Will it be death for Ajmal Kasab or a life term in prison? The decision will be out today.
The special 26/11 trial court in Mumbai heard the arguments on Tuesday and will announce the quantum of sentence today. While the prosecution wants death sentence for Kasab, his lawyer has appealed for leniency on the grounds that he's just 22 years old.
Kasab is India's costliest prisoner. Around 35 crore rupees have been spent to keep him in jail till now. If sentenced to death, Kasab will be the 52nd person on death row in India.
On Tuesday, the public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam, attacked Kasab for two hours, describing him as "worse than a wild beast... Kasab is a killing machine... and the orders for this machine came from Pakistan." Kasab kept his head bowed throughout Nikam's arguments.
On Monday, Kasab was found guilty on more than 80 of the 86 charges brought against him for planning and executing the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. (Read: Kasab guilty says 26/11 verdict)
Nikam has laid out eight arguments on why Kasab deserves to be hanged, among them, that the 26/11 attacks was meticulously planned and that policemen and defenceless civilians were "mercilessly butchered." The prosecutor also argued that Kasab wanted to inspire others to take part in fidayeen or suicide attacks. (Watch: 'Kasab was smiling after killing others')
As an example of why Kasab should get the death penalty, Nikam said that the terrorist had expressed disappointment that he landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) after rush hour on 26/11/2008. Kasab had anticipated a busier station, based on CDs he had been shown of CST before the attack, Nikam said. The prosecutor also said that in his confession to the Mumbai police, Kasab said that he was upset that he could not kill more people at the station. At CST, Kasab killed close to 60 people in an hour with his partner, Abu Ismail. (Read: 26/11 trial: Key moments | Kasab's flip flops)
Photographs taken by newspaper photographers of Kasab, taken in action while firing at CST's passengers and shopkeepers, showed that "he enjoyed the acts of murder," said Nikam. The terrorist "was happy to see people in pain and anguish as a result of his firing," the prosecutor stressed. (Pics:Mumbai attacked | Bravehearts | In memory)
Meanwhile Kasab's lawyer, KP Pawar, has pleaded with the court to consider a life sentence instead. Kasab was only 21 when he participated in the attack against Mumbai, and he acted under the influence of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), he said.
Even if judge ML Tahaliyani decides on the death penalty, it will not be implemented immediately. Kasab has the option of appealing to higher courts, and can also file a mercy petition for the consideration of President Pratibha Patil.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Rajitha at 8: Orphaned, sold, battered in Andhra
She was forced to leave the only somewhat safe place she knew - an orphanage in Andhra Pradesh's Mahbubnagar district. The administrator of the orphanage told NDTV he couldn't afford to have her there anymore. Evidence suggests he sold her.
Eight-year-old Rajitha was passed from one adult to another till she ended up with several broken bones in a government hospital. A family that employed her as domestic help, she says, battered her. "Please come and take me away. They don't take care of me. They beat me," she pleads. (Your comments on Rajitha's story)
Now it turns out that the orphanage that Rajitha was evicted from was not licensed. A sign of how careless officials and the government are about young children: Nobody knows when it closed down. Or why it continued to receive government funding.
The man who ran it allegedly moved some of the orphans to his own home. "I am not getting any funds. They said they would take care of her, so I gave her away," says Premnath who states his official designation is Residential Bridge Course centre in-charge. He has been charged with several criminal offences including selling Rajitha and possibly a few other orphans from the home he once administered.
The Andhra Pradesh government admits that Rajitha's case proves the need to better regulate orphanages and welfare homes for children. That's an understatement. There is no agency to monitor orphanages, or to check on their registration and licenses, or even to follow children if they're moved from one welfare home to another.
Anybody can pick up a child, keep a child illegally in a home, or at their house. We would not have any way to know they can't be kept there or don't belong there. The Juvenile Justice Act says all homes or organizations that have children should be registered. But that is not being implemented in Andhra," worries Isidore Philips, a child rights' activist.
In Andhra Pradesh, orphans are truly children of a lesser God.
The government is also preparing a case against Rajitha's employers. In addition to physical abuse, they will be accused of violating child labour laws which ban the employment of children younger than 14 as domestic help.
Rajitha is too overwhelmed to explain how she found her way to the government hospital where she's being treated for several broken bones.
The Women and Child Welfare Ministry says it's monitoring Rajitha now. Her physical injuries will be treated, the giant emotional crater created in her young psyche by every adult she's known will be the real challenge for those now offering to rescue her.
Eight-year-old Rajitha was passed from one adult to another till she ended up with several broken bones in a government hospital. A family that employed her as domestic help, she says, battered her. "Please come and take me away. They don't take care of me. They beat me," she pleads. (Your comments on Rajitha's story)
Now it turns out that the orphanage that Rajitha was evicted from was not licensed. A sign of how careless officials and the government are about young children: Nobody knows when it closed down. Or why it continued to receive government funding.
The man who ran it allegedly moved some of the orphans to his own home. "I am not getting any funds. They said they would take care of her, so I gave her away," says Premnath who states his official designation is Residential Bridge Course centre in-charge. He has been charged with several criminal offences including selling Rajitha and possibly a few other orphans from the home he once administered.
The Andhra Pradesh government admits that Rajitha's case proves the need to better regulate orphanages and welfare homes for children. That's an understatement. There is no agency to monitor orphanages, or to check on their registration and licenses, or even to follow children if they're moved from one welfare home to another.
Anybody can pick up a child, keep a child illegally in a home, or at their house. We would not have any way to know they can't be kept there or don't belong there. The Juvenile Justice Act says all homes or organizations that have children should be registered. But that is not being implemented in Andhra," worries Isidore Philips, a child rights' activist.
In Andhra Pradesh, orphans are truly children of a lesser God.
The government is also preparing a case against Rajitha's employers. In addition to physical abuse, they will be accused of violating child labour laws which ban the employment of children younger than 14 as domestic help.
Rajitha is too overwhelmed to explain how she found her way to the government hospital where she's being treated for several broken bones.
The Women and Child Welfare Ministry says it's monitoring Rajitha now. Her physical injuries will be treated, the giant emotional crater created in her young psyche by every adult she's known will be the real challenge for those now offering to rescue her.
Woman in burqa causes security alert on plane
A Spicejet flight made a 'priority landing' in Kolkata on Wednesday after a burqa-clad passenger with a man-like physique aroused the suspicion of crew members on board.
The Delhi-Kolkata-Dhaka Spicejet flight 208 with 123 passengers on board landed at the NSC Bose Airport around noon after the pilot was given clearance by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to make a priority landing, airport sources said.
The aircraft was immediately taken to an isolation bay and was surrounded by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, the bomb squad, fire brigade and the police, the sources said.
The burqa-clad passenger and another person sitting next to her were offloaded and the aircraft searched, the sources said.
The burqa-clad passenger, however, turned out to be a woman, the sources said.
Her large physique made the crew suspect that she was actually a man and since her identity could not be verified on board, the pilot asked for permission from the ATC to make a priority landing, the sources said.
She and the passenger sitting next to her were being questioned. Flights at the airport remained unaffected.
Sanjay Aggarwal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spice Jet said, "We were alerted about a suspicious passenger by the sky marshal on board SG208 Del-CCU flight. The Captain requested for a priority landing at CCU and the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay after landing at CCU. The concerned security agencies checked all the passengers and baggage on arrival and the matter is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities. All passengers have safely disembarked and the aircraft has been cleared for further flights."
The Delhi-Kolkata-Dhaka Spicejet flight 208 with 123 passengers on board landed at the NSC Bose Airport around noon after the pilot was given clearance by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to make a priority landing, airport sources said.
The aircraft was immediately taken to an isolation bay and was surrounded by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, the bomb squad, fire brigade and the police, the sources said.
The burqa-clad passenger and another person sitting next to her were offloaded and the aircraft searched, the sources said.
The burqa-clad passenger, however, turned out to be a woman, the sources said.
Her large physique made the crew suspect that she was actually a man and since her identity could not be verified on board, the pilot asked for permission from the ATC to make a priority landing, the sources said.
She and the passenger sitting next to her were being questioned. Flights at the airport remained unaffected.
Sanjay Aggarwal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spice Jet said, "We were alerted about a suspicious passenger by the sky marshal on board SG208 Del-CCU flight. The Captain requested for a priority landing at CCU and the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay after landing at CCU. The concerned security agencies checked all the passengers and baggage on arrival and the matter is currently under investigation by the relevant authorities. All passengers have safely disembarked and the aircraft has been cleared for further flights."
Motormen earn more than you
Motormen who held the city to ransom are far from being an underpaid lot. Including overtime, their salary can go up to a hefty Rs 1 lakh a month
For over two days, the Western and Central Railways motormen held the city to ransom with their demands for a salary hike. One would assume that the motormen would be underpaid and find it difficult to make ends meet.
However, a closer look at the earnings of an average motorman on the Railways network paints an entirely different picture.
