11-17 December 2017 - 16-min

NEW DELHI TIMES 

R.N.I. No 53449/91 DL-SW-01/4124/17-19 (Monday/Tuesday same week) (Published Every Monday) New Delhi Page 16 Rs. 7.00 

11 - 17 December, 2017 Vol - 27 No. 45 Email : info@newdelhitimes.com Founder : Dr. Govind Narain Srivastava ISSN -2349-1221 

Chabahar Port: 

Geo Strategic Implications 

for Asia 

Reversing Zimbabwe’s Nightmare 

David Kilgour 

Page 12 

erik solheim 

UNIDO Conference on Inclusive 

and Sustainable Industrial 

Development 

Alessandro Pettenuzzo 

Page 12 

NDT Iran Bureau 

Page 2 

Man-Animal Divinities in 

Mythology 

Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi 

Page 14 

Letting go of Guilt and Focusing on the 

Future 

China’s advances in Space Technology 

Masuma Khan hates Canada; she 

should move to Pakistan 

Dr. Pramila Srivastava 

Dr. Ankit Srivastava 

Tarek Fatah 

Page 13 

Page 3 

Page 2 

1 

twitter@NewDelhiTimes 

facebook.com/newdelhitimes 

www.NewDelhiTimes.com

2 

11 - 17 December, 2017 

Editorial 


Chabahar Port: Geo Strategic Implications 

T 

◆◆ 

By NDT Iran Bureau 

@NewDelhiTimes 

info@newdelhitimes.com 

he first phase of Chabahar port in Iran 

was inaugurated on 3rd December. 

Located in Iran’s south-eastern Sistan- 

Baluchistan Province, the port was 

inaugurated by Iranian President Hassan 

Rouhani in presence of representatives 

from India, Afghanistan and several other 

countries of the region. 

quoted, according to the Iranian Foreign 

Ministry. The progress of the port was not 

for Asia 

rubbed its regular crude supplier Iran the 

wrong way which had its cooling off effect 

with Afghanistan which implies only Afghan 

goods can reach India and not the vice 

versa. Pakistan is rather too conscious of its 

strategic location in South Asia and wants 

to make the most of it, primarily at Indian 

expense. 

Viewed from this perspective, Shahid 

Beheshti Port of Iran opens up a new 

strategic transit route among Iran, India and 

Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan and its 

much acclaimed China Pakistan Economic 

Corridor (CPEC). 

Ahead of the inauguration, Indian External 

Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, en route 

to Delhi from Sochi, discussed threadbare 

about the Chabahar port project with her 

Iranian counterpart Javed Zarif at a meeting 

in Tehran. 

The first phase of the Chabahar port project 

is known as the Shahid Beheshti port. 

Referring to the Shahid Beheshti Port, Zarif 

said it reinforces Iran - India mutual and 

regional cooperation. 

“It also shows the importance of the port 

in the development of the region and the 

routes that connect Central Asian states to 

other countries in the world through the Sea 

of Oman and the Indian Ocean,” he was 

smooth as tense US-Iran relations cast their 

evil shadow on the space of construction. 

Analysts contend that US sanctions on Iran 

put indirect pressure on India to go slow 

on Chabahar. There were other debilitating 

factors too. 

India’s purchase of shell oil from U.S. 

on India-Iran relations and further delayed 

the project. Pakistan steadfastly denies 

transit access to New Delhi for trade with 

Afghanistan and Iran. 

The proposed and now aborted Turkmenistan 

- Afghanistan – Pakistan – India (TAPI) 

pipeline also faltered on such obstinacy. 

Afghanistan is allowed only one-way trade 

The port is likely to ramp up trade among 

India, Afghanistan and Iran. 

On 30th October, India sent its first consignment 

of wheat to Afghanistan by sea through the 

Chabahar port that marked the opening of 

the new strategic transit route. 

The various segments of connecting rail 

route from Chabahar to Afghanistan and 

beyond are at different stages of completion. 

Once the entire system is completed, it will 

open up the opportunities for the world in 

general and India in particular to trade with 

Afghanistan, Russia and Central Asian 

states. Chabahar is certainly much more than 

what it appears on paper. 

Masuma Khan hates Canada; she 

should move to Pakistan 

◆◆ 

By Tarek Fatah 

Author & Columnist, Canada 

@TarekFatah 

tarek.fatah@gmail.com 

or the last month, I have been 

F 

following the unbelievable story out 

of Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, 

where graduate student and teaching 

assistant Lindsay Shepherd faced a modernday 

inquisition by her professors. 

Her crime? She had the temerity to ask her 

students to hear both sides of a controversy 

before coming to their own conclusions. In 

this case, a discussion about gender-neutral 

pronouns. 

Many have framed the issue as one of free 

speech, but to me, it was an example of a 

university faculty gone mad, at war with 

common sense. 

The Laurier professors reminded me of tin 

pot dictators who bully their citizens into 

submission. Unfortunately, they are not 

alone. 

At Laurier, the university president and 

one of the offending professors submitted 

the requisite apologies in the face of public 

outrage, but those who shared the professors’ 

views were not giving up so easily. 

So the predictable “What About?” gang of 

apologists went on the offensive, bringing 

up another university controversy where a 

student union official had been reprimanded 

for her comments regarding Canada’s 150th 

anniversary celebrations at Dalhousie 

University in Halifax. 

Florence Ashley Pare, an LL.M candidate 

at McGill University, wrote in the Montreal 

Gazette that, “Those who are currently 

defending the teaching assistant, Lindsay 

Shepherd, by and large did not extend support 

to Masuma Khan,” the vice-president of the 

Dalhousie University students’ union who 

faced disciplinary measures for her harsh 

criticism of the Canada 150 celebrations.” 

Similarly, Azeezah Kanji wrote in The 

Toronto Star, “Where were the odes to the 

absolute importance of free speech when 

Dalhousie University student Masuma Khan 

was threatened with disciplinary action for 

posting Facebook comments criticizing 

Canada.” 

Lost on defenders of Khan was the fact that 

while Shepherd, a teaching assistant, was 

reprimanded for asking her students in a 

classroom environment to hear more than 

one side of an argument before coming to 

their own conclusions, Khan, as the vicepresident 

of the Dalhousie students’ union, 

was chastised for demeaning Canada on its 

150th anniversary on Facebook. 

She wrote she could not be proud of a country 

that is responsible for “over 400 years of 

genocide” and “the stealing of land”. 

In case we did not get her hatred for 

“privileged white people”, Khan added: “At 

this point, f— you all,” ending with the 

hashtags “whitefragilitycankissmya..” and 

“whitetearsarentsacred.” 

(Based on complaints about the post – which 

Khan deleted – the university initiated, but 

later dropped, a hearing into her case that 

could have resulted in disciplinary action.) 

Curious about Khan’s anger, I wrote to 

her and asked whether she supported 

parliamentary Motion M103 that seeks to 

curtail criticism of “Islamophobia” and 

if she saw any contradiction between the 

“freedom of speech” argument made by her 

defenders and the potential curtailment of 

speech under M103. 

She did not respond. 

With regard to her remarks about 

“genocide”, I asked what she felt about the 

genocide in Balochistan by Pakistan or the 

Arab Janjaweed genocide in 2005 of Black 

Muslims in Darfur. 

She did not respond. 

While Khan may hate “privileged white” 

Canadians and label Canada as racist, I have 

a suggestion for her. She was born in Canada 

but finds it to be a genocidal state. 

Like her, I found the country of my birth, 

Pakistan, to be a genocidal (Islamic) state. 

So I decided I should move to Canada, 

abandon my Pakistani citizenship, and raise 

my children in the “True North Strong and 

Free”. 

I suggest Khan should tear up her Canadian 

passport and migrate to one of the countries 

where she believes her rights will be better 

protected than in Canada. 

I found freedom in Canada. Perhaps she will 

find it in Pakistan. Good luck. 


11 - 17 December, 2017 3 

W 

A 

Editorial 

◆◆ 

By Dr. Ankit Srivastava 

Editor - in - Chief 

@AnkitNDT 

ankits@newdelhitimes.com 

ith the pace of increasing awareness 

about Astronomical studies amongst 

the nations, there seems to be a trend setting 

in to develop more advanced mechanisms 

for the development in the field. The field 

of astronomy holds immense potential 

and the future seems to be more scientific 

and advanced in comparison with the 

present times. This is made possible with 

developments taking place in the field of 

Astronomy. There have been huge amounts 

spent by the nations on their progress in this 

field. The wealthier nations such as US and 

China are the leaders in the Astronomy. 

Talking about the leaders in the field of 

astronomy, China has a reputed image 

of developing more and more advanced 

mechanisms to bring to limelight the hidden 

secrets of space. It has been attempting to 

produce new technologies which are far 

ahead of the previous ones and which will 

lead the nation and sciences (all over world) 

into a new direction. 

In its initiative to be the world leaders in 

astronomical sciences, China has modelled 

itself to be the pioneer in research and 

development. This optimism is symbolic 

of its few failed exercises of launch of 

satellites in the past. With the on-going 

processes of revitalising the talent of 

scientists dealing in astronomical sciences, 

the Chinese government recently launched 

a Long March 2c rocket from the Xichang 

space centre in Sichuan Province on 29 

September that placed three satellites 

into low Earth orbit. This is one of the 

higher order thought process of Chinese 

government which has led to the success 

of this mission. It will lead to revolutionary 

changes in the electromagnetic probes and 

other experiments which will then be linked 

◆◆ 

By NDT Special Bureau 




Rohingya influx over centuries snowballed into a problem that has 

no easy solution 

ung San Suu Kyi’ muted evasiveness 

over the exodus of 620,000 Rohingya 

across the Bangladeshi border has prompted 

international condemnation and outrage. 

The world is furious over the widespread 

atrocities bordering on ethnic cleansing 

committed by Myanmar’s security forces. 

The city of Oxford stripped her of an honour; 

the halo is dimmed prematurely. 

Former United Nations Secretary General 

Kofi Annan’s report on the situation in 

Rakhine State commented that West created a 

saint in Suu Kyi but circumstances brought 

out the politician in her. Actually, neither 

she ordered the slaughter nor had the 

constitutional powers to stop it. With military’s 

vice-like grip on politics, she could not 

condemn Rohingya sufferings either. The 

world should rather redirect the angst on 

Min Aung Hlaing, the commander in chief 

who exonerated the army from atrocities. 

Myanmar is afflicted with multiple 

ethnic insurgencies but always held together 

China’s advances in Space Technology 

with these satellites in futuristic domain. 

These satellites are of highly advanced 

technology and their launch is aimed to 

be one of the significant developments in 

astronomical sciences by Chinese scientists. 

Local media has identified these as Yaogan 

30-01 satellites which are specially designed 

to conduct electromagnetic probes. 

This futuristic step is one of its kind of 

achievement. These satellites are assumed to 

be joining a further 35 of the Yaogan series 

that are widely believed to be operated by 

People’s Liberation Army. Yaogan series 

has its own significance, it stands for remote 

sensing. The political outfit which these 

satellites will gain is of pro-government 

efforts to achieve high in elections. The 

People’s Liberation Army will benefit to 

every extent with their efforts to promote 

and develop a scientific culture around the 

country. The Chinese government’s official 

statements which were released post the 

launch of satellites gives a reflection of 

functions ascribe with satellites such as 

scientific research, land resource surveys, 

crop yield studies and disaster relief. This 

is a productive way out for the community 

to raise their standards of expectations from 

the government. The efforts of government 

in trying to raise the standard of living of 

people of China by providing scientific 

explanations to their problems have been 

successful and will be fruitful. The Yaogan 

satellite series is assessed to include high 

resolution optical imaging sensors, synthetic 

aperture radars and electronic intelligence 

sensors for intelligence, surveillance and 

reconnaissance. 

The satellite series are a part of Chinese 

programme to get the Yaogan series best 

from better. This can be judged from the 

fact that, the launched satellites are a part of 

Yaogan 16, 17, 20, and 25 satellites which 

were deployed as triplets. It seems that the 

Chinese scientists are learning from their 

past and mistakes in the past, as the recently 

by force; the army has ruled since its 

independence in 1948. Suu Kyi - daughter 

of the assassinated Burmese independence 

hero Aung San - confronted military rule and 

became the world’s champion of democracy 

for enduring fifteen years of house arrest. 

She was denied permission to see her dying 

husband in England, separated from children 

and suffered confinement on return. The 

Nobel Peace Prize carved a special niche for 

her in the world’s imagination. 

Army amended the constitution in 2008 

to debar Suu Kyi from presidency for 

British citizenship of her children. Even 

though her National League for Democracy 

swept into power in 2015 elections, the 

decades-long military rule still continued 

in an indifferent guise. Military still controls 

defense, home, foreign affairs and 25 percent 

of Parliamentary seats; transfer of power 

is sham, partial, highly controlled and 

easily reversible. Arakan (Rakhine) was an 

independent kingdom before Burmese control 

in the late 18th century. The British Empire 

encouraged influx of Bengali Muslims over 

a long period for cheap labour which swelled 

to one-third of Rakhine’s population, skewed 

the demographics and bred self-identification 

as ‘Rohingya’ exacerbating Rakhine Buddhist 

launched satellites were also a triplet group 

launched in low Earth orbit. The earlier 

examples of Yaogan satellites launched as 

triplets are Yaogan 16A, 16B and 16C. 

The primary tasks for the satellites are 

to be for ELINT in support of maritime 

surveillance, not only in terms of detecting 

transmissions from ship’s radars but also 

for providing geo-location of the emitter 

by measuring the time difference in arrival 

if the intercepted signals at each of the 

satellites. The satellites will be of great 

help in detecting drowned ships and also 

will be a part of defence exercises in future 

perspectives. This shows the real passion 

and dedication of the scientists put in while 

developing the satellites. 

Discussing the scientific features of these launched 

satellites would be an overwhelming task, 

though it needs to be done in order to provide 

information. It needs to be mentioned that 

these newly launched Yaogan satellites have 

been placed in non-polar circular orbits with 

an inclination angle of 35 degrees and at a 

height of around 600 km. This will result 

in an orbital period of approximately 95 

minutes. With mentioning this fact, there 

is another factor which gains weight and 

perspective related to the satellites. The set 

standard of launch and establishment of 

putting up the satellite in the Earth’s orbit 

at particular (mentioned) angle will result in 

improving China’s surveillance of the East 

China Sea and the Philippine Sea beyond the 

First Island Chain. 

The mission became a success as lessons 

learnt from the past were taken into 

consideration. The Yaogan 30-01 launch 

team had a few failed attempts which led 

to tremendous pressure building upon the 

team. There were two failed attempts where 

the satellite (China Sat 9A) was unable to 

achieve the desired height and was put 

in a low circular orbit. This made it a less 

productive and of shorter life span. There 

resentments. Central neglect, mutual suspicion 

and backing of Arakan Army fuelled the 

Rakhine Buddhist independence movement. 

