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Thursday, September 25, 2014

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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

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Friday, August 15, 2014

Petrol price slashed by R 1.89-2.38/litre from August 15

New Delhi: Petrol price will be cut by Rs. 1.89-2.38 per litre from August 15, the second reduction in rates in a month and the steepest in 11 months. Petrol price, which were last cut by 90 paise (Rs 1.09 a litre after including local sales tax) on August 1, will be further reduced by Rs. 1.81 per litre. After including local sales tax or VAT, the reduction in Delhi comes to Rs. 2.18 per litre. Petrol from August 15 here will cost Rs. 70.33 a litre as compared to Rs. 72.51 currently. The reduction would vary from Rs. 1.89 to Rs. 2.38 per litre in different cities depending on local levies, according to Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest oil firm. This is the steepest cut in rates since October 1 when petrol price was cut by Rs. 3.05 per litre, excluding VAT (Rs 3.66 per litre in Delhi after including VAT). In perhaps the first instance of a minister announcing the reduction in price of a petrol which was deregulated or freed from government control in June 2010, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took to his Twitter account to say that the fuel price will be cut from midnight of August 14/15. "Price of Petrol will be reduced from midnight of 14/15 August 2014 in the range of Rs. 1.89-2.38 (Rs 2.18/litre at Delhi)," he tweeted. Pradhan made the announcement more than 31 hours before the price cut is to be implemented. Till now, state-owned oil firms announced the price revision only on the eve of the change being effected. If a reduction is announced well in advance, petrol pump owners will refuse to take supplies from oil companies till the new rates are effected, thereby risking pumps going dry. They stand to lose money if they buy petrol from oil firms today or tomorrow and sell at lower rates from August 15. In case of a price hike, the opposite happens with petrol pumps hoarding all supplies and displaying no stock boards in order to get higher rates for supplies they procured at lower price.

Delhi: Independence Day celebrations, free metro ride for commuters

New Delhi: Those attending the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on Friday can avail a free metro ride. Complimentary travel coupons will be provided to commuters from all stations to Kashmere Gate and Chandni Chowk who will be travelling to attend the Independence day function at the Red Fort. Delhi Metro services will start as early as 4:30 am. "We aim to facilitate and encourage more and more people to be able to reach the venue in time and attend the Independence day celebrations," a DMRC spokesperson said. Complimentary travel coupons will be available with the customer care official and those commuters who will be taking the metro to reach the Red Fort can ask for this coupon for a free ride. "These complimentary coupons will be made available for passengers getting down at Kashmere Gate and Chandni Chowk station to attend the Independence day celebrations at the Red Fort from 4:30 am to 8 am from all station except the airport line," the spokesperson said. Entry and exit from all stations will be as per usual schedule and no restrictions will be imposed. Trains will also be running as per schedule, starting from 4:30 am. However, metro parking lots will remain closed from 6 pm today till 2 pm tomorrow. As part of Independence Day celebrations, DMRC organized quiz competitions for commuters at 10 metro stations, including Dwarka Sector 10, Barakhamba Road, NOIDA City Centre, HUDA City Centre, Central Secretariat, Kashmere Gate, Vishwavidyalaya, Shahdara, Tis Hazari and Lajpat Nagar on August 13 and 14. The commuters were asked Metro-related questions with multiple answering options and given attractive prizes. More than 700 commuters received prizes for participation. As part of the week-long celebrations, Delhi Metro also organized conducted tours for underprivileged and specially- abled children from various NGOs. Children from three NGOs Salaam Balak Trust, Prerna Niketan Sangh and Apna Ghar were shown the Metro Museum at Patel Chowk and taken on Metro rides.