In comparison a motorman earns a higher starting salary than a civil services officer, an MBA, a doctor and even a pilot. Add to that a hefty overtime and the monthly salary of a motorman can be close to Rs 1 lakh. No wonder the railway administration was at its wits end to find a solution to the motormen's hunger strike. The striking motormen demanded a better Grade Pay and a proper mileage rate as per a set formula.
However, the real seeds of trouble were sown when the railway administration brought the entry-level salary of a guard almost equivalent to the salary of a motorman. This according to the motormen was an act of injustice against the motormen, as the guard had little responsibilities as compared to the job of a motorman. The tiff between the motormen and the guards has been on for quite a while now. Earlier in the year, the Motormen's Association had demanded a weekly off, more allowances and better working conditions for motormen.
Here is a salary break up of the various professions:
Entry-level salary structure
Motorman
Salary: Rs 36,505 (approx)
Besides the monthly salary, a motorman also earns a decent wage in overtime. On an average the overtime wage could be between Rs 15,000-30,000, making the monthly earnings of a motorman close to Rs 1 lakh.
A motorman with an experience of 10 years draws a salary around Rs 46,000.
However, the motormen claim that they deserve the salary they get because of the nature of their work, the lack of regular holidays, irregular working hours and also the stress involved.
Qualification: A diploma in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.
Pilot
Salary: Rs 30,000 (approx)
A trainee pilot gets a salary between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000. However, before getting a job as a pilot, he has to spend around Rs 15 lakh for training. A fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force gets around Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000, when he joins the Air Force after completing the training.
Qualification: The educational qualification required for a pilot is 10+2.
Doctors
Salary: Rs 24,000
A resident doctor at a government hospital earns around Rs 24,000. Dr Ravikant Singh, a doctor with KEM hospital, said that as an intern, he used to earn Rs 1,700 per month.
"Now that amount is Rs 2,500 but it was still fine because we were only studying at the time."
After five-and-a-half years of the MBBS program and three years of a post-graduate program, a resident doctor at a government hospital earns only around Rs 24,000 per month.
"We also have to work more than 10 hours a day and be on call at all times. It sounds like we should have chosen to be motormen instead. Our lecturers earn Rs 45,000 every month," said Singh.
SBI Probationary Officer
Salary: Rs 27,000
The salary structure of an SBI Probationary officer is between Rs 27,000 and Rs 29,000, which includes all allowances and benefits. "The basic salary is Rs 17,000," said an SBI Probationary Officer from Bikaner.
IAS, IPS and IRS Officers
Salary: Rs 26,000
A civil services officer will get a basic salary of Rs 26,000 to 27,000, while the other allowances range between
Rs 14,000 and Rs 16,000. "That would mean the gross salary of a civil services officer would be around Rs 45,000," said an Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax.
Picasso's painting sold for record $106 million
Spanish artist Pablo Picasso's painting 'Nude, Green Leaves and Bust' has been auctioned off at a record $106 million.
The artist's 1932 picture, which belonged to the late Los Angeles collectors Frances and Sidney Brody since the 1950s, was sold at Christie's auction house in New York.
The winning bid, made by an anonymous telephone bidder, breaks the record held by Giacometti's Walking Man I, which was sold for $104.3 million.
Another work by Picasso, Garcon a la Pipe, had previously held the record when it sold for 104.1 million dollars in 2004.
The record-breaking sale, which includes Christie's commission, indicates the recovery of the art market from the global financial crisis.
"The Brodys bought it in the 50s. It was only exhibited once in 1961," the BBC quoted Conor Jordan, the head of Christie's impressionist department, as saying.
Image: Pablo Picasso's 1932 'Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust' is seen at Christie's auction house in New York | Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
'India can play a mini-US role in smaller countries'
Professor Kavil Ramachandran, the Thomas Schmidheing Chair Professor of Family Business and Wealth Management at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, was the only academic in the Indian delegation invited to participate in the (US) Presidential Entrepreneurship Summit.
The specialist in entrepreneurship, strategy and family business has over three decades of experience as an academic and has authored six books on the subjects. Ramachandran, who has served on various advisory committees of the India [ Images ]n government, World Bank, Securities and Exchange Board of India, tells India Abroad what India can bring to the table as President Obama's initiative evolves.
What did you take away from the summit?
I thought it was a very good initiative. I saw it as a sort of evolution, core-creation kind of thing - a different perspective towards aid. Aid was considered charity earlier. Now, we are saying that it has to be wealth creation, so it's a new kind of understanding. It doesn't have to be only government and a lot more of the initiatives will have to come from the private sector. That's the fundamental message.
What about the political angle?
From a political angle, the Obama administration wants to involve other stakeholders as active members of this journey, which is also important from another angle - eliminating poverty and unemployment as a means to fight terrorism.
What was the significance of the invitees being grass-roots entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs instead of Fortune 500 or Forbes 100 figures?
It provided a platform from two angles. One was understanding what is happening in some of these countries, which you didn't have any exposure to. In my case, I didn't have exposure to Turkey or Egypt [ Images ]. The second was that people from countries like Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria would have realised that it is possible to have small things done in their own country. Instead of the president or the chief executive officer of Google coming and talking, somebody from a smaller place, like entrepreneurs from Indonesia or Malaysia, speaking made an impact.
For you as an academic how important were these interactions?
These interactions were very important and illuminating. For example, my own focus is more on entrepreneurship education and there are quite a few experiments happening in different countries, led sometimes by students, sometimes by faculty, sometimes by the government. It also means that there is a growing interest in entrepreneurial education and the role of facilitation.
Did you discuss your Society of Entrepreneurship Educators and the possible exchanges between Indian institutions and those in some of these countries?
Through this society, we are trying to convey the message of entrepreneurship education, which includes a lot of training programs, web-based information sharing, community contacts working at the grass-roots level and so on. So, this was a tremendous opportunity for discussions on the work we are doing and how we can tie up with like-minded associations and institutions in some of the countries that India has close relations with.
Some dubbed this summit as a Muslim Entrepreneurship Summit because most of the delegates were from Muslim-majority countries or those with sizable Muslim minorities like India. Do you find a problem with this kind of outreach to a specific community?
If you look at it purely from an Indian angle, I thought the Muslim pitch may not be the right thing to do. A focus on less privileged people, including Scheduled Castes, Muslims, or even Brahmins, will be much more relevant. And, the other thing (making it an outreach to the Muslim entrepreneurs exclusively)… it will be considered more limited and there will be a more communal angle.
Which obviously would be counterproductive because the whole purpose of this exercise is to reach out more expansively and get out of any communal bent or parochialism?
That's right. The last thing you want to do is find yourself getting deeper into that kind of a situation, particularly when the initiative is paved with good intentions.
In the post-summit scenario, what can Indian bring to the table?
India has been having entrepreneurship development programs since 1976. So, there is a lot more awareness, lot more experience available within India about entrepreneurship promotion. Coming out of it (the summit), I thought that many of these countries could have more collaborations among themselves. It doesn't have to be only with the US; it can even be without the US.
I think that's yet another positive thing - the US has taken the initiative as a facilitator, but the roles and responsibilities need not be with the US administration getting involved. Maybe the government of India can take this as a means to play a mini-US role in some of the smaller countries.
Hasn't India already been exploring some of these possibilities, particularly in some of the Gulf countries?
I am aware of some of the entrepreneurship promotion agencies in India working in Saudi Arabia or some other Gulf countries that are supposed to be wealthy, but where the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are neglected. In fact, I met somebody at the conference, who I believe is part of the Saudi organisation for SME development and he mentioned that a couple of my professional friends were advising them from India, which means some of it is slowly happening. Maybe the government can take it as another opportunity to build on. And may be the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Development Program and other such of organisations could also play an active role.
Isn't this a kind of tailor-made opportunity for India with its years of experience and expertise in take on a leadership role?
Absolutely. Especially in these developing countries where many of them have a lot of respect for India because it has been registering huge (economic) growth and is standing up to the Western world. There are countries that are looking at learning from India... This is an opportunity for India to exploit.
The specialist in entrepreneurship, strategy and family business has over three decades of experience as an academic and has authored six books on the subjects. Ramachandran, who has served on various advisory committees of the India [ Images ]n government, World Bank, Securities and Exchange Board of India, tells India Abroad what India can bring to the table as President Obama's initiative evolves.
What did you take away from the summit?
I thought it was a very good initiative. I saw it as a sort of evolution, core-creation kind of thing - a different perspective towards aid. Aid was considered charity earlier. Now, we are saying that it has to be wealth creation, so it's a new kind of understanding. It doesn't have to be only government and a lot more of the initiatives will have to come from the private sector. That's the fundamental message.
What about the political angle?
From a political angle, the Obama administration wants to involve other stakeholders as active members of this journey, which is also important from another angle - eliminating poverty and unemployment as a means to fight terrorism.
What was the significance of the invitees being grass-roots entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs instead of Fortune 500 or Forbes 100 figures?
