<p>Weeks after the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old emergency room technician, a sculptor from Oakland was able to finally install a statue of Breonna Taylor. However, within a few weeks, the sculpture of the Black woman has now been smashed from different angles.</p>

<p>A statue was erected in memory of the Black woman who was shot in her own bed by local police officers. However, the statue has now been smashed and the local police are investigating it as an act of vandalism.</p>

<p><strong>Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/policeman-involved-in-breonna-taylors-shooting-says-it-was-not-about-race-336898">Policeman involved in Breonna Taylor's shooting says it was 'not about race'</a></strong></p>

<p>Saddened by the act, the sculptor, Leo Carson,&nbsp;described the incident as "an act of racist aggression aimed at suppressing the fight for black freedom".&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Who would vandalize statue of Breonna Taylor? That’s what Oakland PD is asking after her newly installed bust was smashed on Saturday. Good news: Bay Area law firm has offered to fully fund statue’s restoration. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SayHerName?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SayHerName</a> <a href="https://t.co/vdT2H1QlLh">pic.twitter.com/vdT2H1QlLh</a></p>
— Matt Bigler (@mattbigler740) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattbigler740/status/1343579705736220672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The ceramic statue took weeks to be completed. In memory of Taylor, Carson gave the statue a&nbsp;dark brown satin glaze and shaped the clay from his own hands. The artist claims to have spent nearly&nbsp;$600 in making the statue.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/breonna-taylor-grand-jury-audio-reveals-conflicting-accounts-of-fatal-raid-332157">&nbsp;Breonna Taylor grand jury audio reveals conflicting accounts of fatal raid</a></strong></p>

<p>Established on the plaza on December 12, the artist claims he was expecting backlash fo the statue but was still hoping he could be proven wrong. "It was always in the back of my mind," he said. "I just had a feeling like I had to do it anyway. It didn’t matter."</p>

<p>The Oakland Mayor, Libby Schaff, took to Twitter to condemn this act of vandalism. "It’s a vicious attack against the light + justice sought in Breonna Taylor’s name. We will keep moving forward; Oakland will not tolerate acts of hatred," she tweeted.</p>

<p><strong>Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ban-no-knock-warrant-biden-harris-react-to-breonna-taylors-unjust-ruling-329887">'Ban no-knock warrant': Biden-Harris react to Breonna Taylor's unjust ruling</a></strong></p>

<p>Local police department has started investigating the matter but has not found any leads yet.</p>

<p>Breonna Taylor was a&nbsp;26-year-old emergency room technician who was with her boyfriend at her home when the police barged into her home claiming to execute&nbsp;a late-night 'no-knock' raid. Taylor's boyfriend mistook the police officers to be intruders and pointed a gun at them, after which the police opened fire which resulted in Taylor's death.</p>


Weeks after the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old emergency room technician, a sculptor from Oakland was able to finally install a statue of Breonna Taylor. However, within a few weeks, the sculpture of the Black woman has now been smashed from different angles.

Weeks after the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old emergency room technician, a sculptor from Oakland was able to finally install a statue of Breonna Taylor. However, within a few weeks, the sculpture of the Black woman has now been smashed from different angles. A statue was erected in memory of the Black woman who was shot in her own bed by local police officers. However, the statue has now been smashed and the local police are investigating it as an act of vandalism. Also read| Policeman involved in Breonna Taylor's shooting says it was 'not about race' Saddened by the act, the sculptor, Leo Carson, described the incident as "an act of racist aggression aimed at suppressing the fight for black freedom". Who would vandalize statue of Breonna Taylor? That’s what Oakland PD is asking after her newly installed bust was smashed on Saturday. Good news: Bay Area law firm has offered to fully fund statue’s restoration. #SayHerName pic.twitter.com/vdT2H1QlLh — Matt Bigler (@mattbigler740) December 28, 2020 × The ceramic statue took weeks to be completed. In memory of Taylor, Carson gave the statue a dark brown satin glaze and shaped the clay from his own hands. The artist claims to have spent nearly $600 in making the statue. Also read| Breonna Taylor grand jury audio reveals conflicting accounts of fatal raid Established on the plaza on December 12, the artist claims he was expecting backlash fo the statue but was still hoping he could be proven wrong. "It was always in the back of my mind," he said. "I just had a feeling like I had to do it anyway. It didn’t matter." The Oakland Mayor, Libby Schaff, took to Twitter to condemn this act of vandalism. "It’s a vicious attack against the light + justice sought in Breonna Taylor’s name. We will keep moving forward; Oakland will not tolerate acts of hatred," she tweeted. Also read| 'Ban no-knock warrant': Biden-Harris react to Breonna Taylor's unjust ruling Local police department has started investigating the matter but has not found any leads yet. Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old emergency room technician who was with her boyfriend at her home when the police barged into her home claiming to execute a late-night 'no-knock' raid. Taylor's boyfriend mistook the police officers to be intruders and pointed a gun at them, after which the police opened fire which resulted in Taylor's death.

Breonna Taylor's statue smashed in Oakland; Police starts investigation

<p>The US President Donald Trump claims to have signed a "very strong" executive order to protect the statues and monuments from vandalism.</p>

<p>"I just had the privilege of signing a very strong executive order protecting American monuments, memorials and statues -- and combatting recent criminal violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our great country!" Trump tweeted.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues - and combatting recent Criminal Violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!</p>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1276633518433538049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The tweet came after Trump tweeted a 'wanted' poster claiming he will be punishing the protestors who tried to vandalise the statue of former US President Andrew Jackson, which is housed in the park opposite the White House.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-issues-wanted-poster-for-people-who-vandalized-statues-308903"><strong>Also read|&nbsp;Trump issues 'wanted' poster for people who vandalized statues</strong></a></p>

<p>The Veterans' Memorial Preservation Act passed in 2003 already empowers authorities to impose fines and a jail term of up to 10 years for "attempts to injure or destroy, any structure, plaque, statue or other monument on public property commemorating the service of any person or persons in the armed forces of the US."</p>

<p>The President has, even in the past, expressed his displeasure over toppling of statues of the 'racist' leaders.</p>

<p>While the President has made it Twitter-official that he has signed an executive order, the White House has not yet announced any details about the order.</p>

<p>Trump has expressed his opposing thoughts regarding the 'Black Lives Matter' protest several times in the recent past, after protests broke out in the US due to the killing of an unarmed African-American man, George Floyd, by a White policeman.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The US President Donald Trump claims to have signed a "very strong" executive order to protect the statues and monuments from vandalism. "I just had the privilege of signing a very strong executive order protecting American monuments, memorials and statues -- and combatting recent criminal violence.

The US President Donald Trump claims to have signed a "very strong" executive order to protect the statues and monuments from vandalism. "I just had the privilege of signing a very strong executive order protecting American monuments, memorials and statues -- and combatting recent criminal violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our great country!" Trump tweeted. I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues - and combatting recent Criminal Violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2020 × The tweet came after Trump tweeted a 'wanted' poster claiming he will be punishing the protestors who tried to vandalise the statue of former US President Andrew Jackson, which is housed in the park opposite the White House. Also read| Trump issues 'wanted' poster for people who vandalized statues The Veterans' Memorial Preservation Act passed in 2003 already empowers authorities to impose fines and a jail term of up to 10 years for "attempts to injure or destroy, any structure, plaque, statue or other monument on public property commemorating the service of any person or persons in the armed forces of the US." The President has, even in the past, expressed his displeasure over toppling of statues of the 'racist' leaders. While the President has made it Twitter-official that he has signed an executive order, the White House has not yet announced any details about the order. Trump has expressed his opposing thoughts regarding the 'Black Lives Matter' protest several times in the recent past, after protests broke out in the US due to the killing of an unarmed African-American man, George Floyd, by a White policeman. (With inputs from agencies)

Trump signs executive order to protect statues; makes it Twitter-official

<p>The bronze statue of 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt on horseback and flanked by an African American and a Native American is being taken down by the American Museum of Natural History from outside its main entrance where it was placed in 1940.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="xaA" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="33bbb604-951d-4a24-8e21-c18db4068a02" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design_110.jpg" /></p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/muhammad-alis-son-says-dad-wouldnt-have-supported-protests-over-george-floyds-death-307494">Dad wouldn't have supported protests over George Floyd's death: Muhammad Ali</a></p>

<p>The decision came after several statues of colonial figures were brought down across the United States. These figures were linked to slavery and the dispossession of indigenous Americans and were being vandalized as the protests against racism continues to rage in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Roosevelt was the American President from 1901 to 1909, he helped the museum to form its collection.</p>

<p>Earlier, another US President, Ulysses S Grant's statue was taken down from San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Grant led Union armies to victory in the civil war and as president fought the Ku Klux Klan. But before defeating the slave-owning Confederacy he married into a slave-owning family and briefly owned a slave himself.</p>

<p>In an interview with the New York Times, museum president Ellen Futter said: &nbsp;"Over the last few weeks, our museum community has been profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice that has emerged after the killing of George Floyd."<br />
&nbsp;<br />
George Floyd was an African American, who was killed in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked the rage of violent protests across the world. These protests were against such killings and all police brutality and systemic racism.</p>

<p>The statue of Theodore Roosevelt has been a target of the protestors and calls for it being taken down are been made for some time now as it depicts blacks and indigenous people to be inferior.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism," Futter said. "Simply put, the time has come to move it."</p>

<p>New York's mayor Bill de Blasio, who is a democrat, has said that the museum had asked to remove the statue "because it explicitly depicts black and indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior. The city supports the museum’s request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue."</p>

<p>The great-grandson of the former president, Theodore Roosevelt IV is a museum trustee and he told the New York Times that he supports the decision.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“The world does not need statues, relics of another age, that reflect neither the values of the person they intend to honour nor the values of equality and justice,” he said. “The composition of the Equestrian Statue does not reflect Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy. It is time to move the statue and move forward.”</p>

<p>Ellen Futter said: “It’s very important to note that our request is based on the statue, that is the hierarchical composition that’s depicted in it."</p>

<p>"It is not about Theodore Roosevelt who served as governor of New York before becoming the 26th president of the United States and was a pioneering conservationist," she said.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The bronze statue of 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt on horseback and flanked by an African American and a Native American is being taken down by the American Museum of Natural History from outside its main entrance where it was placed in 1940.

The bronze statue of 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt on horseback and flanked by an African American and a Native American is being taken down by the American Museum of Natural History from outside its main entrance where it was placed in 1940. Also read: Dad wouldn't have supported protests over George Floyd's death: Muhammad Ali The decision came after several statues of colonial figures were brought down across the United States. These figures were linked to slavery and the dispossession of indigenous Americans and were being vandalized as the protests against racism continues to rage in the country. Roosevelt was the American President from 1901 to 1909, he helped the museum to form its collection. Earlier, another US President, Ulysses S Grant's statue was taken down from San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Grant led Union armies to victory in the civil war and as president fought the Ku Klux Klan. But before defeating the slave-owning Confederacy he married into a slave-owning family and briefly owned a slave himself. In an interview with the New York Times, museum president Ellen Futter said: "Over the last few weeks, our museum community has been profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice that has emerged after the killing of George Floyd." George Floyd was an African American, who was killed in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked the rage of violent protests across the world. These protests were against such killings and all police brutality and systemic racism. The statue of Theodore Roosevelt has been a target of the protestors and calls for it being taken down are been made for some time now as it depicts blacks and indigenous people to be inferior. "We have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism," Futter said. "Simply put, the time has come to move it." New York's mayor Bill de Blasio, who is a democrat, has said that the museum had asked to remove the statue "because it explicitly depicts black and indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior. The city supports the museum’s request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue." The great-grandson of the former president, Theodore Roosevelt IV is a museum trustee and he told the New York Times that he supports the decision. “The world does not need statues, relics of another age, that reflect neither the values of the person they intend to honour nor the values of equality and justice,” he said. “The composition of the Equestrian Statue does not reflect Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy. It is time to move the statue and move forward.” Ellen Futter said: “It’s very important to note that our request is based on the statue, that is the hierarchical composition that’s depicted in it." "It is not about Theodore Roosevelt who served as governor of New York before becoming the 26th president of the United States and was a pioneering conservationist," she said.

