The visit of all ten ASEAN leaders to New Delhi on 25-26 January, as guests of honour at India&rsquo;s Republic Day celebrations, marks a high for Indian diplomacy and for India-ASEAN partnership. In the past, we have invited at the most two Heads of State government as guests of honour: Alexei Kosygin &amp; Josip Tito in 1968 and Sirimavo Bandaranaike as well as Josip Tito in 1974.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India and ASEAN nations, some of which are our immediate neighbours, have enjoyed robust trade, maritime, cultural and people-to-people exchanges over two millennia. The ties have been successfully and befittingly recrafted in modern times, especially since the unveiling of our &lsquo;Look East Policy&rsquo; in 1991 (since re-christened as ACT East Policy). &nbsp;

&nbsp;

It may, therefore, sound incredulous that India, riding high on Non-Aligned Movement, had declined ASEAN&rsquo;s membership-invitation in the late sixties, believing that the latter was an American inspired anti-Communist grouping. Prof. Sumit Ganguly in his book &lsquo;India Since 1980&rsquo; observes, &quot;&hellip;Indian leadership had spurned the overtures of the founders of ASEAN when it was formed. &hellip;they felt that is was composed exclusively of states that had close ties with the US, was simply another anti-Communist and anti-Soviet bastion in Asia, and that India could ill-afford to become a member of any such organization&rsquo;. How the sands of time shift!

&nbsp;

Both sides, over the last twenty-five years, have invested considerably in building closer relations, which were elevated to the level of strategic partnership in 2012. The ties essentially rest on three pillars (or 3 Cs) &ndash; Commerce, Connectivity and Culture.&nbsp;

India and ASEAN nations together encompass a population of 1.8 billion and a GDP of US$ 4.5 trillion. The potential, thus, is enormous. The sides operationalised a &lsquo;Free Trade Area in Goods&rsquo; in January 2010 and concluded a &#39;Free Trade Area in Services and Investment&rsquo; in September 2014.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The fact, however, remains that the &#39;Free Trade Area in Goods&#39; is not ambitious enough. It covers merely 90% of product lines and has just about managed to pluck the low-hanging fruit. The FTA in Services and Investment has yet to be operationalised, as Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia have still to ratify it. As a result, bilateral trade is stagnating around $70 billion after attaining a high of $ 80 billion in 2011-12. The best way forward, therefore, is to qualitatively review and upgrade the FTA in Goods.

&nbsp;

A Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement is also under discussion among ASEAN plus six of its partner nations which include India, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. While we are participating in the negotiations, we do have serious difficulties, first and foremost about opening our doors further to Chinese imports. As it is, we have an over $50 billion trade deficit with China. RCEP could result in an avalanche of Chinese goods in the Indian market, adversely impacting the Indian manufacturing industry, especially in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) sector.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Connectivity lies at the heart of any relationship and it is particularly important for India&rsquo;s north-eastern region, which has a land border with Myanmar. India has initiated a number of surface and air connectivity projects with ASEAN. In 2002, we proposed the India &ndash; Myanmar - Thailand trilateral highway project. It has made progress in fits and starts, missed several deadlines but has yet to be completed. The fate of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, announced by India in 2008, has been quite similar. It is in India&rsquo;s interest to resist the temptation of unveiling new initiatives and concentrate instead on the expeditious conclusion of projects in the pipeline.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India and ASEAN are doing much better on the cultural front and on enhancing people-to-people, especially youth exchanges.&nbsp;

A final word about the China factor. There is a mistaken notion in some quarters that ASEAN views India as a counterweight or alternative to China. This perception is completely far-fetched.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

True, both ASEAN nations and India are concerned about Chinese muscle-flexing. True, we both stand for freedom of navigation on the high seas and are averse to threat or use of force in dispute settlement. And, therefore, both sides are increasingly consulting each other, building on synergies and staking out common positions where feasible. That said, India herself seeks a cordial and cooperative relationship with China, with which she shares a 4000 km long difficult border. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

India and ASEAN are natural partners. We have similar aspirations and challenges. A closer relationship is of mutual interest. Both sides need to stay the course and reinvigorate efforts to narrow the gulf between ambition and action.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

India and ASEAN are natural partners. We have similar aspirations and challenges. A closer relationship is of mutual interest.

The visit of all ten ASEAN leaders to New Delhi on 25-26 January, as guests of honour at India’s Republic Day celebrations, marks a high for Indian diplomacy and for India-ASEAN partnership. In the past, we have invited at the most two Heads of State government as guests of honour: Alexei Kosygin & Josip Tito in 1968 and Sirimavo Bandaranaike as well as Josip Tito in 1974. India and ASEAN nations, some of which are our immediate neighbours, have enjoyed robust trade, maritime, cultural and people-to-people exchanges over two millennia. The ties have been successfully and befittingly recrafted in modern times, especially since the unveiling of our ‘Look East Policy’ in 1991 (since re-christened as ACT East Policy). It may, therefore, sound incredulous that India, riding high on Non-Aligned Movement, had declined ASEAN’s membership-invitation in the late sixties, believing that the latter was an American inspired anti-Communist grouping. Prof. Sumit Ganguly in his book ‘India Since 1980’ observes, "…Indian leadership had spurned the overtures of the founders of ASEAN when it was formed. …they felt that is was composed exclusively of states that had close ties with the US, was simply another anti-Communist and anti-Soviet bastion in Asia, and that India could ill-afford to become a member of any such organization’. How the sands of time shift! Both sides, over the last twenty-five years, have invested considerably in building closer relations, which were elevated to the level of strategic partnership in 2012. The ties essentially rest on three pillars (or 3 Cs) – Commerce, Connectivity and Culture. India and ASEAN nations together encompass a population of 1.8 billion and a GDP of US$ 4.5 trillion. The potential, thus, is enormous. The sides operationalised a ‘Free Trade Area in Goods’ in January 2010 and concluded a 'Free Trade Area in Services and Investment’ in September 2014. The fact, however, remains that the 'Free Trade Area in Goods' is not ambitious enough. It covers merely 90% of product lines and has just about managed to pluck the low-hanging fruit. The FTA in Services and Investment has yet to be operationalised, as Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia have still to ratify it. As a result, bilateral trade is stagnating around $70 billion after attaining a high of $ 80 billion in 2011-12. The best way forward, therefore, is to qualitatively review and upgrade the FTA in Goods. A Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement is also under discussion among ASEAN plus six of its partner nations which include India, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. While we are participating in the negotiations, we do have serious difficulties, first and foremost about opening our doors further to Chinese imports. As it is, we have an over $50 billion trade deficit with China. RCEP could result in an avalanche of Chinese goods in the Indian market, adversely impacting the Indian manufacturing industry, especially in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) sector. Connectivity lies at the heart of any relationship and it is particularly important for India’s north-eastern region, which has a land border with Myanmar. India has initiated a number of surface and air connectivity projects with ASEAN. In 2002, we proposed the India – Myanmar - Thailand trilateral highway project. It has made progress in fits and starts, missed several deadlines but has yet to be completed. The fate of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, announced by India in 2008, has been quite similar. It is in India’s interest to resist the temptation of unveiling new initiatives and concentrate instead on the expeditious conclusion of projects in the pipeline. India and ASEAN are doing much better on the cultural front and on enhancing people-to-people, especially youth exchanges. A final word about the China factor. There is a mistaken notion in some quarters that ASEAN views India as a counterweight or alternative to China. This perception is completely far-fetched. True, both ASEAN nations and India are concerned about Chinese muscle-flexing. True, we both stand for freedom of navigation on the high seas and are averse to threat or use of force in dispute settlement. And, therefore, both sides are increasingly consulting each other, building on synergies and staking out common positions where feasible. That said, India herself seeks a cordial and cooperative relationship with China, with which she shares a 4000 km long difficult border. India and ASEAN are natural partners. We have similar aspirations and challenges. A closer relationship is of mutual interest. Both sides need to stay the course and reinvigorate efforts to narrow the gulf between ambition and action. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: 25 years of India-ASEAN partnership calls for a reality check

Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the group of 10 countries lying in the far east of India. It will be a great show when Prime Minister Modi is going to host the heads of these countries on the Republic Day of India. Never ever in the history, the heads of 10 countries have been the state guest in any single event.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are the countries which form the core of South Asia and, directly or indirectly, control almost 50% trade of the world due to their strategic location. These are the countries which can effectively be helpful against China&rsquo;s expanding influence in the world and help India grow.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Out of these 10 countries, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are three major economies which control the busiest shipping channel and the lifeline of Chinese economy called as Strait of Malacca. Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei and Philippines are located so strategically that they can control the movements in the South China Sea. This is the reason why Mr Xi Xinping is having sleepless nights by the presence of the 10 leaders in the Republic Day of India.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India is trying to influence these countries by extending a helping hand to them as part of India&rsquo;s look east policy and the government is initiating many projects with these countries. ASEAN countries have been, culturally and geographically, closer to India and will be helpful for us in long run.

&nbsp;

Chinese concerns are genuine because when it comes to discussing their economy, the most important factor is the security of the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Because of the vulnerability of tiny Strait of Malacca, China is probably initiating projects, such as the CPEC and OBOR. This is the shortest and probably the safest shipping route connecting the east and the west. Forbes has declared it as the most important choke point in case of a political or military conflict arising in the south-east Asian region.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The busiest shipping route of the world, Strait of Malacca is the lifeline of some of the major economies of the world, including ASEAN countries, Japan, Taiwan, both South and North Korea and of course China. More than 115,000 cargo vessels pass through this narrow passage every year, making it roughly 315 ships every day on an average which is 4 -5 times of its nearest competitor, Suez Canal. That is indeed remarkable.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

When it comes to the volumes of trade and we take on account China only, 80% of the oil imports of the dragon passes through this small water body. The channel ships nearly 18 million barrels per day out of which nearly one-third is for China. Not only this, almost 60% of the Chinese exports which corresponds to nearly a trillion USD pass through this. Any possible threat to this channel gives goosebumps to the Chinese leadership.

&nbsp;

An old proverb says that the wars are not won by military might but by a strategic perspective and thorough preparation. Very few people know that the shipping channel leading to Strait of Malacca is just 80km from Indian land and India can effectively monitor and even block this channel in case of a military conflict.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

As part of the Indian Navy Modernisation Plan, India is further developing INS Baaz, an important naval base in the Campbell Bay Island, which is closest to the Strait of Malacca. It is being made suitable for operating Boeing Poseidon P8i aircrafts from this location. The number of strategic bases under Joint Tri-services Command is also not far off. The Indian abilities to control this strait are increasing day by day.

&nbsp;

China understands this concern well and is spending its money on multiple projects like oil pipelines from Central Asian Countries, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR) to reach Central Asian and European markets without using South Asian shipping channels. It also requested Thailand to work out a shipping channel through Isthmus of Kra which dragon is going to fund. It is also trying to influence Myanmar to establish a port in the country.

&nbsp;

Whatever China does, it will be a futile effort unless it keeps India in good faith. The current stand of China with respect to Pakistan is going to be harmful in the long run and the country will realise that it is not good to have a strong neighbour as the enemy. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Out of the 10 countries present in the ASEAN, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are three major economies which control the Strait of Malacca, the busiest shipping channel and the lifeline of the Chinese economy.

Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the group of 10 countries lying in the far east of India. It will be a great show when Prime Minister Modi is going to host the heads of these countries on the Republic Day of India. Never ever in the history, the heads of 10 countries have been the state guest in any single event. Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are the countries which form the core of South Asia and, directly or indirectly, control almost 50% trade of the world due to their strategic location. These are the countries which can effectively be helpful against China’s expanding influence in the world and help India grow. Out of these 10 countries, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are three major economies which control the busiest shipping channel and the lifeline of Chinese economy called as Strait of Malacca. Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei and Philippines are located so strategically that they can control the movements in the South China Sea. This is the reason why Mr Xi Xinping is having sleepless nights by the presence of the 10 leaders in the Republic Day of India. India is trying to influence these countries by extending a helping hand to them as part of India’s look east policy and the government is initiating many projects with these countries. ASEAN countries have been, culturally and geographically, closer to India and will be helpful for us in long run. Chinese concerns are genuine because when it comes to discussing their economy, the most important factor is the security of the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Because of the vulnerability of tiny Strait of Malacca, China is probably initiating projects, such as the CPEC and OBOR. This is the shortest and probably the safest shipping route connecting the east and the west. Forbes has declared it as the most important choke point in case of a political or military conflict arising in the south-east Asian region. The busiest shipping route of the world, Strait of Malacca is the lifeline of some of the major economies of the world, including ASEAN countries, Japan, Taiwan, both South and North Korea and of course China. More than 115,000 cargo vessels pass through this narrow passage every year, making it roughly 315 ships every day on an average which is 4 -5 times of its nearest competitor, Suez Canal. That is indeed remarkable. When it comes to the volumes of trade and we take on account China only, 80% of the oil imports of the dragon passes through this small water body. The channel ships nearly 18 million barrels per day out of which nearly one-third is for China. Not only this, almost 60% of the Chinese exports which corresponds to nearly a trillion USD pass through this. Any possible threat to this channel gives goosebumps to the Chinese leadership. An old proverb says that the wars are not won by military might but by a strategic perspective and thorough preparation. Very few people know that the shipping channel leading to Strait of Malacca is just 80km from Indian land and India can effectively monitor and even block this channel in case of a military conflict. As part of the Indian Navy Modernisation Plan, India is further developing INS Baaz, an important naval base in the Campbell Bay Island, which is closest to the Strait of Malacca. It is being made suitable for operating Boeing Poseidon P8i aircrafts from this location. The number of strategic bases under Joint Tri-services Command is also not far off. The Indian abilities to control this strait are increasing day by day. China understands this concern well and is spending its money on multiple projects like oil pipelines from Central Asian Countries, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR) to reach Central Asian and European markets without using South Asian shipping channels. It also requested Thailand to work out a shipping channel through Isthmus of Kra which dragon is going to fund. It is also trying to influence Myanmar to establish a port in the country. Whatever China does, it will be a futile effort unless it keeps India in good faith. The current stand of China with respect to Pakistan is going to be harmful in the long run and the country will realise that it is not good to have a strong neighbour as the enemy. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why China is having sleepless nights over ASEAN in India

The first full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day parade got underway in Delhi Tuesday morning.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Full dress rehearsal for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RepublicDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RepublicDay</a> parade at Rajpath in New <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/USXHkS0RdV">pic.twitter.com/USXHkS0RdV</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955700184922521600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Delhi Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory Tuesday morning but the customary traffic snarls followed.&nbsp;

There was a two-kilometre jam on the Akshardham to Nizamuddin stretch. ITO was also jammed, as was Ashram to DND, NH 24 and Pusa Road.&nbsp;

Mayur Vihar Phase I and III, Pusa Road, and the Ranhola to Najafgarh also saw half-hour delays.&nbsp;

Road restrictions will be in place Tuesday to Friday in large parts of central Delhi ahead of Republic Day celebrations and an India-ASEAN commemorative summit.&nbsp;

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TRAFFIC ADVISORY 
Traffic Arrangements &ndash; Full Dress Rehearsal on 23rd January, 2018 <a href="https://t.co/zrTpQltcXC">pic.twitter.com/zrTpQltcXC</a>
&mdash; Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) <a href="https://twitter.com/dtptraffic/status/955617863112388608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Monday morning too had seen massive traffic snarls in the central Delhi area after a dress rehearsal of the parade was held.&nbsp;

Jams were reported on roads around India Gate, ITO, the Ring Road near South Extention, Lajpat Nagar, and Maharani Bagh and all the way into Noida via the DND.&nbsp;

Incoming traffic from Noida too was affected too due to barricades being put for security purposes.&nbsp;

Delhi Traffic Police had on Monday advised commuters to make use of Google Maps to navigate the city&#39;s roads but despite several advisories, news reports said the traffic situation on the ground was nothing short of &quot;chaotic&quot;.

There was a two-kilometre jam on the Akshardham to Nizamuddin stretch. ITO was also jammed

The first full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day parade got underway in Delhi Tuesday morning. #WATCH Full dress rehearsal for the #RepublicDay parade at Rajpath in New #Delhi pic.twitter.com/USXHkS0RdV — ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2018 × Delhi Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory Tuesday morning but the customary traffic snarls followed. There was a two-kilometre jam on the Akshardham to Nizamuddin stretch. ITO was also jammed, as was Ashram to DND, NH 24 and Pusa Road. Mayur Vihar Phase I and III, Pusa Road, and the Ranhola to Najafgarh also saw half-hour delays. Road restrictions will be in place Tuesday to Friday in large parts of central Delhi ahead of Republic Day celebrations and an India-ASEAN commemorative summit. TRAFFIC ADVISORY Traffic Arrangements – Full Dress Rehearsal on 23rd January, 2018 pic.twitter.com/zrTpQltcXC — Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) January 23, 2018 × Monday morning too had seen massive traffic snarls in the central Delhi area after a dress rehearsal of the parade was held. Jams were reported on roads around India Gate, ITO, the Ring Road near South Extention, Lajpat Nagar, and Maharani Bagh and all the way into Noida via the DND. Incoming traffic from Noida too was affected too due to barricades being put for security purposes. Delhi Traffic Police had on Monday advised commuters to make use of Google Maps to navigate the city's roads but despite several advisories, news reports said the traffic situation on the ground was nothing short of "chaotic".

Delhi: Republic Day parade rehearsal gets underway, traffic jams follow

An eight-month-old&nbsp;baby girl was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin in the national capital&#39;s Shalimar Bagh.&nbsp;

The incident happened on Sunday when the parents of the baby were out to&nbsp;work.

The incident was discovered by the mother when she returned from work and found her daughter lying in a pool of blood.&nbsp;

The infant was immediately admitted to a hospital where she underwent a surgery.&nbsp;

The condition of the baby is stable now.

&quot;I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked&nbsp;bed and clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses.My child is in critical condition now&quot; said the father.

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I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked bed &amp; clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses. My child is in critical condition now: Father <a href="https://t.co/CkFpuChUmh">pic.twitter.com/CkFpuChUmh</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/958170399061110784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The alleged accused in the gruesome incident has admitted to&nbsp;committing the crime an is under arrest.&nbsp;

The man is the first cousin of the baby.&nbsp;

When the mother of the baby returned from work she found the baby lying in a pool of blood

An eight-month-old baby girl was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin in the national capital's Shalimar Bagh. The incident happened on Sunday when the parents of the baby were out to work. The incident was discovered by the mother when she returned from work and found her daughter lying in a pool of blood. The infant was immediately admitted to a hospital where she underwent a surgery. The condition of the baby is stable now. "I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked bed and clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses.My child is in critical condition now" said the father. I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked bed & clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses. My child is in critical condition now: Father pic.twitter.com/CkFpuChUmh — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2018 × The alleged accused in the gruesome incident has admitted to committing the crime an is under arrest. The man is the first cousin of the baby.

8-month-old girl raped by 28-year-old cousin in Delhi

For the first time in the history of the Supreme Court, four sitting Supreme Court judges Justice Lokur, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Chelameswar and Justice Ranjan Gogoi addressed the media on differences with the CJI earlier in the day. The unprecedented press conference received mixed reactions from political parties, activists, lawyers and former&nbsp;judges. Following are the some of the early reactions:&nbsp;

&nbsp;

PB Sawant, former Supreme Court judge&nbsp; 
Judges had to come before media and take this unprecedented step. This means that there is a serious dispute, either with Chief Justice of India (CJI) or some internal dispute

Soli Sorabjee, Former AG&nbsp; 
Giving a Press Conference is not the right way 
&nbsp; 
Indira Jaising, Supreme Court advocate&nbsp; 
I think it&#39;s a historic press conference. It was very well done. I think we, the people of India, have a right to know what is going on within the judiciary &amp; I welcome this.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Mukul Mudgal, retired High Court judge&nbsp; 
There must be some serious reason that they were left with no other option but to hold a Press Conference. But what connection Loya has with this? I know nothing about this &amp; I don&#39;t want to make comments about any political matter: Mukul Mudgal, retired High Court judge&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Salman Khurshid, senior advocate 
Deeply saddened and pained, also feel a sense of agony that highest court of land should come under such severe stress that forces judges to address the media 
&nbsp; 
Ujjwal Nikam, senior lawyer 
This is a black day for Judiciary. Today&#39;s press conference would cause a bad precedent. From now on every common man could look at all judicial order with suspicion. Every judgement will be questioned

Prashant Bhushan, lawyer &amp; politician 
&quot;It is certainly a very serious development which has cast a huge shadow on the Chief Justice. Somebody had to confront the situation, where CJ is blatantly misusing his powers, hence the unprecedented step&quot; 
&nbsp; 
Justice R.S. Sodhi (Retd) 
I think all 4 judges should be impeached, they have no business to sit there and deliver verdicts anymore. This trade unionism is wrong. Democracy in danger is not for them to say, we have parliament, courts, police functioning. Issues don&#39;t matter. It is their complaint on the administrative matter. They are only 4, there are 23 others. 4 get together and show the Chief Justice in a poor light. It is immature &amp; childish behaviour 
&nbsp; 
KTS Tulsi, advocate SC on 4 judges&#39; letter to CJI 
It&#39;s quite shocking. There must have been compelling reasons for the senior-most judges to have adopted this course of action. One could see pain on their faces while they were speaking

&nbsp;Yashwant Sinha, BJP 
Absolutely unprecedented, the press conference of the four senior judges of supreme court. Most important take away &#39;when national interest is at stake ordinary rules of business do not apply. 
&nbsp; 
Yogendra Yadav, National President of Swaraj India 
So, it&#39;s not just one case. Some of the most respected judges have raised larger questions about judiciary&#39;s independence is being compromised. Time for every democracy loving citizen to stand for judiciary, stand with independent judges

Subramanian Swamy, BJP 
We can&#39;t criticize them, they are men of great integrity &amp; have sacrificed a lot of their legal career, where they could&#39;ve made money as senior counsels. We must respect them. PM must ensure that the 4 judges &amp; CJI, in fact whole SC come to one opinion &amp; proceed further

 
&nbsp;

This is a black day for Judiciary. Today's press conference would cause a bad precedent, said Ujjwal Nikam, senior lawyer

For the first time in the history of the Supreme Court, four sitting Supreme Court judges Justice Lokur, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Chelameswar and Justice Ranjan Gogoi addressed the media on differences with the CJI earlier in the day. The unprecedented press conference received mixed reactions from political parties, activists, lawyers and former judges. Following are the some of the early reactions: PB Sawant, former Supreme Court judge Judges had to come before media and take this unprecedented step. This means that there is a serious dispute, either with Chief Justice of India (CJI) or some internal dispute Soli Sorabjee, Former AG Giving a Press Conference is not the right way Indira Jaising, Supreme Court advocate I think it's a historic press conference. It was very well done. I think we, the people of India, have a right to know what is going on within the judiciary & I welcome this. Mukul Mudgal, retired High Court judge There must be some serious reason that they were left with no other option but to hold a Press Conference. But what connection Loya has with this? I know nothing about this & I don't want to make comments about any political matter: Mukul Mudgal, retired High Court judge Salman Khurshid, senior advocate Deeply saddened and pained, also feel a sense of agony that highest court of land should come under such severe stress that forces judges to address the media Ujjwal Nikam, senior lawyer This is a black day for Judiciary. Today's press conference would cause a bad precedent. From now on every common man could look at all judicial order with suspicion. Every judgement will be questioned Prashant Bhushan, lawyer & politician "It is certainly a very serious development which has cast a huge shadow on the Chief Justice. Somebody had to confront the situation, where CJ is blatantly misusing his powers, hence the unprecedented step" Justice R.S. Sodhi (Retd) I think all 4 judges should be impeached, they have no business to sit there and deliver verdicts anymore. This trade unionism is wrong. Democracy in danger is not for them to say, we have parliament, courts, police functioning. Issues don't matter. It is their complaint on the administrative matter. They are only 4, there are 23 others. 4 get together and show the Chief Justice in a poor light. It is immature & childish behaviour KTS Tulsi, advocate SC on 4 judges' letter to CJI It's quite shocking. There must have been compelling reasons for the senior-most judges to have adopted this course of action. One could see pain on their faces while they were speaking Yashwant Sinha, BJP Absolutely unprecedented, the press conference of the four senior judges of supreme court. Most important take away 'when national interest is at stake ordinary rules of business do not apply. Yogendra Yadav, National President of Swaraj India So, it's not just one case. Some of the most respected judges have raised larger questions about judiciary's independence is being compromised. Time for every democracy loving citizen to stand for judiciary, stand with independent judges Subramanian Swamy, BJP We can't criticize them, they are men of great integrity & have sacrificed a lot of their legal career, where they could've made money as senior counsels. We must respect them. PM must ensure that the 4 judges & CJI, in fact whole SC come to one opinion & proceed further

Reactions to unprecedented press conference by 4 SC judges

In a bid to strengthen Afghanistan&rsquo;s air force, India is reportedly planning to purchase used Russian-made Mi-35 helicopter gunships for the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF).

The purchase was considered at the special request of the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani.

The move signals closer cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow to bolster Afghanistan&#39;s air capabilities.

It also highlights the growing military cooperation between India and Afghanistan.&nbsp;

An Indian Defence Ministry team is expected to travel to an East European country, possibly Serbia or Ukraine, that still operate Soviet-era aircraft, and an Afghan defence team is expected in Delhi shortly to follow up on the discussions.&nbsp;

As per media reports, there was heightened urgency for the helicopter transaction, as all seven of the old Mi-25/35 attack helicopters and Cheetal utility helicopters transferred by New Delhi to Kabul in 2016, have been grounded and need repairs.

