Jnanapith laureate playwright Girish Karnad. (File photo) The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha will lodge a complaint against Jnanapith laureate playwright Girish Karnad on Monday for his remarks on controversial ruler . “Our will lodge a police complaint against him in every district headquarters of Karnataka for fomenting communal tension. His remarks on Tipu were unwarranted,” said Mahasabha spokesperson Dharmendra in Mangaluru. Last week, on the occasion of the birth anniversary celebrations of Tipu Sultan, Girish had suggested that the government could have named the Bengaluru International Airport after the erstwhile ruler of Mysuru. “These so-called intellectuals are questioning about intolerance unnecessarily. Why didn’t they raise their voice when the majority communities faced oppression? Their acts of returning awards need to be criticised,” he added. The Karnataka government has assigned a special gunman 24/7 for the protection of noted playwright and Jnanpith laureate Girish Karnad following a threat to his life from miscreants in the wake of his comments on Tipu Sultan . Though the government has deployed heavy police security to his home, it decided to assign a gunman also. The gunman would accompany Girish Karnad in public places. Though the writer did not ask for any protection, the government decided on its own to offer police escort.
Heartbreaking and poignant interview with a child
A video has been shared of a French interview with a father and son that is both emotional and heartbreaking.
The boy is asked how he feels and he speaks of his fear of the bad guys and fears they must move. The father then reassures the child but adds that there are bad guys everywhere.
The “precious” conversation took place at the scene of the Bataclan attacks and you can watch it below.
08:42
Osborne: Isil plotting deadly cyber-attacks against UK
Islamist terrorists are plotting to use they internet for “evil” by launching deadly cyber-attacks which could cripple Britain, George Osborne will warn later today, write Steven Swinford, Tom Whitehead, Christopher Hope and Gordon Rayner.
The Chancellor will use a speech at GCHQ to warn that Isil poses a significant “cyber threat” amid concerns that it could kill innocent people by attacking power stations, the National Grid and hospitals.
He will say: “Isil are already using the internet for hideous propaganda purposes; for radicalisation, for operational planning too.
“They have not been able to use it to kill people yet by attacking our infrastructure through cyber attack.
“They do not yet have that capability. But we know they want it, and are doing their best to build it.”
You can read their full report here.
A woman stands in front of a makeshift memorial made up with flowers, candles and messages, on at the Place de la Republique square in Paris
A woman stands in front of a makeshift memorial made up with flowers, candles and messages, on at the Place de la Republique square in Paris Photo: AFP/Getty Images
08:22
Google Maps search for Isil pinpoints Paris rock venue hit by deadly attack
A search for the term “Daech” or Daesh” – the French spelling of the acronym for the Islamic State – locates the terror group at the Bataclan, the Paris rock venue where Islamist suicide bombers blew themselves up after killing 89 people, writes Rory Mulholland in Paris.
The bizarre search result is due to the fact that huge numbers of people have been typing the two words together when looking for information about the horrific attacks on Paris on Friday.
The search engine’s algorithms then associated the two words and placed the terror group at the concert hall, a Google spokesman explained to BFM TV news channel.
‘Syrian’ suicide bomber in Paris attacks may have been French
The Paris suicide bomber whose body was found next to a Syrian passport may have been a Frenchman who had usurped a refugee’s identity, Le Monde reports, writes Rory Mulholland in Paris.
The paper quotes an internal document from France’s security services noting that several cases had been documented of “French jihadists returning from Syria carrying identity papers of third parties”.
The passport bearing the name Ahmad al-Mohammad was found near one of the three suicide bombers who blew themselves up outside the Stade de France.
Greece and Serbia have both confirmed that the document belonged to a 25-year-old migrant from the Syrian city of Idlib who registered as a refugee in their respective countries last month.
Fingerprints from the dead attacker match those of someone who passed through Greece in October, French officlas said.
The discovery of the passport beside the dead attacker has increased fears of Isil infiltrators among the hundreds of thousands of refugees making their way to northern Europe through the Balkans.
If the attacker was not a Syrian, he may have been using someone else’s ID or a fake one.
08:15
Australian police trained to shoot armed extremists on sight
Australian police are being trained to shoot armed extremists on sight rather than the force’s current tactic of “contain and negotiate” following a series of domestic terrorist attacks, writes Jonathan Pearlman in Sydney.
The training programme, based on tactics used by the FBI, has been assigned to officers in the state of New South of Wales, which has the largest force.
“We’re at a point now where the ground has shifted, things have changed and starting with Mumbai onwards, there’s been any number of attacks where you have a mobile enemy force, which moves through places and kills people,” the state’s deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas told 2UE radio.
“We would be mad to continue to say we will do nothing but contain and negotiate.”
Australian authorities have warned of an escalated domestic terror threat following numerous attacks and thwarted plots in the past year.
Mr Kaldas said the changed police approach was not aimed at situations such as cornered armed robbers who do not necessarily intend to die. Instead, he said, it was designed for situations where “you’re dealing with someone who is there with a preconceived aim of dying and who wants to kill as many people as they possibly can”.
