12-18 February 2018 - 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
12 - 18 February, 2018 Vol - 28 No. 2 Email : info@newdelhitimes.com Founder : Dr. Govind Narain Srivastava ISSN -2349-1221
NIA probe on terror funding exposes
bigger Pak design to destabilise Kashmir
erik solheim
PyeongChang Olympics: a new cornerstone
for peace and prosperity
Dr. Shamshad Akhtar
Page 12
erik solheim
Controlled By The Internet
Mark Parkinson
Page 12
NDT Special Bureau
Page 2
Importance of Frog in the
ecological system
Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
Page 14
True Love is beyond materialism
Dr. Pramila Srivastava
Page 13
India’s Membership of Exclusive Clubs
NSG Remains the Last Frontier
Dr. Ankit Srivastava
Page 3
Women’s March betrayed women of
Iran
Tarek Fatah
Page 2
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12 - 18 February, 2018
Editorial
NEW DELHI TIMES
NIA probe on terror funding exposes bigger Pak design
to destabilise Kashmir
N
◆◆
By NDT Special Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
ational Investigation Agency (NIA)
entrusted with the task of investigating
terror funding to Kashmir separatists and
eventual prosecution in court of law has
submitted its charge sheet exposing the links
separatists have with Islamabad and the
terror outfits operating from Pak soil.
NIA charge sheet reveals that the website
of Syed Ali Shah Gilani-led Tehreek- e-
Hurriyat and that of US designated terror
outfit Hizbul Mujahideen are designed and
administered by the same individual, that
too from Rawalpindi in Pakistan.
It further talks about the technical support
Pakistan establishment provides to the
separatists. Zakirullah, a Pak national based
in Rawalpindi, has designed and continues
to manage Tehreek-e-Hurriyat’s website
www.thjk.org and Hizbul Mujahideen’s
website www.hizbulmedia.org.
The height of the revelation is that the
telephone numbers registered on both the
portals of these Kashmiri organisations
belong to Pakistani –Zakirullah – who
continues to stay in regular touch with
separatist leaders arrested and charge
sheeted by NIA.
As NIA further dug into the association of
separatists with Pakistan-based state and
non-state actors, more skeletons came out
tumbling. Pakistan’s spy agency ISI has
formed a “Kashmir Committee” to fan
separatism in the valley.
The committee is headed by a Brigadier rank
officer to plan and execute violence, stone
pelting, funding, recruiting, logistics, and
to perpetrate terrorist attacks and other anti-
India activities. To broad base its nefarious
activities, the Committee has members
from Pakistani army, ISI, Syed Salahuddinled
United Jihad Council (UJC), Kashmir
separatists and others.
All these revelations confirm India’s fear
that the devious designs of Pakistan go
much beyond mere funding of separatists or
promotion of their ideologies. Islamabad has
by now devised an organised platform that
plans to integrate Kashmir- based resistance
leaders with the leaders of banned terror
groups.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference - a
conglomerate of separatists in Kashmir
with Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and
Yasin Malik as its top leaders - has also got
a convenor in Islamabad who is identified as
Ghulam Mohammad Safi, while one Parvez
Ahmad liaises with the Pakistan government
on behalf of these Pakistani stooges.
The documents, emails, messages, videos,
statements recorded by 300 witnesses and
information collected through intelligence
sources prove that terrorists, Pakistan army/
ISI and so called resistance leaders from
Kashmir are interlinked in a highly integrated
way. Some traders, former militants, and
businessmen operating from Dubai, Pakistan
and other places have also been drafted in
to be part of this sinister plan to destabilise
Jammu and Kashmir.
NIA has already referred to the senior
Hurriyat leaders – Syed Ali Shah Geelani,
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Asiya Andrabi, Yasin
Malik and Shabbir Shah - as the ‘organisers’
of the subversive activities in Kashmir.
Recently a pack of Pak trained Taliban
terrorists wreaked havoc in a Kabul Hotel
where they went searching for foreigners
from one room to another eventually killing
foreigners that included four Americans.
The gruesome murders was reminiscent
of 26/11 attacks on Mumbai. Afghan
intelligence team came to Islamabad armed
with tapes of conversation between Taliban
and their handlers in Pakistan. Groups
opposing elected Afghan government -
Taliban and Haqqani Networks – continue to
operate from their safe heavens in Pakistan,
US protests notwithstanding.
Photo Credit : Shutterstock
Given Pakistan’s propensity to build and
operate terror infrastructure to torment
the neighbours with the sinister motive of
acquiring strategic balance, NIA’s charge
sheet on Pak complicity with Kashmir
separatists should not spring any surprise.
The devil, however, lies in the details.
The methodical approach with which
Islamabad has built up the terror infrastructure
in Kashmir and the regularity of its funding
and sustained operations to manage the terror
framework is definitely a cause for worry for
India’s security apparatus.
Women’s March betrayed women of Iran
◆◆
By Tarek Fatah
Author & Columnist, Canada
@TarekFatah
tarek.fatah@gmail.com
hey came in the tens of thousands.
T
Women across the United States and
Canada marched to assert their rightful place
in society, no longer on the periphery, but at
the centre.
every time women take a step forward, the
ripple effect is felt around the world.
However, if the women’s movement itself
becomes a pawn in the hands of ‘diversityconscious’
liberal feminists, it leads to
strengthening the very forces that are
institutionally targeting women to keep them
in their place as dictated by the guardian
men of the family or the state (in most cases
March celebrated the awful headgear that
has been imposed by the state and the clergy
in a number of Islamic states and that has
seen girls murdered right here in Canada.
This year the hijab celebration was not that
front and centre. Perhaps some sisters in
the movement got the message that Linda
Sarsour, the American-Palestinian Islamist
who once tweeted about taking away Ayaan
Hirsi Ali’s vagina, was not an appropriate
figure to honour.
they would have had an argument that could
be debated.
This was not the case. At many rallies,
international issues that matter to Islamists
did come up in the speeches.
For example in LA, Thandiwe Abdullah,
daughter of Black Lives Matter organizer
Melina Abdullah, gave a speech in support
of women in Palestine and declared Israel as
an ‘apartheid state.’
But if hypocrisy was evident last year, in the
recent 2018 march, selfishness, arrogance
and ignorance could be seen in abundance.
Long before the march in DC, Toronto, Los
Angeles and other cities, women in Iran
had revolted in a courageous manner to
stand up to the ayatollahs and many ripped
off their oppressive hijabs to challenge the
dictatorship of the Islamic Regime.
“Israel is an apartheid state with over 50 laws
on the books that sanctions discrimination
against the Palestinian state,” she said,
arguing U.S. citizens are complicit in these
actions.
In Canada, a Toronto Star column reported
on how a speaker “brought people to tears
with stories of atrocities against her fellow
Rohingyas.”
Excesses of language and silly pussy hats
aside, this year’s march came in light of
the #MeToo movement and the exposure of
many prominent men accused of sexually
assaulting women.
As a father of two daughters, from a society
where women suffer immeasurably more
than their sisters in the West, I know that
Islamic).
It seems Western feminists have decided to
respect such misogynists simply because
their overt anti-Americanism has become
an intrinsic part of the ‘women’s rights’
movement.
During last year’s marches, the Women’s
Further west, the amazing female soldiers of
the Kurdish YPG were involved in resisting
the invasion of Syria by the Islamofascist
Turkish Armed Forces.
One would have hoped that the Women’s
March would utter some words of solidarity
with the brave women of Iran and the Kurds,
but that was not to happen. Not one word
was said. Had the organizers claimed that
the march was about women in the West,
The question that remained unanswered was
this: If Rohingya and Palestinian women
could find space in the march, why were
Iranian and Kurdish women excluded? Who
made that decision?
In the meantime, the Iranian woman who
protested the country’s enforced hijab code
by standing on a pillar-box in Tehran and
taking off her hijab is missing and feared to
have been arrested.
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12 - 18 February, 2018 3
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Editorial
◆◆
By Dr. Ankit Srivastava
Editor - in - Chief
@AnkitNDT
ankits@newdelhitimes.com
NEW DELHI TIMES
India’s Membership of Exclusive Clubs
ndia has applied for membership of the
exclusive club of nuclear powers - the
Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) - which
is currently under its active consideration.
Member states are reportedly deliberating
on membership criteria for states that are
not party to the Nuclear Non-proliferation
Treaty (NPT). China continues to oppose
India’s membership bid.
To compound India’s problem, a paper
released by Harvard Kennedy
School’s Belfer Centre for Science
and International Affairs in
January offers a Pakistan-centric,
one-sided view, by hyphenating
India with Pakistan. Author John
Carlson, a former director general
of Australian Safeguards and Nonproliferation
Office, argues against
admitting India without proper
safeguards.
Forsaking a utilitarian global view
of India’s membership, Carlson
rather singularly focuses on
interests of Islamabad. Excessively
focussed on Pakistan, he blames
Indian system of creating an unverified grey
zone between military and civilian material
that do not meet NSG standards. Carlson’s
◆◆
By NDT Pakistan Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
NSG remains the Last Frontier
partisan obsession with Pakistan’s interest
becomes evident from his words, “Pakistan,
which has raised concern about the strategic
threat posed by India’s unsafeguarded
materials and facilities and is also seeking
to join the NSG”. Why should India’s
membership be viewed solely from the angle
of Pak interests or its strategic perception?
Castigating India-IAEA safeguards agreement
as ‘not an appropriate model to apply’, the
study prescribes for NSG membership a
clear separation between civilian and noncivilian
nuclear programmes and application
of safeguards to the civilian materials
and facilities against military use. This
apparently Islamabad-funded study even
argues that if India is reluctant to amend its
safeguards agreement, ‘perhaps Pakistan
can lead by example by concluding an
agreement that avoids these problems.’
Pakistan traditionally perceives India’s fast
breeder reactors and similar materials and
facilities as military programmes that pose
strategic threat.
Islamabad disapproves India’s current
Separation Plan of operating a ‘civilian
and military programs closely linked’ fuel
cycle model and criticises running of dualpurpose
facilities that have been shunned
by the nuclear-weapon states decades ago.
It urges India to scuttle this stage of nuclear
development.
India’s 2006 Separation Plan placed under
IAEA safeguards 14 out of 22 power
reactors then in operation or
under construction, together
with nominated upstream and
downstream facilities - 35 in all.
All future facilities - ‘civilian’
and not engaged in activities
of strategic significance - were
to be placed under safeguards.
The overarching criterion was
whether subjecting a facility to
IAEA safeguards would impact
adversely on India’s national
security.
Currently, India has three
classes of nuclear facilities:
1.civilian and designated for IAEA
safeguards; 2.functionally civilian but can
be dual-use; and 3.purely military. Eight
out of the 22 heavy water power reactors,
fast breeder reactors and enrichment and
reprocessing facilities are not designated for
safeguards.
There is perfect separation plan within the
civilian safeguarded, dual-use unsafeguarded
and military programmes, but Carlson
apprehends a theoretical possibility that
civilian facilities could be transferred into
safeguards and safeguarded material could
be used in normally unsafeguarded facilities,
and unsafeguarded material could be used in
safeguarded facilities.
On both safeguarded and unsafeguarded
programmes India retains the flexibility to
optimise fissile material production. Carlson
argues that such flexibility contradicts the
international assurances IAEA safeguards
are intended to provide and jumps to
presumptive conclusion that the NSG is
unlikely to have a consensus on admitting
India, unless civilian nuclear facilities
are separated from non-civilian nuclear
facilities.
A developing India has huge energy needs
and has a clean non- proliferation record
unlike Pakistan.
The Carlson report laughingly equates
Pakistan - an irresponsible nuclear proliferator
- with a highly responsible country like India.
Carlson’s partisan ranting doesn’t matter
much. The world has moved on. The
consensus is there within NSG; China for
its narrow self-interest remains the sole
exception.
Injustice galore, Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir
akistan observes Kashmir Solidarity
Day, or Kashmir Day, as a public
holiday every 5th of February to showcase
its support for people in Kashmir valley
wherein imaginary tales of India’s so called
excesses are discussed. The year 2018 was
no exception. “Kashmir is the unfinished
agenda of Partition!” “Kashmir is Pakistan’s
jugular vein!” and “Kashmir and Pakistan
are like one soul in two hearts!”- were the
routine slogans mouthed on the occasion.
The international terrorist Hafiz Saeed
- a Punjabi but self-proclaimed leader
of Kashmiris – grabbed the platform to
advocate for jihad in Kashmir, so did the
disgraced Nawaz Sharif whose daughter
shouted, “Kashmir banay ga Pakistan”
(Kashmir will become Pakistan).
