Student debt has bred a new phenomenon - Business Insider:
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Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Suspect in China's serial parcel bomb blasts killed: Report - The Times of India
Suspect in China's serial parcel bomb blasts killed: Report - The Times of India: "Reports said 10 persons were killed and 51 others injured in 18 explosions that struck within two days in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and destroyed several buildings.
Yesterday, official media reports had said Wei was arrested. Wei reportedly hired vendors to deliver parcel bombs which exploded when opened.
The ministry of public security said it was treating the explosions in the city as criminal acts, and ruled out terrorism as a motive, China Daily reported. "
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Yesterday, official media reports had said Wei was arrested. Wei reportedly hired vendors to deliver parcel bombs which exploded when opened.
The ministry of public security said it was treating the explosions in the city as criminal acts, and ruled out terrorism as a motive, China Daily reported. "
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A beef-eating Hindu demands his rights - TOI Blogs
A beef-eating Hindu demands his rights - TOI Blogs: "In ancient times, neither untouchables nor tribals were regarded as Hindus. Early 19th century censuses did not count dalits and tribals as Hindus. But modern Hinduism claims as its own these two groups whom it cruelly reviled and oppressed through the ages. I am all for the change. But that change must allow for the fact that Dalits and tribals have always eaten beef."
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A beef-eating Hindu demands his rights - TOI Blogs
A beef-eating Hindu demands his rights - TOI Blogs: "The claim that all Hindus oppose cow slaughter is false. Yes, there is a strong upper-caste tradition today against beef, but Dalits and tribals have always eaten beef. “Beef is one of the most affordable sources of protein for the Dalit community,” says Mohan Dharavath, president, Dalit Adivasi Bahujan and Minority Students’ Association.
Ancient Hindu scriptures establish beyond doubt that even upper-caste Hindus and great rishis ate beef in days of yore. For a quick primer, read Nirad Chaudhuri’s ‘The Continent of Circe’. He says, “Love of cows in the Vedas goes with every possible economic use of cattle, including, of course, their slaughter for food”. There was a long debate, says Chaudhuri, between opponents and defenders of cow slaughter. The two ideas co-existed, very much like the debate today about vegetarianism. The Mahabharata mentions, “without thinking it necessary to add any excuse, that a very hospitable king used to have 20,100 cattle slaughtered every day for his guests.” On the other hand, another story tells of a king who has slaughtered a cow to entertain a sage, an act that is criticized as sinful by another sage."
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Ancient Hindu scriptures establish beyond doubt that even upper-caste Hindus and great rishis ate beef in days of yore. For a quick primer, read Nirad Chaudhuri’s ‘The Continent of Circe’. He says, “Love of cows in the Vedas goes with every possible economic use of cattle, including, of course, their slaughter for food”. There was a long debate, says Chaudhuri, between opponents and defenders of cow slaughter. The two ideas co-existed, very much like the debate today about vegetarianism. The Mahabharata mentions, “without thinking it necessary to add any excuse, that a very hospitable king used to have 20,100 cattle slaughtered every day for his guests.” On the other hand, another story tells of a king who has slaughtered a cow to entertain a sage, an act that is criticized as sinful by another sage."
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Mosque raided after Australia 'terrorism-linked' shooting - The Times of India
Mosque raided after Australia 'terrorism-linked' shooting - The Times of India: "SYDNEY: An Australian mosque reportedly visited by a 15-year-old boy before he shot dead a civilian police employee in an "act of terrorism" has been raided, police said on Sunday, as authorities boosted efforts to tackle youth radicalisation.
New South Wales state police said the mosque in Parramatta in western Sydney -- close to the scene of the double shooting on Friday afternoon -- was raided with the consent of religious leaders.
"NSW Police on Saturday executed a warrant at a mosque in Parramatta," police said in a statement.
"The warrant was undertaken by arrangement with leadership at the mosque who provided full assistance to police at all times."
The 15-year-old gunman, who killed finance worker Curtis Cheng at close range outside the police force's headquarters before he was shot dead by officers, visited the mosque before the shooting, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). "
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New South Wales state police said the mosque in Parramatta in western Sydney -- close to the scene of the double shooting on Friday afternoon -- was raided with the consent of religious leaders.
"NSW Police on Saturday executed a warrant at a mosque in Parramatta," police said in a statement.
"The warrant was undertaken by arrangement with leadership at the mosque who provided full assistance to police at all times."
The 15-year-old gunman, who killed finance worker Curtis Cheng at close range outside the police force's headquarters before he was shot dead by officers, visited the mosque before the shooting, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). "
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13 dead after heavy flooding in French riviera - The Times of India
13 dead after heavy flooding in French riviera - The Times of India: "NICE: Violent storms and flooding along the French riviera killed 13 people by early Sunday, emergency responders and local officials said, including three who drowned in a retirement home inundated when a river broke its banks.