07:50
France stages 128 raids overnight
French police staged 128 raids in the early hours of Tuesday, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said, as authorities stepped up their investigation into the country’s worst-ever terror attacks, AFP writes.
Authorities had made 23 arrests and seized 31 weapons including a rocket launcher in a broad sweep of raids across the country the previous day.
07:10
Militant gang warns of attack on Bataclan
A video believed to be from 2008 has emerged showing a group of masked militants warning door staff at the Bataclan theatre, Paris, that it is a target, writes Charlotte Krol.
The gang of about 10 masked men recorded themselves demanding to speak to the management before threatening door staff, saying: “You will pay the consequences of your actions.
a first of its kind, envisaging ending the societal stigma towards the sexual minority group and ensuring them non-discriminatory treatment. ‘The State Policy for Transgenders in Kerala 2015’ is aimed at safeguarding the rights of the marginalized community. The Kerala Department of Social Justice has issued the policy to enforce the constitutional rights of transgenders, taking into account the Supreme Court judgement (2014) and the findings of the recent survey in the state. The policy covers all the categories of transgenders and intersex people.
It also emphasises the rights of the minority group to self-identify themselves as man, woman or Transgender as stated in the Supreme Court judgement. It also ensures them equal access to social and economic opportunities, resources and services, right to equal treatment under the law, right to live life without violence and equitable right in all decision making bodies The number of those identifies themselves as transgender is estimated to be around 30,000 in Kerala.
(14 Nov) A day after deals worth £9 billion were announced between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that investment by British companies in India would be a “win-win partnership” for both countries as he talked of investment opportunities in infrastructure and renewable energy sectors. “We are confidently, consistently and ceaselessly working to integrate our economy with the world,” he told the India-UK CEOs forum. In his opening remarks, British Prime Minister David Cameron referred to Modi’s vision and intent for transforming India. Modi said economic ties are extremely important elements of the relationship between countries. He referred to his government’s initiatives such as ‘Make in India’, emphasis on infrastructure, opening up of FDI in various sectors, and commitments towards 50 million new houses by 2022 and 175 giga watts of renewable energy. The visiting Prime Minister said: “Investment by British companies in India would be a win-win partnership for both countries,” an official statement said. CEOs from both sides made brief observations.
“It was observed that the current time represents a ‘tidal wave of opportunity’ in India for investors,” the release added. Speaking of the historical ties and complementaries between the two countries, Modi said India-UK are economically made for each other and this relationship has to be driven by private sector CEOs. Modi added that the government wants to develop Indian railway stations through public-private partnership. He also said that the defence manufacturing is the backbone of ‘Make in India’ campaign.
The forum was co-chaired by Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry on the Indian side and Standard Life chairman Gerry Grimstone on the UK side. The forum was attended by the likes of Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Tata Consultancy Services CEO & MD N Chandrasekaran and Bharat Forge chairman Baba Kalyani, PTI reported. The UK team included leading British company representatives like Vodafone chief executive Vitorio Calao, BAE CEO Ian King and Rolls-Royce CEO Warren East.
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Los Angeles, Nov 6: Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez says she’s never had any intention of coming across as raunchy in her music videos because she has always been a “good girl.” Speaking to Marie Claire about the famous track, Lopez said: “I wanted it to be beautiful and sexy, not sexy and raunchy. Sometimes when you’re younger, you go for raunch, or shock value, but I don’t need to do that. “I did sexy things (growing up) but I was always more the good girl who was falling in love as opposed to the naughty girl who was running around.” The “Waiting for Tonight” crooner, who is believed to be dating backing dancer Casper Smart again, split from her third husband Marc Anthony, with whom she has Max and Emme, in July 2011 after 10 years of marriage, reports femalefirst.co.uk. It was a difficult and heartbreaking time for her, but she believes the split brought her closer to her friends.
“I think I realised they were as important – if not more important – when I divorced Marc. I just realised that I had been through that a couple of times and there they still were. Like they say, men come and go, but my girlfriends are always there for me,” she said
Diwali, this year for Bollywood was more about get-together time! From Bachchans to Anil Kapoor to Ekta Kapoor to Saif Ali Khan to Shilpa Shetty, they all hosted a grand Diwali bash and saw an attendance of ample celebs. Where Bollywood these days appears to be divided on few matters, Diwali seemingly united them with everyone making rounds to each other’s place to ring in the festival. While it was a great thing to see the industry uniting during the festive season, let’s take a look at each of their parties and you can decide whose bash was truly grandest!
At least 120 people have died in a popular Paris concert hall where attackers seized hostages , an official said, one of at least six terror attacks that unfolded across the city in the deadliest violence Paris has seen since World War II. French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency and announced that he was closing the country’s borders. The violence spread fear through the city and exceeded the horrors of the Charlie Hebdo carnage just 10 months ago. Paris police officials said security officials had launched an assault on the concert hall, killing at least two attackers.