Hard fact is Kashmir no more evokes
the same passion in Pakistanis as it did in
the 1980s and 1990s. Gallup Pakistan’s
periodic polls on Pakistani perceptions of
the Kashmir conflict revealed in 2016 of
growing Pakistani disenchantment with
Kashmiri cause. Increasing number of
Pakistanis today accept the reality explaining
(POK) is a no man’s country
the downward spiral in participation in
Kashmir Day celebrations. Politicians
and terror leaders repeat the rhetoric just
to maintain the fervour. Pakistan utilised
terror commander Burhan Wani’s death to
unleash a new spell of violence in Kashmir
to propel Kashmir issue to the forefront of
international psyche.
Pakistan’s pledge of solidarity with Kashmir
valley gives erroneous impression that
Kashmiris in POK are a happy, satisfied
and emancipated lot. Pak discussions
on Kashmir regularly ignores POK but
becomes relevant only when people face fire
from Indian forces fighting infiltration when
Pak army uses them as human shield for
cross border violations.
The year 2017 marked the highest number
of ceasefire violations across LoC since the
2003 ceasefire agreement and POK suffered
heavily. Year 2018 had over 200 ceasefire
violations so far. Government and Pak
army prefer to stay safe from POK, except
occasional visits, leaving men, women and
children to face the brunt of cross-LoC
shelling. Locals in Khuirratta and Kotli
protested against injury to nine people
during recent shelling, but were forced to
retreat. Pakistan army provokes Indian army
by shelling but leaves civilian population
defenceless during retaliatory fire without
bunkers and basic amenities, making them
lambs for slaughter. The civilian government
is largely absent from POK. Without
facilities of relocation, compensation and
allowance, people are left on their own.
Government remains obsessed, like a
maniac, on snatching Kashmir valley from
India!
Health care facilities in POK are primitive
with no fully functional hospital despite
Pak army’s frequent ceasefire violations
and resultant casualties in Nakyal Sector.
Government has totally abandoned its
primary responsibility towards healthcare
like treatment of injuries. Poor quality of
medical services and alarmingly low doctorto-patient
ratio is inadequate to save lives.
Corruption also eats into compensation on
casualties.
POK is dotted with river dams that fulfil
the rest of Pakistan’s energy needs but
yield no royalties; POK is not a province
of Pakistan. There is an acute shortage of
water and power. For implementing projects
that benefit other parts of Pakistan POK
is deemed a part of the country. Taken for
granted, no permissions sought from the local
government. Roads are full of rubble with
primitive sewage pipelines. Neelum Valley
still agitates for a road from Athmuqam to
Taobat. POK literally is a no man’s country.
Posters in Lahore and elsewhere instigating
sympathies for Kashmiris are mere hallow
commitment to the Kashmiri cause, with
jingoistic displays of ‘solidarity.’ Even
on Kashmir Day, nobody stands up for
Kashmiris in POK as Pakistan does not
consider them Kashmiri enough. Their basic
rights, like those of Mohajirs in Karachi, are
never considered important, deserving of
intervention and attention.
Since 1947 Pakistan has blundered on
Kashmir times beyond number. It harbours
no sympathy for POK people but wants
them just for strategic gains.
The Pak puppet regime in Muzafarbad
has worsened over years. Obsession with
Kashmir valley, just for political mileage, has
ruined Pakistan exacting huge cost: stunted
economic growth, loss of development focus,
misery to people, rise of fundamentalist
terror groups, national frenzy, and loss of
credibility on world forum. Welfare of POK
people has become hostage to the political
games Pakistan plays.
Pakistan has never introduced local
government in POK to nurture a strong
inclusive leadership but it shamelessly
demands plebiscite in Kashmir valley!
Status quo still remains the only viable
alternative to Kashmir problem.
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12 - 18 February, 2018
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World
ASEAN renews calls for durable solution to
Rohingya crisis
outheast Asian foreign ministers
renewed calls for a durable solution
of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, and
affirmed the need to enhance trust to resolve
disputes in the South China Sea.
Ministers from the 10-member Association
of Southeast Asian Nations also called for
the speedy and safe return of displaced
people to Myanmar following an agreement
signed between Yangon and Bangladesh in
November.
They also stressed the need to find a
“comprehensive and durable solution” to
address the root causes of the conflict but
acknowledged there is no quick fix, Singapore
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said
after the informal talks, the ministers’ first
meeting under Singapore’s chairmanship.
“ASEAN is fully committed to assist the
Myanmar government in humanitarian
response but ultimately, what we need is a
long-term political solution,” he said.
The Muslim Rohingya minority has been
fleeing persecution in Buddhist-majority
Myanmar for decades. Renewed violence
last year drove hundreds of thousands of
Rohingya to seek refuge in Bangladesh.
Balakrishnan said some ASEAN ministers
voiced concerns over China’s land reclamation
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
UN experts: Islamic State militants still pose
he Islamic State extremist group still
poses “a significant and evolving threat
around the world” despite recent setbacks
in Iraq, Syria and the southern Philippines
that forced the militants to relinquish
strongholds, U.N. experts said.
Their report to the Security Council
circulated said IS “has lost its focus on
conquering and holding territory” but is
continuing “to give prominence to external
attacks.”
“In future, it will focus primarily on a smaller
and more motivated group of individuals
willing to fight or conduct attacks,” the
experts said.
According to the experts, the Islamic
State group is now organized “as a global
network, with a flat hierarchy and less
operational control over its affiliates,” with
some members willing to cooperate with al-
Qaida networks “to support one another’s
attacks.”
As a result of the changing threat, the report
said the fight against the extremist group is
entering a new phase “with more focus on
less visible networks of individuals and cells
acting with a degree of autonomy.”
The experts said in some ways, individual
countries and the international community
now face “a more difficult challenge,”
making it vital to share information on the
identity of former fighters, their location and
travel plans.
They said IS foreign fighters unable to blend
into the local population may be trying to
leave, making their identification critical.
“ISIL has collected travel and identification
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activities in the South China Sea but they
were encouraged by an agreement last year
by both sides to start formal negotiations for
a code of conduct governing behavior in the
disputed area.
Asked if talks will begin in Vietnam in
March, Balakrishnan declined to say. “The
situation in the South China Sea is calmer
now. I believe there is shared good faith and
good will from both sides to try to make a
significant advance this year. And that is
why we should be able to start negotiations
soon,” he said.
He said talks will follow a “mutually agreed
timeline,” but declined to elaborate.
“Building up trust and getting the sequence
right and doing it step by step is more
important than doing it in a hasty way
because there is an artificial deadline,” he
added. Beijing claims nearly all of the sea
and has been turning reefs in the disputed
area into islands, installing military facilities
and equipment in the area.
China, Taiwan and four ASEAN member
states — Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines
and Vietnam — have overlapping claims
in the waterway, which straddles busy
international sea lanes and potentially has
vast undersea deposits of oil and gas.
world threat
documents from incoming fighters for
potential use in future travel and has obtained
several thousand blank Syrian passports,”
the experts said. While the numbers have
been reported to INTERPOL and are in
their database, “member states highlighted
that their use by returnees or relocators is
possible.”
The experts said countries bordering Iraq
and Syria have highlighted “continued
challenges” in identifying IS foreign fighters
seeking to return home or relocate, as well
as those on the U.N. sanctions blacklist.
The report urged greater use of biometric
data, fingerprints and high-quality pictures
to identify IS fighters.
It noted that the flow of new foreign fighters
to Iraq and Syria “has almost come to a halt.”
In the past six months, the experts said,
governments and organizations at all levels
have continued to strengthen cooperation
with the private sector on sharing sensitive
information on terrorism-financing patterns
and suspect individuals.
This has enabled “law enforcement authorities
to disrupt travel by foreign terrorist fighters,
detect terrorists and individuals associated
with terrorism networks and bring terrorists
to justice,” the report said.
“Nonetheless,” it said, “financial intelligence
in the possession of entities in the private
sector remains underused in many regions of
the world.” The experts assessed the threat
from extremists from the Islamic State, also
known as ISIL, by region:
— In the Middle East, following the rout
Balakrishnan said the ministers also focused
on charting the way forward for the 51-yearold
grouping based on Singapore’s chosen
theme of “resilience and innovation.” He
said they supported Singapore’s proposal
to develop ASEAN smart cities that will
leverage technology to improve people’s
livelihood, and to boost their resilience
against terrorism and trans boundary crime.
“We want to ensure that all of us continue to
invest in our infrastructure and our people,
enhance our connectivity and ultimately to
secure peace and prosperity” in the region,
he added.
ASEAN was set up in 1967 as an anticommunist
bulwark but attention has shifted
in the last two decades toward greater
economic integration.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
of IS from strongholds in Iraq and Syria
“clandestine terror cells remain in some
cities, and small ISIL groups are located east
of the Euphrates River, in the southwest of
the Syrian Arab Republic and in northern
Iraq.”
While the group’s ability to generate revenue
“was considerably weakened” by its losses,
falling by more than 90 percent according to
one unnamed country, IS may still be able to
profit from oil and gas sales, extortion, and
control of checkpoints. And the group is still
able to send money to its branches “despite
heavy military pressure.”
— In Africa, unnamed U.N. member states
“expressed concern at the resilience of the
two separate wings of ISIL operating in
Egypt” — in Sinai and on the mainland,
where “cells of ISIL sympathizers” have
been responsible for attacks against Coptic
Christians.
U.N. members also noted ISIL’s
determination “to rebuild its capabilities
in Libya,” where its numbers have been
reinforced by fighters from Iraq and Syria.
Some members reported “they had arrested
foreign terrorist fighters on their way to
Libya to join ISIL.” And returning or
relocating fighters are likely to use human
trafficking and smuggling networks,
including in Libya, to evade detection.
In West Africa, “the threat posed by ISILrelated
groups continued to spread into Mali
and neighboring states.”
In East Africa, despite ISIL’s expansion and
activities being curtailed last year, the group
has established underground cells in some
regions of Somalia. But the al-Qaida affiliate
NEW DELHI TIMES
Journalists flee
Venezuela over
Photo Credit : AP Photo
F
libel lawsuit
our prominent Venezuelan journalists
have fled the South American country
after being sued by a politically connected
businessman over an article alleging
irregularities in food sales to President
Nicolas Maduro’s socialist administration.
Among them is Joseph Poliszuk, co-founder
of website Armando.info.
He said that he and three colleagues were
sued by Colombian businessman Alex Saab
for libel violations that are punishable by up
to four years in prison.
Poliszuk says the journalists recently left
Venezuela at the advice of lawyers. He said
they’ll continue working from abroad.
The website has received numerous
awards and took part in the Panama Papers
investigation. Saab is disputing an article
published last year linking him to Hong
Kong-based company accused of selling
food to the government at exorbitant prices.
Al-Shabab is determined to ensure that ISIL
doesn’t eclipse it in Somalia.
— In Europe, “the region remains high on
the group’s priority list” for attacks. Foreign
fighters from IS “are increasingly using the
Internet and social media to communicate
with followers in Europe and to support
their plans to conduct attacks” including by
sending designs for improvised explosive
devices.
— As for Central and South Asia, fighters
relocated from Central Asia have been
involved in attacks in Europe, Russia and
Turkey over the past two years.
“ISIL in Afghanistan continues to mount
aggressive attacks, especially in Kabul,”
despite being weakened by military
operations, and commands between
1,000 and 4,000 fighters in the country. In
neighboring Pakistan, “terrorist attacks
claimed by ISIL are carried out mainly by
members of local groups, with cross-border
planning and support from ISIL.”
— In Southeast Asia, some members assess
ISIL’s loss of Marawi City in the southern
Philippines as “a symbolic and propaganda
victory” for the extremist group that “could
serve as an inspiration for other militants.”
The events in Marawi may also have enabled
ISIL affiliates “to generate funds through the
looting of banks.”
In Indonesia, two organizations remain
“key ISIL-linked networks,” with Jamaah
Ansharut Daulah responsible for more
attacks, but Jamaah Ansarul Khilafah is
“considered to be a growing threat.”
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
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12 - 18 February, 2018 5
World
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NEW DELHI TIMES
Polish law barring some Holocaust speech
signed, referred
oland’s president has signed legislation
that outlaws blaming Poland as a
nation for Holocaust crimes committed by
Nazi Germany, defying both criticism from
Israel and a warning from the U.S.
But in a move that appeared designed to
soften the impact of his decision, President
Andrzej Duda said he would also ask
Poland’s constitutional court to evaluate the
bill — leaving open the possibility it could
be amended.
As written, the legislation calls for prison
terms of up to three years for falsely
attributing the crimes of Nazi Germany
to Poland. The law takes effect 14 days
after it’s officially published, but it wasn’t
immediately clear when that will be.
Poland’s authorities have described it as an
attempt to protect the country’s reputation
from what it believes is confusion about
who bears responsibility for Auschwitz and
other death camps Nazi Germany set up in
occupied Poland. They say it was modeled
on anti-defamation laws in many other
countries, including laws criminalizing
Holocaust denial.