As Myanmar rendered Rakhine Muslims 

stateless, issued identity cards of various 

hues to confer or withdraw citizenship and 

the military, and Rakhine Buddhist militia 

resorted to intermittent violence, a distinct 

Rohingya identity was born. They constitute 

around ten percent of world’s stateless 

people but citizenship or legal residency 

for them is not easy. The 1982 citizenship 

law listed 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar 

but no Rohingya as it was not an existent 

ethnic group then. Buddhists hate the 

word ‘Rohingya,’ that promotes a false 

invented identity as there are no Rohingya 

but Bengalis; the ‘imagined communities’, 

existing because they believe they exist. Suu 

Kyi shuns the word and requested Annan to 

avoid both ‘Rohingya’ and ‘Bengali’ in the 

report to sidestep needless provocation. Human 

right activists say Rohingya exist and have 

acquired an unshakable identity. ‘Rohingya’ 

in Myanmar is invariably accompanied with 

a racist slur, a bomb fuse that sets people 

off. Rohingya formed the Arakan Rohingya 

Salvation Army (ARSA) to assert their 

identity. ARSA attacks on police outposts on 

was another such failed attempt in case of 

launch of Long March 5 rocket. This was one 

of such satellite which had greatest lifting 

capacity of China’s space launch vehicles. 

But, it failed in its second stage resulting in 

Shijian-18 communications satellite failing 

to reach its orbit. 

On May 15, 2016 a Long March 2D had 

attempted successfully to put into the 

orbit a Yoagan 30 named satellite. It has 

been discovered that the satellite is remote 

sensing, sun-synchronous and with an added 

feature of being another electro optical 

remote-sensing imaging satellite. 

There is similarity of nomenclature of 

the between the recently launched triplet 

satellites and the Yaogan 30. The generic 

Yaogan designation is same, nothing else. 

The Chinese efforts in the field of astronomy 

will unveil the hidden truths beyond space 

and time. The scientists functions with 

concern of the largest political and ruling 

party of China, People’s Liberation Army. 

This makes the tedious tasks of funding 

and experimentation beyond agreements 

possible. We hope this recently launched 

triplet will achieve its mission and will be 

enhancing the space innovations. 

August 25 triggered the devastating military 

response rendering more than half a million 

Rohingyas homeless. Even after military 

operations ceased, exodus continued fearing 

reprisal. 

The Rohingya and Buddhists propel separate 

narratives which, to quote Annan, are often 

‘exclusive and irreconcilable’ with no 

agreement on even basic facts. 

The secessionist plan of ‘Bengali Muslims’ 

shows Rakhine, shaded green, under the 

words: ‘Sovereign State of Rahamaland, an 

independent state of Rohingya people’ that 

stamps their diabolical intent. Deep insecurities 

are embedded in Myanmar’s national psyche 

over sovereignty due to a century of British 

colonial subjugation, mammoth neighbours 

like China and India, and domestic unresolved 

internal ethnic conflicts. They will resist any 

outside pressure and fight till their last breath. 

‘Rohingya’ still remains a dirty word and a 

simple morality tale no more. Bangladesh and 

Myanmar agreement in mid November for 

repatriation and Pope Francis ‘s Myanmar visit 

for conciliation may not sail smoothly. 

For Full Article : http://www. 

newdelhitimes.com/rohingya-influx-overcenturies-snowballed-into-a-problemthat-has-no-easy-solution 


4 


World 

N. Korea says war is inevitable as allies 

continue war games 


N 

orth Korea says a nuclear war on the 

Korean Peninsula has become a matter 

of when, not if, as it continued to lash out 

at a massive joint military exercise between 

the United States and South Korea involving 

hundreds of advanced warplanes. 

In comments attributed to an unnamed 

Foreign Ministry spokesman, North Korea 

also claimed high-ranked U.S. officials, 

including CIA Director Mike Pompeo, have 

further confirmed American intent for war 

with a series of “bellicose remarks.” 

Pompeo said hat U.S. intelligence agencies 

believe North Korean leader Kim Jong 

Un doesn’t have a good idea about how 

tenuous his situation is domestically and 

internationally. 

The North’s spokesman said Pompeo 

provoked the country by “impudently 

criticizing our supreme leadership which is 

the heart of our people.” 

“We do not wish for a war but shall not hide 

from it, and should the U.S. miscalculate our 

patience and light the fuse for a nuclear war, 

we will surely make the U.S. dearly pay the 

consequences with our mighty nuclear force 

which we have consistently strengthened,” 

the spokesman said. 

Catalan leader 

speaks for 

first time since 

warrants lifted 

C 

atalonia’s secessionist leader says that 

he and four of his closest allies will stay 

in Belgium for the foreseeable future even 

though Spain has lifted the international 

arrest warrants against them. 

Carles Puigdemont said that even if they are 

allowed to walk free in Belgium they could 

still be detained if they return to Spain where 

there is a rebellion and sedition case pending 

against them. 

Puigdemont said that because of that “for 

the moment we plan to stay here,” possibly 

until after the Dec. 21 regional election 

which will be a key factor in Catalonia 

drive from independence from Spain. They 

were Puigdemont’s first comments since the 

warrants were dropped. 

The five have been in Belgium since Oct. 

30 and campaigning from a distance for the 

election. 

Credit : Associated Press (AP) 

Photo Credit : AP Photo 

The comments were carried by the official 

Korean Central News Agency on 6th 

December, hours after the United States 

flew a B-1B supersonic bomber over South 

Korea as part of a massive combined aerial 

exercise involving hundreds of warplanes. 

North Korean propaganda is often filled 

with extreme claims and threats, and the 

spokesman’s comments were consistent with 

the tone of previous statements condemning 

Washington and Seoul. 

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the 

Guam-based bomber simulated land strikes 

at a military field near South Korea’s eastern 

coast during a drill with U.S. and South 

Korean fighter jets. 

“Through the drill, the South Korean and 

U.S. air forces displayed the allies’ strong 

intent and ability to punish North Korea 

when threatened by nuclear weapons and 

missiles,” the South Korean military said in 

a statement. 

B-1Bs flyovers have become an increasingly 

familiar show of force to North Korea, 

which after three intercontinental ballistic 

missile tests has clearly moved closer toward 

building a nuclear arsenal that could viably 

target the U.S. mainland. 

N 

NATO: Upgrading Afghan Army Base, 

Not Building New One 

ATO’s Resolute Support mission 

in Afghanistan has denied reports 

that construction material and equipment 

being imported and transported through 

neighboring Pakistan are being used to 

establish a new army base in the conflict-hit 

country. 

The English-language Pakistani newspaper 

DAWN reported, citing official documents 

it claimed to have seen, that the imports are 

being used to construct a military facility by 

the name of “Camp Shaheen.” 

“Recently, a vessel loaded with a huge 

quantity of construction 

material and allied equipment 

arrived at Karachi port. As per 

its import general manifestation, 

the imports were made by the 

United States Army Corps of 

Engineers Services,” the report 

said. 

The imported material reportedly 

included a power generator 

of 22 megawatts, and a large 

quantity of cold- and hot-rolled 

steel sheets. Other equipment, 

such as plastic injection molding 

machines with standard accessories, also 

were supplied from different world ports. 

Camp is used for training 

But U.S. Army Captain Tom Gresback, the 

public affairs director at NATO mission 

The five-day drills that began on 4th December 

involved more than 200 aircraft, including 

six U.S. F-22 and 18 F-35 stealth fighters. 

North Korea hates such displays of American 

military might at close range and typically 

uses strong language to condemn them as 

headquarters in Kabul said, “Camp Shaheen 

is not a new camp, and it has been used as an 

ANDSF (Afghan National Defense Security 

Forces) training facility for many years.” 

He told VOA the United States routinely 

works alongside local and international 

contractors who support sustainment 

and construction projects throughout 

Afghanistan. 

“In the case of Camp Shaheen, there is 

an ongoing plan to save costs and reduce 

pollution by moving the base away from 

generated power to a grid power system,” 

the spokesman explained. 

The United States and allied forces 

mostly rely on ground and air lines of 

communications through Pakistan for 

transporting supplies to about 13,000 

foreign soldiers in landlocked Afghanistan. 

invasion rehearsals. It has been particularly 

sensitive about B-1B bombers, describing 

them as “nuclear strategic” although the 

planes were switched to conventional 

weaponry in the mid-1990s. 


The numbers are expected to increase to 

more than 16,000 in the wake of pledges 

to implement a U.S. and NATO troop surge 

following President Donald Trump’s new 

Afghan strategy, which was announced in 

August. 

Camp Shaheen is located in the northern 

Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif and serves 

as the headquarters for the Afghan army’s 

209th Corps. In April, the facility was the 

scene of the deadliest attack the Taliban 

have conducted on an Afghan military base 

during the past 16 years. 

Attacks on Camp Shaheen 

At least 10 heavily armed insurgents, 

wearing uniforms and driving military 

vehicles, stormed Camp Shaheen, killing 

about 150 soldiers,although local media put 

the death toll at more than 250. At least 160 

other soldiers were injured. 

Two months later in June, seven American 

soldiers were shot and wounded by an 

Afghan commando during a training session 

at the same base. 

Officially referred to as “insider” or so-called 

“green-on-blue” attacks have posed serious 

problems for the NATO-led coalition that 

is made up mostly of U.S. soldiers. Taliban 

infiltrators or sympathizers have carried out 

such attacks that have claimed dozens of 

lives of American army officers. 

Credit : Voice of America (VOA) 




R 

World 

Putin announces 2018 re-election bid, 

ends long speculation 

ussian President Vladimir Putin said 

on 6th December he would seek reelection 

next year in a race he is poised to 

win easily, putting him on track to become 

the nation’s longest-serving ruler since 

Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. 

Putin’s approval ratings regularly top 80 

percent, making him all but certain to win 

the March election by a broad margin. While 

few doubted the 65-year-old leader would 

run, the delay in his declaring so fueled 

some conspiracy theories and was seen as 

the Kremlin’s political maneuvering. 

The 65-year-old Russian leader’s potential 

rivals include several luckless candidates 

from past contests and a notable newcomer 

— TV host Ksenia Sobchak, 36, the daughter 

of Putin’s one-time boss. 

The president chose to make his re-election 

announcement at the GAZ automobile 

factory in the city of Nizhny Novgorod. The 

factory is a symbol of Russian’s industrial 

might, and Putin found an enthusiastic 

audience in the blue-collar workers who 

make up the core of his base. 

“I couldn’t find a better place and moment,” 

he said to massive applause at the plant. 

“Thank you for your support. I will run for 

president.” 

For months, Putin fended off questions 

about his plans for 2018, fueling speculation 

about why he would not say if he would seek 

re-election. Some theorized he might step 

down and name a preferred successor. 

The Kremlin has been worried about 

growing voter apathy, and the uncertainty 

over Putin’s plans seemed intended to 

encourage public interest in the race. 

“It was necessary to ensure electoral 

mobilization,” Dmitry Orlov, a political 

consultant close to the Kremlin, said in 

televised remarks. 

Putin has been in power in Russia since 

2000. He served two presidential terms 

during 2000-2008, then shifted into the 

prime minister’s seat because of term limits. 

As prime minister, he still called the shots 

while his ally, Dmitry Medvedev, served as 

the placeholder president. 

Medvedev had the president’s term extended 

to six years and then stepped down to let 

Putin reclaim the office in 2012. If Putin 

serves another six-year term, which would 

run through 2024, he would reach the 

milestone of having the longest tenure since 

Stalin, who ruled for nearly 30 years. 

Earlier, Putin was asked about his intentions 

at a meeting with young volunteers in 

Moscow. He said he would decide shortly, 

then showed up at the GAZ factory making 

his announcement. 

The plant is one of the country’s most 

emblematic industrial giants. It was built 

during the Soviet industrialization drive 

in 1932 and has churned out millions of 

vehicles, from vans and military trucks to 

Volga sedans and luxury cars for the Soviet 

elite. 

“Thank you for your work, for your attitude 

to your jobs, your factory, your city and your 

country!” Putin told factory workers. “I’m 

sure that together we will succeed.” 

A stream of fawning comments from officials 

and lawmakers followed his declaration. 

Chechnya’s regional leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, 

hailed the president’s announcement, saying 

on Instagram that only Putin can “resist 

a massive shameless and unprecedented” 

pressure by the West. 

Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the 

upper house of the Russian parliament, said 

Putin’s decision helped end “anxiety and 

tensions in the society.” 

The upper house is expected to authorize the 

start of formal election campaigning later 

this month. 

Veterans of past campaigns — Communist 

chief Gennady Zyuganov, ultranationalist 

Vladimir Zhirinovsky and liberal leader 

Grigory Yavlinsky — all have declared their 

intention to run. They will likely be joined 

by Sobchak, a well-known television host 

who is the daughter of the late St. Petersburg 

Mayor Anatoly Sobchak, who was Putin’s 

boss in the 1990s. 

“I don’t trust a system where Putin makes 

all decisions,” said Sobchak, who also met 

with voters in Nizhny Novgorod on 6th 

December. “Let’s believe in our ability to 

change the situation.” 

The most visible Putin foe, Alexei Navalny, 

also wants to join the race, even though a 

conviction he calls politically motivated 

bars him from running. He has organized 

a grassroots campaign and staged rallies 

across Russia to raise pressure on the 

government to allow him to run. 

In a signal that the Kremlin isn’t going to 

budge, Navalny’s campaign chief, Leonid 

Volkov, last week was sentenced to a month 

in jail for staging an unauthorized rally in 

Nizhny Novgorod. Navalny himself spent 

20 days in jail in October for organizing 

another rally. 

“The best illustration of how elections work 

in Russia is my campaign chief Leonid 

Volkov sitting in jail just one kilometer (less 

than a mile) from the venue where Putin 

declared his bid,” Navalny tweeted. 




Pentagon: 

About 2,000 US 

troops in Syria 

T 

he Pentagon says there are about 

2,000 U.S. troops in Syria. That is 

four times as many as officials had publicly 

acknowledged as recently as last month. 

The new total does not mean additional 

troops have been deploying to Syria. It’s 

merely a long-delayed confirmation that the 

troop numbers the Pentagon had been citing 

were inaccurate. 

In fact, the Pentagon spokesman who 

announced the new number, Army Col. Rob 

Manning, said that troop numbers are now 

declining in Syria. 

Manning also said there are about 5,200 

U.S. troops in Iraq. 

That number also is trending downward, 

he said, as the U.S.-led coalition in both 

Iraq and Syria transition from supporting 

offensive combat operations against Islamic 

State fighters to supporting local security 

efforts to prevent a reemergence of IS. 



