Far-right extremism and social media: A match made in hell

RITAM MITRA explains why the rise of far-right extremism is the greatest ideological

Faced By Society Today

The Christchurch terror attack –which at the time of writing, had claimed 50 innocent lives and ruined hundreds of others – was just the latest in a long series of massacres by far-right extremists. Many sections of the media would not have coined it an act of terrorism had the 28-year-old Australian perpetrator not himself described it as such in a rambling 87-page manifesto which revealed months, if not years, of planning. The role played by social media in the tragedy highlighted the fundamental challenges in limiting the spread of extreme ideologies: it is easier than ever for extremists to connect, everyone has a platform, and authorities and organisations alike are either unable or unwilling to intervene.

In the moments before he walked into two Christchurch mosques during Friday jumu’ah prayer, Brenton Tarrant posted his manifesto, along with a link to the horrific live stream of his shooting, on 8chan, an internet message board which, unlike the unaffiliated and more renowned 4chan, is not moderated by administrators. The responses were largely celebratory; some posted Nazi memes, others encouraged Tarrant and wished him well. In the immediate aftermath of the attack too, many supported the mass murder on social media, including in the comments sections of posts by mainstream media outlets.

It is difficult to imagine that, in the absence of alt-right echo chambers like 8chan, attacks like these would be as prevalent as they are today. The anonymity of the internet allows those with traditionally unacceptable ideologies to connect, to validate each others’ dangerous views, and to convince themselves that they are anything but fringe-dwellers in a society which rejects their violent subcultures. Facebook is no different, with its algorithms set up to show users the content they are most likely to engage and agree with. After all, as a listed company, Facebook’s primary motivation is to keep users on the site for as many hours a day as possible.

In the past, far-right extremists wore hooded cloaks to hide their identities; today, they hide behind fake and, alarmingly, real Facebook profiles. One thing that has not changed is that they are, in the majority, disaffected white men. In open society, these men are, or perceive themselves to be, rejected outcasts. But on internet message boards, in private Facebook groups, and increasingly, on more mainstream, public forums, they are celebrated as heroes. As validation rolls in, even if in as subtle a form as a Facebook like, their ideologies grow more extreme, spurred on by the support and the sense of belonging no doubt missing from their real lives. The effect is even more profound when those with higher profiles, such as conservative commentator Andrew Bolt and Queensland Senator Fraser Anning, lend their names and voices to the cause.

Revealingly, data from the US ADL Center on Extremism shows that, since September 11, 2001, white supremacists and other far-right extremists have killed far more people on American soil than any other categories of domestic extremist. In fact, 71% of extremist-related fatalities in the US between 2008 and 2017 were committed by far-right and white supremacist movements. By comparison, Islamist extremism accounted for 26%, and left-wing extremism just 11%.

Authorities often trawl through underground message boards, including on the dark web, but even controlling and prosecuting rampant paedophilia and blatant drug trafficking is an impossible task. Identifying the perpetrators of possible lone wolf terrorist attacks amidst a sea of right-wing trolls is even more impossible; the internet, and the movement, is simply too vast.

The most concerning aspect of the staggering rise of far-right extremism is that it creates a vicious cycle of revenge attacks, xenophobia, fear and suffering, and there is no circuit breaker in sight. In the past, conflicting ideologies on this scale have led to war. Without intervention and condemnation from those that matter, we may well be doomed to repeat history, despite all the lessons it has taught us.

Christchurch attack: 5 Indian victims

The Indian High Commission in New Zealand has confirmed that five Indians were killed in the Christchurch terror attack that claimed 50 lives.

"With a very heavy heart we share the news of loss of precious lives of our five nationals - Maheboob Khokhar, Ramiz Vora, Asif Vora, Ansi Alibava and Ozair Kadir - in the ghastly terror attack," the Indian Mission tweeted.

"Our helpline numbers (021803899 and 021850033) will remain available round the clock to assist families as we together cope with our shared grief," it said.

It also stated a dedicated page to expedite visa for family members of the victims has been set up by the New Zealand immigration office. Fifty people were killed in shootings at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Avenue Masjid in the city on Friday 15 March after 28-year-old

Australian national Brenton Tarrant opened indiscriminate firing.

US to begin accepting new H1-B visa petitions

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would start accepting new H1-B visa petitions for the fiscal year 2020 starting April 1, according to media reports.

