Woman of Pakistani origin becomes minister in Norway

 In what can be described as a fitting response to Anders Breivik’s brutal assault on Norwegian multiculturalism, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg appointed a 29-year-old Muslim woman of Pakistani origin the new Culture Minister. Hadia Tajik is the first Muslim and youngest Minister ever in Norwegian political history. Ms. Tajik, who has degrees in law and journalism and has been a career politician in Norway’s Labour Party, was appointed in a Cabinet reshuffle.

‘Courageous move’

“This is a very courageous move on the part of the Prime Minister. She is an extremely intelligent person and has been an activist all her life. I would describe this as an important decision for Norway that will go a long way to prove that we are a truly multicultural society,” Dag Herbjornsrud, editor of the influential paper Ny Tid told The Hindu in a telephone conversation. “It was important that Norway proved this to the world, but it’s even more important that we proved this to ourselves.”


Ms. Tajik has already declared that cultural diversity should become more integral to the life of her fellow citizens. She said her programme would focus on how this reflected on Norwegian society as a whole. The programme will delve into the protection of minority rights, whether cultural or racial.

Conservative elements

However, she will have to watch her step. Conservative elements in Norway believe that a very rapid influx of foreigners and foreign cultures has destabilised the steady and stable pattern of Norway’s essentially Christian society.

Last year, Anders Breivik randomly shot 69 people at a summer camp organised by the Workers' Youth League (AUF) of the Labour Party after blowing up a Norweigan state building. During his trial, Breivik reasoned that multi-cultural policies were harming Norway, adding that he considered Islam his enemy.

“Hadia is not a foreigner. She was born here, on the West coast of Norway in a small village or district which is home to 600 people. She might have done degrees from Oslo and from the U.K. but she remains very rooted and even speaks the West country dialect from Strand. We hope she will be a peacemaker, especially during the troubled times we are currently witnessing, Dr Herbjornsrud said.

The right message

Carima, a young woman of Moroccan descent, told The Hindu: “I am really happy and I think this is an excellent appointment. She is Norwegian and at the same time she is a Muslim and a woman. She is educated and forward looking. Right now Norway has gone through a very difficult period with the killings on Utoya Island by Anders Breivik, followed by his trial. That re-opened many wounds. This sends out the right message that Norway has opted for an open, multicultural democracy and people like Breivik will not be able to push us off that path.”

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Ajit Pawar resigns as Maharashtra Deputy CM

 Throwing a bombshell, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar quit his post on Tuesday.

Apart from resigning as the State’s Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Pawar also quit from his posts of the State’s Minister for Finance and Planning, and Power. He however would continue to remain the Leader of the House in the Assembly.

Mr. Pawar’s resignation comes at a time when allegations of reports his “hurriedly” granting project approvals totaling Rs 20,000 crore during an eight-month period without the mandatory clearance of the governing council of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) in 2009 surfaced in sections of the media.


Reports alleged that Mr. Pawar had cleared more than 30 projects in the Vidarbha region at exorbitant rates between 2006 and 2009, at a time when held the State Water Resources portfolio.

“The responsibility for this decision is mine alone and no one is to blame for it. I have abdicated my ministerial posts and would henceforth continue as a legislator. I have sounded my seniors’ out on this matter [of his resignation]”, said Mr. Pawar, addressing a stunned gathering of reporters at the Mantralaya.

Reiterating that there was no blemish in expediting the irrigation projects, Mr. Pawar defended the move by stating that cost overruns in projects pending for the last 20 years occurred due to the increase in the costs of raw materials in that period.

Many a times projects had to be prioritized in order to do justice to the drought-afflicted areas, leading to a backlog in the completion of many projects, Mr. Pawar clarified.

Only the topmost leaders of the NCP knew about this decision, Mr. Pawar stated, adding that he had dispatched his resignation to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Denying that he was pressurised in giving up his post, Mr, Pawar remarked: “Even when people are doing good work, there are efforts to create an atmosphere of suspicion and doubt…If I continued amidst these allegation, then the people of Maharashtra would have accused of clinging on to my post.”