The proposed law has fueled a diplomatic
crisis with Israel, which fears it would stifle
discussion about the Holocaust and enable
Poland to whitewash the role of the Poles
who killed or denounced Jews during the
German occupation of Poland during World
War II.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that it would
continue to communicate with Poland
despite its reservations about the law. It
said it hopes Duda’s decision to ask the
constitutional court to evaluate the bill will
allow both sides to “agree on changes and
corrections.”
That language seemed more conciliatory
than earlier statements, suggesting the sides
are seeking compromise.
Duda acknowledged there were doubts
about the legislation’s intent, leading some
observers to interpret his request for a
constitutional review as a way to save face
while calming the storm.
But critics say it was a diversionary tactic.
Slawomir Neumann of the centrist Civic
Platform party accused Duda of giving in to
the pressure of nationalists and anti-Semites
and said his signing “deepens the diplomatic
crisis.”
Neumann, head of the party’s parliamentary
caucus, also described the constitutional
court as a body without independence that
will rule as the governing party wants.
The United States also strongly opposed
the legislation, warning that it could hurt
Poland’s strategic relations with both Israel
and the U.S.
After Duda signed it, U.S. Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson said the new law “adversely
affects freedom of speech and academic
inquiry.”
Holocaust scholars and institutions strongly
denounced the law as well, arguing that its
India’s only International Newspaper
unclear wording created the potential for
abuse. Polish officials note that a provision
in the law exempts historic research and
works of art.
Photo Credit : AP Photo
Polish officials have long argued a Holocaust
speech law is needed to fight the use of
expressions like “Polish death camps” as
shorthand for the German camps in Nazioccupied
Poland where Jews and others
were exterminated.
Secretary of State Tillerson said that while
“terms like ‘Polish death camps’ are painful
and misleading,” they are best countered
through “open debate, scholarship, and
education.”
Defending the law, Duda said it would not
prohibit Holocaust survivors and witnesses
from talking about crimes committed by
individual Poles.
“We do not deny that there were cases of
huge wickedness,” he said in a speech.
But he said the point of the law is to
prevent the Polish nation as a whole from
being wrongly accused of institutionalized
participation in the Holocaust. He recalled
that the Polish government at the time had
to go into exile and Polish officials were
those who struggled to inform the world that
the Germans were putting Jews to death on
Polish soil.
“No, there was no systemic way in which
Poles took part in it,” Duda said.
The legislation hasn’t only sparked a bitter
dispute with Israel. It also has caused
division within Poland, where anti-Semitic
rhetoric moved quickly from the political
fringes into the mainstream over just a few
days.
Beata Mazurek, the spokeswoman for the
conservative Law and Justice and a deputy
parliament speaker, tweeted a quote by a
Catholic priest who had said that the Israeli
ambassador’s criticism of the bill “made it
hard for me to look at Jews with sympathy
and kindness.”
Many conservative lawmakers and
commentators are now accusing Israelis
and American Jews of using the issue as
a pretext for getting money from Poland
for prewar Jewish property seized in the
communist era.
Jerzy Czerwinski, a senator with the ruling
party, said on state radio that he saw a
“hidden agenda” in the opposition.
“After all, we know that Jewish circles,
including American, but mostly the state of
Israel, are trying to get restitution of property
or at least compensation,” he said.
On 5th Feburary, a small group of far-right
advocates demonstrated in front of the
presidential palace demanding that Duda
sign the law. They carried a banner that said,
“Take off your yarmulke. Sign the bill.”
The bill first was proposed about two
years ago, soon after Law and Justice took
power in 2015, but hadn’t been an issue
of public debate recently. Many people
were surprised when lawmakers suddenly
approved it on Jan. 26, the day before
International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Jan Grabowski, a historian at the University
of Ottawa in Canada who studies Polish
violence against Jews during the war, called
Duda’s signing of the law “further proof that
the nationalists now in power in Poland will
do anything to cater to the hard, right-wing
core of their electorate.”
“Unfortunately, it is not only the nationalists
but also the whole Polish society which will
have to pay the price,” said Grabowski, who
is also a member of the Polish Center for
Holocaust Research in Warsaw.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
Syria: Air
defenses respond
to Israeli strike
near capital
S
yria said that it has responded to “a
new Israeli aggression” after aircraft
targeted a military outpost near Damascus.
State news agency SANA said air defenses
confronted the Israeli planes.
A Syrian military statement said the planes
were flying over Lebanese territory when
they fired missiles at an outpost near the
capital.
There was no immediate comment from
Israel.
The report was the second such accusation
in less than a month.
Syria’s military on Jan. 9 accused Israel
of launching missiles targeting military
outposts in the area of Qutayfeh, in the
Damascus countryside.
The military said that attack caused material
damage.
Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes
inside Syria in the course of Syria’s civil
war, against what it says are suspected
arms shipments believed to be bound for
Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, which
is fighting alongside Syrian government
forces.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
www.NewDelhiTimes.com

6
12 - 18 February, 2018
Delhi/NCR News
NEW DELHI TIMES
Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhawan
open for public viewing till 9th March
A
◆◆By NDT Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
s spring sets in and the blossoms are at
their glory, the iconic Mughal Gardens
of the Rashtrapati Bhavan has been thrown
open to the public by President Ram Nath
Kovind from 6th February.
The garden, said to be the “soul” of the
Presidential Palace, will be open to the
visitors from February 6 to March 9, from
9:30am to 4:00pm.
However, it will be closed on Mondays for
maintenance and on March 2, on account of
Holi, said Press Secretary to the President
Ashok Malik.
This year, the star attraction at the annual
“Udyanotsav”, will be 10,000 tulip bulbs in
eight colours, brought from the Netherlands.
The tulips, which have been flowering since
the first week of January, are expected to
blossom till the end of February.
Apart from the tulips, there are 70 varieties
of seasonal flowers and 135 different kinds
of roses which are the pride of Mughal
Gardens.
Roses are a permanent feature throughout
the year, with rare varieties like the Green
Rose, Black Rose and Angelique. Former
President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, had
inaugurated a ‘fragrant rosery’ on one of the
three terrace gardens during his tenure.
Apart from the blossoms, the Mughal
Gardens have a biodiversity park, with deer,
ducks, turkeys, parakeets and migratory
birds.
DDA proposes
uniform FAR, big
relief to traders
facing threat of
sealing
I
◆◆By NDT Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
n a relief to traders protesting against
the ongoing sealing drive in the
Capital, the Delhi Development Authority
(DDA) proposed amendments to the Delhi
Master Plan – 2021. The amendments,
which include the provision for a uniform
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for residential as
well as commercial plots.
The DDA, however, said provisions of
parking as per the prevailing standards shall
be mandatory for approval or sanctioning
of any revised plans by local bodies in
case of shop-cum-residence plots or shopcum-residence
plots designated as local
shopping centres (LSCs). FAR is the ratio of
a building’s total floor area (gross floor area)
to the size of the piece of land upon which
it is built.
The urban body also proposed reducing
penalty charges from “10 times to two times”
for violation of other terms and conditions
for properties meant for mixed use.
At the meeting, the DDA proposed to “allow
commercial activity in the basements in all
commercial streets and areas, subject to
payment of requisite charges without any
discrimination”.
“Once the public notification regarding the
amendment is issued, there will be three
days for inviting suggestions and objections
from people, after which it will again come
up for review and then finally sent to the
Centre for approval,” the official said.
www.NewDelhiTimes.com
India’s only International Newspaper

12 - 18 February, 2018 7
Delhi/NCR News
RBI governor Urjit
Patel keeps repo
rate unchanged
and maintains its
neutral stance
T
◆◆By NDT Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
he Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept
its main repo rate on hold and retained
its “neutral” stance, warning that it will
closely monitor accelerating inflation but
also saying economic growth needs to be
“carefully nurtured”.
T
India’s fiscal deficit for
FY19 forecasted at 3.5%
of GDP
◆◆By NDT Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
he Fitch group company, BMI Research
in its latest report has revised India’s
fiscal deficit forecast to 3.5 percent of gross
domestic product (GDP) for the fiscal year
2018-2019 (FY19) as against its earlier
estimate of 3.3 percent.
per cent previously,” BMI Research said in
a note.
“The Indian government released its
Union Budget for FY2018/19 (April-
March) on February 1, which we believe
seeks to support growth and job creation
at the expense of a slower pace of fiscal
consolidation as policymakers aim to
achieve a USD 5 trillion economy by
2025,” the report added.
NEW DELHI TIMES
Delhi HC rebukes
govt, agencies,
over rising dengue,
chikungunya
menace
T
◆◆By NDT Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
he Delhi High Court has rebuked the
city government and civic bodies
over the rising number of dengue cases
in the Capital. The AAP government and
corporations have failed to check spread of
dengue in the capital. “For heaven’s sake, do
your duty,” said the bench. “It is always you
(the Delhi government) versus the Centre,
the corporations, some statutory authority.
It has to be only versus? Can’t you work
together,” the bench said, pointing that
instead of agencies doing their duty, the
court has to actively monitor even waste
management.
In keeping the rate at 6.00 percent for a third
straight policy meeting, as widely expected,
the RBI sought to perform a delicate
balancing act.
Surging oil and food prices pushed India’s
annual consumer inflation to a 17-month
high of 5.21 percent in December – well
above the RBI’s 4 percent medium-target.
Yet, echoing the views of government
officials and business executives, the RBI
appeared mindful that tightening prematurely
could dent an economy experiencing only
a tentative recovery after growing at the
slowest pace in about three years.
Delhi wakes up to 6.1
degrees and dense fog,
disrupts train services
D
◆◆By NDT Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
elhi woke up to a cold on 9th February
with the minimum temperature recorded
at 6.1 degrees Celsius, three notches below
the season`s average.
At least 320 trains are running late, whereas
16 trains have been cancelled because of
dense fog in Delhi and the neighbouring
regions in North India.
The maximum temperature hovered around
23 degrees Celsius, while humidity at 8.30
a.m. was 94 per cent.
The maximum temperature on 8th February
settled at 23.1 degrees Celsius, one notch
below the season’s average and the minimum
temperature was recorded at 8.5 degrees
Celsius, four notches below the season’s
average.
India’s only International Newspaper
It also said that there is room for fiscal
slippage as the government seeks to achieve
its 7.5 percent growth target.
“We are therefore revising our forecast for
the financial year 2018-19 fiscal deficit to
come in at 3.5 per cent of GDP, from 3.3
T
◆◆By NDT Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
Photo Credit : Shutterstock
“While the Indian government loosened
its central fiscal deficit target for
FY2018/2019, it did not abandon its
fiscal consolidation plans completely, but
instead push its 3 per cent fiscal deficit
target back by a year to FY2019/20,” the
report said.
The court wondered if both the entities
“have any sense of responsibility” when
the government blamed the corporations
for their inaction. “We do not want any
mortality in Delhi due to vector-borne
diseases. If not for our intervention, you (the
government and corporations) were happy
doing nothing. You need to look at reducing
garbage generation, instead of more landfills
sites.”
“We don’t want any mortality in Delhi
due to vector-borne diseases. If not for our
intervention, you (government and civic
bodies) were happy doing nothing,” the
Bench said.
“You need to look at reducing garbage,
instead of more sites for landfills. Else, soon
Delhi will move out and only the landfills
will remain,” it added.
Delhi traders to give away roses on Feb 14,
plan rally against sealing drive on Feb 15
raders in the national capital on
Valentine’s Day -- February 14 --
would present roses to officials demanding
an ordinance by the centre to end the sealing
drive in Delhi.
This would be followed up by a mega rally
against the drive at the Ramleela Maidan on
February 15, traders’ body Confederation of
All India Traders (CAIT) announced.
The traders would give roses to civic agency
officials under the My Valentine-My Shop
campaign on February 14.
“We will press for our demand for an
ordinance by the Centre to end the sealing
drive,” said CAIT, general secretary,
Praveen Khandelwal.
The civic bodies are conducting the sealing
drive against commercial units, under the
supervision of a Supreme Court- appointed
monitoring committee, since December last year.
Scores of commercial units have been sealed
and fines have been imposed on traders over
violations of Delhi Master Plan 2021 and
non-payment of conversion charges.
www.NewDelhiTimes.com

8
12 - 18 February, 2018
A
Neighbourhood News
Bangladesh court sends former
leader Khaleda Zia to prison
Bangladesh court sentenced former
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on 8th
February to five years in prison on corruption
charges. The conviction means that Zia,
the archrival of the current prime minister,
could be barred from running in December
national elections.
Zia was taken to a Dhaka prison under heavy
security. In a country riven by dynastic
the government of Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina was looking for a way to weaken
Zia politically. The opposition has accused
the government of arresting hundreds of
supporters ahead of the verdict.
