Through this partnership, we will be able to bring football closer to girls and boys, in the rural regions of Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Every child has the ‘Right to Play’ and we are committed to providing children with the opportunity to participate and enjoy the benefits of playing sports,” said Moncho Ferrer, Program Director of the Rural Development Trust.

About LaLiga
Founded in 1984, LaLiga (Liga de Fútbol Profesional) is a sports association comprising the 42 teams that make up the first and second divisions of professional football in Spain. LaLiga, based in Madrid, is responsible for the LaLiga Santander and LaLiga 123 leagues and the television production, which in the 2016/2017 season reached more than 2.5 billion people globally. The association also has an active foundation and is the only world’s only professional football league with a league for intellectually challenged footballers: LaLiga Genuine.

DMA ask Delhi Gov helpline Elder cell


DMA asks Delhi Govt to START HELPLINE TO REPORT ELDER ABUSE AND SET UP ELDER ABUSE CELL in Min of Welfare with a Nodal Officer
15-June is observed as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, this year the theme is “ MOVING FROM AWARENESS TO ACTION-Through a Human Rights Approach”.
According to the report published by HelpAge India Delhi figures amongst the top five cities in prevalence of elder abuse, though the incidence is as high as 32% of this 77% did not report the matter to anyone and only .5% took the support of the Mainatainence and Welfare of Parents and Sr. Citizens Act. All these figures are alarming and reflect lack of awareness of their rights by the elders and an absence of a supportive reporting mechanism.
Dr. Ashwani Goyal President, Delhi Medical Association, called a special meeting on this issue and said that DMA has taken up this issue very seriously amongst it membership, sensitizing them as possible ‘first responders’ against abuse by their patients. Presently the only possible platform for reporting of abuse is to friends/ neighbours or distant relatives. This fortnight edition of the news bulletin carries full information on this issue, compiled by Dr.G.S.Grewal, Hon State Secretary.
DMA calls upon the Govt of Delhi to

1.       Call for a meeting of the possible ‘FIRST RESPONDERS’-which may include representatives of the Medical Associations, Community leaders, Office bearers of RWA, MWA, Elder Organisations, this to create awareness, announce the seriousness and commitment of the Govt to address the issue of Elder Abuse

2.       Start a HELPLINE for reporting elder abuse

3.       Constitute assembly wise community and police teams under Chairmanship of the MLA to create awareness and encourage reporting of abuse

4.       Create a CELL in Min. of Welfare with a Nodal Officer for ELDER ABUSE CELL For Reporting & Prevention

Shripriya Lavish bash, “Altars Of Yearning: How India Prays”

Sagar Media Inc: EXHIBITION “Altars Of Yearning: How India Prays” photography show based on India’s incredible secular fabric, 11am-8pm on 15th to 19th June 2018 at Bikaner house New Delhi.
Embedded
Art Exhibition begin Queensline – Neverland on prayers at Bikaner house New Delhi.
A Curtain Raiser for their two celebrated ships Cruising Restaurant floating on sea at Mumbai coastline in the Maritime Continental Shelf and International seas with scenic beauty to begin Oct 18 2018.
Naresh Kumar Sagar
@Nksagar
Queensline Neverland, the cruise floating moving Restaurant from prestigious industrial family Shripriya Dalmia Thirani nextgen multiple celebrations, Wedding, birthday, success, corporate bash. Curtain raiser, opened in style with Lavish bash at  Bikaner house, in New Delhi. Cruisers, Culinary, Celebration rocked with presences of models, artists, actors, authors, intellectuals, professors, writers, industrialist, socialites, media, politicians and Ambassadors of Bhutan, Czech, Hungary, France, Israel and officials of UN office in India marked their presence with Chief Guest Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad Minister of Law and Justice and electronics IT along with Guest of Honour,Usha Uthup, pop, filmi, jazz, and playback singer made live appearance.
Embedded
A Curtain Raiser for their two celebrated ships Cruising Restaurant floating on sea at Mumbai coastline in the Maritime Continental Shelf and International seas with scenic beauty.
@Nksagar
Sagar Media Inc Wishes Eid Mubarak to all tweeters intellectual May this Eid bring peace prosperity celebration and love for all.
Embedded
Naresh Kumar Sagar
Naresh Kumar Sagar

WPI inflation surge ahead

WPI inflation spikes to 14-month high of 4.43% in May on costlier fuel
Inflation based on wholesale prices shot up to a 14-month high of 4 points 43 per cent in May on increasing prices of petrol and diesel, prompting industry to demand action from policymakers to keep fuel prices under check.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation stood at 3.18 per cent in April and 2.26 per cent in May last year. According to government data released today, inflation in food articles was at 1.60 per cent in May 2018, as against 0.87 per cent in the preceding month.
Inflation in ‘fuel and power’ basket rose sharply to 11.22 per cent in May from 7.85 per cent in April as prices of domestic fuel increased in line with rising global crude oil rates.
Inflation in vegetables climbed to 2.51 per cent in May, with potato inflation at a peak of 81.93 per cent. Price rise in fruits was in double digits at 15.40 per cent, while pulses saw a deflation of 21.13 per cent.
May inflation at 4.43 per cent was a 14-month peak.
The previous high was in March 2017, when the WPI inflation stood at 5.11 per cent. The WPI inflation for March has been revised upwards to 2.74 per cent from the provisional estimate of 2.47 per cent.