DO YOU KNOW? Tea contains harmful pesticide residues

Mumbai: A study undertaken by environmental NGO Greenpeace over a year has allegedly found the presence of harmful pesticide residues including toxic dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) in tea sold by leading brands across India. "We had carried out a study across many cities in India over the past one year to check the quality of tea leaves sold in cities. Our study has revealed the presence of residues of chemical pesticides in a majority of brands," Neha Sehgal, senior campaigner of Greenpeace told reporters here. She claimed that out of 49 samples tested by the non-profit organization, around 34 (94 per cent) contained residues of at least one pesticide and 29 (59 per cent) of the samples contained a cocktail of more than 10 different pesticides in them. Also 29 (59 per cent) of the samples contained residues of of at least one pesticide above the maximum residue limits set by the European Union (EU). "We had, for this study collected samples from different retailers from cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai over a period from June 2013 to May 2014," she said. Sehgal said there was a presence of DDT (a synthetic organic compound used as a pesticide) in 67 per cent of the tea samples. "Use of DDT has been banned in India since 1989. Monocrotophos, termed as hazardous by the WHO was found in 27 samples. Tebufenpyrad, a pesticide not registered in India, and thus illegal was found in one sample. It can be very toxic for the liver," she said. Sehgal urged tea companies to move the tea sector away from the "pesticide treadmill" and asked them to adopt an ecological agriculture farming approach. "The tea companies need to support adoption of ecological agriculture approaches like non-pesticidal management for the safety of consumers," she said.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Know how bowl of noodles could send you to an early grave

New Delhi: From a cheap student staple to a pricey bowl of broth, noodle dishes are soaring in popularity. But they could also wreak havoc with your health, a new study warns. U.S. scientists found people who ate noodle dishes two to three times a week - including the Japanese noodle soup dish ramen - had an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic syndrome. This, in turn, raises a person’s likelihood of developing heart disease and other conditions, such as diabetes and stroke. The findings, published in The Journal of Nutrition, could shed new light on the risks of a worldwide dietary habit, said lead study author Hyun Joon Shin. Dr Shin, who led the study on behalf of the Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital, in Texas, said instant noodles and ramen appeared to be particularly damaging to women's health. Because ramen consumption is relatively high among Asian populations, the research focused primarily on South Korea, which has the highest instant noodle consumption person in the world. In recent years, South Koreans have experienced a rapid increase in health problems, specifically heart disease, and a growing number of overweight adults, said Dr Shin. He decided to investigate the connection between noodle consumption and poor health. Noodles, like many processed foods, are high in salt - and a diet high in the mineral can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. And earlier this year, Braden Kuo, a gastrointestinal specialist from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found the body struggles to digest dried, ramen noodles. He used a tiny camera to look at the digestive activity of instant ramen noodles in comparison to the digestion of fresh ones. Many instant ramen noodles, he said, contain the chemical Tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), a food additive that is a bi-product of butane, used in the petroleum industry. After the experiment, he said: 'The most striking thing about our experiment when you looked at a time interval, say in one or two hours, [was that] processed ramen noodles were less broken down than homemade ramen noodles.' In the new study, Dr Shin found women in particular were more likely to suffer health problems from slurping bowls of noodles. This, he says, can be attributed to biological differences - such as sex hormones and metabolism - between men and women. WHAT IS RAMEN? Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavoured with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork, dried seaweed, kamaboko, and green onions. However it may be because women are more likely to accurately report what they ate each day, he adds. Another potential factor in the gender differences is a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) - used to package noodles in Styrofoam containers. Studies have shown that BPA interferes with the way hormones send messages through the body, specifically oestrogen, said Dr Shin. 'This research is significant since many people are consuming instant noodles without knowing possible health risks,' he added. 'My hope is that this study can lay a foundation for future research about the health effects of instant noodle consumption.'

Lack of sleep can double the speed of ageing!