6 


Delhi/NCR News 

Noida International 

Greenfield Airport 

near Jewar to be 

completed in 4 

phases 

T 

www.NewDelhiTimes.com 

◆◆By NDT Bureau 



he Uttar Pradesh governement has 

ordered completion of formalities to get 

Union government’s in-principle approval 

for the developmen of Noida International 

Greenfield Airport near Jewar in Gautam 

Buddha Nagar. 

According to a UP government spokesperson 

in the state capital Lucknow, the airport will 

be developed in four phases. 

The airport is likely to be operational in the 

next 5-6 years and is expected to decongest 

the Indira Gandhi International Airport in 

New Delhi. 

I 

T 





NGT lambasts Delhi govt for not filing 

action plan to curb pollution 

he National Green Tribunal (NGT) 

came down heavily on the Delhi 

government for not filing a comprehensive 

action plan on ways to deal with severe air 

pollution in the city and slammed authorities 

for holding the India-Sri Lanka cricket 

match despite bad air quality. 

A Bench of the tribunal, headed by NGT 

chairperson Swatanter Kumar, rebuked 

the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, 

saying, “Tell us one step that you have taken 

with regard to the previous orders passed by 

the tribunal. 

Are the people of Delhi always supposed to 

suffer? We had told you to shut all offices 

in case of emergent situations, what have 

you done? Children are also suffering. You 

cannot subject people to this.” 

The NGT came down heavily on the Delhi 

government and observed that while the 

“situation is turning from poor to worse 

and children are suffering”, the Kejriwal 

government has not filed its action plan yet. 

Women in Delhi Slum Use Indian 

Information Act to Access Water 

t is not easy for residents of New 

Delhi’s largest resettlement colony to 

rush out of their homes and scramble to fill 

water jars on cold, foggy winter mornings 

when they hear a water tanker arrive. 

But after living without access to a tap for 

years, the 30,000 residents of this area are 

grateful when the tanker shows up every 

day. 

“We used to bring water from such a long 

distance. We could not even offer anyone 

a glass of water, we had to keep it for our 

children,” recalls Urmila Devi, one of the 

residents. 

For years, the residents struggled without 

basic civic amenities in this distant suburb 

where they were relocated from city slums 

when the Indian capital was being dressed 

up for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. 

That has changed now that women like Devi 

have learned how to exercise their legal 

rights to access basic services. 

Using a law that empowers Indians to seek 

information from the government to promote 

accountability and transparency, these 

women waged an effective campaign with 

city authorities to improve access to water, 

sanitation and transport. Their success is a 

rare example of economically disadvantaged 

people using the Right to Information Act to 

transform their community. 

Filing applications under this law, they 

found out that water tankers allocated to 

their area were often going elsewhere – a 

common practice in a city where water 

shortages prompt residents of other areas to 

buy the water from the tankers. 

The complaints prompted local authorities 

to fit the tankers with GPS trackers to ensure 

they reach their destination. Since then 

the tankers have arrived regularly easing 

off their water woes. An automated water 

dispensing unit has been installed in case 

household supplies run low. 

Since the Right to Information was enacted 

in 2005, tens of thousands of applications 

Photo Credit : Shutterstock 

have been filed by ordinary citizens to hold 

authorities to account for grievances such as 

broken roads or clogged drains. Some media 

reports have called RTI the “fifth pillar of 

democracy.” 

But the queries have rarely come from 

poorer communities. However activists hope 

this resettlement colony, where the battle 

for water prompted a sustained campaign 

for other services such as public toilets 

and buses, will show the way to others. 

Once poorly served by public transport, 

more buses now come to the area, easing 

commuting woes. A health center has been 

built and a community center is also coming 

up. 

These barely literate women learned how 

to handle the paper work and deal with city 

officials under a project led by the nonprofit 

Marg. It was not an easy endeavor. 

Urmila Devi and the other women recall 

traveling for miles to attend meetings. After 

being accustomed to living on the margins 

for years, they were confused when they 

were told they had civic rights. And it took 

almost a year to understand how to petition 

authorities. 

“Initially our writing was crooked. But 

gradually it improved. The young girls and 

boys involved in our project here helped us,” 

said Devi. 

The women were motivated to learn 

because they were the worst hit by the lack 

of amenities, points out Mohammed Noor 

Alam, a program manager at Marg, who has 

been at the forefront of the program to train 

the women. “Water became the test case 

on which they were able to learn, prove to 

themselves that they can achieve their rights. 

And the women brought about change,” he 

pointed out. 

It was a slow, gradual process that has set 

fire to their ambitions to transform their area. 

Women like Nazra Khatun are now turning 

their attention to social problems such as 

safety for women and young girls. “We 

feel empowered after our efforts. We want 

to work to end domestic violence here and 

have more harmony in homes,” she said. 

The power of activism has turned these 

women into community leaders. Alam said 

empowering women in this manner could 

help millions of residents who crowd slums 

in sprawling Indian cities. “They are like 

hawks who keep a watch on everything. 

If you see holistically such change led by 

women can transform the entire society,” he 

said. 

And the battle to upgrade the resettlement 

area is not over. The women are pressing 

authorities to improve cleanliness and 

campaigning to get piped water on their 

doorsteps. Urmila Devi says she wants a 

water tap in her home. “I get wet when I go 

out to fill water every day,” she said. “If so 

many people in the city have piped water, 

why can’t we?” 

Chants for a pipeline are now ringing loud in 

the narrow lanes of this resettlement colony. 


The Delhi government said that as the chief 

secretary and environment secretary have 

been recently changed, it needed time to file 

the action plan on pollution. The NGT had 

on November 28 asked the AAP government 

and four neighbouring states, Punjab, 

Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, to 

submit an action plan on tackling pollution. 

No exemptions for 

odd-even, Delhi 

govt submits plan 

to NGT 

T 




he Delhi government submitted 

its action plan to combat pollution 

recommending no exemption be given 

under the odd-even car rationing scheme in 

the state. 

The entry of trucks in Delhi will also be 

banned when pollution levels are ‘severe’. 

Also, the construction will be banned once 

pollution levels reach ‘severe’ category. 

The NGT had recently lambasted the Delhi 

government for its “lackadaisical” approach 

over rising pollution levels in the city. While 

the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana 

and Rajasthan had filed their action plans 

with the tribunal, the Delhi government had 

failed to do so. 

The Delhi government had sought more time 

to submit the plan on the contention that its 

Chief Secretary and environment secretary 

were recently changed and the new officers 

needed to settle down to finalize the plan. 

But the court apparently was not impressed 

with the reason.


Delhi/NCR News 


India to phase out ‘petcoke’ imports after 

AP investigation 

I 

ndia’s government says it plans to 

phase out imports of a dirty fuel known 

as petroleum coke, or “petcoke,” after an 

Associated Press investigation found U.S. 

oil refineries are exporting vast quantities of 

the product to India. 

But when it comes to domestic use, the 

Indian government seems to be going in a 

different direction. The government this 

week argued in court that restrictions on 

petcoke around polluted New Delhi should 

be eased for certain low-impact industries. 

The move has infuriated environmentalists. 

The AP investigation found the U.S. sold 

about 20 times more petcoke to India last 

year than it did six years earlier after U.S. 

refineries struggled to sell the product at 

home. In 2016, the U.S. sent more than 

8 million metric tons of petcoke to India, 

enough to fill the Empire State Building 

eight times over. 

Petcoke is a bottom-of-the-barrel leftover 

from the refining of Canadian tar sands 

crude and other heavy oils. It’s cheaper and 

burns hotter than coal. But laboratory tests 

on imported petcoke used near New Delhi 

found it contained 17 times more sulfur than 

the limit set for coal. 

A day after the AP investigation was 

published, Indian Petroleum and Natural 

Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the 

government was formulating a policy to end 

imports. 

“We are planning to implement a system 

to stop imports and use home-produced 

D 




petcoke for non-polluting sectors, such 

as cement production,” Pradhan said, 

according to the Press Trust of India news 

agency. 

He said fuel-hungry India consumes about 

25 million metric tons of petcoke each year, 

nearly half of which is imported. 

On 4th December, the environment ministry 

argued in an affidavit against a ban on the 

use of petcoke and furnace oil in New Delhi 

and the surrounding states of Uttar Pradesh, 

Haryana and Rajasthan. The Supreme 

Court imposed the ban on the three states in 

October after environmentalist M.C. Mehta 

filed a petition. The fuels were already 

banned in the capital. 

The ministry said it wanted certain 

industries such as cement manufacturing to 

be able to use a small amount of petcoke for 

Delhi University to start 

course on cyber security 

elhi University will soon start 

one year post graduate diploma in 

Cyber Security. In a statement, the Delhi 

University has stated: “The University of 

cyber security with a unique combination of 

cyber laws.” 

The course will be held in two semesters 

will six papers in each. 

The Program will cater to the niche domain 

of cyber security with a unique combination 

of cyber laws, says the press statement. 

The programme intends 

to train professionals 

with practical handling in 

detection of vulnerabilities. 

The programme address the 

dire need of professionals in 

this field. 

about a year until they could come up with 

alternatives. 

But Mehta on 6th December said petcoke 

has a big impact. 

“There is an environmental emergency with 

New Delhi as one of the most polluted cities 

in the world. Pollution levels go up by 50 

percent if you are burning petcoke,” he said. 

“Is this government a custodian of people’s 

life and health or is it there to benefit some 

industrialists?” 

Mehta said the government typically only 

takes action on the environment when 

forced by the Supreme Court, which in India 

takes an unusually proactive approach to 

environmental issues. 

Polash Mukherjee, an environmentalist with 

E 





the Center For Science and Environment, 

said the ban was important for ensuring 

clean air until industries move to cleaner 

fuels or install emission control measures. 

New Delhi has been choking from air 

pollution in recent weeks. The air quality 

typically deteriorates at this time of year 

because the winds die down, people build 

street fires to keep warm and farmers burn 

fields of old crops. 

The pollution has gotten so bad it has even 

interrupted India’s favorite sport of cricket. 

This week the visiting Sri Lankan cricket 

team wore pollution masks and the bowlers 

complained they were short of breath. Some 

players vomited. 

Play was stopped several times as match 

officials debated whether to continue, 

eventually deciding they would. 

The Supreme Court will hear the government’s 

oral arguments on easing the petcoke ban 

next week. 

In a separate case in October, the Supreme 

Court imposed a token fine on the 

environment ministry for not setting 

industrial emission standards for sulfur 

dioxide and nitrogen oxide in New Delhi 

and the surrounding states. The ministry has 

promised to comply with the court order by 

the end of the year. 

Mehta, the environmentalist, said that 

whatever action India takes, the U.S. should 

impose its own measures by banning exports 

of petcoke. 


EDMC budget proposes 

to set up new taxes, 

educational cess 

ast Delhi Municipal Corporation 

proposed two new taxes and an 

education cess in its budget for the coming 

year. 

This will be used to improve facilities at 

schools such as infrastructure, increasing 

books and uniform allowances and getting 

additional teachers. 

“This will add Rs 10 crore to the corporation’s 

funds every year,” Singh said. 

The budget also proposed a betterment tax, 

which would account for 15 per cent of the 

Delhi with approval of statutory bodies is 

shortly launching one year post-graduate 

diploma in Cyber Security and Law. 

The programme caters to the domain of 

Through this programme, 

it intends to produce 

professionals who can 

administer security for varied 

virtual platforms, banks, 

social media, industrial 

applications, mobile data and 

cloud interface. 

The course will be designed in such a way 

so as to cater to the needs of industry for 

employment as well as entrepreneurship 

opportunities. 

The proposed estimate also includes Rs 

1,500 crore for payment of pending arrears 

to its employees. 

The budget also proposed that five per cent 

of the property tax will now be charged as 

education cess. 


property tax. This is likely to generate an 

additional revenue of Rs 10 crore annually, 

the civic body said. 

The proposal also said a professional tax 

will be levied on individuals who have an 

annual income of Rs 5 lakh — raking in Rs 

5 crore for the EDMC every year. 


8 


A 

Neighbourhood News 

Protected but Stifled, a Pakistani 

Minority Feels Imprisoned in its 

Own Community 

li Haris dreamed of getting a college 

degree and a well-paid job. Instead, he 

had to quit his education after high school. 

Going to Balochistan University, the only 

public university in the area that he could 

afford, would require him to travel through 

areas unsafe for him, putting his life at risk. 

“At that time, around 2013-14, there was 

no chance that if we went there we would 

come back alive,” he said. He wasn’t alone 

in giving up the prospects of a comfortable 

future. 

“Out of my class in school, almost 70-80 

percent quit higher education,” he added. 

Some who could afford it migrated to other 

cities or other countries. The ones left behind 

were doing odd jobs in the area. 

The 21-year-old belonged to the Hazara 

community, a minority Shiite sect that 

primarily resides in Pakistan, Afghanistan, 

and Iran. 

For years, Sunni militant groups in Pakistan 

have targeted Shiites across the country for 

their faith, but the Hazaras seem to have an 

extra-large target blazed on their backs, and 

for good reason. 

While it is usually hard to physically 

distinguish between Shiites and Sunnis, the 

Hazaras are an exception. Their distinctive 

facial features, a mixture of Mongolian and 

Central Asian ancestry, make them easily 

identifiable. 

In addition, many of them live in two 

large clusters in Quetta, the capital city of 

Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, 

making attacks easier to plan. 


Now I can’t go out,” he said, although he 

still feels he is one of the luckier ones—at 

least he has a job. Many of his friends were 

less fortunate. “My friend Abdul had a 

mobile phone shop in the main bazaar, but 

he closed his business and left the country. 

He is now in Indonesia, in a transit center for 

refugees,” Changezi said. 

Protection for Hazaras 

After several particularly heinous attacks 

in 2013, the government started providing 

Hazaras extra protection. 

A paramilitary force called the Frontier 

Corps set up check posts at main entrances 

to Hazara areas. Anyone going inside is now 

stopped, their identity documents checked. 

Peripheral entrances are blocked by thick 

walls. 

While these measures have helped stem 

attacks on Hazaras, they have also stifled the 

community’s social and economic life. The 

designated safe areas for Hazaras mean the 

rest of the city is inherently unsafe for them. 

“We’ve been economically 

strangled. We had a lot of shops 

around town. Now there are none. 

We had a successful transport 

business across town. Now we 

are limited to our own areas,” 

said Ahmed Ali Kohzad, a 

politician and a member of the 

Hazara Democratic Party. 

Others, like a local journalist 

Qadir Nayel, complained of 

social isolation. 

“While the city is multi-cultural, our kids are 

learning only one culture and one language. 

They are not getting ready for the world,” 

he said. 

The government says it has taken remedial 

steps and the situation has significantly 

improved as a result. 

Since the beginning of the violence, several 

thousand Hazaras from Pakistan have tried 

to migrate to other countries, sometimes 

illegally. 


Millions in Nepal vote for 

provincial, national elections 

M 

illions of people were voting in 

southern Nepal on 7th December in 

the final phase of mostly peaceful elections 

for members of the national and provincial 

assemblies. 

