Husband of slain woman said forgives NZ mosque gunman

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March 17, 2019

A man whose 44-year-old wife was killed in the Christchurch mosque attack as she rushed back in to rescue him said that he harbours no hatred toward the gunman, insisting forgiveness is the best path forward.

“I would say to him ‘I love him as a person’,” Farid Ahmad told AFP.

Asked if he forgave the 28-year-old white supremacist suspect, he said: “Of course.

The best thing is forgiveness, generosity, loving and caring, positivity.”

Husna Ahmed was among 50 people killed in the attack on two mosques that were packed for Friday prayers.

When the shooting started, she helped several people escape from the women’s and children’s hall.

“She was screaming ‘come this way, hurry up’, and she took many children and ladies towards a safe garden,” Ahmad said.

“Then she was coming back for checking about me, because I was in a wheelchair, and as she was approaching the gate she was shot.

She was busy saving lives, forgetting about herself.”

Ahmad, 59, who has been confined to a wheelchair since being hit by a drunk driver in 1998, believes he escaped the hail of bullets because the gunman was focused on other targets.

“This guy was shooting one person two, three times, probably that gave some time to us to move out even the dead he was shooting them again.”

He did not see his wife when he left the mosque and only learned of her death after somebody photographed her body.

“Her picture was out in the social media, so somebody showed me the picture and I identified quite easily.”

Ahmad said that if he was able to sit down with the mass murderer he would encourage him to rethink his outlook on life.

“I will tell him that inside him he has great potential to be a generous person, to be a kind person, to be a person who would save people, save humanity rather than destroy them,” he said.

“I want him to look for that positive attitude in him, and I hope and I pray for him he would be a great civilian one day. I don’t have any grudge.

Fame can be anxiety inducing: Emilia Clarke

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Web Team

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March 17, 2019

Emilia Clarke said that she values the love she receives from her audience but at the same time finds fame “anxiety” inducing.

The “Game of Thrones” star said that she is “guarded” about her anonymity, reported Contactmusic.

“I do get recognised more now. Sometimes you walk down the street and someone is like, ‘Wah.’ I do feel very guarded about my anonymity. You know, I like going to the butcher’s and having a chat and it being a normal thing.

”I like human interaction. I value it, I appreciate it. It’s what makes me feel happy. So when that is taken away with someone looking at you in a different guise, it can be incredibly difficult. It can be anxiety inducing,” Clarke told The Sun.

The 32-year-old actor said that she never Googles herself as she believes it can harm her ”mental health”.

“I never read anything about the show, absolutely nothing. I don’t find it helpful for my mental health,” she added.

Demi Lovato reflects upon sobriety journey

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March 17, 2019

Demi Lovato has opened up about her battle with substance abuse and reflected upon what could have been her seventh year sober.

The 26-year-old singer took to Instagram where she shared a powerful message on March 15, saying that she does not regret the infamous relapse that occurred last June.

“I don’t regret going out because I needed to make those mistakes but I must never forget that’s exactly what they were: mistakes,” Lovato wrote on her Instagram Stories.

In the next photo, the singer said that she was “grateful” to both Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) for never shutting the door “no matter how many times you have to start over.”

Lovato said she does not believe that she lost the six years in sobriety, adding that the experience will always be a part of her.

“Now I just get to add to that time with a new journey and time count.

“If you’ve relapsed and are afraid to get help again, just know that it’s possible to take that step towards recovery. If you’re alive today, you can make it back. You’re worth it,” she said.

After entering rehab last year, Lovato restarted her sobriety count and posted in January that she was celebrating six months of being clean.

Congress to repeat victorious performance in Rajasthan: Pilot

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March 17, 2019

There is “complete unanimity” among all senior Congress leaders in Rajasthan on the names of the candidates to be fielded in almost all of the 25 Lok Sabha seats, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said on Sunday, asserting that his party will accomplish its “mission 25” in the state.

The Rajasthan Congress chief also asserted that the Lok Sabha polls will be fought on bread and butter issues and not on emotional matters that the BJP wants to take the narrative to.

The BJP-led government is trying to shift the narrative away from issues of economic non-performance and job creation, he told reporters in an interview.