Lack of a good night's sleep can not only give you puffy eyes but also make you look old by increasing the wrinkles and fine lines on your face, a new study has found. People also looked sadder when sleep-deprived than after normal sleep, and sadness was related to looking fatigued, scientists said. Sleep deprivation affects facial features such as the eyes, mouth and skin, and these features function as cues of sleep loss to other people. The faces of sleep-deprived individuals were perceived as having more hanging eyelids, redder eyes, more swollen eyes and darker circles under the eyes. Sleep deprivation was also associated with paler skin, more wrinkles or fine lines, and more droopy corners of the mouth. The study photographed 10 subjects on two separate occasions: after eight hours of normal sleep and after 31 hours of sleep deprivation. Forty participants rated the 20 facial photographs with respect to 10 facial cues, fatigue and sadness. According to the authors, face perception involves a specialised neuronal network and is one of the most developed visual perceptual skills in humans. Facial appearance can affect judgements of attributes such as trustworthiness, aggressiveness and competence.

Avoid these roads on Independence Day

New Delhi: Delhi traffic police has issued a traffic advisory asking Delhiites to avoid several roads leading to Red Fort on Independence Day and preferably use Metro for hassle free movement. "Elaborate traffic arrangements around Red Fort have been planned. There would be arrangements to facilitate the movement of VIP vehicles, invitees and general public to reach the place of function and also to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic in other parts of the city," Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Shukla said. More than 10,000 people are expected to gather at the venue, he said, and asked the people to use the Delhi Metro to reach Red Fort while those with private vehicles should reach ISBT for parking. According to the traffic advisory, sufficient parking is available for 200 cars at various parking lots at Gokhale Market, Mori Gate and Kashmere Gate. Shuttle service would be arranged from these parking lots to GPO/Chhatta Rail for easy access to Red Fort enclosures. General public is advised to reach by 5.30 am to avoid rush and inconvenience. Major roads around the Red Fort like Netaji Subhash Marg from Delhi Gate to Chatta Rail, Lothian Road from GPO Delhi to Chatta Rail, S P Mukherjee Marg from H C Sen Marg, Chandni Chowk from Fountain to Red Fort Chowk, New Darya Ganj road from Ring Road to Netaji Subhash Marg, Link Road from Esplanade Road to Netaji Subhash Marg will remain closed for general traffic from 5 am to 9 am on the day. Those vehicles which do not have parking labels may avoid Tilak Marg, Mathura Road, BSZ Marg, Subhash Marg, J L Nehru Marg and Ring Road between Nizammuddin Bridge and ISBT bridge and take the route as advised. The authorities said local buses including DTC will not be allowed on Ring Road from 5 am to 9 am between Hanuman Setu and Bhairon Road 'T' point and shall take Kailash Nagar Pushta for onward journey while interstate buses will not be allowed between Maharana Pratap ISBT and Sarai Kale Khan ISBT. Normal movement of buses will be restored after 10 am. There shall be special checking of all vehicles, both private and commercial, entering the NCT from the neighbouring states through border entry points, from 8 pm on August 14. Security of the national capital has been beefed up before the Independence Day celebrations and police has asked the general public to remain cautious and supportive to the security arrangements. "Members of the public are requested not to touch any suspicious object. They are requested to immediately report about the presence of any unidentified/suspected object, suspicious movement of individuals and vehicles or anything out of the ordinary, to the nearest policeman," said Shukla.

Free fall of Jet Airways flight scares passengers as pilot sleeps, co-pilot busy on tablet