It provided a platform from two angles. One was understanding what is happening in some of these countries, which you didn't have any exposure to. In my case, I didn't have exposure to Turkey or Egypt [ Images ]. The second was that people from countries like Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria would have realised that it is possible to have small things done in their own country. Instead of the president or the chief executive officer of Google coming and talking, somebody from a smaller place, like entrepreneurs from Indonesia or Malaysia, speaking made an impact.
For you as an academic how important were these interactions?
These interactions were very important and illuminating. For example, my own focus is more on entrepreneurship education and there are quite a few experiments happening in different countries, led sometimes by students, sometimes by faculty, sometimes by the government. It also means that there is a growing interest in entrepreneurial education and the role of facilitation.
Did you discuss your Society of Entrepreneurship Educators and the possible exchanges between Indian institutions and those in some of these countries?
Through this society, we are trying to convey the message of entrepreneurship education, which includes a lot of training programs, web-based information sharing, community contacts working at the grass-roots level and so on. So, this was a tremendous opportunity for discussions on the work we are doing and how we can tie up with like-minded associations and institutions in some of the countries that India has close relations with.
Some dubbed this summit as a Muslim Entrepreneurship Summit because most of the delegates were from Muslim-majority countries or those with sizable Muslim minorities like India. Do you find a problem with this kind of outreach to a specific community?
If you look at it purely from an Indian angle, I thought the Muslim pitch may not be the right thing to do. A focus on less privileged people, including Scheduled Castes, Muslims, or even Brahmins, will be much more relevant. And, the other thing (making it an outreach to the Muslim entrepreneurs exclusively)… it will be considered more limited and there will be a more communal angle.
Which obviously would be counterproductive because the whole purpose of this exercise is to reach out more expansively and get out of any communal bent or parochialism?
That's right. The last thing you want to do is find yourself getting deeper into that kind of a situation, particularly when the initiative is paved with good intentions.
In the post-summit scenario, what can Indian bring to the table?
India has been having entrepreneurship development programs since 1976. So, there is a lot more awareness, lot more experience available within India about entrepreneurship promotion. Coming out of it (the summit), I thought that many of these countries could have more collaborations among themselves. It doesn't have to be only with the US; it can even be without the US.
I think that's yet another positive thing - the US has taken the initiative as a facilitator, but the roles and responsibilities need not be with the US administration getting involved. Maybe the government of India can take this as a means to play a mini-US role in some of the smaller countries.
Hasn't India already been exploring some of these possibilities, particularly in some of the Gulf countries?
I am aware of some of the entrepreneurship promotion agencies in India working in Saudi Arabia or some other Gulf countries that are supposed to be wealthy, but where the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are neglected. In fact, I met somebody at the conference, who I believe is part of the Saudi organisation for SME development and he mentioned that a couple of my professional friends were advising them from India, which means some of it is slowly happening. Maybe the government can take it as another opportunity to build on. And may be the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Development Program and other such of organisations could also play an active role.
Isn't this a kind of tailor-made opportunity for India with its years of experience and expertise in take on a leadership role?
Absolutely. Especially in these developing countries where many of them have a lot of respect for India because it has been registering huge (economic) growth and is standing up to the Western world. There are countries that are looking at learning from India... This is an opportunity for India to exploit.
Compulsory narco analysis, lie detector tests are unconstitutional: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has ruled that forcing someone to go through brain-mapping, narco-analysis or lie detector tests is unconstitutional because "it is an unwarranted intrusion on the individual's rights."
The verdict is a serious setback for the Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) which argued that all their tests are legally sanctioned and are critical in cases where they can help provide evidence of crimes being committed.
The court, however, held that Article 20 (3) of the India Constitution that states "no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself."
If a person volunteers to go through narco-analysis or brain-mapping, the findings cannot be used without other supporting evidence, said the court. Also, while conducting these tests, investigating agencies have to follow the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The case against these forms of interrogation and investigation was moved, among others, by Santokben Sharmanbhai Jadeja, a woman accused of leading an underworld gang in Gujarat, and Tamil film producer K Venkateswara Rao.
The Delhi High Court had also recently restrained police from going ahead with narco-analysis for arrested Naxal leader Kobad Ghandy till the Supreme Court gave its ruling. (With PTI inputs)
The verdict is a serious setback for the Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) which argued that all their tests are legally sanctioned and are critical in cases where they can help provide evidence of crimes being committed.
The court, however, held that Article 20 (3) of the India Constitution that states "no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself."
If a person volunteers to go through narco-analysis or brain-mapping, the findings cannot be used without other supporting evidence, said the court. Also, while conducting these tests, investigating agencies have to follow the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The case against these forms of interrogation and investigation was moved, among others, by Santokben Sharmanbhai Jadeja, a woman accused of leading an underworld gang in Gujarat, and Tamil film producer K Venkateswara Rao.
The Delhi High Court had also recently restrained police from going ahead with narco-analysis for arrested Naxal leader Kobad Ghandy till the Supreme Court gave its ruling. (With PTI inputs)
Delhi can exhale, all Cobalt 60 found, moved to safety
The Department of Atomic Energy has confirmed that all the missing Cobalt 60 from Delhi University ( DU ) has been recovered. 16 pencils containing the radioactive material have been located and have been safely moved to the Narora Atomic Power Station.
Last month, one person died and seven others were hospitalized in critical condition after being exposed to Cobalt 60, a highly radioactive material in Mayapuri, a West Delhi scrap market.
Scrap dealers had bought a Gamma Irradiator machine from Delhi University's Chemistry department, which decided to auction the machine because it had not been used for 40 years. The machine contained Cobalt 60 pencils. When the scrap dealers broke open the machine's lead cover, they were exposed to radiation.
The crisis has been one of India's worst ever radiation leaks, and Delhi University faces severe punishment for violating basic safety rules in the disposal of radioactive material.
Because many pencils from the machine were missing till this morning, the fear was the Delhi was still vulnerable. These have been moved to Narora Atomic Power Station in sealed lead containers
Last month, one person died and seven others were hospitalized in critical condition after being exposed to Cobalt 60, a highly radioactive material in Mayapuri, a West Delhi scrap market.
Scrap dealers had bought a Gamma Irradiator machine from Delhi University's Chemistry department, which decided to auction the machine because it had not been used for 40 years. The machine contained Cobalt 60 pencils. When the scrap dealers broke open the machine's lead cover, they were exposed to radiation.
The crisis has been one of India's worst ever radiation leaks, and Delhi University faces severe punishment for violating basic safety rules in the disposal of radioactive material.
Because many pencils from the machine were missing till this morning, the fear was the Delhi was still vulnerable. These have been moved to Narora Atomic Power Station in sealed lead containers
Monday, May 3, 2010
Facebook friends as good as the real thing for teens?
"Hey, you're a dork," said the girl to the boy with a smile. "Just wanted you to know."
Thanks!" said the boy.
"Just kidding," said the girl with another smile. "You're only slightly dorky, but other than that, you're pretty normal -- sometimes."
They both laughed.
"See you tomorrow," said the boy.
"O.K., see you," said the girl.
It was a pretty typical pre-teen exchange, one familiar through the generations. Except this one had a distinctly 2010 twist. It was conducted on Facebook. The smiles were colons with brackets. The laughs were typed ha ha's. "O.K." was just "K" and "See you" was rendered as "c ya."
Children used to actually talk to their friends. Those hours spent on the family princess phone or hanging out with pals in the neighborhood after school vanished long ago. But now, even chatting on cellphones or via e-mail (through which you can at least converse in paragraphs) is passé. For today's teenagers and preteens, the give and take of friendship seems to be conducted increasingly in the abbreviated snatches of cellphone texts and instant messages, or through the very public forum of Facebook walls and MySpace bulletins. (Andy Wilson, the 11-year-old boy involved in the banter above, has 418 Facebook friends.)
Last week, the Pew Research Center found that half of American teenagers -- defined in the study as ages 12 through 17 -- send 50 or more text messages a day and that one third send more than 100 a day. Two thirds of the texters surveyed by the center's Internet and American Life Project said they were more likely to use their cellphones to text friends than to call them. Fifty-four percent said they text their friends once a day, but only 33 percent said they talk to their friends face-to-face on a daily basis. The findings came just a few months after the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that Americans between the ages of 8 and 18 spend on average 7 1/2 hours a day using some sort of electronic device, from smart phones to MP3 players to computers -- a number that startled many adults, even those who keep their BlackBerrys within arm's reach during most waking hours.
To date, much of the concern over all this use of technology has been focused on the implications for kids' intellectual development. Worry about the social repercussions has centered on the darker side of online interactions, like cyber-bullying or texting sexually explicit messages. But psychologists and other experts are starting to take a look at a less-sensational but potentially more profound phenomenon: whether technology may be changing the very nature of kids' friendships.