Article 0

$
0
0

Dy CM Manish Sisodia hospitalised

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, on hunger strike at LG’s office since June 13, taken to hospital, tweets CM Arvind Kejriwal.
18live-sisodia.jpg
Sisodia is being taken to the LNGP hospital after his ketone level reached 7.4. He has been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past seven days at the LG’s residence against the alleged strike by the IAS officers of Delhi government.
A day earlier, Health Minister Satyendar Jain was admitted after his sugar levels dipped. Both the ministers along side Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have been holding a sit-in at the LG office demanding that Baijal direct IAS officers to end their “strike”. They also demand that the Lt Governor approve the proposal for doorstep delivery of ration.
Further about the AAP style of sit on dharna in office of LG of Delhi,  Delhi High Court today asked the AAP government,  who authorised the sit-in by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some of his cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor’s office, and observed that strikes are usually held outside an establishment or office and not inside.
The observation by a bench of Justices A K Chawla and Navin Chawla came during the hearing of two petitions, one against the sit-in by Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal and the other against the alleged strike by the IAS officers of Delhi government.
“Who authorised the strike/dharna (sit-in by Kejriwal)? You are sitting inside the LG’s office. If it’s a strike, it has to be outside the office,” the court told lawyers appearing for the Delhi government in the two matters. Apart from the two petitions, a separate plea was moved by Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta against the sit-in by Kejriwal at Lt Governor Anil Baijal’s office.
The AAP says Delhi CM Kejriwal will continue his strike till IAS officers end their strike.
The matters are likely to be heard on June 22. The court said the association representing the IAS officers should also be made a party in the matter. — PTI

UK’s Ebola Task Force joins IFAD as Associate Vice-President


Development veteran and former head of UK’s Ebola Task Force joins IFAD as Associate Vice-President
Rome, 18 June 2018 – Donal Brown of the United Kingdom has joined the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) as Associate Vice-President of the Programme Management Department.

In his role at IFAD, Brown is responsible for developing and managing the operations that the Fund supports through its loans and grants. In addition, he oversees the programme of work of the department, which is undertaken by five regional divisions and the Operational Policy and Results Division.

Brown previously worked at the UK’s Department for International Development in a number of senior positions both at headquarters and in a range of countries. Most recently Brown was the Africa Director, managing 550 staff across the continent. In 2014-2015, he led UK’s Ebola Task Force in Sierra Leone and was awarded Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his efforts to control the crisis.

Until the outbreak of Ebola in May 2014, Sierra Leone, a country of 7 million people on the West African seaboard, had one of the highest economic growth rates in the world. IFAD, a specialized agency of the United Nations, supported the government in its fight against the Ebola outbreak and during the aftermath. As the largest and most active donor in the country’s agricultural sector, IFAD continues to contribute to Sierra Leone’s recovery, in particular to establish food security which is vital to health.

Brown brings to IFAD more than 25 years of international experience from across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. He holds a Master’s degree in Tropical Animal Health and Production from the University of Edinburgh, a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Leadership and Management from the University of Warwick and a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Bristol, as well as an Honorary Doctorate in Social Justice from the University of Winchester.

 Crimes Terror & War Cost India Rs.15,00,000 Cr Annually

June17, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com
Shri Rajiv Gauba,
Home Secretary,
Government of India.
Police Stations – Dens of Hard Core Criminals, Mastermind Crimes

Dear Sir, A study carried in TOI of June13, 2018 on page reports India suffer 9% GDP Loss due to Crimes, Wars and Terrors which is Rs.15,00,000 Cr Loss annually,Rs.60,00,000 Cr or $1 Trillion in last 4 years.
These Loss Realistic – 25m Court Cases are Pending means 20% Households are IMPACTED by Court Cases – Many times more cases are not reported. Even 50% to 90% RAPE Cases are either Not Reported to Police or Compromised.
80% of Crimes are Partnered by SHOs of Police Stations and in 95% of cases Police Write DEFECTIVE FIRs or DON’T PROTECT VICTIMS OF CRIME & BREED CRIMINALS.
Even matters of Crimes against State and Serial Crimes like Rape, Murder, Cheating, Kidnapping, Extortions, HAFTA cases, Honey Trap, Bootlegging, Smuggling, Drug Peddling, Matrimonial Fraud, Electronic Frauds, Thefts of All Kinds, Forgeries, Ponzy Schemes, Chit Funds, Gambling,  Illegal Occupation & Sale of Public Property, Land Grabs, Prostitution, Human Trafficking, Kidnappings, Contract Killers.
SHOs are Expected to CHECK THEM ALL but take Share of Illegal Activities write DEFECTIVE FIRs in case matters go beyond their control. In Delhi street DP is not seen at all – CCTV Cameras installed by Police are Disabled.
SLP 28441 of 2008 in the Supreme Court: – a Poor Farmer entered in to Agreement or Exchange Deal with a Businessman involving Exchange of 2.5 Acres of Farm Land in Gurdaspur Punjab for 5 Acres in Uttarkhand in 1998. While Businessman Took Over Farmers land but Farmer couldn’t get 5 Acres because the property documents were FAKE. SHO didn’t registered CHEATING Case and CIVIL case lingered on even as there were Seasonal Fights every year between the Parties – say 50 times in 12 years.
PALDI GUJARAT Case: – For a Loan of Rs.9 Lakh – a Person over 2-3 years was SERIALLY TORTURED BY MONEYLENDER – who took away Rs.58 Lakh to perhaps over Rs.1 Cr.
Smart SHO in above cases, 95% cases would have PROVIDED 100% Protection to the Victim within 10 minutes of Receiving Complaint – Write an FIR without delay.
‘VIGILANCE POLICE 10% OF FORCE’ BE INTRODUCED TO INDEPENDANTLY MONITOR SHOs, MEET COMPLAINANTS 9-11AM DAILY, PUNISH CORRUPT SHOs, WRITE FIRs ON Investigation Officers reporting in CONSULTATION WITH VICTIMS. SHOs should be WORKING in STREETS PREVENTING CRIMES.
Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS
Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857
Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,
Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Obama Foundation