Mumbai: The passengers of a Brussels-bound Jet Airways flight from Mumbai went through a horrifying experience when suddenly the plane dropped 5,000 feet in the Ankara airspace over Turkey. The aircraft was carrying 280 passengers. It is learnt that the commander of the Boeing 777 aircraft slept during that time on Friday and the co-pilot had been busy with her tablet. The co-pilot admitted that she was busy on her tablet and they failed in noticing that the place lost altitude and began falling. They were both summoned for questioning after which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended the duo for carelessness and taking 'controlled rest'. He termed it as a ‘serious incident’. The term controlled rest stands for a nap as per rules and negligence while on duty. The pilots came into action as they were alarmed by a call from Ankara ATC. A separate inquiry has been launched in the case by Jet. The DGCA has also set up a three-member team to review the airline's flight training programmes and facilities following the incident last Friday, official sources said, adding the team has been asked to submit their report by 31 August. DGCA has directed the airline to come forward with all related reports, as well as the records of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) within this week, they said. The incident occurred when the Boeing 777-300, operating flight 9W-228 from Mumbai to Brussels and onwards to Newark, plunged from 34,000 feet to 29,000 feet while traversing on the busy air route to Europe. As the aircraft descended, the air traffic control at Ankara sent an emergency message to the aircraft asking the pilots why they had deviated from the assigned flight path and directed them to climb up to the designated height immediately. The commander said he was on "controlled rest", implying a short nap inside the cockpit which is allowed by flight operation procedures, the co-pilot told the regulator that she was working on her iPad or the electronic flight bag which has all aircraft documents loaded on to it, the sources said. Immediately after the Ankara ATC message, the co-pilot woke up the commander who restored the height of the plane. Confirming the incident, an airline spokesperson said Jet Airways has initiated an internal inquiry into the matter. "The airline is also extending all co-operation in the matter to the DGCA by providing all necessary assistance for the inquiry. Safety is of paramount importance to Jet Airways as is also the welfare of our guests and crew and the airline will always take appropriate steps to ensure the same," the spokesperson said. Following the incident, DGCA has constituted a team comprising officials from its Airworthiness, Air Safety and Flight Operations wings to audit Jet Airways' training procedures for pilots for an entire year.

I was sexually abused in bus at the age of 11, TMC MP Derek O'Brien reveals in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O'Brien stunned Rajya Sabha on Wednesday by revealing that he was sexually abused in his childhood. He said silence is the biggest crime. "I was sexually assaulted while travelling in a bus. At that time, I was 11-year-old and was in short pant. Someone did something at my back and I spotted sperm on my pant," he said in the upper house while offering suggestions to the government for the safety and security of women and children. Terming silence a "biggest crime", he said, "Despite coming from a progressive family, I was too scared to narrate the incident before my parents. This is the tragic crime of silence." It is necessary to send out a message that if any child or women screams in such a situation in a bus or any other means of communication, people should come out in support of him or her without any fear as it is extremely difficult for a victim of sexual harassment to narrate in public the ordeal he or she has suffered, he suggested. There was a pin-drop silence in the House when the popular quizmaster was sharing his experience during the discussion initiated by the Ministry of Women & Child Development. Adding that the condition of women in rural India is far worse, Derek urged the government to adopt good practices followed in various states to address the issue in a comprehensive manner. It is necessary for the Ministry of Women & Child Development to work closely with the ministries of human development and health to curb female feticides and sexual harassment of women and children, he advised the government.

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE! RJs mimicking lawmakers to face music

New Delhi: Taking note of the issue raised by Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Jaya Bachchan yesterday, the Centre on Thursday said that serious action will be taken against radio jockeys airing jokes on lawmakers on FM channels. Jaya Bachchan had demanded action against such RJs in Rajya Sabha yesterday. "The language used by RJs on private channels is extremely objectionable. Now they've started giving news of Parliament and they mimic a lot of MPs. I want to know whether the government will do something about it," Jaya Bachchan said in the Upper House. She also said that she is not against satire but she was objecting to their language. The growing trend of Radio Jockeys (RJs) mimicking Parliamentarians and their "double-meaning" talks is a serious issue, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told Rajya Sabha today. To a question posed by actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan (SP), he said these were not in "good sense". The Minister pointed out that there was an electronic media monitoring centre. To a query on the issue of forced retirement of some RJs upon attaining age of 35 years by All India Radio, Kolkata, Javadekar said the order was stayed as soon as the matter came to his notice.