A few scattered protests broke out, with
police firing tear gas at Zia supporters. Her
party called for nationwide demonstrations
to protest the verdict.
Photo Credit : AP Photo
NEW DELHI TIMES
UN Official: Maldives State
of Emergency Undermines
Democracy
U.
N. High Commissioner for Human
Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein has
condemned the state of emergency imposed
by the president of the Maldives as an ‘allout
assault on democracy’ and a violation of
peoples’ rights.
Zeid said the suspension of constitutional
guarantees in the Maldives has created a
dangerous concentration of power in the
hands of President Abdulla Yameen.
The Maldives president declared a state
of emergency following an order by the
country’s Supreme Court to release and
retry nine political leaders and to reinstate
12 suspended opposition members of
parliament.
Chief of the Rule of Law and Equality in
the High Commissioner’s Office Mona
Rishmawi, told VOA that this is creating a
So, it is a very worrying sign for a small
country of islands like the Maldives and we
are extremely concerned,” she said.
Rishmawi said a state of emergency can be
legally proclaimed if the life of the nation is
threatened.
She said the Maldives’ case does not
meet that standard and is in violation of
international law.
She notes the decree also suspends
fundamental protections against arbitrary
detention.
That, she says, makes detainees very
vulnerable because they will have no right
to appeal a conviction and sentence in a
criminal or civil matter.
Soon after the state of emergency was
declared, former Maldives president Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom was arrested on charges of
politics, security forces fearing clashes had
poured into the streets ahead of the verdict,
along with supporters of both major political
parties. Defense lawyer Mahbubuddin
Khokan said Zia ordered him to appeal.
“This is unbelievable,” he said. “I am
confident she will come out of jail.”
Zia was convicted of embezzling some
$250,000 in donations meant for an
orphanage trust established when she
first became prime minister in 1991.
Judge Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman, who
announced the verdict in a courtroom in
Dhaka’s Old City, also sentenced Zia’s son
Tarique Rahman and four others to 10 years
in prison for involvement in the case. All can
appeal their convictions.
Bangladesh law says anyone imprisoned for
more than two years cannot run for office
for the next five years, but Law Minister
Anisul Huq said the final decision rests with
the courts. “It’s up to the appeals court to
decide whether she will be eligible to run,”
he said after the verdict. Ruhul Kabir Rizvi,
a close Zia aide, rejected the verdict, saying
N
UN: Nepal Must Punish Recruiters Who Exploit
Migrant Workers
epal must punish recruitment agencies
that charge migrant workers illegally
high fees to find jobs abroad, leaving them
vulnerable to exploitation, the United
Nations said on 5th February.
Remittances sent home by about 4 million
Nepalis, mainly working in construction or
as domestic servants in the Middle East,
Malaysia and South Korea, make up nearly
30 percent of the Himalayan nation’s gross
domestic product, state officials say.
Rights groups such as Amnesty International
say poor migrants become trapped in a cycle
of debt and exploitation as they have to
borrow large sums of money at high interest
rates to pay recruitment agencies who
arrange jobs for them overseas. Once abroad,
migrant workers often have their passports
confiscated and find themselves trapped in
forced labor - having to work for years to
clear their debts - activists say. The Nepali
www.NewDelhiTimes.com
Zia faced a maximum sentence of life in
prison, but the judge said he took into
consideration the 72-year-old’s health and
her “social status,” an apparent reference to
her time as prime minister.
Zia faces more than 30 other charges, ranging
from corruption to sedition. Rahman, her
son and heir-apparent, lives in London. He
was tried in absentia, along with two other
people.
Bangladesh politics are deeply fractious,
with rivals Hasina and Zia ruling the country
alternately since 1991, when democracy
was restored. Both women emerged from
political dynasties. Zia is the widow of
Ziaur Rahman, a general-turned-president
who was assassinated in 1981. Hasina is
the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,
the country’s first president who was
assassinated in 1975.
In the last election in 2014, Zia’s party
and its political allies boycotted the race,
allowing Hasina to return to power with a
landslide victory.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
government allows private recruitment
agencies to charge migrant workers a fee
of $100 to process their papers, but a top
U.N. official said the costs can be as high
as $1,750. The government should “revoke
the licenses of recruitment agencies that
charge fees to migrants ... or have abused
their human or labor rights,” said Felipe
Gonzalez Morales, U.N. special rapporteur
on the human rights of migrants.
“Licenses should be subject to regular
renewal with compliance with human rights
obligations,” he told a press conference
in Kathmandu after a week-long visit to
Nepal to meet state officials, rights groups,
migrants and their families. Nepal should
sign legally binding bilateral agreements
with destination countries to protect its
overseas workers, who often do not receive
or cannot understand their contracts, leaving
them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse,
very unfortunate situation for the country.
“You have to remember that this year is a year
of elections — 2018 is a year of elections.
So, if the political leaders cannot freely run
for elections, how can the elections take
place in a free and fair manner.
Morales added. Yet Nepali authorities say
recruitment agencies are being monitored,
and that those charging illegal fees are
punished.
Foreign Employment Department Director
Mohan Adhikari said such penalties ranged
from fines of $1,000 to revoking licenses.
“We are making all efforts to protect
migrant workers and to ensure that they are
not exploited,” Adhikari told the Thomson
Reuters Foundation by phone.
Nepal is working with India, Bangladesh
and Sri Lanka to better protect the rights
of overseas migrant workers, he added.
Wedged between China and India, Nepal is
one of the poorest nations in South Asia and
is recovering from a 2015 earthquake that
killed 9,000 people and destroyed about one
million homes.
Credit : Voice of America (VOA)
trying to overthrow the government.
Two Supreme Court judges, including the
chief justice who had ordered the release of
political prisoners, also have been detained.
Credit : Voice of America (VOA)
Gunmen kill Chinese
shipping employee in
Pakistan
G
unmen opened fire on two Chinese
nationals in Pakistan’s southern port
city of Karachi on 5th February, killing one
and wounding the other, police said.
Senior police officer Azad Khan said the
two employees of a shipping firm were
targeted in an upscale neighborhood while
out shopping for groceries.
The perpetrators fired nine shots before
fleeing in a car, Khan said. He said one
victim was shot twice in the head and died at
a hospital while the other was shot in the leg.
It was not clear what motivated the attack.
China has invested heavily in transport
projects in Pakistan as the two countries
have strengthened ties in recent years.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
India’s only International Newspaper

12 - 18 February, 2018 9
Canada News
Toronto police: remains of 6 found in serial
killer probe
P
olice in Toronto have recovered the
remains of at least six people from
planters on a property connected to alleged
serial killer Bruce McArthur, officials said.
Detective Sgt. Hank Idsinga said the
remains, found on property McArthur
used as storage in exchange for doing the
landscaping, included some from one of the
five men McArthur is already charged with
killing, Andrew Kinsman.
McArthur was arrested Jan. 18 and charged
with two counts of murder in connection
with the disappearances of Kinsman and
Selim Esen, two men last seen in the “Gay
Village” district of Toronto. Not long after
that, he was charged with the murders of
three more men and police said they were
on a wide search for other possible victims.
Police expect to file more charges.
Investigators are still working to determine
who the other alleged victims are from the
property. They haven’t determined yet if
they are the same men or other people.
“It’s getting bigger and we are getting more
resources,” Idsinga said of the investigation.
Authorities have checked at least 30 other
places where the landscaper was known to
have worked, including some of Toronto’s
wealthiest neighborhoods. Police have said
they expect to find more remains in the
planters they’ve retrieved from around the
city. Idsinga said they have about 15 planters
now, but he declined to say where they are in
examining them.
Investigators are also starting to excavate
part of the lawn at the home where the new
remains were found. Police have set up
a large tent and heaters on the property to
C
India’s only International Newspaper
keep the ground from freezing and a forensic
anthropologist arrived at the property on 8th
February. The two-story home sits across
Photo Credit : AP Photo
from a park and next to small apartment
buildings in an upscale neighborhood.
Idsinga said investigators finished searching
inside the house and the garage and said the
occupants of the home are free to return, but
can’t go into the backyard.
Idsinga said police have thought about
excavating a second property elsewhere, but
said it might depend on what they find in
that backyard.
Investigators have not yet released complete
details, but the 66-year-old McArthur is
believed to have met his victims cruising
around the city in the van he used for work
and on gay dating apps for older and large
men with names such as “SilverDaddies”
and “Bear411.” In his SilverDaddies profile,
McArthur described himself as 5 feet 10
inches tall and 221 pounds and primarily
interested in younger men. “I can be a bit shy
until I get to know you, but am a romantic at
heart,” he wrote.
On his Facebook page, he posted pictures
of his cats, children and grandchildren and
of himself dressed as Santa Claus. “There
is an extensive digital investigation going
on,” Idsinga said. “We’re going through
computers. We’re going through cell phones.
We’re going through online applications and
different apps.”
Edward Royle, a lawyer for McArthur, has
declined comment on the case. McArthur is
due back in court on Feb. 14. He has yet to
enter a plea.
McArthur’s son Todd, meanwhile, appeared
in an Oshawa, Ontario court on unrelated
charges in a different case involving
making indecent phone calls and criminal
harassment.
“We’ve been through enough. We’re also
victims,” Todd McArthur told the Toronto
Star outside court when asked about his
father. “We’ve been through too much. It’s
been hell. No more comment.”
The other three known victims are 58-yearold
Majeed Kayhan, who went missing in
2012, Soroush Marmudi, 50, who went
missing in 2015 and Dean Lisowick, who
went missing between May 2016 and July
2017.
Police said Lisowick, who was in his mid-
40s, was homeless, stayed in public shelters
and had not been reported missing. Kinsman,
49, went missing last June and Esen, 44, was
reported missing last April.
Police will eventually look at hundreds of
missing person cases and try to determine
if they were victims of McArthur. They are
also running down tips that have come in
from around the world.
“We are dealing with some agencies
overseas,” Idsinga said.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
NEW DELHI TIMES
Trudeau pitches Canadian globalism to California tech firms
anadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
pitched Canadian globalism and the
country’s new fast-track visa as reasons why
Silicon Valley companies should consider
Canada as a place to do business and spend
money.
Trudeau brought his charm offensive to the
San Francisco Bay Area amid increasing
unease over U.S. immigration policy
and while talks continue over the North
American Free Trade Agreement.
The heated debate over immigration since
the election of President Donald Trump
has provided a clear opening for Canada
to promote itself to Silicon Valley. As
American employers worry about access to
foreign workers, Canada is offering a twoweek,
fast-track employment permit for
certain workers, dubbed the “global skills
strategy visa.”
Government-sponsored billboards in Silicon
Valley pitch: “H1-B Problems? Pivot to
Canada.” Recruiters from cities in Canada
attend Canadian university alumni events in
the valley, urging graduates to come home
“to your next career move in the Great White
North.” Trudeau demurred when asked
whether Trump’s immigration efforts are
making the sales pitch easier, pointing to the
power of globalism. “We know that bringing
in great talent from around the world is an
enormous benefit, not just to the companies
that want to do that, but to Canadian jobs and
to our country as a whole, so we’re going to
continue to do that,” he said.
His stops were designed to showcase
recruiting successes. Salesforce CEO Marc
Benioff announced the online business
software company will invest another $2
billion in its Canadian operations.
And San Francisco-based AppDirect, an
online management platform whose co-
CEO first met Trudeau in political science
class at McGill University in Montreal, said
it would add another 300 jobs in Canada in
the next five years.
Trudeau is also meeting with Amazon Chief
Executive Jeff Bezos as Bezos considers the
location for its second headquarters. Toronto,
which has created a government-sponsored
innovation hub for tech companies, was
the only one of several Canadian cities that
applied to make the shortlist.
The San Francisco Bay Area has become
increasingly important to the Canadian
government, said Rana Sarkar, the consul
general of Canada in San Francisco. He
said it fits with the “innovation strategy” the
Trudeau government has promoted since its
election in 2015.
“It’s the global epicenter for many of
these revolutions. We need to be here both
offensively to ensure that we’re telling our
story. ... And we’re also here defensively
to ensure that we’re here at the table when
the decisions about the next economy are
made,” Sarkar said.
Trudeau’s stop in San Francisco also
highlights the already strong ties between
Canada and California, particularly in
research, academia and technology.
While much of the attention on the North
American Free Trade Agreement has focused
on physical commodities such as vehicle
manufacturing, dairy and timber, skilled
workers have also become increasingly
mobile between the U.S., Canada and
Mexico.
Google built its latest DeepMind artificial
intelligence facility at the University of
Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, after several
of its graduates came to work on the project.
The next round of talks over the 24-yearold
trade pact in Mexico later this month
loomed over Trudeau’s visit. Trump has
called the agreement a job-killing “disaster”
on the campaign trail and has threatened
to withdraw from it if he can’t get what he
wants.