Obama Foundation
Obama.org
Hi everyone —
I guess you could say it started with Iron Man.
Nearly ten years ago, my son Izaac’s preschool class was going on a field trip and my wife and I were packing him a lunch. She asked me if I wanted to write his name on his lunch bag.
It occurred to me that even though I was an artist, my kids never got to see their dad draw. If I wanted to encourage my kids to be proud of their own gifts and use them in their own lives, I needed to start setting an example for them. So, I sat down and put Izaac’s name on his bag — along with a quick sketch of Iron Man.
When he saw the bag, the beaming smile on his face alone affirmed the decision. But I knew I had more to give my kids than just a five-minute sketch.
I began to put a little more time into their lunch bags. The night before, I’d sit down with my color pencils for an hour or so — and I’d just draw:

The Parliamentary Tradition in Poland and Hungary

We are pleased to invite you to the inauguration of an exhibition titled “The Parliamentary Tradition in Poland and Hungary and Celebrating the End of the First World War” presented jointly by Polish Institute in New Delhi and Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, New Delhi on Tuesday, 19th June, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Art Gallery, IIC Annexe.
Image may contain: text

Alexis & Zoran sign agreement on N Macedonia

 Greece and Macedonia on Sunday signed a historic preliminary agreement to rename the country the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a row that has poisoned relations between the two neighbours since 1991.
“This is a brave, historic and necessary step for our peoples,” said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
“We are here to heal the wounds of time, to open a path for peace, fraternisation and growth for our countries, the Balkans, and Europe,” he said.
“Our two countries should step out of the past and look to the future,” said Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
“Our peoples want peace… we will be partners and allies,” he said.
The accord begins to unravel one of the world´s longest — and arguably most arcane — diplomatic disputes, which began 27 years ago with Macedonia´s declaration of independence but whose roots date back centuries.
“The time has come again to sing happy songs in the Balkans,” Tsipras said, moments before the document was signed by the two countries´ foreign ministers.
Zaev and several of his ministers arrived by speedboat at the picturesque fishing village of Psarades under a sunny sky, on the southern bank of Lake Prespa that is one of the natural boundaries between the two countries.
Tsipras and Zaev embraced on the village dock and entered the large tent where the deal was signed to a standing ovation from gathered dignataries and officials.
UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, longterm UN negotiator Matthew Nimetz, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn were at hand.
Nimetz, who turned 79 on Sunday and also signed Sunday´s agreement, had been trying to broker a solution since 1994, first as a US envoy and subsequently on behalf of the United Nations.
But it was the election of Zaev in 2017, replacing nationalist PM Nikola Gruevski, that proved crucial.
An economist and former mayor of Strumica, Zaev made rapprochement with Greece a priority to secure his country´s membership of the European Union and NATO, blocked by Athens for years.
After the signature, Tsipras will cross over to the Macedonian side of Lake Prespa for lunch, becoming the first Greek prime minister to visit the neighbouring state.
Since 1991, Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great´s empire — a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks.
The two premiers, born just months apart in 1974, have bucked strong hostile reactions at home to push ahead with the agreement.

Apps to look at to stay connected with your favourite team during FIFA World Cup!

Apps to look at to stay connected with your favourite team during FIFA World Cup!
With the commencement of much awaited FIFA world cup 2018, fans all over the world are excited to stay connected with their favourite sport. There are various companies and start-ups that are bringing innovative apps to enhance the experience of the FIFA enthusiasts. Companies are offering unique services like live streaming of the match, live match prediction, social feed, chat forums, etc in order to engage fans during the live matches.
The following apps help fans to stay tuned with their favourite team during the series and in turn bringing fans and sports closer.

