204_CH_28_July_2016

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CITY HILIGHTS Vol 1, Issue 204 `.1.00/- Thursday, July 28, 2016 www.ibcworldnews.com www.cityhilights.news English Daily 4 NATION Kalam’s statue unveiled in Rameswaram A life-size statue of former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was unveiled at Peikarumbu on the occasion of his first death anniversary. Inaugurating the bronze statue, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, “Dr. Kalam will live forever in our minds and hearts. His thoughts continue to be with us all the time. “It is difficult still to believe that Dr. Kalam passed away and that this great man left all of us for his heavenly abode,” he said. Naidu and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also laid the foundation stone for a national memorial for the ‘Missile man’ of India. Kalam passed away on July 27 last year after he suffered a massive cardiac arrest while delivering a lecture at IIM- Shillong in Meghalaya Modi speaks to new British PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to British Prime Minister Theresa May to congratulate her on her assumption of new responsibility and affirmed India’s commitment to further strengthen the strategic bilateral partnership. During the telephonic conversation, Modi also appreciated UK’s consistent support to India in various global fora. Thanking Prime Minister Modi, May said she looked forward to working closely with him for developing stronger bilateral ties and enhancing cooperation in tackling pressing global challenges. Modi also recalled his memorable visit to the UK last November. Theresa May was sworn in as Britain’s new Prime Minister on July 13, succeeding David Cameron who resigned after the country voted in favour of exiting the European Union Three of family sentenced in dowry death case A court sentenced three members of a family to varying jail terms of up to 10 years in connection with a 2013 dowry death case. Additional District Judge K K Asthana convicted the victim’s husband Rajesh Sahu, father-in-law Moolchand and mother-in-law Prema Devi in the dowry death case of Archana in in September 2013. According to the prosecution, the body of the victim was found hanging from the ceiling in Mataudh town following which her father filed a dowry death case against the convicts. After hearing both the sides, the court awarded 10 years of imprisonment to Rajesh and seven years each to the in-laws, Assistant Government Counsel Moolchandra Kushwaha said. The court has also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 each on them. 79 terrorists killed in J-K till June 30 With 79 terrorists being killed in Jammu and Kashmir till June 30, militant groups based in Pakistan have intensified their efforts to radicalise youths, who are targeting security forces and giving it a shape of civil resistance, Rajya Sabha was told. Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said there has been a spurt in infiltration attempts from Pakistan and the security forces have responded to it, resulting in killing of 79 terrorists till June 30 this year. Geelani arrested for defying restrictions Hardline Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani was arrested by police after he tried to defy restrictions to march towards Kulgam district of south Kashmir. Geelani was arrested by police at New Airport Road outside his Humhama residence, a Hurriyat spokesman said.He said the separatist leader, who was under house arrest, was then taken to Police Station Humhama. The separatists had called for a march to Kulgam district, which has seen 10 deaths in the unrest in the Valley. “Geelani tried to march towards Kulgam to participate in a rally for expressing solidarity with people,” the spokesman said. MAHARASTRA CM FADNAVIS HINTS AT FOUL PLAY IN NARSINGH DOPING SCANDAL Raising doubts on the possibility of foul play in the Narsingh Yadav doping scandal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hinted the wrestler may have been “tricked or framed”, while asking the Union Sports Minister to look into the case. CHINESE INCURSION IN U’KHAND Chinese troops recently violated the border in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand area and were seen camping along with arms despite the two nations having agreed to keep it a demilitarised area. The incident took place on July 19 when a team led by Chamoli District Magistrate and others including officials from ITBP went for a survey of Barahoti ground, official sources said. The sources said that the civilian team was sent back by Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops, who claimed it to be their land. The 80 square kilometre ground has been agreed by the two countries to be a disputed part since 1957 TWO WOMEN ASSAULTED IN COW VIGILANTISM IN MP, OPP ATTACKS BJP In yet another instance of cow vigilantism, two Muslim women who were carrying buffalo meat were assaulted by people at a railway station on suspicion that it was beef in the presence of police which arrested the duo. The incident came close on the heels of the attack on dalit youths in Gujarat by cow vigilantes for skinning