Manhunt for the Charlie Hebdo ended
10012015
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Friday said that he is not ruling out the possibility of more terrorist attacks against the country.
“France has faced an unprecedented level of terrorism. We cannot exclude the possibility of new attacks against the country. France is leading a real war against terrorism,” Valls said in a statement.
An additional wave of panic gripped France when an unnamed gunman took two womenhostage at a jewelry store in the southern city of Montpellier without making any demands.
The man’s motives were still unclear after he surrendered to police following nearly nine hours of negotiations and led the hostages go unharmed. Local authorities denied the incident had any connection to this week’s terror attacks.
France nationwide manhunt has ended following the deadly shooting at the headquarters of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in central Paris. Police operations resulted in the deaths of hostage takers in two separate locations, as well as several hostages.
A three-day manhunt for the Charlie Hebdo attackers ended dramatically with two hostage situations, in which 7 people were killed, including the gunmen. Casualties came in the Paris kosher store crisis that revealed more terror accomplices.
Friday’s events played out at two separate locations: in Dammartin-en-Goele northeast of Paris, where Wednesday’s shooting suspects, Cherif and Said Kouachi, were found, and in the capital’s Porte de Vincennes neighborhood, where a Kouachi-linked gunman named Amedy Coulibaly took hostages at a kosher grocery store.
French special forces used stun grenades and assault rifles to storm the two locations. The National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), a special operations unit of the French Armed Forces, led the assaults.
Kouachi brothers were surrounded at Dammartin-en-Goele printworks and reportedly opened machine gun fire at police. A worker barricaded himself in the same building and was initially believed to be a hostage, but it turned out the gunmen had no idea he was there.
The 26-year-old Lilian, who reportedly hid “under a sink in the canteen” upstairs, was terrified, but nevertheless managed to tip the police off with some valuable “tactical”information.
He also texted his father with the following: “I hid on the first floor. I think they killed everyone. Tell the police to intervene,” reported Le Figaro.
Security forces had the building surrounded for most of Friday. The assault began at a time when several loud blasts were heard and smoke was seen rising over the building. Police decided to launch the assault when they learned the gunmen had started praying, according to BFMTV.
The two brothers were armed with Kalashnikov rifles, Molotov cocktails and a loaded rocket launcher. They emerged firing on security forces, injuring one policeman during a shootout captured on camera.
A three-day manhunt for the Charlie Hebdo attackers ended dramatically with two hostage situations, in which 7 people were killed, including the gunmen. Casualties came in the Paris kosher store crisis that revealed more terror accomplices.
Coulibaly’s partner and alleged accomplice, Hayat Boumeddiene, has been put on the police wanted list and is currently at large. She is believed to be armed. Boumeddiene had exchanged about 500 phone calls with a companion of one of the Kouachi brothers, according to authorities.
Friday’s events played out at two separate locations: in Dammartin-en-Goele northeast of Paris, where Wednesday’s shooting suspects, Cherif and Said Kouachi, were found, and in the capital’s Porte de Vincennes neighborhood, where a Kouachi-linked gunman named Amedy Coulibaly took hostages at a kosher grocery store.
French special forces used stun grenades and assault rifles to storm the two locations. The National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), a special operations unit of the French Armed Forces, led the assaults.
Police take up a position on a roof in Dammartin-en-Goele, north-east of Paris, where they cornered Charlie Hebdo suspects.
Police take up a position on a roof in Dammartin-en-Goele, north-east of Paris, where they cornered Charlie Hebdo suspects.
The Kouachi brothers were surrounded at Dammartin-en-Goele printworks and reportedly opened machine gun fire at police. A worker barricaded himself in the same building and was initially believed to be a hostage, but it turned out the gunmen had no idea he was there.
The 26-year-old Lilian, who reportedly hid “under a sink in the canteen” upstairs, was terrified, but nevertheless managed to tip the police off with some valuable “tactical” information. He also texted his father with the following: “I hid on the first floor. I think they killed everyone. Tell the police to intervene,” reported Le Figaro.
Security forces had the building surrounded for most of Friday. The assault began at a time when several loud blasts were heard and smoke was seen rising over the building. Police decided to launch the assault when they learned the gunmen had started praying, according to BFMTV.
School children evacuated near the scene of a hostage.
It was later revealed that the two brothers were armed with Kalashnikov rifles, Molotov cocktails and a loaded rocket launcher. They emerged firing on security forces, injuring one policeman during a shootout captured on camera.