  1. Official FIFA App – This is the official app of FIFA which provides fans with all the information and updates of the live match. The app is available on both Android and iOS to allow users to share the complete schedule of the match with the details of participating teams, live scores, and minute to minute description of the match, etc.

  1. Rooter – Rooter is the world’s first sports social gaming platform that connects sports fans and engages them during live sports matches. Rooter offers unique Live match prediction game, Live Fantasy Game and Sports Social Feed across 8 sports and enables a live chat forum where fans interact during live matches with fastest live scores and commentary. The company has geared up for FIFA world cup as well in order to provide a seamless mix of gaming, conversations, and Live scores during the series.

  1. One Football – One football app keeps the fans updated with all the latest happenings around the world cup. It provides all the information to their fans to remain top of the game like live score, news, highlights, stats, etc. The app also helps users to make the personalised content based on their favourite team and player.

  1. Jio TV App – Jio TV by Reliance will live stream all FIFA World Cup 2018 matches starting from June 14 for free. You need to be on the Jio network, to be able to live stream FIFA World Cup 2018 matches as the JioTV app is exclusive to Jio users.

  1. Airtel TV App – Bharti Airtel has rolled out an updated Airtel TV app, to enable users to watch live broadcasts of the upcoming football tournament. The app will help users to stay tuned in regional languages in addition to Hindi and English. The app will also provide fans to with exclusive behind the scenes snippets and match reviews and previews, etc.

Young female footballers of AP’s Anantapur Football League train with Real Betis captain Irene Guerrero at a three-day camp 

Young female footballers of AP’s Anantapur Football League train with Real Betis captain Irene Guerrero at a three-day camp 
The LaLiga Foundation andRural Development Trust-Vicente Ferrer Foundation in India work for the upliftment of children in rural regions
Mumbai, Thursday, June 15, 2018: As part of LaLiga’s commitment to promote grassroot football in India, the LaLiga Foundation invited Real Betis women team captain Irene Guerrero to conduct a three-day interactive clinic for young female players and coaches of the region’s Rural Football League in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. The sessions were attended by close to 500 footballers and coaches from 20 mandals. This is the first time an international woman footballer has visited Anantapur.
On her three-day tour, Guerrero played with the female footballers at various grassroots centres and interacted with them in a fun, relaxed environment. Guerrero, along with officials from LaLiga also distributed training equipment to footballers from the 20 mandals in Anantapur.
Earlier this year through a series of videos, coaches from different football clubs in Spain  took the girls throughvarious training methods and shared invaluable tips, while promoting the virtues of playing sport, as well as empowering women to achieve and succeed.
The LaLiga Foundation and LaLiga’s women’s football department have signed an agreement with the  Rural Development Trust in India, known in Spain as Vicente Ferrer Foundation, with the aim of developing football in the most deprived communities of Anantapur. This will be achieved by establishing conditions in which both individual and collective talent will flourish in India. Through this joint initiative, nearly 2,000 girls and boys between the ages of 9 and 19 will get an opportunity to play sport. Apart from sport, the joint initiative will help instil discipline, self-belief and team spirit in the youngsters, qualities that will help them outside a football field as well.
Commenting on the occasion Mr. Jose Antonio Cachaza, Country Manager India, LaLiga said, “Our support to Rural Development Trust’s women’s football programme is about helping shape the lives of thousands of girls from 20 mandals in Anantapur through football. LaLiga is the best league in the world with some of the greatest players and teams, but we also take our responsibilities at grassroots level seriously, LaLiga is committed to the children of Anantapur. We have seen Jorge Lorenzo and Rafael Nadal extend their support to the Foundation in the past and we are extremely pleased to carry forward the legacy.”
“As professional player, I believe it is our responsibility to support the development of young talent,” said the Real Betis captain Irene Guerrero.  “The initiative by LaLiga Foundation will fuel the passion of young players in Anantapur and build skills that will help them become the stars of tomorrow. Having fun is the most important factor in their development, but meeting a professional reminds kids that we are just ordinary people and that with hard work and dedication they too can forge a career in the game.”
The Anantapur Football League (AFL) is a rural grassroots competition that was founded in 2014/15 season conducted by the Anantapur Sports Academy. The academy is a sport for development initiative by the Rural Development Trust. Since its formation, the AFL has grown in size, expanding both its number of divisions and youth teams.
“Through this partnership, we will be able to bring football closer to girls and boys, in the rural regions of Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Every child has the ‘Right to Play’ and we are committed to providing children with the opportunity to participate and enjoy the benefits of playing sports,” said Moncho Ferrer, Program Director of the Rural Development Trust.

About LaLiga
Founded in 1984, LaLiga (Liga de Fútbol Profesional) is a sports association comprising the 42 teams that make up the first and second divisions of professional football in Spain. LaLiga, based in Madrid, is responsible for the LaLiga Santander and LaLiga 123 leagues and the television production, which in the 2016/2017 season reached more than 2.5 billion people globally. The association also has an active foundation and is the only world’s only professional football league with a league for intellectually challenged footballers: LaLiga Genuine.