a dead cow, drawing outrage and triggering a slugfest between BJP and its rivals. Mandsaur Superintendent of Police Manoj Sharma said they received a call from a person on tuesday stating that two women were being manhandled by people on suspicion of carrying beef at SIDHU VERY MUCH IN BJP: RAJYA SABHA MP MALIK Not with standing Navjot Singh Sidhu’s criticism of the BJP leadership, a party MP from Punjab said he is still “very much in BJP”. “He (Sidhu) is a very senior member of the party. And, he may have quit Rajya Sabha but is still very much in the party,” Rajya Sabha member Shwait Malik said. He was responding to queries from the press at the Punjab Bhawan here over speculation that Sidhu may join the AAP. Days after quitting the Upper House, the cricketer-turned- politician had made clear his displeasure with BJP and targeted it, saying he was asked to stay away from Punjab. When asked about Sidhu’s criticism of the party, “There is a widespread belief that he has been tricked or framed by some vested interests, however, it’s difficult to substantiate the same without proper investigation,” Fadnavis wrote in a letter addressed to Sports Minister Vijay Goel. India’s build-up to the Rio Olympic Games was rocked when medal hopeful Narsingh was found to have tested positive for a banned substance. Narsingh, who was picked ahead of the double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar to represent India at the Rio Games, has been put under provisional suspension. and was to be sorted out at the negotiating table by the two sides. Over the past few years, Chinese troops have been spotted in the area and even air violations have taken place in this area, the sources said. Chinese side had sent in a delegation on April 19, 1958 for negotiations with their Indian counterparts and both sides had agreed not to send troops into the area but had avoided a discussion on final settlement of the Barahoti ground. The sources said that ever since this agreement, ITBP, which means the 3,488-km Sino-Indian border from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh the railway station. Two police constables, including a woman, then rushed to the platform and took the two women away, he said. After that, the meat was sent for examination which revealed that it was of buffalo, he said, adding one of the two women had earlier also been booked for carrying meat in an illegal manner. Following their arrest, the two women were produced before a local court which sent them in judicial remand under relevant sections of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act-1960. “It is a law and order situation and people should exercise restraint. Under no circumstances, they should take the law in their hands. We are gradually making efforts to check such incidents,” the SP said Malik said, “You may want to put this query to Sidhu himself. I do not have the prerogative to comment on this and it is up to the party high command to talk about it.” Sidhu has alleged that he was told to keep away from the state to “serve personal interests,” apparently suggesting that BJP was acting under its ally Shiromani Akali Dal’s pressure. Sidhu also said he delivered the prestigious Amritsar seat to the party during adverse circumstances but was “drowned in the Modi wave” in 2014, when he was asked to shift from the constituency. In a brief interaction with the media on Monday, he had asserted that he will choose to serve Punjab Batting for the World Championship bronze medallist, who hails from his state, Fadnavis wrote to Goel, “You are aware that Mr Narsingh Yadav has been one of the most successful and award winning wrestlers from our country. We all were hoping that he will win a medal for our country in the Rio Olympic. It came to us as a shock that the result of his doping test was found positive for a banned substance. “Looking at his past record and the way he was preparing for Rio Olympics, it seems impossible that this may happen. He has been taking utmost care in his diet and was under proper training in accordance with the international norms.” in Northeast, had never entered the area with arms. However, shepherds from both sides were allowed to enter the ground. The Chinese troops have since the reported incursion returned even as apprehensions persisted that they may be taking undue advantage of the agreement of 1958 by pushing in their Asked about the attack on the two women, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh denied that the two women were assaulted by other women passengers in police custody and said the policemen who were on the site had saved them during a scuffle. He claimed that the two women had an argument with fellow passengers and there was a scuffle involving both sides. “If they (the two women) give us any representation that something objectionable has happened, we will conduct an inquiry and ensure that the culprits are punished,” the minister said. Kotwali police station incharge M P Singh Parihar said they had received a “tip-off” that the two women were on their way to Mandsaur from Jaora with beef following which they “hundred times” above any party or family. Malik, a