Bronze statue of Theodore Roosevelt to be taken down by American Museum of Natural History

<p>Australian police have arrested two women after a statue of British explorer James Cook was defaced. Cook was the captain of the first Western ship to reach the east coast of Australia.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also see:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/wendys-in-atlanta-burned-down-by-protestors-after-black-man-was-slain-by-police-305740" hreflang="en">Wendy's in Atlanta burned down by protestors after black man was slain by police</a></p>

<p>Before the arrests, the New South Wales police were alerted to graffiti on Cook's statue in Hyde Park in the central district of Sydney just after 4 a.m. (2000 GMT on Saturday).&nbsp;</p>

<p>The women carried a bag containing several spray-paint cans, as per the police statement. They were refused bail and will be charged with the destroying and damaging property, it said.</p>

<p>From Cecil Rhodes in England to Christopher Columbus in the United States and King Leopold II in Belgium, statues of empire builders have been under attack in recent weeks around the world, sometimes from the descendants of those they once colonised.</p>

<p>The defaced statue was cleaned on Sunday morning by the council workers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The anti-racism protestors demand that the legacies of some of the architects of Europe's empire-building be revisited and their statues are taken down.</p>


Australian police have arrested two women after a statue of British explorer James Cook was defaced. Cook was the captain of the first Western ship to reach the east coast of Australia.

Australian police have arrested two women after a statue of British explorer James Cook was defaced. Cook was the captain of the first Western ship to reach the east coast of Australia. Also see: Wendy's in Atlanta burned down by protestors after black man was slain by police Before the arrests, the New South Wales police were alerted to graffiti on Cook's statue in Hyde Park in the central district of Sydney just after 4 a.m. (2000 GMT on Saturday). The women carried a bag containing several spray-paint cans, as per the police statement. They were refused bail and will be charged with the destroying and damaging property, it said. From Cecil Rhodes in England to Christopher Columbus in the United States and King Leopold II in Belgium, statues of empire builders have been under attack in recent weeks around the world, sometimes from the descendants of those they once colonised. The defaced statue was cleaned on Sunday morning by the council workers. The anti-racism protestors demand that the legacies of some of the architects of Europe's empire-building be revisited and their statues are taken down.

Two protestors in Australia arrested as they deface Captain Cook's statue

The two ducks resting on the plinth of a statue in front of Paris's Musee D'Orsay had struck out boldly from their usual habitat: to get there from the River Seine involves waddling across a four-lane highway.

What lockdown? Birds go out in Paris with humans in confinement

<p>A case was registered against unidentified miscreants for vandalizing the statue of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee in Shahpur town of Bhilwara district on Monday.</p>

<p>"The effigy of Mukherjee was vandalised by unidentified persons late night on Sunday. Teams have been formed to investigate the matter," Shahpura police station in-charge, Bhajan Lal told ANI.</p>

<p>District collector Rajendra Bhatt, police officer Harendra Magawar and other officials also conducted a recce of the area.</p>

<p>According to locals, the statue was vandalised after the abrogation of the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir."Mukherjee was the first person to protest against the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. This could be the reason why it was demolished," said a local.&nbsp;</p>


A case was registered against unidentified miscreants for vandalizing the statue of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee in Shahpur town of Bhilwara district on Monday.

A case was registered against unidentified miscreants for vandalizing the statue of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee in Shahpur town of Bhilwara district on Monday. "The effigy of Mukherjee was vandalised by unidentified persons late night on Sunday. Teams have been formed to investigate the matter," Shahpura police station in-charge, Bhajan Lal told ANI. District collector Rajendra Bhatt, police officer Harendra Magawar and other officials also conducted a recce of the area. According to locals, the statue was vandalised after the abrogation of the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir."Mukherjee was the first person to protest against the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. This could be the reason why it was demolished," said a local.

Statue of Syama Prasad Mukherjee vandalised in Rajasthan

A new museum opening at the Statue of Liberty is giving visitors another opportunity to explore its history and the impact the iconic structure has had on the world.

New Statue of Liberty Museum set to open

<p>Athens on Friday installed its first Alexander the Great statue, a project mired in bureaucratic delays for nearly three decades.</p>

<p>The 3,50-metre equestrian statue of a young Alexander, cast in bronze, was erected in central Athens opposite a statue of Lord Byron.</p>

<p>According to the city of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/attackers-throw-explosive-at-russian-consulate-in-athens-204869&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiigPad_9vhAhW863MBHWXmDMwQFggIMAE&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw27DPxrVe_kjLFQFHp_36qM">Athens</a>, it was completed in 1972 and acquired by the state in 1992, at a time of intense nationalist feeling over a bitter name dispute with the newly-independent former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.</p>

<p>Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis insisted Friday the move had "nothing" to do with the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/clashes-in-athens-as-tens-of-thousands-protest-macedonian-name-deal-191676&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiigPad_9vhAhW863MBHWXmDMwQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2flBoPk7BW-5MH3P6F_opu">Macedonia </a>dispute.</p>

<p>"The decision to erect the statue was taken in 2015. This is a mark of the delays of Greek bureaucracy," Kaminis told AFP.</p>

<p>The fourth-century BC warrior king, born in today's northern Greek region of Macedonia, is a hero figure to Greeks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For decades, Athens accused Skopje of seeking to usurp its ancient heritage.</p>

<p>Until now, there had also been no agreement in Athens on where to place the statue.</p>

<p>A decade ago, a nationalist government in Skopje launched an initiative to erect its own statues to Alexander and his father Philip.</p>

<p>In February, the former Yugoslav republic was officially renamed North Macedonia following a landmark deal with the leftist government in Greece that ended the three-decade dispute.</p>

<p>Earlier this month, North Macedonia renamed its main football stadium, formerly known as Philip II arena, after the father of Alexander the Great.</p>

<p>Skopje in recent months has also dropped Alexander the Great from the name of an airport and a highway.</p>


Athens on Friday installed its first Alexander the Great statue, a project mired in bureaucratic delays for nearly three decades. The 3,50-metre equestrian statue of a young Alexander, cast in bronze, was erected in central Athens opposite a statue of Lord Byron.

Athens on Friday installed its first Alexander the Great statue, a project mired in bureaucratic delays for nearly three decades. The 3,50-metre equestrian statue of a young Alexander, cast in bronze, was erected in central Athens opposite a statue of Lord Byron. According to the city of Athens, it was completed in 1972 and acquired by the state in 1992, at a time of intense nationalist feeling over a bitter name dispute with the newly-independent former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis insisted Friday the move had "nothing" to do with the Macedonia dispute. "The decision to erect the statue was taken in 2015. This is a mark of the delays of Greek bureaucracy," Kaminis told AFP. The fourth-century BC warrior king, born in today's northern Greek region of Macedonia, is a hero figure to Greeks. For decades, Athens accused Skopje of seeking to usurp its ancient heritage. Until now, there had also been no agreement in Athens on where to place the statue. A decade ago, a nationalist government in Skopje launched an initiative to erect its own statues to Alexander and his father Philip. In February, the former Yugoslav republic was officially renamed North Macedonia following a landmark deal with the leftist government in Greece that ended the three-decade dispute. Earlier this month, North Macedonia renamed its main football stadium, formerly known as Philip II arena, after the father of Alexander the Great. Skopje in recent months has also dropped Alexander the Great from the name of an airport and a highway.

Athens installs Alexander the Great statue after 27-year delay

<p>Myanmar will drop charges against dozens of<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/myanmar-police-fire-rubber-bullets-tear-gas-to-scatter-ethnic-minority-protest-196896"> ethnic minority protesters </a>who demonstrated against a statue of independence hero General Aung San and will hold talks with them, state media said on Wednesday, offering a rare concession.</p>

<p>The surprise climbdown comes as Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the ruling National League for Democracy and the general's daughter, faces rising dissatisfaction in ethnic minority areas ahead of elections set for next year.</p>

<p>On Tuesday, police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd of 3,000 protesters in Loikaw, capital of the eastern state of Kayah, also known as Karenni.</p>

<p>Aung San brokered a 1947 pact among some of Myanmar's ethnic groups that is marked by an annual holiday on February 12, but the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-activists-charged-after-protesting-independence-hero-statue-196112">Karenni protesters</a> say its promises were not implemented after the general's assassination that year.</p>

<p>On Wednesday, the official Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said state officials had negotiated with protesters the previous day and agreed to revoke the charges against them.</p>

<p>In turn, the activists agreed to suspend their protests, it said, adding negotiations would take place within a month, covering issues such as an inscription on the statue's pedestal.</p>

<p>The statue may be moved from its prominent position in a Loikaw park, the paper added.</p>

<p>"The protest group dispersed after we got that agreement," said Khun Thomas, one of the Loikaw protest leaders.</p>

<p>He said the activists expected the charges of unlawful assembly, incitement and defamation filed against more than 50 people to be formally dropped when they went to court on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Officials unveiled the statue in Loikaw this month, triggering the latest in a spate of protests begun when plans for the monument were first announced in mid-2018.</p>

<p>Ethnic minority activists pushing for a federal system of government in Myanmar oppose the statue and other monuments to a leader from the country’s Burman majority.</p>

<p>On taking power in 2016, Suu Kyi set her top priority as securing peace with ethnic armed groups, but progress has been slow.</p>


Myanmar will drop charges against dozens of ethnic minority protesters who demonstrated against a statue of independence hero General Aung San and will hold talks with them, state media said on Wednesday, offering a rare concession.

Myanmar will drop charges against dozens of ethnic minority protesters who demonstrated against a statue of independence hero General Aung San and will hold talks with them, state media said on Wednesday, offering a rare concession. The surprise climbdown comes as Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the ruling National League for Democracy and the general's daughter, faces rising dissatisfaction in ethnic minority areas ahead of elections set for next year. On Tuesday, police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd of 3,000 protesters in Loikaw, capital of the eastern state of Kayah, also known as Karenni. Aung San brokered a 1947 pact among some of Myanmar's ethnic groups that is marked by an annual holiday on February 12, but the Karenni protesters say its promises were not implemented after the general's assassination that year. On Wednesday, the official Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said state officials had negotiated with protesters the previous day and agreed to revoke the charges against them. In turn, the activists agreed to suspend their protests, it said, adding negotiations would take place within a month, covering issues such as an inscription on the statue's pedestal. The statue may be moved from its prominent position in a Loikaw park, the paper added. "The protest group dispersed after we got that agreement," said Khun Thomas, one of the Loikaw protest leaders. He said the activists expected the charges of unlawful assembly, incitement and defamation filed against more than 50 people to be formally dropped when they went to court on Wednesday. Officials unveiled the statue in Loikaw this month, triggering the latest in a spate of protests begun when plans for the monument were first announced in mid-2018. Ethnic minority activists pushing for a federal system of government in Myanmar oppose the statue and other monuments to a leader from the country’s Burman majority. On taking power in 2016, Suu Kyi set her top priority as securing peace with ethnic armed groups, but progress has been slow.

Myanmar to drop charges against ethnic minority protesters in statue dispute

<p>The government has provided Rs 300 crore for the construction of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/on-statue-of-unity-inaugeration-here-are-top-five-tallest-statues-in-the-world-174352">world's tallest statue</a>, the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/things-to-know-about-statue-of-unity-174538">'Statue of Unity'</a> at Kevadiya in Narmada District of Gujarat, the Parliament was informed Friday.</p>

<p>This information was given by Minister of State for Finance P Radhakrishnan in reply to a question asked by senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.</p>

<p>"A total amount of Rs 300 crore has been released by the Central Government for construction of the Statue of Unity," the Minister said in the written reply.</p>

<p>He further said, the Ministry of Finance did not direct any public sector undertaking (PSU)/Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) to provide funds towards the construction of the statue.</p>

<p>Besides, Radhakrishnan said there were no details available with the ministry of any foreign funding for construction of the statue.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/meet-ram-sutar-the-sculptor-who-carved-vallabhbhais-statute-of-unity-174566">statue</a> to the nation on October 31 last year.</p>

<p>The total cost of the statue is estimated at around Rs 3,000 crore.&nbsp;</p>


The government has provided Rs 300 crore for the construction of world's tallest statue, the 'Statue of Unity' at Kevadiya in Narmada District of Gujarat, the Parliament was informed Friday.