On the question as to why other senior NCP leaders like PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and present Water Resources Minister Sunil Tatkare have not thrown in their towels, Mr. Pawar merely said: “Each one has a different way of dealing with a particular situation.”

Mr. Pawar also backed the expediting of the much-awaited and controversial ‘White Paper’ on Irrigation, stating that he would want the White Paper to be issued as fast as possible so as to end any doubts prevailing in people’s minds.

The paper would be out by the start of the winter session of the State Legislature, Mr. Pawar emphasised.

The issue of the ‘White Paper’ on Irrigation has driven a sharp wedge in the ruling Congress-NCP coalition, with the State Economic Survey 2011-12 unraveling that the state’s irrigation capacity had shown an imperceptible rise of 0.1 per cent despite funds amounting to Rs. 70,000 crore being pumped in the decade between 2000 and 2010.

The fact had prompted Mr. Chavan to direct the Water Resources Department headed by controversial Water Resources Minister and senior NCP leader Sunil Tatkare to issue a White Paper to clear the air on the state of irrigation in the state – a move that has not gone down well with the NCP.

Mr. Tatkare disputed the Economic Survey findings, claiming that the irrigation capacity had risen from 0.1 per cent to 5.17 per cent in the last decade.

Meanwhile, the political climate in the state was rife with speculations of Mr. Pawar’s move being a carefully planned and orchestrated one.

Amid frenzied rumours of the NCP pulling out of the State government, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, speaking to Television channels assured that his party was not bent on destabilising the Maharashtra government.

It's a stunt says BJP

While Mr. Pawar’s lighting move has thrown the Congress-NCP coalition in a tizzy, befuddling even his own Party colleagues, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena refused to be impressed by his resignation.

“The move is a mere stunt. It is a diversionary tactic…instead of staging this drama, Mr. Pawar should have allowed for the investigation of his colleagues Mr. Bhujbal and Mr. Tatkare,” said senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.

Mr. Pawar has recommended the Finance and Planning portfolio to be given to Jayant Patil, while the Power ministry to be given to Rajesh Tope.

Anti- corruption civic bodies like India Against Corruption, however, were jubilant on Mr. Pawar’s resignation.

“The irrigation scam is not just about the money [the scam has crossed Rs. 75000 crore and still counting]. It is about the shameless plunder of the state’s resources to make meaningless projects that only benefit the contractors. It is about blatant violations of every rule in the book…CVC Guidelines, Governor’s Directives, and even the Irrigation Department’s own norms,” said IAC activist Preeti Menon.

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Aishwarya Rai appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS

 Hindi actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the newly appointed UN Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS, says she does not want to be just a “poster girl” for the organisation but will help break social barriers and stigmas that are attached with the disease.

In her new role, Aishwarya will help raise awareness on issues related to stopping new HIV infections in children and advocate for increased access to anti-retroviral treatment.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe announced Aishwarya’s appointment as the Goodwill Ambassador at a press conference here on Monday.


Aishwarya said it is an “honour and privilege” to be working with the UN and focusing on the work that needs to be done in the area of AIDS/HIV.

“I will initially be like a student, holding the hand of the organisation which will lead me to the real picture on the ground,” Aishwarya said at the press conference.

She said she is exchanging ideas with UNAIDS on what steps need to be taken and how to work with women in educating them and helping them break social barriers and stigmas that are attached with the disease.

Lending her support to social causes like AIDS is not just the clichéd “Miss World” talk, she said, adding over the years she has taken one step at a time and given her voice to causes as effectively as she could at that point in time.

“This is a turning point in my life. I wanted to be associated with the UN at a time when I could actually contribute to the work and the causes,” she said, adding that having the blessing of celebrity will allow her to take her message to a larger audience.