DMA ask Delhi Gov helpline Elder cell


DMA asks Delhi Govt to START HELPLINE TO REPORT ELDER ABUSE AND SET UP ELDER ABUSE CELL in Min of Welfare with a Nodal Officer
15-June is observed as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, this year the theme is “ MOVING FROM AWARENESS TO ACTION-Through a Human Rights Approach”.
According to the report published by HelpAge India Delhi figures amongst the top five cities in prevalence of elder abuse, though the incidence is as high as 32% of this 77% did not report the matter to anyone and only .5% took the support of the Mainatainence and Welfare of Parents and Sr. Citizens Act. All these figures are alarming and reflect lack of awareness of their rights by the elders and an absence of a supportive reporting mechanism.
Dr. Ashwani Goyal President, Delhi Medical Association, called a special meeting on this issue and said that DMA has taken up this issue very seriously amongst it membership, sensitizing them as possible ‘first responders’ against abuse by their patients. Presently the only possible platform for reporting of abuse is to friends/ neighbours or distant relatives. This fortnight edition of the news bulletin carries full information on this issue, compiled by Dr.G.S.Grewal, Hon State Secretary.
DMA calls upon the Govt of Delhi to

1.       Call for a meeting of the possible ‘FIRST RESPONDERS’-which may include representatives of the Medical Associations, Community leaders, Office bearers of RWA, MWA, Elder Organisations, this to create awareness, announce the seriousness and commitment of the Govt to address the issue of Elder Abuse

2.       Start a HELPLINE for reporting elder abuse

3.       Constitute assembly wise community and police teams under Chairmanship of the MLA to create awareness and encourage reporting of abuse

4.       Create a CELL in Min. of Welfare with a Nodal Officer for ELDER ABUSE CELL For Reporting & Prevention

Shripriya Lavish bash, “Altars Of Yearning: How India Prays”


Sagar Media Inc: EXHIBITION “Altars Of Yearning: How India Prays” photography show based on India’s incredible secular fabric, 11am-8pm on 15th to 19th June 2018 at Bikaner house New Delhi.
Embedded
Art Exhibition begins on prayers at Bikaner house New Delhi.
A Curtain Raiser for their two celebrated ships cruising restaurant floating on sea at Mumbai coastline in the Maritime Continental Shelf and International seas with scenic beauty to begin Oct 18 2018.
 The city’s largest restaurants and cruise ships are new experiential dinning initiated with two ships once the favourite of Europe’s top aristocracy have now arrived in Mumbai to take new roll, converted into Mumbai largest floating restaurant.
The two newly christened restaurant are,
Queensline Neverland,
Queensline Sea Yea will open for customers in October at two iconic points of Mumbai –
the Gateway of India
Girgaum Chowpatty.
First time people be able to cruise
along Mumbai’s coastline with natural stunning views.
Naresh Kumar Sagar
@Nksagar
Queensline Neverland, and  the Queenline Sea Yah, cruise floating and moving Restaurant from prestigious industrial family Shripriya Dalmia Thirani cruiser restaurant experience fornextgen multiple celebrations, Wedding, birthday, success, corporate bash. Curtain raiser, opened in style with Lavish bash at  Bikaner house, in New Delhi. Cruisers, Culinary, Celebration rocked with presences of models, artists, actors, authors, intellectuals, professors, writers, industrialist, socialites, media, politicians and Ambassadors of Bhutan, Czech, Hungary, France, Israel and officials of UN office in India marked their presence with Chief Guest Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad Minister of Law and Justice and electronics IT along with Guest of Honour,Usha Uthup, pop, filmi, jazz, and playback singer made live appearance.
Embedded
A Curtain Raiser for their two celebrated ships Cruising Restaurant floating on sea at Mumbai coastline in the Maritime Continental Shelf and International seas with scenic beauty.
@Nksagar
Sagar Media Inc Wishes Eid Mubarak to all tweeters intellectual May this Eid bring peace prosperity celebration and love for all.
Embedded
Naresh Kumar Sagar
Naresh Kumar Sagar

WPI inflation surge ahead

WPI inflation spikes to 14-month high of 4.43% in May on costlier fuel
Inflation based on wholesale prices shot up to a 14-month high of 4 points 43 per cent in May on increasing prices of petrol and diesel, prompting industry to demand action from policymakers to keep fuel prices under check.
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation stood at 3.18 per cent in April and 2.26 per cent in May last year. According to government data released today, inflation in food articles was at 1.60 per cent in May 2018, as against 0.87 per cent in the preceding month.
Inflation in ‘fuel and power’ basket rose sharply to 11.22 per cent in May from 7.85 per cent in April as prices of domestic fuel increased in line with rising global crude oil rates.
Inflation in vegetables climbed to 2.51 per cent in May, with potato inflation at a peak of 81.93 per cent. Price rise in fruits was in double digits at 15.40 per cent, while pulses saw a deflation of 21.13 per cent.
May inflation at 4.43 per cent was a 14-month peak.
The previous high was in March 2017, when the WPI inflation stood at 5.11 per cent. The WPI inflation for March has been revised upwards to 2.74 per cent from the provisional estimate of 2.47 per cent.