The government has provided Rs 300 crore for the construction of world's tallest statue, the 'Statue of Unity' at Kevadiya in Narmada District of Gujarat, the Parliament was informed Friday. This information was given by Minister of State for Finance P Radhakrishnan in reply to a question asked by senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. "A total amount of Rs 300 crore has been released by the Central Government for construction of the Statue of Unity," the Minister said in the written reply. He further said, the Ministry of Finance did not direct any public sector undertaking (PSU)/Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) to provide funds towards the construction of the statue. Besides, Radhakrishnan said there were no details available with the ministry of any foreign funding for construction of the statue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the statue to the nation on October 31 last year. The total cost of the statue is estimated at around Rs 3,000 crore.

Centre provided Rs 300 crore towards Statue of Unity in Gujarat, Parliament informed

<p>In a spate of vandalism of statues of iconic leaders and ideologues in different parts of the country which started on Wednesday, B R Ambedkar's statue was found decapitated by miscreants on Thursday morning.</p>

<p>Earlier, the bust of Mahatma Gandhi's statue was found decapitated in Nathdwara, Rajasthan on Thursday.</p>

<p>Three people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the vandalisation of Gandhi's statue on the basis of CCTV footage.</p>

<p>Those&nbsp;arrested were&nbsp;identified as Kuldeep, Arvind and Ankit. The accused confessed that they vandalised the statue on late Monday night, reports said. However, the intention behind their act is not yet clear and the police is investigating the matter.</p>

<p>Recently, the Rajasthan police had arrested a person for vandalising the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Jaisalmer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Last month, a statue of the country's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was defaced with ink in West Bengal.</p>

<p>In a similar incident, Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee's idol was vandalised in Kokrajhar's Assam.</p>

<p>The incidents of vandalism began after a statue of communist icon Vladimir Lenin was razed after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the Left front government out of power in the assembly elections in Tripura.</p>

<p>Soon after, the statue of social reformer and rationalist leader E V Ramasamy, popularly known as Periyar, was vandalised in Vellore.</p>


The incidents of vandalism began after a statue of Vladimir Lenin was razed after the BJP swept the Left front government out of power in the assembly elections in Tripura

In a spate of vandalism of statues of iconic leaders and ideologues in different parts of the country which started on Wednesday, B R Ambedkar's statue was found decapitated by miscreants on Thursday morning. Earlier, the bust of Mahatma Gandhi's statue was found decapitated in Nathdwara, Rajasthan on Thursday. Three people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the vandalisation of Gandhi's statue on the basis of CCTV footage. Those arrested were identified as Kuldeep, Arvind and Ankit. The accused confessed that they vandalised the statue on late Monday night, reports said. However, the intention behind their act is not yet clear and the police is investigating the matter. Recently, the Rajasthan police had arrested a person for vandalising the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Jaisalmer. Last month, a statue of the country's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was defaced with ink in West Bengal. In a similar incident, Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee's idol was vandalised in Kokrajhar's Assam. The incidents of vandalism began after a statue of communist icon Vladimir Lenin was razed after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the Left front government out of power in the assembly elections in Tripura. Soon after, the statue of social reformer and rationalist leader E V Ramasamy, popularly known as Periyar, was vandalised in Vellore.

Ambedkars statue vandalised in Uttar Pradesh

<p>A statue of Bhartiya Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee was found vandalised in Kokrajhar town of Assam today, police said.</p>

<p>Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal strongly condemned the incident and said the government would not tolerate such acts.</p>

<p>The face of Mukherjee&#39;s statue at Rabindra Nagar area of the town was found damaged this morning. The locals immediately informed the police.</p>

<p>Korajhar Deputy Commissioner Niranjan Baruah, who rushed to the spot along with Superintendent of Police Rajen Singh, told newsmen that the statue was damaged apparently with a hammer and stones by miscreants in the early hours.</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;Such acts of vandalism will not be tolerated,&#39;&#39; he said.</p>

<p>The Kokrajhar SP said stern action would be taken against the miscreants.</p>

<p>In a statement in Guwahati, the chief minister directed the Kokrajhar deputy commissioner and superintendent of police to take stern action and book the miscreants under relevant provisions of law.</p>

<p>He also directed the administration to step up the vigil and take all measures to prevent such vandalism.</p>

<p>Executive members of the Bodoland Territorial Council-- Doneswar Goyari and Rajib Kumar Brahma also condemned the incident.</p>

<p>President of United People&#39;s Party-Liberal, U G Brahma demanded stern action against the miscreants.</p>

<p>A bust of Mukherjee was vandalised on March 7 in Kolkata by seven persons, including a woman, allegedly belonging to a left-wing group.</p>

<p>The accused were arrested from the spot. They had told a TV channel that they defaced and vandalised the Jan Sangh founder&#39;s bust to protest against the pulling down of communist icon Lenin&#39;s statues in Tripura.</p>


Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal strongly condemned the incident and said the government would not tolerate such acts.

A statue of Bhartiya Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee was found vandalised in Kokrajhar town of Assam today, police said. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal strongly condemned the incident and said the government would not tolerate such acts. The face of Mukherjee's statue at Rabindra Nagar area of the town was found damaged this morning. The locals immediately informed the police. Korajhar Deputy Commissioner Niranjan Baruah, who rushed to the spot along with Superintendent of Police Rajen Singh, told newsmen that the statue was damaged apparently with a hammer and stones by miscreants in the early hours. ''Such acts of vandalism will not be tolerated,'' he said. The Kokrajhar SP said stern action would be taken against the miscreants. In a statement in Guwahati, the chief minister directed the Kokrajhar deputy commissioner and superintendent of police to take stern action and book the miscreants under relevant provisions of law. He also directed the administration to step up the vigil and take all measures to prevent such vandalism. Executive members of the Bodoland Territorial Council-- Doneswar Goyari and Rajib Kumar Brahma also condemned the incident. President of United People's Party-Liberal, U G Brahma demanded stern action against the miscreants. A bust of Mukherjee was vandalised on March 7 in Kolkata by seven persons, including a woman, allegedly belonging to a left-wing group. The accused were arrested from the spot. They had told a TV channel that they defaced and vandalised the Jan Sangh founder's bust to protest against the pulling down of communist icon Lenin's statues in Tripura.

Syama Prasad Mukherjee's statue vandalised in Assam

<p>Dalit leader&nbsp;Dr BR Ambedkar&#39;s statue was vandalised in&nbsp;Azamgarh in&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The statue was found beheaded in the middle of the ground in Azamgarh. The police, who were&nbsp;informed about the incident rushed to the spot.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BR <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ambedkar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ambedkar</a> &#39;s statue vandalized in Azamgarh, police at the spot <a href="https://t.co/QkrehFKMis">pic.twitter.com/QkrehFKMis</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/972366568222019585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>The miscreants who attacked the statue have been identified and will be arrested soon, police said in the evening.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was vandalised in Azamgarh, DIG Vijay Bhushan says &quot; 3 men have been identified, currently they are absconding, will be arrested soon.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/65PEFvxXmy">pic.twitter.com/65PEFvxXmy</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/972484469818056705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is the latest in the flurry of attacks on the statue of iconic leaders in the country. On Wednesday, a bust of Ambedkar was defaced by unknown people&nbsp;in north Chennai in Tamil Nadu, days after a statue of Dravidian icon EV Ramasamy Periyar was vandalised in South Indian state after a senior BJP leader&rsquo;s inflammatory post on Facebook.</p>

<p>On Tuesday, an Ambedkar&#39;s statue was vandalised by unidentified persons in Meerut&#39;s Mawana locality&nbsp;leading to protests from members of the Dalit community and BSP workers.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dr BR Ambedkar&#39;s statue vandalised by unidentified people in Meerut&#39;s Mawana late last night; Dalit community held protest &amp; blocked traffic in the morning, ended the protest after assurance from the administration of installation of new statue <a href="https://t.co/DAAcq6g5Wf">pic.twitter.com/DAAcq6g5Wf</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/971305543720669184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Besides promising a thorough investigation into the matter, the local administration has also assured that hey would install&nbsp;a new statue of Ambedkar in the same place.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There has been a series of attacks on statues of political figures in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala after a Communist icon Vladimir Lenin statue in Tripura was toppled on Monday.</p>

<p>A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was vandalised in north Kerala&rsquo;s Kannur district on Wednesday by unidentified miscreants who hurled stones and bottles damaging the spectacle and garland of the &#39;&#39;Father of the Nation&#39;&#39;.</p>


The statue was found beheaded in the middle of the ground in Azamgarh. The police, who were informed about the incident rushed to the spot.

Dalit leader Dr BR Ambedkar's statue was vandalised in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. The statue was found beheaded in the middle of the ground in Azamgarh. The police, who were informed about the incident rushed to the spot. BR #Ambedkar 's statue vandalized in Azamgarh, police at the spot pic.twitter.com/QkrehFKMis — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2018 × The miscreants who attacked the statue have been identified and will be arrested soon, police said in the evening. A statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was vandalised in Azamgarh, DIG Vijay Bhushan says " 3 men have been identified, currently they are absconding, will be arrested soon." pic.twitter.com/65PEFvxXmy — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2018 × This is the latest in the flurry of attacks on the statue of iconic leaders in the country. On Wednesday, a bust of Ambedkar was defaced by unknown people in north Chennai in Tamil Nadu, days after a statue of Dravidian icon EV Ramasamy Periyar was vandalised in South Indian state after a senior BJP leader’s inflammatory post on Facebook. On Tuesday, an Ambedkar's statue was vandalised by unidentified persons in Meerut's Mawana locality leading to protests from members of the Dalit community and BSP workers. Dr BR Ambedkar's statue vandalised by unidentified people in Meerut's Mawana late last night; Dalit community held protest & blocked traffic in the morning, ended the protest after assurance from the administration of installation of new statue pic.twitter.com/DAAcq6g5Wf — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2018 × Besides promising a thorough investigation into the matter, the local administration has also assured that hey would install a new statue of Ambedkar in the same place. There has been a series of attacks on statues of political figures in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala after a Communist icon Vladimir Lenin statue in Tripura was toppled on Monday. A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was vandalised in north Kerala’s Kannur district on Wednesday by unidentified miscreants who hurled stones and bottles damaging the spectacle and garland of the ''Father of the Nation''.