"In general, the worries over cyber-bullying and sexting have overshadowed a look into the really nuanced things about the way technology is affecting the closeness properties of friendship," said Jeffrey G. Parker, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Alabama, who has been studying children's friendships since the 1980s. "We're only beginning to look at those subtle changes."
The question on researchers' minds is whether all that texting, instant messaging and online social networking allows children to become more connected and supportive of their friends -- or whether the quality of their interactions is being diminished without the intimacy and emotional give and take of regular, extended face-to-face time.
It is far too soon to know the answer. Writing in The Future of Children, a journal produced through a collaboration between the Brookings Institution and the Woodrow Wilson Center at Princeton University, Kaveri Subrahmanyam and Patricia M. Greenfield, psychologists at California State University, Los Angeles, and U.C.L.A. respectively, noted: "Initial qualitative evidence is that the ease of electronic communication may be making teens less interested in face-to-face communication with their friends. More research is needed to see how widespread this phenomenon is and what it does to the emotional quality of a relationship."
But the question is important, people who study relationships believe, because close childhood friendships help kids build trust in people outside their families and consequently help lay the groundwork for healthy adult relationships. "These good, close relationships -- we can't allow them to wilt away. They are essential to allowing kids to develop poise and allowing kids to play with their emotions, express emotions, all the functions of support that go with adult relationships," Professor Parker said.
"These are things that we talk about all the time," said Lori Evans, a psychologist at the New York University Child Study Center. "We don't yet have a huge body of research to confirm what we clinically think is going on."
What she and many others who work with children see are exchanges that are more superficial and more public than in the past. "When we were younger we would be on the phone for hours at a time with one person," said Ms. Evans. Today instant messages are often group chats. And, she said, "Facebook is not a conversation."
One of the concerns is that, unlike their parents -- many of whom recall having intense childhood relationships with a bosom buddy with whom they would spend all their time and tell all their secrets -- today's youths may be missing out on experiences that help them develop empathy, understand emotional nuances and read social cues like facial expressions and body language. With children's technical obsessions starting at ever-younger ages -- even kindergartners will play side by side on laptops during play dates -- their brains may eventually be rewired and those skills will fade further, some researchers believe.
Thanks!" said the boy.
"Just kidding," said the girl with another smile. "You're only slightly dorky, but other than that, you're pretty normal -- sometimes."
They both laughed.
"See you tomorrow," said the boy.
"O.K., see you," said the girl.
It was a pretty typical pre-teen exchange, one familiar through the generations. Except this one had a distinctly 2010 twist. It was conducted on Facebook. The smiles were colons with brackets. The laughs were typed ha ha's. "O.K." was just "K" and "See you" was rendered as "c ya."
Children used to actually talk to their friends. Those hours spent on the family princess phone or hanging out with pals in the neighborhood after school vanished long ago. But now, even chatting on cellphones or via e-mail (through which you can at least converse in paragraphs) is passé. For today's teenagers and preteens, the give and take of friendship seems to be conducted increasingly in the abbreviated snatches of cellphone texts and instant messages, or through the very public forum of Facebook walls and MySpace bulletins. (Andy Wilson, the 11-year-old boy involved in the banter above, has 418 Facebook friends.)
Last week, the Pew Research Center found that half of American teenagers -- defined in the study as ages 12 through 17 -- send 50 or more text messages a day and that one third send more than 100 a day. Two thirds of the texters surveyed by the center's Internet and American Life Project said they were more likely to use their cellphones to text friends than to call them. Fifty-four percent said they text their friends once a day, but only 33 percent said they talk to their friends face-to-face on a daily basis. The findings came just a few months after the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that Americans between the ages of 8 and 18 spend on average 7 1/2 hours a day using some sort of electronic device, from smart phones to MP3 players to computers -- a number that startled many adults, even those who keep their BlackBerrys within arm's reach during most waking hours.
To date, much of the concern over all this use of technology has been focused on the implications for kids' intellectual development. Worry about the social repercussions has centered on the darker side of online interactions, like cyber-bullying or texting sexually explicit messages. But psychologists and other experts are starting to take a look at a less-sensational but potentially more profound phenomenon: whether technology may be changing the very nature of kids' friendships.
"In general, the worries over cyber-bullying and sexting have overshadowed a look into the really nuanced things about the way technology is affecting the closeness properties of friendship," said Jeffrey G. Parker, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Alabama, who has been studying children's friendships since the 1980s. "We're only beginning to look at those subtle changes."
The question on researchers' minds is whether all that texting, instant messaging and online social networking allows children to become more connected and supportive of their friends -- or whether the quality of their interactions is being diminished without the intimacy and emotional give and take of regular, extended face-to-face time.
It is far too soon to know the answer. Writing in The Future of Children, a journal produced through a collaboration between the Brookings Institution and the Woodrow Wilson Center at Princeton University, Kaveri Subrahmanyam and Patricia M. Greenfield, psychologists at California State University, Los Angeles, and U.C.L.A. respectively, noted: "Initial qualitative evidence is that the ease of electronic communication may be making teens less interested in face-to-face communication with their friends. More research is needed to see how widespread this phenomenon is and what it does to the emotional quality of a relationship."
But the question is important, people who study relationships believe, because close childhood friendships help kids build trust in people outside their families and consequently help lay the groundwork for healthy adult relationships. "These good, close relationships -- we can't allow them to wilt away. They are essential to allowing kids to develop poise and allowing kids to play with their emotions, express emotions, all the functions of support that go with adult relationships," Professor Parker said.
"These are things that we talk about all the time," said Lori Evans, a psychologist at the New York University Child Study Center. "We don't yet have a huge body of research to confirm what we clinically think is going on."
What she and many others who work with children see are exchanges that are more superficial and more public than in the past. "When we were younger we would be on the phone for hours at a time with one person," said Ms. Evans. Today instant messages are often group chats. And, she said, "Facebook is not a conversation."
One of the concerns is that, unlike their parents -- many of whom recall having intense childhood relationships with a bosom buddy with whom they would spend all their time and tell all their secrets -- today's youths may be missing out on experiences that help them develop empathy, understand emotional nuances and read social cues like facial expressions and body language. With children's technical obsessions starting at ever-younger ages -- even kindergartners will play side by side on laptops during play dates -- their brains may eventually be rewired and those skills will fade further, some researchers believe.
Kasab village watches 26/11 judgement on TV
Residents of Faridkot, home to the alleged surviving gunman of the Mumbai massacre, deny any connection with their wayward son but believe India should release him in the interests of peace.
The remote town in the Pakistani farming belt of Punjab province has earned notoriety as the home of Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, accused of taking part in the 72-hour bloodbath in November 2008 that killed 166 people in Mumbai.
On Monday, as the 22-year-old Pakistani prepared to learn his fate in court, some people in Faridkot, about 26 kilometres from the Indian border, sat in groups watching TV waiting to hear the verdict, said an AFP reporter.
The day before the sentencing, a hawker distributed a weekly newspaper published by Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which Indian and US officials believe is a front for the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group blamed for the Mumbai attacks.
With Faridkot's wheat harvest in full swing, workers loading grain into vehicles to a din of folk music said they were sympathetic to Kasab's "good intentions" against an "enemy" country.
Around 10,000 people live in the town. Most of the population comprises of labourers and small farmers. Few are literate.
"Are they talking about our Ajmal?" 45-year-old Noor Ahmed asked, interrupting a discussion on how residents feel about the Indian sentencing.
"No. No. We don't know him," he said, sitting on a dirty cot in a small brick and clay room on the bank of Faridkot's canal.
"But we have sympathies for him being Muslim."
Residents said they would denounce any sentence India hands down to Kasab.
"Look, don't blame him. There is nothing wrong if he did it with good intentions against an infidel country like India," said Amjad Ali, a 60-year-old farmer with white hair.
"India should forgive him and set him free to improve relations with Pakistan," he added.
Bakhat Yar, 42, a farmer wearing a traditional grey shalwar khamis, said Kasab's father left the village years ago.
"We have never seen this boy in the village. Only his grandfather's haveli (house) is here," he said. "They have left this place, I guess."
Yar first said that Kasab should be found guilty and sentenced, then later retracted his remarks: "India should not give him the death sentence. After all, he is Muslim and if he did it against India, look what our neighbour India is doing."
The remote town in the Pakistani farming belt of Punjab province has earned notoriety as the home of Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, accused of taking part in the 72-hour bloodbath in November 2008 that killed 166 people in Mumbai.
On Monday, as the 22-year-old Pakistani prepared to learn his fate in court, some people in Faridkot, about 26 kilometres from the Indian border, sat in groups watching TV waiting to hear the verdict, said an AFP reporter.
The day before the sentencing, a hawker distributed a weekly newspaper published by Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which Indian and US officials believe is a front for the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group blamed for the Mumbai attacks.
With Faridkot's wheat harvest in full swing, workers loading grain into vehicles to a din of folk music said they were sympathetic to Kasab's "good intentions" against an "enemy" country.
Around 10,000 people live in the town. Most of the population comprises of labourers and small farmers. Few are literate.