Roughly around the same time the Charlie Hebdo attack suspects were surrounded, a man of West African appearance entered a Paris kosher store armed with automatic rifles. Shortly after going into the shop, the gunman shot four people and took 16 other people hostage, some of whom managed to hide in the store’s refrigerator.
A statement sent to several media outlets by an alleged member of Al-Qaeda in Yemen claims the terrorist group is responsible for the Charlie Hebdo shooting and carried it out as a “revenge for the honor” of Prophet Muhammad.
The attack in France was a joint Al Qaeda and Daulah op-Kouavchi-Al Qaeda, Amedy Coulibaly-Islamic State
Media agencies
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Politics
Sindhushree Khullar is Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog
10012015
Jan 10
The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has appointed senior bureaucrat Sindhushree Khullar as the Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog. She will serve in the post for one year starting from 1st January.
The Government had replaced Planning Commission with a new institution named National Institution for Transforming India, NITI Aayog on 1st January. The institution will serve as Think Tank of the Government. Noted Economist Arvind Panagariya was appointed Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog on 5th of this month.
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Business
AAP: People of Delhi remind the PM his promises.
10012015
Friday, 9 January
With the people of Delhi eagerly awaiting the date of elections, the Prime Minister has finally found time to address the residents of the national capital, though his government has been controlling the city since seven months.
These seven months have seen price-rise, power cuts, communal tension and the national capital has been left neglected by the BJP’s central government.
The BJP had made certain big promises to the people of Delhi during the Lok Sabha elections and it was the only party which had brought out a Delhi specific manifesto in this election.
The Aam Aadmi Party is reminding the Prime Minister and his party the BJP, their forgotten promises for Delhi
1) Full statehood :
BJP has been promising full statehood this since 1993 in all its manifestoes for Delhi. It was in power in Delhi between1993-98 and at the centre between 1998 and May 2004. It did not do anything except mere lip service.
- For the Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections last year the BJP again promised full statehood for Delhi, but strangely it has been silent since it came to power at the Centre in May 2014.
BJP’s chief ministerial candidate last year and now the union minister, Dr Harshvardhan had tweeted on 1 March 2014 ;“Delhi will be granted full statehood when BJP will come to power at the Centre.”
The BJP government, however, made a u-turn which is evident from the reply given by the minister of state for home, Mr Kiren Rijiju in the Rajya Sabha on 16 July 2014, it is reproduced below:
There is no proposal before the Union government to accord statehood to Delhi, Rajya Sabha was informed today (16 July, 2014) .
In a written reply to a question asked by Rajya Sabha member Vijay Goel, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said, “At present, no proposal is under consideration of the Union government to accord statehood to Delhi.”
People of Delhi want to know what is the BJP’s stand currently on this issue ?
2) ELECTRICITY RATES : BJP had promised 30% reduction in electricity tariffs, both during the 2013 Vidhan Sabha elections and Lok Sabha elections this year.
What happened to BJP’s promise ?
- Power minister Piyush Goyal promised inverter free Delhi in two year. What has been done till now ?
- When will the BJP get the audit of private power distribution companies done in Delhi ?
3) Regularisation of unauthorised colonies :
- Since when can people get their registries done ? Housing Loans ? Basic amenities ?
4) WATER : Since when will Haryana start giving Delhi its due share ?
5) MCD : When will MCD start functioning as an honest organisation ?
6) WOMEN SECURITY : When will Delhi Police be accountable to people of Delhi ?
7) When will the Centre notify the SIT recommended by the AAP government to bring out the truth of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots?
The AAP will raise these issues prominently during its campaign and will make the people aware about the BJP’s deception with the people of Delhi (ENDS)
Regards,
AAP Media cell
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Opinion, Politics
Odisha politics : Janaki’s return is a challenge to Naveen
10012015
ASHOK B SHARMA
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik may face a difficult challenge if the revival of the Congress party takes place at this juncture when he is engulfed by a series of scams – from MineGate to CoalGate to land and housing scam to relief scam to the new Ponzi scam. He knows pretty well that at present the BJP will not disturb him much as the Modi government at the Centre would seek BJD’s help in passing some important bills in the Rajya Sabha. The only challenge can come from the Congress which is already aggressive and can become an effective challenge if it revives itself.
Signs of Congress party rejuvenating in Odisha is on the offing with the return of the veteran and the former chief minister Janaki Bhallav Panaik to the state after completing his tenure as Governor of Assam. Not being pleased with the functioning of the party in the state, the Congress high command in Delhi has signalled the cadres to invigorate the party.