NATO countries cannot purchase Russian-made hardware&ndash;including the parts needed to repair Soviet-era helicopters&ndash;due to Western-imposed sanctions on Russia.&nbsp;

As a result, the Indian initiative will be of particular importance.

If reports are to be believed, Russia has already agreed to take over maintenance of the Indian-supplied Mi-25s and M-17 transport helicopters.

The purchase was considered at the special request of the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani

In a bid to strengthen Afghanistan’s air force, India is reportedly planning to purchase used Russian-made Mi-35 helicopter gunships for the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF). The purchase was considered at the special request of the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani. The move signals closer cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow to bolster Afghanistan's air capabilities. It also highlights the growing military cooperation between India and Afghanistan. An Indian Defence Ministry team is expected to travel to an East European country, possibly Serbia or Ukraine, that still operate Soviet-era aircraft, and an Afghan defence team is expected in Delhi shortly to follow up on the discussions. As per media reports, there was heightened urgency for the helicopter transaction, as all seven of the old Mi-25/35 attack helicopters and Cheetal utility helicopters transferred by New Delhi to Kabul in 2016, have been grounded and need repairs. NATO countries cannot purchase Russian-made hardware–including the parts needed to repair Soviet-era helicopters–due to Western-imposed sanctions on Russia. As a result, the Indian initiative will be of particular importance. If reports are to be believed, Russia has already agreed to take over maintenance of the Indian-supplied Mi-25s and M-17 transport helicopters.

Watch: India to buy Russian Mi-35 helicopters for Afghanistan

A Dutch tourist died after&nbsp;he jumped off a moving train in Rajasthan&#39;s Sawai Madhopur district on Tuesday.

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A Dutch tourist dead, a UK tourist injured after they allegedly jumped from a moving train in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rajasthan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rajasthan</a>&#39;s Sawai Madhopur. Police begin investigation
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948110406396010496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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According to media reports, the 54-year-old tourist jumped off a moving train after he&nbsp;realised that he had&nbsp;boarded a wrong train and in panic, he&nbsp;jumped off the&nbsp;train.

The Dutch tourist identified as Erik Johannes was travelling with his friend from the UK who also jumped with him and is&nbsp;reported to have suffered head injuries.

Both tourists had to catch a train to&nbsp;Agra but mistakenly they boarded a&nbsp;train going towards Delhi.

Police have begun investigation.

Dutch tourist identified as Erik Johannes from the Netherlands was travelling with his friend from the UK who also jumped with him is now suffering fatal head injuries, now admitted to local hospital

A Dutch tourist died after he jumped off a moving train in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district on Tuesday. A Dutch tourist dead, a UK tourist injured after they allegedly jumped from a moving train in #Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur. Police begin investigation — ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2018 × According to media reports, the 54-year-old tourist jumped off a moving train after he realised that he had boarded a wrong train and in panic, he jumped off the train. The Dutch tourist identified as Erik Johannes was travelling with his friend from the UK who also jumped with him and is reported to have suffered head injuries. Both tourists had to catch a train to Agra but mistakenly they boarded a train going towards Delhi. Police have begun investigation.

Dutch tourist jumps off moving train, dies

Six coaches of the Manduadih Express train derailed late Thursday at the New Delhi Railway station.&nbsp;

No injuries or casualties were reported.&nbsp;

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CORRECTION: Six coaches of Manduadih Express train derails at New Delhi Railway station; No injuries or casualties reported. <a href="https://t.co/huKssqKmW1">pic.twitter.com/huKssqKmW1</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/946444829696733184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
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News reports said the coaches derailed because of the train&#39;s low speed as it exited the station.&nbsp;

The train was on its way to&nbsp;Manduadih Junction in Varanasi.&nbsp;

The coaches derailed at the station&#39;s platform 12, causing delays of up to three hours. 
&nbsp;

Six coaches of the Manduadih Express train derailed late Thursday at the New Delhi Railway station. No injuries or casualties were reported. CORRECTION: Six coaches of Manduadih Express train derails at New Delhi Railway station; No injuries or casualties reported. pic.twitter.com/huKssqKmW1 — ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2017 × News reports said the coaches derailed because of the train's low speed as it exited the station. The train was on its way to Manduadih Junction in Varanasi. The coaches derailed at the station's platform 12, causing delays of up to three hours.

New Delhi railway station: Six coaches of train derail, no casualties

Not many relationships in international politics make headlines like China-India relations often do. The chronicle of the transient year 2017 suggests that China-India relations continued to struggle to thrive, even though this relationship commanded plenty of promises and pledges. Best remembered as the &ldquo;year of Doklam&rdquo;, 2017 witnessed Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping pledging a &ldquo;forward-looking constructive&rdquo; bilateral relationship.

&nbsp;

During the September Xiamen BRICS summit, both the leaders tried to overcome the setback that the relationship has faced in recent times. How will this envisioned &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; China-India relationship that aims to have a &ldquo;forward-looking&rdquo; spirit unfold in 2018?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Fundamentally speaking, a &ldquo;forward-looking constructive&rdquo; relationship would imply that the two countries manage to handle their differences, including the age-old boundary dispute while fostering an engaging economic partnership that will enhance their bilateral and global relationship.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The official media transcript after the Xiamen BRICS summit stated that the established intergovernmental mechanisms between China and India are supposed to play a stronger role to this effect. Their common pledge to scrutinise neoliberal ideas, uphold the structure of a multipolar world order, and reform the global order in favour of the developing world are all indicators of a constructive forward-looking relationship.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The pledge to have a &ldquo;forward-looking&rdquo; and &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; relationship is, however, not entirely a new proposition. Both sides have used similar phrasing in the past to offer a &ldquo;political&rdquo; guidance to their relationship, which is often marred by a range of conflicts &ndash; boundary to geopolitics. Indeed, the proposition to have a &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; relationship is part and parcel of their &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo;, which was officially instituted during President Xi Jinping&rsquo;s visit to India in September 2014.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The core essence of this &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo; was to guide China-India relations through a stronger economic engagement. The economic engagement has been nurtured under a number of bilateral mechanisms, such as the Joint Economic Group (JEG), Strategic Economic Dialogue and Financial Dialogue to name just a few. These have acted as stabilisers, preventing the relationship from going on a conflict path.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Consequently, bilateral trade, seen often as a &lsquo;stable variable&rsquo; in China-India relations, witnessed a steady rise over the last one decade amidst the rising border tensions and mutual mistrust. From a meagre US$10 billion in 2004, the bilateral trade has expanded to reach around $71 billion by 2017.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

in the recent past, however, a subtle change is noticed in the pattern of relationship. Bilateral trade and institutional dialogue have become extraneous to a stable bilateral relationship.&nbsp; In fact, bilateral trade has been constant around $70 billion for last few years without showing much improvement. The trade imbalance between the two sides is expanding, much to China&rsquo;s favour, creating an increasing discord among the Indian business community.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Additionally, the institutional mechanisms look obsolete to address the rising differences between the two countries. Even frequent leadership meetings have offered little to push ahead their envisioned &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo;. For example, before their meeting at the Xiamen BRICS summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met during the SCO summit in Astana and the G-20 summit in Hamburg in 2017. These meetings, however, could not generate necessary maturity on both sides so as not to engage in an episode like the Doklam stand-off.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Besides, India&rsquo;s decision not to participate in China&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) meeting held in Beijing in May 2017 spiralled their geopolitical differences into the international limelight. The two and a half months&rsquo; long Doklam stand-off damaged further the residual goodwill that their relationship had accomplished over the years, making 2017 the defining year for China-India relations.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This changing treatise in China-India relations sufficiently indicates that the relationship would be thorny in 2018 and ahead. The official longing might be to carve out an &ldquo;upward trajectory&rdquo; in China-India relations, but fostering such a relationship in the current practical circumstances would be difficult to foresee. Three specific developments explain why China-India relations might continue to struggle to thrive even though there might be a temporary improvement in their overall relationship.

&nbsp;

First, foreign policy passages in both China and India are witnessing constant changes which might point to a more &ldquo;state-centric&rdquo; non-accommodative approach towards each other. After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China aims to push ahead it&rsquo;s national security ambitions, in terms of exploiting resource opportunities, expand the country&rsquo;s power base, and exhibit China&rsquo;s leadership both in Asia and beyond.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Xi Jinping sees the next few years as a &ldquo;period of strategic opportunities&rdquo; for China and India as a &lsquo;limited Asian power&rsquo; only.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

On the other hand, New Delhi&rsquo;s foreign policy, under an &ldquo;India first&rdquo; approach,&nbsp; seeks to engage more with big powers while having a focus on Asia and Asian neighbours. Currently, India&rsquo;s prime targets are resource exploration and increasing India&rsquo;s outreach in Asia. This would bring the Chinese and Indian foreign policy into a point of contestation than engagement.

&nbsp;

Second, even though the scope and potential of greater China-India economic engagement are bigger today, still the differing approaches in the promotion of a &ldquo;developmental partnership&rdquo; would be the main barrier between them. China wants to pursue a more purposeful international economic engagement which will facilitate Chinese economic growth. The induction of the BRI into the revised CPC Constitution at the 19th National Congress points to that. This might create friction in the Sino-Indian relations since India is yet to endorse China&rsquo;s BRI.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The usual China-India &ldquo;sister-city&rdquo; and &ldquo;sister-province&rdquo; level engagements have been one of the most promising aspects of their bilateral relationship over the last one decade. But from Beijing&rsquo;s perspective, the &ldquo;sister-city&rdquo; and &ldquo;sister-province&rdquo; level engagements are today seen as an integral part of China&rsquo;s BRI scheme, which India may see as antithetical to its national interest. Besides, it is not clear how China would like to address India&rsquo;s economic concerns on the rising trade imbalance and would situate it in the overall relationship framework.

&nbsp;

Third, China-India differences in the Asia-Pacific region is another new complicated chapter that would not be supportive of their bilateral relations. Beijing seems to be keen on following an intensive maritime strategy not only to protect its interests but also to expedite overseas maritime presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Many democratic countries, including the United States, Japan and India are not in favour of China&#39;s expansion in the IOR.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Beijing under Xi Jinping is emerging fast as a &ldquo;trading nation&rdquo; and the new focus is to expedite its maritime trading routes in the IOR. That would bring Indian maritime interests into contestation. India&rsquo;s S-A-G-A-R (Security and Growth for All Region) initiative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi equally emphasises on the maritime economy and marine resources which would emerge as a matter of contest between the Chinese and Indian interests in the IOR.

&nbsp;

China aims to configure a bipolar world, sharing the &quot;major&quot; power platform with the United States. China wants to shun the existing &ldquo;status quo&rdquo;&nbsp; and emerge as a &ldquo;revisionist&rdquo; power. This would significantly influence China-India relations.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;Contrasting bilateral perspectives come as a major impediment to a working relationship between India and China today. Just like 2017, the year 2018, therefore, might equally witness conflicting trends between India and China, overriding their cooperative trends.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

China wants to shun the existing ?status quo? and emerge as a ?revisionist? power which would significantly influence China-India relations.

