US grateful for the contributions of Sikh Americans: Obama

Washington, November 11: Greeting Sikhs on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, President Barack Obama has said “all of us can draw inspiration from his message of equality, honesty, and helping those who are in need.”

“I send my best wishes to all those observing the anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Sikh Guru,” he said in a statement issued Thursday by the White House.

“On this occasion, we are reminded of the fundamental principles of Sikhism, including the equality of all people, the sanctity of living an honest life, and the importance of service to our neighbors.

“I’m proud that during my presidency the White House hosted the first celebration of the birth of Guru Nanak, and our country is grateful for the extraordinary contributions that Sikh Americans have made to our nation.”

“As Sikhs across America and around the world celebrate the life of Guru Nanak, all of us can draw inspiration from his message of equality, honesty, and helping those who are in need,” he said.

Gallery: Canadian Finals Rodeo Day 3

Gallery: Canadian Finals Rodeo Day 3

Draw inspiration from Guru Nanak's message: Obama

WASHINGTON: Sending best wishes to the Sikh community on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, US President Barack Obamatoday said that people can draw inspiration from his message of equality, honesty and helping those in need. 

"As Sikhs across America and around the world celebrate the life of Guru Nanak, all of us can draw inspiration from his message of equality, honesty, and helping those who are in need," Obama said in a statement. 

"I send my best wishes to all those observing the anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Sikh Guru," he said. 

"On this occasion, we are reminded of the fundamental principles of Sikhism, including the equality of all people, the sanctity of living an honest life, and the importance of service to our neighbours," Obama said. 

"I'm proud that during my presidency the White House hosted the first celebration of the birth of Guru Nanak, and our country is grateful for the extraordinary contributions that Sikh Americans have made to our nation," said the US President.

One held for misusing ambassador’s credit card

NEW DELHI: A man from Amritsar who reportedly purchased goods worth Rs 2 lakh online by fradulently using the credit card of theIndian ambassador to Sudan has been arrested, police said on Saturday. More arrests are likely.

Ambassador A K Pandey, a resident of Greater Kailash-I, had complained that somebody had misused his SBI credit card for online shopping, causing him a loss of more than Rs 2 lakh. Investigations revealed that the card was used to buy a 10gm gold coin in the name of one Satinder Singh, a resident of the Guru Nanak colony, Amritsar, and the item was to be couriered to him. A police team went to Amritsar to trace the culprit.

"The team reached Amritsar and traced the address but it was found to be fake. The phone number given by the accused at the time of the online booking was switched off. We got his new phone number from the online company and a trap was laid near the post office in Amritsar with the help of local police. After a long wait, he came to collect the package. While receiving the package, he was caught red-handed," said addl CP (Southeast) Ajay Chaudhry.

His real name is Avtar Singh. The gold coin was found in the packet. He further told the cops that he had used the same method earlier to buy valuable items online. The police team recovered four gold coins of 2 grams each and one Dell desktop computer from his house. Singh has been sent to judicial custody.

Gucci bags brickbats in China for duping customers, harassing workers

BEIJING: Gucci, the world famous Italian brand, is suddenly hit by the proverbial ton of bricks with the Chinese media narrating tales of how it dupes customers and harasses workers. The city government in the boom city of Shenzhen has launched a probe into allegations of harassing workers.

The cornered company has fired two of its managers on charges of abusing workers' rights and denied the allegations of customer duping but the uproar is yet to peter out. The Italian fashion goods maker has been accused in dozens of news reports and Internet postings of repairing old and returned goods and selling the repaired ones as new.

Giving credence to the uproar is the Shanghai Commission of Consumers' Rights and Interests Protection. This is significant because most consumer bodies in China are directly or indirectly connected to either the Communist Party or one of the different government agencies.

"If this allegation is true, Gucci's behavior should be recognized as fraud," the Commission's secretary general Zhao Jiaoli was quoted as saying in the Chinese media. "Gucci should apologize to customers, who could sue the company in any case," Zhao said.