Uighur girls get calls to be sex slaves for ISIS militants

Beijing: Uighur girls based outside Xinjian province were phoned and asked to serve as sex slaves for ISIS militants, say reports. Chinese police are investigating into the reports that surfaced yesterday. Xinjiang, which is on boil over the native Muslim Uighur protests opposing Han settlements, as well as several parts of China has witnessed terror attacks carried out by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) comprising of Uighur youth who have also been found to be fighting in Syria along with ISIS. A post on Sina Weibo, akin to Twitter, claimed some high school Uighur students from Xinjiang, have received these calls. These appear to be soliciting them to give up studying and travel to Iraq to become "sex slaves". The post immediately caught wide attention and was reposted at least 2,000 times before it was deleted on Monday. A person identified as Zheng who claimed knowledge about such calls was quoted by the Chinese daily as saying that he was told by several Uighur school girls about similar phone calls."They told me that they received anonymous calls, asking them to go to Syria through Indonesia for battlefield service. They were asked to dedicate themselves to jihadists. But the girls did not report this to the police. They were hesitant, because (they thought) all Muslims are brothers and sisters," Zheng noted. He said the solicitation may expand from individuals to larger groups. "Many teenagers (studying outside Xinjiang) are from rural areas in southern Xinjiang. They are easily affected due to their family backgrounds," Zheng said. Police in Altay prefecture in Xinjiang said they are following up on the issue. "It is possible that such calls do exist,One of our investigation focuses at present is how the students' numbers were leaked," an officer from the Altay bureau said. The officer added that before local students leave to attend schools outside the region, they all have to go through a training session. "Such training is more about warning against participation in illegal religious activities, instead of being designed to guard against such calls, but I believe students will be highly alert if they receive such calls," the officer said. Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism official in Xinjiang said they have taken note of similar online revelations, and authorities are looking into the issue. However, this is yet to be confirmed. Li Wei, an expert on anti-terrorism with the Chinese Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said it would be very difficult to actually send those students out of the country, even if the alleged instigators are able to contact the students. Sun Lizhou, a Xinjiang-born scholar from Chongqing University, said the authenticity of such calls still needs to be verified, "but since some Uygurs are reportedly fighting alongside IS in Syria, it would be possible to speak to the students on the phone." "Junior or senior high school students are an easy target of such incitement since they are psychologically immature and many are rebellious in their teenage years. A lack of objective judgment also makes them vulnerable to these audio or video files," Li said. An anonymous anti-terrorism official in Xinjiang said separatist groups tend to link themselves with overseas terrorist organizations, such as the IS, so as to boost their international standing, and win recognition from those groups in exchange for financial and personnel support. The IS is also reportedly planning on expanding its "holy war" to Xinjiang. According to a report from Phoenix Weekly, in a video released early July, IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi claimed he will take revenge on those who took away the rights of Muslims in 20 countries, with China allegedly placed at the top. "This is the habitual practice of terrorist groups for propaganda efforts. It won't have any substantial influence," Li said.

Two women set to be hanged for kidnapping 13 children and killing nine of them

New Delhi: Two Kolhapur women may become the first women ever to be hanged in India. The women from Kolhapur were sentenced to death in 2001 for kidnapping 13 children and killing nine of them. Renuka Kiran Shinde and her sister Seema Mohan Gavit's mercy petitions’ were rejected last month by President Pranab Mukherjee late last month. The time taken by the state home department to inform all concerned after receiving the note from Rashtrapati Bhavan - ends on Saturday. Renuka and Seema, who partnered their mother Anjanabai Gavit to kidnap the kids and push them into begging and killed some of them after they stopped being productive, are currently lodged at the Yerwada jail in Pune. Anjanabai passed away during the trial, and the sisters' father Kiran Shinde turned approver and was acquitted. "We have informed the two convicts, their relatives, the legal remedial cells of the Supreme Court and also the district court about the rejection (of their mercy plea),'' Desk officer Deepak Jadiye of the home department was reported as saying , adding that no objections have been received yet on the Kolapur sisters' hanging. Judge G L Yedke, while awarding the death sentence to the sisters in 2001, in Kolhapur had described the nine kids' murders as 'the most heinous', and observed that the two sisters seemed to have enjoyed killing the children.