"Are they talking about our Ajmal?" 45-year-old Noor Ahmed asked, interrupting a discussion on how residents feel about the Indian sentencing.
"No. No. We don't know him," he said, sitting on a dirty cot in a small brick and clay room on the bank of Faridkot's canal.
"But we have sympathies for him being Muslim."
Residents said they would denounce any sentence India hands down to Kasab.
"Look, don't blame him. There is nothing wrong if he did it with good intentions against an infidel country like India," said Amjad Ali, a 60-year-old farmer with white hair.
"India should forgive him and set him free to improve relations with Pakistan," he added.
Bakhat Yar, 42, a farmer wearing a traditional grey shalwar khamis, said Kasab's father left the village years ago.
"We have never seen this boy in the village. Only his grandfather's haveli (house) is here," he said. "They have left this place, I guess."
Yar first said that Kasab should be found guilty and sentenced, then later retracted his remarks: "India should not give him the death sentence. After all, he is Muslim and if he did it against India, look what our neighbour India is doing."
Co-accused Fahim Ansari, Sahabuddin, acquitted
The real punch of the 26/11 verdict lies not in the predictable judgement on Ajmal Kasab, but in the fact that two Indians who were co-accused with Kasab have been acquitted.
Judge ML Tahaliyani blasted the Mumbai police for the case it made against Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Shaikh.
Ansari was arrested in February 2008 in Lucknow, Sahabuddin in April 2008. Both men brought to Mumbai in December after 26/11.
Ansari was accused of surveying the places to be targeted during 26/11 and of passing maps on to Shaika, who allegedly forwarded these to his Pakistani handlers. The judge said, "Google has better maps than these."
The Mumbai crime branch claimed that both Ansari and Shaikh attended training camps similar to those attended by Ksaab in Pakistan.
Judge ML Tahaliyani blasted the Mumbai police for the case it made against Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Shaikh.
Ansari was arrested in February 2008 in Lucknow, Sahabuddin in April 2008. Both men brought to Mumbai in December after 26/11.
Ansari was accused of surveying the places to be targeted during 26/11 and of passing maps on to Shaika, who allegedly forwarded these to his Pakistani handlers. The judge said, "Google has better maps than these."
The Mumbai crime branch claimed that both Ansari and Shaikh attended training camps similar to those attended by Ksaab in Pakistan.
Kasab guilty says 26/11 verdict, 2 Indians acquitted
A special court has held Ajmal Kasab - the lone surviving terrorist from the 26/11 Mumbai attacks - guilty of murdering 7 people, abetting the murder of 159, conspiracy and of waging war against the nation. He has also been found guilty of kidnapping and hurting public officials. (Read: 26/11 Mumbai attack case: Kasab's trial)
The court held that 26/11 was a war against India. It will hear arguments on quantum of sentence tomorrow. If a death sentence is handed out against Kasab, the case will automatically go the Mumbai High Court. The accused too has recourse to appeal in the Mumbai High Court and further to the Supreme Court.(Read: 26/11 trial: Key moments | Kasab's flip flops)
Importantly, the two Indians accused, Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, have been found not guilty of the charges against them. The two were alleged to have prepared the maps of terror targets and passed them on to the LeT for execution of their diabolic plan, but the court found the evidence against them weak. The judge lambasted the police for shoddy investigation against the two and said, "Google has better maps." (Read: Co-accused Fahim Ansari, Sahabuddin, acquitted)
On the killing of Mumbai's top cops, the verdict says Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte was killed by Kasab's partner Abu Ismail. It was not clear who killed Anti-Terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare and senior Inspector Vijay Salaskar.
Kasab, who was in court when the judgment was delivered, barely reacted to the guilty verdict. The court said 26/11 was a war against India and that the plot was hatched in Pakistan. It has named Lashkar leaders Hafeez Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi among the guilty who are absconding. (Read: Kasab village watches 26/11 judgement on TV)
The court said circumstantial evidence proved the terrorists had handlers in Pakistan and that Saeed and Lakhvi were among 20 people involved in the conspiracy.
Eye-witness testimonies and Kasab's confession played a major part in the court reaching its verdict. These, CCTV footage, photographs, mobile records and forensic evidence had been stacked up against Kasab. Yet, it's not his involvement alone that the prosecution fought to establish, but the Pakistan link too. (Read: What Kasab did to Mumbai | Mind of a terrorist)
Ujjwal Nikam, the Public Prosecutor for the 26/11 trial, said before the verdict that the focus must be on the larger picture, "Not only from Kasab's evidence but also from other circumstantial evidence one can draw irrefutable and irresistible inference that some Pakistani army persons are involved in this place...David Headley has also admitted same thing, naming certain Pakistani Army people. So one thing is very clear that the security apparatus in Pakistan is behind the attack on 26/11.'' (Listen: How Pak remote controlled 26/11)
Though Kasab's turnarounds have surprised few, this largely open-and-shut case is a landmark in more ways than one. Catching a terrorist alive while he was attacking, piecing together the terror puzzle and then winding up the case within a year have been significant achievements. (Pics: Mumbai attacked | Bravehearts | In memory)
But the biggest setback, perhaps, that the masterminds are still at large.
For today, the focus is on Ajmal Kasab. This is the man the nation saw gunning down innocents. He may be a foot soldier in the larger plot, but his being found guilty is at least a symbolic justice. (Read & Watch: 26/11 team - The men who nailed Kasab)
The verdict comes 17 months after Kasab and nine other terrorists from Pakistan unleashed 62 hours of death and destruction on the country's financial capital on November 26, 2008.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Endgame in Iran
As time runs out on the US effort to talk Iran out of acquiring nuclear weapons, attention has shifted to the UN Security Council’s attempts to impose sanctions on Iran. Will sanctions be approved? If so, will they be effective? Russia and China’s reluctance to impose sanctions implies the necessity of substantial bargaining. Moreover, historically speaking, sanctions are likely to prove ineffective, especially in Iran’s case where time is on their side.
The Middle East is nearing a strategic crossroads: Within the next 18 months or so the decisions taken by different actors will affect issues far beyond the area itself; and time is running out. Last year’s discovery of a covert enrichment plant near Qom is probably only the tip of the iceberg; for the first time in its dealings with Iran the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently openly accused Tehran of developing nuclear weapons. Many experts now estimate that the country is at most one to two years away from acquiring a functioning nuclear device. And, judging from the regime’s increasingly defiant tone, it has no intention whatsoever to diverge from its stated policy of becoming a “nuclear nation”—one that has mastered a sufficient share of civilian nuclear technology to put nuclear weapons well within its grasp.
As time runs out and the Obama administration definitively gives up on its short-lived attempt at dialogue with Tehran, attention will again shift to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), starting with renewed Western attempts to impose sanctions on the Iranian regime in the coming weeks and months. Proposals on the table include various restrictions on institutions and persons connected with the regime, and in particular, its core support base in the Revolutionary Guard. Notably, however, recent statements have been shifting towards a whole-scale embargo on Iran’s oil industry—blocking Iranian imports of refined fuels, which it cannot produce itself, and technical supplies, and perhaps also blocking oil exports from Iran with other producers making up for the shortfall.
A two-fold question arises. First, whether such sanctions would be approved by all veto-wielding UNSC members, especially Russia and China; and second, whether such sanctions would be effective. The historical evidence is stacked against both of these possibilities. Russia and China have a long track record of being reluctant in imposing sanctions on regimes deemed “rogue” by the United States and the West. Both also have serious misgivings about the effectiveness of sanctions in general, and in Iran’s particular case, both governments described them as counterproductive on numerous occasions. While no country, including Moscow and Beijing, would be interested in the serious damage a nuclear Iran could cause to regional stability and the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), both have interests in Iran that would be affected directly by a UNSC decision to that effect. Russia is a major trading partner; China has invested heavily in Iran’s oil industry in recent years.
Any imposition of sanctions would therefore involve considerable horse-trading as well as probable linkages with other issues that affect great power relations today—with Moscow and Beijing trying to extract Western concessions in matters not necessarily connected to Iran in return for cutting themselves in the flesh. This does not exclude the possibility of sanctions being ultimately pushed through at the right price. Russia’s position in particular has begun to shift in recent weeks with the foreign ministry expressing alarm at the prospect of a nuclear Iran, and Russian defense contractors delaying the delivery of the state-of-the-art S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to the Islamic Republic, ostensibly for “technical reasons.” Still, Moscow could very easily return to its original position—and China is maintaining its traditional line emphasizing the importance of a negotiated settlement.
But even if tough sanctions came into force their effect would be highly ambiguous: The historical track record of sanctions—be they of the smart or, if you will, “dumb” variety—is highly dubious. Even in cases where they have had the time to affect elites, economies and societies, they have usually not achieved their desired result in terms of changing regime behavior. The luxury of time is certainly absent in the case of Iran, and the kind of sanctions that are currently being advocated might end up accelerating rather than stopping its nuclear program. Past and current embargoes on dual-use technology may hamper Iran’s nuclear quest from the supply side, but ultimately, its drivers on the demand side remain unaddressed: Nuclear weapons, once acquired, are a watertight guarantee of regime security from external threat. This is, and will remain, the primary driver of Iran’s nuclear ambitions in the foreseeable future, sanctions or no sanctions.