former Mayor of Amritsar, demanded that a high-level committee be constituted to examine why “Amritsar airport’s revenues are falling despite an increase in tourist influx”. “The annual tourist inflow has increased from 200 million in 2010 to 350 million now, but the airport is suffering a loss of Rs 50 crore,” he claimed. Calling it the “rise and fall of Amritsar airport”, he had on tuesday raised this issue during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha. Soon after failing dope test for taking an anabolic steroid, metadienone, Narsingh cried foul and said he was a victim of conspiracy. Fadnavis further said, “Hence I request you to kindly look personally into this case and to go into the depth of the incidence. The test may be conducted again and through scientific process, we should try to ascertain whether something has been done only with a view to make him fail the test. “I sincerely hope that you would take the steps with urgency and give justice to the medal aspirant sportsman our country.” Fadnavis, on Tuesday told the state Assembly that “justice” should be done to players like Narsingh. “Due to such episodes, genuine players like Narsingh Yadav are bearing the brunt. Justice should be done to him,” he said in the Lower House. soldiers into the area which they recognise as ‘Wu-Je’. While Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat termed the development as “something to worry about” hoping that Centre will pay heed to his request for increased vigil, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said ITBP had been asked to look into the matter. were caught outside the railway station with nearly 30 kg meat. “On examination it was found that the two women were not carrying beef and it was found to be buffalo meat,” he said. “No report was filed by them that they were beaten by radical elements at the station,” the police officer said. Opposition BSP and Congress created uproar in Rajya Sabha over the issue. The BJP-led Government was again targeted by the Opposition leaders which had accused it of being “anti dalit” after the Gujarat incident. BSP chief Mayawati hit out at BJP, alleging that on one hand, it talks of protecting the girl child and giving dignity and honour to women but on the other unleashes goons on them. “It was a profitable airport till 2010. But later, there was a conspiracy and flight operations were sabotaged as flights were gradually diverted to benefit the Delhi airport,” he alleged. On tourism facilities in Amritsar, Malik said, “The Centre has sanctioned Rs 69 crore to the city under its Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRI- DAY) scheme and the Punjab government has added Rs 100 crore to it.” On the Parliament video row involving AAP MP Bhagwant Mann, he said, “It must be probed why he made that video of Parliament premises. INDIA TO BRING BACK STRANDED ELEPHANT FROM B’DESH The Centre has cleared a proposal to send a rescue team to Bangladesh to bring back an elephant stranded in the neighbouring country after being washed away by the strong currents of the Brahmaputra from Assam. Officials of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said on Tuesday that they had received the political clearance for the visit by an expert team to Bangladesh. The Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam is trying to get visa for members of the team. Project Elephant director R K Srivastava told the media from Delhi that it was decided to send the rescue team to the neighbouring country on August 3 for rescuing the jumbo but it would depend on factors like the weather condition. “The Project Elephant division of the ministry is constantly in touch with the Bangladesh forest department, Chief Wildlife Wardens of Assam and Meghalaya and other relevant agencies to rescue the stranded elephant and bring it back to India,” he said. Assam has constituted a team of five experts including Rithesh Bhattacharjee, retired conservator of forests of Assam, elephant expert Kaushik Baruah, DFO (Dhubri division) A S Talukder, etc. “The Bangladesh forest department is constantly tracking the movement of the stranded elephant,” the official said. On June 27 it was reported that a wild female elephant was separated from her herd in Assam and floated along with the currents of the Brahmaputra river into the neighbouring Bangladesh. In search of food, the pachyderm is now reportedly in conflict with villagers living in those regions. “The elephant has reportedly become feeble due to lack of food so her rescue at the earliest is necessary to prevent further distress to her as well as the locals living in the region,” an animal rights NGO Humane Society International had said in a statement recently. GUJARAT PROPOSES TO SELL SURPLUS POWER TO RAILWAYS Gujarat Finance Minister Saurabh Patel said he held a discussion with Union minister Suresh Prabhu over the state government’s prospect of selling surplus power to the Indian Railways. Patel said he held a meeting with Prabhu in New Delhi on Tuesday and discussed the prospect of Gujarat selling surplus power to the Indian Railways, which has been buying electricity from private firms