No hindrance in I-Day speech: PM Modi asks officials not to put up umbrellas even if it rains

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly asked his security officials not to put up an umbrella if it rains during his maiden Independence Day address to nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on Friday. "If it rains, the PM has asked that no umbrella should be put up and he will continue his speech in rain," NDTV has quotes its sources as saying. The prime minister is all set to deliver his first speech from the historic Mughal-era monument without a script. Reports suggest that he will carry with him just a set of bullet points as a teleprompter or a prepared speech would not help him connect with audience. He will be the first prime minister in the history of the country to address the nation without notes. 63-year-old Modi is considered to be good orator who can deliver long speeches without prepared text and can keep his audience engaged. The speech, which may last anywhere between 45 minutes and one hour, is expected to be full of information. Modi is likely to inform people about the achievements of his government in last two months. Modi had asked his four ministers to help him with what he plans to speak in front of the citizens. HRD Minister Smriti Irani, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Fertilizers Minister Ananth Kumar were given the responsibility to prepare a blue-print Modi's speech. He is scheduled to reach the historic fort at around 7 am and will unfurl the national flag after a guard of honour by armed forces. More than 10,000 people, for the first time, will get free seats at the Independence Day function. It may be recalled that on August 14 last year, Modi had challenged that his speech in Gujarat, as chief minister, on August 15 would be as much recognised as that of Manmohan Singh who was the prime minister at that time. On that occasion, fully enthusiastic crowd had speculated that Modi's next Independence Day speech would be at Delhi's Red Fort.

Seven polio cases detected as year’s toll rises to 115

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: The number of this year’s nationwide polio cases has reached 115 with the confirmation of seven new cases by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad. The institute on Tuesday tested positive for polio seven more children — one-year-old Sofia (daughter of Kabul Khan from Birmal, South Waziristan), 18-month-old Munib Rehman (son of Hafiz Rehman from Miramshah, North Waziristan), 18-month-old Abdul Rauf (son of Mohammad Ayaz from Meri Khel village in Bara, Khyber Agency), 12-month-old Hazeena (daughter of Saddam from Shaa Dal village in Bara, Khyber Agency), 30-month-old Mihadullah (son of Haider Gul from Rasool Khan Khwar Speen Qabar village in Bara, Khyber Agency), 18-month-old Masood (son of Hamid from Khushali Wazir village in Razmak, North Waziristan) and 18-month-old Fida Rehman (son of Adeel Rehman from Tal village in Miramshah, North Waziristan). According to sources in NIH, last year 39 polio cases had been registered by this time. Of 115 polio cases registered this year so far 84 are from Fata, 19 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Balochistan. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s health department which has found polio virus in Peshawar’s sewerage water is taking additional measures for the vaccination of displaced people from North Waziristan because it has scientifically been proven that they are transmitting the virus to children in the province. Arrival of the high transmission month (September) has already highlighted the need for intensified immunisation campaign against vaccine-preventable childhood disease in the province. The past 15 years have witnessed that most polio cases were reported in September. The health department is trying to cope with situation after massive influx of infected children from North Waziristan. The city, where three polio cases were registered in June and July, needs urgent anti-polio campaigns. The department needs to plan campaigns in line with case response strategy of vaccinating 500,000 children in surrounding areas of the city. The health department is required to focus on Peshawar and displaced people simultaneously. Published in Dawn, Aug 13th, 201