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Justice Murugesan new Delhi Chief Justice

The President has appointed Justice Darmar Murugesan, Judge of the Madras High Court, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court from the date he assumes office. He will have a brief tenure of nine months.

Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court Arjan Kumar Sikri has been appointed the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Acting Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court Manjula Chellur has been appointed the Chief Justice of the same court.


Justice Murugesan (61) served as Special Government Pleader in the Madras High Court during 1994-96, Special Government Pleader from October 1997 and Government Pleader from December 8, 1998. He was appointed Judge of the court on March 2, 2000 and as Permanent Judge on June 13, 2001.

Justice Sikri (58) was appointed Judge of Delhi High Court in July 1999. He dealt with all kinds of jurisdictions and gave given many landmark judgments. He has attended/chaired various national and international seminars and workshops and presented a number of papers. He was chosen as one of the 50 most influential persons in Intellectual Property in the world in the survey conducted by Managing Intellectual Property Association (MIPA) for the year 2007. He was appointed the Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on October 10, 2011.

Justice Manjula Chellur (56) joined the Karnataka Judicial Service as District Judge on April 15, 1988. She was appointed Additional Judge of the High Court of Karnataka on February 21, 2000, and permanent Judge on August 17, 2000. She will have a tenure of six years if she continues as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.

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Admiral DK Joshi takes charge as new Navy chief

Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi (DK Joshi) took over as the new Indian Navy chief on 31 August 2012. He is the 21st Chief of Naval Staff of Independent India and the 19th Indian to command the Indian Navy. He succeeded Admiral Nirmal Verma.

DK Joshi has commanded several naval ships which includes aircraft carrier INS Virat. He was also the chief of Eastern Fleet. He specializes in anti-submarine warfare.


During his tenure, the Navy will start 13000 crore rupees phase II expansion of Project Seabird, the naval harbour under construction near Goa.

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Vishalini, the World’s Youngest MCP and CCNA

World Record by Eleven-year-old Indian girl who has exceptionally highest IQ in the world

Born in Thirunelveli, a small city of Tamil Nadu, to an electrician father, Vishalini is no different than other children of her age who love watching cartons, riding bicycle and playing games; however, her IQ and intelligence is not of an average 11-year-old girl. She is a child prodigy blessed with exceptional computer and analytical skills. Her IQ stands at 225, which is considerably higher than the previous Guinness of world record holder, Kim Ung-Yong, whose IQ is approximately 210. Her wonderful accomplishments include the Microsoft Certified Professional and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). By scoring 90 % in CCNA, Vishalini has broken the record of a Pakistani girl Arfa Karim Randhawa (At the age 9,she was the youngest MCP). Unfortunately, Arfa succumbed to a cardiac arrest on 14th of January last month; she was only 16.


Recently, she participated at an international seminar which was held at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Mangalore, where she was invited as a guest speaker. It wasn’t the first time Vishalini addressed a strong tech gathering; several such offers and honors have become a part of her daily routine. She lectures engineering students about the Technical fundamentals and computer intricacies.

According to her family, she had speech impairment in the early childhood that caused a great concern of her family, her mother Mrs. Sethurakamalika says that “despite her blessed intelligence, Vishalini struggled to talk at her younger age and as per the consultancy given by a doctor, we interacted regularly with her and we could see some positive results in six months.”

Today, Vishalini deserves more exposure and support which should come from beyond the government of Tamil Nadu and a couple of engineering colleges; he talent must be recognized and appreciated by the central government as well as every citizen of India. She is not only a bright star of her family but also a gem for the whole country. “Hats off to Vishalinin!”

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PJ Kurien elected Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman

 Cutting across party lines, members of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday unanimously elected Congress leader P.J. Kurien Deputy Chairman of the House. He succeeds K. Rahman Khan.

The Opposition and ruling party members put off for a while their confrontation over the Comptroller and Auditor General report on coal block allocation — on which the House was adjourned during question hour — to allow the election of Mr. Kurien and subsequent felicitations by leaders of all parties.


Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is also the leader of the House, proposed Mr. Kurien's name for the post. He was seconded by Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley.