The employment start date for these visas would be October 1, the American Bazaar daily has said. Like previous years, the regular visa cap limit for H-1B this year remains at 65,000.

Additionally, another 20,000 petitioners, who possess a Master's, or a higher degree from a US university, will also get the visas. But, according to many lawyers, this year may be extraordinary, mostly because of the continued scrutiny as well as some subtle rule changes announced earlier this year.

In January, the USCIS introduced a change in the order in which allocations would be counted. The agency will now put all the petitions including the ones with advanced degree in the regular cap. In the second round, it will select the remaining petitions. The new order is expected to increase chances of petitioners with a US Master's degree.

According to the USCIS, the new change would result in an estimated 16 per cent rise, or an increase of 5,340 workers, in the selected H1-B petitioners with an advanced

US degree.

Florida-based paralegal Vishal Ghadia, told the American Bazaar: "In the last six years, USCIS has received enough H1-B applications to fill the 85,000 cap within the first five working days of the month of April. This time, too, we can expect the cap to reach within five days and the number of H1-B applications similar to last few years."

However, some lawyers have said that that an apparent crackdown on H-1B and the overall negative sentiment around immigration would reflect on the filings.

Prominent immigration attorney Sheela Murthy told the American Bazaar: "We expect fewer H-1B filings since many employers are frustrated with the system and the administration that has its head in the sand regarding the shortage of highskilled workers to keep up the momentum of our economy."

Meanwhile, Kansas City-based attorney Rekha Sharma-Crawford said that due to "the administration working overtime to limit all immigration, there is an uncertainty to the H-1B season this year".

US Senate confirms Neomi Rao as judge

The US Senate has confirmed the appointment of a controversial Indian American jurist, Neomi Rao, to an important judgeship that was vacated by an appointee to the Supreme Court.

Her confirmation last week came after days of opposition from both liberals and the hard right over her writings as an undergraduate and her perceived lukewarm stand on legal abortion.

The Senate voted 53 to 46, to approve her appointment to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals by President Donald Trump to replace Brett Kavanaugh, who was elevated to the Supreme Court. Federal judicial appointments need Senate approval.

Situated in the nation's capital, that court is considered the most influential after the Supreme Court as many important federal cases are heard by it and four of the current nine Supreme Court Judges had previously served on it.

Another Indian-American, Sri Srinivasan, who was on then President Barack Obama's shortlist for the Supreme Court, is also on the DC court of appeals. With Rao's appointment, there would be Indian American candidates that either party could consider for future vacancies to the Supreme Court.

In an op-ed she wrote for the college newspaper decades ago, she had said about date rape that if a woman "drinks to the point where she can no longer choose, well, getting to that point was part of her choice". This provoked opposition from liberals and centrists who saw it as blaming the victim rather than the perpetrator.

She wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee apologising for "the insensitivity demonstrated in my remarks on rape and sexual assault".

Trump announced his intention to nominate her for the judgeship at the White House Deepavali celebrations last year calling her a "great person" who "is going to be fantastic".

Rao comes from a Parsi family and her parents, both doctors, immigrated from India. A graduate of Yale University, she received her law degree from Chicago University and went on to be a clerk for the conservative African American Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She has also worked as a lawyer in President George W. Bush's White House and with the Senate judicial committee.

Hyundai, Kia invest around Rs 2,000 crore in Ola

In their single biggest investment ever, Hyundai Motor Co and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp announced an investment of Rs 2,068 crore ($300 million) in India's leading ride-hailing cab aggregator Ola.

The agreement will see the three companies collaborate on building Indiaspecific electric vehicles and infrastructure and developing unique fleet and mobility solutions, Hyundai said.

"This partnership will also significantly benefit driver-partners on our platform, as we collaborate with Hyundai to build vehicles and solutions that enable sustainable earnings for millions of them, in the time to come," said Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-founder and CEO of Ola.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors will invest $240 million and $60 million respectively in Ola.

As part of the strategic collaboration, the companies have agreed to co-create solutions to operate and manage fleet vehicles, marking the Hyundai Motor Group's first foray into the industry, as they expand operations from automobile manufacturing and sales to total fleet solutions.

The partnership will offer Ola drivers various financial services, including lease and instalment payments, while vehicle maintenance and repair services are expected to enhance customer satisfaction, Hyundai said.

Hyundai, Kia and Ola also agreed to coordinate efforts to develop cars and specifications that reflect the needs of the ride hailing market.