Not many relationships in international politics make headlines like China-India relations often do. The chronicle of the transient year 2017 suggests that China-India relations continued to struggle to thrive, even though this relationship commanded plenty of promises and pledges. Best remembered as the “year of Doklam”, 2017 witnessed Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping pledging a “forward-looking constructive” bilateral relationship. During the September Xiamen BRICS summit, both the leaders tried to overcome the setback that the relationship has faced in recent times. How will this envisioned “constructive” China-India relationship that aims to have a “forward-looking” spirit unfold in 2018? Fundamentally speaking, a “forward-looking constructive” relationship would imply that the two countries manage to handle their differences, including the age-old boundary dispute while fostering an engaging economic partnership that will enhance their bilateral and global relationship. The official media transcript after the Xiamen BRICS summit stated that the established intergovernmental mechanisms between China and India are supposed to play a stronger role to this effect. Their common pledge to scrutinise neoliberal ideas, uphold the structure of a multipolar world order, and reform the global order in favour of the developing world are all indicators of a constructive forward-looking relationship. The pledge to have a “forward-looking” and “constructive” relationship is, however, not entirely a new proposition. Both sides have used similar phrasing in the past to offer a “political” guidance to their relationship, which is often marred by a range of conflicts – boundary to geopolitics. Indeed, the proposition to have a “constructive” relationship is part and parcel of their “developmental partnership”, which was officially instituted during President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in September 2014. The core essence of this “developmental partnership” was to guide China-India relations through a stronger economic engagement. The economic engagement has been nurtured under a number of bilateral mechanisms, such as the Joint Economic Group (JEG), Strategic Economic Dialogue and Financial Dialogue to name just a few. These have acted as stabilisers, preventing the relationship from going on a conflict path. Consequently, bilateral trade, seen often as a ‘stable variable’ in China-India relations, witnessed a steady rise over the last one decade amidst the rising border tensions and mutual mistrust. From a meagre US$10 billion in 2004, the bilateral trade has expanded to reach around $71 billion by 2017. in the recent past, however, a subtle change is noticed in the pattern of relationship. Bilateral trade and institutional dialogue have become extraneous to a stable bilateral relationship. In fact, bilateral trade has been constant around $70 billion for last few years without showing much improvement. The trade imbalance between the two sides is expanding, much to China’s favour, creating an increasing discord among the Indian business community. Additionally, the institutional mechanisms look obsolete to address the rising differences between the two countries. Even frequent leadership meetings have offered little to push ahead their envisioned “developmental partnership”. For example, before their meeting at the Xiamen BRICS summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met during the SCO summit in Astana and the G-20 summit in Hamburg in 2017. These meetings, however, could not generate necessary maturity on both sides so as not to engage in an episode like the Doklam stand-off. Besides, India’s decision not to participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) meeting held in Beijing in May 2017 spiralled their geopolitical differences into the international limelight. The two and a half months’ long Doklam stand-off damaged further the residual goodwill that their relationship had accomplished over the years, making 2017 the defining year for China-India relations. This changing treatise in China-India relations sufficiently indicates that the relationship would be thorny in 2018 and ahead. The official longing might be to carve out an “upward trajectory” in China-India relations, but fostering such a relationship in the current practical circumstances would be difficult to foresee. Three specific developments explain why China-India relations might continue to struggle to thrive even though there might be a temporary improvement in their overall relationship. First, foreign policy passages in both China and India are witnessing constant changes which might point to a more “state-centric” non-accommodative approach towards each other. After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China aims to push ahead it’s national security ambitions, in terms of exploiting resource opportunities, expand the country’s power base, and exhibit China’s leadership both in Asia and beyond. Xi Jinping sees the next few years as a “period of strategic opportunities” for China and India as a ‘limited Asian power’ only. On the other hand, New Delhi’s foreign policy, under an “India first” approach, seeks to engage more with big powers while having a focus on Asia and Asian neighbours. Currently, India’s prime targets are resource exploration and increasing India’s outreach in Asia. This would bring the Chinese and Indian foreign policy into a point of contestation than engagement. Second, even though the scope and potential of greater China-India economic engagement are bigger today, still the differing approaches in the promotion of a “developmental partnership” would be the main barrier between them. China wants to pursue a more purposeful international economic engagement which will facilitate Chinese economic growth. The induction of the BRI into the revised CPC Constitution at the 19th National Congress points to that. This might create friction in the Sino-Indian relations since India is yet to endorse China’s BRI. The usual China-India “sister-city” and “sister-province” level engagements have been one of the most promising aspects of their bilateral relationship over the last one decade. But from Beijing’s perspective, the “sister-city” and “sister-province” level engagements are today seen as an integral part of China’s BRI scheme, which India may see as antithetical to its national interest. Besides, it is not clear how China would like to address India’s economic concerns on the rising trade imbalance and would situate it in the overall relationship framework. Third, China-India differences in the Asia-Pacific region is another new complicated chapter that would not be supportive of their bilateral relations. Beijing seems to be keen on following an intensive maritime strategy not only to protect its interests but also to expedite overseas maritime presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Many democratic countries, including the United States, Japan and India are not in favour of China's expansion in the IOR. Beijing under Xi Jinping is emerging fast as a “trading nation” and the new focus is to expedite its maritime trading routes in the IOR. That would bring Indian maritime interests into contestation. India’s S-A-G-A-R (Security and Growth for All Region) initiative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi equally emphasises on the maritime economy and marine resources which would emerge as a matter of contest between the Chinese and Indian interests in the IOR. China aims to configure a bipolar world, sharing the "major" power platform with the United States. China wants to shun the existing “status quo” and emerge as a “revisionist” power. This would significantly influence China-India relations. Contrasting bilateral perspectives come as a major impediment to a working relationship between India and China today. Just like 2017, the year 2018, therefore, might equally witness conflicting trends between India and China, overriding their cooperative trends. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: 'Year of Doklam' points to a conflicting China-India relation in 2018

Does digital-space invade private space? Does India need a data ombudsman to keep a check on all instances of data infringement?

Many might disagree with it due to India&rsquo;s dependability on export technologies. However, the online state of affairs is troubling in the age of Big Data. We have to seriously consider how a data protection law could protect the fundamentals of individual privacy.

There are many ambiguities as well questions that the committee of experts led by Justice B.N. Srikrishna needs to look into as they set about&nbsp;to craft an Indian&nbsp;data protection law.&nbsp;

India, as the largest producer of online data and as an emerging digital economy, needs to espouse a balanced data protection law to prevent misuse of personal data of its citizens and to protect its appetite for the digital economy. Here are four pointers in this regards.

First &ndash; definition &ndash; the law needs to distinguish a line between personal data and non-personal data so that the non-personal data could flow free for&nbsp;innovations. India&rsquo;s data protection law should be Indian in nature and not a replication of a stringent law like the EU data protection regulation.

Second &ndash; accessibility- the creation of data centres needs to be treated under the jurisdiction of India Law. These data centres would facilitate Indian law enforcement and investigative agencies to address diverse online and offline crime issues. The classic example is the Blackberry data turf war in 2010 due to the limitation of Mutual Legal Assistant Treaty.

Third &ndash; data flow- These data centres would enable indigenous start-ups to mushroom and give better data-driven services to the end user. Currently, the EU&rsquo;s GDPR is a strict data protection law of the digital world that keeps internet industries at bay, creating a negative effect on disruptive innovations and digital economy. However, recent talks in the EU mentioned that for free flow for digital innovations, there would be policy to leave aside &lsquo;non-personal data&rsquo;. New Delhi can learn from EU&rsquo;s mistakes.

Fourth - regulations &ndash; a strong data protection law would curb the misuse of personal data. Government of India should look into the issues of &lsquo;passive data collection&rsquo; which is often hidden in the applications. Second, it would create a trust between the user, service providers and governments. If the individual is not the owner of the data, then it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the protection of such data.

Combination of all these four factors- definition, accessibility, data flow and regulations - would open up unprecedented opportunities for India&rsquo;s $ 1 trillion digital economy.

Recently, Microsoft, Amazon and Google have opened up cloud data centres in India to provide better services to world&rsquo;s second largest internet users. This indicates that India could be a potential data hub for the South Asian countries.

In addition, estimations also suggested that by 2020 India would be a marketplace of $ 4.1 billion in cloud space industry.&nbsp;

Justice Brandeis warned against &ldquo;the progress of science in furnishing the government with means of espionage&rdquo;, which is why most&nbsp;tech-researchers&nbsp;are a bit suspicious about government&#39;s role in both India and abroad.

At the advent of the digital age, privacy and data protection have become two sides of the same coin. Meanwhile, the concept of privacy is socially constructed and naturally influenced by the history, culture, traditions and values of a nation.&nbsp;To address issues of different value clusters of societies, as well as, for protection of personal data, does India need a data gatekeeper? The answer to this is, yes!

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

To address issues of different value cluster of societies India needs a ?data Ombudsman? to address personal data protection issues of all Indians home and abroad

Does digital-space invade private space? Does India need a data ombudsman to keep a check on all instances of data infringement? Many might disagree with it due to India’s dependability on export technologies. However, the online state of affairs is troubling in the age of Big Data. We have to seriously consider how a data protection law could protect the fundamentals of individual privacy. There are many ambiguities as well questions that the committee of experts led by Justice B.N. Srikrishna needs to look into as they set about to craft an Indian data protection law. India, as the largest producer of online data and as an emerging digital economy, needs to espouse a balanced data protection law to prevent misuse of personal data of its citizens and to protect its appetite for the digital economy. Here are four pointers in this regards. First – definition – the law needs to distinguish a line between personal data and non-personal data so that the non-personal data could flow free for innovations. India’s data protection law should be Indian in nature and not a replication of a stringent law like the EU data protection regulation. Second – accessibility- the creation of data centres needs to be treated under the jurisdiction of India Law. These data centres would facilitate Indian law enforcement and investigative agencies to address diverse online and offline crime issues. The classic example is the Blackberry data turf war in 2010 due to the limitation of Mutual Legal Assistant Treaty. Third – data flow- These data centres would enable indigenous start-ups to mushroom and give better data-driven services to the end user. Currently, the EU’s GDPR is a strict data protection law of the digital world that keeps internet industries at bay, creating a negative effect on disruptive innovations and digital economy. However, recent talks in the EU mentioned that for free flow for digital innovations, there would be policy to leave aside ‘non-personal data’. New Delhi can learn from EU’s mistakes. Fourth - regulations – a strong data protection law would curb the misuse of personal data. Government of India should look into the issues of ‘passive data collection’ which is often hidden in the applications. Second, it would create a trust between the user, service providers and governments. If the individual is not the owner of the data, then it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the protection of such data. Combination of all these four factors- definition, accessibility, data flow and regulations - would open up unprecedented opportunities for India’s $ 1 trillion digital economy. Recently, Microsoft, Amazon and Google have opened up cloud data centres in India to provide better services to world’s second largest internet users. This indicates that India could be a potential data hub for the South Asian countries. In addition, estimations also suggested that by 2020 India would be a marketplace of $ 4.1 billion in cloud space industry. Justice Brandeis warned against “the progress of science in furnishing the government with means of espionage”, which is why most tech-researchers are a bit suspicious about government's role in both India and abroad. At the advent of the digital age, privacy and data protection have become two sides of the same coin. Meanwhile, the concept of privacy is socially constructed and naturally influenced by the history, culture, traditions and values of a nation. To address issues of different value clusters of societies, as well as, for protection of personal data, does India need a data gatekeeper? The answer to this is, yes! (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Personal data is vulnerable. How to protect it.

LaLiga, Spain&rsquo;s top division football league, is set to host a special match screening of one of the most anticipated matches of 2017 - El Clasico.

The game will broadcast live on December 23, when Real Madrid&nbsp;hosts FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernab&eacute;u.

Fans in India can watch the&nbsp;match in the presence of former FC Barcelona star and Italian football legend, Gianluca Zambrotta.

On joining fans at the El Clasico screening,&nbsp;Gianluca Zambrotta&nbsp;said,&nbsp;&ldquo;India has some of the most passionate fans I have ever seen. I&rsquo;m excited about joining them to watch the clash in one of my favourite cities, New Delhi. I expect 90 minutes of high-intensity football, considering both teams will do their best to enforce their supremacy&rdquo;.

For the first time ever&nbsp;has scheduled El Clasico at a prime time slot of 5.30 pm IST. The time preference has been kept in mind for India audiences. According to the LaLiga announcement release, the live screening of the match will take place at NSIC Grounds in Okhla, New Delhi on December 23, 2017.

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<div class="media-description">
Gianluca Zambrotta to join fans at the screening in New Delhi. (Others)
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LaLiga India Country Manager Jose Cachaza&nbsp;said &ldquo;It is our pleasure to host a live screening of the 237th&nbsp;El Clasico for football fans in the capital. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona, along with the other LaLiga clubs, have huge fan bases in India and we are excited to offer them the LaLiga experience in a stadium-like atmosphere. El Clasico is the pageantry of football&rsquo;s biggest rivalry and we want fans in India to have a viewing experience that they can cherish all their lives.&rdquo;

For the first time ever, La Liga has scheduled an El Clasico at a prime-time slot of 5.30 pm IST

LaLiga, Spain’s top division football league, is set to host a special match screening of one of the most anticipated matches of 2017 - El Clasico. The game will broadcast live on December 23, when Real Madrid hosts FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu. Fans in India can watch the match in the presence of former FC Barcelona star and Italian football legend, Gianluca Zambrotta. On joining fans at the El Clasico screening, Gianluca Zambrotta said, “India has some of the most passionate fans I have ever seen. I’m excited about joining them to watch the clash in one of my favourite cities, New Delhi. I expect 90 minutes of high-intensity football, considering both teams will do their best to enforce their supremacy”. For the first time ever has scheduled El Clasico at a prime time slot of 5.30 pm IST. The time preference has been kept in mind for India audiences. According to the LaLiga announcement release, the live screening of the match will take place at NSIC Grounds in Okhla, New Delhi on December 23, 2017. Gianluca Zambrotta to join fans at the screening in New Delhi. (Others) × LaLiga India Country Manager Jose Cachaza said “It is our pleasure to host a live screening of the 237th El Clasico for football fans in the capital. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona, along with the other LaLiga clubs, have huge fan bases in India and we are excited to offer them the LaLiga experience in a stadium-like atmosphere. El Clasico is the pageantry of football’s biggest rivalry and we want fans in India to have a viewing experience that they can cherish all their lives.”