It is the first election for members in the seven 

provincial assemblies established under the 

constitution that was adopted in 2015 after 

initially being rejected by ethnic groups in 

southern Nepal. The assembly members 

will name the seven states formed under the 

constitution and will draft provincial laws. 

The voting involve about 12 million people 

in the southern half of the Himalayan nation, 

nearly 80 percent of the population. The 

northern, mountainous region voted on Nov. 

26. Counting of all the votes is expected to 

take several days as some of the ballot boxes 

must be transported from remote villages to 

counting centers. 

People holding their voting cards in their 

hands lined up before polling stations 

opened at 7 a.m. in the capital, Kathmandu. 

“I am here to vote today because it is the 

first election for provinces with the hope 

these provincial governments would be 

able to deliver development to a focused 

and concentrated areas,” said Kedar Sharan 

Raya, 74-year-old retired advocate. 

“I am voting after many years because 

there is new hope in the country with the 

establishment of provinces,” said Iswor 

Prasad Shrestha, 70, businessman. 

Police said voting was peaceful. Police, 

army soldiers and temporary police officers 

are guarding polling stations. Vehicles were 

banned from the streets and voters walked to 

the polling stations in their neighborhoods. 

Nepal’s slow path to democracy began in 

2006, when protesters forced the king to give 

up his rule. Two years later, Nepal officially 

abolished the centuries-old monarchy and 

decided a federal system would best serve 

all corners of the one of the poorest nation’s 

in the world. 

But bickering among political parties 

delayed until 2015 the implementation of 

the new constitution, which declared Nepal 

a republic. 

Security was stepped up for the elections, 

with thousands of police and army soldiers 

deployed. According to the Home Ministry, 

more than 400 people were detained in days 

leading up to the vote. 

Soon after the constitution was implemented 

in 2015, protests by ethnic groups in 

southern Nepal turned violent and left some 

50 people dead. 

The ethnic Madhesi group protested for 

months, saying they did not get enough 

territory in the province assigned to them. 

They said they deserved more land because 

they represented a bigger population. Their 

protest blocked the border with India for 

months, cutting off fuel and other supplies 

in Nepal. 


Pope recalls suffering faces from 

Myanmar, Bangladesh trip 

Over the last 10 or so years, hundreds have 

been killed in suicide bombings or targeted 

attacks. Stories of near death experiences are 

aplenty. 

“We were saved just because the car took a 

turn. If we were a few seconds late, we would 

be gone,” said Daud Changezi, describing 

the day when a massive blast ripped through 

Quetta’s Alamdar road, killing more than 90 

people. 

In the car with Changezi were his wife and 

four kids. 

He now works from home, consulting for 

various NGOs, but feels his professional 

growth has stagnated. 

“The favorite part of my job was field work. 

Several thousands of them are languishing, 

along with Hazaras from Afghanistan and 

Iran, in transit camps in Indonesia, waiting, 

sometimes for years, for the UNHCR to help 

them settle in another country. 

Meanwhile, since Indonesia does not 

recognize refugees, they cannot enroll in a 

school, work, or travel. 

Meanwhile back in Pakistan, the young 

Hazara men who once hoped to support 

families are now struggling to support 

themselves. 

“Right now I am working here as a laborer, 

Haris said. “The dreams I had, the prospects 

of income I imagined, they’re all gone.” 


P 

ope Francis says he recalls so many 

“suffering” but “noble” faces from his 

just-ended trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh. 

He greeted people in St. Peter’s Square. 

Francis thanked God for the voyage’s 

opportunity to meet residents in the two 

Asian countries, citing in particular the tiny 

Catholic communities there, adding he was 

“edified by their testimony.” 

Pope Francis recounted that he spoke 

frankly but privately in Myanmar about 

Rohingya refugees’ plight and said he 

cried when he met some in Bangladesh, 

where they have fled a Myanmar military 

crackdown. 

He said of his trip: “Impressed on me is the 

memory of so many faces, tried by life, but 

noble and smiling.” 

Francis had drawn criticism for not publicly 

citing, while in Myanmar, the Rohingya 

suffering. 





C 

C 

Canada News 

Canada’s Trudeau says no rushing into 

trade talks with China 

anada has high hopes for a trade 

agreement with China but won’t 

rush into negotiations that could affect 

their economies for generations to come, 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 

said. 

On the second day of a visit to Beijing, 

Trudeau told reporters that Canada was 

“constantly engaged” on trade issues with 

China as part of exploratory talks on a 

trade pact launched two years ago that have 

tackled issues such as agricultural exports. 

Despite hopes that formal talks on an 

agreement would be announced during 

Trudeau’s visit, it appeared that wasn’t 

going to happen. 

“For the past two years, we’ve been working 

on deepening our trade ties, our opportunities 

for small businesses, for Canadians to 

benefit from better access to the Chinese 

market while standing up for our interests 

and jobs back home,” Trudeau said. 

“This is something that is an ongoing 

process that we take very seriously and of 

course we are going to continue to talk about 

opportunities to benefit Canadians every 

moment that we have” in both China and 

back in Canada, he said. 

Rather than announcing trade talks, 

Trudeau instead touted an agreement with 

China on the importance of dealing with 

climate change and upholding the 2015 

Paris agreement, despite President Donald 

Trump’s aim to withdraw the United States 

from the accord to cap greenhouse gases. 

“Our shared concern for our environment 

will continue to be featured prominently in 

everything we do,” Trudeau said. “Climate 

Canada demands 

border access 

for any Ukraine 

peacekeepers 

anada’s foreign minister says her 

country would back e a peacekeeping 

mission in eastern Ukraine but only if it 

could have access to border areas with 

Russia. 

Chrystia Freeland told reporters in Brussels 

that “a peacekeeping option for the Donbas 

is possible only if those peacekeepers are on 

Ukraine’s border.” 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in 

September that he would ask the U.N. 

Security Council to send peacekeepers to 

patrol the front line in eastern Ukraine, but 

not the border itself. 

More than 10,000 people have been killed 

in fighting between Ukrainian troops and 

Russia-backed separatists since 2014. 

Freeland conceded that a peacekeeping 

mission is not likely soon. 


change is without a doubt one of the greatest 

challenges of our time, one we cannot and 

one we will not ignore.” 

Trudeau met with Chinese President Xi 

Jinping later. 

“I’m sure this visit will be a success and 

inject new vitality into China-Canada 

relations,” Xi told Trudeau. 

The lack of a concrete agreement on trade 

talks drew questions from some in Canada. 

“Prime ministers usually don’t go on trips 

like that without something to announce,” 

John Manley, CEO of the Business Council 

of Canada, was quoted as saying by the 

public Canadian Broadcasting Corp. 

China has positioned itself as a leading 

advocate of free trade, particularly since 

Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Trans- 

Pacific Partnership, a pan-Pacific trade deal. 

Yet foreign businesses often complain that 

China closes many key areas to foreign 

investment, and Xi is known to favor a 

centralized economic model with special 

support for state-owned industries. 

Canadian businesses have also been 

unsettled by Trump’s threat to renegotiate 

or even withdraw from the North American 

Free Trade Agreement. Trudeau said it was 

C 


important to oppose economic nationalism, 

but said he was also looking for ways to 

“improve NAFTA for the 21st century.” 

After meeting with Premier Li Keqiang, 

Trudeau said Canada hopes a trade agreement 

with China will reflect “Canadian values” 

in the areas of labor rights, environmental 

protection and gender equality. That 

approach runs against China’s inclination to 

keep such issues separate and avoid links to 

human rights or civil liberties. 

He reaffirmed Canada’s approach of seeking 

a durable agreement, despite the lengthy 

timeframe demanded. 

“We are going to work very hard, very 

responsibly to make sure that as we move 

forward, we move forward in the right 

way,” he said. “Once we get to the stage of 

negotiating a trade agreement, that’s going 

to take years as well.” 

In addition to seeking a trade pact with 

China, Canada has remained part of the 

Trans-Pacific Partnership. During recent 

talks in Vietnam, Trudeau lobbied for strong 

provisions for environmental protection, 

labor rights, and gender issues, and the 

name of the initiative was altered to be the 

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement 

for Trans-Pacific Partnership. 

China largely imports wood and agricultural 

products, ore, fuels and seafood from 

Canada, while Canada imports machinery, 

furniture and sporting goods and textiles 

from China. The trade imbalance has 

narrowed, but China still ran a surplus 

of about $17 billion with Canada during 

the first half of this year, according to the 

Canadian government. 



Canada PM apologizes for oppression of 

LGBTQ communities 

anadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 

apologized to members of the LGBTQ 

community for actions taken by the 

government against thousands of workers 

in the military and public service during the 

Cold War. 

Trudeau said in a speech to Parliament 

that from the 1950s to the early 1990s, the 

federal government employed a campaign of 

oppression against members and suspected 

members of the LGBTQ communities. The 

thinking of the day, he said, was that all nonheterosexual 

Canadians would automatically 

be at an increased risk of blackmail by 

Canada’s adversaries. 

“This is the devastating story of people who 

were branded criminals by the government 

— people who lost their livelihoods, and in 

some cases, their lives,” Trudeau said. 

“These aren’t distant practices of 

governments long forgotten. This happened 

systematically, in Canada, with a timeline 

more recent than any of us would like to 

admit.” 

Trudeau said the public service, the military, 

and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police 

spied on their own people, inside and outside 

of the workplaces. He said Canadians 

were monitored for anything that could be 

construed as homosexual behavior, with 

community groups, bars, parks, and even 

people’s homes constantly under watch. He 

said when the government felt that enough 

evidence had accumulated, some suspects 


were taken to secret locations in the dark of 

night to be interrogated. 

He said those who admitted they were gay 

were fired, discharged, or intimidated into 

resignation. The prime minister called it a 

witch hunt. 

“It is with shame and sorrow and deep 

regret for the things we have done that I 

stand here today and say: We were wrong. 

Canada court 

convicts Somali in 

Amanda Lindhout 

kidnapping 

A 

Canadian court has convicted a Somali 

man of kidnapping freelance journalist 

Amanda Lindhout. 

Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Smith 

presided over Ali Omar Ader’s 10-day trial 

and issued the verdict on 6th December. 

Lindhout and Australian photographer Nigel 

Brennan were seized near Mogadishu in 

August 2008. 

Both were released in November 2009 in 

exchange for a ransom payment. Her story 

was published in the best-selling book “A 

House in the Sky.” 

Ader was arrested by Canadian police in 

Ottawa in June 2015. 

It emerged during pre-trial motions last 

spring that police had lured Ader to Canada 

through an elaborate scheme to sign a 

purported book-publishing deal. 

The prosecution said Ader admitted to 

undercover investigators on two occasions 

that he was the negotiator in the kidnapping. 


We apologize. I am sorry. We are sorry,” 

Trudeau said to a standing ovation. 

“For state-sponsored, systemic oppression 

and rejection, we are sorry.” 

The government also introduced legislation 

that would allow people to apply to have 

their criminal convictions for consensual 

sexual activity between same-sex partners 

erased from public record. 

It has also earmarked more than $100 million 

Canadian (US $78 million) to compensate 

members of the military and other federal 

agencies whose careers were sidelined or 

ended due to their sexual orientation, part 

of a class-action settlement with employees 

who were investigated, sanctioned and 

sometimes fired as part of the so-called “gay 

purge.” 

“Those arrested and charged were 

purposefully and vindictively shamed. Their 

names appeared in newspapers in order to 

humiliate them, and their families. Lives 

were destroyed. And tragically, lives were 

lost,” Trudeau said. 



10 


Africa News 

South Sudan wants 

thousands sheltering in UN 

N 

camps to leave 

o one thought the desperate experiment 

would last this long. Nearly four years 

after the United Nations, in an unprecedented 

move, threw open its peacekeepers’ camps 

to civilians fleeing the violence of South 

Sudan’s civil war, more than 200,000 people 

still shelter in the often squalid camps. Now 

the government is trying to entice them to go 

home, even as fighting rages on. 

The rising frustration over the camps had 

a flash of global attention when the U.S. 

ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, 

was evacuated while recently visiting one 

because of a demonstration against South 

Sudan President Salva Kiir. Many camp 

residents said they were unhappy with their 

temporary home. 

Even as the crowding and filth are welldocumented 

— the U.N. refugee agency says 

some in the seven U.N.-run camps resort to 

harmful coping mechanisms like “alcohol 

addiction, survival sex, exploitation of all 

sorts” — many people would rather remain 

than venture into open conflict. They say 

they’re too scared to leave. 

“These people were terrified,” the head of 

the U.N. mission in South Sudan, David 

Shearer, told The Associated Press. “There’s 

no doubt that many of them would have 

been killed if we hadn’t opened our gates.” 

They are called Protection of Civilians 

sites and as they embark on their fifth year 

of existence, they are an increasing point 

of contention. South Sudan government 

officials say their citizens are becoming 

reliant on aid handouts. 

“The (camps) have created a dependency,” 

said Hussein Mar Nyuot, minister 

of humanitarian affairs and disaster 

management. 

For the first time, South Sudan’s government 

is proposing a “resettlement package” to 

encourage people to leave the camps for 

good. Nyuot said it would include farming 

tools, seeds and other items to help civilians 

get back on their feet. 

The U.N. says it won’t force people out of 

the camps, especially as warnings of ethnic 

cleansing continue. Tens of thousands of 

people have been killed in South Sudan’s 

civil war that began in December 2013, and 

efforts at peace deals and cease-fires have 

failed. Two million people have fled the 

country in the largest civilian displacement 

in Africa since the Rwanda genocide. 

South Sudan’s efforts should focus on 

ending the fighting, not closing the camps, 

experts say. 

Discussing closure “should wait until such 

time as there is a negotiated settlement that 

ends the war and substantially reduces the 

violence that has engulfed virtually the entire 

country,” said Payton Knopf, coordinator of 

the South Sudan senior working group at the 

U.S. Institute of Peace. 

Inside the camps, children splash naked in 

stagnant, contaminated water in makeshift 

shantytowns while men remain idle and 

jobless. Women are left to care for families, 

dodging the threat of gangs, theft, looting 

and rape. 

Threats increase outside the gates, especially 

for women who venture out daily to collect 

firewood for cooking. 

Last month, Mary Nyang Kuon said she 

was attacked by more than 20 government 

soldiers while looking for wood outside a 

camp in the capital, Juba. 

“They tied me to a tree, beat me and raped 

me,” she said. The 37-year-old said she’s 

been too scared to go outside ever since. 

The U.N. says it is doing what it can to 

reduce the number of such attacks. In the 

past year it has created a 200-meter weaponsfree 

zone around its camps, increased foot 

patrols and weapons searches and enhanced 

its intelligence network within the camps. 