beside state-run electricity boards of several states to meet its demand. “We discussed that Gujarat can offer its surplus power to the Railways. The meeting was positive as Prabhu has asked Railway officials to discuss the offer with the state government officials. Several power plants in Gujarat are staring closure due to lack of demand,” Patel told the media. “If this offer gets materialised, it will be a win-win situation for both Railway and the government. It can save the railway crores of rupees,” he said. Notably, Indian Railways also has a plan to procure 440 MW of power for the western region, 350 MW for eastern and 220 MW for northern region. SPECTRUM, COAL ALLOCATION WAS TAMPERED WITH: CVC The allocation process of coal blocks and 2G spectrum was “tampered with” leading to ineligible people becoming beneficiaries and this has been “universally accepted”, Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary said on the alleged scams under the UPA. “If we look at two most controversial matters of recent times -- allocation of spectrum and allocation of coal, as of today there has not been a conclusive proof of X giving money to Y. The matter is under trial... What has been universally accepted is that the process was tampered with,” he said at a function. According to the sources, Chowdary said the tampered processes led to “ineligible people getting the allocation and the more eligible people missing the opportunity”. CBI is looking into allegations of corruption in allocation of second generation (2G) spectrum to telecom companies, besides coal block allocation. He said it is essential that all conditions are laid down properly in the tender documents and tendering processes are transparent. Chowdary was speaking at the ‘10th public procurement summit on enhancing transparency, efficiency and accountability’, organised by industry body Assocham. He said about 30 per cent of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is about Rs 25 lakh crore, comes out of tendering of goods and services being procured by the government. The CVC noted that tendering processes in a few 2 CRPF JAWANS INJURED IN IED BLAST IN CHHATTISGARH Two CRPF jawans were injured in a pressure bomb blast triggered by Naxals on an under-construction road in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Dantewada district, police said. The incident took place when a team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel was patrolling to ensure security of the under-construction Aranpur (Dantewada)-Jagargunda (Sukma) road which passes through the restive dense forests, under Aranpur police station limits, a CRPF official told the media. When the security men were cordoning-off a patch near Kondapara village, two personnel inadvertently stepped over a pressure IED, triggering the blast. Constables Umashankar and Aman, belonging to CRPF’s 231st battalion, were injured in the blast, he said. Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the cases take one to three years which need to be cut down. Chowdary said there was a need to apply certain checks on the issue of L-1 or a lowest bidder in any tendering process. “By and large, it is believed that L-1 is the best. But there may be several other issues,” he said, suggesting that the authorities need to look at other aspects of this provision. Chowdary said that the Commission is in the process of finalising a discussion paper to look into all the aspects of tendering and recommend comprehensive guidelines. injured were being taken to Dantewada from where they will be airlifted to Raipur for further treatment, the official said. Troopers have many a times suffered losses due to pressure IED blasts on this route in recent past, he said.
CITY HILIGHTS Vol 1, Issue 204 `.1.00/- Thursday, July 28, 2016 www.ibcworldnews.com www.cityhilights.news English Daily 5 WORLD Iran announces May 19 presidential election Tehran: Iran’s Guardian Council announced on Wednesday that next year’s presidential election will take place on May 19 with embattled incumbent Hassan Rouhani expected to run for a second term. Rouhani, a moderate who oversaw a deal with world powers to end sanctions in exchange for curbing Iran’s nuclear programme, faces mounting pressure from conservatives who want to limit rapprochement with the West. Hardliners argue the nuclear deal has brought few economic benefits to struggling Iranians, and Rouhani has also been hit by a scandal over exorbitant pay at public sector companies after payslips were leaked to the media. Although the president is the public face of Iran to the world, real power remains with the supreme leader and institutions such as the Revolutionary Guards that are dominated by conservatives. If Rouhani loses, it would be the first time since the Islamic revolution in 1979 that a sitting president has not won a second term. No candidates have yet been formally announced. The conservative-minded Guardian Council oversees elections and has powers to veto candidates. Suicide bomber was former Somali MP: Shabaab Mogadishu: A former Somali MP who joined the Shabaab group in 2010 was one of two suicide bombers who killed 13 people near