Nepali students Swornima Shakya and Rukshya Aryal secured first position in the recently held “World Handwriting Competition-2014” for 13 through 19 in New York, USA. This year’s World Champ-PEN Swornima Shakya is the winner in the contest for 13 through 19 “Artistic Handwriting”. She previously won Second Place for 8 through 12 Cursive Handwriting in 2013. And Rukshya Aryal is the winner in the contest for age 13 – 19, “Functional Handwriting (Cursive)”.
An early visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kathmandu will offer an opportunity to remove the accumulated cobwebs of mistrust between the two neighbours and focus on future potential
No two neighbouring countries enjoy a more intimate and a more complex relationship than India and Nepal. India is where Nepalis come to study, work, spend holidays, plan weddings, invest in a second home; yet, India is also blamed for being insensitive, for meddling in Nepal’s internal affairs and often, for taking Nepal for granted.
Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s maiden visit to Nepal this week will be keenly watched, especially as it lays the groundwork for an early visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A high-level Indian visit is long overdue; after I.K. Gujral in 1997, only Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has visited Nepal, in 2002 for a SAARC summit. There have been several visits by Nepal’s Prime Ministers and its President Ram Baran Yadav since. A Modi visit offers an opportunity to focus on future potential and remove some of the accumulated cobwebs of mistrust.
Reviewing treaty
Two examples illustrate this adequately. First, the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Most Nepalis are unaware that it was Nepal that had wanted this treaty, in order to maintain the special ties with independent India that it had with British India. Nepal’s security concerns had been heightened by the Communist revolution in China and its takeover of Tibet. The treaty provides for an open border between the two countries and allows Nepali nationals to work in India without a work permit, to apply for government jobs and the civil services (except for the IFS, IAS, and IPS), to open bank accounts and buy property. Incidentally, India had waived its rights under reciprocity as a sign of goodwill. The provisions of the “secret” side letters to the Treaty, which required Nepal to consult India on its defence requirements, which Nepalis perceive as unfair and which are often used by politicians to whip up anti-India sentiment, are no longer secret or even observed. Today, the open border is used by Pakistan to infiltrate terrorists and pump in significant amounts of fake Indian currency. Although India has agreed to review and update the treaty, every time the matter is taken up, Nepal sidesteps the issue. The Modi government should declare its readiness to have open and transparent discussions with Nepal on this so that political leaders stop using it as a stick to beat India with.
Hydel cooperation
The second example relates to Nepal’s hydropower potential. Today, Nepal faces a chronic power shortage, with daily power cuts up to 14 hours long. Its installed capacity is 600MW and it imports about 150 MW from India. Meanwhile, demand is growing by 20 per cent annually. Ironically, Nepal has a hydel potential of 75,000 MW of which 40,000 MW has been assessed as technically feasible and economically viable. And India remains an open market for Nepal’s surplus power! However, accumulated resentment over the 1954 Kosi Agreement and the 1959 Gandak Agreement, cited by successive Nepali regimes as unfair, has rendered progress on hydel cooperation impossible. Three mega-projects — Saptakosi with 5,000MW, Karnali-Chisapani with 11,000MW, and Pancheshwar with 6,500MW — have been languishing for 30 years. When the hydel sector in Nepal was opened up to the private sector, Indian companies (including Tata Power, LANCO, GMR, Jindal, IL&FS, L&T, and GENCO) won 27 survey licences for projects ranging from 100 to 1,000 MW each, but not a single one is even close to beginning construction.
The Modi government should declare its readiness to have open and transparent discussions with Nepal on the Treaty of Peace and Friendship so that political leaders stop using it as a stick to beat India with.
A Modi visit is an opportunity to reach out, demonstrating goodwill, generosity and timebound delivery on infrastructure. Announcing a 300-500 MW power plant to address Nepal’s electricity demands and enable a light in every Nepali home is one way to do this. A run-of-the-river project or one with “peaking” (i.e. limited storage), should be possible to complete within three to four years if its technical feasibility has been completed. The cost of the project would be in the range of $400 million and the government of India could fund half the equity (about $60 million) with project finance coming at a concessional rate from the EXIM Bank Line Of Credit. It could be undertaken jointly with Nepal Electricity Authority with the understanding that after 10 years of operation, India’s equity would be given to Nepal. Such a gesture could change mindsets and help unlock Nepal’s hydel potential, making it one of the richest countries of the region.
Resentment despite links
Not many are aware of the extensive economic linkages and cooperation between the two countries. Two-thirds of Nepal’s foreign trade is with India which also accounts for half of Nepal’s foreign direct investment. The Nepali currency is pegged to the Indian rupee. Over the years, India has built highways, optical fibre links, medical colleges, trauma centres, polytechnics, schools, health centres, bridges, etc. For flood protection and embankment construction in Nepal, India provides more than Rs.75 crore annually. To facilitate the movement of goods and people, India is providing Rs.270 crore to build four integrated check posts on the border, Rs.650 crore for extending two railway links out of the five proposed, and Rs.700 crore for the first phase of rebuilding old postal roads in the Terai region. In addition, there is a second EXIM Bank Line of Credit for $250 million available and another $125 million for the power transmission line upgrades. About Rs.1,300 crore is disbursed annually to the 1.25 lakh Indian Army pensioners in addition to other welfare schemes. The provision of iodised salt, conducting cataract and trachoma camps, gifting of ambulances and school buses in the remotest of Nepali villages are initiatives that have made a difference to life in rural Nepal. Still, an undercurrent of resentment against India has persisted.
Political happenings
Nepal’s current political transition began with the Jan Aandolan in 1990 and is still unfolding. Since then, no government has lasted even two years. A Maoist insurgency and the resulting civil war claimed more than 15,000 lives over a decade (1996-2006). The monarchy never recovered after the palace massacre of 2001 and finally, the 240-year-old institution was abolished in 2008, with the Royal Kingdom of Nepal becoming a republic. The historic election in 2008 had given a two-year mandate to the Constituent Assembly (CA) to draft a new Constitution. Four times the CA extended its life but it was finally dissolved in 2012 when there were credible legal challenges to any further extension and it was clear, after four Prime Ministers (2008-12), that a fresh election was necessary. A second CA was elected in November last year, with the goal of completing the Constitution-drafting exercise in a year. Outstanding issues of the type of government (presidential or Westminster) and a federal structure (ethnicity-based or geographical) are polarising, and have to be handled wisely. As the Maoists have learnt, rising expectations cannot be satisfied by laal salaam or empty rhetoric.