But Shearer, the U.N. mission chief, 

acknowledged that at the end of the day 

“they’re still camps.” South Sudan’s 

government has to show it’s serious about 

providing security, he said. Many camp 

residents say the government has done 

nothing to instill confidence.Charles Riek 

said he has lived in a camp in Juba since the 

civil war began, when his older brother was 

shot dead for being ethnic Nuer, the same as 

opposition leader Riek Machar. 

The 34-year-old Riek said he fears a similar 

fate. He is one of almost 40,000 people, the 

majority of them Nuer, living in two camps 

in Juba. 

He sees no end in sight to the war and can’t 

imagine going home. 

“I can’t go out unless there’s a peace 

agreement,” Riek said. “I’m displaced in my 

own country.” 



F 


A borderless Africa? Some 

countries open doors, raise hopes 

For years African leaders have toyed 

with the idea of free movement by 

citizens across the continent, even raising 

the possibility of a single African passport. 

Now some African countries are taking bold 

steps to encourage borderless travel that 

could spur trade and economic growth on a 

continent in desperate need of both. 

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta 

announced during his inauguration last 

week that the East African commercial hub 

will now give visas on arrival to all Africans. 

That follows similar measures by nations 

including Benin and Rwanda. 

“The freer we are to travel and live with one 

another, the more integrated and appreciative 

of our diversity we will become,” Kenyatta 

said. 

The African Union has cheered such 

steps, calling it the direction the 54-nation 

continent needs to take. “I urge all African 

states that have not yet done so to take similar 

measures,” AU Commission chairman 

Moussa Faki Mahamat said on Twitter after 

Kenya’s announcement. 

Trade among African countries is at just 16 

percent, while trade among European Union 

states is at 70 percent, Mahamat told AU 

trade ministers. 

For a continent whose leaders often speak 

fondly of “African brotherhood” and once 

pondered the idea of a United States of 

Africa, the visa policies of many countries 

for many years suggested little progress in 

implementing the continent-wide, visa-free 

ideal advocated by the AU. 

Africans can get a visa on arrival in 24 

percent of African countries, yet North 

Americans, for example, have easier access 

on the continent, according to a 2017 

report on visa openness by the African 

Development Bank. African Union figures 

show Africans need visas to travel to 54 

percent of the continent. 

Free migration of people across the continent 

would help in talent exchange as well as 

trade, said Ali Abdi, the Uganda chief of 

mission at the International Organization 

for Migration. Countries may have to invest 

more in border patrols but “the benefits far 

outweigh the costs, in my view.” 

Kenya’s decision is a “good move and it’s 

progressive,” said Godber Tumushabe 

with the Uganda-based Lakes Institute for 

Strategic Studies. “It should have been done 

a long time ago.” 

Change is coming, and not just in East 

Africa. While visiting Rwanda last year, 

Benin’s President Patrice Talon said his 

West African country would no longer 

require visas for other Africans. He said he 

was inspired by Rwanda, whose government 

started issuing visas on arrival to Africans in 

2013 and recently announced that in 2018 

citizens of all countries will benefit from the 

policy. 

“We are happy that other African countries 

are opening their borders up for Africans to 

increase foreign investments,” said Olivier 

Nduhungirehe, a deputy foreign minister in 

Rwanda in charge of regional integration. 

Opening borders will spur economic 

prosperity for the entire continent, he said. 

Some African countries are going visafree 

by region first. Weeks ago, the 

Central African Economic and Monetary 

Community removed visa requirements for 

citizens of its six members. 

Many African countries rely heavily on 

tourism for foreign currency. Kenya’s new 

visa policy was welcomed in a country 

where the threat by Islamic extremists based 

in neighboring Somalia has deterred some 

international travelers. 

Offering visas on arrival to all Africans 

could attract the continent’s small but 

growing middle class. 

“Visa-free travel for Africans into Kenya is 

a great move by the president and a strategic 

one for the tourism industry,” said Bobby 

Kamani, who runs the popular Diani Reef 

Beach Resort and Spa in the second-largest 

city, Mombasa. 

“The president’s bold move couldn’t have 

come at a better time when the tourism 

sector has experienced uncertainty and is 

now on recovery mode.” 

Conflict and sharp income 

disparities in many countries are 

among other factors slowing the 

adoption of visa-free policies. 

Even the African Union passport, 

launched in July 2016 and given 

to some heads of state, is yet to be 

offered to citizens. 

Some North African countries, 

notably Libya, struggle with a flow of 

impoverished African migrants trying to 

make their way to Europe. South Africa, one 

of the continent’s top economies, has seen a 

sometimes violent backlash against African 

immigrants amid fears about crime and the 

taking of jobs. 


Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country 

and another of its strongest economies, 

maintains visa requirements before arrival 

for many nations across the continent. 

Still, many are hopeful for a borderless 

Africa and urge those regional leaders to 

follow Kenya’s lead. 

“Is a new wind blowing across #Africa?” 

Wolfgang Thome, a tourism consultant who 

once led the Uganda Tourism Association, 

tweeted. “When will the last walls fall? 

#Nigeria we are waiting!” 



11 - 17 December, 2017 11 

North America News 

Trump celebrates Hanukkah, 

Jerusalem at White House 

P 

resident Donald Trump on 7th December 

celebrated an “especially special” 

Hanukkah at the White House, a day after 

declaring Jerusalem Israel’s capital and 

setting off criticism and clashes. 

“Right now I’m thinking about what’s 

going on and the love that’s all over Israel 

and all about Jerusalem,” Trump said in 

the White House East Room. The president 

was flanked by his daughter Ivanka, who 

converted to Judaism when she married 

her husband, Jared Kushner, and their three 

children. 

The president broke with decades of U.S. 

policy with the Jerusalem announcement, 

putting the United States at odds with 

most other countries. The European Union, 

Germany, Britain, France, the Pope and key 

Arab allies have denounced the move. 

But inside the White House, Trump got 

only applause, cheers and thanks from the 

crowd, which included Vice President Mike 

Pence, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, 

Holocaust survivor Louise Lawrence-Israels 

and Orthodox Rabbi Meir Soloveichik. 

Israels spoke of standing up to hate. And 

Soloveichik recited a traditional prayer that 

he said has additional meaning this year. 

“For the first time since the founding of the 

state of Israel, an American president has 

F 

P 


Border crossings start to rise in spite of ‘Trump effect’ 

elicita Villagran Villeda and her 

15-year-old son sat on a dirt road next 

to the Rio Grande passing a plastic water jug 

back and forth, trying to catch their breath as 

the Texas sun bore down on them overhead. 

Border Patrol agents in green uniforms stood 

nearby, waiting to take them in. 

Agents patrolling the river forming the U.S.- 

Mexico border in Texas say they’re starting 

to see more people like the Guatemalan 

mother and son who had fled their native 

country two weeks earlier. 

The election of President Donald Trump 

contributed to a dramatic downturn in 

migration, causing the number of arrests at 

the border to hit an all-time low in April and 

helping the U.S. end the 2017 fiscal year at 

a 45-year low for Border Patrol arrests. But 

since bottoming out in April, the number of 

immigrants caught at the southern border 

increased monthly, driven in large part by 

the arrival of new Central American families 

such as the Villagrans. 

Border Patrol agents interviewed by The 

Associated Press say they expect the 

numbers to keep rising, which they see as 

a sign that families in Central America are 

testing the Trump administration. Experts 

who closely follow migration patterns say 

any drop-off was bound to be temporary as 

long as the countries most people are fleeing 

— El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras 

— remain ravaged by shootings and gang 

violence. 

Sitting next to the Rio Grande, Villagran 

said her decision to migrate had nothing 

to do with politics or who is in the White 

House, but her own personal situation. 

She was deported from the U.S. four years 

earlier, and after returning to Guatemala, she 

courageously declared what we have always 

proclaimed, which is that Jerusalem is the 

capital of Israel,” Soloveichik said. 

Trump struggled with the pronunciation of 

Soloveichik’s name. “He’s so happy with 

yesterday, that he doesn’t care if I get it 

exact,” the president said. 

He also remarked of the holiday, “I think 

this one will go down as especially special.” 

The Palestinians equally lay claim to 

Jerusalem and want the eastern part of the 

city as capital of a future state. In response 

to Trump’s announcement, thousands of 

Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli 

forces in east Jerusalem and the West Bank 

and demonstrators in the Gaza Strip burned 

U.S. flags and pictures of Trump. 

The Old City in east Jerusalem is home to 

sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, 

and its status is one of the most explosive 

issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Until Trump’s decision, the U.S. — along 

with most other countries — has maintained 

its embassy in Tel Aviv, saying the status of 

Jerusalem should be resolved between the 

sides in negotiations. 


said she had been kidnapped and released. 

“Now they ask me for money again,” she 

said. “I don’t have even a dollar.” The Border 

Patrol said that it made 22,537 apprehensions 

at the southwest border in September, 

nearly double the 11,127 detained in April. 

September is the latest month for which the 

Border Patrol has published its figures. 

Border apprehensions have long ebbed and 

flowed based on U.S. immigration policy as 

well as political and economic conditions 

in Latin America. Border crossings surged 


last year, especially in November and 

December, only to fall when Trump took 

office in January. In December, the Border 

Patrol reported more than 43,000 arrests; 

two months later, that number was 18,800. 

Some called the drop the “Trump effect,” 

particularly as the new administration 

pursued a border wall, ramped up 

immigration-related arrests, and signaled it 

would open investigations of families that 

had paid human smugglers — or “coyotes” 

— known to be tied to violent drug cartels. 

Reports spread that some smugglers were 

using the threat of a wall and tighter security 

at the border to charge higher prices to 

migrants. But the underlying problems in 

Central America have remained the same. 

Trump signs proclamation for 

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 

resident Donald Trump kibitzed with 

World War II veterans at the White 

House on 7th December as he signed a 

proclamation declaring it National Pearl 

Harbor Remembrance Day. 

A half dozen veterans of the attack, wearing 

medals and military hats, attended the 

ceremony and bantered with the president as 

he commemorated their service. 


“All American hearts are filled with gratitude 

for their service, their sacrifice and their 

presence here today,” Trump said. 

Among those attending was 98-year-old 

Mickey Ganitch, who was on the USS 

Pennsylvania’s football team and getting 

ready for a championship game against 

the crew of the USS Arizona when Japan 

attacked. 

“You never got that game, huh?” asked the 

president. 

Officials at migrant shelters in the U.S. and 

Mexico say they’ve heard of people staying 

in Mexico longer than they otherwise would 

or trying to find refuge within their home 

countries, but that the U.S. remains the 

ultimate destination for most of them. 

A survey published earlier this year found 

that 30 percent of adults had considered 

migrating in the last year due to the effect 

of crime in El Salvador, Guatemala and 

Honduras, which have a total population 

of about 30 million people. The survey was 

conducted by the Latin American Public 

Opinion Project at Vanderbilt University. 

“As long as they continue without looking 

to the origin countries and the causes of 

migration, we will continue within the same 

parameters,” said Ramon Marquez, director 

of La 72, a shelter located near the Mexico- 

Guatemala border. La 72 has started to see 

its monthly numbers of people served rise 

again after a decline that mirrored the U.S. 

figures. Advocates for tougher immigration 

laws take the opposite view of the increase: 

that the U.S. government needs to follow 

through with its promises to toughen 

border security. Even though prototypes of 

a border wall are under construction, the 

administration’s proposal to start building 

the wall has stalled in Congress. 

The Border Patrol’s biggest union endorsed 

Trump in last year’s presidential election, 

and several agents interviewed by the AP 

said his proposed wall is necessary to turn 

migrants away. 

“They are trying to see what it all means, 

what does the rhetoric of the administration 

mean, and how serious are we about 

removing people,” said Ryan Landrum, the 

patrol agent in charge of the agency station in 

“We had a war to fight,” Ganitch responded 

before kneeling to mimic his best football 

move — and repeating the move at Trump’s 

request. 

Ganitch later broke out into song, delivering 

a rendition of “Remember Pearl Harbor.” 

“You really made this very exciting,” 

Trump remarked, thanking him for the “free 

entertainment.” 

Trump said he hoped the vets would join 

him every year to mark the occasion for 

the next — presuming he runs and wins reelection 

— seven years. 

“Today our entire nation pauses to remember 

Pearl Harbor and the brave warriors who on 

that day stood tall and fought for America,” 

he said. 

The president invited the men to see the 

Oval Office after the signing, promising 

them pens and autographs. 

Trump last month paid a visit to Hawaii’s 

Pearl Harbor and its memorial to the USS 

Arizona before he departed for his first trip 

to Asia. The surprise attack by Japan killed 

more than 2,400 Americans and plunged the 

U.S. into World War II. 


Rio Grande City. Ronald Vitiello, the acting 

deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and 

Border Protection, said that the government 

was “very concerned” by the numbers of 

families and unaccompanied children still 

showing up at the border. 

Vitiello said his agency wanted changes to a 

2008 law that protects children from quickly 

being deported if they aren’t from Mexico 

or Canada, to discourage parents in Central 

America who believe their children will find 

refuge in the U.S. 

Border apprehensions are, by their nature, 

an incomplete measure of who’s crossing 

the border, because they don’t account for 

people who elude Border Patrol agents 

by foot or are smuggled in trucks and 

tractor-trailers past highway checkpoints. 

Authorities along the border have made 

several major discoveries this year of 

commercial trucks packed with immigrants 

entering illegally. 

Ten people died in July after being packed 

into a tractor-trailer with a broken cooling 

system that was discovered outside a San 

Antonio Walmart. The people on board 

were struggling to breathe, and one told 

authorities that many people were pounding 

on the walls trying to get the driver to stop. 

Some of the 29 survivors told authorities 

that dozens of other passengers fled before 

police arrived. 

“The number of people that were in that 

compartment, in that trailer in San Antonio, 

showed us that many people are trying to 

do that,” said Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, 

a researcher at the University of Texas Rio 

Grande Valley. 



12 


D 

Editorial 

◆◆ 

By David Kilgour 

Author & Lawyer 

uring virtually all of Robert Mugabe’s 

37-years as Zimbabwe’s despot, it was 

with North Korea and post-1979 Iran one 

of the world’s most corrupt and misruled 

nations. In sharp contrast, neighboring 

Botswana provided during the same period 

almost model democratic governance. 

Human Rights Watch reported in 2016: 

“(Mugabe) intensified repression against 

thousands of people who peacefully 

protested human rights violations and the 

deteriorating economic situation…civil 

society activists, journalists, and government 

opponents, were harassed, threatened or 

faced arbitrary arrest by police. Widespread 

impunity continued for abuses by police and 

state security agents”. 

Successive governments in nearby South 

Africa, except that of Nelson Mandela from 

1994 to 1999, abetted and extended the 

life of Mugabe’s regime over many years. 