Just before the patriarch JB Patnaik was about to complete his tenure and return to Odisha, one of the former chief ministers Hemanand Biswal convened a conclave of state Congress leaders to chalk out a strategy to revive the party. Though the president of the state unit Jaydev Jena and other party functionaries were invited, none of them turned up.
Biswal';s attempt was not to directly challenge the present state Congress leadership, he has voiced his opinion that JB Patnaik, being a senior leader, his return will certainly help the Congress in the state. Similar were the views of those who attended the meeting like the former state unit president Niranjan Patnaik, former working president of the state unit, Chandrasekhar Sahu, former Union minister KC Lenka, former MP, Ananta Sethi, Mahila, Congress president, Bijaylaxmi Sahoo, former minister Sitakanta Mohapatra.
The Pattnaik group dominated the state Congress party for quite some time till they were ousted by the group led by Jaydev Jena and the former Union minister Srikanta Jena. Despite the several scams and scandals engulfing Naveen Pattnaik';s regime, the Congress party under the leadership of Jayadev Jena could not halt the march of the ruling BJD. Naveen Patnaik bounced back to power for the fourth time in succession with renewed vigour bagging 117 out of 147 Assembly seats. BJD';s show in Lok sabha also improved substantially as it won 20 of the state';s 21 seats.
But it is still not clear in which way the Congress high command in Delhi would like to rejuvenate the party in the state. Though with his growing age, JB Patnaik may not be willing to directly take up the burden, but he can act as a resource person and a mentor. He has already sent enough signals that his group be given more responsibility in the party over the Jenas who now control the party. This would amount to restoring Niranjan Patnaik as the president of state unit and bringing back his son-in-law Soumya Ranjan Panaik who had been expelled from the party.
However, there is a problem with JB’s son-in-law Soumya. He was expelled from the party for indiscipline and calling the high command ‘nonsense’ There is a growing clamour to bring back Soumya, who is a media baron. If he is apologetic for his past mistakes and if JB exerts his influence, his comeback may be possible.
The Jena-led Congress in the state could not take much advantage over Naveen’s corrupt regime. In the last winter session of the Assembly, the Opposition Congress supported by BJP put up an aggressive face demanding debate on Ponzi scam in which several top leaders of the BJD including Naveen close aide, Saroj Sahoo came under the CBI scanner. The Opposition also demanded a debate on host of other scams relating to mining, coal, relief work and land and house allotment. But the winter session of the Assembly was abruptly ended by adopting a motion reducing the number of sitting days in a calendar year.
In the yesteryears, there was a virtual breakdown of law and order in the state with Maoist insurgency at its peak and incidence of rape cases on the rises. However, the Maoist insurgency has lessened with the arrest of its top leader Sabyasachi Panda and surrender of Nachika Linga. The incidence of rape cases too has come down.
There was an aborted coup by Naveen’s one time adviser, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra. The resentment in the party kept on growing and even saw the expulsion of a senior member Prafulla Chandra Ghadai.
On the Industrial front, the picture remained gloomy amid tardy and marred by sluggish progress despite the state';s claim about attracting lakhs of crores of rupees investments as mega projects like POSCO and Vedanta failed to make headway due to varied reasons including hurdles in land acquisition and mineral linkage.
The state government’s failure to ink MoUs involving huge investments forced several companies to pull out. While ArcelorMittal had already dropped its Rs 40,000 crore steel project, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) recently announced its plan to scrap its Rs 60,000 crore Coal-to-Liquid (CTL) project in Angul district following cancellation of Ramchandi coal block by the Supreme Court. While the government had signed MoUs with 92 companies in last 15 years, only 41 industries have started partial production so far.
Farmers made distress sale of paddy by farmers in many areas due to failure on the part of the government to open adequate number of ‘;mandis'; in time for procurement. Paddy procurement in 118 market yards of the Regulated Market Committees (RMC) of Bargarh, Atabira and Padampur in Bargarh district was stalled due to online flaws resulting in lakhs of paddy bags lying under the open sky in the market yards for 10 to 15 days.
With Naveen at the centre of problems, some Congress leaders await for JB’s mentorship in making it a Patnaik verses Patnaik in Odisha politics.
(Ashok B Sharma is a senior independent Columnist writing on Strategic & Policy Issues in several Indian and international newspapers and magazines. He can be reached at ashokbsharma@gmail.com His mobile phone no 09810902204)
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Opinion, Politics
Tourism Toronto hosts thanksgiving dinner in Mumbai
10012015
Mumbai 09th January 2015: In its endeavor to promote Toronto as a preferred MICE destination, Tourism Toronto recently hosted an exclusive VIP invitee thanksgiving dinner for its travel trade partners & select corporate companies in Mumbai. The objective of this event was to get them all together for a fun filled evening as well as garner further interest for Toronto as a MICE destination along with its wide offerings and various attractions.