Ambedkar's statue vandalised in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh

<p>A bust of Mahatma Gandhi was found defaced in Kannur district&#39;s Taliparamba town today, police said.</p>

<p>The spectacle carving was damaged and a garland on the statue was lying nearby, an official said, giving details of the vandalisation, the latest in a series of similar incidents being reported from various parts of the country.</p>

<p>The Gandhi statue was close to the Taliparamba Taluk office, the official said, adding that a probe was on to identify those behind the incident. A CCTV visual showed the suspected man behind the incident walking away from the site.</p>

<p>Some locals on the spot were reported as saying that they saw a man hurling a stone at the statue before fleeing the spot.</p>

<p>A complaint was received from Deputy Tahsildar C V Prakasan, based on which investigations are on, the official said.</p>

<p>Yesterday, a bust of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee was vandalised in Kolkata. The day before, a statue of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar was damaged in Meerut. The incidents came close on the heels of Communist leader Lenin&#39;s statues being damaged in Tripura and Dravidian movement founder E V Ramasamy Periyar&#39;s bust being desecrated in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Ambedkar statue vandalised:&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Adding to the list of statues of leaders being vandalised in various parts of the country, a bust of Dalit leader B R Ambedkar in a residential locality in Chennai was found defaced on Thursday, triggering a protest by locals, police said.</p>

<p>The bust, placed inside a structure covered with a grill in a residential neighbourhood in Tiruvotriyur, was splattered with paint.</p>

<p>As news of the defacement spread, people in the north Chennai area staged a protest. A police team led by Deputy Police Commissioner (DCP) G Shashank Sai visited the spot and assured action against the culprits.</p>

<p>&quot;Based on a complaint from the local people, we have registered an FIR and two special teams have been formed to trace the culprits,&quot; the DCP said.</p>

<p>More police pickets have been posted in the area for maintenance of law and order, he said.</p>

<p>A series of incidents of desecration of statues of various leaders, including Ambedkar, rationalist E V Ramasamy &quot;Periyar&quot; and Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, have been reported from different parts of the country.</p>

<p>The incidents began after statues of Communist icon Vladimir Lenin were pulled down in Tripura following the BJP&#39;s victory in the Assembly elections, ending 25 years of Communist rule.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly condemned the vandalism and said stern action would be taken against those found guilty.</p>


Locals said they saw a man throw a stone at the Gandhi bust before fleeing the spot

A bust of Mahatma Gandhi was found defaced in Kannur district's Taliparamba town today, police said. The spectacle carving was damaged and a garland on the statue was lying nearby, an official said, giving details of the vandalisation, the latest in a series of similar incidents being reported from various parts of the country. The Gandhi statue was close to the Taliparamba Taluk office, the official said, adding that a probe was on to identify those behind the incident. A CCTV visual showed the suspected man behind the incident walking away from the site. Some locals on the spot were reported as saying that they saw a man hurling a stone at the statue before fleeing the spot. A complaint was received from Deputy Tahsildar C V Prakasan, based on which investigations are on, the official said. Yesterday, a bust of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee was vandalised in Kolkata. The day before, a statue of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar was damaged in Meerut. The incidents came close on the heels of Communist leader Lenin's statues being damaged in Tripura and Dravidian movement founder E V Ramasamy Periyar's bust being desecrated in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Ambedkar statue vandalised: Adding to the list of statues of leaders being vandalised in various parts of the country, a bust of Dalit leader B R Ambedkar in a residential locality in Chennai was found defaced on Thursday, triggering a protest by locals, police said. The bust, placed inside a structure covered with a grill in a residential neighbourhood in Tiruvotriyur, was splattered with paint. As news of the defacement spread, people in the north Chennai area staged a protest. A police team led by Deputy Police Commissioner (DCP) G Shashank Sai visited the spot and assured action against the culprits. "Based on a complaint from the local people, we have registered an FIR and two special teams have been formed to trace the culprits," the DCP said. More police pickets have been posted in the area for maintenance of law and order, he said. A series of incidents of desecration of statues of various leaders, including Ambedkar, rationalist E V Ramasamy "Periyar" and Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, have been reported from different parts of the country. The incidents began after statues of Communist icon Vladimir Lenin were pulled down in Tripura following the BJP's victory in the Assembly elections, ending 25 years of Communist rule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly condemned the vandalism and said stern action would be taken against those found guilty.

Statue wars continue: Gandhi bust defaced in Kerala, Ambedkar in Chennai

<p>Amid his next keenly awaited move in politics, veteran star Rajinikanth today unveiled a statue of late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran at a private medical college here in the presence of a huge crowd.</p>

<p>Arriving at a grand reception by fans and supporters and accompanied by some prominent faces from the Kollywood, the actor unveiled the statue located at the premises of ACS Medical College and Hospital here.</p>

<p>Actors Prabhu, son of late thespian Sivaji Ganesan, and Vijayakumar were amongst those from the film industry present on the occasion.</p>

<p>This is Rajinikanth&#39;s first major public engagement since he revealed his political intentions on December 31, 2017.</p>

<p>The &#39;superstar&#39; had then announced that he will join politics, and field candidates in all 234 Assembly segments in the next general elections.</p>

<p>The road leading to the function venue was dotted with banners and posters hailing and welcoming the actor.</p>

<p>Rajinikanth gave away awards to some students on the occasion.</p>

<p>His event today comes days after contemporary Kamal Haasan launched his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam.</p>

<p>Observers feel that by unveiling the statue of Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR - also a matinee idol who held sway over the masses of Tamil Nadu, Rajinikanth is apparently seeking to invoke his legacy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rajinikanth has launched a website to enable people to register themselves as members of his Rajini Mandram (forum). His team is also busy appointing district wise office bearers. This meeting also comes close to the release of his film Kaala next month, the teaser for which was released a few days ago.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from PTI)</em></p>


This is Rajinikanth's first major public engagement since he revealed his political intentions on December 31, 2017

Amid his next keenly awaited move in politics, veteran star Rajinikanth today unveiled a statue of late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran at a private medical college here in the presence of a huge crowd. Arriving at a grand reception by fans and supporters and accompanied by some prominent faces from the Kollywood, the actor unveiled the statue located at the premises of ACS Medical College and Hospital here. Actors Prabhu, son of late thespian Sivaji Ganesan, and Vijayakumar were amongst those from the film industry present on the occasion. This is Rajinikanth's first major public engagement since he revealed his political intentions on December 31, 2017. The 'superstar' had then announced that he will join politics, and field candidates in all 234 Assembly segments in the next general elections. The road leading to the function venue was dotted with banners and posters hailing and welcoming the actor. Rajinikanth gave away awards to some students on the occasion. His event today comes days after contemporary Kamal Haasan launched his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam. Observers feel that by unveiling the statue of Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR - also a matinee idol who held sway over the masses of Tamil Nadu, Rajinikanth is apparently seeking to invoke his legacy. Rajinikanth has launched a website to enable people to register themselves as members of his Rajini Mandram (forum). His team is also busy appointing district wise office bearers. This meeting also comes close to the release of his film Kaala next month, the teaser for which was released a few days ago. (With inputs from PTI)

Rajinikanth unveils M G Ramachandran statue amidst fanfare

<p>A 1700-year-old Buddha has been discovered by archaeologists near Bhamala Stupa in Haripur district in Pakistan on Wednesday, as an initiative to&nbsp;uplift tourism and project religious harmony in the region.</p>

<p>The 48-foot high Kanjur stone Budhha was first found in Bhamala province in 1929. Eighty-eight years later, the statue was unearthed and unveiled in&nbsp;presence of the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf&nbsp;Imran Khan, reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/untitled%20design%20(20)-20171117031051.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, along with the members of the media, looks on during the unveiling ceremony of the Buddhist-period archeological site. (Reuters)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&ldquo;This is from the 3rd century AD, making it the world&rsquo;s oldest sleeping Buddha remains,&rdquo; Abdul Samad, director of Bhamla&rsquo;s archaeology and museums department, told Reuters.</p>

<p>&ldquo;We have discovered over 500 Buddha objects and this 48-foot-long sleeping Buddha remains,&rdquo; he added.</p>

<p>Opposition leader Imran Khan also said: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a question of preserving these heritage sites which are an asset for our country.&rdquo;</p>

<p>These discoveries by archaeologists have given more insight into the history of the ancient Taxila Valley civilisation, reports stated.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/untitled%20design%20(21)-20171117031159.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>A general view of the main stupa is seen after it was discovered and unveiled to the public, during a ceremony at the Buddhist-period archeological site. (Reuters)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>The region was once the center of Buddhist civilization that took root under the Mauryan king Ashoka 2,300 years ago.&nbsp;</p>


The region was once the center of Buddhist civilization that took root under the Mauryan king Ashoka 2,300 years ago.

A 1700-year-old Buddha has been discovered by archaeologists near Bhamala Stupa in Haripur district in Pakistan on Wednesday, as an initiative to uplift tourism and project religious harmony in the region. The 48-foot high Kanjur stone Budhha was first found in Bhamala province in 1929. Eighty-eight years later, the statue was unearthed and unveiled in presence of the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan, reports said. Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, along with the members of the media, looks on during the unveiling ceremony of the Buddhist-period archeological site. (Reuters) × “This is from the 3rd century AD, making it the world’s oldest sleeping Buddha remains,” Abdul Samad, director of Bhamla’s archaeology and museums department, told Reuters. “We have discovered over 500 Buddha objects and this 48-foot-long sleeping Buddha remains,” he added. Opposition leader Imran Khan also said: “It’s a question of preserving these heritage sites which are an asset for our country.” These discoveries by archaeologists have given more insight into the history of the ancient Taxila Valley civilisation, reports stated. A general view of the main stupa is seen after it was discovered and unveiled to the public, during a ceremony at the Buddhist-period archeological site. (Reuters) × The region was once the center of Buddhist civilization that took root under the Mauryan king Ashoka 2,300 years ago.

Pakistan unveils oldest sleeping Buddha remains

<p>October 31, 2017, is the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. Unlike the past, political parties of all orientations particularly BJP and Congress are into competitive contest to appropriate Sardar Patel. Undoubtedly, it is a welcome sign. As a mark of respect, all the leaders who served immensely in shaping India as a modern united country deserve special tribute.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Sardar Patel&rsquo;s contributions are immense and thus he deserves special remembrance by the State, groups and individuals.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sardar Patel?s contributions are immense and thus he deserves special remembrance by the State, groups and individuals." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>It does not mean that political regimes should prefer one leader over another or exaggerate the contributions of one while hiding the others to suit their ideological temperament. It has happened in the past and it is happening now. For many of us, both are wrong. And two wrongs cannot make right.</p>

<p>Sardar Patel&rsquo;s contributions are immense and thus he deserves special remembrance by the State, groups and individuals. His personality was multifaceted. He was known for a strong sense of determination, quick decision-making, straightforwardness in discussions, firmness in action, believe in unity in diversity and deep sense of patriotic pride. Alas! These characteristics are visibly lacking in the present leadership.</p>

<p>In the past, Congress has named many policies, monuments, places, roads, institutions after Sardar Patel. But comparing the people belonging to Nehru dynasty, the name of other stalwarts did not figure much in its governance model of commemoration. It is because of this gap, BJP is able to gain the strategic edge in appropriating them.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The much-hyped World&rsquo;s tallest statue of Sardar Patel referred as Statue of Unity (SOU) with a projected cost of more than two-thousand crores is already in circulation.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The much-hyped World?s tallest statue of Sardar Patel referred as Statue of Unity (SOU) with a projected cost of more than two-thousand crores is already in circulation." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Sardar Patel is now an easy co-opt for the BJP. &nbsp;October 31 is declared as the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) in 2014. The much-hyped World&rsquo;s tallest statue of Sardar Patel referred as Statue of Unity (SOU) with a projected cost of more than two-thousand crores is already in circulation. Interestingly, public sector companies like ONGC, HPCL, IOCL and OIL have decided to contribute over hundreds of crore towards the construction of this statue as a part of their corporate social responsibility. These are extravaganza but often justified because similar things had been done in the past too.</p>

<p>Ministries of the Centre and States are giving special focus to observe &ldquo;Nation Salutes Sardar Vallabbhai Patel&rdquo; on October 31, 2017. Cultural, literary and sports programmes including essay competitions and &lsquo;Unity Run&rsquo; are organised across India. Despite all these, the renewed and unprecedented interest of the BJP in Sardar Patel is more strategic than its love for the ideas and actions of Sardar Patel. It can be seen in overuse of these exercises in the electoral campaigns beginning with 2014. Sardar Patel hardly gained the present prominence in the framework of Narendra Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat for one and half decade.</p>

<p>One may agree or disagree on the methods and approaches of Sardar Patel, but his commitment to preserving India&rsquo;s unity cannot be doubted. He is rightly credited along with V.P. Menon to save the country from balkanisation by putting up the representatives of more than 500 states on one platform and transforming them into 14 administrative units and later shaping them into uniform administrative, financial and judicial mechanism of India. At many instances, his impersonal and hard actions were the outcome of the then expediency than conscious choice. Despite achieving this herculean task, Sardar Patel had neither tried to adopt the narcissistic politics nor indulged in populist and ideological actions.</p>

<p>Though he has a dominant presence in the organisational wing of Congress from the late 1930s until his death in 1950, he has neither used principally untoward means to achieve personal gains nor side-lined his political opponents within the party. It can be seen in his acceptance of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad as the President of the Congress and later stepping aside to allow Jawaharlal Nehru to become Prime Minister despite being the choice of the majority of the political leaders in the provinces. However, the death of Patel in 1950 was a great loss for the Congress but a gain for the Nehru family as the absence of his unique leadership clearly drifted the party towards dynastic ambitions that finally culminated in the virtual decay of the Congress in today&rsquo;s time.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Sardar Patel appreciated the service role of RSS and later critiqued it for its supposed role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and banned the organisation for a year.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sardar Patel appreciated the service role of RSS and later critiqued it for its supposed role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and banned the organisation for a year." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Sardar Patel&rsquo;s biographer Narhari Parikh has highlighted that Patel was always willing to fight for what he considered right. He always took a procedural route to express his anguish while respecting the party hierarchy. At the same time, he accommodated dissent and a great variety of opinions. For instance, his opposition to socialist politics was paternalistic as can be seen in his offer to Purshottam Trikamdas, a renowned socialist to form the government in the State of Bombay to prove the promises of a clean and efficient government. Similarly, despite being loyal to Congress, Sardar Patel appreciated the service role of RSS and later critiqued it for its supposed role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and banned the organisation for a year.</p>

