Dhaka, May 27: Human rights watchdog Amnesty International on Saturday called upon Dhaka and New Delhi to ensure their governments hold rigorous investigations into fatal and targeted attacks on historically and socially marginalised communities, as well human rights defenders in India and against indigenous and secular activists in Bangladesh.
The appeal came hours after high-level interactions between the leaderships of the two nations.
‘Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina should uphold their commitment to human rights under national and international law, ‘Amnesty’s Executive Director for India Aakar Patel told media here.
The two governments, he said, should recommit themselves to human rights ahead of their upcoming elections. Mr Patel also urged the two governments to ensure space for dissent and highlighted the need for a free press.
‘Both leaders should ensure that space for expressing dissent is not compromised. This can be achieved when both nations have a free and independent press, where journalists are not intimidated, harassed and attacked, and repressive laws are not used to silence them,’ he added.
The rights activist congratulated Bangladesh on its ‘exemplary’ actions in opening its doors to nearly a million Rohingya refugees, but expressed his disappointment regarding New Delhi’s reluctance to give them shelter.
‘Indian authorities should follow Bangladesh’s example and adopt effective measures to protect Rohingya people escaping persecution and state violence. It is the shared duty of both nations to ensure refugees in their countries have supportive systems that are responsive to their needs,’ he asserted.
This was, Mr Patel added, especially necessary in the face of targeted smear campaigns and rising anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Washington, May 26 : Proving the adage, ”You are, what your mother eats” correct beyond doubt, researchers from Oregon Health and Science University Hospital in Portland of Oregon have found the correlation between a mother’s nutrition habits and metabolism, which directly impacts the growth of her child.
In a study published online in Nature Communications, the research team, led by Jae W Lee, PhD, demonstrated that two neurons key to growth and metabolism – GHRH and AgRP – are developmentally interconnected.
Located in hypothalamus region of the brain, within a grouping of neurons known as the arcuate nucleus, GHRH, or growth hormone-release hormone, neurons orchestrate body growth and maturation. Meanwhile, AgRP, or Agouti-related peptide, neurons stimulate feeding and suppress energy usage.
According to Dr Lee, professor of pediatrics in the OHSU School of Medicine and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, “We found that one specific protein called DLX1 is critical for GHRH neuron development. However, it also suppresses the development of AgRP neuron. When DLX1 was removed, the mouse’s growth was stunted, yet it appears obese.”
Additionally, DLX1 was found to suppress the development of OTP-labeled cells that become AgRP neurons. This would suggest normal growth development, but limited blockage of energy use, resulting in a trim figure.
“For the first time, these findings prove the intimate relationship between GHRH and AgRP neurons in developmental lineage. Further, the development of both neurons can be artificially preset in controlling postnatal growth,” Dr Lee told the Science Daily.
Signatories of the Iran nuclear deal met in Vienna on Friday in a bid to save the agreement, as Iran warned the deal had been put “in intensive care” by Washington’s dramatic withdrawal earlier this month.
For the first time since the accord came into force in 2015, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany gathered — at Iran’s request — without the United States, which pulled out on May 8.
US President Donald Trump has long trashed the deal with Iran — concluded under his predecessor Barack Obama — saying it did not do enough to curtail Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
He also said it did not go far enough in restricting Iran’s ballistic missile programme, or its intervention in regional conflicts from Yemen to Iraq and Syria.
Speaking before the meeting, a senior Iranian official rejected any attempt to link the deal, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to other such issues, saying it would mean “we lose JCPOA and we (would) make the other issues even more complicated to resolve”, adding that it was pointless for the Europeans to try to “appease” Trump.
“We have now a deal which is in the intensive care unit, it’s dying,” he said.
He added that the Europeans had promised Iran an “economic package” to maintain the benefits of the JCPOA for Iran despite the reintroduction of US sanctions.
Iran expected this package by the end of May, he said, adding the country had only “a few weeks” before having to decide whether to keep participating in the deal or not.
Russian delegate Mikhail Ulyanov struck a more upbeat note after the meeting, saying: “We have all chances to succeed, provided that we have is the political will.
“I must tell you that the JCPOA is a major international asset. It does not belong to the United States, it belongs to the whole international community.”
He added that the possibility of referring back to the matter back to the UN “was not discussed during this meeting”.
Since the US pull-out, the other signatories have embarked on a diplomatic marathon to try to keep the agreement afloat.
According to a report seen by AFP Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency believes Iran is still abiding by the deal’s key restrictions on its nuclear facilities in return for relief from damaging economic sanctions.