As a large neighbour, India has to be extra-sensitive to assertions of Nepali sovereignty during its political transition. Different ethnic groups and Nepali political parties will certainly appeal to sections in the Indian establishment for “guidance,” but such entreaties are best avoided by New Delhi. Groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad profess nostalgia for reverting to a “Hindu rashtra” in Nepal; some Indian political leaders would push for supporting the Madhesis who enjoy a close kinship with Indians in north Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Modi government should ignore these and advise Nepali leaders, both publicly and privately, to resolve their differences internally.
For too long, India has ignored the changing political narrative in Nepal. We remained content that Indian interests were safeguarded by quiet diplomacy even when Nepali leaders publicly adopted anti-India postures — an approach started by the Palace in the 1950s and adopted particularly by the Left parties as a means of demonstrating “nationalist credentials.” Ignored by India, it has had long-term negative consequences. It has led to distortions in Nepali history textbooks and created negative stereotypes in the Nepali media. Appropriately targeted public diplomacy initiatives are necessary to address this. At official and diplomatic levels, a more open and straightforward approach will prevent creating ambiguities that give rise to conspiracy theories and providing grist to the local media. Mr. Modi is well placed to put his imprint on such a diplomatic style.
(Rakesh Sood, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation till May 2014, is a former Ambassador to Nepal. E-mail: rakeshsood2001@yahoo.com)
A Russian crime ring has amassed the largest known collection of stolen Internet credentials, including 1.2 billion user name and password combinations and more than 500 million email addresses, security researchers say.
The records, discovered by Hold Security, a firm in Milwaukee, include confidential material gathered from 420,000 websites, including household names, and small Internet sites. Hold Security has a history of uncovering significant hacks, including the theft last year of tens of millions of records from Adobe Systems.
Photo
Alex Holden of Hold Security said most of the targeted websites were still vulnerable.Credit Darren Hauck for The New York Times
“Hackers did not just target U.S. companies, they targeted any website they could get, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to very small websites,” said Alex Holden, the founder and chief information security officer of Hold Security. “And most of these sites are still vulnerable.”
Mr. Holden, who is paid to consult on the security of corporate websites, decided to make details of the attack public this week to coincide with discussions at an industry conference and to let the many small sites he will not be able to contact know that they should look into the problem.
There is worry among some in the security community that keeping personal information out of the hands of thieves is increasingly a losing battle. In December, 40 million credit card numbers and 70 million addresses, phone numbers and additional pieces of personal information were stolen from the retail giant Target by hackers in Eastern Europe.
And in October, federal prosecutors said an identity theft service in Vietnam managed to obtain as many as 200 million personal records, including Social Security numbers, credit card data and bank account information from Court Ventures, a company now owned by the data brokerage firm Experian.
But the discovery by Hold Security dwarfs those incidents, and the size of the latest discovery has prompted security experts to call for improved identity protection on the web.
“Companies that rely on user names and passwords have to develop a sense of urgency about changing this,” said Avivah Litan, a security analyst at the research firm Gartner. “Until they do, criminals will just keep stockpiling people’s credentials.”
Websites inside Russia had been hacked, too, and Mr. Holden said he saw no connection between the hackers and the Russian government. He said he planned to alert law enforcement after making the research public, though the Russian government has not historically pursued accused hackers.
So far, the criminals have not sold many of the records online. Instead, they appear to be using the stolen information to send spam on social networks like Twitter at the behest of other groups, collecting fees for their work.
But selling more of the records on the black market would be lucrative.
While a credit card can be easily canceled, personal credentials like an email address, Social Security number or password can be used for identity theft. Because people tend to use the same passwords for different sites, criminals test stolen credentials on websites where valuable information can be gleaned, like those of banks and brokerage firms.
Like other computer security consulting firms, Hold Security has contacts in the criminal hacking community and has been monitoring and even communicating with this particular group for some time.
How to Keep Data Out of Hackers’ Hands
For people worried about identity theft and privacy, the discovery by Hold Security of a giant database of stolen data is highly personal. But there are steps everyone can take to minimize the hackers’ impact.
The hacking ring is based in a small city in south central Russia, the region flanked by Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The group includes fewer than a dozen men in their 20s who know one another personally — not just virtually. Their computer servers are thought to be in Russia.
“There is a division of labor within the gang,” Mr. Holden said. “Some are writing the programming, some are stealing the data. It’s like you would imagine a small company; everyone is trying to make a living.”
They began as amateur spammers in 2011, buying stolen databases of personal information on the black market. But in April, the group accelerated its activity. Mr. Holden surmised they partnered with another entity, whom he has not identified, that may have shared hacking techniques and tools.
Since then, the Russian hackers have been able to capture credentials on a mass scale using botnets — networks of zombie computers that have been infected with a computer virus — to do their bidding. Any time an infected user visits a website, criminals command the botnet to test that website to see if it is vulnerable to a well-known hacking technique known as an SQL injection, in which a hacker enters commands that cause a database to produce its contents. If the website proves vulnerable, criminals flag the site and return later to extract the full contents of the database.
“They audited the Internet,” Mr. Holden said. It was not clear, however, how computers were infected with the botnet in the first place.
By July, criminals were able to collect 4.5 billion records — each a user name and password — though many overlapped. After sorting through the data, Hold Security found that 1.2 billion of those records were unique. Because people tend to use multiple emails, they filtered further and found that the criminals’ database included about 542 million unique email addresses.
“Most of these sites are still vulnerable,” said Mr. Holden, emphasizing that the hackers continue to exploit the vulnerability and collect data.
Mr. Holden said his team had begun alerting victimized companies to the breaches, but had been unable to reach every website. He said his firm was also trying to come up with an online tool that would allow individuals to securely test for their information in the database.
The disclosure comes as hackers and security companies gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Black Hat security conference this week. The event, which began as a small hacker convention in 1997, now attracts thousands of security vendors peddling the latest and greatest in security technologies. At the conference, security firms often release research — to land new business, discuss with colleagues or simply for bragging rights.
Yet for all the new security mousetraps, data security breaches have only gotten larger, more frequent and more costly. The average total cost of a data breach to a company increased 15 percent this year from last year, to $3.5 million per breach, from $3.1 million, according to a joint study last May, published by the Ponemon Institute, an independent research group, and IBM.
Last February, Mr. Holden also uncovered a database of 360 million records for sale, which were collected from multiple companies.
“The ability to attack is certainly outpacing the ability to defend,” said Lillian Ablon, a security researcher at the RAND Corporation. “We’re constantly playing this cat and mouse game, but ultimately companies just patch and pray.”