Some have clung on to the idea that an oil embargo would bring about the current regime’s downfall. Certainly, a whole-scale boycott of Iranian petroleum products would hurt Iran’s oil-dependent economy in an unprecedented way, thereby undermining Iran’s ability to provide for its population. This line of thinking, however, makes three highly uncertain assumptions. First, regime change would be dependent upon the regime’s loss of control; instead, an embargo may very well give its hardliners carte blanche for even bloodier repression than has been seen up to now in the name of “national security.” Second, the assumption is also that Iran would not resist any such development. The odds are, however, that Iran would respond by using one or all of its many options—Hamas and Hezbollah come to mind, but Iraq, Afghanistan and Hormuz are also definite possibilities should the regime be backed into a corner.
The third assumption is that the regime would fall before it actually managed to obtain “the bomb.” But if anything, an oil embargo might increase the demand-side factor in Tehran’s nuclear quest—North Korea has clearly shown how the dynamics of inter-state interaction change before and after a state goes nuclear. Before, regime destabilization remains an option; after, it becomes a folly. Among the “international community’s” greatest contemporary nightmares are those of a destabilized North Korea and Pakistan. Iran probably knows that a destabilized nuclear Iran would potentially generate equal fear into the hearts of Western policymakers, even more so, than a stable nuclear Iran, which is all the more reason to obtain the bomb quickly; for once you cross the nuclear threshold, the kinds of sanctions that actually engender regime change become irrational, providing ample opportunity for brinkmanship.
If one assumes sanctions to be either unattainable or ineffective, the choice becomes one between the two evils of nuclear deterrence and military action—and it is not a straightforward one to make. The views of nuclear deterrence as a regional stabilizer are controversial at best; they also come at the price of either abandoning the NPT, thereby allowing nukes to proliferate freely in the region, or the extension of America’s nuclear umbrella, not to mention the incomparable consequences of potential deterrence failure. The military option, on the other hand, would carry with it the certainty of regional destabilization, probably with global repercussions, and great uncertainty in terms of its chances for success. In the absence of reliable intelligence—a rare commodity indeed—military strikes would at best delay Iran’s nuclear capability.
But this is exactly what might make the military option a more rational, or less irrational, choice in combination with sanctions. If embargoes are perceived to take a long time to work, a hit on Iran’s nuclear facilities might be seen as extending the possibility for sanctions to work, even if it only ends up delaying its nuclear status. Considering the fact that Israel, as a “free agent,” might actually be both able and willing to carry out such strikes, it becomes clear to what extent this is a situation fraught with danger. And, in view of all the certainties and potentialities involved, it seems the next few years will be undesirably interesting for all.
Alert at Delhi markets continues, US warns of 'imminent' terror strike
Delhi's Sunday is being spent on edge as the alert for a possible terror strike in a crowded place continues.
The government and the police say precautions added at markets like Sarojini Nagar include security cameras, metal detector and more policemen than usual.
"Delhi police are not just concentrating on markets and malls in the national capital, but we are also keeping strict vigil on all crowded areas as it's a weekend," Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told IANS.
"Additional police forces are being deployed in all the market areas like Connaught Place, Mehrauli, Karol Bagh, Sarojini Nagar and Chandni Chowk. Even big malls in and around the city have been alerted on security checks," he said.
Soon after the terror alert, the Delhi Police appealed to the public to be vigilant. "If any suspicious object, person or vehicle is noticed, information should be passed on immediately to the nearest police station, or the public can call up toll free number - 1090," Bhagat said.
On Saturday, the US, in an advisory to citizens, warned of an "imminent" attack in the capital. Americans were asked to avoid markets like Sarojini Nagar, Greater Kailash and Karol Bagh. This is the first time the US has used the word "imminent" in any advisory on a terror alert in India. Canada and Australia issued similar advisories on Saturday. (Read: US advisory warns of Delhi attack, cops on alert)
Sources in the Indian government say that Indian intelligence agencies received information on Friday night that a person had been asked to attack a crowded place on Saturday. That alert is still being followed.
Sources say the latest threat, like other recent ones, is aimed at disrupting the Commonwealth Games in Delhi later this year. Emails received by sports bodies in UK, Canada and Australia warn them not to send athletes to Delhi for the Games. Sources say these emails have been traced to servers in Pakistan. (With IANS inputs)
The government and the police say precautions added at markets like Sarojini Nagar include security cameras, metal detector and more policemen than usual.
"Delhi police are not just concentrating on markets and malls in the national capital, but we are also keeping strict vigil on all crowded areas as it's a weekend," Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told IANS.
"Additional police forces are being deployed in all the market areas like Connaught Place, Mehrauli, Karol Bagh, Sarojini Nagar and Chandni Chowk. Even big malls in and around the city have been alerted on security checks," he said.
Soon after the terror alert, the Delhi Police appealed to the public to be vigilant. "If any suspicious object, person or vehicle is noticed, information should be passed on immediately to the nearest police station, or the public can call up toll free number - 1090," Bhagat said.
On Saturday, the US, in an advisory to citizens, warned of an "imminent" attack in the capital. Americans were asked to avoid markets like Sarojini Nagar, Greater Kailash and Karol Bagh. This is the first time the US has used the word "imminent" in any advisory on a terror alert in India. Canada and Australia issued similar advisories on Saturday. (Read: US advisory warns of Delhi attack, cops on alert)
Sources in the Indian government say that Indian intelligence agencies received information on Friday night that a person had been asked to attack a crowded place on Saturday. That alert is still being followed.
Sources say the latest threat, like other recent ones, is aimed at disrupting the Commonwealth Games in Delhi later this year. Emails received by sports bodies in UK, Canada and Australia warn them not to send athletes to Delhi for the Games. Sources say these emails have been traced to servers in Pakistan. (With IANS inputs)
Youth detained for creating panic about blasts in Delhi
Jammu and Kashmir Police has detained a youth alleged to be the brain behind spreading panic by making calls claiming that blasts will be carried out in crowded markets of Delhi, which had prompted even the United States to issue a travel warning.
Highly-placed sources in the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department said that the man was detained in the wee hours after a massive manhunt was launched to nab him.
Last week, the security agencies had monitored his activities including his conversation with one "Furqan", suspected to be a Lashkar-e-Toiba operative across the border, and claiming that a group had entered India through Bangladesh and Nepal to carry out blasts in the national capital.
He is alleged to have been roped in by overground workers of separatist and terror groups for making such frivolous calls and creating panic among the intelligence agencies and unrest in other parts of the country, the sources said.
The Kashmiri youth had earlier also misguided the intelligence agencies by indulging in these kinds of acts, they said.
However, in absence of any stringent law, he managed to walk free, the sources said.
The successive warden notices issued by the US and sharing of intelligence by the American authorities raised eyebrows this time following which the authorities decided to get to the bottom of the case.
The US had issued a fresh advisory warning of "imminent" terror attacks in New Delhi, particularly in busy market places like Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and Chandni Chowk, which are "attractive targets" for terrorist groups.
"This warden message provides updated information related to the April 21, 2010 warden message and additional information related to the travel alert issued for India on April 16, 2010," the renewed advisory primarily intended for American citizens in India had said and also pointed out that there were "increased indications that terrorists are planning imminent attacks in New Delhi."
While countries like the UK and Australia were quick to follow, issuing travel alerts, Delhi Police went on high alert increasing its presence at all important places in the national capital, especially the markets mentioned in the advisories issued by the respective countries.
In the meantime, the Kashmiri youth, who was picked up after series of night-long raids by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, is understood to have told his interrogators that he had been promised money for creating such panic.
Highly-placed sources in the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department said that the man was detained in the wee hours after a massive manhunt was launched to nab him.
Last week, the security agencies had monitored his activities including his conversation with one "Furqan", suspected to be a Lashkar-e-Toiba operative across the border, and claiming that a group had entered India through Bangladesh and Nepal to carry out blasts in the national capital.
He is alleged to have been roped in by overground workers of separatist and terror groups for making such frivolous calls and creating panic among the intelligence agencies and unrest in other parts of the country, the sources said.
The Kashmiri youth had earlier also misguided the intelligence agencies by indulging in these kinds of acts, they said.
However, in absence of any stringent law, he managed to walk free, the sources said.
The successive warden notices issued by the US and sharing of intelligence by the American authorities raised eyebrows this time following which the authorities decided to get to the bottom of the case.
The US had issued a fresh advisory warning of "imminent" terror attacks in New Delhi, particularly in busy market places like Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and Chandni Chowk, which are "attractive targets" for terrorist groups.