a United Nations and African Union base, the militants announced on Wednesday. Car bombs driven by suicide attackers exploded on Tuesday morning near Mogadishu’s airport, one of which went off 200 metres from the base, killing mainly security staff. Salah Badbado, 53, served in Somalia’s parliament from 2004 until 2010, when he declared at a press conference he was leaving politics to join the Somali al-Qaeda affiliate. “Salah Nuh Ismail known as Salah Badbado was among the braves who have carried out the attack on Halane military base,” the group said in statement released on the Telegram app and their Andalus radio station. “He was a former lawmaker but he has repented from the apostasy in the year 2010 when he publicly announced defecting from the apostates,” the Shabaab statement said. The attack was condemned by the African Union and the United Nations, which said that none of its personnel were among the confirmed dead. Ships rescue 46 people from boat off Alaska Anchorage (US): Two ships brought 46 people to safety after they abandoned their sinking fishing boat and boarded life rafts off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. There were no reports of any injuries as the good Samaritan vessels rescued the crew members last evening, Coast Guard Petty Officer Lauren Steenson said.The ships then began a 13- hour voyage to port in Adak, Alaska. When the 220-foot Alaska Juris started taking on water on Tuesday, all crew members donned survival suits and got into three rafts.An emergency beacon alerted the Coast Guard to the sinking ship just after 11:30 a.m. (local time). The Spar Canis and the Vienna Express rushed to the scene in response to the Coast Guard’s emergency broadcast for help, as did two other merchant vessels. “The good Samaritans’ willingness to respond was paramount to getting the Alaska Juris crew to safety,” Coast Guard District 17 command duty officer Lt. Greg Isbell said. The Coast Guard also diverted the cutter Midgett and dispatched two C-130 transport planes and two helicopters from Kodiak to the site of the sinking ship, located near Kiska Island, which is about 690 miles west of Dutch Harbor, one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports. RUSSIANS POSSIBLY TRYING TO SWAY US POLLS: OBAMA ON DNC HACK Philadelphia: US President Barack Obama has said it is possible that Russia was trying to interfere in the US presidential election, after a leak of Democratic National Committee emails that have been attributed to Russian hackers by experts. “What we do know is that the Russians hack our systems.Not just government systems, but private systems. But you know, what the motives were in terms of the leaks, all that I can’t say directly,” Obama told in an interview. “What I do know is that Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration HILLARY MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST WOMAN WHITE HOUSE NOMINEE Philadelphia: Hillary Clinton scripted history on Wednesday by becaming the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major US party as she secured the backing of the Democrats at the convention to set up an epic clash with Republican rival Donald Trump in the November polls. Clinton, who has been secretary of state, first lady and a Senator from New York, secured her nomination at the Democratic National Convention here after a majority of the 4,764 party delegates formally backed her. If elected in the November 8 polls, Clinton would become America’s first female president and commander-in-chief. In an electrifying end to the Democratic convention’s second night, Clinton appeared by video from New York, saying, “What an INDONESIAN PREZ ANNOUNCES NEW CAB LINE-UP Jakarta: Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced a new Cabinet line-up on Wednesday that returns a reformist to the Finance Ministry and puts a former head of the military in charge of security. Jokowi said that Sri MulyaniIndrawati, who was finance minister from CHINA TO CRACKDOWN ON CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO GREAT WALL Beijing: China will launch a campaign to crackdown on criminal damage to the country’s historic treasure, the Great Wall, which is decaying in many places. The campaign will be launched by China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) which will involve regular inspections and random checks on protection efforts by authorities in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. The SACH will open a special tip-line for information about violations and damage to the Great Wall from the public, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Built from the third century BC to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great for Vladimir Putin,” he said as the interviewer promoted that it looks like he is suggesting that Putin might be motivated to prefer Trump in the White House. “Well, I am basing this on what Mr Trump himself has said. And I think that Trump’s gotten pretty favourable coverage back in Russia,” Obama said in response to a question. Asked if the Russians were trying to influence the US elections, Obama replied: “Anything is possible.” Obama’s