The lengthy talks have increased the political
pressure and the rhetoric in Canada, where
the stakes are high.
Trudeau declined to talk about specifics
but said Canada wants an agreement that is
“win-win-win” for all three countries.
“We’re going to continue to make an
Alberta stops
importing B.C.
wine over pipeline
dispute
C
anada’s oil-rich province of Alberta
is banning wine imports from
neighboring British Columbia over a dispute
about a proposed pipeline.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced
that the province is banning wine from
British Columbia wineries effective
immediately.
Last week, British Columbia’s government
announced it is looking at rules to limit
any increase in imports of petroleum from
Alberta’s oil sands until an independent
panel can better analyze whether the system
is safe and if it can adequately deal with a
spill disaster.
The rules could kill the proposed Trans
Mountain pipeline expansion that would
move oil from Alberta to the Pacific coast.
The wine ban is the second trade retaliation
that Notley has announced. Last week, she
suspended talks to buy electricity from
British Columbia.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
argument that it’s not enough to just trade,
we have to ensure that the benefits of trade
are properly and fairly shared,” he said.
There are hundreds, maybe thousands — no
one can say for sure — of Canadians in the
tech industry in Northern California, many
of them on visas made possible through the
trade pact.
Without NAFTA, “those (jobs) go away.
That could cause immediate disruption for
the tech community” on both sides of the
border, said Daniel Ujczo, an international
trade lawyer based in Columbus, Ohio, who
has been part of the talks, now in their sixth
round.
“It’s unfortunately not an area that is up for
discussion. Canada and Mexico keep raising
worker mobility issues, but the U.S. won’t
discuss it,” he said.
Trudeau met with Gov. Jerry Brown and
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, both Democrats,
before travelling to to Southern California
to deliver a speech at the Ronald Reagan
Presidential Library.
The location is a symbolic choice, referring to
the longstanding trade relationship between
the U.S. and Canada. In 1988, Reagan and
then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney signed
the first free trade agreement — a precursor
to NAFTA.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
www.NewDelhiTimes.com

10
12 - 18 February, 2018
Africa News
Olympic Games in Africa?
A door long shut could be
opening
O
ther than Antarctica, only one continent
on the planet has never hosted an
Olympic Games: Africa. Finally, though,
that could be about to change.
But there’ll be a step to take before that
happens: hosting the much smaller Youth
Olympic Games in 2022.
IOC President Thomas Bach says a
“mini-Olympic event” will be held on the
continent, though a specific country has
not been selected. The move could signal
the possibility of an eventual Olympics in
Africa.
Tempering the IOC’s optimism, though,
is the reality that the continent’s not quite
ready.
“This was exactly one of the reasons why we
initiated this project with the Youth Olympic
Games,” Bach told reporters. “We did not
want Africa to have to wait. This, we hope,
can inspire one of the other African countries
to come up with a feasible candidate for
2032 or 2036.”
Eight African countries will field a handful
of athletes this month at the Winter Games
in Pyeongchang. They include Nigeria,
which has drawn international attention
with its trio of women bobsledders — the
continent’s first team in the sport. More
than 50 African countries are IOC members,
and African athletes won 45 medals at the
Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 in
the biggest haul yet for the continent.
Yet Africa has never hosted a Games. Europe
has hosted 30, North America 12 and Asia
seven with two more on the horizon: the
2020 Summer Games in Tokyo and the next
Winter Games in Beijing in 2022.
The first hurdle may be money. Just last year,
Durban, South Africa — with the continent’s
most developed economy and host of the
2010 World Cup — was stripped of the 2022
Commonwealth Games after its scaleddown
budget was rejected.
At a meeting of the IOC’s roughly 100
members, Gambian member Beatrice Allen
made the case for neighboring Senegal and
the Youth Olympics. IOC officials have
already visited Senegal, making the West
African nation the frontrunner.
“Senegal is a highly sophisticated country,”
Allen said. “I am sure they can do it. They
have a rich culture, and we will all be proud
as members of the Olympic movement if
www.NewDelhiTimes.com
these games are given to Senegal.”
Kenyan member Paul Tergat concurred. “We
have been waiting for this,” he said. “The
members of the IOC from Africa, we want
to make sure that this can become a reality.”
Talk of an African Olympics has been
circulating for nearly a decade. But the
Games are a far larger and more diverse
undertaking than the World Cup, which
was held in South Africa in 2010. Olympics
require more infrastructure and coordination
between dozens of sports federations and
national Olympic committees.
The World Cup involves only soccer and
preparing eight to 12 stadiums.
The high-priced Olympics are a deterrent for
wealthy nations, let alone developing ones.
Sochi is reported to have spent $50 billion
to organize the 2014 Winter Olympics, and
Beijing spent over $40 billon for the 2008
Summer Games.
In addition, the majority of sports on an
Olympic program are low-profile in Africa,
meaning there is no regional fan base and
few facilities.
In South Africa’s doomed Commonwealth
Games hosting bid, for example, local
organizers said they wouldn’t build a
cycling velodrome because they didn’t
have the money and it wouldn’t be used
after the Games. That was a big deal for
Commonwealth Games officials, who faced
having cycling cut from the program.
Like Asia and, most recently, South America,
Africa could benefit from showcasing its
progress in the spotlight of the international
stage the Olympics provides. For some,
Africa is overdue, “a continent that has been
for so long on the margin of our Olympic
movement,” said Moroccan IOC member
Nawal El Moutawakel.
With Olympics organizers eager to welcome
them into the fold, Africa could change
its status from competitor to host within
a generation. At the IOC meeting ,after
delegates from Nigeria and Ethiopia weighed
in, the chorus of support prompted Bach to
ask the full body if an event in Africa had
its backing.
The room responded with applause. Replied
Bach: “Congratulations, Africa. It’s your
time.”
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
Photo Credit : AP Photo
P
NEW DELHI TIMES
Zimbabwe’s top opposition
party hurt by power struggles
ower struggles are ravaging
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party
months before the election as party leader
Morgan Tsvangirai seeks cancer treatment
in neighboring South Africa.
Three deputies are vying to act as MDC-T
party leader in Tsvangirai’s absence.
Spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka tells
reporters that Tsvangirai remains unwell
but will return to the country “soon.” The
spokesman described those interested in
succeeding him as “political vultures.”
The 65-year-old Tsvangirai has dominated
opposition politics for close to two decades
as the leading voice against former President
Robert Mugabe, who resigned under
pressure in November.
The upcoming election will be the first
without Mugabe, who led the southern
African country for 37 years. The opposition
is scrambling to counter new President
Emmerson Mnangagwa, a longtime Mugabe
ally who has vowed that the election will
be free and fair as he seeks to re-engage
the international community after years of
sanctions over alleged human rights abuses.
Tamborinyoka announced that Tsvangirai
had appointed deputy Nelson Chamisa to
act as party leader until his return. But other
party members are disputing that, saying
deputy Elias Mudzuri, who was acting
leader before the announcement, or deputy
Thokozani Khupe is acting leader or rightful
heir.
Tamborinyoka described the disputes as
“needless furore.” An opposition alliance
has endorsed Tsvangirai as its presidential
candidate. But his condition appeared to
have deteriorated when he met Mnangagwa
in January.
The opposition infighting could come as a
gift to Mnangagwa as he seeks to stay in
power.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
Photo Credit : AP Photo
China, African Union deny report
bloc’s building was bugged
C
hinese and African officials denounced
a report alleging Chinese construction
workers bugged the African Union
headquarters, suggesting it was a ploy to
destabilize relations.
African Union chairman Moussa Faki told
reporters in Beijing he didn’t believe China
would spy on the bloc’s headquarters in
Addis Ababa.
The allegations are “all lies,” Faki said after
meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister
Wang Yi.
“No maneuvers could distract and divert us
from our mission” of strengthening relations
with China, said Faki, who, flanked by
Wang, announced the African Union would
open a new office in Beijing later this year.
The office is to receive Chinese government
support, but it wasn’t clear who would fund
its operations.
Wang noted that the bugging allegation
surfaced in Western media and said
“attempts to divide China and Africa will
not succeed.”
“Some people, some powers don’t want to
help Africa’s development,” Wang said,
adding that China was a “selflessly” helping
Africa’s growth while other countries have
their own agendas.
French newspaper Le Monde reported last
month that China bugged the $200 million
facility it funded and built in
Ethiopia’s capital in 2012. The
report cited unnamed African
Union officials.
Photo Credit : AP Photo
affairs.
China has poured investments
into Africa in the past decade,
including a commitment to
offer $60 billion in loans
and export credits made by
President Xi Jinping in late
2015.
Some Western institutions
and analysts have questioned
whether China-funded projects
have been tainted by corruption
or handed Beijing undue
influence over the continent’s
The quality and necessity of some projects
has also been questioned, with African
countries often saddled with massive debts
that they can only repay by handing over
assets such as oil reserves.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
India’s only International Newspaper

12 - 18 February, 2018 11
North America News
India’s only International Newspaper
NEW DELHI TIMES
Puerto Ricans grab machetes, shovels to help
I
t took only minutes for Hurricane Maria
to kill power to the Puerto Rican town
of Coamo, cracking wooden poles, snapping
power lines and hurling transformers to the
ground.
For months, residents begged Puerto Rico’s
power company and the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers to bring back their electricity,
with few results.
So the people of this town of 40,000 high in
the mountains of southern Puerto Rico have
started restoring power on their own, pulling
power lines from undergrowth and digging
holes for wooden posts in a do-it-yourself
effort to solve a small part of the United
States’ longest-running power outage.
“If we don’t do this, we’ll be without
power until summer,” said Vice Mayor
Edgardo Vazquez, who is using hand-drawn
maps to organize a brigade that includes
teachers, handymen, a postal worker and an
accountant, backed by municipal workers
with professional equipment, tools and
experience in light electrical work.
Puerto Rico’s power company and the Corps
of Engineers have thousands of workers and
managers from mainland public utilities
and private companies working across
the island to restore power. The federally
funded multibillion-dollar effort has been
slowed by rough terrain, slow arrival of
supplies and delays in asking for help from
power companies on the U.S. mainland after
the Sept. 20 Category 4 storm. More than
400,000 power customers across Puerto
Rico remain in the dark.
In Coamo, frustrated by months of heat and
darkness, 60-year-old homemaker Carmita
Rivera called a meeting at her home in mid-
January to try to find local solutions to the
problem.
“Desperation set in,” Rivera said. “We all
felt like: ‘What about us? We’re human
beings. Enough is enough.’”
restore power
Fifty people showed up and swiftly went to
work. In late January, a group of neighbors
laid a 300-pound wooden electric post atop
two logs and tipped it into a freshly dug fivefoot
hole.
They hooted as one man hit his pickup
truck’s accelerator and dragged the pole
alongside the hole. The group then used a
neighbor’s tow truck to guide the 35-foot
pole into the hole.
“We did it!” one man shouted, shaking his
fist.
By law, only the Puerto Rico Electric Power
Authority, or PREPA, has authority to work
on the island’s power grid. Coamo’s vice
mayor says a regional PREPA director
authorized his public works department and
volunteers to work on the town’s lowervoltage
distribution system, providing them
materials or re-using cables that weren’t
Photo Credit : AP Photo
damaged in the storm. A power company
official comes by afterward to ensure the
work is properly done. The higher-voltage
lines that bring power to the town itself
remain off limits to all but PREPA workers
and authorized contractors.
No deaths or serious injuries have been
reported, but Sue Kelly, president and CEO
of the American Public Power Association,
said having so many people working
Mexico central bank raises key
interest rate to 7.5 percent
M
exico’s central bank has decided to raise
its key interbank interest rate from 7.25
percent to 7.5 percent, citing expectations of
a U.S. rate increase in March and continued
volatility in exchange rates for the Mexican
peso.
The Bank of Mexico said that inflation in
2017 ran at 6.77 percent, but dropped a bit to
5.55 percent on an annual basis in January.
The bank said it expects inflation will
continue to decline throughout 2018, and
reach the target of 3 percent by the first
quarter of 2019.
The peso dropped almost 1 percent in value
against the U.S. dollar, closing at 18.86 to $1
before the announcement was made.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
to restore power is understandable but
worrying.
“The biggest issue is safety,” she said.
“We are making good progress. ... But
uncoordinated efforts can result in death.”
In the western mountain town of San
Sebastian, a group of municipal workers,
retired company workers and volunteers
have restored power to nearly 2,000 homes
despite objections from the Puerto Rico
Electric Power Authority, whose officials
have filed complaints with police and
the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health
Administration.
Power company spokesman Geraldo
Quinones declined to comment on the
community efforts, saying only that
municipalities can help out by clearing roads
and debris, identifying places without power
and delivering materials in hard-to-reach
areas.