Guinness World Record: World’s Largest Human National Flag- Nepal: ३५ हजार नेपाली एकै ठाउंमा जम्मा भएर मानव-सांग्लोबाट नेपालको राष्ट्रिय झण्डाको आकृति निर्माण गरि विश्व किर्तिमान बनाउने यो प्रयासमा आफ्नो स्थान बुक गर्न ढिला नगर्नुस । Registration is going on at DECC hall, UWTC, Tripureshwor. Please please come let’s join hands and show world what we can do. event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1521476671414710 Organised by: www.hvpp.org Saturday, August 23 at 6:00am in UTC+05:45
Jamaliah gives a hug to her daughter Raudhatul Jannah after being reunited in Meulaboh, Aceh, northern Sumatra, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2014.
A girl thought to have died in the Indian Ocean tsunami has been reunited with her family after being found alive nearly a decade later, her parents said Friday.
Raudhatul Jannah was just four when she was swept away as the disaster struck Indonesia on Boxing Day in 2004. After a month, her relatives assumed she was among the more than 230,000 killed. But in June, her brother spotted someone who appeared to be his long-lost sister walking down the street, according to German news agency DPA.
“This is a miracle from God,” her mother told DPA.
With his success, the medical university has also announced to set up a new department in the university, promote him as the department chief and provide him around 16 million rupees annually as ´research grant´ for his future endeavors.
Rajiv Kumar Jha, a Nepali professor at Xi´an Medical University, has become first Nepali to be selected as one of the ´Top 100 Youth Talents´ in China.
The provincial government of Shaanxi, a Chinese province located in Northern region of the country, selected the 35-year-old Jha as one of 100 youth talents in the seventh ´One-Hundred-Talent-Plan´ under youth 100 talent recruitment program of the government.
Top 100 Youth Talents is the most prestigious award in China given to youths.
Issuing a letter to Nepali Embassy in Beijing and Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, the medical university on Sunday informed that Jha has been selected as one of the 100 talents. Youths under 40 years of age are selected for the youth talents.
Jha is an associate professor at the university.
The letter further reads that 35-year-old Jha, who has completed post-doc research from China, is the first Nepali citizen to be selected as one of the 100 talents by the Shaanxi government.
A specialist team of the Shaanxi government, which selects youth, both domestic and foreign, for the award looks for people making contribution to their respective fields. The team selected Jha for his contribution to modern medicine and health. He has been relentlessly conducting research on pancreas and liver cancer.
After being selected as one of the 100 talents in the “One-Hundred-Talent Plan” the Shaanxi government will expect him to do even more in his field. The government will provide him around 16 million rupees as settlement grant for his research.
With his success, the medical university has also announced to set up a new department in the university, promote him as the department chief and provide him around 16 million rupees annually as ´research grant´ for his future endeavors.
Jha can apply for permanent residency in China if he wants to stay in the country after one-and-a-half year.
“The Shaanxi government will assess my efforts and may even increase the grant amount in future,” said Jha, who is a resident of Bhaisepati in Lalitpur, Nepal. “Most of the time, financial constraints prevent you from carrying out extensive research. The best thing is that I will face no such problem from now onward.”
Jha, who had arrived in China some 17 years ago to study MBBS, was felicitated by “International Youth Scientist” award of National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2011. He had studied MBBS and MD from Chanthong University in Shaanxi province. He completed his PhD in Surgery 2010.
Though he had specialized in surgical treatment, he was interested in research right from the beginning, he said.
According to the gist of the 18th congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) has selected the ´Top 100 Talents´ to implement the ideas for strengthening the building of a High-end Innovative and Enterprising Talent Team but forward by Shaanxi Provincial Committee of CPC and the Shaanxi provincial government.
Xi´an Medical University pledges to cooperate with medical experts from Nepal and carry out joint research in medical field.
Official website of the Shaanxi government states that the youths have been selected with the hope that they can make remarkable contribution to the economic and social development of the province.
The provincial government had started selecting ´Top 100 Youths´ since the last five years.