Ex-Italian footballer Gianluca Zambrotta to join fans at El Clasico screening in Delhi

Yogi Goswami, originally from Delhi, is a professor at Florida University.

He has invented an air purifier which destroys harmful pollutants around it -- existing purifiers merely trap them.

The purifier is called Molekule, and has been chosen by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017.

Goswami built Molekule to help battle his son&#39;s asthma.&nbsp;

Molekule not only destroys allergens, bacteria and viruses but also breaks down microscopic pollutants a 1,000 times smaller than regular air purifiers.

He spoke with WION&#39;s Kartikeya Sharma:

&nbsp;

Did you expect your product would be picked by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017?

You never know when somebody picks you as a winner although I understand this technology is going to help a&nbsp;lot of people. It is already helping a&nbsp;lot of people in the&nbsp;USA. By the way, it started out with me helping my son and I&rsquo;m very thankful to&nbsp;Time magazine for picking us up as one of the year&#39;s 25 top inventions. 
&nbsp;

You said it all started with your son. Could you elaborate?

I&rsquo;m a solar energy researcher and a scientist. I&#39;ve done a lot of work in the field. This invention came out of personal need. My son is asthmatic. We could only control what he could eat to prevent allergies. Later we found that there were triggers in the air and we could do nothing about it. That is when I started looking into air purifiers. We tried a lot but none of them worked. Afterwards, I gave up what was available in the market and started to think about solar technology which I had developed. That started my research in this field. It took a long time but I did develop the technology. In the beginning, it helped a number of people in my family and then we decided to market.

How is your purifier different from those available on the market?

All other purifiers simply filter the air. They filter the dust particle. You can make them tighter and tighter but they will only filter to a certain size. There are a number of things in air that can cause us&nbsp;problems. Virus and bacteria&nbsp;are difficult to stop. Exhaust gases from automobiles and other emissions inside a building pass through filters. This technology breaks them down into benign products. This technology breaks them down into the fundamental benign product.

Your innovation is great science. Please break it down for our readers as to how your product works?

We have a filter on which we have applied a nanocatalyst. As light falls on the nanocatalyst, that&rsquo;s when the reaction starts. Any organic molecule passing over it gets converted into carbon dioxide and water.

Your air purifier is expensive -- Rs 51,000 a piece. That&#39;s very difficult for the middle class&nbsp;to buy&nbsp;in India...

I understand that and feel that eventually we need to bring it down to a level at which it can be used by those who need it and not just by those who can afford it. The cost is because of what has gone into making the product.

Can the cost be brought down?

Eventually, it can come down by scaling. I&rsquo;m very hopeful that in the future it will come down but today the price tag is required to stay in business.

Are air purifiers the answer to air pollution or just an emergency solution?

We cannot do much about outdoor air pollution. Given that we have outdoor pollution, at least the insides can be regulated so that we can breathe clean air.

Can there be a bigger version of this technology? Like the smog towers installed in Beijing to tackle pollution?

Outdoor air cannot be cleaned by installing towers and I don&rsquo;t think it is viable. We will need to move to renewable and solar technology. What we found in the&nbsp;USA was that indoor air was more polluted than outdoor air. Some pollutants start to concentrate indoors and that is why this product becomes so useful in the&nbsp;USA.

Are you saying that indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air?

In the&nbsp;USA, outdoor air is much cleaner in comparison to India and China. The buildings are closed and that is why pollutants get stuck inside them. With internal cooling, pollutants begin to concentrate and that is why indoor air in the&nbsp;USA is far more polluted than outdoor air.

How can air pollution be tackled in countries like India?

It is true that Delhi&rsquo;s air is polluted and bad for health. Some effects of this pollution will show up in the long run. Outdoor air needs to be&nbsp;cleaned and solutions have to be looked at. Solar energy might be expensive but not more expensive than your health.

Yogi Goswami invented his Molekule to help his son battle asthma

Yogi Goswami, originally from Delhi, is a professor at Florida University. He has invented an air purifier which destroys harmful pollutants around it -- existing purifiers merely trap them. The purifier is called Molekule, and has been chosen by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017. Goswami built Molekule to help battle his son's asthma. Molekule not only destroys allergens, bacteria and viruses but also breaks down microscopic pollutants a 1,000 times smaller than regular air purifiers. He spoke with WION's Kartikeya Sharma: Did you expect your product would be picked by Time as one of the 25 best innovations of 2017? You never know when somebody picks you as a winner although I understand this technology is going to help a lot of people. It is already helping a lot of people in the USA. By the way, it started out with me helping my son and I’m very thankful to Time magazine for picking us up as one of the year's 25 top inventions. You said it all started with your son. Could you elaborate? I’m a solar energy researcher and a scientist. I've done a lot of work in the field. This invention came out of personal need. My son is asthmatic. We could only control what he could eat to prevent allergies. Later we found that there were triggers in the air and we could do nothing about it. That is when I started looking into air purifiers. We tried a lot but none of them worked. Afterwards, I gave up what was available in the market and started to think about solar technology which I had developed. That started my research in this field. It took a long time but I did develop the technology. In the beginning, it helped a number of people in my family and then we decided to market. How is your purifier different from those available on the market? All other purifiers simply filter the air. They filter the dust particle. You can make them tighter and tighter but they will only filter to a certain size. There are a number of things in air that can cause us problems. Virus and bacteria are difficult to stop. Exhaust gases from automobiles and other emissions inside a building pass through filters. This technology breaks them down into benign products. This technology breaks them down into the fundamental benign product. Your innovation is great science. Please break it down for our readers as to how your product works? We have a filter on which we have applied a nanocatalyst. As light falls on the nanocatalyst, that’s when the reaction starts. Any organic molecule passing over it gets converted into carbon dioxide and water. Your air purifier is expensive -- Rs 51,000 a piece. That's very difficult for the middle class to buy in India... I understand that and feel that eventually we need to bring it down to a level at which it can be used by those who need it and not just by those who can afford it. The cost is because of what has gone into making the product. Can the cost be brought down? Eventually, it can come down by scaling. I’m very hopeful that in the future it will come down but today the price tag is required to stay in business. Are air purifiers the answer to air pollution or just an emergency solution? We cannot do much about outdoor air pollution. Given that we have outdoor pollution, at least the insides can be regulated so that we can breathe clean air. Can there be a bigger version of this technology? Like the smog towers installed in Beijing to tackle pollution? Outdoor air cannot be cleaned by installing towers and I don’t think it is viable. We will need to move to renewable and solar technology. What we found in the USA was that indoor air was more polluted than outdoor air. Some pollutants start to concentrate indoors and that is why this product becomes so useful in the USA. Are you saying that indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air? In the USA, outdoor air is much cleaner in comparison to India and China. The buildings are closed and that is why pollutants get stuck inside them. With internal cooling, pollutants begin to concentrate and that is why indoor air in the USA is far more polluted than outdoor air. How can air pollution be tackled in countries like India? It is true that Delhi’s air is polluted and bad for health. Some effects of this pollution will show up in the long run. Outdoor air needs to be cleaned and solutions have to be looked at. Solar energy might be expensive but not more expensive than your health.

Indian-origin professor's air purifier chosen by Time as one of 25 best innovations of 2017

China&#39;s efforts to tackle the toxic air pollution which is all-time high in the country, especially the metropolitan cities, is finally yielding some positive results.

As per media reports, the world&#39;s biggest polluter had put in place the largest clean coal-fired power generation system and the outcome is nothing less than &#39;remarkable&#39; as the nation witnessed a decrease of nearly 40 percent in the air pollution level in three major metropolitan cities, including Beijing.&nbsp;

According to Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie, Beijing had seen many blue days in December, something less common during winter, which is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating, which is generally fuelled by coal.&nbsp;

With four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, China placed the clean coal-fired power generation system over the past five years which resulted in 83 percent decrease in sulfur dioxide emission, 50 percent cut in nitrogen oxides, and 67 percent reduction in smoke.

This year from January to November, 338 Chinese cities saw a combined 20.4-percent reduction in particulate matter (PM) 10, compared to that in 2013.

As the country went through heavy industrialisation, Beijing and northern cities suffered from smog and severe pollution especially in winter, forcing the government to crack down heavily by removing the coal-fired industries&nbsp;

In 2013, the Chinese government unveiled a five-year national clean air action plan with an aim to improve air quality by closing factories, limiting cars and replacing coal with clean energy.&nbsp;

With this outcome, the Indian government must take up the matter with the Chinese government at earliest, because the smog in New Delhi is so thick that you cannot see to the end of a block, leaving the citizens with no option than to inhale toxic air.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

December is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating

China's efforts to tackle the toxic air pollution which is all-time high in the country, especially the metropolitan cities, is finally yielding some positive results. As per media reports, the world's biggest polluter had put in place the largest clean coal-fired power generation system and the outcome is nothing less than 'remarkable' as the nation witnessed a decrease of nearly 40 percent in the air pollution level in three major metropolitan cities, including Beijing. According to Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie, Beijing had seen many blue days in December, something less common during winter, which is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating, which is generally fuelled by coal. With four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, China placed the clean coal-fired power generation system over the past five years which resulted in 83 percent decrease in sulfur dioxide emission, 50 percent cut in nitrogen oxides, and 67 percent reduction in smoke. This year from January to November, 338 Chinese cities saw a combined 20.4-percent reduction in particulate matter (PM) 10, compared to that in 2013. As the country went through heavy industrialisation, Beijing and northern cities suffered from smog and severe pollution especially in winter, forcing the government to crack down heavily by removing the coal-fired industries In 2013, the Chinese government unveiled a five-year national clean air action plan with an aim to improve air quality by closing factories, limiting cars and replacing coal with clean energy. With this outcome, the Indian government must take up the matter with the Chinese government at earliest, because the smog in New Delhi is so thick that you cannot see to the end of a block, leaving the citizens with no option than to inhale toxic air.

China's cleaner coal experiment bears fruit, pollution level reduces by 40 %

Inspired from &#39;Black lives matter&#39;, scores of students, activists and members of Muslim community took out a silent protest &#39;Muslim lives matter&#39; in New Delhi on Saturday following hacking of a Muslim man in Rajasthan under the pretext of &#39;love jihad&#39;.

Holding placards such as &#39;Muslim Lives Matter&#39; and &#39;Speak up against bigotry&#39;, the protesters swarmed Delhi&#39;s Connaught Place area and formed a human chain to register their protest against hate crimes like these.

All India Kisan Sabha General Secretary and CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah, who participated in the protest, said there has been a deliberate attempt to create a vicious atmosphere against the Muslims in the country and the attack was an outcome of that.

&quot;The crime is a result of hateful atmosphere. All over the country, there have been efforts to create a vicious atmosphere against Muslims,&quot; Mollah told ANI.

He further said 10 to 12 such incidents have occurred in Rajasthan in the last two years and attributed it to the communalised atmosphere in the state.

&quot;A communalised atmosphere has been created in Rajasthan. This has instigated even the common people to kill Muslims. RSS, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are creating this atmosphere which has to be stopped,&quot; he added.

The protest was staged against the brutal killing in Rajsamand, where Mohammed Afrazul Khan, a Bengali migrant worker in Rajasthan was burnt alive, allegedly for &#39;love jihad&#39;.

The crime that has shocked the nation came to light after the perpetrator filmed the incident on Dev heritage road in Rajnagar area and uploaded it on the social media.

The accused has been identified as Shambhu Lal Raigar, a former marble trader. The videos that were uploaded on social media by 14-year-old nephew of Raigar, record him saying he killed Afrazul to save a woman from &quot;love jihad&quot;.

The police has arrested Raigar and his nephew and declared that a death penalty would be sought for the former.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) said the prima facie reports cited the man seen in the video was not a &#39;normal human being&#39;, and a further investigation has been initiated in the matter.

Earlier in the day, the Rajasthan government also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the victim, while the West Bengal government provided widow pension to the deceased&#39;s wife and assured employment to the kin.&nbsp;

Holding placards such as 'Muslim Lives Matter' and 'Speak up against bigotry', the protesters swarmed Delhi's Connaught Place area and formed a human chain to register their protest against hate crimes like these.