Ola earlier this month raised Rs 400 crore from its early investors, including Tiger Global and Matrix India, to fund its electric mobility business.

The nine-year-old firm had set up in 2018 Ola Electric Mobility Ltd to use batteryrun cabs as a pilot project at Nagpur in Maharashtra.

In tech-era, Himachal official pens postcards to voters

In social media times, a Deputy Commissioner in Himachal Pradesh believes in sending self-signed postcards to voters to make them aware about the power of their voting rights and motivate them to exercise that right to strengthen democracy.

The administration of Sirmaur, one of the state's backward districts, has plans to send postcards to all 100,000 household, largely rural, to come and vote for the general election on May 19. It also carries an appeal to the new voters, who attained the age of 18 years in January, to get his or her name registered at the nearest polling station, or with the District Election Office.

As part of the Jagruk Matdata, Loktantra Ka Bhagya Vidhata initiative, a postcard would be sent to each household.

"It's a tradition in the district that locals used to send postcards or invitation cards to family members and friends to invite them for a social function. So, we have decided to post a card to each family," Deputy Commissioner Lalit Jain said.

He said in most of the rural areas in Shillai, Sangrah and Pachhad areas, mobile connectivity is poor and the post offices are the only mode of communication."A postman while delivering a postcard at each household will say that the Deputy Commissioner has sent a message for you through this letter," he said.

Bangalore school students participate in the School Strike for Climate Action on 15 March 2019

Jain hopes to reach out to most of the 3,59,000 voters through written messages before polling day. His office has been mailing thousands of postcards to the electorate in the district. Till date, the district administration has sent 25,000 postcards.

Transgender named Maharashtra Election Icon

For a second time since 2014, a transgender activist - Gauri Sawant - has been appointed one of Maharashtra's 12 'Election Icons' for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In the previous Lok Sabha, another LGBT activist Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi had been appointed in a similar position to create awareness among the voters, goad them to go and cast their votes to increase the voter turnout, said an official, declining to be identified. Maharashtra has a little more than 2,000 transgenders as registered voters, more than double since the 2014 elections, though there were none before 2012.

Sawant and the women Election Icons shall specially reach out to the female voters to go out along with their families and exercise their franchise.

Azamgarh boy selected for Lindau Nobel laureate meet

Azamgarh-born Mohammad Adnan, a PhD student at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D), has been selected to take part in the prestigious Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting in Germany. He will get an opportunity to interact with over 30 laureates from the field of science for a week. The Lindau meeting will be held from June 30 to July 5.

Adnan was selected for his research on the emission properties of organic and inorganic materials. The Lindau meeting will be held from June 30 to July 5.

The researcher from the Department of Physics at IIT-D is working on high intensity ultra-fast light matter interaction of special kind of metal organic framework, which is useful for advance optoelectronic device.

According to the Lindau Nobel website, "Once every year, more than 30 Nobel laureates convene in Lindau to meet the next generation of scientists: 500-600 undergraduates, PhD students and postdoctorate researchers from all over the world."

Adnan said he had sent his application to the Department of Science and Technology of the government, which vetted his credentials and research work and then forwarded the application to the Lindau committee."I am excited to attend this meeting. I will get a chance to interact with so many Nobel laureates at one place," he said, adding that he also won a NewtonBhabha Fellowship in February under which he will be visiting the Cambridge University from July to November this year.

Adnan, who completed his schooling from Azamgarh, finished B.Sc from Aligarh Muslim University and topped the M.Sc. examination in 2015. Every year since 1951, Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, physics, physiology and medicine meet at Lindau to discuss the issues of importance in their respective fields with students from around the world.

Deakin University felicitates Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

India's biotech queen and Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been conferred with an honorary doctorate from Deakin University in Australia's Victoria state for her contribution to biotechnology, the company said recently.

"Kiran has been recognised for her entrepreneurial role in the field of biotechnology and for her sustained contribution to industry-academia collaboration between Australia and India," the Bengaluru based Biocon said.

Mazumdar-Shaw was appointed as the Australian Global Alumni Ambassador by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2016 and is also the Victorian Business Ambassador for the government of the southeast Australian state of Victoria.

"I am proud to receive this coveted recognition from Deakin University and inspired to be presented with the honour in the year when Deakin is celebrating 25 years of association with India," the Biocon chief said on the occasion.

Anny Divya youngest woman to command Boeing 777

In a celebration of the power of women, Microsoft-owned professional networking platform LinkedIn brought Anny Divya, the world's youngest female pilot to fly the Boeing 777, to its league of global influencers.