The function was attended by close to 70 travel trade partners and corporate firms specifically handling India’s MICE traffic. Tourism Toronto provided information on various attractions including the newly introduced Edge Walk at the CN Tower, various Indian restaurants, venues for seminars and meetings, shopping centers, premium lodging options and heritage locations that feature in the city.
The dinner was a huge success with a custom themed d飯r using the Canadian colors, effective networking and very positive feedback from the attendees.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Sudarshana Kar, Account Manager, Tourism Toronto, said, “The thanksgiving dinner provided a wonderful opportunity to bring everyone together who have contributed in building the brand in India. We are very thankful to our friends from the travel fraternity and corporate world for gracing the occasion with their presence and showing immense support towards Toronto in the past one year. We hope to receive their continued support in 2015.”
About Tourism Toronto: Tourism Toronto, Toronto’s Convention and Visitors Association, is an industry association of more than 1,100 members established to sell and market the greater Toronto region as a remarkable destination for tourists, convention delegates and business travelers around the globe. Tourism Toronto operates in partnership with the Greater Toronto Hotel Association and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Business, CSR, culture
UBA South Zone Inter University Basketball Tournament for Men 2014-15
10012015
Gopalakrishnan R, Chennai, 8th -9th January 2015: The UBA South Zone Inter University Basketball Tournament 2014-15 concluded earlier today in Sathyabama University, Chennai. 84 teams took part in this mammoth regional event organised by Sathyabama University under the management of Universal Basketball Alliance of India and the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
The UBA South Zone event ran from 3rd to 9th January. In an exciting finals match city rivals University of Madras and hosts Sathyabama University battled for top honours. Madras University led in the first quarter, but backed by a roaring crowd, Sathyabama fought back to take a 45-40 lead at halftime. The third quarter saw a furious rally by Madras Univeristy led by its centre Jeevanatham who is also on the senior Tamil Nadu state team that reached the finals of the just concluded 65th Senior National Championship in Bhilwara, Rajasthan. In the fourth quarter, the hosts took back a slender lead through some excellent clutch play by Delhi & Haryana player Rakesh. On the other side, for Madras University, junior international player Karthikeyan came back from an ankle injury to repeatedly go to the foul line. But Sathyabama players kept their cool down the stretch to win a tense game 84-80.
The top four teams that qualified from the South Zone for the All India Tournament in the order of their seeding are as follows:
- Sathyabama University, Chennai
- Madras University, Chennai
- Bharathiar University, Coimbatore
- Jain University, Bengaluru
The top teams from the other three zones that will arrive shortly to Sathyabama University for the All India Tournament from 12th to 19th January 2015 are as follows:
North Zone
- Punjab University, Chandigarh
- Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
- University of Delhi, Delhi
- Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
East Zone
- Mahatma Gandhi Kasi Vidyapeeth University, Varanasi
- Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur
- Burdwan University, Burdwan
- Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanshal University, Jaunpur
West Zone
- Bharati Vidya Peet University, Pune
- University of Rajasthan, Jaipur
- Savitribai Phule University, Pune
- Shivaji University, Kolhapur
Apart from the lively organisation of the event by the students at Sathyabama University (desi hip-hop music between quarters, a huge LED screen showcasing top 10 NBA plays of high fliers like Blake Griffin, and a sizeable local college crowd to watch the teams play) what stood out was the timely conduct of the matches, faultless keeping of the digital scoreboards and the top class indoor court. If this is how the South Zone rounds have been conducted, the National Championship promises to be a blast.