Inspired from 'Black lives matter', scores of students, activists and members of Muslim community took out a silent protest 'Muslim lives matter' in New Delhi on Saturday following hacking of a Muslim man in Rajasthan under the pretext of 'love jihad'. Holding placards such as 'Muslim Lives Matter' and 'Speak up against bigotry', the protesters swarmed Delhi's Connaught Place area and formed a human chain to register their protest against hate crimes like these. All India Kisan Sabha General Secretary and CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah, who participated in the protest, said there has been a deliberate attempt to create a vicious atmosphere against the Muslims in the country and the attack was an outcome of that. "The crime is a result of hateful atmosphere. All over the country, there have been efforts to create a vicious atmosphere against Muslims," Mollah told ANI. He further said 10 to 12 such incidents have occurred in Rajasthan in the last two years and attributed it to the communalised atmosphere in the state. "A communalised atmosphere has been created in Rajasthan. This has instigated even the common people to kill Muslims. RSS, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are creating this atmosphere which has to be stopped," he added. The protest was staged against the brutal killing in Rajsamand, where Mohammed Afrazul Khan, a Bengali migrant worker in Rajasthan was burnt alive, allegedly for 'love jihad'. The crime that has shocked the nation came to light after the perpetrator filmed the incident on Dev heritage road in Rajnagar area and uploaded it on the social media. The accused has been identified as Shambhu Lal Raigar, a former marble trader. The videos that were uploaded on social media by 14-year-old nephew of Raigar, record him saying he killed Afrazul to save a woman from "love jihad". The police has arrested Raigar and his nephew and declared that a death penalty would be sought for the former. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) said the prima facie reports cited the man seen in the video was not a 'normal human being', and a further investigation has been initiated in the matter. Earlier in the day, the Rajasthan government also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the victim, while the West Bengal government provided widow pension to the deceased's wife and assured employment to the kin.

Students, activists protest against Rajasthan hacking in Delhi

Six women were arrested for allegedly beating and tearing the clothes of a woman who helped the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and police unearth an illicit liquor racket in outer Delhi&#39;s Narela, the police said.

Rajneesh Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of police (Rohini), said six persons were arrested.

Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal also tweeted about the arrest.

&quot;Had directed yesterday evening @CPDelhi to take strict action in the Narela incident against culprits and police officials, if found remiss. FIR has been registered and six accused already arrested. Have directed for swift investigation,&quot; Baijal tweeted.

Police had registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code against the women involved in the incident.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal had alleged that the woman had tipped off the Commission about illegal liquor sale during an inspection in Narela area on Wednesday night after which she was yesterday attacked by a mob of over 25 people and was assaulted with iron rods.

&quot;Her clothes were torn and she was paraded naked in the area and the entire incident was filmed and the video was allegedly shared in the area by these criminals.

&quot;The entire incident proves complete lawlessness and zero fear of law in the area and it is shocking that police did not take any action to protect these women,&quot; Maliwal had said.

Police had said the woman was not paraded naked, as alleged by Maliwal.

Six women were arrested for allegedly beating and tearing the clothes of a woman who helped the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and police unearth an illicit liquor racket in outer Delhi's Narela, the police said

Six women were arrested for allegedly beating and tearing the clothes of a woman who helped the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and police unearth an illicit liquor racket in outer Delhi's Narela, the police said. Rajneesh Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of police (Rohini), said six persons were arrested. Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal also tweeted about the arrest. "Had directed yesterday evening @CPDelhi to take strict action in the Narela incident against culprits and police officials, if found remiss. FIR has been registered and six accused already arrested. Have directed for swift investigation," Baijal tweeted. Police had registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code against the women involved in the incident. DCW chief Swati Maliwal had alleged that the woman had tipped off the Commission about illegal liquor sale during an inspection in Narela area on Wednesday night after which she was yesterday attacked by a mob of over 25 people and was assaulted with iron rods. "Her clothes were torn and she was paraded naked in the area and the entire incident was filmed and the video was allegedly shared in the area by these criminals. "The entire incident proves complete lawlessness and zero fear of law in the area and it is shocking that police did not take any action to protect these women," Maliwal had said. Police had said the woman was not paraded naked, as alleged by Maliwal.

Illicit liquor racket: Six women arrested for assaulting woman who helped DCW chief

Medical experts are to examine whether India was right to hold a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/doctors-say-no-to-sport-in-delhi-as-cricketers-choke-in-smog-25923">Test match against Sri Lanka during hazardous smog in New Delhi</a>, the game`s world governing body said Friday.

The controversy will also be discussed at an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in February.&nbsp;

&quot;The ICC has noted the conditions in which the Delhi Test was played and has already requested the issue is considered by the medical committee for guidance should the situation arise in future,&quot; said an ICC statement.

Sri Lankan players wore masks while fielding during the match which ended in a draw on Wednesday. Bowlers from both sides were seen vomiting on the ground.

At its peak, concentrations of the smallest and most harmful pollution particles were at 18 times the World Health Organization`s safe limit, according to the US embassy website.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pollution-should-be-included-in-determining-playing-conditions-like-rain-poor-light-ima-to-bcci-26085">The Board of Control for Cricket in India has already said New Delhi</a> could be dropped from hosting internationals during its peak pollution season in November and December.&nbsp;

The ICC medical committee can make recommendations to the world body`s executive on &quot;any medical issues affecting international cricket&quot;.

It can also &quot;evaluate&quot; medical plans of countries hosting ICC sanctioned events.

The ICC statement said that the pollution &quot;is likely to be discussed in February`s ICC meetings&quot;.

Medical experts are to examine whether India was right to hold a Test match against Sri Lanka during hazardous smog in New Delhi, the game`s world governing body said Friday

Medical experts are to examine whether India was right to hold a Test match against Sri Lanka during hazardous smog in New Delhi, the game`s world governing body said Friday. The controversy will also be discussed at an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in February. "The ICC has noted the conditions in which the Delhi Test was played and has already requested the issue is considered by the medical committee for guidance should the situation arise in future," said an ICC statement. Sri Lankan players wore masks while fielding during the match which ended in a draw on Wednesday. Bowlers from both sides were seen vomiting on the ground. At its peak, concentrations of the smallest and most harmful pollution particles were at 18 times the World Health Organization`s safe limit, according to the US embassy website. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has already said New Delhi could be dropped from hosting internationals during its peak pollution season in November and December. The ICC medical committee can make recommendations to the world body`s executive on "any medical issues affecting international cricket". It can also "evaluate" medical plans of countries hosting ICC sanctioned events. The ICC statement said that the pollution "is likely to be discussed in February`s ICC meetings".

International Cricket Council to examine India pollution Test

In order to honour and recognise High Commissioners, Ambassadors and Consul Generals for their contribution in maintaining peace and cordial relations between nations, the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT), in partnership with TravelBiz Monitor, is set to host &lsquo;Diplomats for Peace&rsquo;. WION is the Broadcast Partner of the event.

The event will see IIPT recognising the role of diplomats in ensuring that the travel &amp; tourism industry functions peacefully in the constantly changing geopolitical environment. The event will witness participation of high-level delegation and ministerial representatives from the Ministries of External Affairs, Civil Aviation, Home Affairs and Tourism. Leading names from the corporate sector and senior delegates from travel &amp; tourism associations will also be there at the function.

According to Ajay Prakash, President, IIPT India, &ldquo;The United Nations declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and a number of events and programmes continue to be conducted across the world. For over 30 years, IIPT has been championing the cause of Peace through Tourism. The connection between Peace and Tourism is twofold -&nbsp;while peace is a prerequisite for tourism, it is equally true that the growth of tourism can foster greater peace. The prime function of diplomacy is the prevention or resolution of conflict and every diplomat, therefore, is essentially an Envoy of Peace.&rdquo;

&ldquo;The &lsquo;Diplomats for Peace&rsquo; ceremony is to recognise and laud the humanitarian and peace initiatives of a sovereign country and to felicitate its diplomatic representative in India,&rdquo; Prakash said, adding, &ldquo;It is not restricted to the personal achievements of the person being felicitated but rather to recognise the contribution his or her country has made in the current year towards peace, rehabilitation and resolution of conflict.&rdquo;

Supported by &lsquo;Incredible India&rsquo; and with the participation of the UNWTO, the Diplomats for Peace event has VFS Global as Presenting Sponsor. After the Celebrating Her awards at ITB Berlin and the Ambassadors of Peace awards at WTM London earlier this year, Diplomats for Peace is IIPT&rsquo;s third and biggest event in India. &ldquo;We are proud to have VFS Global, who partner with 57 governments across the world, to associate with us in this unique path-breaking initiative,&rdquo; Prakash said.

Talking about the event, Zubin Karkaria, CEO, VFS Global Group, said, &ldquo;We have always believed that travel and tourism plays a strong role in spreading peace and understanding, and building bridges across nations. Being in the business of supporting global travel and tourism through visa service management, developing Peace through Tourism is a topic very close to our hearts at VFS Global. Being a part of this event gives VFS Global the opportunity to honour the exemplary work done by several countries and their diplomats in building bridges to foster world peace.&rdquo;

The event will see IIPT recognising the role of diplomats in ensuring that the travel & tourism industry functions peacefully in the constantly changing geopolitical environment.

In order to honour and recognise High Commissioners, Ambassadors and Consul Generals for their contribution in maintaining peace and cordial relations between nations, the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT), in partnership with TravelBiz Monitor, is set to host ‘Diplomats for Peace’. WION is the Broadcast Partner of the event. The event will see IIPT recognising the role of diplomats in ensuring that the travel & tourism industry functions peacefully in the constantly changing geopolitical environment. The event will witness participation of high-level delegation and ministerial representatives from the Ministries of External Affairs, Civil Aviation, Home Affairs and Tourism. Leading names from the corporate sector and senior delegates from travel & tourism associations will also be there at the function. According to Ajay Prakash, President, IIPT India, “The United Nations declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and a number of events and programmes continue to be conducted across the world. For over 30 years, IIPT has been championing the cause of Peace through Tourism. The connection between Peace and Tourism is twofold - while peace is a prerequisite for tourism, it is equally true that the growth of tourism can foster greater peace. The prime function of diplomacy is the prevention or resolution of conflict and every diplomat, therefore, is essentially an Envoy of Peace.” “The ‘Diplomats for Peace’ ceremony is to recognise and laud the humanitarian and peace initiatives of a sovereign country and to felicitate its diplomatic representative in India,” Prakash said, adding, “It is not restricted to the personal achievements of the person being felicitated but rather to recognise the contribution his or her country has made in the current year towards peace, rehabilitation and resolution of conflict.” Supported by ‘Incredible India’ and with the participation of the UNWTO, the Diplomats for Peace event has VFS Global as Presenting Sponsor. After the Celebrating Her awards at ITB Berlin and the Ambassadors of Peace awards at WTM London earlier this year, Diplomats for Peace is IIPT’s third and biggest event in India. “We are proud to have VFS Global, who partner with 57 governments across the world, to associate with us in this unique path-breaking initiative,” Prakash said. Talking about the event, Zubin Karkaria, CEO, VFS Global Group, said, “We have always believed that travel and tourism plays a strong role in spreading peace and understanding, and building bridges across nations. Being in the business of supporting global travel and tourism through visa service management, developing Peace through Tourism is a topic very close to our hearts at VFS Global. Being a part of this event gives VFS Global the opportunity to honour the exemplary work done by several countries and their diplomats in building bridges to foster world peace.”

IIPT to honour 'Diplomats for Peace' in New Delhi on December 7

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/obama-digs-at-trump-over-climate-change-25592">Former US president Barack Obama on Saturday took a new swipe at his successor Donald Trump</a> over the Paris climate accord at a meeting with business leaders in the French capital.

Obama also vouched for the superiority of female leadership as &quot;men seem to be having some problems these days&quot;, alluding to the sexual assault and harassment scandals currently engulfing the United States.&nbsp;

Speaking to a group of communications and media leaders as well as financiers and academics known as Les Napoleons, Obama regretted what he called a &quot;temporary absence of American leadership&quot; on climate change.

He was referring to Trump&#39;s threat to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord, the day after making similar remarks during a visit to New Delhi.

Trump has said the accord is crippling US business and has called for the agreement to be renegotiated.&nbsp;

Asked to list leadership qualities for the future, Obama advocated &quot;more focus on putting women in power, because men seem to be having some problems these days.&quot;

&quot;Not to generalise, but women seem to have a better capacity than men do, partly because of their socialisation,&quot; said the 56-year-old Democrat who left office in January.

Obama also used the occasion to hone his post-presidential vision of hope and change as he seeks to build support for the foundation he launched in September.

&quot;If we can adapt to change we can make extraordinary progress. Hope is not being blind to problems,&quot; Obama said. &quot;Hope is facing problems and then still believing that we can work them out.&quot;

He insisted that the world is &quot;healthier, wealthier and less violent than at any time in human history&quot;, with &quot;only a few things that are irreversible&quot;.

&#39;Deeply embedded inequality&#39;

But he also warned of the dangers of &quot;deeply embedded inequality&quot;.

&quot;Going forward we need to modernise our economies in a way that is inclusive,&quot; he said.

Obama lunched earlier Saturday with Emmanuel Macron, meeting him for the first time after backing the French leader&#39;s presidential campaign.

Macron, 39, emulated Obama&#39;s youth-oriented campaign, focusing on mobilising grassroots support for his upstart centrist movement En Marche.

Macron had rolled out the red carpet for Trump in July, hosting him as guest of honour for Bastille Day celebrations when he sought -- unsuccessfully -- to change the US leader&#39;s mind on pulling out of the Paris climate change agreement.