Five others are believed to have died as they sought to park their cars under shelter, according to local authorities, while emergency responders said three others drowned in their car when it became stuck inside a tunnel.
Heavy flooding along the Cote d'Azur, in France's southeast, saw the River Brague burst its banks close to the city of Antibes and sent deadly waves crashing into the nearby home for the elderly.
A woman in her sixties also died on the street in the resort city of Cannes when huge storms hit the region on Saturday night, sending water and debris coursing down submerged roads in the famous festival town and in its glamorous neighbour, Nice.
Another victim was found dead at an Antibes campsite, according to local officials. "
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Five others are believed to have died as they sought to park their cars under shelter, according to local authorities, while emergency responders said three others drowned in their car when it became stuck inside a tunnel.
Heavy flooding along the Cote d'Azur, in France's southeast, saw the River Brague burst its banks close to the city of Antibes and sent deadly waves crashing into the nearby home for the elderly.
A woman in her sixties also died on the street in the resort city of Cannes when huge storms hit the region on Saturday night, sending water and debris coursing down submerged roads in the famous festival town and in its glamorous neighbour, Nice.
Another victim was found dead at an Antibes campsite, according to local officials. "
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US leads the world in mass shootings: Study - The Times of India
US leads the world in mass shootings: Study - The Times of India: "WASHINGTON: When it comes to gun massacres, there are more public mass shootings in the United States than in any other country in the world, according to a new study.
Between 1966 and 2012, there were 90 mass shootings in the United States, where there is nearly one firearm for every American.
The 90 mass shootings in the country are nearly a third of the 292 such attacks globally for that period. While the US has five per cent of the world's population, it had 31 per cent of all public mass shootings."
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Between 1966 and 2012, there were 90 mass shootings in the United States, where there is nearly one firearm for every American.
The 90 mass shootings in the country are nearly a third of the 292 such attacks globally for that period. While the US has five per cent of the world's population, it had 31 per cent of all public mass shootings."
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Gunman kills 10 in Oregon college; 45th US school shooting of 2015 - The Times of India
Gunman kills 10 in Oregon college; 45th US school shooting of 2015 - The Times of India: "A gunman opened fire on Thursday at a community college in Oregon, killing 10 people and wounding some 20 others before he was shot to death by police, state and county officials said. This was the 45th incident of shooting to rock a US school this year."
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Saturday, October 3, 2015
Business Standard-Shekhar Gupta: Mainstreaming the Lynch-Fringe
Business Standard-<b>Shekhar Gupta:</b> Mainstreaming the Lynch-Fringe: "This implies that if he had indeed eaten beef, and if the mob had clear evidence, retribution would be fair. The point should have been, so what even if he had eaten beef? It isn’t illegal in Uttar Pradesh (cow slaughter is illegal), and where it is, there are stern laws to deal with offenders.
Let’s join the dots. A temple loudspeaker was used for the priest to allegedly rally the (Hindu) faithful to come out seeking retribution. The local MP and Central culture minister was as qualified in his condemnation as Tarun Vijay, as were other BJP leaders. There is a clear, well-thought-out response to such incidents, whether it is the thrashing of dating couples in Mangalore, assassination of rationalists in Maharashtra and Karnataka, or criminally provocative statements, ranging from “Ramzade vs Haramzade” to “in spite of being a Muslim” and “go to Pakistan”. Read this then also with the go-slow on the terror cases allegedly involving radical Hindus. If Abhinav Bharat was indeed a minor rogue fringe group, why is it being protected now as if it were a victim?
The reason I call Dadri a landmark turning point in our politics isn’t just because it was probably the first time since the Partition riots that a temple loudspeaker was used to rouse a mob, though this was significant in itself, as temples calling the faithful isn’t even a Hindu tradition. The more important factor is the relatively muted response of the self-styled secular forces. Top leaders of the Congress haven’t even taken a padyatra or fact-finding mission to the village, just a 40-minute drive from Delhi. Lalu, Nitish, Mamata, all claimants to the secular vote, are afraid of messing with an issue involving the cow. Holiness of the cow has now become as multi-partisan an issue as hostility to Pakistan. In March this year, the predominantly Hindu state of Haryana, with no history of cow slaughter and which already had a cow-protection law, passed a new, heavily worded Gauvansh Sanrakshan (cow protection) and Gausamvardhan (cow propagation) Act.