"Anny Divya has a strong voice that will inspire our members to go after their dream job," said Mahesh Narayanan, Country Head-India, LinkedIn.

LinkedIn's invitation-only influencer programme hosts over 500 global leaders, thinkers and innovators like media mogul Oprah Winfrey, actor Priyanka Chopra and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As a LinkedIn influencer, Divya shared her story with over 610 million global and over 55 million Indian members on how she fought societal conventions, language barriers and family pressure to succeed in a maledominant profession.

Born to a lower middle-class family in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, becoming a pilot was Divya's dream job as a school girl. She started learning flying at the age of 17 and in two years at 19 she received her licence and was employed with Air India.

"When I became the youngest woman to command a Boeing 777, I didn't realise that I had unknowingly become an inspiration to young women around the world, who want to pursue a profession in flying. I am excited to share my learnings as a LinkedIn Influencer and I look forward to inspiring others through my personal story," Divya said.

Divya, 32, now flies ultra-long-haul international flights and is an inspiration to girls across the country.

Mary Kom aims for gold at 2020 Olympics

It is said that champions are made and not born. The struggle, effort and the determination to keep trying till you succeed is what makes a champion stand out and no one would know this better than champion boxer MC Mary Kom.

The only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the seven world championships, there is no stopping her. Even though the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is more than 15 months away, Mary Kom is already planning for the biggest event in sporting history.

Speaking on the sidelines of a shoot with a sports brand, Mary Kom said that 2019 held special significance for her as this was the qualification year for the Tokyo Olympics and she must ensure that she plans the road ahead with precision. "2020 is very close. This is one of the most important year for me as I look to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. We have already figured out the plan ahead. Without a plan or strategy you cannot move forward. The most important thing is to stay injury-free as that will help me give it my all as I prepare for 2020," she said.

Having recently competed in Germany and won all her fights, one would expect her to be happy with the start to the season. But Mary Kom is already looking at areas she needs to improve on just like a true champion athlete. "I have already tested my body as the fight in Germany was my first in the 51 kg category and that was a great experience. I think I have to improve a bit in certain areas like strength, power and stamina and I noted that and will figure these things out with my trainer," she explained.

At the training trip in Germany, Mary Kom defeated Ukraine's Daria Sierhieieva, Germany's Ursula Gottlob and Norway's Veronica Losvik. Even though her victories were unanimous 5-0 verdicts, Mary Kom wants to keep working hard and plan for different situations that may challenge her as she dreams of a gold in the 2020 Games. "I have already been planning on ways to tackle opponents in the 51 kg category and I have had a bit of an experience on competing in this category in the past year. I now have some idea of the opponents and that helps me to plan the moves to get better," she said.

Asked about the next tournament she would be competing in, Mary Kom said: "I think the India Open will be the next competition that I will be competing in. The rest I have to see the calendar and only then I can tell you."

Even as experts keep asking if age is catching up with the superstar boxer, Mary Kom is happy about her fitness level and her association with big brands means she is right up there with the best.

Coming back to the Olympics, while one hopes that India can come back with a rich haul, Mary Kom doesn't wish to put a number on how many medals India will win. "I am not god and I don't think I should comment on whether justice will be done or not. But in my opinion, every athlete who will be a part of the Olympic will be looking to give it their best and make the country proud. I do not think there is any doubt in that," she explained.

IANS

BY JYOTI SHANKAR

For someone who worked with NSW Lotteries for 24 years, Preeti Vijaya Sawrikar is well aware about chance and probabilities. She decided to play the biggest gamble when she laid her life in the hands of a young doctor who promised his best to try to make her life worth living again. And it paid.

In a way these accompanying pictures of her thriving garden tell the story of Preeti’s spirit to survive. The problem was her degenerated neck. In spite of being on morphine on a daily basis, the pain never subsided and sleep eluded her. Less than six months ago, Preeti thought that life was not worth living anymore. Three major surgeries later, 23 hours in all, these thoughts are well and truly a thing of the past.

She credits the skilful hands of neurosurgeon Dr Rajesh Reddy. The operation could have left Preeti in a coma, a quadriplegic, blind, without speech or dead, but she managed to dodge all these risks by trusting her doctor. He explained the risks but was willing to take the chance that more senior doctors had declined. “The irony is that when Dr Reddy was born, I had just arrived in Australia as a new bride,