One described “carnage” inside the building, saying the attackers tossed explosives at the hostages. In addition to the deaths at the concert hall, a police official said 11 people were killed in a Paris restaurant in the 10th arrondissement and other officials said at least three people died when bombs went off outside a stadium. All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named in the quickly moving investigation. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, and no clear picture of how many attackers were involved and if any were on the run. Jihadists on Twitter immediately praised the attack and criticised France’s military operations against Islamic State extremists. Hollande, who had to be evacuated from the stadium when the bombs went off outside, said in a televised address that the nation would stand firm and united. “This is a terrible ordeal that again assails us,” he said.
“We know where it comes from, who these criminals are, who these terrorists are.” US President Barack Obama, speaking to reporters in Washington, called the attacks on Paris “outrageous attempt to terrorise innocent civilians” and vowed to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice. Earlier yesterday, two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium north of Paris during a France-Germany friendly football match. A police union official said there were two suicide attacks and a bombing that killed at least three people. The official, Gregory Goupil of the Alliance Police Nationale, whose region includes the area of the stadium, said explosions went off simultaneously near two entrances and a McDonalds. The attack comes as France has heightened security measures ahead of a major global climate conference that starts in two weeks, out of fear of violent protests and potential terrorist attacks. Hollande canceled a planned trip to this weekend’s G-20 summit in Turkey, which was to focus in large part on growing fears of terrorism carried out by Islamic extremists.
(14 Nov) Patna, Nov 14: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday submitted his resignation to Governor Ramnath Kovind after the cabinet decided to recommend the dissolution of the outgoing assembly. “Nitish Kumar met the governor and submitted his resignation to him and informed about the cabinet decision,” an official said. The governor accepted the resignation but requested him to continue as caretaker chief minister till a new government is formed. Nitish Kumar, who led the Grand Alliance to a victory in the assembly elections, will stake claim to form a new government after a joint meeting of his party, the RJD and the Congress later on Saturday. Newly-elected legislators of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) will elect Nitish Kumar as the leader of the legislature party. He will then be elected leader of the legislature party of the Grand Alliance.
New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday extended greetings to children across the country on the occasion of Children’s Day. “My best wishes and blessings to all the children of this country on the occasion,” he tweeted. “The future of our nation depends on our children.” The president said children should be encouraged to dream big about the future of the nation and explore their potential to the fullest. “When provided adequate opportunity and guidance, they (children) have immense potential to contribute to the society and humanity.” November 14, the day India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was born, is celebrated as Children’s Day.
Narendra Modi was greeted by noisy protests outside Downing Street as he arrived for talks with David Cameron.
Several hundred demonstrators representing Gujarati, Sikh, Tamil, Kashmiri, Nepali and women’s groups chanted ”Modi go home” and “David Cameron shame shame” as the Indian prime minister was welcomed at about lunchtime on Thursday. Modi, a Hindu nationalist who was elected after a landslide victory last year, was banned from the UK, US, and several European countries until 2012 after anti-Muslim riots a decade earlier in Gujarat, in which thousands died. Modi was chief minister at the time and, while he has strongly denied any involvement in the unrest, he faced severe criticism for failing to do more to intervene.
Amnesty International and other rights groups have accused his government of fostering a climate that has encouraged growing religious violence, and permitting wider human rights abuses.
Many of the several hundred protesters in Whitehall cited the 2002 riots as the eason they were demonstrating, but others raised issues of human rights, protection for women in India and accusations of injustice against Tamils, Dalits and other religious and ethnic minorities.
A delegation of Sikh protesters waved black flags and accused Modi of genocide in a provocative banner that also bore an image of Hitler. Dabinderjit Singh, principal adviser of the Sikh Federation (UK), said: “People genuinely fear the direction Narendra Modi is taking the country in terms of the impact on religious and ethnic minorities. What happens to the hundreds of millions of Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and he Dalit community in India? Where will we go?”
“We think that Britain inviting Modi here is showing support for the human rights abuses against women in India,’ said Camille Rouse, of the Newham Asian Women’s Project, which works with victims of “honour-based” violence in east London.
She said Modi had done nothing to challenge abuses against women in India. “He just looks the other way while women are being abused.”
Damar Ghale, a former president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association UK, urged Britain not to sign trade deals with Modi while India implemented what he described as an illegal blockade of Nepal. “Britain has made its decision to invite him, but we are here to ensure he hears us and knows what is happening in Nepal.”
A smaller group of fewer than 50 pro-Modi demonstrators, kept at a distance by police, waved Indian flags and chanted “welcome Modi”. One of those supporting the prime minister, Shri Jayu Shah, of the Friends of India Society, said: “People should respect that India is a democratic nation and he was elected by the people of India. That gives him every right to be here.” Modi, he added, “is the one who is going to take India out of poverty”.
The Indian prime minister can expect a warmer welcome on Friday, when 60,000 members of the Indian diaspora will pack into Wembley stadium for a rock star reception and fireworks display at which he will be greeted onstage by Cameron.
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