<p>Ironically, BJP has emerged as the ardent admirer of Sardar Patel but without subscribing to his leadership quality, understanding his idea of patriotism and treatment to secular ethos. The uniqueness of Patel&rsquo;s leadership lies in its judicious character that treated everyone with the same yardstick. Sardar Patel has certainly believed in strong and united India but his patriotism was rarely rooted in extreme nationalism, in general, or Hindu nationalism. He was a secularist to the core but with a difference of Nehru and Gandhi. Nehru&rsquo;s secularism was religious neutral while Patel&rsquo;s notion of secularism was rooted in his religious and cultural socialisation. Similarly, Gandhi&rsquo;s approach towards secularism was to grant dignified concessions to Muslims while Patel wanted to treat everyone as a citizen without creating minority-majority dyad.</p>

<p>There has always been made an attempt to vitiate the communal atmosphere of the country by looking at things through the polarised spectacles. Contrary to the wishes of Patel, communal harmony has become a unrealised goal. Much against the belief of Patel, he is being glorified as the champion of anti-Muslim tirade. Selective reading and un-contextual quotes of his speeches are cited to support the proposition. In fact, after Independence, it was Patel who asked the people of India in plain-speaking terms, &ldquo;to forget the past, because it is a manly virtue to do so... in India, every Muslim should feel that he is an Indian citizen and has equal rights as an Indian citizen&rdquo;.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>His dream was to lay the foundation of strong and united India without obliterating the socio-cultural diversities of the country.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=His dream was to lay the foundation of strong and united India without obliterating the socio-cultural diversities of the country." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>At the same time, he frankly told Muslims that for &ldquo;a community to think that its interests are different from that of the country in which it lives is a great mistake.&rdquo; He, therefore, advised them that &ldquo;the future of a minority-any minority-is to trust the majority&rdquo;; that they should &ldquo;make friends with others and create a change in the atmosphere.&rdquo; His advice to Muslims is very much in tune with the advices of Dr M.A. Ansari, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and all other patriotic citizens. One can have a detailed understanding of Patel and Muslim relationship while reading the timely book Sardar Patel and Indian Muslims by Rafiq Zakaria published in 1995.</p>

<p>Be that as it may, Sardar Patel&rsquo;s tone and approach may be harsh and at time suspicious, but he never aimed at creating hatred between minorities and majority. Let the country know on his 142nd birth anniversary that Sardar Patel&rsquo;s sense of unity was not sharpened on the artificial disunity between religious and cultural communities. Like many others, his dream was to lay the foundation of strong and united India without obliterating the socio-cultural diversities of the country.</p>


Sardar Patel?s sense of unity was not sharpened on the artificial disunity between religious and cultural communities

October 31, 2017, is the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. Unlike the past, political parties of all orientations particularly BJP and Congress are into competitive contest to appropriate Sardar Patel. Undoubtedly, it is a welcome sign. As a mark of respect, all the leaders who served immensely in shaping India as a modern united country deserve special tribute. Sardar Patel’s contributions are immense and thus he deserves special remembrance by the State, groups and individuals. × It does not mean that political regimes should prefer one leader over another or exaggerate the contributions of one while hiding the others to suit their ideological temperament. It has happened in the past and it is happening now. For many of us, both are wrong. And two wrongs cannot make right. Sardar Patel’s contributions are immense and thus he deserves special remembrance by the State, groups and individuals. His personality was multifaceted. He was known for a strong sense of determination, quick decision-making, straightforwardness in discussions, firmness in action, believe in unity in diversity and deep sense of patriotic pride. Alas! These characteristics are visibly lacking in the present leadership. In the past, Congress has named many policies, monuments, places, roads, institutions after Sardar Patel. But comparing the people belonging to Nehru dynasty, the name of other stalwarts did not figure much in its governance model of commemoration. It is because of this gap, BJP is able to gain the strategic edge in appropriating them. The much-hyped World’s tallest statue of Sardar Patel referred as Statue of Unity (SOU) with a projected cost of more than two-thousand crores is already in circulation. × Sardar Patel is now an easy co-opt for the BJP. October 31 is declared as the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) in 2014. The much-hyped World’s tallest statue of Sardar Patel referred as Statue of Unity (SOU) with a projected cost of more than two-thousand crores is already in circulation. Interestingly, public sector companies like ONGC, HPCL, IOCL and OIL have decided to contribute over hundreds of crore towards the construction of this statue as a part of their corporate social responsibility. These are extravaganza but often justified because similar things had been done in the past too. Ministries of the Centre and States are giving special focus to observe “Nation Salutes Sardar Vallabbhai Patel” on October 31, 2017. Cultural, literary and sports programmes including essay competitions and ‘Unity Run’ are organised across India. Despite all these, the renewed and unprecedented interest of the BJP in Sardar Patel is more strategic than its love for the ideas and actions of Sardar Patel. It can be seen in overuse of these exercises in the electoral campaigns beginning with 2014. Sardar Patel hardly gained the present prominence in the framework of Narendra Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat for one and half decade. One may agree or disagree on the methods and approaches of Sardar Patel, but his commitment to preserving India’s unity cannot be doubted. He is rightly credited along with V.P. Menon to save the country from balkanisation by putting up the representatives of more than 500 states on one platform and transforming them into 14 administrative units and later shaping them into uniform administrative, financial and judicial mechanism of India. At many instances, his impersonal and hard actions were the outcome of the then expediency than conscious choice. Despite achieving this herculean task, Sardar Patel had neither tried to adopt the narcissistic politics nor indulged in populist and ideological actions. Though he has a dominant presence in the organisational wing of Congress from the late 1930s until his death in 1950, he has neither used principally untoward means to achieve personal gains nor side-lined his political opponents within the party. It can be seen in his acceptance of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad as the President of the Congress and later stepping aside to allow Jawaharlal Nehru to become Prime Minister despite being the choice of the majority of the political leaders in the provinces. However, the death of Patel in 1950 was a great loss for the Congress but a gain for the Nehru family as the absence of his unique leadership clearly drifted the party towards dynastic ambitions that finally culminated in the virtual decay of the Congress in today’s time. Sardar Patel appreciated the service role of RSS and later critiqued it for its supposed role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and banned the organisation for a year. × Sardar Patel’s biographer Narhari Parikh has highlighted that Patel was always willing to fight for what he considered right. He always took a procedural route to express his anguish while respecting the party hierarchy. At the same time, he accommodated dissent and a great variety of opinions. For instance, his opposition to socialist politics was paternalistic as can be seen in his offer to Purshottam Trikamdas, a renowned socialist to form the government in the State of Bombay to prove the promises of a clean and efficient government. Similarly, despite being loyal to Congress, Sardar Patel appreciated the service role of RSS and later critiqued it for its supposed role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and banned the organisation for a year. Ironically, BJP has emerged as the ardent admirer of Sardar Patel but without subscribing to his leadership quality, understanding his idea of patriotism and treatment to secular ethos. The uniqueness of Patel’s leadership lies in its judicious character that treated everyone with the same yardstick. Sardar Patel has certainly believed in strong and united India but his patriotism was rarely rooted in extreme nationalism, in general, or Hindu nationalism. He was a secularist to the core but with a difference of Nehru and Gandhi. Nehru’s secularism was religious neutral while Patel’s notion of secularism was rooted in his religious and cultural socialisation. Similarly, Gandhi’s approach towards secularism was to grant dignified concessions to Muslims while Patel wanted to treat everyone as a citizen without creating minority-majority dyad. There has always been made an attempt to vitiate the communal atmosphere of the country by looking at things through the polarised spectacles. Contrary to the wishes of Patel, communal harmony has become a unrealised goal. Much against the belief of Patel, he is being glorified as the champion of anti-Muslim tirade. Selective reading and un-contextual quotes of his speeches are cited to support the proposition. In fact, after Independence, it was Patel who asked the people of India in plain-speaking terms, “to forget the past, because it is a manly virtue to do so... in India, every Muslim should feel that he is an Indian citizen and has equal rights as an Indian citizen”. His dream was to lay the foundation of strong and united India without obliterating the socio-cultural diversities of the country. × At the same time, he frankly told Muslims that for “a community to think that its interests are different from that of the country in which it lives is a great mistake.” He, therefore, advised them that “the future of a minority-any minority-is to trust the majority”; that they should “make friends with others and create a change in the atmosphere.” His advice to Muslims is very much in tune with the advices of Dr M.A. Ansari, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and all other patriotic citizens. One can have a detailed understanding of Patel and Muslim relationship while reading the timely book Sardar Patel and Indian Muslims by Rafiq Zakaria published in 1995. Be that as it may, Sardar Patel’s tone and approach may be harsh and at time suspicious, but he never aimed at creating hatred between minorities and majority. Let the country know on his 142nd birth anniversary that Sardar Patel’s sense of unity was not sharpened on the artificial disunity between religious and cultural communities. Like many others, his dream was to lay the foundation of strong and united India without obliterating the socio-cultural diversities of the country.

Sardar Patel never wanted hatred between religious communities

<p>A new garland adorns Dr Ambedkar&rsquo;s statue in Anantapur nearly every day. At around 8:30 a.m., A. Subhan, a flower seller, climbs up the steps to the gold-painted statue with a garland of red roses or lilies woven by his family. Either Subhan or his 17-year-old nephew Bablu make sure this is done regularly.</p>

<p>The ritual started around 2010, after an old statue of Dr Ambedkar, apparently in the way of traffic, was demolished and the present one came up. The statue is located around a kilometre south of the clock tower in the central part of Anantapur town in Andhra Pradesh, within walking distance of Subhan&rsquo;s flower stall.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Other statues close by are rather less fortunate. The first after the clock tower, on the same stretch of road, is of Indira Gandhi. It is covered in jute cloth now but has seen better days when the Congress was in power in Andhra Pradesh (from 2004 to 2014). In 2013, an earlier version of the statue was smashed and burned down by protesters opposing the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Telangana. A new statue was later installed, but it continues to be shrouded. A statue of Rajiv Gandhi on this stretch is also covered. Perhaps these reflect the Congress party&rsquo;s subdued fortunes in the state.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/02-ambedkar-5-rm-the_garland_on_anantapurs_am.width-1440-20171025071936.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>The numerous statues of historical figures and politicians in Anantapur town seem to be forgotten after commemorative events, but Dr Ambedkar is remembered every day (Others)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Several other statues stand on that road &ndash; Potti Sreeramulu (who died in 1952 fasting for a separate Telugu state of Andhra Pradesh), Abdul Kalam Azad, Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Kanshi Ram and Mother Teresa. Occasionally, these too are garlanded. But their flowers soon start decaying, and the leaders seem to be forgotten after commemorative events.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/03-ambedkar-10-rm-the_garland_on_anantapur.max-1400x1120-20171025072019.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Subhan, whose flower shop is not far from the statue, says, &#39;We do it because we admire Ambedkar&#39; (Others)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Babasaheb Ambedkar&rsquo;s statue though is remembered every day. A. Mallesh, a cashier at an Andhra Bank branch near the clock tower, pays Subhan at the beginning of every month for the garlands. &ldquo;He pays me 1,000 rupees,&rdquo; 36-year-old Subhan, a Muslim, says. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t make any profit, but we do it because we admire Ambedkar.&rdquo; A garland in Subhan&rsquo;s shop costs Rs. 60 to 130, depending on the flowers used.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mallesh&rsquo;s reverence for Dr Ambedkar is rooted in his own experience of caste discrimination. &ldquo;There was no food, no water, no oil for the head, no books to read, no slate to write on [in my village],&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Now the god has provided us with everything &ndash; god meaning Ambedkar.&rdquo; Mallesh is a Madiga Dalit from Atmakur village of Anantapur district. &ldquo;In our village, there was only one well for drinking water,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;We were only allowed to take water when the [land-owning] farmers came to draw water. Otherwise, there was no water. Madigas couldn&rsquo;t touch [the well].&rdquo;</p>