A rare exception to Vatican’s peace policy

VATICAN CITY: Fearing genocide of Christians, the Vatican has given its approval to US military air strikes in Iraq — a rare exception to its policy of peaceful conflict resolution. The Holy See’s ambassador to the United Nations, Silvano Tomasi, this weekend supported US air strikes aimed at halting the advance of the Islamic State (IS) militants, calling for “intervention now, before it is too late”. “Military action might be necessary,” he said. While the Vatican vocally disapproved of the US-led campaign in Iraq in 2003 and the 2013 plan for air strikes on Syria — fearing both might make the situations worse for Christians on the ground — fears of ethnic cleansing by Islamists has forced a policy change. Tomasi’s appeal follows warnings from Church leaders in Iraq that the persecution is becoming genocide, with urgent help needed to protect Christians and Yezidis in the north of the country, where tens of thousands have been forced to flee for their lives. Military support was needed “to stop the wolf getting to the flock to kill, eat, destroy”, Rabban al-Qas, the Chaldean bishop of Amadiyah, told Vatican radio. Tomasi insisted “those supplying arms and funds to the fundamentalists, (and) the countries tacitly supporting them, must be revealed”, while Qas pointed the finger at Saudi Arabia. Others, like the Iraq-based leader of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Louis Sako, called for wider intervention, saying the US strikes offer little hope the jihadists would be defeated. “The position of the American President Obama only to give military assistance to protect Arbil is disappointing,” said Sako, who has been trying to persuade his flock to resist attempts to drive them out of Iraq, and turn down offers of humanitarian visas to Europe. ‘What could be worse?’ The Vatican had been criticised for being slow to react, with Pope Francis limiting himself to calls for a peaceful resolution, expressing on Sunday his “dismay and disbelief” over the violence and calling for an “effective political solution”. The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on Tuesday called for Muslim leaders to denounce the brutality of IS militants, saying there was no possible justification for their “unspeakable crimes”. The council said IS militants were guilty of the “heinous practice of decapitation, crucifixion and stringing up bodies in public places”, insisting that “no reason, certainly no religion, could justify such barbarism”. Experts said Tomasi’s support for air strikes did not mean a change in Vatican policy on war spearheaded by a bellicose Francis. “There has been no change in thinking. The Vatican’s take is that the reality now is apocalyptic and there is no alternative,” said Vatican expert John Allen, who writes for The Boston Globe. “They believed overthrowing Saddam Hussein in 2003 or Bashar al-Assad in 2013 would make things worse for Christians. In 2014, what could be worse for them than the Islamic State’s victory?” he said. The Catholic Church’s catechism defines the concept of a “just war”, which includes the prevention of genocide among other war crimes. For Sandro Magister, who writes for La Stampa’s Vatican Insider, the crisis should have elicited a stronger stance from the pope on Iraq. “His timid response has been very surprising. He talks about the persecution of Christians in Iraq as if it was some sort of natural disaster, without singling out those responsible,” he said.—AFP Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2014

Long march to end only after sending PM packing: Pervaiz

LAHORE: PML-Q senior leader Pervaiz Elahi has said the ‘Azadi March’ will end only after sending Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif home. “On Aug 14 everyone will be on the roads and reach their destination in Islamabad to oust the government,” he said while addressing party workers at his residence here on Wednesday. Elahi said the PML-Q was actively taking part in the march. “Our workers will take part in the protest march against the government from across the country. The rulers do not believe in justice, human rights and the Constitution. Even provision of food items and medicines in Minhajul Quran was being denied,” he claimed. He said the rulers had first insulted people’s mandate through massive rigging in the 2013 elections and now they were insulting orders of the judiciary to remove containers from roads. “The siege of Model Town was continuing like Gaza. We respect the judiciary and will continue to do so. There is no need to seek permission from anyone for revolution and freedom marches,” he added. Condemning Nawaz’s criticism of media, the senior PML-Q leader said they should review their attitude and thinking about the media. “They regard the media as servant of Ittefaq Foundry,” he added. Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2014