Obama also met Saturday with France&#39;s former president Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

&quot;We discussed the big challenges of the planet and especially the subject of the climate. We are confident the accord will be implemented,&quot; Hollande tweeted afterward.&nbsp;

Hidalgo said the C40, an international network of mayors that she heads, would build ties with the Obama Foundation focusing on climate change.

Obama was seen as a major catch for Les Napoleons, a relatively unknown networking group set up in 2014 and claiming a membership of some 3,000.

The former US president&#39;s fee has not been disclosed, but a rampant rumour mill suggested the figure of $400,000 (336,000 euros).

That was the paycheck Obama cashed after speaking to a Wall Street bank in September.

Obama regretted what he called a 'temporary absence of American leadership' on climate change -- he was referring to Trump's threat to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord

Former US president Barack Obama on Saturday took a new swipe at his successor Donald Trump over the Paris climate accord at a meeting with business leaders in the French capital. Obama also vouched for the superiority of female leadership as "men seem to be having some problems these days", alluding to the sexual assault and harassment scandals currently engulfing the United States. Speaking to a group of communications and media leaders as well as financiers and academics known as Les Napoleons, Obama regretted what he called a "temporary absence of American leadership" on climate change. He was referring to Trump's threat to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord, the day after making similar remarks during a visit to New Delhi. Trump has said the accord is crippling US business and has called for the agreement to be renegotiated. Asked to list leadership qualities for the future, Obama advocated "more focus on putting women in power, because men seem to be having some problems these days." "Not to generalise, but women seem to have a better capacity than men do, partly because of their socialisation," said the 56-year-old Democrat who left office in January. Obama also used the occasion to hone his post-presidential vision of hope and change as he seeks to build support for the foundation he launched in September. "If we can adapt to change we can make extraordinary progress. Hope is not being blind to problems," Obama said. "Hope is facing problems and then still believing that we can work them out." He insisted that the world is "healthier, wealthier and less violent than at any time in human history", with "only a few things that are irreversible". 'Deeply embedded inequality' But he also warned of the dangers of "deeply embedded inequality". "Going forward we need to modernise our economies in a way that is inclusive," he said. Obama lunched earlier Saturday with Emmanuel Macron, meeting him for the first time after backing the French leader's presidential campaign. Macron, 39, emulated Obama's youth-oriented campaign, focusing on mobilising grassroots support for his upstart centrist movement En Marche. Macron had rolled out the red carpet for Trump in July, hosting him as guest of honour for Bastille Day celebrations when he sought -- unsuccessfully -- to change the US leader's mind on pulling out of the Paris climate change agreement. Obama also met Saturday with France's former president Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. "We discussed the big challenges of the planet and especially the subject of the climate. We are confident the accord will be implemented," Hollande tweeted afterward. Hidalgo said the C40, an international network of mayors that she heads, would build ties with the Obama Foundation focusing on climate change. Obama was seen as a major catch for Les Napoleons, a relatively unknown networking group set up in 2014 and claiming a membership of some 3,000. The former US president's fee has not been disclosed, but a rampant rumour mill suggested the figure of $400,000 (336,000 euros). That was the paycheck Obama cashed after speaking to a Wall Street bank in September.

Obama takes on Trump, and men in general, at Paris event

Indian cricket&#39;s current &#39;Milestone Man&#39; Virat Kohli today became the first international captain to hit three successive hundreds in a three-Test series.

Kohli also completed his individual 5000 runs in the longest version of the game.

While many captains have had three or four Test tons in a five-match series, it is rarity that a batsman has scored three consecutive tons in a three-match series.

Kohli now has 11 international hundreds in a season -- one less than Sachin Tendulkar&#39;s 12.

The Indian captain scored 104 not out in Kolkata followed by 213 in Nagpur before completing his hat-trick with his 20th Test hundred in his 63rd game here.

Incidentally, this is also Kohli&#39;s first ever Test hundred at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

His century off 110 balls and the half-century off 52 balls were his individual fastest landmarks in this format.

The 5000 runs came in 105th innings, which is the fourth fastest among the Indian batsmen after Sunil Gavaskar (95 innings), Virender Sehwag (98 innings) and Sachin Tendulkar (103 innings).

Kohli also completed his individual 5000 runs in the longest version of the game

Indian cricket's current 'Milestone Man' Virat Kohli today became the first international captain to hit three successive hundreds in a three-Test series. Kohli also completed his individual 5000 runs in the longest version of the game. While many captains have had three or four Test tons in a five-match series, it is rarity that a batsman has scored three consecutive tons in a three-match series. Kohli now has 11 international hundreds in a season -- one less than Sachin Tendulkar's 12. The Indian captain scored 104 not out in Kolkata followed by 213 in Nagpur before completing his hat-trick with his 20th Test hundred in his 63rd game here. Incidentally, this is also Kohli's first ever Test hundred at the Feroz Shah Kotla. His century off 110 balls and the half-century off 52 balls were his individual fastest landmarks in this format. The 5000 runs came in 105th innings, which is the fourth fastest among the Indian batsmen after Sunil Gavaskar (95 innings), Virender Sehwag (98 innings) and Sachin Tendulkar (103 innings).

Kohli first captain to score hat-trick of tons in 3-match series

India&#39;s run-machine Virat Kohli and in-form Murali Vijay smashed big centuries in a massive 283-run stand to deflate Sri Lanka on the opening day of the third and final test on Saturday.

The tourists claimed two wickets in the morning session and two more in the final one but it otherwise was a microcosm of a series dominated by the hosts as India scored at more than four runs an over to reach 371 for four 4 at the close.

Kohli remained not out after a majestic 156, which contained 16 fours and followed his 104 not out in the first test in Kolkata and 213 in Nagpur.

The 29-year-old also joined the 5,000-test run club in his 105th innings.

Rohit Sharma was on six at the other end, with the hosts chasing a record-equalling ninth consecutive test series win after Kohli won the toss.

Right-handed opener Lokesh Rahul made way for the left-handed Shikhar Dhawan as India, 1-0 up in the series, shuffled the top of their batting order for a third match in a row.

Dhawan could not make the most of the opportunity, though, his attempted sweep shot off Dilruwan Perera finding Suranga Lakmal at deep square leg.

The opener made 23 before becoming the off-spinner&#39;s 100th test victim in a Sri Lankan record of 25 tests, two less than spin great Muttiah Muralitharan.

Cheteshwar Pujara hit four boundaries before walking into a Sri Lankan trap.

Paceman Lahiru Gamage stationed Sadeera Samarawickrama at leg slip and bowled the perfect delivery which Pujara tickled to the fielder to depart for 23.

Kohli, however, was simply unstoppable as the right-hander scored at nearly a run a ball, treating the weekend crowd to some exciting shot-making.

Gamage was on the receiving end of Kohli&#39;s sublime batting in an eventful 37th over when the batsman hit the bowler for three boundaries - a drive through extra cover, followed by a leg glance and an imperious pull in front of square.

Vijay brought up his 11th test century with a ninth four, celebrating the feat with a little jig.

The right-hander, who scored 128 in Nagpur, hit 13 boundaries in his elegant 155 before a lapse in concentration.

Left-arm wrist-spinner Lakshan Sandakan, one of the three new faces in the Sri Lankan team, dismissed Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane stumped in successive overs in the final session.

Kohli put on a 283-run third-wicket stand with opener Murali Vijay, who scored 155, after electing to bat first at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi

India's run-machine Virat Kohli and in-form Murali Vijay smashed big centuries in a massive 283-run stand to deflate Sri Lanka on the opening day of the third and final test on Saturday. The tourists claimed two wickets in the morning session and two more in the final one but it otherwise was a microcosm of a series dominated by the hosts as India scored at more than four runs an over to reach 371 for four 4 at the close. Kohli remained not out after a majestic 156, which contained 16 fours and followed his 104 not out in the first test in Kolkata and 213 in Nagpur. The 29-year-old also joined the 5,000-test run club in his 105th innings. Rohit Sharma was on six at the other end, with the hosts chasing a record-equalling ninth consecutive test series win after Kohli won the toss. Right-handed opener Lokesh Rahul made way for the left-handed Shikhar Dhawan as India, 1-0 up in the series, shuffled the top of their batting order for a third match in a row. Dhawan could not make the most of the opportunity, though, his attempted sweep shot off Dilruwan Perera finding Suranga Lakmal at deep square leg. The opener made 23 before becoming the off-spinner's 100th test victim in a Sri Lankan record of 25 tests, two less than spin great Muttiah Muralitharan. Cheteshwar Pujara hit four boundaries before walking into a Sri Lankan trap. Paceman Lahiru Gamage stationed Sadeera Samarawickrama at leg slip and bowled the perfect delivery which Pujara tickled to the fielder to depart for 23. Kohli, however, was simply unstoppable as the right-hander scored at nearly a run a ball, treating the weekend crowd to some exciting shot-making. Gamage was on the receiving end of Kohli's sublime batting in an eventful 37th over when the batsman hit the bowler for three boundaries - a drive through extra cover, followed by a leg glance and an imperious pull in front of square. Vijay brought up his 11th test century with a ninth four, celebrating the feat with a little jig. The right-hander, who scored 128 in Nagpur, hit 13 boundaries in his elegant 155 before a lapse in concentration. Left-arm wrist-spinner Lakshan Sandakan, one of the three new faces in the Sri Lankan team, dismissed Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane stumped in successive overs in the final session.

Cricket: India 371-4 after big hundreds from Kohli, Vijay

Former US president Barack Obama launched a veiled barb at his successor Donald Trump on Friday, saying there is &quot;a pause in American leadership&quot; on climate change.

Since leaving office in January, Obama has been relatively restrained in his comments about Trump, who frequently fires broadsides at his predecessor&#39;s policies.

But he took aim at the Republican president in a New Delhi speech over Trump&#39;s threat to leave the 2015 <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/world-leaders-react-to-trumps-paris-climate-accord-withdrawal-3600">Paris climate accord on slashing global carbon emissions</a>.

&quot;It is an agreement that -- even though we have a little bit of a pause in American leadership --&nbsp;is giving our children a fighting chance,&quot; Obama told a symposium organised by the Hindustan Times newspaper.&nbsp;

&quot;And the good news is that in the United States, there are states, companies and universities and cities that are continuing to work to make sure that America lives up to that agreements that we made in the Paris accords,&quot; he added.

Trump has threatened several times to withdraw from the Paris accord saying it is crippling US business. He has called for the agreement to be renegotiated.&nbsp;

Obama would not be drawn into other questions about the US administration during his appearance in New Delhi, but the former president did attack &quot;destructive populism from the left or the right&quot; that he called a threat to modern democracy.

&quot;The thing I love about America and I suspect the thing you love about India is just this cacophony of life and it throws up all kinds of variety,&quot; Obama said in response to one attempt to force a comment on Trump.

&quot;There are political trends in American that I don&#39;t agree with and abide by but I recognise as part of a running thread in American life.&quot;

The two-term leader said he has become &quot;obsessed&quot; with the way news is handled and consumed, particularly by the young.

&quot;We are more connected than ever before but ... more and more we are fitting facts to suit our opinions rather than formulating our opinions based on facts,&quot; said Obama, who was in China before visiting India, and next goes to Paris.

&quot;This poses a great danger because democracies can&#39;t function if we can&#39;t agree on a basic baseline of what is true and what is false.&quot;

'It is an agreement that -- even though we have a little bit of a pause in American leadership --?is giving our children a fighting chance,' Obama told a symposium organised by the Hindustan Times newspaper

Former US president Barack Obama launched a veiled barb at his successor Donald Trump on Friday, saying there is "a pause in American leadership" on climate change. Since leaving office in January, Obama has been relatively restrained in his comments about Trump, who frequently fires broadsides at his predecessor's policies. But he took aim at the Republican president in a New Delhi speech over Trump's threat to leave the 2015 Paris climate accord on slashing global carbon emissions. "It is an agreement that -- even though we have a little bit of a pause in American leadership -- is giving our children a fighting chance," Obama told a symposium organised by the Hindustan Times newspaper. "And the good news is that in the United States, there are states, companies and universities and cities that are continuing to work to make sure that America lives up to that agreements that we made in the Paris accords," he added. Trump has threatened several times to withdraw from the Paris accord saying it is crippling US business. He has called for the agreement to be renegotiated. Obama would not be drawn into other questions about the US administration during his appearance in New Delhi, but the former president did attack "destructive populism from the left or the right" that he called a threat to modern democracy. "The thing I love about America and I suspect the thing you love about India is just this cacophony of life and it throws up all kinds of variety," Obama said in response to one attempt to force a comment on Trump. "There are political trends in American that I don't agree with and abide by but I recognise as part of a running thread in American life." The two-term leader said he has become "obsessed" with the way news is handled and consumed, particularly by the young. "We are more connected than ever before but ... more and more we are fitting facts to suit our opinions rather than formulating our opinions based on facts," said Obama, who was in China before visiting India, and next goes to Paris. "This poses a great danger because democracies can't function if we can't agree on a basic baseline of what is true and what is false."