One of the charges against the company relates to a woman, who obtained a refund from a Gucci store near Shanghai after complaining that the color on the handle of her bag had faded. Email communications, allegedly conducted by two different Gucci stores, contained a telling sentence: ""If you refund the customer, we'll book the component from Italy and repair the bag to be sold again."

Another media report quoted the owner of a repair shop, identified only by his family name, who claimed he did repair jobs for Gucci.

"We will never allow or tolerate such conduct in our stores," the local media quoted Ben Huang, director of marketing and communications of Gucci China, as saying. He said the allegations are "unacceptable" and that Gucci will hold an investigation.

"We'll look into this case and if any customer has found imperfect products as reported, they should contact us directly," the media quoted Huang as saying. He refused to comment on the leaked documents saying he has not seen them.

Last month, Gucci announced it had replaced two managers in southern China. It was also discussing with local authorities allegations of employee abuse contained in an open letter posted over by Internet by its former workers.

The open letter said employees at Gucci's Shenzhen store were forced to work extra hours without pay, had to ask permission to use the toilet or to get drinks of water and had to pay for items reported stolen from the shop, according to the letter.

Huge blast kills 27 at Iran military base near Tehran

 TEHRAN: A massive explosion at a military arms depot near the Iranian capital Tehran killed 27 elite Revolutionary Guards on Saturday and wounded 16 others, state broadcaster IRIB said.

Officials said it was an accident which happened as troops were moving ammunition at a base in Bidganeh, near the town of Shahriar, some 45 km (28 miles) west of Tehran.

While there was no indication of any attack, the explosion shook homes and rattled windows for miles around at a time of mounting tensions withIsrael over Iran's nuclear programme.

"So far, 27 personnel of Revolutionary Guards have been martyred and 16 others wounded, some of them are in a critical condition," IRIB quoted Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ramezan Sharif as saying.

"Today at 13:30, (0900 GMT), an explosion happened in one of the Revolutionary Guards' bases while a consignment of explosive devices was being moved out from the arsenal, besides that some munitions in the arsenal exploded which created a terrifying sound," Sharif said.

Residents in western suburbs of Tehran told Reuters they had felt the blast, with some assuming it to be a low-level earthquake.

Fire at the base continued to rage for hours. Surrounding streets were closed and reporters were kept away from the scene.

RISK

Some media reported there had been two explosions and the head of Iran's Red Crescent organisation said there was a risk of further blasts.

Mahmoud Mozafar told the Mehr news agency that only six paramedics had been allowed into the Amir Al-Momenin military base and that thick smoke was hampering the rescue operation.

There were no reports linking the blast to any air strike or other attack. Tension has risen in recent weeks between Iran and its enemies Israel and the United States, which have not ruled out striking facilities they believe are working towards making nuclear weapons.

Sharif denied what he said was speculation in the Western media that the military base was linked to Iran's nuclear programme.

"This blast is not related to any nuclear tests that some foreign media have reported," he told Mehr.

Tehran denies Western accusations, that were given some credence by a report from the UN nuclear agency this week, that its nuclear programme has military ends.

On Oct. 12 last year a similar blast at a Revolutionary Guards munitions store killed and wounded several servicemen in Khoramabad, western Iran. Authorities said that explosion was an accident.

Source: TOI

Probe begins into stamp duty evasion scam

Moga, November 12
The Revenue department has begun investigation into a alleged scam of evasion of stamp duty and registration fee on sale of immovable property on powers of attorney and due to non-registration of agreements for sale, which came to light in audit reports in the Moga district.

The director of land records of the revenue department based at Jalandhar has issued notices dated October 31 to many deed writers and some officials of the revenue department seeking explanation from them within 15 days.

It may be mentioned that a scrutiny of the records of deed writers in an audit in the sub-registrar office revealed that one person made an agreement of sale of land measuring 68 kanal 10 marla on February 26, 2008 with a coloniser for a consideration of Rs 5.99 crore and received the full consideration. This instrument (agreement) for sale was not got registered with the registering authority though the same was required to be registered under Article 5 (cc) of Schedule 1A (for Punjab) of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899.