India,US agree to trade talks

India and the US have agreed to hold comprehensive talks to address trade and economic issues. The decision in this regard was taken during a series of meetings, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu had with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
At the conclusion of his two-day trip to the US, Mr. Prabhu told a group of Indian reporters in Washington, that New Delhi and Washington will now work together to expand bilateral trade.
The Minister said, India will send an official team within next few days to work out the details and initiate a comprehensive negotiation on all issues concerning trade and economic relationship between the two countries.
Acknowledging that both sides have trade and tariff issues with each other, Mr. Prabhu said officials will hold talks on all of them.
President Trump, in a press conference in Canada’s Quebec City during the G7 summit, took a swipe at India along with the world’s other top economies and accused New Delhi of charging 100 per cent tariff on some of the US’ goods.

Article 0

$
0
0

Rail Contact 2018

DgCQhTcUcAAbLs5.jpg

Bullets trains has been long hawkish by various government but the work done in last four years are taken on special rail corridors and Mumbai -Ahmedabad is on priority and more train to taken on other A-B-C rail corridors. The average speed of passenger train is awfully low at 45 Km per hour and those of freight rails dismal low at 18 km per hr the government has geared by to transform railway with best available technology comapnies like Alstom India, BHEL, Siemens Ltd, Tata Projects KEC International Ltd, Titagarh Wagons Ltd, Toyota Kirloskar were making joint efforts and intervention with members Rail Board.”Fast speed and tracks are just around the corner. Speeds of 200kmph easily achievable”
Govt of India has already decided to move into a real high speed between Mumbai & Ahmedabad. Our aim is to upgrade the speed of trains up to 160 kmph & target to put more trains into this bracket~Mr. Ravindra Gupta, Member (Rolling Stock), Railway Board at #RailContact 2018.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of railways,Coal,finance and corporate affairs address the inaugural address  by the Chief guest, at Rail Contact 2018 – Driving Industry -Railway Partnerships, in New Delhi. Piyush Goyal said Great things in business are never done by one person. As Steve Jobs says- It is always a team working in partnership, with a collective effort working towards a common goal.

Minster Railways thanked, Mr Ghanshyam Singh, Member Traction, Railway board to have rope in CII in Rail Contact, where joint efforts can yield new ideas ,issue can help us to run the railway best in the world. Indian Railways, which used to struggle with lack of investments & capacity constraints, has witnessed a massive growth in investments in the last 4 years, with speedy race of projects and transformation work in progress.
This Govt. has had the decisive leadership to not only do away with the populist measure like Railway budget but also not announce populist projects, but focus on what is truly essential & what can give you the fastest payback for every rupee that you spend. Minister added at the Rail contact conference, It’s reassuring to know that the present govt. is thoroughly supporting private enterprise in the development India.
Mr Alain Spohr MD India & SAsia Alstom India, said, he is in India from last 15 years and there are three key takeaways in today’s development, Ease of business, Make in India and New Strategies for business. Further added  “Talking about the importance of sustainability, Alstom has set clear sustainability targets for all our services for 2020.” Alstom India MD Mr. Alain Spohr reiterates our global promise of sustainable development at the ‘RailContact – Driving Industry-Railway Partnership 2018.

Discussion on Protecting the Rights of Domestic Workers. 

22nd JUNE 2018: Discussion on Protecting the Rights of Domestic Workers.

Protecting and Promoting Rights of Domestic Workers in India
on 22 June 2018
from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
at Oxford Bookstore, N-81 Connaught Place,
New Delhi

As part of its ongoing campaign #DignityOfMyLabour, PRIA in collaboration with Apne Aap Women Worldwide is organising a discussion to build consensus on the rights of domestic workers.
For all those interested and want to commit to ensuring domestic workers are treated with respect and dignity, come to Oxford Bookstore on 22nd June between 4.30 p.m. and 6.00 p.m.
Listen to the experiences of domestic workers who are trying to raise awareness among their employers to respect the work being done by them. Our panelists will also share current policies and regulations available for the protection of domestic workers and the stand of the Indian government at an international level on the ILO conventions.
Panelists:
Ms. Khadija, a domestic worker and group leader of Ekta Collective, Harijan Basti, Gurgaon. She has been part of PRIA’s project for the past 18 months and is at the frontline from her community trying to get dignity and recognition for their work.
Mr. Subhash Bhatnagar, Chief Functionary, Nirmana and Convener, National Domestic Workers Platform. For over 30 years, Mr. Bhatnagar has promoted and supported the rights of construction workers and domestic workers.
Mr. Alok Kumar, Trade Union Activist, Independent Research scholar, Executive Committee Member, Ghaarelu Kaamgar Union, Gurgaon.