But as the number of mayors
complaining about slow power
restoration has grown, the
administration of Gov. Ricardo
Rossello allowed municipalities to sign
an agreement with the power company
to take over repairs if interested and
relieve the agency of any responsibility.
Only about a dozen communities have
done that so far.
In Coamo, the vice mayor, relies on
residents to tell him where damaged
cables and posts are located, and uses
hand-drawn maps to show homes that have
power or need it. Vazquez sends pictures and
updates daily to power company officials so
they know what is being done.
On Jan. 30, he and his crew were able
to restore power to at least three homes
in Coamo, including that of 78-year-old
Antonia Pagan, who hugged the workers
and cried. The first thing she did after getting
her electricity back was to use a blender to
A
make a smoothie for her son with apples,
strawberries, bananas and grapes.
“I was in agony,” Pagan said, adding that she
lost most of her fingernails while washing
clothes in the same river her mother once
used before the town got power.
Pagan, who lost her right eye to glaucoma,
said the best part of having electricity is
no longer bumping into things in the dark.
Hundreds of others who live around her,
however, remain in the dark, including
Felipe Rodriguez, a 53-year-old retired
carpenter who also has no water and yet
receives bills for services he is not getting.
“I’m tired of this,” he said. “I wake up every
single morning and it’s the same thing over
and over.”
That hasn’t stopped him from helping others
get power. He recently used his beat-up 1986
pickup truck to move a 300-pound wooden
post up a steep hill and then balanced himself
on the corner of a roof to help guide it into a
previously dug hole on a hill.
As he and others struggled with the pole, they
yelled instructions at one another: “Don’t hit
the window! Turn it around! Wrap the rope
around it twice, not once!”
They finally installed the post, one of
more than 60 erected so far in Coamo by
volunteers and municipal workers. An
estimated 30 percent of people in the town
still don’t have power.
It’s disheartening for neighbor Oscar
Rodriguez, who asked that power company
officials finish the job he and his neighbors
started.
“Sometimes we get depressed since it seems
to have fallen on deaf ears because we’re
not seeing any movement,” he said. “We put
everything on a silver platter for them.”
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
Man shot dead at protest over
Honduras’ disputed election
man has been shot dead at a protest
over Honduras’ disputed presidential
election a week after President Juan Orlando
Hernandez was sworn in for a new term.
Hugo Maldonado is coordinator of the
Committee on Human Rights.
He identifies the victim as 40-year-old
Guadalupe Ismael Hernandez.
Maldonado says witnesses reported
Hernandez was killed as military police fired
live rounds to clear demonstrators from a
highway near the country’s Caribbean coast.
Police spokesman Jair Meza says the
incident is under investigation.
The protest lasted some four hours on the
road between Choloma and San Pedro Sula,
Honduras’ second-largest city. Opposition
candidate Salvador Nasralla alleges there
was fraud in the Nov. 26 election, which was
marred by numerous irregularities.
At least 31 people have died in political
unrest since then.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
www.NewDelhiTimes.com

12
12 - 18 February, 2018
A
Y
Editorial
www.NewDelhiTimes.com
◆◆
By Dr. Shamshad Akhtar
Under Secretary General-UN
& Executive Secretary-ESCAP*
◆◆
By Mark Parkinson
@Mark_Parkinson
markp.india@gmail.com
markparkinson.wordpress.com
NEW DELHI TIMES
PyeongChang Olympics: a new cornerstone for
peace and prosperity
ll eyes are on the 23rd Olympic Winter
Games and 12th Paralympic Winter
Games in PyeongChang this February.
Top athletes will carry their national flags
in an opening ceremony which has come
to epitomize the international community.
Sports fans worldwide eagerly await the
Olympics, and this time there is cause for
cautious optimism that sport diplomacy
may lower tensions on the Korean Peninsula
itself. Leaders, diplomats and citizens from
the world over will witness North and South
Korean athletes walking side by side. For
this, there could be few better places than
PyeongChang, which means peace (Pyeong)
and prosperity (Chang): goals integral to the
mission of the United Nations and the 2030
Sustainable Development Agenda.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games attract
people from around the world and help
reinforce a set of unifying objectives. The
goal of Olympism, as the Olympic Charter
states, is “to place sport at the service of the
harmonious development of humankind,
with a view to promoting a peaceful
society concerned with the preservation of
human dignity”. Achieving sustainable peace
and sustainable development are critical
objectives and the Games in PyeongChang
offer promise of peace and prosperity.
In this spirit, the first Olympics in South Korea
held in 1988 served to foster relationships
at a time of rapid geopolitical shifts. These
esterday, I wrote about the scientific
understanding behind teenagers’
propensity for impulsiveness, their higher
risks for addiction and inappropriate and
higher risk behaviour.
One of the aspects that was touched upon
was addiction to online and internet activity,
whether to gaming, social networking or
pornography – all things that can potentially
have devastating effects on a young life.
Frequently, over the last 5-6 years I’ve had
conversations with parents who were trying
to grapple with these issues.
One question sometimes asked is how to tell
whether there child just has a strong habit or
an addiction.
Also, people can understand at a
fundamental level the way that a person can
become addicted to a substance like nicotine
or alcohol, but find it harder to see internet
use as a form of addiction. However, all the
evidence is that it ‘hits’ the same pleasure
centres in the brain and this is why it can
have such a powerful impact.
games featured many participating nations,
including sizeable delegations from both the
USA and USSR. The thaw in relations to
which the Olympics contributed led to the
establishment of diplomatic relations with
neighbors such as Russia and China in the
years following the games. The Republic
of Korea became a member of the United
Nations in 1991.
The Olympics also heralded the economic
transformation of the South Korean
economy that is now known as “the Miracle
on the Han River.” For the decade after the
games, its economy grew at an average rate
of around 8.5% per year, transforming the
country from an aid recipient country to a
key aid donor.
The material improvement in the lives of
people in South Korea was nothing short
of a miracle. From 1960 to 1995, GDP per
capita increased more than one hundredfold,
virtually eliminating absolute poverty
from more than half of the population to less
than 5%.
This miracle was linked with another key
value of the Olympics and the United
Nations - international collaboration. South
Korea successfully leveraged international
aid, international trade, and international
Photo Credit : Shutterstock
investment with its domestic ingenuity, to
show the world it is possible to transform
in one generation an agrarian economy
into a dynamic technological and cultural
producer.
Along with the rapid economic transformation,
social and environmental concerns have also
risen to the fore. In recent years, we have
seen South Korea make commendable steps
towards environmental sustainability and
inclusive social policies such as the aged
pension. Integrating the economic, social and
Controlled By The Internet
So, I was keen to share this research from
University of North Carolina;
Quartz – New Study Says Half of US
Students Could Be Internet Addicts
The findings are really quite stark and
startling. This is something that has crept up
on society at such pace and in such a startling
manner that few are fully and adequately
engaging with all the implications.
Rational, educated, intelligent parents
have had this happen in their homes, right
under their noses – the same people who
would have launched in to massive action if
they saw even a hint of their child getting
involved with tobacco or alcohol.
If the numbers are really even close to what
this research suggests, then the reality is that
enormous numbers of students and their
parents are really still in denial.
The article also contains some cautionary
warnings for adults about the examples that
have been/ are being set. However, there are
times when I think this needs to be set in
context.
A parent who reads ebooks, literature or
material for their professional or personal
development on a device rather than in a
book, or listens to professional podcasts,
can hardly be compared with the student
who spends 6+ hours a day exchanging
meaningless social networking messages or
playing a computer game.
When the parents read books in the past,
were the children all following their example
then?
These are very real issues that have massive
implications for society. And, it’s not going
to get better.
environmental dimensions is the cornerstone
of the Sustainable Development Goals.
South Korea is once again demonstrating to
the world a way to achieve a more inclusive
and sustainable prosperity.
South Korea now stands as a valued
member of the international community,
generating cultural phenomena appreciated
by young people around the world, playing a
leadership role at the UN, and as a significant
contributor of aid to developing countries.
Olympic sports can support cultural, political
and economic diplomacy in its efforts to
achieving and sustaining peace.
The Olympic Truce Resolution adopted by
the United Nations is an example of using a
momentous occasion in international sports,
to build a stronger foundation for a more
peaceful and inclusive world.
The resolution urges all countries to respect
the truce by creating a peaceful environment
during the Olympic and Paralympic Games,
and calls on all countries to work together, in
good faith towards peace, human rights, and
sustainable development.
Opening of the direct dialogue between two
countries of the Korean peninsula after the
2018 Olympics show cases a commitment to
peace and prosperity. I wish South Korea a
promising future and success in its endeavors
to foster lasting peace and prosperity.
*Dr. Shamshad Akhtar is an Under-
Secretary-General of the United Nations
(UN) and the Executive Secretary of the
Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
This year, the market will be hit by large
volumes of virtual reality material –
hardware and software. The fact that this
will be potentially even more immersive,
stimulating and exciting will bring more
Photo Credit : Shutterstock
danger to more young people. Families
need to be engaging in open discussion
on these issues and educators also
need to be engaging young people in
sensible, open conversaion so that they
can be helped to make better choices for
themselves.
India’s only International Newspaper

12 - 18 February, 2018 13
T
Think - Tanks
T
◆◆
By Dr. Pramila Srivastava
@PramilaBK
ps.a@iins.org
his month inevitably gets dubbed
as the month of love, I for one think
the timing is brilliant since all the festivals
and fanfare of the New Year has ended
and we’ve resumed our normal lives. So a
day like Valentine’s Day becomes sort of a
reminder to appreciate the people we love in
our lives. However, it isn’t just materialistic
things that we should focus on but just love
in general.
The pressure of being ‘romantic’ and
succumbing to materialistic demands has
taken away the actual meaning of the day.
We are so consumed and overwhelmed by
materialistic objects - advertisements for
jewellery and the perfect gift, roses and
chocolates, flowers - but love isn’t just that.
Love is beyond such material things.
The statistics bother me, almost 40% of
people feel very negatively towards the
day itself, in one study a shocking number
of women almost 50% said that they would
leave their partners if they didn’t receive a
gift or some sort of gesture on Valentine’s
Day.
What really matters?
Pulling us out of the Hallmark induced
India’s only International Newspaper
NEW DELHI TIMES
NAM restructuring its concerns in contemporary times
◆◆
By International Institute
for Non - Aligned Studies
@iinsNAM
iins@iins.org
he need for a Non-aligned block
during Cold War ushered in with
factions dividing the world into two grabbing
for power creating a vacuum between US
led West and Soviet Union leading the East
turning other nations as mere pawns to their
own game of power and authority on the
global chessboard. However, NAM came
into existence bringing a balanced outlook
and catering and protecting also while
strengthening the developing countries. But
with the end of cold war the relevance of
NAM has been questioned again and again.
However, Non-Aligned Movement has
a very relevant and vital part to play with
certain important issues facing the Southern
countries on the globe at present. While it is
also important to realise that all its concerns
of the past are not addressed completely and
have reshaped itself in a different garb that
ailing the contemporary times which need to
addressed.
Poverty and underdevelopment still remain
a major problem in this region. Despite the
almost total elimination of colonialism, the
essence of colonialism, such as control and
hegemony of external forces, continues
in different forms. Neo-colonialism has
evolved into a major concern of weak
societies in this part of the world.
Environmental degradation, climate change,
disarmament, external debt, state and nonstate
terrorism, and violence emanating
from ethnic and religious conflicts are some
True Love is beyond Materialism
daze, let us focus on what truly matters and
honestly the answer is quite simple; Love is
all that matters. Why do people get disturbed
and perturbed at this day, while there are
many reasons one reason could be that they
feel inadequate in their relationship, or they
feel unfulfilled.
Sometimes when we are unhappy but unable
to vocalize why we are unhappy, we tend to
put a lot of stock in outwardly gestures and
symbols.
Let me explain that with a story; Alisha
started dating Jack in college and initially
Jack was attentive and pursued her till she
accepted, for a few months things were
great, she gave it her all and made Jack
the entire focus of her relationship and by
losing awareness and moving into tunnel
vision, she missed out on the signs like
how conversations with Jack were getting
shorter, his temper was getting worse, he
was irritated with her and started calling her
names like unreliable, useless etc.
So despite being in love with him, she was
feeling the unhappiness to her very bones,
she knew something was off but kept
making excuses for him in the name of
love, so come Valentine’s Day she expected
something very spectacular from him. Why?
Not because only she was materialistic, she
just wanted a sign or anything from him to
prove that she was loved.
Since the day was all about love, she just
of the common issues facing the NAM states
today. External actors, including sympathetic
states, can hardly resolve these issues for
the Third World. In addition, depending
on external actors to resolve Third World
problems goes against the very essence of
independence that the NAM states were
seeking relentlessly. These issues may be
easily handled and resolved through internal
mechanisms and collaboration among the
states of the Third World. The NAM could
and should continue to focus on these issues.