"This warden message provides updated information related to the April 21, 2010 warden message and additional information related to the travel alert issued for India on April 16, 2010," the renewed advisory primarily intended for American citizens in India had said and also pointed out that there were "increased indications that terrorists are planning imminent attacks in New Delhi."
While countries like the UK and Australia were quick to follow, issuing travel alerts, Delhi Police went on high alert increasing its presence at all important places in the national capital, especially the markets mentioned in the advisories issued by the respective countries.
In the meantime, the Kashmiri youth, who was picked up after series of night-long raids by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, is understood to have told his interrogators that he had been promised money for creating such panic.
Sikh woman likely killed her babies: Canada police
A 28-year-old Sikh woman who was found dead along with her three infants in Calgary in October last year. It is likely she killed the babies herself in depression, Canadian police has said.
Harsimrat Kahlon (alias Simmi Kahlon) was found dead in the home in October 2009. Family members subsequently found the bodies of three infants hidden in sealed plastic bags and suitcases around the basement unit she shared with her partner.
The mystery surrounding the four deaths was revealed on Thursday when police said the mother died of complications related to childbirth.
It was still unclear how the newborns died.
However, police said the case "has many of the characteristics of infanticide" due to the physical and psychological evidence they gathered.
Kahlon's diary entries reflect a long history of mental illnesses.
She suffered from borderline personality disorder, said forensic psychologist Dr Thomas Dalby, who was part of the investigation.
"It was clear that she was significantly depressed at times, looked at herself as worthless, and had lost her will for life," said Dalby.
Kahlon gave birth to the first child in hospital in 2005, while delivering the other children she was alone in her house, according to police.
She went to great lengths to conceal her pregnancies from her partner and others.
Investigators are satisfied no one other than Kahlon was involved in the deaths and no charges against anyone else are being filed.
Harsimrat Kahlon (alias Simmi Kahlon) was found dead in the home in October 2009. Family members subsequently found the bodies of three infants hidden in sealed plastic bags and suitcases around the basement unit she shared with her partner.
The mystery surrounding the four deaths was revealed on Thursday when police said the mother died of complications related to childbirth.
It was still unclear how the newborns died.
However, police said the case "has many of the characteristics of infanticide" due to the physical and psychological evidence they gathered.
Kahlon's diary entries reflect a long history of mental illnesses.
She suffered from borderline personality disorder, said forensic psychologist Dr Thomas Dalby, who was part of the investigation.
"It was clear that she was significantly depressed at times, looked at herself as worthless, and had lost her will for life," said Dalby.
Kahlon gave birth to the first child in hospital in 2005, while delivering the other children she was alone in her house, according to police.
She went to great lengths to conceal her pregnancies from her partner and others.
Investigators are satisfied no one other than Kahlon was involved in the deaths and no charges against anyone else are being filed.
Obama pokes fun at McCain's maverick claim
President Barack Obama shared some words of wisdom on Saturday, saying there a few things in life harder to find and more important to keep than love.
"Well, love and a birth certificate," Obama quipped at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, poking fun at those who question his place of birth. "I happen to know that my approval ratings are still very high in the country of my birth." Obama was born in Hawaii, but birthers question whether he was born overseas.
Obama also jabbed Jay Leno, the comedian headlining the dinner. Obama dinged Leno as "the only person whose ratings fell more than mine."
He said he was glad he spoke before the television host, "because we have all seen what happens when somebody takes the time slot after Leno." Comic Conan O'Brien left NBC after his stint hosting "The Tonight Show" following Leno didn't work out.
He took aim at his own administration too, cracking jokes about Vice President Joe Biden and his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
Republicans were also the victims of many Obama punch lines. The president noted Sen. John McCain's claim this year that he was not identified as a maverick. "We all know what happens in Arizona when you don't have ID. ... Adios amigos," Obama quipped, referring to a new law in the state that targets illegal immigration.
He wasn't hesitant to mention the attention-hungry couple who crashed his state dinner last fall. "Odds are that the Salahis are here. There haven't been people that were more unwelcome at a party since Charlie Crist," he said about the Florida governor who decided to defect from the Republican party.
Although his poll numbers are down, Obama said he hears he's popular on Twitter and Facebook. "Or as Sarah Palin call it, the socialized media," he said.
Leno picked up on this joke to take a dig at Obama, saying the president isn't as aloof as some critics say he is. "He loves to socialize -- health care, car companies," Leno said, naming a few industries where the Obama administration has intervened.
Obama also acknowledged the problems facing the Gulf coast after the disastrous BP oil spill. He plans to go to the Gulf Coast Sunday for a firsthand assessment on efforts to contain the massive oil spill from an offshore drilling rig.
Among the 3,000 guests on hand included Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, comedian Chevy Chase, actor Alec Baldwin, comedian Bill Maher, actress Michelle Pfeiffer, actor Dennis Quaid, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, GOP Chairman Michael Steele, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, White House senior adviser David Axelrod, the Jonas brothers and pop star Justin Bieber.
Hollywood heavyweights Michael Douglas and Steven Spielberg were seen chatting with Emanuel.
At the dinner, the White House Correspondents' Association introduced students who received college scholarships.
Honored at the dinner were several journalists:
--Ben Feller of The Associated Press and Jake Tapper of ABC News, for winning the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. Feller won for his coverage of Obama's unexpected late-night visit to Dover Air Force Base to honor fallen soldiers. Tapper won for his story that revealed tax problems of former Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.
--Mark Knoller, of CBS News, for winning the Aldo Beckman award for sustained excellence in White House coverage. Knoller won for his work covering the White House for more than 35 years and in using multiple platforms to report.
--Suzanne Bohan and Sandy Kleffman, of the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times, for winning the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance. They were cited for a four-part series entitled, "Shortened Lives: Where You Live Matters."
The White House Correspondents' Association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner.
"Well, love and a birth certificate," Obama quipped at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, poking fun at those who question his place of birth. "I happen to know that my approval ratings are still very high in the country of my birth." Obama was born in Hawaii, but birthers question whether he was born overseas.
Obama also jabbed Jay Leno, the comedian headlining the dinner. Obama dinged Leno as "the only person whose ratings fell more than mine."
He said he was glad he spoke before the television host, "because we have all seen what happens when somebody takes the time slot after Leno." Comic Conan O'Brien left NBC after his stint hosting "The Tonight Show" following Leno didn't work out.
He took aim at his own administration too, cracking jokes about Vice President Joe Biden and his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
Republicans were also the victims of many Obama punch lines. The president noted Sen. John McCain's claim this year that he was not identified as a maverick. "We all know what happens in Arizona when you don't have ID. ... Adios amigos," Obama quipped, referring to a new law in the state that targets illegal immigration.
He wasn't hesitant to mention the attention-hungry couple who crashed his state dinner last fall. "Odds are that the Salahis are here. There haven't been people that were more unwelcome at a party since Charlie Crist," he said about the Florida governor who decided to defect from the Republican party.
Although his poll numbers are down, Obama said he hears he's popular on Twitter and Facebook. "Or as Sarah Palin call it, the socialized media," he said.
Leno picked up on this joke to take a dig at Obama, saying the president isn't as aloof as some critics say he is. "He loves to socialize -- health care, car companies," Leno said, naming a few industries where the Obama administration has intervened.
Obama also acknowledged the problems facing the Gulf coast after the disastrous BP oil spill. He plans to go to the Gulf Coast Sunday for a firsthand assessment on efforts to contain the massive oil spill from an offshore drilling rig.
Among the 3,000 guests on hand included Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, comedian Chevy Chase, actor Alec Baldwin, comedian Bill Maher, actress Michelle Pfeiffer, actor Dennis Quaid, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, GOP Chairman Michael Steele, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, White House senior adviser David Axelrod, the Jonas brothers and pop star Justin Bieber.
Hollywood heavyweights Michael Douglas and Steven Spielberg were seen chatting with Emanuel.
At the dinner, the White House Correspondents' Association introduced students who received college scholarships.
Honored at the dinner were several journalists:
--Ben Feller of The Associated Press and Jake Tapper of ABC News, for winning the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. Feller won for his coverage of Obama's unexpected late-night visit to Dover Air Force Base to honor fallen soldiers. Tapper won for his story that revealed tax problems of former Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.
--Mark Knoller, of CBS News, for winning the Aldo Beckman award for sustained excellence in White House coverage. Knoller won for his work covering the White House for more than 35 years and in using multiple platforms to report.
--Suzanne Bohan and Sandy Kleffman, of the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times, for winning the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance. They were cited for a four-part series entitled, "Shortened Lives: Where You Live Matters."
The White House Correspondents' Association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner.
US Army captain becomes king in Afghanistan
In the US Army, Casey Thoreen is just a 30-year-old captain. Around here, he's known as the "King of Maiwand" district -- testimony to the fact that without the young captain and a fat international wallet, local government in Hutal, Kandahar, as in much of the insurgency-ravaged south could not function at all.