Mirra Upadaya’s book “You are in Q” launched

Mirra Upadaya’s book “You are in Q” launched by Shri Shri Ravi Shankar ji !!!
 Swaraaj_Kapoor_Mirra_Upadaya__Shri_Ravi_Shankar_ji_pic_2.jpg
   Mirra Upadaya, Swaraaj Kapoor Entrepreneur, Philanthropist and Social Activist with his family seeked blessings of Shri Shri Ravi Shankar ji during the book launch ceremony in his own Shri Shri Ravi Shankar Ashram.
   Inspirational writer Mirra Upadaya launched her book by the most revered & loved Shri Shri Ravi Shankar ji in front of 20 thousand people in his satsang on 7th June also which was telecasted live in 100 countries.
   On this auspicious occasion the well renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist, social activist  Swaraaj Kapoor said  “It was the most ecstatic moment of our life with the book talking about varied people from political ,social & varied fields the journey & experiences of meeting them & their influences in most candid way , it’s simple to read & heart touching You Are In Que & couldn’t have had a better person in this world to have launched it by Shri Shri Ravi Shankar himself”
    The opening book introduction was given by Shyam Sharma followed by  Swaraaj Kapoor himself carrying further by emotional Mirra Upadaya. The book consist of various aspects and experiences of Mirra Upadaya when she encountered, people from all walks of life such as Indira gandhi , Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee to a commoner Visha the house keeper and their influence on her.
  “You are in Q” will have its book reading in Delhi & Mumbai by some esteemed political people & artists. Mirra Upadaya’s book “You are in Q” launched by Shri Shri Ravi Shankar ji
   Mirra Upadaya, Swaraaj Kapoor well known Entrepreneur,  Philanthropist and Social Activist with his family seeked blessings of Shri Shri Ravi Shankar ji during the book launch ceremony in his own Shri Shri Ravi Shankar Ashram.
   Inspirational writer Mirra Upadaya launched her book by the most revered & loved Shri Shri Ravi Shankar ji in front of 20 thousand people in his satsang on 7th June also which was telecasted live in 100 countries.
     On this auspicious occasion the well renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist, social activist  Swaraaj Kapoor said  “It was the most ecstatic moment of our life with the book talking about varied people from political ,social & varied fields the journey & experiences of meeting them & their influences in most candid way , it’s simple to read & heart touching You Are In Que & couldn’t have had a better person in this world to have launched it by Shri Shri Ravi Shankar himself”
  The opening book introduction was given by Shyam Sharma followed by  Swaraaj Kapoor himself carrying further by emotional Mirra Upadaya. The book consist of various aspects and experiences of Mirra Upadaya when she encountered, people from all walks of life such as Indira gandhi , Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee to a commoner Visha the house keeper and their influence on her. “You are in Q” will have its book reading in Delhi & Mumbai by some esteemed political people & artists

Trump plans 10% tariffs on $ 200 bn of Chinese goods

US President Donald Trump has unveiled plans to impose 10 per cent tariffs on 200 billion dollars worth of Chinese goods on top of previous punitive measures over Beijing’s unacceptable move to raise its own tariffs.
Trump said in a statement that further action must be taken to encourage China to change its unfair practices, open its market to United States goods and accept a more balanced trade relationship with the United States.
The US leader warned that after the new measures are in place – on top of existing tariffs on 50 billion dollars in Chinese imports – punitive measures on another 200 billion dollars of Chinese goods would go forward, if China increases its tariffs yet again.

Mercedes-Benz too in emission cheating scandal

Mercedes-Benz dragged in to emission cheating scandal
German government forces recall of 700,000 diesel vehicle
Tripolone.
Mercedes-Benz and the German Transport Ministry has not revealed which model years are affected, but UK publication, Autocar, cites officials who believe that the latest Euro6 compliant vehicles are affected.

New tests have detected unauthorised software in several Mercedes-Benz models.
The German Transport Ministry has ordered the recall of 774,000 vehicles across Europe in response to the allegations.
Unauthorised software, also known as a cheat device, could be used to alter diesel emissions under test conditions.
The software was found in several popular Mercedes-Benz vehicles including the C220d, GLC220d SUV and Vito 111CDI van.
According to reports in the German media the software acts in a way that it reduces the amount of AdBlue – an additive for diesel engines to help reduce nitrogen oxides also known as NOx – over time which leads to higher emissions in real world conditions. 
— Greg Kable (@GregKable) June 11, 2018
Mercedes-Benz sells the C220d and the affected Vito van locally but no longer offers the diesel-powered GLC in question. It is not yet known whether Australian sold vehicles are affected and it would be unlikely that the vehicles would surpass Australia’s much more lax emissions standards.
News of Mercedes-Benz featuring software that could alter the vehicles emissions results follows on from the scandal that engulfed Volkswagen and Audi which had knowingly added defeat devices in diesel-powered vehicles, including popular cars like like the VW Golf sold in Australia, with the aim of circumventing strict emissions standards in the USA and Europe.
German car brands including Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler where also found to have commissioned a study that forced monkeys to breath diesel fumes of old and new cars in 2014 in an attempt to prove new diesel vehicles were less harmful for the environment.
VW officially apologised for the US study undertaken on its behalf while Daimler issued a statement calling the methods “unnecessary and repulsive”.