First of all, it shifted the goal-post from banning cow-slaughter to propagating the cow, thereby giving an animal not just holy but statutory status in our governance. Second, it extended the law to eating even imported, canned beef, banned export of cows outside the state “for slaughter” (who is to establish that?), raised jail to 10 years and then, drawing from the draconian new rape law, put the onus on the accused to prove his innocence. Mercifully, a cow’s statement is not to be admissible. Further absurdity: it lays down that the state will set up a network of laboratories to check samples of meat seized. Check the full text of the law in case you think I may be exaggerating. Now I am waiting for a policeman to raid a top Japanese or Korean MNC executive living in Gurgaon and send cuts of meat from his fridge to these labs. Please do not laugh, because such things do happen. You will have a first-rate diplomatic crisis and global headlines Mr Modi wouldn’t want.
The important thing here, again, is that the law, with all its absurdities, was passed unanimously. Congress MLAs voted for it, and their seniormost leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda congratulated the chief minister. Hindutva groups have discovered cow politics has no opposition. Most stunning is the response of the Mulayam-Akhilesh government. Their police sent the meat for testing, and I don’t know where, because neighbouring Haryana’s labs are not yet built. You want to figure out the species of animal meat in a country where forensic services are so poor Sunanda Tharoor’s viscera samples had to be sent to America almost two years after her death!
This takes me back to a 43-degree afternoon in late April, 2007, at Village Dhampur outside Bijnor in Western Uttar Pradesh, and very much a part of the same communally sensitive arc that includes Dadri and Muzaffarnagar. State Assembly elections were on. Ashok Katariya, a relatively junior activist of the BJP’s Yuva Morcha, was playing the crowd-warmer. He talked about Hindu women being insecure, ISI cells active, national security imperilled because the percentage of Muslims was up to 41 per cent in the district. Then he shifted to meat-eating.
“Now they can eat dogs, cats, horses, camels, elephants, snakes and anything god and nature may have created,” he said, pouring disdain. “But they should refrain from eating beef, because cow is our mother. And if somebody slaughters a cow, we will slaughter that ba….d.” Rajnath Singh, who had by now arrived, was shaking his head in some disapproval, though he later played it down to us, saying, “Jawan khoon hai, garam ho jata hai (blood of the youth, boils over sometimes).” I hope he will disapprove of what happened even this week. Katariya is one of the vice-presidents of the state BJP now, along with Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti."
'via Blog this'
Let’s join the dots. A temple loudspeaker was used for the priest to allegedly rally the (Hindu) faithful to come out seeking retribution. The local MP and Central culture minister was as qualified in his condemnation as Tarun Vijay, as were other BJP leaders. There is a clear, well-thought-out response to such incidents, whether it is the thrashing of dating couples in Mangalore, assassination of rationalists in Maharashtra and Karnataka, or criminally provocative statements, ranging from “Ramzade vs Haramzade” to “in spite of being a Muslim” and “go to Pakistan”. Read this then also with the go-slow on the terror cases allegedly involving radical Hindus. If Abhinav Bharat was indeed a minor rogue fringe group, why is it being protected now as if it were a victim?
The reason I call Dadri a landmark turning point in our politics isn’t just because it was probably the first time since the Partition riots that a temple loudspeaker was used to rouse a mob, though this was significant in itself, as temples calling the faithful isn’t even a Hindu tradition. The more important factor is the relatively muted response of the self-styled secular forces. Top leaders of the Congress haven’t even taken a padyatra or fact-finding mission to the village, just a 40-minute drive from Delhi. Lalu, Nitish, Mamata, all claimants to the secular vote, are afraid of messing with an issue involving the cow. Holiness of the cow has now become as multi-partisan an issue as hostility to Pakistan. In March this year, the predominantly Hindu state of Haryana, with no history of cow slaughter and which already had a cow-protection law, passed a new, heavily worded Gauvansh Sanrakshan (cow protection) and Gausamvardhan (cow propagation) Act.
First of all, it shifted the goal-post from banning cow-slaughter to propagating the cow, thereby giving an animal not just holy but statutory status in our governance. Second, it extended the law to eating even imported, canned beef, banned export of cows outside the state “for slaughter” (who is to establish that?), raised jail to 10 years and then, drawing from the draconian new rape law, put the onus on the accused to prove his innocence. Mercifully, a cow’s statement is not to be admissible. Further absurdity: it lays down that the state will set up a network of laboratories to check samples of meat seized. Check the full text of the law in case you think I may be exaggerating. Now I am waiting for a policeman to raid a top Japanese or Korean MNC executive living in Gurgaon and send cuts of meat from his fridge to these labs. Please do not laugh, because such things do happen. You will have a first-rate diplomatic crisis and global headlines Mr Modi wouldn’t want.