Obama digs at Trump over climate change

Are you a die-head Ranbir Kapoor fan? Or would you simply want to pose next to the Prime Minister of the country? If you&#39;ve got a secret desire to get a selfie clicked with one -- or some -- of your favourite celebrities and public figures, Madame Tussauds takes you a step closer. People in the capital city were much enthused to learn about the opening of the 23rd and the latest addition to the series of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/madhubala-as-anarkali-to-join-delhi-madame-tussauds-379" target="_blank">Madame Tussauds</a> attractions in the historic Regal building which was thrown open on Friday.

&quot;We are extremely thrilled to be opening our doors,&quot; Anshul Jain of Merlin Entertainments, which owns all Madame Tussauds attractions across the globe, said.

The attraction houses close to 51 wax figures of eminent personalities from different fields like history, sports, music, film and politics among others. New Delhi Madame Tussauds is divided into 7 sections.&nbsp;

At New Delhi Madame Tussauds, you are sure to share a date with celebrities including Salman Khan, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, Madhubala, Raj Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Asha Bhonsle, Sonu Nigam, Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe, and Madonna.

&quot;The wax figure of Raj Kapoor here is the only figure in black and white,&quot; a Madame Tussauds spokesperson told PTI.&nbsp;

Visitors are offered interactive opportunities where they can sport accessories adorned by celebrity figures and get themselves clicked.

There is a dedicated section that educates visitors about the history of the making of Madame Tussauds, explaining the entire process behind the creation of a celebrity wax figure, from sculpting, moulding, hair insertion, colouring to eyes and teeth making, wardrobe and finishing. Another section features a 20-minute film where Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks about his experience of getting his wax figure made at Madame Tussauds.

Sports enthusiasts get to visit a dedicated sports corner which includes wax figures of Mary Kom, David Beckham, Milkha Singh, Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar among others.

A flight of stairs will lead you to the history section that houses wax figures of national leaders like PM Modi, Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel and APJ Abdul Kalam.

Tickets will be available for Rs&nbsp;960 for adults and at Rs&nbsp;760 for children.

(With inputs from PTI) 
&nbsp;

Tickets will be available for Rs. 960 for adults and at Rs. 760 for children.

Are you a die-head Ranbir Kapoor fan? Or would you simply want to pose next to the Prime Minister of the country? If you've got a secret desire to get a selfie clicked with one -- or some -- of your favourite celebrities and public figures, Madame Tussauds takes you a step closer. People in the capital city were much enthused to learn about the opening of the 23rd and the latest addition to the series of Madame Tussauds attractions in the historic Regal building which was thrown open on Friday. "We are extremely thrilled to be opening our doors," Anshul Jain of Merlin Entertainments, which owns all Madame Tussauds attractions across the globe, said. The attraction houses close to 51 wax figures of eminent personalities from different fields like history, sports, music, film and politics among others. New Delhi Madame Tussauds is divided into 7 sections. At New Delhi Madame Tussauds, you are sure to share a date with celebrities including Salman Khan, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, Madhubala, Raj Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Asha Bhonsle, Sonu Nigam, Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe, and Madonna. "The wax figure of Raj Kapoor here is the only figure in black and white," a Madame Tussauds spokesperson told PTI. Visitors are offered interactive opportunities where they can sport accessories adorned by celebrity figures and get themselves clicked. There is a dedicated section that educates visitors about the history of the making of Madame Tussauds, explaining the entire process behind the creation of a celebrity wax figure, from sculpting, moulding, hair insertion, colouring to eyes and teeth making, wardrobe and finishing. Another section features a 20-minute film where Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks about his experience of getting his wax figure made at Madame Tussauds. Sports enthusiasts get to visit a dedicated sports corner which includes wax figures of Mary Kom, David Beckham, Milkha Singh, Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar among others. A flight of stairs will lead you to the history section that houses wax figures of national leaders like PM Modi, Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel and APJ Abdul Kalam. Tickets will be available for Rs 960 for adults and at Rs 760 for children. (With inputs from PTI)

Madame Tussauds opens at New Delhi's historic Regal building

Former US President Barack Obama is in New Delhi holding a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-resident-urges-barack-obama-to-wear-a-mask-as-air-quality-continues-to-dip-25566" target="_blank">Town Hall</a>, interacting with a hall packed with close to 300 young leaders.

The event is organised by the Obama Foundation with an aim to educate the youth ways through which the Foundation can help them succeed in their field of work.

&quot;Young Indians like you aren&#39;t just going to define the future of this nation, you&#39;re going to shape the world,&quot; notes the official Obama Foundation website.&nbsp;

While actively interacting with the audience, Obama touched upon his experiences as the President of the United States and talked about moments in his life that went on to shape him into he is today.&nbsp;

&quot;Know ahead of time that change is hard, so you are not getting discouraged. Try to break up your efforts into bite-sized manageable pieces,&quot; he shared.&nbsp;

Barack Obama talked about the role of technology in today&#39;s world and how it has its advantages as well as dangers. &quot;We need to understand how to best understand and make use of technology. We must mix technology with social context. We can reach out to lot many people through technology, at the same time it can isolate people, therefore it must be used with discretion&quot; he shared.&nbsp;

Mr Obama identified the power that young people enjoy, calling them catalysts in the framework of change for the nation.

&quot;Good health community starts with young people. We need to find ways to empower and mentor young people. Mentor someone who is behind you, help them grow; find your voice and articulate your views,&quot; he noted.

Obama also shared his views on gender equality, LGBT rights and spoke on the role of art in bringing about social change.

&quot;We are moving toward greater equality... India has made amazing progress,&quot; he noted.&nbsp;

While actively interacting with the audience, Obama touched upon his experiences as the President of the United States

Former US President Barack Obama is in New Delhi holding a Town Hall, interacting with a hall packed with close to 300 young leaders. The event is organised by the Obama Foundation with an aim to educate the youth ways through which the Foundation can help them succeed in their field of work. "Young Indians like you aren't just going to define the future of this nation, you're going to shape the world," notes the official Obama Foundation website. While actively interacting with the audience, Obama touched upon his experiences as the President of the United States and talked about moments in his life that went on to shape him into he is today. "Know ahead of time that change is hard, so you are not getting discouraged. Try to break up your efforts into bite-sized manageable pieces," he shared. Barack Obama talked about the role of technology in today's world and how it has its advantages as well as dangers. "We need to understand how to best understand and make use of technology. We must mix technology with social context. We can reach out to lot many people through technology, at the same time it can isolate people, therefore it must be used with discretion" he shared. Mr Obama identified the power that young people enjoy, calling them catalysts in the framework of change for the nation. "Good health community starts with young people. We need to find ways to empower and mentor young people. Mentor someone who is behind you, help them grow; find your voice and articulate your views," he noted. Obama also shared his views on gender equality, LGBT rights and spoke on the role of art in bringing about social change. "We are moving toward greater equality... India has made amazing progress," he noted.

Watch: Mentor someone, help them grow, articulate your views: Obama to young India at Town Hall meet

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has hit out at the AAP government, saying lack of preparedness in tackling pollution in the national capital shows &quot;failure of governance&quot;, and pitched for a Centre-led panel to deal with the issue of pollution.

Dikshit also criticised the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation for making &quot;pronouncements&quot; but not following them up, and said the government used its run-ins with the Lieutenant Governor (LG) as an &quot;excuse&quot; for not delivering.

The veteran Congress leader said the Delhi government &quot;failed&quot; to anticipate the pollution crisis despite it being a repeat of that last year when stubble burning was again supposed to have been a major cause for toxic air.

&quot;It is nothing that has happened which wasn&#39;t expected and not to be prepared for it is a failure of governance,&quot; Dikshit told PTI here in an interview. 
She called for a committee to deal with the issue.

&quot;I personally feel now that the government of India should make a committee of people representing Punjab, Haryana, UP and of course Delhi and see that before the stubbling takes place, a method is found on how to deal with it (stubble burning),&quot; the three-time chief minister of Delhi said.

A &quot;substantially knowledgeable&quot; panel has to be formed, she said, adding that it must comprise experts, who can find a solution to the problem of increasing pollution.

On the issue of stubble or crop residue burning, Dikshit said the Delhi government should have worked with the Punjab, Haryana and the Uttar Pradesh governments to find an alternative to it.

She also suggested that governments look into pooling in resources to deploy machines which can roll up the stubble so that it can be used for something else rather than being burnt, which significantly leads to smoke and pollution.

The National Green Tribunal had earlier this month issued a slew of directions to deal with the worsening air quality in Delhi and neighboring states, banning construction, industrial activities and entry of trucks, while lambasting the Delhi government and civic bodies for the situation.

Dikshit, who was the chief minister of Delhi from 1998- 2013, also said there was a need to have a vision for Delhi which was &quot;all collapsing&quot; as a capital city.

Slamming the AAP dispensation for not following up on their promises, she alleged that even the work which her government had started, such as north Delhi&#39;s Signature Bridge project, was not being completed.

On the LG-AAP government frequent confrontations, she said Delhi did not have full statehood and so it lacked the kind of freedom that UP, Madhya Pradesh or Haryana enjoyed. 
The government has to work within the framework of the Constitution applicable to Delhi and it is to be done with the central government&#39;s cooperation, the 79-year-old leader said.

&quot;But to keep on saying (that the Centre is not allowing them to work) now looks as though it is an excuse not to do anything,&quot; she said, adding that under her administration Delhi changed despite the system and the Constitution is the same.

&quot;You are finding excuses for not working, blaming everybody else except yourself. Why are you not working,&quot; Dikshit said about the AAP government. 
Stressing that cooperation was an important factor in governance, she said the AAP government should resolve its differences with the LG and the Centre for the good of Delhi&#39;s residents.

&quot;Everybody is interested in making this look like a real capital city and it had started looking like a capital city. It is one of the top capitals of the world but now it&#39;s all collapsing,&quot; Dikshit lamented.

&nbsp;

The former Delhi chief minister pitched for a Centre-led panel to deal with the issue of pollution

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has hit out at the AAP government, saying lack of preparedness in tackling pollution in the national capital shows "failure of governance", and pitched for a Centre-led panel to deal with the issue of pollution. Dikshit also criticised the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation for making "pronouncements" but not following them up, and said the government used its run-ins with the Lieutenant Governor (LG) as an "excuse" for not delivering. The veteran Congress leader said the Delhi government "failed" to anticipate the pollution crisis despite it being a repeat of that last year when stubble burning was again supposed to have been a major cause for toxic air. "It is nothing that has happened which wasn't expected and not to be prepared for it is a failure of governance," Dikshit told PTI here in an interview. She called for a committee to deal with the issue. "I personally feel now that the government of India should make a committee of people representing Punjab, Haryana, UP and of course Delhi and see that before the stubbling takes place, a method is found on how to deal with it (stubble burning)," the three-time chief minister of Delhi said. A "substantially knowledgeable" panel has to be formed, she said, adding that it must comprise experts, who can find a solution to the problem of increasing pollution. On the issue of stubble or crop residue burning, Dikshit said the Delhi government should have worked with the Punjab, Haryana and the Uttar Pradesh governments to find an alternative to it. She also suggested that governments look into pooling in resources to deploy machines which can roll up the stubble so that it can be used for something else rather than being burnt, which significantly leads to smoke and pollution. The National Green Tribunal had earlier this month issued a slew of directions to deal with the worsening air quality in Delhi and neighboring states, banning construction, industrial activities and entry of trucks, while lambasting the Delhi government and civic bodies for the situation. Dikshit, who was the chief minister of Delhi from 1998- 2013, also said there was a need to have a vision for Delhi which was "all collapsing" as a capital city. Slamming the AAP dispensation for not following up on their promises, she alleged that even the work which her government had started, such as north Delhi's Signature Bridge project, was not being completed. On the LG-AAP government frequent confrontations, she said Delhi did not have full statehood and so it lacked the kind of freedom that UP, Madhya Pradesh or Haryana enjoyed. The government has to work within the framework of the Constitution applicable to Delhi and it is to be done with the central government's cooperation, the 79-year-old leader said. "But to keep on saying (that the Centre is not allowing them to work) now looks as though it is an excuse not to do anything," she said, adding that under her administration Delhi changed despite the system and the Constitution is the same. "You are finding excuses for not working, blaming everybody else except yourself. Why are you not working," Dikshit said about the AAP government. Stressing that cooperation was an important factor in governance, she said the AAP government should resolve its differences with the LG and the Centre for the good of Delhi's residents. "Everybody is interested in making this look like a real capital city and it had started looking like a capital city. It is one of the top capitals of the world but now it's all collapsing," Dikshit lamented.

AAP inability to tackle pollution governance failure: Sheila Dikshit

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