The seller instead executed and got registered another instrument of power of attorney on the same day February 26, 2008 authorising the purchaser to develop the land for all purposes or sell it to any other person for consideration and get the land (in full or part) registered as deeds of conveyance.

Harpal Tiwana arts centre opened

Patiala, November 12
Budding artists are on a new high as Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today inaugurated the state-of-the-art Harpal Tiwana Centre for Performing Arts (HTCPA) here in memory to the legendary playwright Harpal Tiwana.

The centre has been constructed on the Nabha road with an investment of about Rs 14.5 crore and is spread over an area of 1.5 acres.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said the setting up of this auditorium would not only cherish the aspirations of the foundation but also further propagate the Punjabi theatre movement in every nook and corner of the country and abroad.

Creative director of the centre and son of the late Harpal Tiwana, Manpal Tiwana said his father was a true custodian and champion of the Punjabi theatre movement whose legacy would continue to inspire future generations.

Manmohan sets new terms of endearment for Pakistan

Talks off if another 26/11-type attack; will visit Pak only for ‘solid business’

November 12
Two days after a feel-good meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Maldives, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today clarified the new terms of endearment.
Facing flak already from Opposition members for calling Gilani “a man of peace”, Manmohan Singh was categorical that any progress in relations with Pakistan would be dependent on Indian public opinion being satisfied that Islamabad had done justice to those who had perpetrated the Mumbai 26/11 attacks. “Otherwise the peace process between us can’t move forward,” he reportedly told Gilani in his meeting with him.
Not mincing his words, Manmohan Singh said, “While I remain optimistic about the resumed dialogue process, relations between India and Pakistan are always subject to incidents.” He revealed that he had discussed with Gilani the action taken so far by Pakistan on the 26/11 attacks and had warned his counterpart that “another incident like the Mumbai terror attacks would be a setback to the process of normalisation that had been started.”
The Prime Minister said Pakistan had agreed to send a Judicial Commission to visit India and gather evidence to prosecute those accused over the 26/11 attacks and he “expected some progress in that area.”
Manmohan Singh defined his approach to Pakistan as one of “trust but verify.” Anticipating that Opposition parties were likely to lampoon him for his praise for Gilani during the Parliament session beginning soon, the Prime Minister made it clear that “he did not have blind faith in one individual and would look for genuine movement towards normalisation of relations”.
Manmohan Singh clarified that he had met Gilani four times so far and found him willing to discuss all matters, including terror. He was hopeful that the second round of the resumed dialogue would be a more informed one and was optimistic about its outcome.
He said in his talks with his counterpart he got the impression that the Pakistan Army was on-board with the peace initiative.
Asked what would be the test of Pakistan’s sincerity on issues, he said if there was “solid evidence” that Pakistan’s establishment was involved in encouraging acts of terror that would be a negative. But if steps were taken to normalise trade relations with India, including implementing the Most Favoured Nation status announced recently, he would consider that “a positive move forward”.

Asked whether he had taken a decision on the “emotional” request by Gilani to visit Pakistan soon, Manmohan said that the offer had been made to him several times in the past and he had accepted the invitation in principle. He said he had not made up his mind when she should go, but was waiting “for the right moment.” Setting the conditions for such a visit, Manmohan Singh said, “It will be when I believe we can do some solid business together.”

In his interaction with the media on-board the Prime Minister’s special flight, Manmohan Singh was willing to take questions on a wide range of issues and spoke with ease and confidence. On the hot issue of lifting the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in certain areas of Jammu and Kashmir, he made it clear that it would be a considered decision.

He said the decision to lift AFSPA in any area in the state would be based on the security situation and consultation with various political parties. It was his impression, “that the process had not been completed”. 

Kingfisher trouble

I have not applied my mind to Kingfisher’s problems. When I get back, I will talk to (Civil Aviation Minister) Vayalar Ravi and we will explore ways and means in which the airlines can be helped.