एकासौं शताब्दीको आजको इन्टरनेटको जमानामा नियतबस गलत जानकारी प्रबाहले अन्तराष्ट्रिय दृष्टिकोण नकारात्मक बन्ने भएकाले सत्यका पर्यायबाची बुद्धको जन्मस्थल विषयमा साँचो कुरा गरेर बुद्धप्रति साँचो अर्थमा आदर गर्नु नै उपयुक्त देखिन्छ । नेपालले त आखिर ढिलो चाँडो समस्या समाधान गर्ने नै भएकोले शक्तिसम्पन्न राष्ट्रको सूचिमा पर्न अग्रसर भारतले यस किसिमका समस्याका कारण विश्व रंगमन्चमा आफ्नो छबि धमिलिन नदिन समयमा नै अग्रसरता दर्शाउनु नेपालभन्दा भारतकै लागि बढी हितकर हुने देखिन्छ ।
नेपाल भ्रमणमा रहेका भारतका प्रधानमन्त्री नरेन्द्र मोदीद्धारा आइतबार नेपाली संविधानसभामा सम्बोधन गर्ने क्रममा “विश्वलाई चकित गर्ने बुद्ध जन्मेको देश”भनी नेपालको लुम्बिनीलाई बुद्धको जन्मथलोको रुपमा स्वीकारिएको सार्वजनिक सम्बोधनले भारतीय संचार माध्यमद्धारा बेलाबखतमा बुद्ध जन्मस्थल विषयमा सिर्जना गरिने अनावश्यक बिबाद अब टुंगिने हो कि भन्ने संकेत मिलेको छ । यस्ले लाखौं नेपालीको मन जित्ने मात्रै नभएर थुप्रै अन्तराष्ट्रिय संचार माध्यमको समेत ध्यानाकर्षण गरेको देखिन्छ ।
जसरी योगगुरु रामदेबले आफ्नो पुस्तकमा वुद्ध भारतमा जन्मेको कुरा उल्लेख गरे तापनि नेपाल आएर बुद्ध नेपालमा जन्मेको कुरा गरे त्यसरी नै केही समय अघि मात्रै ‘जुन बेला बिहारलाई वुद्धको आवश्यकता परेको थियो बिहारले बुद्ध दियो’ भनेका कारण बिबाद र आलोचनाका पात्र बनेका मोदी भारतको प्रधानमन्त्रीको हैसियतमा नेपाल आउँदा नेपाली संविधानसभामा सम्बोधन गर्ने क्रममा बुद्ध नेपालमा जन्मेको भन्दै नेपाललाई बुद्धको देशको रुपमा चिनाउन धेरै पटक दोहोर्याए ।
नेपालबारे अत्यन्तै साना कुराहरु समेत जानकारी राख्न सक्ने खुबी भएकाका रुपमा आफूलाई प्रमाणित गर्न सक्षम मोदीले आफूले बिहारले बुद्ध दिएको भनी बोलेको, नक्कली कपिलवस्तु निर्माण, वुद्ध फिल्ममा कबिर बेदीले बोलेका आदि बिषयमा भएका बिरोध र नेपालीहरुले यस बिषयमा भारतको नियतका बिरुद्ध विस्वब्यापी रुपमा दर्शाएको बिरोधबारे अनभिज्ञ छन भन्न सकिन्न । त्यसरी नै प्रो कनिङ्हामको नेतृत्वमा युनेस्कोमार्फत लुम्बिनीमा भैरहेको अनुसन्धानद्धारा बुद्धको जन्मस्थल र समय समेतको नयाँ जानकारी र वैज्ञानिक पुनर्पुष्टि महत्वपूर्ण अन्तराष्ट्रिय संचार माध्यमहरुको प्राथमिकतामा परेबाट भारतले सामना गर्न परेको असहज लज्जाबोधलाई पनि बुझेका छैनन भन्न सकिन्न । र, अर्को कुटनितिक पक्ष भनेको भारतले राष्ट्र संघको सुरक्षा परिषदमा अस्थायी सदस्यको रुपमा पुन: उम्मेदवारी दिंदैछ । मोदीले वुद्ध जन्मस्थल बिषयमा जे बोले त्यस्लाई यी सबैबाट अलग राखेर हेर्न सकिन्न ।
मोदीको यो स्वीकारोक्तिका सम्बन्धमा तीन फरक धार नेपालीहरुका बीच देखा परे: पहिलो, मोदीले जे बोले त्यो नै सबैभन्दा महत्वपूर्ण हो र भारतले नै बुद्धको जन्मस्थल बिषयमा अनाबस्यक बिबाद सिर्जना गरेकोले अब कुनै बिबाद रहने छैन याने कि बिबाद टुङियो; दोश्रो, नेपालबाट आफ्नो स्वार्थ पुरा गर्ने कुटिल चालबाजी भएकोले उन्को कुरोमा विश्वाश गरिनु हुन्न र तेश्रो, वाध्यताबस होस अथवा चालबाजीको रुपमा होस भारती प्रधानमन्त्रीका हैसियतमा मोदीले वुद्ध जन्मस्थल बिषयमा नेपाली संविधानसभामा सम्बोधन गर्ने क्रममा बोलेका कुराले भारती पक्षबाट बेला बखतमा निकालिने अनाबस्यक बखेडामा निस्चित रुपमा कमी आउनेछ र समस्याको जरोको रुपमा रहेको बिभिन्न देशको पाठ्य पुस्तकमा नै भएको गलत जानकारी सच्याउने क्रममा कोरिया र स्वीडेनमा प्राप्त भएको सफलतालाई अरु देशमा निरन्तरता दिन यस्का कारण कुनै न कुनै हदसम्म सहज बातावरण सिर्जना हुन सक्नेछ ।
एकाध ब्यक्तिहरु वुद्ध जन्मस्थलको बिषयमा उठेको समस्यालाई गोल मटोल गर्ने अभिप्रायले बिषयबस्तुलाई कपिलवस्तुतिर मोडेर भ्रम सिर्जना गर्नेतिर पनि लागिरहेका छन । संसारभरी प्रश्न र समस्या वुद्ध जन्मेको बिषयमा छ उनीहरु वुद्धले २९ बर्ष ब्यतित गरेको कपिलवस्तुको असान्दर्भिक प्रसंग ल्याएर मानिसको ध्यान अन्यत्रै मोडने दुस्प्रयास गरिरहेका छन ।
मोदीको यो स्वीकारोक्तिका कारण अब वुद्धको जन्मथलोको बिषयमा सिर्जना गरिएको समस्या समाधानार्थ जनस्तरबाट शुरु गरिएको विस्वब्यापी अभियानको कुनै औचित्य नभएको कुरा केहीले उठाएका छन । उनीहरुले बुझ्नु पर्ने महत्वपूर्ण कुरा के हो भने यो समस्या भारत र नेपालमा मात्रै सीमित नभएर थुप्रै देशको पाठ्य पुस्तकमा नै बुद्ध जन्मस्थलबारे गलत जानकारी राखिएको कारण संसारभरिका करोडौं मानिसले गलत जानकारी प्राप्त गरिरहेकाले अभियानले यो समस्यालाई समस्याको जरोको रुपमा लिएको छ । मोदीको यो स्वीकारोक्तिले अभियानको कार्यमा सिर्जना हुने ब्यबधानमा कमी आउने कुरालाई नकार्न सकिन्न जस्ले अभियानको औचित्य समाप्त हुने दिन नजिकिन सक्छ । अब हाम्रो दायित्व भनेको कोरिया र स्वीडेनकै कामको निरन्तरताको रुपमा विभिन्न देशको पाठ्य पुस्तकमा भएको गलत जानकारी सच्याउनेतर्फ नै बढी मात्रामा केन्द्रित हुनुपर्ने हुन्छ । अभियानले एक हदसम्म जन चेतनाको अबस्था पार गरेकोले अब बिभिन्न देशको पाठ्यक्रममा वुद्ध जन्मस्थल बिषयमा भएको गलत जानकारी सच्याउने कुरामा जोड दिए अनुरुप नै स्वीडेनमा त्यो सफलता हासिल गरिसकेको पनि छ ।
एकासौं शताब्दीको आजको इन्टरनेटको जमानामा नियतबस गलत जानकारी प्रबाहले अन्तराष्ट्रिय दृष्टिकोण नकारात्मक बन्ने भएकाले सत्यका पर्यायबाची बुद्धको जन्मस्थल विषयमा साँचो कुरा गरेर बुद्धप्रति साँचो अर्थमा आदर गर्नु नै उपयुक्त देखिन्छ । नेपालले त आखिर ढिलो चाँडो समस्या समाधान गर्ने नै भएकोले शक्तिसम्पन्न राष्ट्रको सूचिमा पर्न अग्रसर भारतले यस किसिमका समस्याका कारण विश्व रंगमन्चमा आफ्नो छबि धमिलिन नदिन समयमा नै अग्रसरता दर्शाउनु नेपालभन्दा भारतकै लागि बढी हितकर हुने देखिन्छ ।
नेपालकी छोरी, हिमालकी छोरी, मिथुन चक्रबर्तीका अनुसार नेपालकी रानी जस्ता अनेक नामले चिनिने लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस अभियानका लुम्बिनी वालिका शान्तिदूत तेरिया फौजा मगरले बुद्ध जन्मनु भएको देश नेपाल नै हो भन्ने सन्देश संसारभरी फैलाउने प्रतिबद्धता जाहेर गरिन सिडनीको तेरिया साँझमा आफ्नो बेजोड प्रस्तुति गर्ने क्रममा ।