Former president Thabo Mbeki, for example, 

was widely condemned for providing 

cover to Mugabe from 1991 to 2008 as he 

and his cronies stole elections, ruined the 

economy, abolished media freedom and 

turned Zimbabwe into a failed state. If 

South Africa had taken a firmer approach, 

there seems little doubt that Mugabe would 

N 


Reversing Zimbabwe’s Nightmare 

have been ousted years earlier. The role of 

China’s party-state in the long suffering of 

an industrious and peaceful people dates 

from the 1960s and ‘70s, when it assisted 

anti-colonial guerrilla leaders, including 

Mugabe, to acquire weapons and funding. In 

the 1990s, it invested in mining, agriculture, 

energy, and construction, becoming a major 

trading partner, while ignoring human rights 

violations and myriad governance issues. 

The 93-year-old Mugabe’s recent coerced 

resignation signaled a new phase in 

Zimbabwe’s relationship with other capitals. 

Two factions within his Zanu-PF political 

party claimed the right to succeed him. 

“Generation 40” (G40) was led by his 

wife and two younger political leaders. 

The Lacoste Group supported Emmerson 

Mnangagwa, known as “The Crocodile” for 

his ruthlessness during the Rhodesian Bush 

War and a series of massacres of Ndebele 

civilians in 1983-1984. Beijing has close ties 

with the Lacoste Group and the Zimbabwe 

Defense Forces, headed by General 

Constantine Chiwenga, selling weapons 

and financing Zimbabwe’s new National 

Defense College. Chiwenga was key to the 

recent military takeover, ultimately wresting 

power from Mugabe, arresting members 

of the G40, and ensuring the speedy return 

of Mnangagwa from South Africa after 

Mugabe fired him as vice-president on 

November 6th. 

Mnangagwa, becoming interim president 

on November 24th, must speedily undo 

Mugabe’s legacy of poverty, massive 

unemployment, hyperinflation, pseudo 

currencies and lost access to international 

lending institutions. Zimbabweans paid a 

huge price for extreme nationalism and need 

stability and accountability. More than 70 

per cent of Zimbabwe’s 16 million people 

live on less than $1.90 a day; as many as 90 

per cent are unemployed or underemployed. 

Among the first initiatives by the new 

president was a golden handshake for 

Mugabe of US$5 million and offering him 

a US$150,000 annual salary for life. This 

was unlikely to build confidence among 

desperately poor nationals of the country 

or international investors beyond Beijing. 

Nor was failing to include any opposition 

politicians in the cabinet. 

China is already Zimbabwe’s fourthlargest 

trading partner and its largest 

investor. Cumulative Chinese foreign direct 

investment since 2003 has reached nearly $7 

billion. Since 2000, it has offered Zimbabwe 

$1.7 billion in loans for infrastructure 

projects. From 2000 - 2012, it invested in at 

least 128 projects. Mugabe’s indigenization 

policy required 51 per cent local ownership 

of foreign businesses. Although Chinese 

mining companies began operations in 2012 

with 51 per cent of the shares owned by 

Zimbabweans, Mugabe in 2015 integrated 

them into the state-owned Zimbabwe 

Consolidated Diamond Company, angering 

Beijing. The party-state appears now to sense 

that Mnangagwa’s presidency, along with 


Chiwenga’s backing from its armed forces, 

will protect its investments. Other foreign 

investors have been waiting for decades to 

put money in Zimbabwe. Mnangagwa could 

attract investment by stabilizing the currency 

and ending the nationalization program. He 

could clean up the electoral rolls and register 

the diaspora to vote. Some of the millions 

of Zimbabweans who have fled abroad 

might decide to return if their homeland 

achieves a measure of good governance. 

Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice 

Now, says that democratic governments can 

play a useful role. “Serious debt cancellation 

will be required as well as genuine aid and 

investment tied not to free-market reforms, 

but rather a massive democratic development 

plan, fully transparent and accountable.” 

A major concern, given the record of 

Mnangagwa, is that he will not embark on 

any of a host of needed democratic and 

economic reforms. If so, the removal of his 

long-time patron will have achieved nothing 

useful and the Zimbabweans will continue 

to rank 154th out of 188 countries on the UN 

Human Development Index. 

David Kilgour, a lawyer by profession, 

served in Canada’s House of Commons for 

almost 27 years. In Jean Chretien’s Cabinet, 

he was secretary of state (Africa and Latin 

America) and secretary of state (Asia- 

Pacific). He is the author of several books 

and co-author with David Matas of “Bloody 

Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for 

Their Organs.” 

UNIDO Conference on Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development 

◆◆By Alessandro 

Pettenuzzo 

Representative for Italy 

(New Delhi Times) 

ow, more than ever, inclusive and 

sustainable industrial development 

(ISID) is central to global development and 

is playing an important role in achieving the 

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

This is reflected most prominently in 

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9 on 

industry, innovation and infrastructure, but 

also in the targets underpinning the other 16 

SDGs. UNIDO recognizes that partnerships 

are essential for achieving ISID and meeting 

the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda. This 

is why the 17th Session of the General 

Conference, taking place from 27 November 

to 1 December 2017 in Vienna, Austria, is 

themed “Partnering for impact - achieving 

the Sustainable Development Goals”. 

The event will highlight UNIDO’s innovative 

initiatives, achievements and partnerships 

in promoting its ISID mandate for the 

fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda. In light of 

previous successful experiences with the 

ISID Forum and the Donor Meeting, both of 

these events will again be incorporated into 

the GC plenary. Interactive discussions will 

also explore such issues as gender, circular 

economy and industry 4.0. Furthermore, 

the Organization’s continued emphasis on 

Africa turns a spotlight on UNIDO’s leading 

role in the Third Industrial Development 

Decade for Africa (IDDA III). The event 

will offer a fully immersive experience for 

participants, including innovative formats 

for the events and integrated exhibition and 

networking spaces. This mix will provide a 

stimulating basis for high-level, captivating 

debates, identifying issues and trends within 

the development agenda, and exploring 

innovative approaches and solutions, as 

well as underlining the fundamental role 

of industry for promoting growth and 

sustainability. 

Hundreds of participants will gather for 

the event, including Heads of State and 

Government, ministers and other highlevel 

government officials from around the 

world, as well as senior representatives of 

other United Nations organizations, and 

prominent leaders from the private sector, 

civil society and academia. 

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram 

and Weibo to stay up to date on the activities 

surrounding the General Conference and 

join the discussions on social media using 

the hashtag (fUNIDOGC and via live 

webcast. 

In line with the theme of the General 

Conference, the EXPO focuses on the 

importance of partnerships for achieving the 

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

With a total exhibition space of 2000 m2 in 

the M-Building, the EXPO consists of five 

different zones: 

Innovation Zone 

The Innovation Zone displays several booths 

from private sector partners showcasing 

state-of-the-art technology around the topic 

industry 4.0. 

Knowledge Hub 


The Knowledge Hub is a space for 

knowledge and best practices exchange 

in the format of focus group discussions 

and open information sessions on the 

topics Sustainable Cities, Industrial Parks, 

Biotechnology, Migration, Industry 4.0, 

Circular Economy, UNIDO around the 

World, Gender Equality and other important 

themes. 

Networking Zone 

The Networking Zone hosts several events 

from Member States and UNIDO, and allows 

for bilateral meetings and networking. 

Youth Zone 

The Youth Zone offers opportunities to 

engage with UNIDO to find out more 

about the Organization’s technical assistance 

supporting youth skills development, 

employment and entrepreneurship. Expertled 

dynamic workshops will also be 

organized in the Open Classroom on topics 

covering youth skills development, youth 

engagement, digitalization, employment and 

entrepreneurship. 

Digital Media Zone 

The Digital Media Zone offers the opportunity 

to express views, through webcasting, on 

relevant development topics. Short statements 

(between 2-3 minutes) will be recorded and 

disseminated via UNIDO’s social media 

channels. The Interactive Digital Exhibition 

will also allow to follow the live discussions 

from the General Conference and to have 

a glimpse of all activities taking place 

during the week. In line with the theme of 

the General Conference, the EXPO focuses 

on the importance of partnerships for 

achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 

Development. With a total exhibition space 

of 2000 m2 in the M-Building, the EXPO 

consists of five different zones: 

Innovation Zone 

The Innovation Zone displays several booths 

from private sector partners showcasing 

state-of-the-art technology around the topic 

industry 4.0. 

Knowledge Hub 

The Knowledge Hub is a space for knowledge 

and best practices exchange in the format of 

focus group discussions and open information 

sessions on the topics Sustainable Cities, 

Industrial Parks, Biotechnology, Migration, 

Industry 4.0, Circular Economy, UNIDO 

around the World, Gender Equality and 

other important themes. 

Networking Zone 

The Networking Zone hosts several events 

from Member States and UNIDO, and allows 

for bilateral meetings and networking. 

Youth Zone 

The Youth Zone offers opportunities to 

engage with UNIDO to find out more about 

the Organization’s technical assistance 

supporting youth skills development, 

employment and entrepreneurship. Expertled 

dynamic workshops will also be 

organized in the Open Classroom on topics 

covering youth skills development, youth 

engagement, digitalization, employment and 

entrepreneurship. 

Digital Media Zone 

The Digital Media Zone offers the 

opportunity to express views, through 

webcasting, on relevant development topics. 

Short statements (between 2-3 minutes) will 

be recorded and disseminated via UNIDO’s 

social media channels. The Interactive 

Digital Exhibition will also allow to follow 

the live discussions from the General 

Conference and to have a glimpse of all 

activities taking place during the week. 

Special Representative for NDT Italy 

covering United nations Industrial 

Development Organization General 

Conference-Seventeen Session- Vienna 27 

November-1 December 2017.


M 

T 

Think - Tanks 


Letting go of Guilt and Focusing on the Future 

◆◆ 

By Dr. Pramila Srivastava 

@PramilaBK 

ps.a@iins.org 

aybe there’s more we all could have 

done, but we just have to let the guilt 

remind us to do better next time 

Veronica Roth 

A few days back I was talking to a young 

man who lost his brother recently and he 

kept saying ‘I don’t know why I’m alive’, 

‘I should be dead’ he was having what 

we describe as survivors guilt this is very 

common amongst survivors of tragedy and 

war. He was feeling guilty that he hadn’t 

kept in touch with his brother he felt he 

hadn’t done enough for him and somehow 

he could have prevented his brother’s death. 

He’s been having this loop of thought 

nonstop and has stopped going to work his 

already tenuous relationship with his wife 

has now taken a nosedive. Another person 

I met was struggling with work and had to 

cut some corners and that guilt of doing 

something that her boss could fire her for left 

her with crippling guilt. Guilt can be defined 

as a feeling of emotional distress which 

signals to us that our actions or inactions 

have caused or might cause harm to another 

person, it could be physical, emotional, or 

otherwise. It is also a never-ending cycle 

and can lead to complete isolation from 

family and friends. It leads to feelings self 

pity and a need for self-punishment like that 

young man I mentioned above. 

Not surprisingly but studies discovered that 

NAM attaches importance to promoting cultural diversity 

◆◆ 

By International Institute 

for Non - Aligned Studies 

@iinsNAM 

iins@iins.org 

he 120 Member Non-Aligned Movement 

is no stranger to cultural diversity 

and the largest collective grouping of the 

developing world is a testament to the fact 

that the principle of unity in diversity can 

be achieved. In this context, a Political 

Declaration and Action Programme of 

the NAM on human rights and cultural 

diversity was adopted recently at the 72nd 

session of the UN General Assembly, where 

the Movement had organised an event: 

Solidarity, Dialogue and Tolerance in a 

Diverse World: Towards a Culture of Peace”. 

NAM countries also vowed to foster a 

culture of peace in line with the UN Charter 

towards the realisation of human rights 

while encouraging the promotion of cultural 

diversity via dialogue and cooperation. The 

Movement backs a constructive dialogue 

and cooperation on the basis of mutual 

respect and no interference in internal affairs 

of sovereign countries. 

NAM believes that it is necessary to have 

a balanced and comprehensive approach to 

fostering and ensuring human rights and has 

reiterated that economic, cultural and social 

rights should be respected as political and 

civil rights, with regards to development 

level, history and specific features of each 

nation. NAM has recognized the everincreasing 

significance and relevance of a 

culture of living in harmony with nature, 

which is inherent in nomadic civilization, in 

women tended to be more guilty than men, 

one study found out that women feel more 

guilty than men when they take work calls 

or answer e-mails in the evening. They 

even feel guilty about taking vacation. The 

modern woman is stuck in a quandary, 

times have changed hence women working 

has become a regular occurrence and they 

have to run a household and raise children 

and sometimes help with the elderly people. 

During this period of juggling they face 

immense guilt that they probably could be 

better mothers if they stayed home and then 

they feel guilty if they aren’t working and 

going on holidays isn’t fun anymore because 

of the mounting guilt. Okay, women breathe. 

You cannot do everything, you have to just 

do the best you can and not spend anymore 

time ruminating on things that are out of 

your control. When you are with your 

children, be present and give them your time 

and love try to maintain a work-life balance 

but we all know that sometimes you can’t 

help but focus on some crucial work when 

you’re at home or vice versa focus on your 

child who isn’t well when you’re at work. 

But this in essence is life, so ask for help 

without the guilt. The reason women feel 

more guilt is because for thousands of years, 

women have been raised and socialized to 

get along with others, take care of people 

and not hurt anybody’s feeling. Shaking off 

the norms, say to ‘I will do the best I can 

without feeling guilty’ 

Another study found out that we spend on an 

average five hours a week feeling guilty, that 

adds up immensely and we spend so much 

time being guilty so what do we do. 

today’s world. With the underlying objective 

of promoting cultural diversity, NAM has 

reaffirmed the importance of the Convention 

on the protection and promotion of Diversity 

of cultural expressions by UNESCO, which 

signed in 2005 and entered into force in 18 

March 2007, as a major contribution to the 

international community in the definition of 

a framework of the Universal Declaration 

on Cultural Diversity and called upon 

United Nations Member States to consider 

becoming parties to this Convention. While 

calling for promotion of cultural diversity, 

NAM follows the guiding principles of the 

above referred UNESCO Conventions. 

These guiding principles are enumerated as 

follows: 

1) Cultural diversity can be protected 

and promoted only if human rights and 

fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of 

expression, information and communication, 

as well as the ability of individuals to 

choose cultural expressions, are guaranteed. 

No one may invoke the provisions of this 

Convention in order to infringe human rights 

and fundamental freedoms as enshrined in 

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 

or guaranteed by international law, or to 

limit the scope thereof. 

2) States have, in accordance with the 

Charter of the United Nations and the 

principles of international law, the sovereign 

right to adopt measures and policies to 

protect and promote the diversity of cultural 

expressions within their territory. 

3) The protection and promotion of the 

diversity of cultural expressions presuppose 

the recognition of equal dignity of and 

Break the self-fulfilling prophecy 

Being guilty leads to creating a cycle, 

which eventually leads to the happening 

of the very event you dreaded for so long 

about. For instance, let’s take the example 

respect for all cultures, including the 

cultures of persons belonging to minorities 

and indigenous peoples. 