Ties with Pakistan

I tend to believe that Pakistan has a democratic government. We would like to strengthen its hands. When I did discuss with the Pakistan Prime Minister, the feeling I got after long was that Pakistan’s armed forces were on board.

What the PM said AFSPA Withdrawal All those in charge of security and those dealing with handling all the security forces should sit and objectively discuss. Telangana tangle We want consensus where all shades of opinion will feel (that the solution arrived at) is the best. Bigger role for Rahul It is a party matter. I cannot talk about it. If Rahul Gandhi assumes any responsibility, I will welcome it.

India, Pak to ease cross-border travel

New Delhi, November 12
Travelling across the border to Pakistan will become easier once the new visa agreement between India and Pakistan comes into force soon. The proposed visa agreement seeks to make some radical changes in the existing rigid visa regime between the two countries thereby facilitating easy and hassle-free travel.

At their meeting in the Maldives earlier this week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed their resolve to put the visa agreement in place shortly.

Senior officials of the two countries finalised the draft of the agreement in October, pending approval by their political leaderships.

Though both sides are keeping the draft of the agreement under wraps, informed sources said the new regime proposes issuing six-month visas for social visits, and not a maximum of three weeks as of now, and a one-year visa with multiple entries for senior citizens, eminent persons, women of one country married to men in the other country and their children aged below 18.

It also proposes that senior citizens (above 65) will be given visa on arrival if they choose to travel by road.

Another significant proposal favours group tourism for up to 30 days, but with a condition that such travel be conducted by registered travel agents and the group comprises over 10 persons. The agents will register the group on arrival and departure with police stations of places to be visited. As of now, the two countries have been issuing visas restricted to social visits and pilgrimage and that too for travelling to the specified place and not anywhere else.

Businessmen registered by trade bodies of the two countries could be given multiple-entry visas for one year. Both sides will also allow transit visa for 36 hours to their respective citizens.

The business chambers in both countries have been complaining that giving them city-specific visa only hampers their movement when they visit each other’s country. India and Pakistan presently have a visa system under which they give visas for a maximum of three cities to each other’s citizens.

For example, a businessman from India cannot travel to Rawalpindi if does not have visa for the city, which is just about 15 km from Islamabad.

Similarly, a Pakistani businessman cannot go to Noida or Gurgaon if he does not have the visa for the two cities which are close to Delhi and have emerged as favourite destinations for corporate honchos from across the world.

The business lobby has also suggested upgrading the physical infrastructure on the Wagah border, including installation of sophisticated X-ray machines through which trucks can pass. 

Punjab to get first taste of proxy voting

CEC rules out advancement of elections

Ludhiana, November 12
For the first time in Punjab, persons, who are not able to cast their votes because they are posted at faraway places, will be able to do so, courtesy proxy voting.
Announcing this at a news conference at Punjab Agriculture University here today, Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) Dr Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi said, “It has already been introduced successfully in six states. As a result, the polling percentage has considerably improved.”
About the elections in Punjab, he said, “Although Punjab has prepared well for elections, there will be no advancement of poll in Punjab. These will be held before March 13. The reason is that we are also holding elections in four others states along with Punjab.”
On whether or not former Punjab police chief PS Gill could contest elections, he said, “Anyone in India can contest elections.” But on his role in the state home ministry, he said, “If he is serving there on an honorary basis, then he can contest elections. Otherwise, he cannot. We got complaints that he had promoted about 300 police personnel in his area. However, we found that only 57 have been promoted, far less as compared to other districts of Punjab. But I have instructed Moga deputy commissioner and officers to keep a check on his activities.”

What is proxy voting

Proxy voting means casting of vote through a proxy that the voter nominates.

Such voters include Armymen or individuals who stay far away from their hometown or village.

For Armymen, a service personnel can nominate any eligible voter from his constituency on an approved form and submit it to his Commanding Officer (CO).

The CO will forward the proxy nomination to the appropriate authority who will send it to the district electoral officer or returning officer after due verification.

The district official or returning officer will then send the acknowledgement to the CO.