Along with them is the worrying issue of
global economy, with the Western economy
entering into a depression the rest of the
world is bound to experience a disastrous
effect specially the Southern countries which
are already experiencing decline in exports,
GDP and an alarming weakening of their
balance of payments. This crisis if hits the
developing countries would destabilize the
progress that has been made till date, calling
NAM for immediate action to counter the
coming setback.
The developing countries need to insist
that reforms are commenced especially
by developed countries on their enormous
agricultural subsidies which undermine
farmers and agriculture processes of
developing countries affecting the final
outcome. Many imbalances and unwanted
rules of the developed countries threaten
the developing countries, like the Economic
Partnership Agreement negotiations of
Africa and Pacific countries with the
European Commission which is demanding
zero tariffs for 80% of imports as well as
other unreasonable demands such as a ban
on export taxes, a deregulation of finance and
wanted to feel cherished by him. I think we
can all see the problem a little clearly now,
no matter the roses or chocolates Alisha gets
on that day from him, do you think she is
going to be happy or will a diamond pendant
solve the problems in their relationship.
Love is something that has to be felt every
singly minute of every single day. This is
not contingent entirely upon material gifts.
True love implies that there is such a strong
relationship based on trust, respect and
mutual admiration. When we are truly loved
investment, and to be given equal treatment
as locals in the government procurement
business. This has become a burning issue
which requires the immediate attention of
NAM.
Another matter that has been recently
flagged as a subject of concern is of
privacy, intellectual property and transfer
of technology. The strict IPR regime
preventing transfer of technology and
instead raises costs and prices. Also posing
strict uneven rules for developing countries
access to cheap medicines, in controlling
seeds and agriculture and building their own
industries. Developing countries are fighting
for flexibilities or reform of the present IP
regime, and have launched a development
Agenda initiative in WIPO. The South
Centre can work with NAM members to
strengthen this reform movement and to
formulate national IPR policies that are prodevelopment.
In addition to these is the need of developing
countries to review their developmental
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and respected, Valentine’s Day becomes just
another day where you can celebrate your
love. Every single day tell each other how
much they mean to you and do the little
things that can put a smile on your face,
express gratitude for having a partner like
him/her.
True Love is beyond materialism. As the
great Greek philosopher Aristotle succinctly
remarks: “Love is composed of a single soul
inhabiting two bodies.”
policies in view of the global economic
situation, relying less on exports from West
and become self reliant with domestic and
regional products. While also promoting
South-South trade policies and more.
These developing countries also need to
coordinate to implement the post-Rio plus
20 agenda with profound climate change
negotiations which are not only going
to affect the climate but also have deep
implication on South’s economic policies.
(in arrangement with
News from Non-Aligned World)
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14
12 - 18 February, 2018
W
L
Technology & Health
www.NewDelhiTimes.com
◆◆By Smt. Maneka
Sanjay Gandhi
@ManekaGandhiBJP
◆◆
By Dr. Anveeta Agarwal
@AnveetaAgarwal
anveeta@dantah.com
NEW DELHI TIMES
Importance of Frog in the ecological system
hen was the last time you saw or even
heard a frog ? Twenty years ago.
One of the reasons why we have so many
mosquitoes is because we have killed off
their main predators – the frogs. For many
years we exported millions of frogs’ legs to
France, cut from living frogs. By the time
the government banned it, the creatures
were already in steep decline. Then came
the pesticide onslaught, the drying up of
wetlands, water contamination, the invasion
of human settlements into the Western Ghats
and they are almost gone. In the 1950’s
gynaecologists would inject African Clawed
frogs with a pregnant woman’s urine and if
she was pregnant the frog would ovulate and
produce eggs in a day. Between the 1940s
and 1970s, hospitals imported the frogs in
great numbers. Toads from the Bufo genus
were also used, which led to the term “Bufo
test.” Millions died.
Is there any creature left that is not misused
by the human? The Waxy Monkey Tree
Frog of South America has, on its back, a
substance called Dermorphin, 40 times more
potent than morphine in blocking pain and
creating a feeling of euphoria. The mafia in
the racehorse industry use it to prod their
horses into going faster, inspite of the severe
whipping by their jockeys. The blood of 30
horses, tested recently in the US, showed
this illegal substance.
A hundred years ago scientists, experimenting
with skin grafts for humans, used to cut
patches off living frogs and try to graft them
onto human wounds. Not one worked but
ifeless, dull and unattractive teeth can
be made white, even and attractive by
veneers. Veneers are very commonly used
by dental surgeons for smile makeovers.
With the advent of technology; the durability
of veneers has drastically increased and it
is possible to retain the beautiful smile till
more than 20 years.
But what are veneers? Veneers are very
thin, tooth-colored materials that are
custom-fit and bonded to the teeth. They
can recommended by doctors to address the
following complaints:
• Spaces between the teeth:
• Chipped teeth
• Yellow teeth/ Stained teeth
• Crooked teeth
• Uneven or undersized teeth
Veneers are a great option for patients
who have esthetic concerns over the above
mentioned problems and make an effective
and durable method of smile designing.
imagine the agony that this little creature
went through.
Pilibhit was full of frogs. They crossed the
road to mate and we would often stop the cars
and wait for the suitors to cross before we
proceeded. Once I found my security guard,
a six foot warrior from Haryana frozen after
a meeting. He pointed trembling at his feet.
A frog sat comfortably on his shoe.
No more. I haven’t seen a frog in the last
three years.
Frogs cannot survive climate change of
any kind. Their eggs have no shells and
are extremely vulnerable to sunrays which
cause mutations. Amphibians are considered
important indicators of ecosystem health
because their porous, absorbent skin makes
them highly susceptible to pollution and
climate change. Many frog and amphibian
species around the world have suffered
die-offs in recent years because of a lethal
fungus that infects their skin and spreads
quickly between geographic areas. The
chytrid fungus is worse than the bubonic
plague. Unfortunately, the pet industry (and
earlier the medical industry)– which has
done more to destroy entire species than any
other – took the African Clawed Frog in the
1970s all over the globe. This frog carries
the deadly fungal infection chytridiomycosis
which has wiped out frogs everywhere. In
a recent report on the sharp decline of the
frogs in the US, researchers found that frogs
have been disappearing from their habitats
at the rate of 3.7 % a year.
You will be sorry your children never saw
them. They are remarkably wonderful
beings, both clever and beautiful. India
and South America have the most and we
are still discovering new species every few
months. India has tiny purple ones that fit on
your thumb. For sheer cuteness, our showstealer
might be the “foot-flagging frog,”
that sticks out its back foot and waves it like
a hitchhiker to tell females he is available.
They are smart, with beautiful colours and
scientists have just discovered that many of
them speak a proper language.
Even a developing frog embryo in its
jellylike mass is a clever being. If a predator
comes, the red eyed tree frog embryo detects
the threat simply from the vibration and
drops out of its egg to safety within a few
seconds – even though the official hatching
is still a few days away. The embryo knows
the difference between the vibration of a
raindrop, a leaf and a snake, wasp or fungus
! His mother has chosen a strategic spot –
a leaf that overhangs water so as the frog
hatches it can go straight in as a tadpole.
The frog is a fascinating parent. Male
Darwin frogs in Chile swallow their children
in the tadpole stage, incubate them in their
vocal sacs and then spit out as fully formed
Dental Veneers for a Beautiful Smile
What are the types of Veneers?
Indirect Veneers
Indirect Veneers require multiple
appointments with the dental surgeon but
offer better results compared to Direct
Veneers. These are thin shells of porcelain
which bond to the tooth surface and give
lustre and shine to the teeth. The doctor
can do a mock up and show you the final
outcome prior to placing the veneers. The
tooth is reduced by approximately one half
of a millimeter. An impression is taken of the
teeth and sent to the laboratory for creation
of the custom-made veneer.
Porcelain veneers are custom-made in
a laboratory and glued to the teeth with
the help of dental cements. They resist
stains better than composite veneers and
better simulate the shine of natural teeth.
Successful implementation of porcelain
veneers require meticulous planning, as
well as a clear understanding of the patient’s
expectations. With routine care and good
oral hygiene, porcelain laminate veneers can
be a conservative and ideal treatment option.
Direct Veneers
Direct Veneers are done with composite.
Composite is a tooth colored material which
can be directly bonded onto the tooth. Direct
veneers are much faster and cost effective.
Small defects can be beautifully restored
with composite. The doctor would match the
shade of composite to your teeth to get the
perfect natural result. Composite veneers are
thinner and require less removal of the tooth
surface before placement.
Before any kind of veneer is selected, the
dental surgeon would clinically examine
the teeth and take radiographs if necessary.
Based on the expectations of the patient
and the extent of correction needed, the
treatment plan would be recommended.
How should you care for your veneers?
• Veneers should be brushed and flossed
regularly like normal teeth. Practicing good
oral hygiene is paramount for maintaining
the luster of the veneer. Using non abrasive
toothpastes is advised.
• Chewing on hard items like ice and hard
candy might cause chipping and wearing out
of veneers over time. This is also true for
natural teeth.
• Frequent intake of wine, coffee, tea and
tobacco can cause direct veneers to discolor
with time. Indirect veneers are more resistant
to discoloration.
• Veneers can be polished periodically to
allow you enjoy longer results.
• Protect the teeth by using mouth guard
while playing or by using night guard if you
froglets. These unique creatures are now
vanishing because Chile’s forests are being
cut down at an alarming rate to supply the
wood/paper industry. One of the two species
has not been seen since 1980 and is marked as
extinct. The other is less than 2000. Another
unique species of Australian frog – last seen
in 1985 and now declared extinct- were
gastric brooders. The female swallowed
fertilized eggs, turned her stomach into a
uterus and gave birth to froglets through
the mouth. Timber harvesting and the
chytrid fungus are the culprits again. This
phenomenal reproduction will never evolve
again in any species.
The first frog, who lived 70 million years
ago, was a predatory creature known as
the devil frog. Called Beelzebufo ampinga
(after the devil Beezelbub!), he lived in what
is now Africa, and had a massive globular
head, sharp teeth, spiky flanges protruding
from the back of its skull and plate-like
armour down its back. The frog’s spiked
body armour may have helped it fend off
the dinosaurs and crocodiles that prowled
during that time. He hunted by hiding and
pouncing on small mammals.
The mass extinction that wiped out the
dinosaurs paved the way for frogs to explode
in numbers and diversify. According to the
American Museum of Natural History, which
is updated in real time, as of April 2015,
there are 6,482 species in the Anura order
(frogs and toads). But for each species that
we discover – and we discover them every
year– several are wiped out. Even the ones
we discover have only a few representatives
left. Just enough for the universe to show us
what we are losing.
To join the animal welfare movement
contact gandhim@nic.in,
www.peopleforanimalsindia.org
are a night grinder.
What are the risks associated with dental
veneers?
Veneers are very safe and minimally
invasive. Yet the following facts must be
taken into account before deciding to plunge
for them.
• Porcelain veneers are not removable: A
thin layer of enamel is removed to make
room for the veneer. The enamel lost will
not repair itself which makes the porcelain
veneer procedure irreversible. The veneers
must be maintained or replaced to avoid
tooth decay since the protective enamel is
no longer covering the tooth.
• Porcelain veneers may not last a lifetime
and may wear down over time, break, chip,
or fall off. Once a veneer is damaged, it must
be replaced to protect the tooth from decay.
• Some patients experience increased tooth
sensitivity following porcelain veneer
placement. Sensitivity often subsides after
about a week following treatment.
A beautiful smile can do wonders for your
confidence and well-being. With proper oral
care and regular dental visits, long lasting
success can be achieved with veneers.
By Dr. Anveeta Agarwal, BDS, MDS,
Consultant Oral Pathologist, Associate
Dental Surgeon & a Specialist at
Dantah
India’s only International Newspaper

12 - 18 February, 2018 15
K
Entertainment & Lifestyle
Kelly Clarkson thinks Lorde should
have performed at Grammys
elly Clarkson said Lorde should have
been able to perform at the Grammys
because she was nominated for album of the
year.
“I did think it was weird. Lorde didn’t get a
performance slot, but I don’t know the back
story of that,” Clarkson said in an interview
with The Associated Press on 4th February.
“I hope there was a real, valid reason.”
T
Photo Credit : AP Photo
The Recording Academy drew criticism
for not letting Lorde perform at its 60th
show last weekend. The organization was
also criticized because only two female
performers won awards during the live
telecast and its CEO said women need to
“step up” when asked about the lack of
female winners backstage.
When asked about Neil Portnow’s comments,
Clarkson said, “He was confused. Poor soul.
Yup.”
Portnow later said his words were taken
out of context and he now understands the
pain his “poor choice of words” has caused.