<p>At school in Anantapur town, Mallesh and other children from Dalit and tribal communities had to sit in a corner of the classroom, while the upper caste students sat in the front. &ldquo;We had to carry mud from outside [and spread it on the floor] for writing. We didn&rsquo;t have slates,&rdquo; he remembers. &ldquo;If someone said &lsquo;Hey Madiga! Take the mud out&rsquo; we had to throw it out.&rdquo; &nbsp;The teacher too often insulted the Dalits by referring to their caste and would beat them with palm canes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mallesh, now 59, had to drop out of the school after Class 7 to support his mother when his father, an agricultural labourer, died. He worked as a helper at a government hostel in Anantapur and started applying for government jobs. In 1982, he found work as an attendant at Andhra Bank for a monthly salary of Rs. 500. By 1985, after an interview at the bank, he got a better-paid post as a clerical assistant.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/04-ambedkar-9crop-rm-the_garland_on_anantapu.max-700x560-20171025072106.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>In 2010, while working as a clerical assistant at the bank, A. Mallesh decided &#39;just like that&#39; to garland Dr Ambedkar for as long as he could (Others)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Mallesh has also worked in various Dalit unions and organisations and was until recently the zone-wide president of the SC &amp; ST Employees Welfare Association at his bank. He has participated in various protests against caste discrimination. Around 1995, he recalls, he went on a 10-kilometre march from Anantapur to Alamur with left parties and other activists to protest an instance of caste discrimination. Mallesh was also the president of Dandora, a Dalit group formed in the 1990s, but moved out of it by the 2000s due to political differences.</p>

<p>Around 1996, Mallesh prepared for and passed his Class 10 exams. Eventually, this helped him move up from his clerical assistant&rsquo;s post to his present job as a cashier in 2013 &ndash; which now pays him a salary many times more than his initial Rs. 500.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In 2010, while still a clerical assistant, Mallesh decided &ldquo;just like that&rdquo; to garland Dr Ambedkar for as long as he could. He remembers a small informal meeting of bank employees and others from Dalit communities, where they volunteered to pool donations for the garlands. But Mallesh didn&rsquo;t want to chase people for money every month, so he and M. Gopal, an attendant at another branch of Andhra Bank, decided to share the cost. Gopal stopped contributing last year and now only Mallesh pays for the garlands.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/untitled%20design-20171025072417.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>While Subhan garlands the Ambedkar statue early every morning (left), the statue of Indira Gandhi (right) has for long remained wrapped in jute cloth (Others)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Mallesh doesn&rsquo;t like reading or being lectured about Ambedkar. He says he learnt about Ambedkar by just living the life of a Dalit: &ldquo;I can imagine the kind of hardships he would have faced, based on the hardships I experienced. We can learn just by looking at what he has done for us. Isn&rsquo;t he the one who wrote our Constitution?&rdquo;</p>

<p>On weekends or festival days Mallesh sometimes garlands the statue himself. He is planning to petition the district administration to install a shade to protect it from sunlight, wind and bird droppings. &ldquo;First we will try to get it for Ambedkar,&quot; he says, &quot;then we will ask the same for Jagjivan Ram and then for Kanshi Ram.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Although the flowers on Dr &nbsp;Ambedkar&rsquo;s statue might not be noticed by many in Anantapur, the sweepers who clean the roads in the early mornings know about it. &ldquo;Someone, probably someone big, garlands the statue every day. I don&rsquo;t know who does it,&rdquo; says G. Ramalakshmi, a Dalit woman employed by the town&rsquo;s municipal corporation to clean the streets. As she says this, she touches her fingers to either side of her chin, in a gesture of devotion, &ldquo;When I see the statue with the garland I think that the god [Ambedkar] is doing well. We pray to him while coming to work every day.&rdquo;</p>

<p>This&nbsp;<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/the-garland-on-anantapurs-ambedkar-statue/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">article</a>&nbsp;was originally published on 17/ 10/2017 on the&nbsp;<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">People&#39;s Archive of Rural India</a>.</p>

<p>Photo Credit: Rahul M.</p>


?When I see the statue with the garland I think that the god [Ambedkar] is doing well. We pray to him while coming to work every day.?

A new garland adorns Dr Ambedkar’s statue in Anantapur nearly every day. At around 8:30 a.m., A. Subhan, a flower seller, climbs up the steps to the gold-painted statue with a garland of red roses or lilies woven by his family. Either Subhan or his 17-year-old nephew Bablu make sure this is done regularly. The ritual started around 2010, after an old statue of Dr Ambedkar, apparently in the way of traffic, was demolished and the present one came up. The statue is located around a kilometre south of the clock tower in the central part of Anantapur town in Andhra Pradesh, within walking distance of Subhan’s flower stall. Other statues close by are rather less fortunate. The first after the clock tower, on the same stretch of road, is of Indira Gandhi. It is covered in jute cloth now but has seen better days when the Congress was in power in Andhra Pradesh (from 2004 to 2014). In 2013, an earlier version of the statue was smashed and burned down by protesters opposing the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Telangana. A new statue was later installed, but it continues to be shrouded. A statue of Rajiv Gandhi on this stretch is also covered. Perhaps these reflect the Congress party’s subdued fortunes in the state. The numerous statues of historical figures and politicians in Anantapur town seem to be forgotten after commemorative events, but Dr Ambedkar is remembered every day (Others) × Several other statues stand on that road – Potti Sreeramulu (who died in 1952 fasting for a separate Telugu state of Andhra Pradesh), Abdul Kalam Azad, Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Kanshi Ram and Mother Teresa. Occasionally, these too are garlanded. But their flowers soon start decaying, and the leaders seem to be forgotten after commemorative events. Subhan, whose flower shop is not far from the statue, says, 'We do it because we admire Ambedkar' (Others) × Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statue though is remembered every day. A. Mallesh, a cashier at an Andhra Bank branch near the clock tower, pays Subhan at the beginning of every month for the garlands. “He pays me 1,000 rupees,” 36-year-old Subhan, a Muslim, says. “We don’t make any profit, but we do it because we admire Ambedkar.” A garland in Subhan’s shop costs Rs. 60 to 130, depending on the flowers used. Mallesh’s reverence for Dr Ambedkar is rooted in his own experience of caste discrimination. “There was no food, no water, no oil for the head, no books to read, no slate to write on [in my village],” he says. “Now the god has provided us with everything – god meaning Ambedkar.” Mallesh is a Madiga Dalit from Atmakur village of Anantapur district. “In our village, there was only one well for drinking water,” he recalls. “We were only allowed to take water when the [land-owning] farmers came to draw water. Otherwise, there was no water. Madigas couldn’t touch [the well].” At school in Anantapur town, Mallesh and other children from Dalit and tribal communities had to sit in a corner of the classroom, while the upper caste students sat in the front. “We had to carry mud from outside [and spread it on the floor] for writing. We didn’t have slates,” he remembers. “If someone said ‘Hey Madiga! Take the mud out’ we had to throw it out.” The teacher too often insulted the Dalits by referring to their caste and would beat them with palm canes. Mallesh, now 59, had to drop out of the school after Class 7 to support his mother when his father, an agricultural labourer, died. He worked as a helper at a government hostel in Anantapur and started applying for government jobs. In 1982, he found work as an attendant at Andhra Bank for a monthly salary of Rs. 500. By 1985, after an interview at the bank, he got a better-paid post as a clerical assistant. In 2010, while working as a clerical assistant at the bank, A. Mallesh decided 'just like that' to garland Dr Ambedkar for as long as he could (Others) × Mallesh has also worked in various Dalit unions and organisations and was until recently the zone-wide president of the SC & ST Employees Welfare Association at his bank. He has participated in various protests against caste discrimination. Around 1995, he recalls, he went on a 10-kilometre march from Anantapur to Alamur with left parties and other activists to protest an instance of caste discrimination. Mallesh was also the president of Dandora, a Dalit group formed in the 1990s, but moved out of it by the 2000s due to political differences. Around 1996, Mallesh prepared for and passed his Class 10 exams. Eventually, this helped him move up from his clerical assistant’s post to his present job as a cashier in 2013 – which now pays him a salary many times more than his initial Rs. 500. In 2010, while still a clerical assistant, Mallesh decided “just like that” to garland Dr Ambedkar for as long as he could. He remembers a small informal meeting of bank employees and others from Dalit communities, where they volunteered to pool donations for the garlands. But Mallesh didn’t want to chase people for money every month, so he and M. Gopal, an attendant at another branch of Andhra Bank, decided to share the cost. Gopal stopped contributing last year and now only Mallesh pays for the garlands. While Subhan garlands the Ambedkar statue early every morning (left), the statue of Indira Gandhi (right) has for long remained wrapped in jute cloth (Others) × Mallesh doesn’t like reading or being lectured about Ambedkar. He says he learnt about Ambedkar by just living the life of a Dalit: “I can imagine the kind of hardships he would have faced, based on the hardships I experienced. We can learn just by looking at what he has done for us. Isn’t he the one who wrote our Constitution?” On weekends or festival days Mallesh sometimes garlands the statue himself. He is planning to petition the district administration to install a shade to protect it from sunlight, wind and bird droppings. “First we will try to get it for Ambedkar," he says, "then we will ask the same for Jagjivan Ram and then for Kanshi Ram.” Although the flowers on Dr Ambedkar’s statue might not be noticed by many in Anantapur, the sweepers who clean the roads in the early mornings know about it. “Someone, probably someone big, garlands the statue every day. I don’t know who does it,” says G. Ramalakshmi, a Dalit woman employed by the town’s municipal corporation to clean the streets. As she says this, she touches her fingers to either side of her chin, in a gesture of devotion, “When I see the statue with the garland I think that the god [Ambedkar] is doing well. We pray to him while coming to work every day.” This article was originally published on 17/ 10/2017 on the People's Archive of Rural India. Photo Credit: Rahul M.

The garland on Anantapur's Ambedkar statue

<p>Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday that calls to replace or modify&nbsp;statues&nbsp;of English colonialists, including explorer Captain James Cook, were tantamount to a &quot;Stalinist&quot; rewrite of history.</p>

<p>Pressure has grown in the wake of the furor over Confederate monuments in the United States to reconsider&nbsp;statues&nbsp;in Australia that some deem offensive to the country&#39;s indigenous people.</p>

<p>Sydney, Australia&#39;s largest city, is deciding whether to alter a monument erected in Hyde Park, 1879, to commemorate Cook, who charted Australia&#39;s east coast for the first time.</p>

<p>At issue is the engraving on the base of the statue, which says &quot;Discovered this territory, 1770&quot;. Aboriginal people had lived on the continent for an estimated 60,000 years before Cook dropped anchor in Botany Bay.</p>

<p>Sydney City Council has referred the issue, along with a second statue of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, the administrator who turned the British penal colony into a free settlement, to an indigenous advisory board.</p>

<p>The council has not yet indicated what changes it might make.</p>

<p>Turnbull played down the issue as a preoccupation of the &quot;left sort of fringe&quot; in politics.</p>

<p>&quot;We can&rsquo;t get into this sort of Stalinist exercise of trying to white out or obliterate or blank out parts of our history,&quot; Turnbull told radio station 3AW.</p>

<p>&quot;Trying to edit our history is wrong,&quot; he said. &quot;All of those&nbsp;statues, all of those monuments, are part of our history and we should respect them and preserve them &ndash; and by all means, put up other monuments, other&nbsp;statues&nbsp;and signs and sights that explain our history.&quot;</p>

<p>The debate has intensified since the political battle in the United States over whether to remove statues&nbsp;of pro-slavery Confederate Civil War leaders turned violent.</p>

<p>Sydney commemorates its Gadigal and Eora traditional owners with public artworks and Welcome To Country ceremonies before official meetings, but Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the community needs to talk about how to tell its history.</p>