The government has made deliberate attempts to make institutions hollow and systematically dismantle them over the last five years, Pilot alleged, citing the examples of institutions such as the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, and the Reserve Bank of India.

Asked about the issue of infighting over ticket distribution which had reportedly been a concern in assembly polls, Pilot said that there is a set process for ticket distribution in the Congress and at every level all stakeholders are involved in the decision making, from the district to the national level.

All senior leaders are consulted and it is with their consent that the final decisions are taken. For Lok Sabha, I am happy that for almost all the seats, between all the senior leaders in Rajasthan, there is complete unanimity on the names that we feel should be fielded for the Lok Sabha, the 41-year-old former Union minister said.

His remarks come amid speculation over the electoral debut of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot.

Terror Trail Continues — Mindless killing and loss of lives

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C K Subramaniam

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March 17, 2019

Extremely sad to hear the news! New Zealand is such a peaceful place. Also, appreciate the Australian and NZ PMs’ statements. I am pretty confident that they will be able to bring the perpetrators to justice, as per their law. They also have the guts to call it a terrorist attack, though Muslims were at the receiving end of it and the inhumane act was committed by ‘Right Wing’ extremists. Terrorism definitely has no religion, at all.

It appears to be impossible to put an end to the menace of terrorism unless Nations come together and unitedly fight against it. The UN also should designate not only individuals but also countries openly harbouring terrorist activities as terrorist nations and should impose severe sanctions crippling them completely while putting an embargo on the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The veto power in UNSC also should be reviewed and go by the majority of member countries. This is possible if China and America come to an understanding of these issues. Perhaps, Pakistan must be the only country which shamelessly covers up the terrorists and extremists despite their history of killing people. No other country spares in-country terrorists.

The fact is that we are among those who are facing Pakistan sponsored terrorism. In my view, there are many countries who are playing with the fire which includes Gulf countries, the U.S.A., Israel, China, and many more. It is seen that whenever and wherever any interest of conflict takes place, one of the parties starts fuelling terrorism which is a dangerous composition. Nowadays, the peacemaking leaders are more relevant while the fact is that nobody follows them when it comes to “walk the talk.” Peace can only be achieved through the path of peaceful co-existence and there is no other way for the survival of the human race on this planet.

The modern-day governments are facing both internal and external security concerns. New Zealand is a small country with a lesser population, where all Nationals live and live for their earning. They live for generations either doing their family business or works for Government or Companies there. At the same time, they are allowed to follow their own custom and methods of worship. They build their temples and Mosques and also follow their religious duties. Not very often we hear gunshots fired at common places that too in a Mosque. All the Countries keeping aside their religious following must devise means to remove gunshot killings. Gun culture should stop for the future of human existence.

Terrorism has global implications, the global community has to be vigilant against it. The United Nations is requested to change its imbecile attitude, take urgent measures to ban veto power of five countries in the wake of stumbling blocks put on the path of peace initiative by the Security Council. Ban all terror modules, those who veto peace resolutions should be stripped of veto power.

While it is heartening to see that a wide swath of the international community is unequivocally condemning the attack, such statements of solidarity must be backed up by actions which help bring to an end the ability of such terrorist groups to kill with impunity and destabilize the region. There lies the real success.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Afghan troops go missing after fleeing battle with Taliban

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Web Team

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March 17, 2019

Around 100 Afghan soldiers fled their posts and tried to cross into neighbouring Turkmenistan during a weeklong battle with the Taliban, officials said on Sunday.

Mohammad Naser Nazari, a provincial council member in the western Badghis province, said the soldiers were not allowed to cross the border and their fate remains unknown.

The Taliban have posted pictures of captured soldiers on social media.

Jamshid Shahabi, the provincial governor’s spokesman, said that 16 soldiers have been killed and 20 wounded during the ongoing battle in the Bala Murghab district, in which the military carried out airstrikes and dispatched reinforcements.

He said a number of soldiers tried to flee, without providing an exact figure.

Shahabi said more than 40 insurgents were killed in the fighting.