वुद्ध जन्मस्थल बिषयमा सिर्जित बिस्वब्यापी दिग्भ्रम निस्तेज पार्न लागिपरेको लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस अभियान आगामी डिसेम्बर १ मा छैटौ बर्षमा प्रबेश गर्दै गर्दा आफ्नो छैटौ बार्षिकोत्सबको अबसरमा लुम्बिनी र बुद्ध बिषयमा केन्द्रित भएर दुई अन्तराष्ट्रिय स्तरका कार्यक्रम गर्ने निर्णय गरेको छ । आगामी वुद्ध जयन्तीको अबसर पारेर बेल्जियममा बिभिन्न बिदेशीहरुलाई समेत सहभागी गराएर वुद्ध र वुद्ध जन्मस्थल लुम्बिनीमा केन्द्रित भएर बिभिन्न बिषयमा कार्यपत्र पेश गरिने किसिमले अन्तराष्ट्रिय संगोस्ठी आयोजना गरिनेछ । यस्को लागि अभियानका विस्व संयोजक रामकुमार श्रेष्ठ (अस्ट्रेलिया) को मूल संयोजकत्वमा ९ सदस्यीय मूल आयोजक समिति गठन गरिएको छ । समितिका अन्य सदस्यहरुमा डा कृष्ण अर्याल (नर्बे), प्रो डा कृष्ण पन्थी (नर्बे), प्रो डा मिरोज शाक्य (अमेरिका), डा हरी कुमार श्रेष्ठ (नेपाल), डा मधु कृष्ण श्रेष्ठ (रसिया), ई शंकर गौतम (स्विडेन), दामोदर प्रशाद आचार्य (बेल्जियम) र निलेश अधिकारी (नेपाल ) रहनु भएको छ । मूल समितिले कार्यक्रम प्रभाबकारी बनाउन आवश्यकता अनुसारका उप-समितिहरु गठन गर्नेछ ।
अभियानको छैठौं बार्षिकोत्सब मनाउने क्रममा आगामी डिसेम्बरमा बुद्ध र लुम्बिनी बिषयमा केन्द्रित भएर अन्तराष्ट्रिय साहित्यिक महोत्सब मनाउन डा मधु कृष्ण श्रेष्ठ (रसिया) (साहित्यिक नाम मधु माधुर्य) को मूल संयोजकत्वमा १३ सदस्यीय मूल आयोजक समिति गठन गरेको छ । समितिका अन्य सदस्यहरुमा समदर्शी काइंला (युनाइटेड अरब एमिरेट्स), उमा सुवेदी (नेपाल), कमला प्रसाई (अमेरिका), भगवती बस्नेत (इजरायल), सानु घिमिरे (अस्ट्रेलिया), सुरेन्द्र लिम्बू परदेशी (भारत), बिमल गिरी (बेल्जियम), बिकल आचार्य (वेलायत), हरि कृष्ण लभली श्रेष्ठ (नेपाल), बिनोद अधिकारी (कुवेत), डा लेखनाथ काफ्ले (ताइवान) र डा हरि कुमार श्रेष्ठ (नेपाल) हुनुहुन्छ । यो मूल समितिले कार्यक्रम प्रभाबकारी बनाउन आवश्यकता अनुसारका उप-समितिहरु गठन गर्नेछ ।
अभियानको छैटौं बार्षिकोत्सबकै सिलसिलामा बरिस्ठ कलाकारहरु निर शाह, मिथिला शर्मा, अमित ढुंगाना, रमित ढुंगाना, न्यास्ली बाशिश, मनिता लामा, असिमा नकर्मी अभिनित ‘वुद्ध बर्न इन नेपाल’ फिल्म अस्ट्रेलियामा प्रेमियर शो गरी बिभिन्न देशमा प्रदर्शन गरिनेछ । यो फिल्मको सल्लाहकारको रुपमा रामकुमार श्रेष्ठ, प्रो क्याथरिन मार्श र भक्त भण्डारी रहनु भएको छ भने निर्देशकको रुपमा ज्ञानेन्द्र देउजा ।
Sometimes to be beautiful and popular also can create problem. Sunrise co-host Sam (Samantha) Armytage’s mobile number accidentally went to air this morning on LIVE TV.
During a segment featuring Samsung’s new smartwatch, the number was quickly flashed on screen.
In a matter of seconds, Sam’s phone was inundated with calls and texts from viewers who had managed to catch her digits.
At last count she had over 1500 messages and 15 marriage proposals.
Sam said she was surprised at how quickly she got a response.
“It was very flattering that at such an early hour so many viewers called or texted to give me their thoughts on the show and ask me to move to Cairns to marry them.”
Sunrise Executive Producer, Michael Pell, said Sam’s number was quickly changed.
“That’s the beauty of live TV, you never know what’s going to happen. The new technology caught us off guard and Sam’s number was changed immediately. On the plus side, it demonstrates how interactive our audience is – they feel so comfortable with our hosts that they’ll call them right up on air.”
You’ll be happy to know (or not so happy) that the number has been changed.
Today 35,907 participants gathered in Kathmandu TUNDIKHEL to form the World’s Largest Human National Flag “Nepal” for the Guinness World Records by breaking the earlier record. This attempt was to create a new record by bringing together more than 35,000 participants to form “The Largest Human National Flag” of Nepal. Every participant did hold a unique card and display it over head which collectively form the national flag of Nepal, seen best through an aerial view.
The flag size was more than 1,10,000 square feet.
The largest human national flag consists of 28,957 participants and was achieved by Punjab Youth Festival 2014, organized by Sports Board Punjab at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan on 15 February 2014.
१६ Annual Tuborg ईमेज अवार्डको मनोनयनमा आशिष श्रेष्ठको साङीतिक एल्बम “नेपाली बन्धना “को गीत “नेपालीको आखा भरि” सर्वोत्कृष्ट राष्ट्रिय भावनाले अभिप्रेरित सुगम सङीत बिधामा मनोनयनमा परेको छ। यस बिधामा बिजेता बनाउन एस एम एस भोटिङ एस प्रकार छ। Aashis Shrestha’s musical album “NEPALI BANDANA” ‘S SONG “Nepaliko Aakha Bhari” has been nominated in the 16 Annual Tuborg Image Award in the category Best song for national feeling to make him the winner
Go to your message box then type : 8(space)E and send to 7879
Does not suit to the Eastern world, but happening because of open and modernised world
Playboy
The brunette beauty is the first-ever Indian model to pose for the pages of Playboy and the magazine is just now releasing images from the sultry shoot.