<p>&quot;I think that&#39;s a conversation that really needs to have federal leadership because it&#39;s about Australia, it&#39;s about who we are,&quot; she told reporters on Friday.</p>

<p>Indigenous people are campaigning for constitutional recognition in Australia and debate has raged over whether to change Australia Day from January 26 which commemorates the day British colonists first settled the Aboriginal land.</p>


Pressure has grown in the wake of the furor over Confederate monuments in the United States to reconsider statues in Australia

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday that calls to replace or modify statues of English colonialists, including explorer Captain James Cook, were tantamount to a "Stalinist" rewrite of history. Pressure has grown in the wake of the furor over Confederate monuments in the United States to reconsider statues in Australia that some deem offensive to the country's indigenous people. Sydney, Australia's largest city, is deciding whether to alter a monument erected in Hyde Park, 1879, to commemorate Cook, who charted Australia's east coast for the first time. At issue is the engraving on the base of the statue, which says "Discovered this territory, 1770". Aboriginal people had lived on the continent for an estimated 60,000 years before Cook dropped anchor in Botany Bay. Sydney City Council has referred the issue, along with a second statue of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, the administrator who turned the British penal colony into a free settlement, to an indigenous advisory board. The council has not yet indicated what changes it might make. Turnbull played down the issue as a preoccupation of the "left sort of fringe" in politics. "We can’t get into this sort of Stalinist exercise of trying to white out or obliterate or blank out parts of our history," Turnbull told radio station 3AW. "Trying to edit our history is wrong," he said. "All of those statues, all of those monuments, are part of our history and we should respect them and preserve them – and by all means, put up other monuments, other statues and signs and sights that explain our history." The debate has intensified since the political battle in the United States over whether to remove statues of pro-slavery Confederate Civil War leaders turned violent. Sydney commemorates its Gadigal and Eora traditional owners with public artworks and Welcome To Country ceremonies before official meetings, but Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the community needs to talk about how to tell its history. "I think that's a conversation that really needs to have federal leadership because it's about Australia, it's about who we are," she told reporters on Friday. Indigenous people are campaigning for constitutional recognition in Australia and debate has raged over whether to change Australia Day from January 26 which commemorates the day British colonists first settled the Aboriginal land.

Australia's PM says to modify, change statues, rewriting the history

<p>The violent scenes in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to the death of one woman and left much more injured began as a dispute over a statue of General Robert E. Lee, which sits in a local public park. However, the controversy feeds into a much wider debate that is as old as the United States itself. So, who was Lee and why does a memorial to him trouble so many people?</p>

<p>The meeting of white supremacists in Charlottesville was originally held under the pretext of demonstrating against plans to remove the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-to-do-with-confederate-statues-81736">statue</a>. The Charlottesville city council voted in February for it to be removed from the recently renamed Emancipation Park (formerly Lee Park). The decision came as part of a movement to challenge the ubiquity of Confederate symbols in the South.</p>

<p>These statues, for their opponents, signify the oppression of African Americans under slavery and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Jim-Crow-law">Jim Crow segregation laws</a>. They serve as daily reminders of the vulnerability of black people. The message of such monuments is the same to many of their defenders, even if their interpretation is different. To the white supremacists who gathered on the streets of Charlottesville, the statue of Lee represents white military and political power.</p>

<p>In the decades after the Civil War, memorials celebrating the South&#39;s valiant effort and glorious defeat appeared all over the region. They embodied the myth of the &ldquo;lost cause&rdquo; &ndash; the idea that the war had been fought to defend states&rsquo; rights, rather than slavery. In this interpretation, the south only lost because of the industrial might of the northern &ldquo;aggressor&rdquo;.</p>

<p>This doctrine came to prominence during the Jim Crow era when whites implemented racial segregation through violent, extra-legal and then legal means. The lost cause memory was used to justify and enforce white supremacy.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BREAKING: Durham, NC activists just TOOK DOWN a confederate statue themselves!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://t.co/TraADOeGaP">https://t.co/TraADOeGaP</a></p>
&mdash; The Opposition (@oppstn) <a href="https://twitter.com/oppstn/status/897239210075316224">14 August 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>For many, the Confederate memorials continue to represent this repression. They are a celebration of southern identity as white. Since the rise of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/black-lives-matter-14463">Black Lives Matter</a> movement, the slogan &ldquo;BLM&rdquo;, as well as the names of victims of police shootings have appeared on memorials around the country. &ldquo;Black Lives Matter&rdquo; was sprayed on Charlottesville&rsquo;s Lee statue in the days following the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hate-violence-and-the-tragedy-of-the-charleston-shootings-43579">Charleston church shootings</a> in 2015. Along with calls for the removal of Confederate flags from civic buildings, there have been increasingly vocal, and successful demands to reconsider the place of monuments in public spaces.</p>

<p><strong>Who was Robert E. Lee?</strong></p>

<p>The statue in Charlottesville is of Lee atop his horse, Traveller. The Confederate general and native of Virginia hold a hat in one hand and his horse&rsquo;s reins in the other, his sword ready at his side.</p>

<p>It was unveiled by Lee&rsquo;s great-granddaughter at a ceremony in May 1924. As was the custom on these occasions it was accompanied by a parade and speeches. In the dedication address, Lee was celebrated as a hero, who embodied &ldquo;the moral greatness of the Old South&rdquo;, and as a proponent of reconciliation between the two sections. The war itself was remembered as a conflict between &ldquo;interpretations of our Constitution&rdquo; and between &ldquo;ideals of democracy.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Here was the states&rsquo; rights argument. The south fought a noble war over its right to self-determination, rather than an effort to keep millions enslaved. Lee claimed one of the speakers, &ldquo;abhorred slavery&rdquo;. In his position as commander of the Confederate Army of North Virginia, Lee represented military endeavor rather than a political struggle to uphold human bondage.</p>

<p>This has made Lee a powerful symbol of the Confederacy. He allowed white southerners to ignore the central role of slavery in the war. They could forget that the southern states seceded in order to uphold slavery and that their defeat meant freedom to millions of enslaved people. There was no space for black memories of emancipation in the South&#39;s public spaces. Confederates were white and their monuments were celebrations of whiteness.</p>

<p>Lee is one of the most frequent figures to be memorialised in statues, aside from the common soldier. In 2016, the <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/20160421/whose-heritage-public-symbols-confederacy">Southern Poverty Law Center</a> cataloged all publicly supported spaces dedicated to the Confederacy, finding 203 examples named for Robert E. Lee. Streets, highways, counties, cities, parks, monuments and 52 public schools are named after the Confederate general. Up until 2015, Lee&rsquo;s birthday was officially marked in five states.</p>

<p>The same year as Lee&rsquo;s statue appeared in Charlottesville, Virginia passed laws which strengthened definitions of who was &ldquo;colored&rdquo; and who was &ldquo;white&rdquo;, and which reinforced the law prohibiting interracial marriage. Then, two years later, the state passed a law to enforce racial segregation in places of public entertainment.</p>

<p>The monument to Lee served the same purpose as the legislation &ndash; to remind African Americans of their perceived place and inferiority. White nationalists gathered to protect the statue in 2017 because they wanted to celebrate its message. Like the original creators and supporters of the Lee monument, they sought to celebrate a white supremacist vision not just of the past, but of the present.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/charlottesville-virginia-the-history-of-the-statue-at-the-centre-of-violent-unrest-82476">original article</a>.</p>


The statue of General Robert E. Lee serves as a reminder to the African-American of their tormentous past.

The violent scenes in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to the death of one woman and left much more injured began as a dispute over a statue of General Robert E. Lee, which sits in a local public park. However, the controversy feeds into a much wider debate that is as old as the United States itself. So, who was Lee and why does a memorial to him trouble so many people? The meeting of white supremacists in Charlottesville was originally held under the pretext of demonstrating against plans to remove the statue. The Charlottesville city council voted in February for it to be removed from the recently renamed Emancipation Park (formerly Lee Park). The decision came as part of a movement to challenge the ubiquity of Confederate symbols in the South. These statues, for their opponents, signify the oppression of African Americans under slavery and the Jim Crow segregation laws. They serve as daily reminders of the vulnerability of black people. The message of such monuments is the same to many of their defenders, even if their interpretation is different. To the white supremacists who gathered on the streets of Charlottesville, the statue of Lee represents white military and political power. In the decades after the Civil War, memorials celebrating the South's valiant effort and glorious defeat appeared all over the region. They embodied the myth of the “lost cause” – the idea that the war had been fought to defend states’ rights, rather than slavery. In this interpretation, the south only lost because of the industrial might of the northern “aggressor”. This doctrine came to prominence during the Jim Crow era when whites implemented racial segregation through violent, extra-legal and then legal means. The lost cause memory was used to justify and enforce white supremacy. BREAKING: Durham, NC activists just TOOK DOWN a confederate statue themselves! https://t.co/TraADOeGaP — The Opposition (@oppstn) 14 August 2017 × For many, the Confederate memorials continue to represent this repression. They are a celebration of southern identity as white. Since the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the slogan “BLM”, as well as the names of victims of police shootings have appeared on memorials around the country. “Black Lives Matter” was sprayed on Charlottesville’s Lee statue in the days following the Charleston church shootings in 2015. Along with calls for the removal of Confederate flags from civic buildings, there have been increasingly vocal, and successful demands to reconsider the place of monuments in public spaces. Who was Robert E. Lee? The statue in Charlottesville is of Lee atop his horse, Traveller. The Confederate general and native of Virginia hold a hat in one hand and his horse’s reins in the other, his sword ready at his side. It was unveiled by Lee’s great-granddaughter at a ceremony in May 1924. As was the custom on these occasions it was accompanied by a parade and speeches. In the dedication address, Lee was celebrated as a hero, who embodied “the moral greatness of the Old South”, and as a proponent of reconciliation between the two sections. The war itself was remembered as a conflict between “interpretations of our Constitution” and between “ideals of democracy.” Here was the states’ rights argument. The south fought a noble war over its right to self-determination, rather than an effort to keep millions enslaved. Lee claimed one of the speakers, “abhorred slavery”. In his position as commander of the Confederate Army of North Virginia, Lee represented military endeavor rather than a political struggle to uphold human bondage. This has made Lee a powerful symbol of the Confederacy. He allowed white southerners to ignore the central role of slavery in the war. They could forget that the southern states seceded in order to uphold slavery and that their defeat meant freedom to millions of enslaved people. There was no space for black memories of emancipation in the South's public spaces. Confederates were white and their monuments were celebrations of whiteness. Lee is one of the most frequent figures to be memorialised in statues, aside from the common soldier. In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center cataloged all publicly supported spaces dedicated to the Confederacy, finding 203 examples named for Robert E. Lee. Streets, highways, counties, cities, parks, monuments and 52 public schools are named after the Confederate general. Up until 2015, Lee’s birthday was officially marked in five states. The same year as Lee’s statue appeared in Charlottesville, Virginia passed laws which strengthened definitions of who was “colored” and who was “white”, and which reinforced the law prohibiting interracial marriage. Then, two years later, the state passed a law to enforce racial segregation in places of public entertainment. The monument to Lee served the same purpose as the legislation – to remind African Americans of their perceived place and inferiority. White nationalists gathered to protect the statue in 2017 because they wanted to celebrate its message. Like the original creators and supporters of the Lee monument, they sought to celebrate a white supremacist vision not just of the past, but of the present. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Charlottesville, Virginia: the history of the statue at the centre of violent unrest