The IAEA, however, is “encouraging (Iran) to go above and beyond the requirements” of the deal in order to boost confidence, said a senior diplomat in Vienna, where the IAEA is based.
Unusually for a meeting of the joint commission, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano was invited to brief the participants on the IAEA’s work in Iran.
Iran has threatened to restart its uranium enrichment programme at an “industrial level” if the deal falls apart.
The five signatories still committed to the agreement have said they want Iran to stay in the deal, with the European countries saying they would not rule out further talks with the Islamic Republic on an expanded text.
However, in the run-up to Friday’s meeting, several Iranian officials warned that there was no question of broadening the discussions.
US President Donald Trump informed Kim Jong Un Thursday he is canceling their nuclear summit next month in Singapore, blaming “anger” and “hostility” from the North Korean regime for the collapse of the historic event.
Trump and Kim had been due to hold high-stakes talks on June 12 aimed at ridding the reclusive state of nuclear weapons, but the meeting was recently thrown into doubt as both sides raised the prospect of scrapping the discussions and traded threats.
Trump’s letter came a day after North Korea attacked US Vice President Mike Pence as “ignorant and stupid.”
“Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,” Trump wrote in a letter to Kim released by the White House.
“Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.”
Trump also brandished the threat of America’s nuclear might in his letter, writing: “You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.”
The US leader’s letter appeared to leave the door open to a future meeting with Kim, however, stressing that he had been “very much looking forward to being there.”
“We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions” relative to the summit, he told Kim.
“I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters,” Trump said. “If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write.
“The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.”
The decision came as North Korea said it had “completely” dismantled its nuclear test site, in a carefully choreographed move portrayed by the isolated regime as a goodwill gesture ahead of the Singapore summit.
Thoothukudi, May 24: The death toll in the police firing on anti-Sterlite protesters mounted to 13 while life continued to remain paralysed for the third day on Thursday in this port town.
Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board ordered closure of the copper smelter of United Kingdom-based Vedanta Group’s Sterlite subsidary and disconnection of power supply to it.
Police sources said Selvasekhar, 43, who had suffered serious injuries in the police lathicharge on Tuesday, passed away this morning at the Government Hospital.
More than 70 people, including police personnel, injured in the clashes and violence, were undergoing treatment at the hospital.
After two days of riots, arson and firing, an uneasy calm prevailed in Thoothukudi, .
Miscreants this morning stoned six Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation buses at Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari and Nagapattinam districts, damaging their wind screens.
All the shops and commercial establishments were shut for the third consecutive day, while government offices witnessed thin attendance.
Prohibitory orders continued in sensitive areas.
Public transport was completely off the roads and only police vehicles, besides some private cars and auto rickshaws, plied at some places.
People stayed indoors and struggled to get their essential commodities, including milk, in Thoothukudi town.
Internet services were suspended from last night following a state government advisory to the service providers to prevent provocative messages and rumours being spread on the social media.
District authorities strengthened police deployment in vulnerable areas to contain the violence and to avoid any further loss of life or damage to property.
Police said more than 130 people were arrested so far in connection with the violence.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has been in touch with Tamil Nadu Government on the violence in Tuticorin, a official said in New Delhi.
‘A detailed report has been sought on the sequence of events and circumstances leading to loss of human lives on May 22,’ the official added.
Tamil Nadu Government has also been asked to provide details of the action taken to restore peace and normalcy and has also been requested to furnish a detailed report regarding the Sterlite plant, the official informed.
New York, May 24 : China’s deep support and investment in Pakistan create challenges for India and increasingly the “Pakistan issue is part of the China issue” in the broader range of topics in the India-US agenda, a top American expert has said.
A senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at prominent think-tank Council on Foreign Relations, Alyssa Ayres also said that she would not be surprised to see “continued frictions” between India and China over the border and the territorial issues.
“Increasingly, the Pakistan issue is part of the China issue given China’s deep support and investment in Pakistan with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. This is really part of one larger regional system and it creates challenges for India,” she said, responding to a question on relations with China and Pakistan under the broad range of India-US agenda.
Ayres delivered the 4th New India Lecture on “India’s Role on World Stage”, organised by the Consulate General of India in New York in partnership with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), and spoke on a range of issues impacting India-US ties in a session moderated by former US Ambassador to India Frank Wisner.
She previously served as deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asia from 2010 to 2013. Her book about India’s rise on the world stage, “Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World”, was published by Oxford University Press in January.
Ayres said she will not be surprised to see “continued frictions” between India and China, particularly over the border and the territorial issues as well as in the maritime space where India has some significant concerns. “So I think that is going to be rocky relationship”.
Asked about relations with Pakistan in the context of US-India ties, Ayres sounded a pessimistic tone.