comments come in the wake of release of emails by WikiLeaks which were obtained illegally by hacking into the server of the Democratic National Committee.These emails indicated that the party leadership supported Clinton in the primaries incredible honour that you have given me and I can’t believe we just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet.” “This is really your victory. This is really your night. And if there are any little girls out there who stayed up late to watch, let me just say I may become the first woman president but one of you is next,” the 68-yearold said. Her rival from the primaries, Bernie Sanders moved a resolution for her nomination when the roll call got to his home state of Vermont sending out a vital message of unity for a party struck by deep divisions. “I move that Hillary Clinton be nominated as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate of the United States,” Sanders said as he called for suspension of rules to pave the way for unanimous nomination of 2005-2010, is returning to the role from her current position as managing director at the World Bank. In her first stint as finance minister she was praised for overhauling a corrupt taxation department and guiding the economy through the 2008 global financial crisis. Wiranto, a former general who was head of the military when Indonesia’s armed forces committed serious human rights abuses in East Timor, was named the minister for security, political and legal affairs. Wall stretches over 21,000 kilometers from the northwestern province of Gansu to north China’s Hebei Province. Over a four million tourists visit the Great Wall every year as it is the centre of China’s tourism campaign. Each tourist pays about USD 17 to visit different places, specially in Beijing. According to SACH statistics, about 30 per cent of a 6,200-km section of the wall built in the Ming Dynasty has disappeared, and less than 10 per cent is considered well-preserved. The Great Wall has faced threats from both nature and humans. Earthquakes, rain, wind and other natural elements have left the wall with many decayed and crumbling bricks. against her rival Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party and the Clinton campaign acknowledged more emails could be released in the coming weeks, the timing of which would be scheduled to inflict most damage to the Democratic presidential nominee. “The WikiLeaks leak was obviously designed to hurt our convention. I don’t think they’re done. That’s how they operate,” Jennifer Palmieri, communications director for Hillary for America, told reporters at a news conference. “We can’t know, but it’s part of the reason that we wanted people to understand our belief that the Russians are behind this. People need to understand when these leaks happen what they’re designed to do,” she said. Clinton as the party’s presidential candidate. Moments later, the Democratic delegates nominated Clinton as the party’s presidential candidate, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Republican Trump. “This moment is for every little girl who dreams big.#WeMadeHistory,” tweeted Clinton. “Stronger together,” she said in another tweet. Clinton’s nomination was proposed by Congresswoman Barbara A Mikulski, the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate, and the first woman to chair the powerful Senate Committee on Appropriations. He replaced Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, a close ally of Jokowi, who becomes the chief minister for maritime issues at a time when Southeast Asian nations are at odds with China over its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. It is the second reorganization of Jokowi’s Cabinet since the maverick politician became president in 2014, after defeating an establishment candidate in a national election. A total of 13 ministries were changed and nine of the ministers are new to the Cabinet. Many of the Human activities, such as reckless development by some governments and theft of bricks by local villagers for use as building materials, as well as agriculture near the wall, have damaged the landmark, according to a research by the China Great Wall Society. The lack of protection efforts in remote regions and a weak plan have also contributed to the damage, the society said. In 2006, China released a national regulation on Great Wall protection.However, Great Wall experts In an interview to CNN, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said they plan to release more emails in the coming weeks. “What we have right now is the Hillary Clinton campaign using a speculative allegation about hacks that have occurred in the past to try and divert attention from our emails, another separate issue that WikiLeaks has published,” he said. “I think this raises a very serious question, which is that the natural instincts of Hillary Clinton and the people around her, that when confronted with a serious domestic political scandal, that she tries to blame the Russians, blame the Chinese, etc,” he said. “If she does that when she’s in government, that’s a political, managerial style that can lead to conflict,” Assange said. “It is