A statue of Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi was unveiled in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, just days after the Barcelona forward announced he was walking away from international play.<br />
<br />
The statue was uncovered by Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, who said the inauguration of the statue was just on time to call on Messi to reconsider his decision to leave the national team.<br />
<br />
&quot;It&#39;s a very opportune moment we have today with the inauguration of his statue. And I think a good way to ask Lio to come with us, for him to remain together with us and for him to take us by the hand and to win, and I don&#39;t have any doubts that we&#39;d win the World Cup in Russia, is for those who can, Portenos or Argentines who come here to visit; to come, take your picture with the statue of Lio and post it on social media as a way to ask Lio to stick with us,&quot; Rodriguez Larreta said.<br />
<br />
Argentina&#39;s failure to defeat Chile in the final of the Copa America Centenario in the United States, a fourth lost final with the national team for Messi, proved too much for the little magician, leading him to quit international football on June 26.<br />
<br />
Taking into account the Confederations Cup, Argentina have lost seven major finals since 1995, three of them to arch-rivals Brazil, and four since Messi&#39;s debut in 2005, including the 2014 World Cup final defeat by Germany.<br />
<br />
Members from Argentina&#39;s 1986 World Cup championship team also weighed in on Messi&#39;s departure.<br />
<br />
&quot;I think it is just a hot moment, of frustration for not being able to achieve anything, but hopefully, God willing, he will reevaluate what he said and remain on the national team,&quot; said Hector Enrique of the 1986 squad.<br />
<br />
&quot;There&#39;s nothing to say to Messi. He just needs to talk with himself and his family,&quot; said Carlos Bilbardo who led the 1986 team as coach.<br />
<br />
&quot;Messi&#39;s retirement is due to the difficult moment he is going through. It is definitely his toughest moment as far as soccer goes, but I don&#39;t think this is the end. He will analyse it, evaluate it, and Messi is going to continue to play with the Argentine national team. Maybe that&#39;s just what I think. We&#39;ll have to see how he feels,&quot; added Luis Islas who was a substitute goalkeeper for the 1986 side.<br />
<br />
Messi&#39;s only major international honour has been Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games, even though at club level he has won four Champions Leagues with Spain&#39;s Barcelona.<br />
<br />
Messi has been named World Player of the year five times and he surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina&#39;s top scorer in the Copa America semi-final against the United States.<br />
<br />
The statue, made of polyester resin and reinforced fibreglass built around a medal interior, was designed by realist sculptor Carlos Benavidez.<br />
<br />
The statue stands at Buenos Aires&#39; Paseo de la Gloria &quot;Glory Way&quot; which honours national sports heroes in the city&#39;s Costanera Sur Park near the Puerto Madero neighbourhood.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

Lionel Messi statue stands at Buenos Aires' 'Glory Way', in a city park honouring national sports heroes

A statue of Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi was unveiled in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, just days after the Barcelona forward announced he was walking away from international play. The statue was uncovered by Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, who said the inauguration of the statue was just on time to call on Messi to reconsider his decision to leave the national team. "It's a very opportune moment we have today with the inauguration of his statue. And I think a good way to ask Lio to come with us, for him to remain together with us and for him to take us by the hand and to win, and I don't have any doubts that we'd win the World Cup in Russia, is for those who can, Portenos or Argentines who come here to visit; to come, take your picture with the statue of Lio and post it on social media as a way to ask Lio to stick with us," Rodriguez Larreta said. Argentina's failure to defeat Chile in the final of the Copa America Centenario in the United States, a fourth lost final with the national team for Messi, proved too much for the little magician, leading him to quit international football on June 26. Taking into account the Confederations Cup, Argentina have lost seven major finals since 1995, three of them to arch-rivals Brazil, and four since Messi's debut in 2005, including the 2014 World Cup final defeat by Germany. Members from Argentina's 1986 World Cup championship team also weighed in on Messi's departure. "I think it is just a hot moment, of frustration for not being able to achieve anything, but hopefully, God willing, he will reevaluate what he said and remain on the national team," said Hector Enrique of the 1986 squad. "There's nothing to say to Messi. He just needs to talk with himself and his family," said Carlos Bilbardo who led the 1986 team as coach. "Messi's retirement is due to the difficult moment he is going through. It is definitely his toughest moment as far as soccer goes, but I don't think this is the end. He will analyse it, evaluate it, and Messi is going to continue to play with the Argentine national team. Maybe that's just what I think. We'll have to see how he feels," added Luis Islas who was a substitute goalkeeper for the 1986 side. Messi's only major international honour has been Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games, even though at club level he has won four Champions Leagues with Spain's Barcelona. Messi has been named World Player of the year five times and he surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's top scorer in the Copa America semi-final against the United States. The statue, made of polyester resin and reinforced fibreglass built around a medal interior, was designed by realist sculptor Carlos Benavidez. The statue stands at Buenos Aires' Paseo de la Gloria "Glory Way" which honours national sports heroes in the city's Costanera Sur Park near the Puerto Madero neighbourhood. (Reuters)

Argentina inaugurates Messi statue days after legend announces retirement from international play

<p style="text-align: justify;">Tearful residents laid flowers to their local MP, Jo Cox, on Thursday in the normally quiet Yorkshire village where the 41-year-old mother of two was gunned down, as armed police patrolled the area.<br />
<br />
As Britain struggled to comprehend a murder that has cast a shadow over next week&#39;s EU vote, investigators sealed off the home of the suspect -- named in the media as Thomas Mair -- and carried out a forensic search of his garden.<br />
<br />
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Cox&#39;s Labour Party, was expected in Birstall later on Friday after paying tribute to Cox at a vigil outside Parliament on Thursday.<br />
<br />
&quot;She grew up in this community, she lived for this community, she served this community, and in the end she gave her life for this community,&quot; Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Huddersfield, told residents.<br />
<br />
Dozens of floral tributes could be seen at the foot of a statue in Birstall, a large village in a district of around 16,000 inhabitants.<br />
<br />
&quot;My heart breaks for your children. So many of your constituents are proud to have called you their MP. Our whole country is hurting right now,&quot; read one handwritten note left with the flowers.<br />
<br />
&quot;Jo, what a vile and tragic day,&quot; read another.<br />
<br />
Hichem Ben Abdallah, an eyewitness to the shooting who had campaigned in the last election alongside Cox, told AFP he was still in shock at the killing, the first murder of a serving British MP since the Irish Republican Army killed Ian Gow with a car bomb in 1990.<br />
<br />
&quot;She stood for peace and transparency, fighting corruption, wanted justice for all. I think her flame will carry on,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
&quot;I hope we learn lessons from this,&quot; he added.<br />
<br />
Cox, a former charity worker who was only elected to Parliament last year, was best known for her campaigning in favour of refugee rights and for Britain staying in the European Union (EU).<br />
<br />
She grew up in the area and made an impassioned maiden speech in parliament about the ethnic diversity of her local community, which saw an influx of migrants from Ireland and the Indian subcontinent when it was a hub for the English textile industry.<br />
<br />
Sitting outside a local sports and social club, Stephen Lees said of the attack: &quot;It&#39;s atrocious. It&#39;s not something you expect around here.<br />
<br />
&quot;It&#39;s not sunk in properly yet.&quot;<br />
<br />
In London, mourners laid flowers on the roof of the house boat where Cox lived with her husband and two young children, next to Tower Bridge.<br />
<br />
Anne Wainwright, who lived alongside, told mourners: &quot;We have lost a dear, dear friend in the most tragic and outrageous circumstances.&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;We pay tribute to our amazing, wonderful and spirited member of this community -- a beacon of hope who believed in love, friendship and values that we all so much need at this time.<br />
<br />
&quot;The community will continue to be inspired by her relentless energy and her commitment to all that is good.&quot;&nbsp;<br />
(AFP)</p>


'Jo, what a vile and tragic day,' was one of the messages left for Jo cox at the foot of a statue in Birstall where she was killed

Tearful residents laid flowers to their local MP, Jo Cox, on Thursday in the normally quiet Yorkshire village where the 41-year-old mother of two was gunned down, as armed police patrolled the area. As Britain struggled to comprehend a murder that has cast a shadow over next week's EU vote, investigators sealed off the home of the suspect -- named in the media as Thomas Mair -- and carried out a forensic search of his garden. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Cox's Labour Party, was expected in Birstall later on Friday after paying tribute to Cox at a vigil outside Parliament on Thursday. "She grew up in this community, she lived for this community, she served this community, and in the end she gave her life for this community," Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Huddersfield, told residents. Dozens of floral tributes could be seen at the foot of a statue in Birstall, a large village in a district of around 16,000 inhabitants. "My heart breaks for your children. So many of your constituents are proud to have called you their MP. Our whole country is hurting right now," read one handwritten note left with the flowers. "Jo, what a vile and tragic day," read another. Hichem Ben Abdallah, an eyewitness to the shooting who had campaigned in the last election alongside Cox, told AFP he was still in shock at the killing, the first murder of a serving British MP since the Irish Republican Army killed Ian Gow with a car bomb in 1990. "She stood for peace and transparency, fighting corruption, wanted justice for all. I think her flame will carry on," he said. "I hope we learn lessons from this," he added. Cox, a former charity worker who was only elected to Parliament last year, was best known for her campaigning in favour of refugee rights and for Britain staying in the European Union (EU). She grew up in the area and made an impassioned maiden speech in parliament about the ethnic diversity of her local community, which saw an influx of migrants from Ireland and the Indian subcontinent when it was a hub for the English textile industry. Sitting outside a local sports and social club, Stephen Lees said of the attack: "It's atrocious. It's not something you expect around here. "It's not sunk in properly yet." In London, mourners laid flowers on the roof of the house boat where Cox lived with her husband and two young children, next to Tower Bridge. Anne Wainwright, who lived alongside, told mourners: "We have lost a dear, dear friend in the most tragic and outrageous circumstances." "We pay tribute to our amazing, wonderful and spirited member of this community -- a beacon of hope who believed in love, friendship and values that we all so much need at this time. "The community will continue to be inspired by her relentless energy and her commitment to all that is good." (AFP)

English village in shock after British MP's murder

<p>The statue in the town square of a Houston suburb depicting two young&nbsp;women&nbsp;posing for a selfie was meant to be a sign of the times. It has unleashed another sign of the times - a heated social media debate.<br />
<br />
The statue in Sugar Land, just outside of City Hall, was part of an installation of pieces donated to the city. Residents have been quick to weigh in on social media.<br />
<br />
&quot;Selfie Statue, Seriously? Sugarland what are your officials thinking,&quot; one Twitter comment read. Said another: &quot;I hope someone demolishes that disgrace of culture and an eye sore.&quot;<br />
<br />
Others defended the selfie statue. &quot;Let&rsquo;s Be Honest: The #SelfieStatue in #SugarLand, TX is a Perfect Sign of the Times,&quot; said one commentator. Added another: &quot;Unpopular Opinion: The Sugar Land, TX, selfie statue everyone is talking about is both art and good art.&quot;<br />
<br />
The statue in question is part of a group donated from a local resident. Others in the group include a statue of a man playing a guitar, and one of an alligator, installed near a pond.<br />
<br />
Some fans of the selfie statue have posed for selfies in front of it, while others praised the work but slammed the artist for depicting the&nbsp;women&nbsp;using what appears to be an outdated phone.<br />
<br />
Sugar Land city spokesman Doug Adolph said the selfie statue depicts something seen every day and yet &quot;it has upset some people.&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;You can&#39;t please everyone,&quot; he said.</p>


The statue in the town square of a Houston suburb depicting two young?women?posing for a selfie has sparked off a heated social media debate

The statue in the town square of a Houston suburb depicting two young women posing for a selfie was meant to be a sign of the times. It has unleashed another sign of the times - a heated social media debate. The statue in Sugar Land, just outside of City Hall, was part of an installation of pieces donated to the city. Residents have been quick to weigh in on social media. "Selfie Statue, Seriously? Sugarland what are your officials thinking," one Twitter comment read. Said another: "I hope someone demolishes that disgrace of culture and an eye sore." Others defended the selfie statue. "Let’s Be Honest: The #SelfieStatue in #SugarLand, TX is a Perfect Sign of the Times," said one commentator. Added another: "Unpopular Opinion: The Sugar Land, TX, selfie statue everyone is talking about is both art and good art." The statue in question is part of a group donated from a local resident. Others in the group include a statue of a man playing a guitar, and one of an alligator, installed near a pond. Some fans of the selfie statue have posed for selfies in front of it, while others praised the work but slammed the artist for depicting the women using what appears to be an outdated phone. Sugar Land city spokesman Doug Adolph said the selfie statue depicts something seen every day and yet "it has upset some people." "You can't please everyone," he said.

Selfie statue fails to click with some in Houston suburb

statue

Statue, News on Statue, stories on Statue, articles on Statue, Statue stories at Wion, Statue news, Statue latest news