The remarks were criticized by Pink, Sheryl
India’s only International Newspaper
Crow, Katy Perry, India.Arie and others.
He said last week the organization is creating
a task force to uncover unconscious biases
and other barriers that impede women’s
success in the music industry.
Clarkson, who has won three Grammys,
said she would rather perform at the show
than win an award. “Winning those awards
is always awesome ‘cause your art is
validated, so that’s cool. But I always like
the performance slots. ... I’d rather have a
performance slot than win any award,” she
said.
“Let’s talk about Pink at the Grammys, she
didn’t win the award that we were both up
for, but she slayed that stage. She was the
best vocal hands down of the night. She’s
incredible,” Clarkson added. “That’s more
memorable for me. And maybe it’s because
I’m a singer.”
Clarkson and Pink were both nominated for
best pop solo performance, but lost to Ed
Sheeran. Their new albums were released
after Grammy eligibility, though their first
singles were released in time.
“It was really cool I think specifically for me
and Pink. ...I mean, we’re both 35 and older,
you know what I’m saying? That’s really
cool for us to have lasted and have longevity,
and still be relevant, that’s a really cool feat
for especially women. Because count in your
head right now how many of those women
are on radio,” she said. “Exactly.”
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
With new trailer, ‘Solo’ hopes
to outrun production troubles
he first trailer of “Solo: A Star Wars
Story” has finally arrived, offering the
first glimpse of the much-anticipated spinoff
plagued by production troubles.
After a 45-second ad for the latest “Star
Wars” film played during the Super Bowl,
a 90-second teaser trailer premiered the
next day on “Good Morning America.” The
footage showcased a gritty prequel featuring
the snazzy interior of a then-new Millennium
Falcon, the familiar growl of Chewbacca
and a plethora of handsome fur coats.
Though punctuated by the brashness of
Alden Ehrenreich’s young Han Solo, the
vibe of the trailer is a little chiller than
was once forecast for “Solo.” The initial
directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
(“The Lego Movie,” ‘’21 Jump Street”) are
known for their irreverent sense of humor,
something that first excited many “Star
Wars” fans when the pair was enlisted for
the stand-alone installment.
But Lord and Miller were removed from
the film six months into production over
what Lucasfilm said were “different creative
visions” on the film. Ron Howard was
brought in as a replacement in July, and
shooting concluded in October.
The trailer for the film, to be released May
25, seemed intent on assuring fans that
“Solo” will be a more typically somber
chapter in the science-fiction franchise.
Young Solo is shown as an ambitious flyboy
who drops out of the fight academy and
enlists with a rogue band led by Woody
Harrelson’s Tobias Beckett.
“I’ve been running scams on the street since
I was 10,” Solo says in voice-over. “I was
kicked out of the fly academy for having a
mind of my own. I’m going to be a pilot —
best in the galaxy.”
Concerns have also been focused on
Ehrenreich, who has the unenviably position
of following in Harrison Ford’s footsteps
in one of the most iconic roles in movies.
Before booking the role, Ehrenreich starred
in Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Hail, Caesar!”
and Warren Beatty’s “Rules Don’t Apply,”
but The Hollywood Reporter earlier
reported that an acting coach was brought
in late in the production to aid the actor’s
performance.
Instead of focusing solely on Solo, the
trailer promoted the film’s larger ensemble,
including Donald Glover as Lando
Calrissian, Emilia Clarke and Thandie
Newton.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
Photo Credit : AP Photo
NEW DELHI TIMES
Lady Gaga cancels European
tour dates due to ‘severe pain’
L
ady Gaga has canceled 10 concerts
in Europe because of severe pain, the
tour’s promoter said.
Live Nation said the musician is “suffering
from severe pain that has materially
impacted her ability to perform live.”
In a statement posted on social media,
Lady Gaga said she was “devastated” to
disappoint her fans. She said her medical
team “is supporting the decision for me to
recover at home.”
The singer had been due to play at London’s
O2 Arena as part of her Joanne World
Tour. The other canceled concerts were in
Manchester; Zurich; Cologne, Germany;
Stockholm; Copenhagen, Denmark;
Berlin and two shows in Paris. Lady Gaga
previously postponed her European shows
in September after being hospitalized in Rio
de Janeiro suffering from “severe physical
pain.”
In her statement, Gaga apologized to fans in
Europe and Rio, saying “I love you, but this
O
T
is beyond my control.”
She resumed the tour in North America in
November and in January played several
dates in Europe.
The 31-year old singer-songwriter, whose
real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina
Germanotta, has spoken about suffering
from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition.
Lady Gaga has been open about her physical
and mental health struggles, saying in
September she has been “searching for years
to get to the bottom of them.”
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
Photo Credit : AP Photo
Paul Simon announces his
upcoming tour will be his last
nly a few days after Elton John
announced he will retire from touring
in three years, another venerable music
figure is throwing in the touring towel —
Paul Simon.
Photo Credit : AP Photo
Simon, 76, took to social media to say his
upcoming tour will be his last, citing the
personal toll of touring and the death of his
lead guitarist, Vincent N’guini.
“I feel the travel and time away from my
wife and family takes a toll that detracts from
the joy of playing,” he wrote. Retiring from
the road “feels a little unsettling, a touch
exhilarating, and something of a relief.”
Tickets for his “Homeward Bound — The
Farewell Tour “ will go on sale Feb. 8. It
kicks off in May in Vancouver, Canada, and
will take him across North America and
Europe. His last date is July 15 in London
with James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt as
special guests.
Simon’s best-known songs include “The
Sound of Silence,” ‘’Mrs. Robinson,”
‘’Bridge Over Troubled Water” and
“Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.”
Paul Simon is a member of the Songwriters
Hall of Fame and has been inducted into
the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, both as a
member of Simon & Garfunkel and as a solo
artist. The singer-songwriter said he will
still do the “occasional performance” after
his last tour.
Late last month, the 70-year-old John said
his upcoming would tour would be his last,
saying he wanted to spend time with his
family. His “Farewell Yellow Brick Road”
tour will end in 2021.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
BMI to honor Luis Fonsi for
‘Despacito,’ other career hits
he annual BMI Latin Awards will
honor Luis Fonsi not only for his mega
smash “Despacito” but for the string of hits
he’s racked up over two decades.
Fonsi is set to receive the BMI President’s
Award on March 20 in Beverly Hills,
California.
BMI says it is honoring Fonsi for being
one of the “most influential” Latin music
songwriters and also for his humanitarian
work. The Puerto Rican singer was involved
with helping the island after last year’s
devastating hurricane.
“Despacito” was recently nominated for
record and song of the year at the Grammys;
it features Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber
on the remix.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
Photo Credit : AP Photo
www.NewDelhiTimes.com

16
12 - 18 February, 2018
I
Sports
NEW DELHI TIMES
How do the IPL teams stack up after the auction?
Part II - Review of Kings XI Punjab, Sun Risers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils and
Rajasthan Royals
◆◆By NDT Bureau
@NewDelhiTimes
info@newdelhitimes.com
n the second and concluding part of the
article, New Delhi Times looks at how
the 4 IPL Franchisees - Kings XI Punjab,
Sun Risers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils
and Rajasthan Royals - have built their
squad after the 2018 auctions.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP): KXIP were the
most aggressive bidders in the auction. They
cards. The team has acquired impact players
like KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin,
Yuvraj Singh and Karun Nair. Aaron Finch
too can de destructive in T20.
Towards the end of the auction KXIP bought
the destructive Chris Gayle which might
well prove to be a masterstroke. It would
however be interesting to see whether the
team opts for Gayle and Finch in the same
starting XI. The team also looks somewhat
short in the fast bowling department
KXIP squad: Axar Patel, Ashwin, Yuvraj,
Dwarshuis, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar,
Manzoor Dar
Sun Risers Hyderabad (SRH): SRH have
made some smart buys this season. The team
retained David Warner and Bhuvaneshwar
Kumar and used RTN card to buy back
Shikhar Dhawan, Deepak Hooda and Rashid
Khan. Kane Williamson, Wriddhiman Saha,
Carlos Braithwaite provide depth in batting
while Yusuf Pathan, Chris Jordan and Shakib
ul Hasan provide excellent all round options.
The team has depth in both the pace and spin
department.
SRH squad: David Warner, Bhuvneshwar
Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan
Arman, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman
Saha, Siddarth Kaul, Deepak Hooda, Syed
Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Kane
Williamson, Carlos Brathwaite, Shakib Al
Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Shreevats Goswami,
Mohammad Nabi, Chris Jordan, Basil
Thampi, T Natarajan, Sachin Baby, Bipul
Sharma, Syed Mehdi Hasan, Ricky Bhui,
Tanmay Agarwal
Rabada, and Trent Boult, DD have quality in
the pace bowling department. Delhi though
lacks a quality spinner.
DD squad: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer,
Chris Morris, Glenn Maxwell, Kagiso
Rabada, Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem,
Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammad
Shami, Gautam Gambhir, Trent Boult,
Colin Munro, Daniel Christian, Jason Roy,
Naman Ojha, Prithvi Shaw, Gurkeerat Singh
Mann, Avesh Khan, Abhishek Sharma,
Jayant Yadav, Harshal Patel, Manjot Kalra,
Sandeep Lamichhane, Sayan Ghosh
Rajasthan Royals(RR) : RR bought allrounder
Ben Stokes for a whopping Rs 12.5
crore and Indian pacer Jaydev Unadkat for
11.50 crore. The team has made 2 interesting
buys in the form of hard hitting D ‘Arcy Short
and Jofra Archer who can set the innings on
fire. Steven Smith has was retained by the
side and RTM card was used to buy back
Ajinkya Rahane. Another interesting buy is
the all-rounder K. Goutham. Another good
buy is Jos Butler.
went for a squad overhaul and have gone for
experience. KXIP retained Axar Patel while
got David Miller, Marcus Stoinis and Mohit
Sharma through Right To Match (RTM)
Nadal expects
to be fit to play
in Acapulco this
R
month
afael Nadal says he is on track to
returning to the ATP Tour in Acapulco
this month.
The top-ranked Nadal says he is recovering
well from the left leg muscle injury that
forced him to retire in the Australian Open
quarterfinals last month. He was in the fifth
set against Marin Cilic.
Nadal says he is undergoing intensive
treatment to make sure he is fit to play in the
Mexico tournament which starts on Feb. 26.
Nadal was in Madrid to inaugurate a sports
medicine clinic dedicated to tennis.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
Photo Credit : AP Photo
“G
in Formula 1
rid kids” are replacing “grid girls”
in Formula One as the motorsport
series makes changes ahead of the new
season.
F1 says youngsters from motorsport clubs,
who are already competing in karting, will
stand alongside drivers on the grid before
races this season.
The announcement comes after the series
last week ended the long-standing practice
of using women on the grid, and on the
podium with the top three drivers, because it
no longer fits in with Formula One’s values
and societal norms.
The latest initiative is a joint venture by the
FIA — motorsport’s governing body — and
F1’s owners.
FIA President Jean Todt says “Grid Kids”
gives “future champions of our sport the
opportunity to stand alongside their heroes.”
Sean Bratches, F1’s managing director
of commercial operations, adds: “What
better way to inspire the next generation of
Formula 1 heroes.”
Delhi Daredevils(DD): Over the years,
DD have been one of the most inconsistent
sides in the IPL. One of the major reasons
for this is their bizarre team selection and
consistently making inform players sit out
in crunch matches. Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi
Shaw and Rishabh Pant are a promising set
of young Indian batsmen. Gautam Gambhir,
Glenn Maxwell, Jason Roy, and Colin
Munro were key buys this season. In Shami,
Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Gayle, Miller,
Finch, Stoinis, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit
Rajpoot, Manoj Tiwary, Mohit Sharma,
Mujeeb Zadran, Sran, Tye, Akshdeep Nath,
‘Grid kids’ replace ‘grid girls’
F1 is owned by Liberty
Media, which has been
changing how the sport is
run since taking over from
former commercial rights
holder Bernie Ecclestone
in January 2017.
The season starts on
March 25 at the Australian
Grand Prix.
Credit : Associated Press (AP)
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RR Squad: Steve Smith, Benjamin
Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, Sanju Samson,
Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jos
Buttler, Ajinkya Rahane, Darcy Short,
Rahul Tripathi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Zahir
Khan Pakteen, Ben Laughlin, Stuart Binny,
Dushmantha Chameera, Anureet Singh,
Aryaman Vikram Birla, Midhun S, Shreyas
Gopal, Prashant Chopra, Jatin Saxena, Ankit
Sharma, Mahipal Lomror
Photo Credit : AP Photo
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Published at A-2/59 Safdarjung Enclave New Delhi-110029. Ph.: 26102520, 26105846 Fax: 26196294 Email: info@newdelhitimes.com, Vol. 28, No. 2 Editor : Dr. Ankit Srivastava
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