Naresh — What’s happening to families

Onward Together!
Naresh —
What’s happening to families at the border right now is horrific: Nursing infants ripped away from their mothers. Parents told their toddlers are being taken to bathe or play, only to realize hours later that they aren’t coming back. Children incarcerated in warehouses and, according to more than one account, kept in cages. This is a moral and humanitarian crisis. Everyone of us who has ever held a child in their arms, and every human being with a sense of compassion and decency should be outraged.
Even as I warned this could happen on the campaign trail — that Trump’s immigration policies would result in families being separated, parents being sent away from their children, people rounded up on trains and buses — I hoped it would never come to be. But now, as we watch with broken hearts, that’s exactly what’s happening.
We can be heartbroken, but we shouldn’t be hopeless. There’s something you can do to help.
The test of any nation is how we treat the most vulnerable among us. First Lady Laura Bush made that case eloquently in the Washington Post this weekend, writing: “This zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart.” She’s absolutely right. We should be a better country than one that tears families apart, turns a blind eye to women fleeing domestic violence, and treats frightened children as a means to a political end.
Meanwhile, Jeff Sessions is trying to use the Bible to justify this cruelty. Let me say this: I went to a lot of years of Sunday school and even taught it from time to time, and what is being done using the name of religion is contrary to everything I was ever taught.
I still believe in the vision we share for our country, and I won’t let scared children become victims of partisan politics. Alongside the organizations that Onward Together partners with, we can and will elect politicians and enact legislation to protect the most vulnerable among us — but first, we have to address the urgent needs of families at the center of this crisis.
Make a contribution today, and your donation will go directly to the groups doing this work right now:

NMML : MANDALA DIALOGUE

MANDALA DIALOGUE
Date: 20th June 2018
Time: 10:00 am-1:00 pm
Venue: Seminar Room, Nehru Memorial Museum Library, New Delhi
India-Indonesia Partnership @70
In the emerging geo-politics of the Indo-pacific and the presumed rivalry in the region amongst the Big Powers, it becomes significant to analyse the India-Indonesia relations @70 as it is one of the largest member state of ASEAN and one of the most significant in Asia to maintain the balance of power in the region. Recent visit of the Prime Minister Modi to Jakarta was long overdue and eagerly awaited and marks a major shift in the diplomatic history of the two countries. In the backdrop of the visit, ‘The Mandala Dialogue’ aims to focus on the age-old ties between the two countries, their diplomatic relations, strategic and comprehensive partnership along with the major highlights of the recent visit of the Prime Minister Modi and the way forward.
Mandala Dialogue is an initiative of the Nehru Memorial Museum Library to initiate a dialogue with experts and young scholars to actively engage on the emerging geo-political issues of contemporary relevance, particularly relating to India’s Neighbourhood Policy on different aspects of our relationships—trade, investment, security, culture, geo-strategy etc.
(Limited seats are available on first come first served basis only. RSVP to confirm your participation)
 


FM Piyush Goyal’s meeting CMD 13 Public sector banks

Finance Minister Piyush Goyal and heads of 13 public sectors banks meet is underway in New Delhi. The meeting is being held to resolve various issues concerning public sector banks.
This is the first meeting with the heads of the Public sector banks after their annual financial result for 2017-18. Most of the banks posted loss in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal. These banks are headquartered in the east, south and northern regions.
Sources said, almost all banks have reported increase in non-performing assets as per the February 12 RBI, guidelines. The new guidelines have specified framework for early identification and reporting of stressed assets.
In addition, the issues concerning banks which are under the Prompt Corrective Action framework of the Reserve Bank would also be discussed.

Mehbooba Mufti resigns, BJP withdraws alliance

 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) : BJP decides to withdraw from the PDP-BJP alliance government Jammu and Kashmir. Watch press conference. Ram Madhav, Dr Jitendra Singh address the press confernce.
 Mehbooba Mufti resigns as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister,  media reports, as in press conference,  BJP decides to withdraw from the PDP-BJP alliance government Jammu and Kashmir. Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has resigned, her party’s spokesperson confirmed this to media.

India-Indonesia Partnership @70

Nehru Memorial Museum & Library
cordially invites you to
Mandala Dialogue
on
India-Indonesia Partnership @70
Date: 20th June 2018
Time: 10:00 am-1:00 pm
Venue: Seminar Room, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi
(Limited seats are available on first come first served basis only. RSVP to confirm your participation)
RSVP:
Email: ccs2nmml@gmail.com
Phone No. 011-23010666

The Growth Net Summit 2018

Dear Member,
CII is organising the Growth Net Summit tomorrow, 19th June 2018 at Taj Diplomatic Enclave, Sardar Patel Marg, New Delhi. Detailed information is appended below for your reference.
TGN_E-mailer__New_.jpg

I am writing to invite you to join us for this Summit.
Regards,
Anuj Khanna
Chairman – CII Western U.P Zonal Council
Confederation of Indian Industry
Western UP Zonal Office
CMA Tower
A-2E, Mezzanine Floor, Sector – 24
Noida 201 301
Uttar Pradesh
Tel : +91-120- 4345972-74
Viewing all 3285 articles
Browse latest View live