with a full heart that I am here today as we nominate Hillary Clinton to be the first woman president,” she said. “Many of you have broken barriers. You were the first to go to college. You were the first to start a business. Maybe the first to be a citizen. But you knew when you broke a barrier you didn’t do it for yourself. You did it so others would not have to face them again. That’s what Hillary wants to do. She wants to break down all the barriers to opportunity,” Mikulski said. Legendary civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis seconded Clinton’s name as the Democratic presidential nominee. new appointments were in economy-related ministries, reflecting Jokowi’s focus on developing an economy that is one of the largest in Asia but suffers from weak infrastructure and entrenched poverty. “We have to resolve the poverty problem. We have to reduce the economic gap between the rich and the poor, the gap among regions,” Jokowi said. “We have to strengthen the national economy, we have to open job opportunities as wide as possible for the people. have urged local authorities to draw up more practical measures to better implement the regulation. This year, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region included Great Wall protection expenditures in its budget. The government of Fangcheng City, Henan Province, began a campaign for conservation experts and local residents to work together to protect the wall. 3 THAI ACTIVISTS CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL DEFAMATION Bangkok: Three Thai human rights activists have been charged with criminal defamation over a report that detailed alleged systematic torture inside military enclosures in the country’s southern provinces. All three denied the charges and were freed on Wednesday without having to post bail.They were freed on the condition they submit detailed testimony to the lead investigator in the case, explaining circumstances around the study they wrote. They have about two months to submit the report so the investigator can decide whether to go ahead with the case, said one the activists’ lawyers, Preeda Nakphew from the Cross Cultural Foundation advocacy group. The charges involve a report the three issued alleging torture by security forces in Thailand’s southern provinces, where a Muslim insurgency has lasted more than a decade. If convicted they face up to five years in jail. Amnesty International has called on Thai authorities to drop the charges and instead investigate the allegations in the report. The report issued in February described acts of torture in the southern provinces as systematic and said that in spite of complaints and campaigns by victims and rights organizations, “the state has not taken any significant action to prevent and address torture.” Government spokesman Winthai Suvaree said in response to their report that there was no evidence to support the allegations. In a separate case, the niece of an army conscript who was tortured to death by soldiers was released on bail early Wednesday after being arrested a day earlier on a complaint filed by a military officer over her internet postings. She was taken to the province of Narathiwat, 800 kilometers (500 miles) south of Bangkok late Tuesday night, where she denied the charges. She was let out on bail early on Wednesday. Naritsarawan Kaewnopparat posted photos last year of her uncle’s body and information about the torture he endured. She was arrested at her workplace in Bangkok on charges of criminal defamation and violating the Computer Crime Act. The military officer behind the defamation suit against Naritsarawan was one of the 10 army officers involved in the torture of her uncle. Military personnel are rarely prosecuted for human rights abuses or other crimes in Thailand, and the military government that seized power in May 2014 has clamped down on free speech. INDIA QUITE CAPABLE OF MEETING 100 SMART CITY GOAL Singapore: India is more than capable of achieving its 100 Smart City goal but needs a “collaborative” and focussed approach to complete the ambitious plan, a top executive of a leading global Financial services company has said. “With its ambitious plan, it is more crucial than ever for India to stay realistic and focused. (For) Smart city planning and development, India needs a collaborative approach of shared technology, expertise, learning and governance. That is what India needs to keep focused on to meet their 100 Smart City goal,” said Hany Fam, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Partnerships, Mastercard. He noted that India was working towards leveraging the smart city experience and technology available across the globe to drive the transformation it needs. Fam, however, cautioned that it was also important not to overlook the current problems plaguing society while they ambitiously work on developing India’s future. “In order to unlock cities’ full potential, they (India) need to remain focused on simultaneously developing basic services and infrastructure,” Fam said. India needs to keep its smart city vision in mind while it addresses issues such as sanitation and transport, in order