The important thing here, again, is that the law, with all its absurdities, was passed unanimously. Congress MLAs voted for it, and their seniormost leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda congratulated the chief minister. Hindutva groups have discovered cow politics has no opposition. Most stunning is the response of the Mulayam-Akhilesh government. Their police sent the meat for testing, and I don’t know where, because neighbouring Haryana’s labs are not yet built. You want to figure out the species of animal meat in a country where forensic services are so poor Sunanda Tharoor’s viscera samples had to be sent to America almost two years after her death!
This takes me back to a 43-degree afternoon in late April, 2007, at Village Dhampur outside Bijnor in Western Uttar Pradesh, and very much a part of the same communally sensitive arc that includes Dadri and Muzaffarnagar. State Assembly elections were on. Ashok Katariya, a relatively junior activist of the BJP’s Yuva Morcha, was playing the crowd-warmer. He talked about Hindu women being insecure, ISI cells active, national security imperilled because the percentage of Muslims was up to 41 per cent in the district. Then he shifted to meat-eating.
“Now they can eat dogs, cats, horses, camels, elephants, snakes and anything god and nature may have created,” he said, pouring disdain. “But they should refrain from eating beef, because cow is our mother. And if somebody slaughters a cow, we will slaughter that ba….d.” Rajnath Singh, who had by now arrived, was shaking his head in some disapproval, though he later played it down to us, saying, “Jawan khoon hai, garam ho jata hai (blood of the youth, boils over sometimes).” I hope he will disapprove of what happened even this week. Katariya is one of the vice-presidents of the state BJP now, along with Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti."
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Choose a plan - Meetup
Choose a plan - Meetup: "Organizer Subscription
Choose your plan
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Choose your plan
Basic
Limited to 50 members and 4 organizers
Starts at $9.99/month
Choose
Unlimited
Most popular
Grow your Meetup as big as you like
Starts at $14.99/month"
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Is our revered Netaji the same man who was enamoured by Hitler? - TOI Blogs
Is our revered Netaji the same man who was enamoured by Hitler? - TOI Blogs: "This play-acting of soldier-soldier was the primary aspect of Bose’s militarism. For a man enamoured of Adolf Hitler, imperial Japan and a believer in totalitarianism, he is awfully revered in India. Why? That is the puzzle."
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Liberal Hindus, arise: Reclaim your faith from extremists - TOI Blogs
Liberal Hindus, arise: Reclaim your faith from extremists - TOI Blogs: "The brutal Dadri lynching, the unspeakably tragic, numbing, and horrifying death of the innocent Akhlaq and the grievous injury to his 22-year-old son Danish should make every Hindu bow his head in shame, to cry out loud, to scream in anguish and demand to know, what is happening to Hinduism? Where is the philosophy of Bhartrihari, of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, of Meera, of Krishna Chaitanya and of Gandhi? Where is the glorious tradition of vaad, vivaad and samvaad? Where is the tradition, that if there are differences, the impulse to dialogue and argument enshrined in every Hindu text?
Does the heart of every Hindu not break when we hear the soft spoken Sartaj, IAF engineer, elder son of Akhlaq, solemn and dignified, asking only for justice for his father, a father killed because he had apparently organised a feast on his holy day? Does collective guilt and remorse not wrench our insides when we see young Danish lying unconscious after two brain surgeries simply because he happened to celebrate his festival? Who are these mobs who are acting in the name of Hinduism? Why are they killing in the name of Hinduism? Why are they seeking to monopolise the majestic philosophies of Hinduism?
Every liberal Hindu, every legatee of Vivekananda and Tagore, of Ram Mohan Roy and Sri Aurobindo, must stand up and seek an answer, must shout out loud: why are you killing in our name? As the late veteran journalist Prabhash Joshi cried out after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, “Yeh to Raghu-kul nahin.”"
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Does the heart of every Hindu not break when we hear the soft spoken Sartaj, IAF engineer, elder son of Akhlaq, solemn and dignified, asking only for justice for his father, a father killed because he had apparently organised a feast on his holy day? Does collective guilt and remorse not wrench our insides when we see young Danish lying unconscious after two brain surgeries simply because he happened to celebrate his festival? Who are these mobs who are acting in the name of Hinduism? Why are they killing in the name of Hinduism? Why are they seeking to monopolise the majestic philosophies of Hinduism?
Every liberal Hindu, every legatee of Vivekananda and Tagore, of Ram Mohan Roy and Sri Aurobindo, must stand up and seek an answer, must shout out loud: why are you killing in our name? As the late veteran journalist Prabhash Joshi cried out after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, “Yeh to Raghu-kul nahin.”"