The Bollywood actress was understandably thrilled to be given the opportunity to be featured in the iconic publication, and gushed about being a part of the magazine’s history.
“The experience of having shot for Playboy has been one of the most liberating ones that I’ve had so far,” she said in a statement.
“I’m glad that Playboy has decided to release my pictorial [upon] the Independence Day of India. The timing could not have been more perfect.”
The 30-year-old revealed that she had taken photos for the magazine back in 2012, and shared pics of herself with Hugh Hefner on her social media accounts.
However, it isn’t until now that the public can finally see exactly what went down (or came off!) in the photo shoot.
Nine Japanese porn stars will have their breasts broadcast live on television – while inviting random fans across Tokyo to participate in the ‘hands on’ experience.
Loosely transcribed as ‘Boob Aid’, the well-known adult movie stars will bare their breasts for charity while the public line-up over a 24 hour period on Saturday.
The adult actresses told local media on Monday they could barely contain their excitement about the ‘Stop! AIDS’ campaign event — which will be televised live — but asked, perhaps somewhat optimistically for the fans to be ‘delicate’.
Across 24 hours fans will line up to meet their favourite porn stars…
The event will raise money for the Stop! AIDS campaign which raises money and awareness about the virus
‘I’m really looking forward to lots of people fondling my boobs,’ actress Rina Serina told the Tokyo Sports newspaper.’
I’m really looking forward to lots of people fondling my boobs
‘But I would be very happy if you would please be delicate.’
The event will be broadcast on adult cable television and the willing participants will donate to the anti-AIDS campaign in exchange for a feel.
Earlier this year sexist heckling of a Tokyo politician hit the headlines in Japan, highlighting old-fashioned views towards women that still permeate Japanese society.
Actress ‘Serina’ who will be taking part said she never thought her breasts would be used for the greater good.
‘I never thought my boobs could contribute to society,’ she said.
Fellow porn actress Iku Sakuragi had no qualms about being groped by hundreds of pairs of hands.
‘It’s for charity,’ the 21-year-old said. ‘Squeeze them, donate money — let’s be happy.’
Lawmakers from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling party sparked a public outcry in June when they subjected a Tokyo politician Ayaka Shiomura to sexist taunts, shouting ‘why don’t you get married?’ at her during a debate on motherhood.
Japan has one of the lowest rates of female workforce participation in the developed world and a lack of childcare facilities.
Poor career support and deeply entrenched sexism are blamed for keeping women at home.
The 24-hour event begins at 8pm on Saturday and is backed by the Japan Foundation for AIDS Prevention.
Meet devout Sikh Avtar Singh Mauni – the proud owner of the world’s largest turban.
The holy man says his extra large headgear weighs a hefty 100lb and measures a staggering 645m (2,115 feet) when unwrapped – the same length as 13 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The 60-year-old has been regularly adding to it for the past 16 years and it now takes him up to six hours to get it on.
Scroll down for video
The Turbanator: Avtar Singh Mauni has a turban that measures an incredible 645m – so big that he is forced to travel by motorcycle as he can’t fit inside a car
The 60-year-old has been regularly adding to his turban for the past 16 years and it now takes him up to six hours to get it on
Mr Mauni said: ‘I don’t consider it to be a burden. I’m most happy when I wear it.
‘I just keep putting on the cloth from top to bottom one layer at a time just like you would lay the storeys of a building.
‘On the rare times I don’t have my turban on I keep getting this feeling of being incomplete, that some part of me is missing. I get afraid that I may fall and I keep wondering “have I lost something, where is my turban?”
Meet the devout Sikh with the world’s largest turban
Tight squeeze: Mr Mauni can only just fit through normal doorways
He added: ‘Until the time I have no more have strength in my limbs I will carry this turban on my head.’
Most other Sikhs wear turbans that measure between five and seven metres, but Mr Mauni, from Patiala, in the Punjab, has decided to take it to a whole new level.
The length of the cloth is yet to be officially verified but if proved correct it would overtake current Guinness World Record holder, Major Singh, whose turban measured 400m.
To break the record, Mr Mauni says he took the length up in stages from 150m to 250m, 365m and finally a shocking 645m.
He says the purple and orange cloth alone weighs 66lb but with the addition of decorative ornaments tips the scales at a whopping 100lb.
Wide load: The size of Mr Mauni’s turban is even more apparent when he’s alongside other Sikhs
In full attire, Mr Mauni also carries a sword and heavy bangles, which weigh an additional 87lb.
The height and width of his bulbous headgear makes entering doorways extremely difficult and getting into a car is impossible.
So Mr Mauni rides a motorcycle on his regular pilgrimages across the Punjab.
Not surprisingly he has become something of a celebrity – but the attention is not always welcome.
Accessories: Mr Mauni wears bangles and decorative ornaments that push the weight of his clothing to 100lbs
Intrigue: Mr Mauni interacts with local school children while sporting his huge traditional Punjabi turban in the Indian town of Patiala
It’s a wrap: Most other Sikhs wear turbans that measure between five and seven metres
‘When I go out a huge crowd gathers around me. Some are amazed beyond belief and tell me “you are great for carrying such a large turban. You must have been blessed with lots of energy”,’ said Mr Mauni, who belongs to the prestigious warrior order of Sikhs, known as Nihangs.
‘But sometimes all they want is to take a picture, so I loudly tell them to stop. After all it takes me hours to put on my turban and all they want is to take a quick picture and then run away.’
However, his efforts are impressing many in the Sikh community.
Gurpreet Singh, who affectionately refers to Mr Mauni as Babaji – which means grandfather – says the giant turban has helped reawaken love for their religion among younger people.
He said: ‘These days many Sikh children choose to cut their hair and have forgotten to wear turbans. But Babaji remind us of its importance, which is very good.
‘The Sikh community can learn a lot from him and our children can learn that they should grow their hair and wear a turban.’