4) International cooperation and solidarity 

should be aimed at enabling countries, 

especially developing countries, to create 

and strengthen their means of cultural 

expression, including their cultural 

industries, whether nascent or established, at 

the local, national and international levels. 

5) Since culture is one of the mainsprings 

of development, the cultural aspects of 

development are as important as its economic 

aspects, which individuals and peoples have 

the fundamental right to participate in and 

enjoy. 

6) Cultural diversity is a rich asset for 

individuals and societies. The protection, 

promotion and maintenance of cultural 

diversity are an essential requirement for 

sustainable development for the benefit of 

present and future generations. 

7) Equitable access to a rich and diversified 

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of the modern working woman, who faces 

immense guilt about not being a good 

enough mother or wife. Let’s say one day 

she’s late and one her way back home she’s 

anticipating her partner being annoyed 

(which isn’t true) so when she enters her 

home she’s already defensive, stressed and 

angry at the partner who hasn’t contributed 

to this loop of thought. So the atmosphere at 

home makes a massive shift due to her own 

negative state of mind, which then leads 

the partner to feel annoyed and makes the 

children cranky. So at the end she created 

her own nightmare, now say she came home 

late but happy and stress free to just be back 

her partner would have greeted her the same 

way and the children would have picked up 

on that energy and it would have been a good 

evening. This just goes to show that guilt can 

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at times lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, so 

break the cycle. 

Maintain a diary 

It is so important to put down our thoughts 

on paper, if you’re battling guilt write down 

three things about yourself that you thing 

you did right today. Build back your battered 

self esteem by focusing on the positive at all 

times. Write about things you did to help 

someone and read your own diary when 

you’re feeling all sorts of guilt and remind 

yourself that you have good days and bad 

days. You just have to keep rolling with it 

all. 

Let Go 

Made a mistake? Well it’s time to let go, we 

are human we all make mistakes but what 

you do about it what makes you. Instead of 

feeling guilty tell yourself you’ll do better 

next time and put your energy on the positive 

lesson you have learnt rather than fixate on 

the negative that has happened. Making 

amends is something that is therapeutic if 

the guilt is due to hurt you have actually 

caused people, make amends and then work 

on being a better version of you. Most of the 

time, we feel guilty for things we shouldn’t 

be feeling guilty for like working too much 

and not spending time with our kids. In the 

future just do something about it, allocate 

time for work and time for family and be 

present wherever you are but beyond that 

you have to acknowledge that you have no 

control. Let go of the guilt, the past and 

move on, make better choices work on being 

a better person that’s all you can do at the 

end of the day. So, LET GO. 

range of cultural expressions from all over 

the world and access of cultures to the 

means of expressions and dissemination 

constitute important elements for enhancing 

cultural diversity and encouraging mutual 

understanding. 

8) When States adopt measures to support 

the diversity of cultural expressions; they 

should seek to promote, in an appropriate 

manner, openness to other cultures of the 

world. 

NAM recognises the importance of respect 

and understanding for religious and cultural 

diversity throughout the world, of choosing 

negotiations over confrontation and of 

working together and not against each 

other. The Movement firmly believes that 

such values holds the key to almost all of 

multilateral objectives. 

(in arrangement with 

News from Non-Aligned World) 

www.iins.org 

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14 


I 

E 

Technology & Health 


◆◆By Smt. Maneka 

Sanjay Gandhi 

@ManekaGandhiBJP 

n the ancient world, humans were 

not just close to animals but, in most 

cases, deeply dependent on them. Since they 

were part of the local culture, they could not 

be separated from religion. So there was a 

willingness to use animals as gods. As time 

went on, humans fused with animals in all 

the major religions as a way to get beyond 

human limitations. Animals were, and 

are, seen as wiser, more mysterious, with 

access to secrets in nature that are hidden 

to humans. They gave added meaning to 

the divine. They were stronger, faster, could 

live in the sea or air, had abilities and senses 

that the human could not even aspire to. So 

they made the divine so much more than 

the mere superhuman. The Indians, Greeks, 

Mesopotamians and Egyptians led the way, 

but every culture, strangely enough, used the 

same animals to represent the same powers: 

The bull and the lion represent power and 

protection, the cow represents love and 

giving, the snake is the creator of the world, 

the birds are seductresses. 

The Echidna is a cave dwelling half womanhalf 

snake who is the mother of all monsters 

of Greek mythology. On the other hand, 

Nuwa of Chinese folklore is the goddess 

who created mankind and repaired heaven. 

Nureonna, the Japanese half woman-snake, 

is amphibious and wants to be left alone, 

but will suck the blood from her victim’s 

body if disturbed. The Hatuibwari of the 

Soloman Islands has the head of a human, 

four eyes, clawed arms, bat wings and 

the body of a snake. The belief is that he 

created and nourished all living things as the 

male version of Mother Earth. In Egyptian 

mythology, the cobra headed Meretseger, 

meaning “she who loves silence”, exerted 

great authority and was considered to be 

both a dangerous and merciful goddess. 

She spat venom at anyone who tried to 

vandalise or rob the royal tombs. Gorgons 

were women with snakes instead of hair. In 

Greek mythology their powerful gaze could 

turn one to stone. In Sumeria, Kusarikku had 

a human head and torso, with bovine ears 

very winter, allergy sufferers find 

themselves in dismay with a stuffy 

nose and a vague pain all over their head and 

cheek. Many a times, this is accompanied by 

a persistent toothache of the upper teeth. 

What does sinusitis have to do with your 

teeth? Are they related? Yes they are and 

a sinus infection can bring along with it, a 

nagging tooth ache. How do you know if the 

pain you’re feeling is from a sinus infection 

or a tooth that needs attention? 

What is sinusitis? 

◆◆ 

By Dr Abhishek Singh 

BDS, MDS & (Oral & 

Maxillofacial Surgeon) 

Sinusitis refers to inflammation in the 

sinuses. The sinuses are air-filled cavities 

that connect to the inside area of the nose. 

Due to cold, allergy or any respiratory 

infection the nasal passages become inflamed 


Man-Animal Divinities in Mythology 

and horns and hindquarters and is known as 

the Bull Man. He is a door keeper to protect 

the inhabitants from malevolent intruders 

and evil spirits. He is associated with the 

God of Justice. 

The Lamassu is a Mesopotamian protective 

deity encompassing all life, depicted 

with a human head, a body of a bull or 

a lion, and bird’s wings. Large Lamassu 

figures, spectacular showpieces in Assyrian 

sculpture, are the largest figures known 

to have been made. They represent 

power and protection and are placed at 

entrances in palaces. Unfortunately, the 

Lamassu now represents the International 

Xenotransplantation Association, a 

collection of companies/scientists who 

are trying to make animal organs fit to be 

transplanted into humans. 

Montu is the Egyptian god of war with the 

head of a bull and the body of a human. 

Egypt’s greatest general-kings called 

themselves Mighty Bulls, the sons of 

Montu. Mentuhotep, a name given to several 

pharaohs, means “Montu is satisfied”. 

In Greek tradition a Sphinx is a mythical 

creature with the head of a human and the 

body of a lion and sometimes the wings of a 

bird. Those who cannot answer its riddle are 

killed and eaten. Unlike the Greek sphinx, 

the Egyptian sphinx is male, benevolent, 

with a ferocious strength. Both are guardians 

flanking the entrances to temples and tombs 

Each of these Egyptian Gods has the head 

of a lion. Maahes is an ancient Egyptian 

lion-headed god of war, protection, and 

weather, knives, louses, and devouring 

captives. Pakhet is a lioness headed deity 

associated with flash floods. Sekhmet is a 

warrior goddess as well as the goddess of 

healing. It was said that her breath formed 

the desert. She was seen as the protector 

of the pharaohs. Tefnut is the goddess of 

moisture, moist air, dew and rain. Married 

to her brother Shu, she is mother of Nut, the 

sky and Geb, the earth. 

One of the Hindu god Vishnu’s incarnations 

was Narasimha, the lion faced and clawed 

being, who came to destroy evil and religious 

persecution by defeating the demon kings 

Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. 

Pratyangira, also known as Narasimhi, is a 

Hindu goddess who has the head of a lioness. 

She is an aspect of Durga. In the Ramayana, 

the son of Ravana, Indrajit was performing 

the “Nikumbala yagya” (a sacred ritual to 

worship Prathyangira) while Rama’s army 

was waging war in Lanka. Hanuman came 

down to stop this ritual because he knew that 

if Indrajit completed it, he would become 

invincible. In some temples Pratyangira 

Devi Havan is performed on no moon 

(amavaas) day. 

The Egyptian Hathor, the cow headed 

goddess, personifies the principles of 

joy, feminine love, music, dance and 

motherhood. Bat, meaning soul, is also an 

Egyptian Goddess with the horns and ears 

of a cow. She is associated with the musical 

instrument called the sistrum, one of the 

most frequently used sacred instruments in 

Egyptian temples. Bat is similar to Hathor 

except that Bat’s horns curve inwards and 

Hathor’s curve outward. 

Anubis is the African golden wolf (previously 

thought to be dog or jackal) headed Egyptian 

god of death, mummification and the god 

who ushered souls into the after-life. Bastet 

is the cat-headed Egyptian goddess of 

warfare and the protector of cats. Khepri 

is the famous dung beetle (scarab) headed 

Egyptian God. 

Like the scarab pushes dung in a perfect 

ball before him using his horns, Khepri 

pushes the sun across the sky down into the 

underworld, from where it emerges the next 

morning. The word Kheper means ‘to come 

into being’ and the god is associated with 

rebirth and renewal and the sun at daybreak. 

Tawaret, meaning the Great One, is the 

hippopotamus-headed Egyptian Goddess of 

childbirth and fertility. 

The ibis-headed Egyptian God Thoth 

maintains the universe, arbitrates godly 

disputes and judges the dead, handles the 

arts of magic, the system of writing and the 

development of science. 

Japanese mythology has a warrior god 

named Amida who has a human body with 

a dog’s head. 

The Japanese Tanuki is a badger or raccoon 

who can turn into a human and trick people 

by impersonating Busshist monks. The 

fox-like creatures, known as Kitsune, also 

possess similar powers, and they trick men 

into marriage by turning into seductive 

women. 

In Chinese Mythology Chu Pa-chieh 

is a divine being who, because of his 

licentiousness in heaven, is sent to earth 

with the head of a pig and the body of a man. 

He kills his family and preys on travellers 

until he is turned to the path of virtue by 

the goddess Kuan Yin. He then becomes a 

priest. (We have a similar story of Valmiki, 

the author of the Ramayan). Khnum, the 

ram-headed Egyptian God, is the god of 

the source of the Nile River and the creator 

of the bodies of human children, which he 

makes at a potter’s wheel from clay, and 

places in their mothers’ wombs. 

The crocodile-headed Egyptian God, Sobek 

is associated with pharaonic power, fertility, 

and military prowess, but serves additionally 

as a protective deity against the dangers 

presented by the Nile river. 

In the modern world, most of the religions 

have abandoned the concept of mananimal 

divinities. Our Gods now are purely 

anthropomorphic. Even the new Goddesses 

that are added to the Hindu pantheon, 

like Santoshi Maa who was created in the 

seventies, are just simply divine women 

without any animal magic at all. 

To join the animal welfare movement 

contact gandhim@nic.in, 

www.peopleforanimalsindia.org 

Can My Sinusitis Give Me A Toothache? 

causing an obstruction to fluid flow. The 

increase in fluid leads to extreme pressure 

and inflammation in the maxillary sinus. 

Sinusitis can be caused by: 

• Common cold 

• Allergies 

• Pollutants and tissue irritants 

• Anatomical obstruction in the nasal 

passage or sinus polyps 

• Respiratory or dental infections 

How is sinusitis related to teeth? 

The roots of your top back teeth (premolars 

and molars) lie just beneath the maxillary 

sinus. As we age, our sinuses grow and push 

against the roots of our upper back teeth. An 

inflamed maxillary sinus exerts pressure on 

the nerves that enter the roots of the upper 

teeth resulting in a toothache. This toothache 

is often confused with other causes of tooth 

pain like gum disease, tooth decay, or an 

impacted wisdom tooth. 

What are the symptoms of sinusitis? 

• Fever 

• Stuffy nose and nasal discharge 

• Bad breath 

• Pain that is worse when sitting up than 

when lying down 

• Tenderness, redness, or swelling in the 

cheekbones 

• Cough 

• Persistent sinus toothache 

• Pain that increases when nodding the head 

up and down 

• Earache 

What kind of pain occurs in sinus toothache? 

These toothaches are intense, continuous, 

and in the upper back teeth. Sometimes the 

toothache will be on one side and sometimes 

it may be on both. It is also possible for the 

toothache to jump to the lower teeth, causing 

what is known as a referred pain. 

What can be done if you have a sinus 

toothache? 

Tooth pain related to sinusitis will often 

diminish or disappear within a few days as 

the sinusitis is treated. If the pain persists, 

the cause could be related to the tooth itself. 

Persistent tooth ache may indicate the 

presence of other factors such as: 

• Gum disease 

• Bruxism, or tooth grinding 

• Dental decay 

• Dental abscesses 

For Full Article : http://www. 

newdelhitimes.com/can-my-sinusitisgive-me-a-toothache 

By Dr. Abhishek Singh, BDS, MDS (Oral & 

Maxillofacial Surgeon) Consultant at Dantah


Entertainment & Lifestyle 


Rock icon Johnny Hallyday, known as French Elvis, dies at 74 

J 

ohnny Hallyday, France’s biggest rock 

star for more than half a century and an 

icon who packed sports stadiums and all but 

lit up the Eiffel Tower with his high-energy 

concerts at the foot of the Paris landmark, 

died on 6th December. He was 74. 

President Emmanuel Macron, who knew 

the star offstage, announced his death in 

a statement, saying “he brought a part of 

America into our national pantheon.” In a 

second comment during a visit to Algeria, 

Macron said that “we were convinced he 

was invincible ... He is a French hero.” 

Macron’s office said the president spoke 

with Hallyday’s family, but didn’t provide 

details about where the rocker died. 

The French media reported widely that he 

died at his home west of Paris, which was 

quickly surrounded by mourning fans and 

police providing security. 

“Hearing about Johnny’s death has hurt us 

because Johnny is our God and nobody can 

replace him,” said one fan, Yves Buisson, 

outside the Hallyday family’s gated home 

in Marnes-La-Coquette. His arms were 

covered with tattoos of the star. 

Hallyday had lung cancer and repeated 

health scares in recent years that dominated 

national news, and recently returned from a 

hospital stay. But he continued performing 

as recently as this summer. 