“I don’t have a sense of optimism. I’m very worried about where Pakistan is headed. We have all seen what is happening with Pakistan and the challenge of terrorism and terror groups that regroup on Pakistani soil. It obviously has an effect on India,” she said, adding that there is also a very real and important effect on the US and its objectives.
Islamabad, May 23: A searing heat wave has killed at least 65 people in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi over the past three days, and it is feared that the death toll could climb.
Temperatures hit 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) on Monday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, which is well above the average daily high of 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) for May.
The heat wave has coincided with power outages and the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours.
According to the Edhi Foundation, which operates morgues and an ambulance service in Pakistan’s biggest city, told local media that the deaths occurred mostly in the poor areas of Karachi such as Korangi and Sohrab Goth.
In 2015, at least 1,300, mostly elderly and sick, died from heatstrokes.
Washington, May 23: Watch out night shift staff!
Staying awake for work whole night can take a toll on your health as a new research published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says it can disrupt levels and time of day patterns of more than 100 proteins in the blood.
Such proteins can influence blood sugar, energy metabolism, and immune function, according to the study.
The findings could open the door for developing new treatments for night shift workers, who make up about 20 per cent of the global workforce and are at higher risk for diabetes and cancer and also enable doctors to precisely time administration of drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tests around the circadian clock.
“This tells us that when we experience things like jet lag or a couple of nights of shift work, we very rapidly alter our normal physiology in a way that if sustained can be detrimental to our health,” said the paper’s senior author Kenneth Wright, director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at University of Colorado Boulder.
The study is the first to examine how protein levels in human blood, also known as the plasma proteome, vary over a 24-hour period and how altered sleep and meal timing affects them, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.
Moscow/Beijing, May 23: Afghanistan is a major source of terrorist threats for the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said on Tuesday, four days after he held consultation on the issue with India and China.
“For the SCO member-states the threat of terrorism and extremism comes first and foremost from Afghanistan’s territory. We are convinced that any unilateral attempts to solve the situation in the Islamic republic by force bypassing the norms and principles of the international law may only worsen the situation and create additional security risks,” Patrushev said.
His comments followed talks India, China and Russia held on Afghanistan and exchanged views
in the Russian capital on May 17.
India’s Deputy National Security Adviser Rajinder Khanna, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and Assistant to the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Aleksandr Venediktov consulted each other. Patrushev then held a group meeting with the delegation members of the three countries who took part in the consultation.
The three sides agreed to strengthen coordination and cooperation under the frameworks of the SCO and the BRICS countries, and to hold the next round of consultation in due course, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.
They also exchanged views on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and cooperation under the frameworks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS countries, reaching broad consensus, said the statement.
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin at their informal summit in Sochi expressed concern over terrorism and radicalisation. In this context, they “endorsed the importance of restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan in an atmosphere free from the threat of terrorism, and agreed to work together towards achieving this objective,” said the Ministry of External Affairs.
Patrushev said Russia jointly with other SCO members had been calling for restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan through political settlement led by Afghan citizens.
“The Tashkent conference on Afghanistan on March 26-27 confirmed the need to step up multilateral cooperation, including in the SCO framework. We view this meeting, and also meetings in the framework of the Kabul process as a logical continuation of consultations as part of the Moscow format and the SCO-Afghanistan contact group,” TASS news agency quoted Patrushev as saying.
Any initiatives on the Afghan track should take into account the interests of regional states and rule out the prospects of imposing unacceptable scenarios on them. “In this context, we support the Chinese side’s proposal to hold the second meeting of the contact group in Beijing,” he said.
The SCO was formed in Shanghai in 2001 by six founding states – Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
In 2017, India and Pakistan became full-fledged members.
Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia currently enjoy observer status while Sri Lanka, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal are dialogue partners.
Bengaluru, May 23: Following a detailed discussion over sharing of portfolios, coalition partners Janata Dal (S) and Congress on Tuesday agreed on top two posts of chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and G Parameshwara as Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka at the grand pedestal of Vidhana Soudha here on Wednesday.
A lengthy meeting between the coalition partners on Tuesday finalised Wednesday’s programme with Governor Vajubhai Vala administering the oath of offices the two leaders.
Speaking to newsmen after a brain storming discussion with Mr Kumaraswamy, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal said in all 33 ministers will accommodated with Congress getting 21 posts and JD(S) 12. Besides this, Congress member Ramesh Kumar had been chosen by the party to be the next Speaker.
Mr Kumaraswamy speaking to reporters separately, however, indicated that no decision on Speakers’ post has been taken yet.