He said the provincial police chief and army commander are in the district and instructing the forces to root out insurgents and rescue soldiers.

Officials said the fighting had largely subsided by Sunday, with sporadic clashes breaking out in remote areas.

Nazari provided a higher toll, saying that 50 soldiers were killed and around 100 others were missing.

He said hundreds of local residents have gathered in front of the governor’s office to express their concerns about security in the province.

He said that Bala Murghab is almost completely controlled by the Taliban, with Afghan forces confined to the district headquarters.

The Taliban have been carrying out near-daily attacks across Afghanistan, mainly targeting the government and Afghan security forces and causing staggering casualties.

The attacks have continued despite stepped-up US efforts to negotiate an end to the 17-year war, America’s longest.

Sheena Bora murder case accused Peter Mukerjea hospitalised

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Web Team

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March 17, 2019

Former media baron Peter Mukerjea, an accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, was admitted to the state-run J J Hospital after he complained of chest pain, officials said on Sunday.

Mukerjea, who was lodged at the Arthur Road Jail in Central Mumbai, had been complaining of chest pain for the last few days, a police official said.

On Saturday evening, he again suffered from severe pain in the chest following which the prison medical staff checked him and rushed him to the J J Hospital, he said.

“Mukerjea was admitted to the hospital on Saturday evening for chest pain. The patient’s condition is stable and he is undergoing treatment,” J J Hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Sanjay Surase said.

The CBI told a special court earlier this month that Mukerjea is the “silent killer” of Sheena Bora, the daughter of his wife and former media executive Indrani Mukerjea from a previous relationship.

The April 2012 murder of Sheena Bora (24) came to light in August 2015 when Indrani Mukerjea’s driver Shyamvar Rai spilled the beans after being arrested in another case.

Indrani Mukerjea, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna, Rai and Peter Mukerjea were subsequently arrested in the case. Rai later became an approver and was pardoned.

The CBI has claimed a financial dispute led to the killing of Sheena Bora.

Letters to the Editor: March 17, 2019

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Web Team

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March 17, 2019

IDBI Bank to be considered as Pvt bank?

It refers to the media-reports that public-sector IDBI Bank will be considered as a private-sector bank after public-sector LIC of India gets 51 per cent controlling stake in the IDBI Bank. Undoubtedly, the IDBI Bank till now was not listed amongst other public-sector banks because earlier it was a government-owned Financial Institution and thus a public-authority. Also, the LIC of India as the public-sector autonomous body has its own style of professional functioning. There are also reports that the bank will be named as the LIC IDBI Bank.

Confusion must not be created about the IDBI Bank under control of LIC of India to be a private bank. The bank should be categorised as a premium public-sector bank which may provide fancy banking on lines of private-sector banks with higher service-charges but with five-starred facilities. The bank should have a simple name as LIC Bank with an exclusive facility of every branch having an exclusive counter for life-insurance needs where such a counter may function as a separate unit of LIC of India. The branches of this premium bank should also have additional facilities like the sale of stamp-papers, postal-services, general-insurance (public-sector), commemorative coin-sets and other such government-provided services under one roof.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal

Will the CM answer my questions?

Sad, very sad indeed! What is Rs 5 lakh today to compensate the family member of the dead while the injured get only Rs 50,000? How long will the money last for the family? What if the deceased was the only working member of the family? When will the money be given to the family member? It will take years for the family member to get the money. The family member will have to run from pillar to post in order to get the money. The BMC is to be blamed for the FOB collapse at Mumbai CSTM on March 15, as they cannot run the city. Where is our money going which we pay as taxes to the government? Will the Chief Minister answer my questions? Today, our lives are not secure. Any moment we may die? Did the people know that they were going to die that day?

Jubel D’Cruz

Step-by-step graphics instructions manual needed

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has recently launched a CIVIGIL app to gather feedback related to reporting Model Code of Conduct violations. The app has been enabled to report any feedback either directly or anonymously by a user through the photo/video upload option. Of late, it has now been observed that the app monitoring teams have been inundated by incorrect feedback reports, only leading to the ineffectiveness of the communication strategy as adopted by the ECI.