to achieve its 100 Smart City goal. “It needs time, patience and work, but with a solid plan, governance and focus, India is more than capable of achieving it,” he stressed. The major concern for India is tackling the implications of urbanisation, with people moving from countryside to cities in unprecedented numbers, Fam said. “This is a trend that has global impact and is not specific to developing economies. So now, more than ever, there is a need to come up with technology that can be applied to the challenges cities face in order to make cities smarter, enabling business growth and quality of life,” he advised. A collaborative approach is needed with regards to shared technology, expertise and learning in order to recognise the potential in future cities and deliver truly impactful transformation, Fam said. “The Indian government has ambitious plans and recently announced 20 priority cities that will be the focus for the first phase of its smart city investment,” he said. “By taking into account the experiences citizens have with the city they live in, and applying technology to transform these interactions, we (Mastercard) can help to develop cities that are dynamic, liveable and sustainable,” he said. Mastercard is already working with 50 cities from all over the globe. In September last year, the company launched the Urbanomics Mobility Project, a new data analysis platform to fuel smarter, more inclusive cities. ONE DEAD IN MEXICO AFTER FUEL THEFT CAUSES SPILL Coatzacoalcos (Mexico): Fuel thieves pierced a pipeline in eastern Mexico, causing a spill that killed a man who fainted from the fumes and fell down a ravine, authorities said. Six other people were intoxicated after they approached the spill in Veracruz state to scoop up fuel, a police officer in the town of Ixtaczoquitlan said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly. The state civil protection agency said in a statement on Tuesday that a 43-year-old man died “from being close to the location and inhaling the vapours, fainting and falling in a gully.” Some 600 people were evacuated from their homes while workers from the state-run Pemex energy firm worked to clean up the spill and fix the pipeline. Fuel thefts have increased in Mexico in recent years as drug cartels and other gangs diversify their illegal activities. Thousands of illegal taps were discovered in pipelines last year. Illegal taps have caused environmental disasters and deaths in the past. In April 2015, some 100,000 people were left without drinking water in the southern state of Tabasco after oil spilled into rivers. In December 2010, an illegal tap caused a deadly explosion that killed 29 people in the central town of San Martin Texmelucan. TRUMP CASHED IN ON 9/11 TERROR ATTACKS: DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER Philadelphia: A top Democratic lawmaker has accused Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of cashing in on the 9/11 terror attacks even as he applauded Hillary Clinton’s role as the New York senator in the aftermath of the tragedy. “Where was Donald Trump in the days, and months, and the years after 9/11? He didn’t stand at the pile. He didn’t lobby Congress for help. He didn’t fight for the first responders,” Congressman Joe Crowley asked in his address to the Democratic National Convention. “He cashed in, collecting USD 150,000 in federal funds intended to help small businesses recover, even though days after the attack, Trump said his properties were not affected,” Crowley said. On the other hand, Hillary, the Democratic presidential nominee sought those funds to help local mom and pop shops get back on their feet, he said. “Donald Trump saw it as a payday for his empire. It was one of our nation’s darkest days, but for Trump, it was just another chance to make a quick buck,” he said. “Hillary has never and will never forget the reality of that day, and that is why she will never give up on making us a better and stronger nation,” said Crowley, who is a former Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Crowley said Hillary Clinton, as the then Senator from New York understood the pain of the 9/11 families. AFP “She fought to help our city rebuild, and she delivered. People forget, but the assistance package that was first proposed didn’t have a dime, not a dime for New York. Hillary helped turn that around, securing USD 20 billion we need to help get New York going again,” he said. “But she didn’t stop there. Hundreds worked on the pile in the days after 9/11. First, they came to find survivors, but eventually searched for remains. They didn’t worry about their own health. They were told the air was fine, but it wasn’t,” he added. “And when health issues emerged years later, Hillary Clinton was still by their side. She brought families and first responders to Washington. She took them door to door, never letting her colleagues forget the consequences of that terrible day,” Crowley said. “For almost a decade, Hillary never gave up, and she was there with us when the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was finally passed,” he said.
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