The swearing in ceremony will be held held at 4.30 pm at grand steps of Vidhana Soudha and elaborate arrangements have been made in this regard.
Top leaders including Congress President Rahul Gandhi, several chief ministers including those from West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry are expected to take part in the ceremony. Besides, top political leaders like SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, BSP leader Mayawati, CPIM polit bureau member Sitaram Yechury and others will attend the event.
Signifying the rallying point of the opposition parties against the BJP ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the presence of these non-NDA leaders signify the rallying point for the opposition to come together before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Kozhikode, May 23: Altogether 10 persons, out of the 12 contracted high fever caused by dreaded Nipah Virus (NiV), succumbed to the disease in this coastal district of Kerala during the last fortnight.
This was confirmed by state Health Minister KK Shyalaja on Tuesday quoting laboratory reports from National Virology Institute, Pune.
She told reporters that the lab reports also confirmed that Lini (31), staff nurse of Perambra Taluk Hospital, who tended three persons who died of the decease, also succumbed of the same virus.
She said lab reports also confirmed deaths of Koorachund native Rajan and Chekyad Ummathur Parakkadavu Thanttanatavida Ashokhan at Kochikode Medical College on Tuesday due to the same.
Eleven persons, including two, who were in a serious condition, were undergoing treatment in hospitals here, she said. Besides, two persons were undergoing treatment in Baby Memorial and Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences, reports said.
A high level team from the National Council for Disease Control (NCDC) New Delhi led by its Director Dr Sunset K Singh and Head of Epidemiology Dr S K Jain visited the affected areas in the district.
New Delhi, May 24 : The National Green Tribunal has directed the Uttarakhand government to submit within four weeks percentage-wise compliance report on steps taken by it to clean the River Ganga in the stretch between Gomukh and Haridwar.
A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim asked the state government to make a categoric statement about the stage of compliance rather than indicating what work was under progress.
The green panel has directed the state government to file the report of compliance by July 19.
“On behalf of State of Uttarakhand it is submitted that the compliance report filed by them indicates substantial compliance, however it is pointed out by the counsel Vijay Hansaria that various directions of the Tribunal are yet to be complied with in totality.
“The counsel on behalf of State of Uttarakhand, submits they require four weeks time to compile all the information and file to the satisfactory of the Tribunal. We accept his request and grant them time till July 19, 2018 for filing the report of compliance after serving copy in advance of 10 days to the counsel M C Mehta for examining it and file their response by the next date of hearing.
During the hearing, advocate Mehta, who has filed the plea for Ganga rejuvenation, pointed out that only one officer, S D Singh was deposing in all the affidavits whereas the directions refers to several other departments of the government.
He contended that in case of any default, appropriate action in accordance with law has to be taken and therefore one person deposing affidavits in respect of all other departments is “not in the real spirit of the directions of the tribunal”.
The Uttarakhand government, however, submitted that Singh was appointed as nodal officer and the State will be bound by his statement.
Noting the submissions, the tribunal said,” submissions taken on record and we make it clear that in case of any default the affidavit filed by the said officer shall be construed as the affidavit filed by the secretary of the state concerned. He will be exposed to all actions in person.”
The NGT had earlier rapped the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for not filing compliance report on the steps taken by the Centre and the UP and Uttarakhand governments to clean the river Ganga in the stretch between Gomukh and Unnao.
The green panel, in a detailed judgement, had passed a slew of directions to rejuvenate Ganga, declaring as ‘No Development Zone’ an area of 100 metres from the edge of the river between Haridwar and Unnao and prohibiting dumping of waste within 500 metres from the river.
The tribunal had said the government has spent over Rs 7,000 crore in two years to clean the Ganga which still remains a “serious environmental issue”.
The order, running into 543 pages, had said “till the demarcation of floodplains and identification of permissible and non-permissible activities by the state government of this judgement, we direct that 100 metres from the edge of the river would be treated as no development/construction zone between Haridwar to Unnao in UP.”
‘No-development zones’ are areas where no construction including commercial or residential buildings can come up.
It also imposed a complete prohibition on disposal of municipal solid waste, e-waste or bio-medical waste on the floodplains or into the river and its tributaries.
Regarding shifting of tanneries located in Jajmau cluster in Kanpur, the tribunal had sought an action plan from the leather units, failing which “the UP government shall be duty bound to close the tanneries and shift the same to Banthar, Unnao or any other developed site which it considers appropriate.”
The tribunal reiterated its earlier order of ban on mechanical mining in Ganga and said “no in-stream mechanical mining is permitted and even the mining on the floodplain should be semi-mechanical and preferably more manual” .