Setting up effective governments at the district level is key to US strategy. US officials hope that providing basic services will draw support away from the Taliban, especially here in the Islamist group's heartland of Kandahar province.
But in this dusty farming community 40 miles (60 kilometers) west of Kandahar, Thoreen has discovered that bolstering the authority of a district governor, who relies on him almost completely for financial resources and credibility, is a delicate balancing act. He also knows the effort is unsustainable without greater support from the central Afghan government in Kabul.
"We are putting a big gamble on this," Thoreen said. "Any of this stuff we're doing here, not just at our level but the $800 billion we have spent so far in the country, is contingent on the government being effective."
For now, Thoreen and Maiwand's district governor, Obaidullah Bawari, are working with what they have -- which isn't much.
The 49-year-old Bawari, who has occupied the post for a year, has no staff except his personal assistant and no government budget except for the roughly $400 monthly salary that he receives from Kabul. He is responsible for civilian government operations in the district, including water, power and schools, and he mediates disputes.
There are about 150 Afghan police deployed in Maiwand, but they report to both the chief of police in Kandahar City as well as the provincial governor.
"Everything you see here is from the coalition forces," said Bawari, sweeping his hand toward the center of the district capital, Hutal, where the Army has paid for a new government headquarters, an agricultural center and various other projects.
It's a picture repeated across the country, including in the ethnic Pashtun heartland of southern Afghanistan, where opposition to the government and support for the Taliban run deep.
The Afghan government recently launched a new program backed by the U.S. to increase support to 80 key districts in the country, many of them in the south and east.
But Kandahar's provincial governor, Tooryalai Wesa, visited Maiwand for the first time recently and said he didn't have any additional resources to offer the district.
"That kind of blew my mind," said Thoreen, a West Point graduate from Seattle, Washington. "After nine years in Afghanistan we're still at this point."
When the troops from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment first arrived in Hutal in September, Bawari basically had no authority within the district because he doesn't come from a powerful family and isn't well-educated.
"He was very intimidated, very helpless and had no sense of his responsibilities," Thoreen said.
The troops, who live in a small base in the middle of Hutal, have tried to boost Bawari's standing by encouraging him to take credit for development projects the U.S. military funded. They have also set up a series of traditional meetings, known as shuras, with tribal elders in an attempt to enlist their support.
"Through the district leader and us, the elders are involved in laying out the ideas for these projects and actually implementing them," Thoreen said. "All that has enhanced and empowered the district leader as well."
But the dynamic gets more complicated when Thoreen and the district governor disagree on an issue. That presents the captain with the difficult choice: either overrule Bawari and damage his authority or give in and accept a decision he believes is bad for the mission.
Such a situation arose at a recent shura when 25 farmers showed up to demand the return of more than 300 pounds (135 kilograms) of opium that Special Forces had seized from a car.
Thoreen refused to return the opium or compensate them for it, saying US forces have been clear that while they will not seize drugs from individual farmers, they will target smugglers. He sidelined Bawari during the debate because he knew the district governor disagreed with him and wanted to return the opium.
"I knew he would go that way in the shura if I opened it up to him, so I intentionally did not ask his opinion on it," said Thoreen.
Afterward, Bawari complained that the captain's decision damaged his credibility.
"The coalition forces didn't give the farmers a good answer and they walked away angry with us," he said.
But Thoreen said there have been other times when he has caved to the district governor's wishes, including agreeing to release three insurgents who had been caught with weapons just before they were about to attack a NATO supply convoy. He freed them after significant pressure from Bawari and a large number of tribal elders, who promised to prevent the men from engaging in future insurgent activity.
"It may not have been the greatest thing to do since we arrested one of the guys again doing something similar, but we created value in the district leader for the people through that decision," Thoreen said.
The district governor certainly appreciates Thoreen's efforts and says he is worried about what will happen when the captain leaves this summer with the rest of the 5th Stryker Brigade.
"We need the next person who comes to be exactly like Capt. Thoreen, patient and very smart," said Bawari. "If we get that kind of person, we won't have any problems."
Thoreen is flattered by the compliment, but adds a word of caution.
"I think that's all right as long as other people don't see that and think he's dependent on me," Thoreen said.
Maharashtra turns 50; Sachin, Lata, Thacekrays pay tribute
As Maharashtra celebrated 50 years of its statehood on Saturday, the self-proclaimed champions of the Marathi manoos: the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena launched a series of programs to attract the Marathi vote - from roping in Lata Mangeskar to sing praises of the state, to felicitating master blaster Sachin Tendulkar.
Sena supremo Bal Thackeray used everything, from party mouthpiece Saamna to even a record breaking blood donation drive.
In his speech Thackeray said, "The youth of today who attend rave parties need to know what sacrifice is. It is not enough to just visit the martyrs memorial."
Raj Thackeray, MNS Chief retorted, "I have woken up those who were sleeping. Lata Mangeshkar came even when I invited her to my function." Lata Mangeshkar will perform at a Shiv Sena organised function later today where she is expected to sing the same song she sang 50 years ago, the day Maharashtra was born.
Activities have sparked off a war of words between Bal Thackeray and his nephew Raj who broke away from the Sena to launch the MNS.
The war of words is taking place not just at public events but even on public hoardings.
Shiv Sena first put up a hoarding outside the Sena Bhavan or Sena headquarters in Dadar, saying- Some chose to break blood relations, others forged new relations through blood, a clear reference to the Sena's blood donation drive, spearheaded by party Executive President, Uddhav, but making a point about his cousin Raj. Not to be left behind in this hoarding battle, the MNS put one up right next to the Sena's claiming the MNS' love for the land, read Maharashtra, went way beyond family ties.
Shiv Sena Spokesperson, Sanjay Raut joined in. "What is this MNS? We have Bal Thackeray who was part of the fight for Maharashtra on our side."
The MNS in its turn organised food festivals, football tourneys and even felicitated prominent Marathis including Sachin Tendulkar who was recently targetted by Bal Thackeray. Sachin Tendulkar was also presented with a replica of the Jagdamba sword. Besides the master blaster, other prominent dignitaries felicitated include cricketers Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, historian Babasaheb Purandare, Dr. R Mhashelkar, actors Ashok Saraf, Sachin Pilgaonkar, renowned singer Kishori Amonkar.
The level to which the Thackeray conflict has reached perhaps best reflected at the statue of family patriarch Prabodhankar Thackeray that stands near the Portuguese statue in Dadar. A well-known social reformer and activist, Prabodhankar Thackeray played a key role in the fight for a united Maharashtra. Fifty years on his statue is lined almost evenly with flags of his warring descendants.
In the midst of it all, is Mumbai's Marathi manoos taking the bait?
One lady from Andheri said, "All of them are fighting for the Marathis, but we have seen little success from it."
A staunch Raj Thackeray supporter added, "The brothers may be fighting but we are benefitting from it. And Raj Thackeray has led the way."
Another Mumbaikar said, "Their fight is an internal family fight. We see them as being united for our cause."
So is this political one upmanship really benefitting the Marathi manoos, for whom all this is being done? The jury as they say is still out on that.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
US warns of imminent terrorist attacks in Delhi
The US has indicated that terrorists are planning imminent attacks in Delhi. The country has asked its citizens in Delhi to be highly vigilant. (Read: April 22 - US warns of terror strikes in Delhi markets)
Attacks are likely in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in Delhi. All precautions were in place and there was no need to panic, the Home Ministry further said.
Reacting to the fresh warning, the Indian Home Ministry said that it was aware of these terror threats, which are not specific to Delhi. However, the ministry said that the terror warning was related to increased infiltration attempts in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the latest alert issued to its citizens the US says, "There are increased indications that terrorists are planning imminent attacks in New Delhi. Terrorists have targeted places in the past where US citizens or Westerners are known to congregate or visit. Markets, such as those located in Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash, Karol Bagh, Mehrauli, and Sarojini Nagar, can be especially attractive targets for terrorist groups".
"If you are in an area where unattended packages are spotted, you should immediately exit the area and report the packages to authorities," the alert adds.
Americans traveling or residing in India are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, remain aware of their surroundings, monitor local news reports, and take appropriate steps to bolster their personal security.
Attacks are likely in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in Delhi. All precautions were in place and there was no need to panic, the Home Ministry further said.
Reacting to the fresh warning, the Indian Home Ministry said that it was aware of these terror threats, which are not specific to Delhi. However, the ministry said that the terror warning was related to increased infiltration attempts in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the latest alert issued to its citizens the US says, "There are increased indications that terrorists are planning imminent attacks in New Delhi. Terrorists have targeted places in the past where US citizens or Westerners are known to congregate or visit. Markets, such as those located in Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash, Karol Bagh, Mehrauli, and Sarojini Nagar, can be especially attractive targets for terrorist groups".
"If you are in an area where unattended packages are spotted, you should immediately exit the area and report the packages to authorities," the alert adds.
Americans traveling or residing in India are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, remain aware of their surroundings, monitor local news reports, and take appropriate steps to bolster their personal security.
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