Celine Dion was among stars sharing 

condolences for a rocker with a famously 

gravelly voice who sold more than 100 

million records, filled concert halls and 

split his time between Los Angeles and 

Paris. Brigitte Bardot tweeted: “Johnny is a 

monument. It is France!” 

Some of France’s leading political figures on 

the left and right joined Macron in mourning 

the loss of “Johnny,” as he was known. 

Former President Francois Hollande, the 

Socialist leader replaced by Macron, said 

S 

Hallyday “is part of our national patrimony.” 

Hallyday fashioned his glitzy stage aura, 

with an open shirt, jewelry and a pumping 

pelvis, from Elvis Presley, drew musical 

inspiration from Chuck Berry and Buddy 

Holly, performed with Jimi Hendrix, and 

made an album in country music’s capital, 

Nashville, Tennessee. 

His stardom largely ended at the Frenchspeaking 

world, yet in France itself, he was 

an institution, with a postage stamp in his 

honor. He was the country’s top rock ‘n’ 

roll star through more than five decades and 

eight presidents, and it was no exaggeration 

when Macron wrote “the whole country is in 

mourning.” 

“We all have something of Johnny Hallyday 

in us,” Macron said, praising “a sincerity 

and authenticity that kept alive the flame 

that he ignited in the public’s heart.” 

Hallyday, whose father was Belgian, also 

was a musical hero across the French border. 

The Brussels subway system played his hits 

over intercoms, and Belgian Prime Minister 

Charles Michel said “a great artist has left 

us, transcending generations. “ 

The antithesis of a French hero right down to 

his Elvis-style glitter and un-French name, 

Hallyday was among the most familiar 

faces and voices in France, which knew 

him simply as Johnny, pronounced with 

a slight French accent and beloved across 

generations. 

He released his last album “Rester Vivant” 

— or “Staying Alive” — last year, and 

performed this summer as part of the “Old 

Crooks” tour with long-time friends and 

veteran French musicians Eddy Mitchell and 

Jacques Dutronc. 

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy, as mayor 

of the rich enclave of Neuilly-sur-Seine on 

the western edge of Paris, presided in 1996 

over the entertainer’s marriage to his fourth 

wife, Laeticia. 

“For each of us, he means something 

personal. Memories, happy moments, songs 

and music,” Sarkozy said in 2009, days 

after Hallyday, then 66, was hospitalized in 

Los Angeles. Sarkozy called the Hallyday 

family during an EU summit and gave 

updates on the singer’s condition during 

news conferences. 

The star all but lit up the Eiffel Tower during 

several free concerts, one on Bastille Day 

in 2009, attended by more than 500,000 

people. Hallyday sang some songs in 

English, including “Hot Legs” and “House 

of the Rising Sun,” — the melody of which 

was also used for one of his most famous 

songs, the 1964 “Le Penitencier.” 

And there was a real American connection: 

American singer Lee Ketchman gave him 

his first electric guitar. Hallyday’s stardom, 

however, was not inevitable. 


He was born in Paris on June 15, 1943, of 

a Belgian father and French mother during 

the dark days of World War II with a less 

glamorous name, Jean-Philippe Smet. His 

parents had separated by the end of the 

year. The young Smet followed his father’s 

sisters to London, where he met Ketchman. 

Hallyday gave his first professional concert 

in 1960, under the name Johnny, and put out 

his first album a year later. By 1962, he had 

met the woman who would be his wife for 

years, and remained his friend to the end, 

Veteran Bollywood actor Shashi 

hashi Kapoor, a leading Bollywood 

actor and producer from the 1970s and 

‘80s, has died after a long illness. He was 79. 

A family member, Randhir Kapoor, said he 

passed away on 4th December at Kokilaben 

Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, where he was 

being treated for a kidney ailment. 

Kapoor acted in more than 100 Hindi films 

and was also a key theater personality. He 

appeared as well in British and American 

movies produced by Merchant Ivory 

productions, run by Ismail Merchant and 

James Ivory. 

His English-language movies included 

“The Householder’” in 1963, “Shakespeare 

Wallah” in 1965, “Bombay Talkie” in 1970 

and “Heat and Dust,” in which he co-starred 

with his wife, British actress Jennifer 

Kendal, in 1982. 

Some of his popular Bollywood films 

were “Deewar (Wall),” “Kabhie Kabhie 

(Sometimes),” ‘’Namak Hala (Loyal 

Servant)” and “Kaala Pathar (Black Rock).” 

He co-starred with Bollywood icon Amitabh 

Kapoor dies at age 79 

Bachchan in each. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said 

Kapoor’s versatility could be seen in his 

movies as well as in the theater, which he 

promoted with great passion. 

“His brilliant acting will be remembered for 

generations to come,” he said. 

Kapoor was a member of a family dynasty 

in the Bollywood film industry. He was the 

youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, a veteran 

of Bollywood and the theater. 

Shashi Kapoor began acting at age 4 in 

plays produced and directed by his father. 

He started in films as a child actor in the late 

1940s. 

He made his debut as a leading actor in 

movies in 1961. 

He is survived by two sons and a daughter. 

His wife Kendal died in 1984. 



singing star Sylvie Vartan. That year, he also 

made an album in Nashville, Tennessee, and 

rubbed shoulders with American singing 

greats. 

He quickly became a favorite of young 

people during the “Ye-ye” period, the golden 

years of French pop music. A respected 

musician, Hallyday played with Jimmy 

Hendrix during the 1960s and once recorded 

a song with Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy 

Page. 

With his square-jawed good looks and 

piercing blue eyes, Hallyday was often 

sought-out for the cinema, playing in French 

director Jean-Luc Godard’s “Detective” 

(1984) and with other illustrious directors 

including Costa-Gavras. 

Hallyday appeared in Johnnie To’s 

“Vengeance” (2009) and had talked about 

giving film a bigger role in his life. However, 

it was the rocker’s personal life, and his 

marriage to Laeticia, that gave him a mellow 

edge. He spoke lovingly of daughters Jade 

and Joy, who were adopted from Vietnam. 

“I’m not a star. I’m just a simple man,” he 

said in a 2006 interview on France 3. 

His widow’s statement announcing the death 

was a testimonial to Hallyday’s battle with 

cancer, “giving everyone extraordinary life 

lessons.” 

“The heart beat so strongly in this body of a 

rocker who lived a life without concession 

for the stage, for his public, for those who 

adored and loved him,” said her statement, 

transmitted overnight to the French national 

news agency AFP. “My man is no more.” 

Hallyday is also survived by two other 

children, Dave, a singer fathered with 

Vartan, and Laura Smet, whom he had with 

noted French actress Nathalie Baye. 

Memorial plans weren’t immediately 

announced. 


Ex-DJ says $1 

payment to Taylor 

Swift sent by mail 

A 

last week 

former radio DJ who was ordered to 

pay a symbolic $1 to Taylor Swift for 

groping her at a photo op says he mailed her 

a Sacagawea coin last week. 

David Mueller provided a letter to The 

Associated Press showing the payment was 

sent Nov. 28. 

Mueller previously told the AP he intended 

the coin featuring a prominent Native 

American woman as a final jab at the singer 

in a case her side called a win for all women. 

Swift was among the “Silence Breakers” 

named as Time magazine’s person of the 

year. In a story published, she said she 

hadn’t received the dollar. 

Mueller had sued Swift claiming she falsely 

accused him of groping her and sought up to 

$3 million. 

A federal jury in Denver ruled for Swift. 



16 


T 

Sports 

Analysis of 2018 FIFA 

World Cup Groups 




he group stages for the 2018 FIFA 

World Cup have been determined. 32 

teams have been drawn into 8 groups of 4 

teams each. New Delhi Times analyses the 

eight groups. 

Group A: Russia, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, 

Egypt 

Uruguay looks the favourites to win this 

group with their lethal strike force of Luis 

Suarez and Edinson Cavani. Hosts Russia 

are the other team that are favourite to 

qualify for the second round. Egypt has a 

world class player in Mohammad Salah, but 

their overall strength may not be enough to 

compete with Uruguay and Russia. Saudi 

Arabia does not have much of a chance to 

progress to next round 

Group B: Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Iran 

The marque fixture of the group stages will 

be played on June 19 between European 

Champions Portugal and 2010 World 

Champions Spain as Cristiano Ronaldo 

will take on Sergio Ramos, Isco and other 

illustrious Real Madrid teammates. Morocco 

is appearing in the World Cup after 1986. 

It may be noted though that Morocco beat 

Portugal 3-1. Iran is appearing in successive 

World Cup for the first time. From this 

group, Portugal and Spain should not have 

much difficulty progressing to the second 

round 

Group C: France, Australia, Peru, Denmark 

France looks the clear favourites to win the 

group with their players of the calibre of 

Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier 

Giroud and Kylian Mbappe. A dangerous 

Denmark is the likely favourite to be the 

second team to advance to the knockout 

stage from the group. Australia and Peru 

do not look to pose any severe challenge to 

France and Denmark for the top two spots. 

Group D: Argentina, Croatia, Nigeria, 

Iceland 

This group look the most interesting of all 

groups. Argentina powered by Messi along 

with the likes of Dybala, Sergio Aguero and 

Angel De Maria are the favourites to win the 

group. Although on paper, Croatia with their 

mid-field prowess of Modric and Rakitic 

look the favourites to advance to the next 

round, Iceland and Nigeria cannot be left out 

of contention. Iceland showed in Euro 2016 

that they can stun big oppositions, while 

Nigeria with the young team was the most 

impressive team in African qualifiers. 

Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, 

Serbia 

Brazil boasting of superstars like Neymar, 

Gabriel Jesus, Philippe Coutinho, Casemiro, 

and Dani Alves will enter as one of pretournament 

favourites and should have no 

difficulty in winning the group. A close fight 

for the second spot is on the cards between 

Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia, with the 

Swiss looking only marginal favourites to be 

the second team from this group to advance 

to the next round. Costa Rica must also be 

taken seriously remembering that in 2014 

World Cup, the team advanced to second 

round in a group comprising of England, 

Italy and Uruguay. 

Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, 

South Korea 


Defending Champions Germany is one of 

title contenders considering the squad depth. 

The team has at least world class players 

competing for every position. The probable 

first XI of Germany looks extremely strong 

with the likes of Manuel Nauer, Toni Kross, 

Mario Gotze, Sami Khedira and Thomas 

Muller. Mexico and Sweden will fight for the 

second spot in Group B. However, Germany 

needs to be wary of Sweden considering 

how the Swedes knocked out a fancied 

Italian side in the qualification playoffs. 

Group G: Belgium, England, Tunisia and 

Panama 

Belgium and England should not have much 

difficulty in securing a passage to the second 

round. Belgium versus England is one of 

the fixtures to look out in the group stages. 

Although form favours Belgium, history 

says otherwise. Belgium have not beaten 

England in their last 11 meetings and only 

once in their history. Tunisia and Panama 

barring any major upset are unlikely to 

progress beyond first round. 

Group H: Poland, Senegal, Columbia, 

Japan 

This could turn out to be one tight group. 

Poland looks the strongest team on paper 

in this group with Robert Lewandowski 

in the ranks. Sadio Mane led Senegal and 

James Rodrigues led Columbia are capable 

of challenging the Poles. Japan too can be a 

tricky opposition on its day. There could be 

an interesting three-way fight for the top two 

spots in the group between Poland, Senegal, 

and Columbia. 

B 

T 


Beyonce presents Kaepernick 

with SI’s Muhammad Ali Award 

eyonce presented Colin Kaepernick 

with Sports Illustrated’s Muhammad 

Ali Legacy Award, and Kaepernick promised 

that “with or without the NFL’s platform, I 

will continue to work for the people.” 

Beyonce was brought out as a surprise 

presenter by comedian Trevor Noah. She 

said she was “proud and humbled” to present 

the award. 

“Colin took action with no fear of 

consequence or repercussion,” Beyonce 

said. “Only hope to change the world for the 

better. To change perception, to change the 

way we treat each other. Especially people 

of color.” 

Last year’s Ali Award winner, Kareem 

Abdul-Jabbar, called Kaepernick a “worthy 

recipient” during a video tribute. 

“He fully embraced the risk to his career in 

order to remind Americans of the systemic 

racism that was denying African Americans 

their opportunities to equal education, jobs, 

health and even their lives,” Abdul-Jabbar 

said. 

Kaepernick began kneeling during the 

national anthem last season to protest racial 

inequality and police brutality. 

The demonstration sparked a wave of 

protests by NFL players during the anthem 

that repeatedly have been denounced by 

President Donald Trump. 

Kaepernick parted ways with the San 

Francisco 49ers in March and hasn’t been 

signed by another team. He filed a grievance 

World Cup of Golf returning to 

Australia’s Sandbelt in 2018 

he World Cup of Golf will be played 

in Australia’s Sandbelt for the third 

consecutive time, with the PGA Tour 

announcing The Metropolitan Golf Club in 

Melbourne will host the tournament next 

November. 

“The World Cup of Golf has been a 

celebrated and valued tradition in the game 

for decades, and the International Federation 

of PGA Tours is proud to see that tradition 

continue in 2018 with the best players 

from around the globe convening at The 

Metropolitan,” PGA TOUR Commissioner 

Jay Monahan said in a statement. “Golf in 

the Sandbelt region speaks for itself.” 

The tournament, which has been held 58 

times across 25 countries since 1953, will 

feature 28 two-person 

teams representing their 

countries from Nov. 21- 

25. 

The highest-ranked player 

in each team will get to 

select his playing partner. 

The 2018 event will 

feature the same format 

as 2016, including two 

days of foursomes and 

two days of fourballs. 

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against the NFL in October alleging that he 

remains unsigned as a result of collusion by 

owners following his protests. 

He spoke about continuing Ali’s legacy for 

fighting social injustice, saying the boxing 

great “mentored me without ever meeting 

me.” 

“The footprints he leaves are large,” 

Kaepernick said, “and his life is and has 

been a multi-textured tapestry that is rich 

in love, wisdom, life lessons and human 

kindness. I can only hope that I’m taking 

steps toward walking on the footsteps that 

he has left behind for the world to follow.” 

Kaepernick skipped the red carpet prior to 

the show and was not available for questions. 

Kaepernick also recently was honored by 

the ACLU of Southern California with the 

Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award 

and was named GQ magazine’s “Citizen of 

the Year” for his activism, which included 

pledging $1 million to “organizations 

working in oppressed communities.” 


Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day 

won the 2013 World Cup played at Royal 

Melbourne, and Soren Kjeldsen and 

Thorbjorn Olesen won at Kingston Heath in 

2016. 

The 2018 edition will mark the sixth time 

the World Cup of Golf has been staged in 

Australia. 



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Published at A-2/59 Safdarjung Enclave New Delhi-110029. Ph.: 26102520, 26105846 Fax: 26196294 Email: info@newdelhitimes.com, Vol. 27, No. 45 Editor-in-chief : Dr. Ankit Srivastava

11-17 December 2017 - 16-min

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