South Zone Results from 8th- 9th January 2015
Finals
Sathyabama University, Chennai (Vimalraj 19, Rakesh 16 pts & 13 rbs, Muin Bek 16 pts & 13 rbs, Prem 15 pts & 10 rbs) bt Madras University, Chennai (P Jeevanatham 22 pts & 18 rbs, S Karthikeyan 18, GA Anto 13) 84-80 [20-25, 25-15, 20-22, 19-18]
3rd and 4th Place Match
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore (Manivanan 30, Gopi 30) bt Jain University, Bengaluru (Visu Palani 30, Michael 20 pts & 10 rbs, Yashas Ramesh 18) 118-100 [31-23, 31-21, 28-40, 28-16]
Semifinal League (last two matches held on 8-1-15)
1) Madras University, Chennai (P Jeevanatham 27 pts & 15 rbs, A Aravind 13, P Vinoth 12) bt Jain University, Bengaluru (Visu Palani 31 pts & 11 rbs, Michael 15 pts & 12 rbs, PReetham 10, Vinoth 10) 102-77 [26-17, 20-22, 31-13, 25-25]
2) Sathyabama University, Chennai (Munbak 26, Rakesh 25, Arun Prasanth 16) bt Bharathiar University, Coimbatore (R Manivanan 20, M Gopi 16, R Shanmugam 14) 87-74[18-12, 15-15, 22-21, 32-26]
About Association of Indian Universities (AIU)
The idea of bringing together all the universities on a common platform emerged from the deliberations of a Conference of the Vice Chancellors of Universities convened by Lord Reading, the then Viceroy of India at Shimla in 1924. The Inter-University Board (IUB) of India was subsequently formed on March 23, 1925, with the view of promoting university activities, especially by way of sharing information and co-operation in the field of education, culture, sports and allied areas. The Inter-University Board acquired a legal status with its registration in 1967 as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 1973, it assumed its present name: The Association of Indian Universities (AIU). The membership includes traditional universities, open universities, professional universities, Institutes of National Importance and deemed-to-be universities. In addition, there is a provision of granting of Associate Membership to universities of neighbouring countries.
About the All India University Championships
The Association of Indian Universities (“AIU”) Annual Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournament is a large Pan-India basketball tournament. The winning team is crowned the number one university basketball team in India. The Tournament is structured similar to the NCAA Basketball tournament in the United States. It is broken down into regional series which are held in each of four regions in India — The South Zone, the North Zone, the East Zone, and the West Zone. The teams in each region compete in regional tournaments, and the four winning teams from each region play in the final Tournament – The Inter Zonal Tournament.
About Universal Basketball Alliance of India (UBA)
The Universal Basketball Alliance of India, LLC (“UBA”) has acquired the broadcast, merchandise and sponsorship rights to the existing, and self-governing Indian University Basketball Program. The UBA is currently securing television broadcasting arrangements, securing corporate sponsorships for tournament play, and creating merchandising opportunities.
UBA will focus its attention on the AIU and popularizing its All India Inter Zonal Tournament as an entertainment product for Indian viewers to enjoy for generations to come, just as Collegiate Basketball is in the United States.
Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : sports
Implementation of Basel III Capital Regulations in India
10012015
Implementation of Basel III Capital Regulations in India – Revised Framework for Leverage Ratio
An underlying cause of the global financial crisis was the build-up of excessive on- and off-balance sheet leverage in the banking system. In many cases, banks built up excessive leverage while apparently maintaining strong risk-based capital ratios. During the most severe part of the crisis, the banking sector was forced by the market to reduce its leverage in a manner that amplified downward pressure on asset prices. This deleveraging process exacerbated the feedback loop between losses, falling bank capital and contraction in credit availability. Therefore, under Basel III, a simple, transparent, non-risk based leverage ratio has been introduced. The leverage ratio is calibrated to act as a credible supplementary measure to the risk based capital requirements and is intended to achieve the following objectives.
- Constrain the build-up of leverage in the banking sector to avoid destabilising deleveraging processes which can damage the broader financial system and the economy;
- Reinforce the risk-based requirements with a simple, non-risk based “backstop” measure.
Definition and minimum requirement– The Basel III leverage ratio is defined as the capital measure (the numerator) divided by the exposure measure (the denominator). The Basel Committee will use the revised framework for testing a minimum Tier 1 leverage ratio of 3% during the parallel run period up to January 1, 2017. The Basel Committee will continue to track the impact of using either Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) or total regulatory capital as the capital measure for the leverage ratio. Currently, Indian banking system is operating at a leverage ratio of more than 4.5%. The final minimum leverage ratio will be stipulated taking into consideration the final rules prescribed by the Basel Committee by end-2017. During this period, Reserve Bank will monitor individual banks against an indicative leverage ratio of 4.5%.
Comments : Leave a comment
Categories : Business
VISIT OF THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL TO INDIA,
10012015
10-13 January 2015
REVISED MEDIA ALERT
Sunday, 11 January 2015, 7:15 a.m. sharp
Visit to Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad
PHOTO-OP + UN SECRETARY-GENERAL will make remarks; No Q&A
–Open to all accredited media
–Accredited photographers and media persons please contact Mr. Mahesh Rana, Joint Director, Information Department, Ahmedabad, Mobile: 0-9978405783;maheshkumarrana@gmail.com
Please note revised timing for SG’s visit to Sabarmati Ashram: 7:15 a.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment