Irish PM-elect Indian links

QUAID NAJMI meets Leo Ashok Varadkar’s extended family in Mumbai

shortly before midnight on 2 June, residents of an otherwise quiet home in the middle-class locality of Abhinav Nagar in Borivali east Mumbai, suddenly erupted into frenzied celebrations involving lusty cheers and shouts of joy.

The Varadkar family were over the moon as barely minutes ago, their relative Leo Ashok Varadkar, 38, was elected Taoiseach or head of the ruling Fine Gael Party in Ireland to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Enda Kenny, thus making the medicoturned-politician the next PM-designate.

Ireland, the island nation in the North Atlantic near Great Britain, has a population of around 4.6 million, or hardly one fourth of Mumbai’s (17 million).

For Leo Ashok Varadkar’s cousin and cancer survivor Shubhada Varadkar, his success had fulfilled the wish she made on her visit to Ireland last year.

“In July 2016, Leo took time out to take me around Dublin, the Irish Parliament, his alma mater Trinity College and even the Prime Minister’s Residence. I saw it and blurted: Dada, I hope to see you in there, someday. He smiled as we walked away. After exactly a year I feel so thrilled that my dream has come true,” an excited Shubhada told IANS.

However, the family, including another cousin, Shekhar M. Varadkar, a retired Air India official, and his sister Shubhada, are a tad disappointed they have not been able to connect directly with Leo and convey their love, felicitations and best wishes for his achievement.

“It’s a great thing -- beginning of a new era in the world. Ireland has elected him without any consideration of caste, religion, and ethnic background. Merit is the only criterion,” an overwhelmed Shekhar told IANS.

He spoke amidst ongoing celebrations

Leo took me around Dublin, the Irish Parliament, his alma mater Trinity College and even the Prime Minister’s Residence. I saw it and blurted, ‘Dada, I hope to see you in there, someday’. He smiled as we walked away. After exactly a year I feel so thrilled that my dream has come true

Shubhada Varadkar

at the family home in Borivali, which Leo had last visited in 2011, hectic media interviews and palpable excitement in the suburban area that borders the lush green Sanjay Gandhi National Park in north-west Mumbai.

Born on January 18, 1979 in Dublin, Leo Varadkar’s Mumbai-born father was a medico who went to England in 1970 and married a nurse, Miriam, to settle in Ireland.

Leo visited Mumbai several times as a child, as a medico intern at the KEM Hospital in Parel, and later as a Sports Minister of Ireland in 2011.

“He was a voracious reader and continues to be even now; he was interested in the mysteries of space and astronomy. We always felt he was a visionary, far ahead of his times and he has proved us right,” said Shekhar.

The young Dubliner joined Irish politics at 22, and became an MP five years later. Now, he has created history by becoming the youngest Taoiseach of the country at 38.

Shubhada and Shekhar have fond memories of Leo’s trips to India “when he made it a point to visit each of our 10 family homes in Mumbai” and meet all the relatives in the huge joint family.

In fact, besides the celebrations in Borivali, a celebratory procession involving music, beating of drums and dancing was taken out in their ancestral Varad village in Sindhudurg district in coastal Konkan, around 500 km south of Mumbai near the Goa border, by the entire Varadkar clan.

“Leo is a very homely, family-loving and traditional person, enjoys homecooked food and Maharashtrian cuisine in the typical Malvan style. He likes Malvani prawns, fried fish, amboli (a rice- dosa preparation) and gulab jamun,” said Shubhada.

Leo’s visits to India see much celebration, feasting and merrymaking by the Varadkars in Mumbai, mostly at the Borivali home.

But, now that Leo will become the Prime Minister of Ireland, the family is not so sure whether he will be able to make it to their home, owing to security and protocol considerations, but they look forward to a visit by him.

Coming out openly as gay on his 36th birthday in 2015, Leo’s extended joint family in India comprises four uncles and five aunts, including two -- Manohar Varadkar, 93, and Madhukar Varadkar who are freedom fighters, and Avinash, 79, a former Indian Railway employee, and a host of cousins and their children. IANS will win 2019 polls by bigger margin, will control kashmir situation: Amit shah

BJP President Amit Shah said that his party will win the next general election in the country in 2019 by a much bigger margin than the majority achieved in the 2014 elections.

Addressing media in Chandigarh during a ‘Meet-the-Press’ programme of the Chandigarh Press Club, he said that the people of the country were overwhelmingly behind the BJP government at the centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We will win 2019 general election with much bigger majority. It will be much bigger than last time (2014),” Shah said, noting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in three years of being in power in the centre, had provided a corruption-free and developmentoriented government.

“The BJP has freed the country from (the shackles) of casteism (jaativaad), dynastic politics (pariwarvaad) and appeasement,” said the BJP chief, who arrived in Chandigarh to a rousing reception by party leaders and supporters.

Asked about the ongoing turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir, he said that the situation would soon be brought under control.

“Regarding Kashmir, such situations have occurred many times since 1989. We will control the situation,” he said, adding that security agencies have started their work against separatist leaders who had a role in adding to the present tense situation in the Valley at the behest of Pakistan and its agencies.

Highlighting the achievements of the BJP in three years in power at the centre, Shah said that the Modi government had taken the country forward on all fronts.

“Even our political opponents unable to level any allegations of corruption against BJP government in three years. This is a big achievement for BJP,” he noted.

He said that the BJP had emerged as the biggest political organisation in the world with over 11 crore party members.

Asked about the questions being raised by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders regarding the electronic voting machines (EVMs), Shah said: “I want to ask AAP leaders which EVM they used to get 67 seats out of 70 in Delhi elections.”

On the BJP’s loss in recent assembly elections in Punjab, he remained guarded.

“You all know that we (BJP) were a minor partner (in the alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal,” Shah said, stopping short of blaming the Akali Dal for the loss.

He maintained that the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in Punjab “continues in the present”.

“The party doing its internal analysis of the election defeat in Punjab,” he added.

‘

us , c hina, India to be top prospective destinations for fdI’

The US, China and India are considered to be the most prospective destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI), predicted the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in its annual report on investment.

According to the World Investment Report 2017: Investment and the Digital Economy, global FDI flows retreated marginally in 2016 by two per cent to $1,75 trillion, amid weak economic growth and significant policy risks perceived by multinational enterprises, Xinhua reported.

Flows to developing countries were especially hard hit, with a decline of 14 per cent, while FDI outflows from developed countries decreased by 11 per cent, mainly owing to a slump in investments from European multinational enterprises.

The US remained the largest recipient of FDI, attracting $391 billion in inflows, followed by Britain with $254 billion, and China with inflows of $134 billion.

According to the report, with a surge of outflows, China also becomes last year the second largest investing country.

In 2017, the global FDI is expected to rise by 5 per cent, to almost $1.8 trillion, attributed to higher economic growth expectations across major regions, a resumption of growth in trade and a recovery in corporate profits.

The modest increase in FDI flows is expected to continue into 2018, taking flows to $1.85 trillion, but still below the all-time peak of $1.9 trillion in 2007, said the report.

“Although this report projects a modest increase for 2017, other factors such as the elevation of geopolitical risks and policy uncertainty may impact the scale of the upturn,” said Mukhisa Kituyi, UNCTAD Secretary-General, adding that “the road to a full recovery for FDI remains bumpy.”

Indian presidential election on july 17, counting on july 20 muslim devotees wait to break their fast at the shrine of makhdoom Ali shah mahimi in mumbai, India, 4 june, 2017. muslims across the world are observing the holy fasting month of ramadan, where they refrain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk. Photo: AP

The election of the next President will be held on July 17, the Election Commission announced setting in motion the process to choose the successor to Pranab Mukherjee. Counting of votes will take place on July 20.

Announcing the schedule at a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said the filing of nomination will begin on June 14 and the last date for the purpose will be June 28. Scrutiny will take place on June 29 and the last date for withdrawal is July 1.

“The date on which polling will be held, if required, is July 17. Counting, if required, will be done on July 20,” he said. The term of Mukherjee, the country’s 13th President, will end on July 24.

Zaidi said members of the electoral college -- comprising members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and state assemblies, including Delhi and Puducherry -- will be provided special pens to cast their ballot and use of any other pen will render the vote invalid.

The poll announcement has set the ball rolling for the declaration of candidates by the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the opposition parties for the country’s highest elected office.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA, which is seen to have a clear edge in the electoral college, has so far not given any indication about its choice. Several opposition parties have since held parleys to find a consensus candidate but have decided to wait for the ruling alliance to reach out to them with the name of its candidate.

The parties have said that if a consensual candidate does not emerge, they will field a candidate “who will steadfastly defend the constitutional values”.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has initiated moves to bring the opposition parties on a common platform for the presidential and vice-presidential elections.

The term of Vice President Hamid Ansari will end in August.

Zaidi said that Lok Sabha Secretary General Anoop Mishra will be the Returning Officer for the presidential poll and ballots will be cast in Parliament House and in the respective state assemblies.

The counting of votes will take place in the national capital under the supervision of the Returning Officer.

The Chief Election Commissioner said presidential election will take place through secret ballot and political parties “cannot issue any whip” to their respective MPs or MLAs.

The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.

Every elector can have as many preferences as the candidates contesting the election and the winner has to secure the required quota of votes to be declared elected -- 50 per cent of the valid votes plus one.

Zaidi said a nomination paper has to be backed by at least 50 electors as proposers and at least 50 electors as seconders.

He said Assistant Returning Officers will be appointed in all state capitals, besides Delhi and Puducherry, to ensure smooth logistics for the election.

He said each candidate will be allowed to deploy a representative at the venue of polling.

Zaidi said MPs are expected to vote in Parliament House in Delhi and the MLAs in their respective assemblies but they can vote at another polling station in case of exigency after applying to the poll panel in advance.

Zaidi also said there are 13 vacancies in the electoral college, including MLAs and MPs.

“The EC will from time to time fill up these vacancies. As far as vacancies of MLAs and MPs are concerned, that is a continuous process. All such vacancies will be filled after presidential election,” he added.

He said: “The Rajya Sabha elections, have been suspended for now, and will take place after the presidential election.”

Asked if the 21 MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party, against whom the case of office-ofprofit is pending with the EC, would be able to vote, Zaidi said: “It is sub judice matter. As on date, they are eligible to cast their vote.”

He also added the schedule for the election of Vice-President will be announced later.

The total value of 4896 electors for 2012 presidential elections was 1098882. This included 54, 9408 as the value of votes of MPs and 549474 as the value of votes of MLAs.

Indian origin charity gives healthcare to 3 million nigerians

An Indian origin charitable organization, Tulsi Chanrai Foundation (TCF), has provided public healthcare to over three million disadvantaged children and adults in Nigeria.

TCF achieved the feat in the past two decades through its three key programmes: Mission for Vision, Mission for Primary Health and Mission for Water.

TCF, which started operations in 1994, is the charity wing of the Chanrai family which set up the first Indian company in Nigeria in 1923. The company has since become one of the most successful and respected business houses in the country.

The TCF report for 2015-16 said the Chanrai family has businesses in the areas of trade, manufacturing, agriculture and finance and currently employs about 30,000 people in Nigeria. It is one of the largest employer of local staff among the private sector in Nigeria.

The Nigerian government has accorded TCF the status of an International NGO. Since its inception, the TCF report said, more than 100,000 eye surgeries had been performed in Nigeria, restoring vision to the poor.

Also, over 1.5 million mothers and children have been provided access to basic healthcare services.

In the same period, 4,384 hand pumps and 85 solar and electric bore holes have been rehabilitated to provide potable water to 1.95 million people.

“When Nigeria is battling internally with acute insurgency and economic recession for a protracted period, TCF remain committed in extending its services unabated and assist the needy across the country,” the report said.

In 2015-16, the TCF said, it undertook several other projects including setting up the G.K. Chanrai Memorial Hospital in Zaria Kaduna.

From April 15, 2015 to March 16 last year, a total of 195,317 people were treated and 83,050 infants immunized.

The report said its Mission for Vision programme aimed to reduce avoidable blindness, predominantly cataract, among the rural poor of Nigeria by providing high quality ophthalmic surgeries for free.

“As a result, a large number of underprivileged people in and around Katsina, Kebbi and Cross River states have been able to avail of high quality eye treatment for cataract and glaucoma at no cost.” no emergency situation here, say Indians in Qatar Keralites in Qatar said there is no emergency situation in the country after seven Gulf countries snapped diplomatic ties with it.

“There is no situation of emergency as such here. The social media is twisting things, and maybe that led to a rush in the supermarkets here,” C.V.M. Vanimel, a social activist from Kerala, said, speaking to the media in Thiruvananthapuram from Doha.

“The cabinet meeting made it very clear that there be no reason for any panic as food items will be made available,” said Vanimel.

“Given our understanding of things, hectic diplomatic efforts are currently on to ease the situation.”

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, the UAE and the Maldives severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terror groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar, however, denied the allegations.

“The media should not go overboard as it creates a panic,” Vanimel said.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have also closed their borders preventing any movement by road, to and from Qatar. Also, their airlines have decided to stop flight operations to Qatar.

Passengers who arrived from Doha at Kochi and Kozhikode airports said “as things stand, there are no issues there (in Qatar)”. They, however, expressed concern over the operation of flights.

Kerala Local Bodies Minister K.T. Jaleel told the media in Thiruvananthapuram that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has already written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking for his immediate intervention to see that Indians are taken care of.

“When schools are closed there and if foreign airlines are not operating, there would be problems. Air India should ensure operation of more flights. The already high price of air tickets during summer rush could shoot up even higher,” said Jaleel.

With other Middle East airlines stopping their services, Qatar Airways and Air India are operating services to and from three Kerala airports, and if additional flights are not run and present embargo against Qatar is not lifted, things could go haywire, a worried officials said.

The banks and foreign exchange outlets have been directed not to exchange money for Qatari Riyal, said an airline source.

According to a study report, there are around 1.5 lakh Keralites in Qatar.

Around 4.82 million Indians live in the Gulf, including 630,000 in Qatar.

91% of businesses in India feel at cyber-attack risk: study

When it comes to cyber security, 91 per cent of businesses in India say their organisation is at risk because of the complexity of business and IT operations, which is above the APJ (Asia-Pacific and Japan) average of 85 per cent and the global average of 83 per cent.

According to a global study by leading IT firm Citrix and Ponemon Institute, 72 per cent of businesses say it is time for a new security framework.

“With an increasing number of traditional businesses taking the digital route, workspaces are no longer confined to the four office walls. While this shift has made the modern workforce more flexible and productive, it has also brought along its own set of security concerns,” said Parag Arora, Country Head and Area Vice President, Citrix, India Subcontinent, in a statement.

“For modern enterprises, security management and protection of data is an integral business function and no longer an IT task,” Arora added.

Nearly 60 per cent of respondents stated that employees and third parties bypass security policies and technologies because they are too complex.

Less than half of respondents in India (44 per cent) said their organisations have the right policies and procedures in place to protect information assets and critical information.

The research involved insights from over 4,200 IT and IT security practitioners globally.

Indian American selected among 12 nAsA astronaut candidates

Indian American Raja Chari, a Lieutenant Colonel with the US Air Force, has been selected by space agency NASA among 12 astronaut candidates who will conduct research off the Earth for deep space missions.

Chari, who will report for duty in August this year, is from the state of Iowa who graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1999 with bachelor’s degrees in astronautical engineering and engineering science.

He continued on to earn a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School.

Currently, he is a commander of the 461st Flight Test Squadron and the director of the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

After receiving a record-breaking number of applications -- 18,000 -- to join an exciting future of space exploration, NASA on Wednesday picked 12 -- its largest astronaut class since 2000.

Vice President Mike Pence joined NASA leaders as they introduced the members of the 2017 astronaut class during an event at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“These are 12 men and women whose personal excellence and whose personal courage will carry our nation to even greater heights of discovery and who I know will inspire our children and our grandchildren every bit as much as your forebears have done so in this storied American programme,” said Pence.

“And to this newest class of astronauts, it’s my honour to bring the sincere congratulations of the 45th President of the US, Donald Trump. Your President is proud of you, and so am I,” the Vice President added.

The astronaut candidates will return to Johnson in August to begin two years of training.

Then they could be assigned to any of a variety of missions, including: performing research on the International Space Station, launching from American soil on spacecraft built by commercial companies, and departing for deep space missions on NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.

“We look forward to the energy and talent of these astronauts fuelling our exciting future of discovery,” said acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot in a statement.

“Between expanding the crew on board the space station to conduct more research than ever before, and making preparations to send humans farther into space than we’ve ever been, we are going to keep them busy,” he said.

With the addition of these 12 members, NASA now has selected 350 astronauts since the original Mercury 7 in 1959.

“These women and men deserve our enthusiastic congratulations,” said astronaut and Johnson Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa.

The 12 new candidates include six military officers, three scientists, two medical doctors, a lead engineer at SpaceX and a NASA research pilot.