बेलायतमा “११ ए स्टार” सहितको अभूतपूर्व ऐतिहासिक कीर्तिमान नेपाली छात्रा स्वेच्छा बास्तोलाद्धारा
रेडिङ्ग । रेडिङ्गमा स्थायी बसोबास गर्ने रमेश वास्तोलाकी सुपुत्री वर्ष १६ की स्वेच्छा वास्तोलाले रेडिङ्गस्थित प्रस्पेक्ट स्कूलमा जीसीएससीमा ११ ए स्टार ल्याएर सो स्कूलमा एक नयाँ कीर्तिमान बनाएकी छिन् । पोखराको फूलबारीबाट स्वेच्छा २००४ मा बेलायतमा बाबाआमासँग रहन आएकी थिईन् । चार÷पाँच वर्षकी उमेरमा बेलायतमा आएकी स्वेच्छा सानैदेखि पढाइमा साह्रै नै तेज थिईन् । रुचिला बास्तोलाको साथमा रमेश बास्तोलाले राम्रो पारिवारिक शिक्षा तथा हेरचाह दिएकाले नै स्वेच्छालाई पढाइमा राम्ररी ध्यान दिन सजिलो भएको स्वेच्छा मान्दछिन् ।
भविषयमा मेडिसन पढ्ने चाह राख्ने स्वेच्छालाई यतिखेर मेनस्ट्रिमका अखबारहरुले आफ्नो समाचार बनाइरहेका छन । ११ वटा ए स्टार ल्याउन साह्रै नै गाह्रो हुने र स्कूलको इतिहासमा नै कसैले त्यस्तो ल्याउन योभन्दा अघि सकेका थिएनन् । स्वेच्छाको लगनशीलतामा आफूहरुलाई यिनले निकै राम्रो नतिजा ल्याउनेमा विश्वास भएको तर यसरी ११ ए स्टार ल्याउन सक्नेमा आशावादी नभएको स्वेच्छाको स्कूल टिचर बताउँदछन् ।
बेलायतमा गरिएको एक सर्भेक्षणमा बताइएको थियो कि, वास्तवमा यूकेमा स्कूल तथा युनिभर्सिटीमा पढाइमा राम्रो गर्नेहरुमा अन्य देशहरुबाट बसाइसराइ गरी यहाँ स्थायी बसोबास गर्दै आएका आप्रवासीहरुका सन्तानहरु नै अगाडि रहेका छन् । भारतीयहरुकै अनुपातमा नेपालीहरु प्नि यहाँ पढाएमा राम्रो गर्दै आइरहेका छन् । आफ्नो संस्कृति तथा परम्पराहरुलाई काखी च्यापेर संस्कृतिको अनि आफ्नो अस्तित्वको नाममा नेपाली भाषा तथा शिक्षादिक्षामा बढी जोड दिन खोज्ने नेपाली परिवारहरुलाई एक प्रकारले एक उदाहरणको रुपमा स्वेच्छाको यो प्रगतिलाई पक्कै पनि लिने गरिने छ । मेरो यूकेको तर्फबाट स्वेच्छाको भविष्यमा उत्तरोत्तर प्रगतिको कामना गरिएको छ ।
Old Global leader Henry Kissinger on the Assembly of a New World Order The concept that has underpinned the modern geopolitical era is in crisis
To play a responsible role in the evolution of a 21st-century world order, the U.S. must be prepared to answer a number of questions for itself: What do we seek to prevent, no matter how it happens, and if necessary alone? What do we seek to achieve, even if not supported by any multilateral effort? What do we seek to achieve, or prevent, only if supported by an alliance? What should we not engage in, even if urged on by a multilateral group or an alliance? What is the nature of the values that we seek to advance? And how much does the application of these values depend on circumstance?
By HENRY KISSINGER
The concept of order that has underpinned the modern era is in crisis, writes Henry Kissinger. Above, a pro-Russian fighter stands guard at a checkpoint close to Donetsk, Ukraine in July. European Pressphoto Agency
Libya is in civil war, fundamentalist armies are building a self-declared caliphate across Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan’s young democracy is on the verge of paralysis. To these troubles are added a resurgence of tensions with Russia and a relationship with China divided between pledges of cooperation and public recrimination. The concept of order that has underpinned the modern era is in crisis.
The search for world order has long been defined almost exclusively by the concepts of Western societies. In the decades following World War II, the U.S.—strengthened in its economy and national confidence—began to take up the torch of international leadership and added a new dimension. A nation founded explicitly on an idea of free and representative governance, the U.S. identified its own rise with the spread of liberty and democracy and credited these forces with an ability to achieve just and lasting peace. The traditional European approach to order had viewed peoples and states as inherently competitive; to constrain the effects of their clashing ambitions, it relied on a balance of power and a concert of enlightened statesmen. The prevalent American view considered people inherently reasonable and inclined toward peaceful compromise and common sense; the spread of democracy was therefore the overarching goal for international order. Free markets would uplift individuals, enrich societies and substitute economic interdependence for traditional international rivalries.
In the Middle East, religious militias violate borders at will. Getty Images
This effort to establish world order has in many ways come to fruition. A plethora of independent sovereign states govern most of the world’s territory. The spread of democracy and participatory governance has become a shared aspiration if not a universal reality; global communications and financial networks operate in real time.
The years from perhaps 1948 to the turn of the century marked a brief moment in human history when one could speak of an incipient global world order composed of an amalgam of American idealism and traditional European concepts of statehood and balance of power. But vast regions of the world have never shared and only acquiesced in the Western concept of order. These reservations are now becoming explicit, for example, in the Ukraine crisis and the South China Sea. The order established and proclaimed by the West stands at a turning point.
First, the nature of the state itself—the basic formal unit of international life—has been subjected to a multitude of pressures. Europe has set out to transcend the state and craft a foreign policy based primarily on the principles of soft power. But it is doubtful that claims to legitimacy separated from a concept of strategy can sustain a world order. And Europe has not yet given itself attributes of statehood, tempting a vacuum of authority internally and an imbalance of power along its borders. At the same time, parts of the Middle East have dissolved into sectarian and ethnic components in conflict with each other; religious militias and the powers backing them violate borders and sovereignty at will, producing the phenomenon of failed states not controlling their own territory.
The challenge in Asia is the opposite of Europe’s: Balance-of-power principles prevail unrelated to an agreed concept of legitimacy, driving some disagreements to the edge of confrontation.
The clash between the international economy and the political institutions that ostensibly govern it also weakens the sense of common purpose necessary for world order. The economic system has become global, while the political structure of the world remains based on the nation-state. Economic globalization, in its essence, ignores national frontiers. Foreign policy affirms them, even as it seeks to reconcile conflicting national aims or ideals of world order.
This dynamic has produced decades of sustained economic growth punctuated by periodic financial crises of seemingly escalating intensity: in Latin America in the 1980s; in Asia in 1997; in Russia in 1998; in the U.S. in 2001 and again starting in 2007; in Europe after 2010. The winners have few reservations about the system. But the losers—such as those stuck in structural misdesigns, as has been the case with the European Union’s southern tier—seek their remedies by solutions that negate, or at least obstruct, the functioning of the global economic system.