It is further given to understand that the CIVIGIL app doesn’t have any a graphically supported step-by-step instructions manual, to help a user better understand the features through technical/user document guide. It only has a list of FAQ questions, privacy policy, end user agreement and terms of service and isn’t much effective as an information guide to the user. It is further given to understand that no extensive effort has been made to create awareness for the app’s effective use through a step-by-step instructions manual/document but wide publicity has only been issued related to the mere launch announcement of CIVIGIL app.

The ECI should now strive to prepare a step-by-step graphic based instructions manual/document by releasing a technical/user guide. It should further strive to disseminate the same extensively through press releases, social media, websites and other communication channels. The move will only further help the citizens to contribute effectively to the feedback mechanism.

Varun SD

Standardise consumables in car-industry

The Union government should induce standardisation of the common accessories like tyres and batteries so that same parts may be used in different models of cars produced by various car manufacturers. It will heavily bring down the cost of consumables through their bumper production in extra large numbers in some limited sizes and specifications. It can be achieved by merging some nearing sizes and specifications. Such guidelines though also mentioned in auto-policy of Union government, are never followed in actual practice.

Too many variants of any car-model confuse customers. There may be just two variants apart from the third with automatic gears, one basic Lx for economy customers and the other Vx with all company-fitted extra accessories and luxuries for affording customers. There is no sense in having too many confusing variants like Lx, Lxi, Vx, Vxi for the same model. India being the biggest consumer-market amongst nations with a free economy, it has certainly power to dictate its consumer-friendly terms for global market-leaders collaborating car-manufacture in India.

Madhu Agrawal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

CPSE ETF: Fifth tranche subscription to open on Mar 19; govt eyes Rs 3,500 crore

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Web Team

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March 17, 2019

The fifth tranche of the CPSE Exchange Traded Fund will open for subscription on March 19, wherein the government seeks to raise at least Rs 3,500 crore.

The fourth Further Fund Offer (FFO), which would be open from March 19-22, would help the government in mopping up funds towards meeting its disinvestment target of Rs 80,000 crore for the current fiscal ending March 31.

According to Reliance Mutual Fund, which is managing the CPSE ETF, the fifth tranche would open for subscription on March 19, for anchor investors. Non-anchor investors, including retail investors, can put in their bids from March 20-22.

This would be the second CPSE (Central Public Sector Enterprises) ETF FFO in the current fiscal after Rs 17,000 crore raised in November 2018.

So far, the government has raised a total of Rs 28,500 crore from rounds through CPSE ETF, including the first offer in March 2014 that mopped up Rs 3,000 crore.

“The CPSE ETF is trading at very attractive valuations. As on February 28, the dividend yield of the index was as high as 5.52 per cent compared to 1.25 per cent for the Nifty 50. In addition, the government is also giving a 4 per cent discount to investors,” Reliance Mutual Fund Head (ETF) Vishal Jain said.

The ETF tracks shares of 11 Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) — ONGC, NTPC, Coal India, IOC, Rural Electrication Corp, Power Finance Corp, Bharat Electronics, Oil India, NBCC India, NLC India and SJVN.

Through the latest offer, the government aims to raise an initial amount of Rs 3,500 crore and the offer size could be raised, as per Reliance Mutual Fund.

After raising Rs 3,000 through New Fund Offer (NFO) in March 2014, the government garnered Rs 6,000 crore from the first FFO of the CPSE ETF in January 2017. Subsequently Rs 2,500 crore was mopped from the third tranche in March 2017 and Rs 17,000 crore from the fourth round in November last year.

The government has raised Rs 56,473.32 crore through disinvestment till February 28, as against the target of Rs 80,000 crore for the 2018-19 fiscal.

One dead, four injured in landslide in Jammu & Kashmir

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Web Team

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March 17, 2019

A 33-year-old man was killed and four others were injured on Sunday when a landslide struck a remote village in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

A group of labourers was on way to Banihal on foot when they came under the landslide at Khari-Mahoo road near Aarmarg in the morning, a police official said.

He said the locals pulled out the body of Mohammad Qasim Gujjar, a resident of Aarmarg, from the debris, while four others injured were shifted to hospital.