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India the big loser in divided Nepal - The Times of India
India the big loser in divided Nepal - The Times of India: "Ethnic groups fighting for more autonomy are busy expanding their areas of influence. The most vociferous of them are Madhesis (Maithili, Bhojpuri, Avadhi, Hindi and Urdu-speaking people) and Tharus, who live in the terai bordering Bihar and UP. In the hills, Limbus, Khambus, Magars, Gurungs, and Tamangs (Nepalis of mongoloid stock) are equally restive. These groups, along with Khasas (hill Nepalis of Aryan origin), have been serving the Nepali, Indian and British armies for generations.
In addition, sections of Nepalis, mostly Bahuns-Khasas, and some madhesi groups have been clamouring for a Hindu state. But the Nepalis of mongoloid origin, who follow Buddhism or animism, oppose this demand.
Madhesis, who take pride in having "roti-beti ka rista" (socio-economic relationship) with India, have suffered discrimination. Suspicious of their loyalty, Nepal's former ruling elite and sections of hill Nepalis looked down upon them. Nepalis of mongoloid origin, too, have been marginalised for centuries. A majority of Bahuns and Kashtriyas (the two communities that mainly comprised Nepali's elite) are equally poor. Tharus, most of whom were bonded labourers till the turn of the century, were the worst sufferers.
READ ALSO: 'Not imposed any blockade on Nepal'
Comprising almost 30% of Nepal's population, madhesis are in a position to fight for their rights on their own. Their home — the terai — is known as Nepal's granary and houses most of the country's industrial units. The madhesis first began to talk about their rights in 1990 when King Birendra reintroduced multi-party democracy after an agitation by Nepali Congress and United Left Front.
The madhesi movement got a boost when the Maoists made autonomy for all ethnic groups a major issue during its 10-year-old "people's war." After the end of monarchy, some madhesi extremists picked up arms to fight for their cause and got wiped out quickly. The terai, a narrow strip of flat land 20-40km in width, running from east to west, was not suitable for such an armed struggle."
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In addition, sections of Nepalis, mostly Bahuns-Khasas, and some madhesi groups have been clamouring for a Hindu state. But the Nepalis of mongoloid origin, who follow Buddhism or animism, oppose this demand.
Madhesis, who take pride in having "roti-beti ka rista" (socio-economic relationship) with India, have suffered discrimination. Suspicious of their loyalty, Nepal's former ruling elite and sections of hill Nepalis looked down upon them. Nepalis of mongoloid origin, too, have been marginalised for centuries. A majority of Bahuns and Kashtriyas (the two communities that mainly comprised Nepali's elite) are equally poor. Tharus, most of whom were bonded labourers till the turn of the century, were the worst sufferers.
READ ALSO: 'Not imposed any blockade on Nepal'
Comprising almost 30% of Nepal's population, madhesis are in a position to fight for their rights on their own. Their home — the terai — is known as Nepal's granary and houses most of the country's industrial units. The madhesis first began to talk about their rights in 1990 when King Birendra reintroduced multi-party democracy after an agitation by Nepali Congress and United Left Front.
The madhesi movement got a boost when the Maoists made autonomy for all ethnic groups a major issue during its 10-year-old "people's war." After the end of monarchy, some madhesi extremists picked up arms to fight for their cause and got wiped out quickly. The terai, a narrow strip of flat land 20-40km in width, running from east to west, was not suitable for such an armed struggle."
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Friday, October 2, 2015
Saudi Arabia withdraws overseas funds
Saudi Arabia withdraws overseas funds: "Since the third quarter of 2014, Sama's reserves held in foreign securities have declined by $71bn, accounting for almost all of the $72.8 billion reduction in overall overseas assets.
Other industry executives estimate that Sama has withdrawn even more than $70 billion from existing managers.
While some of this cash has been used to fund the deficit, these executives say the central bank is also seeking to reinvest into less risky, more liquid products.
"They are not comfortable with their exposure to global equities," said another manager.
Fund managers with strong ties to Gulf sovereign wealth funds, such as BlackRock, Franklin Templeton and Legal & General, have received redemption notices, according to people aware of the matter."
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Other industry executives estimate that Sama has withdrawn even more than $70 billion from existing managers.
While some of this cash has been used to fund the deficit, these executives say the central bank is also seeking to reinvest into less risky, more liquid products.
"They are not comfortable with their exposure to global equities," said another manager.
Fund managers with strong ties to Gulf sovereign wealth funds, such as BlackRock, Franklin Templeton and Legal & General, have received redemption notices, according to people aware of the matter."
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