The international order thus faces a paradox: Its prosperity is dependent on the success of globalization, but the process produces a political reaction that often works counter to its aspirations.
A third failing of the current world order, such as it exists, is the absence of an effective mechanism for the great powers to consult and possibly cooperate on the most consequential issues. This may seem an odd criticism in light of the many multilateral forums that exist—more by far than at any other time in history. Yet the nature and frequency of these meetings work against the elaboration of long-range strategy. This process permits little beyond, at best, a discussion of pending tactical issues and, at worst, a new form of summitry as “social media” event. A contemporary structure of international rules and norms, if it is to prove relevant, cannot merely be affirmed by joint declarations; it must be fostered as a matter of common conviction.
The penalty for failing will be not so much a major war between states (though in some regions this remains possible) as an evolution into spheres of influence identified with particular domestic structures and forms of governance. At its edges, each sphere would be tempted to test its strength against other entities deemed illegitimate. A struggle between regions could be even more debilitating than the struggle between nations has been.
The contemporary quest for world order will require a coherent strategy to establish a concept of order within the various regions and to relate these regional orders to one another. These goals are not necessarily self-reconciling: The triumph of a radical movement might bring order to one region while setting the stage for turmoil in and with all others. The domination of a region by one country militarily, even if it brings the appearance of order, could produce a crisis for the rest of the world.
A world order of states affirming individual dignity and participatory governance, and cooperating internationally in accordance with agreed-upon rules, can be our hope and should be our inspiration. But progress toward it will need to be sustained through a series of intermediary stages.
To play a responsible role in the evolution of a 21st-century world order, the U.S. must be prepared to answer a number of questions for itself: What do we seek to prevent, no matter how it happens, and if necessary alone? What do we seek to achieve, even if not supported by any multilateral effort? What do we seek to achieve, or prevent, only if supported by an alliance? What should we not engage in, even if urged on by a multilateral group or an alliance? What is the nature of the values that we seek to advance? And how much does the application of these values depend on circumstance?
For the U.S., this will require thinking on two seemingly contradictory levels. The celebration of universal principles needs to be paired with recognition of the reality of other regions’ histories, cultures and views of their security. Even as the lessons of challenging decades are examined, the affirmation of America’s exceptional nature must be sustained. History offers no respite to countries that set aside their sense of identity in favor of a seemingly less arduous course. But nor does it assure success for the most elevated convictions in the absence of a comprehensive geopolitical strategy.
— Dr. Kissinger served as national security adviser and secretary of state under Presidents Nixon and Ford. Adapted from his book “World Order,” to be published Sept. 9 by the Penguin Press.
By Valerie Plame Wilson, Fmr. CIA covert operations officer
According to the 2000 Report of the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the long-lasting effects of nuclear testing can be qualified in simple scientific terms: “Radiation exposure can damage living cells, causing death in some of them and modifying others.” Translation: death, cancer and birth deformities, to name but a few.
These long-lasting effects aren’t limited to nuclear testing. They are the same horrors that afflicted victims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But what the rest of us should know, and need to know, is that the nuclear threat has only grown more dangerous.
Today marks an important milestone in our fight to eliminate the nuclear threat. Five years ago when the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution to declare August 29 the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, they said that “the end of nuclear tests is one of the key means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world,” reminding us that there is still much more work to be done.
The truth is, as long as nuclear weapons exist, we are not safe. The human and environmental devastation caused by nuclear weapons — whether by testing, mistake or malice — is the very reason we need to eliminate them altogether. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which in 1996 set out to ban nuclear tests, is an important step, but we need to do more — and we can.
With political will and public pressure, we can achieve a world without these weapons of mass destruction. Just 10 days ago, we saw all of Syria’s chemical weapons destroyed because of bold leadership and effective diplomacy. And as I write this, the U.S. and other P5+1 leaders are amidst talks with Iran on a final end to the Iranian nuclear-weapons impasse. What we need now is intense public pressure. We must hold leaders accountable and demand a safer future.
Global Zero, the international movement to eliminate nuclear weapons, is spearheading the effort to put this critical human-rights issue at the top of the public and political agenda. Their activists are hitting the streets with bold action, pushing world leaders to make this an urgent priority. In fact, earlier this month on the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, Global Zero turned out more than 400 activists in a global day of action that spanned three continents, five countries and seven cities to commemorate one of the world’s most shattering tragedies and to demand progress toward a world without nuclear weapons.
Together, they’re calling for the first-ever Nuclear Weapons Summit. There, key nuclear and non-nuclear countries will come to the table to advance the phased, verified elimination of all nuclear weapons by 2030. But that starts with a global commitment to achieve a nuclear-free world.
@HP
To learn more about how you can make a difference, including signing the Global Zero declaration to commit to a world without nuclear weapons by 2030, visithere.
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar’s first international beauty queen has absconded with her $100,000 crown after being stripped of her title for being rude and dishonest, organizers said Friday.
May Myat Noe’s photograph was blacked out on the Miss Asia Pacific World website, the word “dethroned” stamped alongside her name.
“She thinks as long as she keeps this crown she’s the winner,” said David Kim, director of media for the South Korea-based pageant. “She’s not.”
Organizers said Noe had “lied” and proved to be untrustworthy, but provided few details.
Noe was not immediately available for comment. She planned to hold a news conference at a later time, according to Eleven Media, a Myanmar newspaper.
Hla Nu Tun, who initially acted as her unofficial manager, said Noe and the organizers had disagreed over who should oversee her career. Noe’s mother wanted control but so did the organizers, she said.
A half-century of military rule and self-imposed isolation kept Myanmar contestants off the stage of international beauty contests until 2012. When Noe was crowned in May, it was seen as a new beginning for young, talented beauties.
Following her victory, the organizers said they were arranging singing and video deals for her. But they also wanted to change the 172-centimeter (5-foot 7-inch) teen’s looks, Kim said.
One of the pageant’s primary goals, he said, is to turn winners into regional superstars: actresses, pop icons, and world-class models.
It was decided that Noe’s breasts were too small and could hold her back, and she accepted an offer of enhancements, he said.
“We thought she should be more beautiful … so we sent her to the hospital to operate on her breasts,” Kim said, adding that sponsors picked up the $10,000 tab, as they had for previous winners.
“It’s our responsibility,” he said. “If she has no good nose, then maybe, if she likes, we can operate on her nose. If it’s breasts, then breasts.”
Kim said that troubles started from there, with the beauty queen bringing her mother to Seoul for what was supposed to be a 10-day visit but stretched into three months.
The Modi government should declare its readiness to have open and transparent discussions with Nepal on the Treaty of Peace and Friendship so that political leaders stop using it as a stick to beat India with. 