Mr. Kurien's name was also proposed by Shivanand Tiwari (Janata Dal-United), Motilal Vora and Karan Singh (both Congress), Dereck O’ Brien (Trinamool Congress), Javed Akhtar (Nominated) and Kanimozhi (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), and seconded by Naresh Agarwal (Samajwadi Party), Devender Goud (Telugu Desam Party), Praveen Rashtrapal (Congress), Ram Kripal Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal), D. Bandyopadhyay (Trinamool Congress), Anu Aga (Nominated) and Ram Kripal Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal).

After Chairman Hamid Ansari announced Mr. Kurien's election, the Prime Minister and Mr. Jaitley escorted him to his seat. Observing that Mr. Kurien’s election was unanimous, the Prime Minister said it was proof of the wide appreciation and support he enjoyed in the House. Lauding Mr. Kurien’s administrative experience, Dr. Singh said he had been conducting the proceedings with aplomb and assured him of cooperation “to the maximum extent possible.”

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China's Wen Xia Yu wins Miss World 2012 title

China's Yu Wenxia has been crowned the 2012 Miss World.

This is the second time Miss China has been awarded the title. The last time was in 2007 when Zhang Zilin took the honor.

The first runner-up is Sophie Elizabeth Moulds of Wales and the second runner-up is Jessica Michelle Kahawaty of Australia.

The 23-year-old Yu is a music student who says she wants to become a music teacher.

 This is the first time for the Inner Mongolian city of Ordos to host the international beauty pageant.

The city is one of the richest regions in China thanks to its abundant natural resources. It hopes the world event will raise its profile for economic development and tourism.

Sanya, another Chinese city, has hosted the contest several times.

India's Vanya Mishra made it to the top seven spot but failed to progress further. She, however, did bag the titles of Miss Social Media and Miss Beauty with a Purpose.

In the semi-finals, the contestants were asked to perform on the music of their country and Vanya chose to dance on "Dil cheez kya hai" from 1981 film "Umrao Jaan", which landed her a spot in the top seven finalists.

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Sally Ride, the first US woman in space, dies aged 61

Sally Ride, the first US woman to travel into space, has died aged 61, 17 months after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, her foundation says.

"Sally's historic flight into space captured the nation's imagination and made her a household name," Sally Ride Science said in a statement.

She blasted off in the US space shuttle Challenger in June 1983.

Ride was not the first woman in space - that was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova in June 1963.

Since her first mission in 1983, more than 45 women from the US and other countries have flown in space, including two as shuttle commander.


Ride died on Monday in La Jolla, California.

Once an aspiring tennis player, she went on to earn no fewer than four university degrees including a doctorate in physics.

National hero 

Her star will always shine brightly”  

Charles Bolden Nasa administrator

In a statement, US President Barack Obama said he was "deeply saddened" to hear about her death.


 "As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model," he said in a statement.

Ride was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California, attending Stanford University for master's and doctorate degrees in physics.

According to her foundation, Ride applied to Nasa after seeing an ad in the Stanford student newspaper, calling for scientists and engineers, including women to apply to the astronaut corps.

She joined Nasa in 1978 - one of 35 people selected as astronauts from a field of more than 8,000 who applied.

Ride went on her first space shuttle mission on board the Challenger in 1983.

As well as being the first American woman in space, she was also - at the age of 32 - the youngest person in America at the time to go into orbit.


Great expectations

As part of that mission she used a robotic arm which she had helped develop to retrieve a satellite.

Ride also found time to write five children's science books

She reached space again the following year, and was scheduled for a third trip when the Challenger space shuttle exploded in 1986.


The shuttle broke apart just over a minute into its mission, killing all seven of the crew members, and prompting an almost three-year hiatus in the American space programme.

Following the disaster, she served as a member of the presidential commission that investigated the causes of the fatal accident. She also served on a similar board following the Columbia space shuttle, which broke apart during its re-entry to Earth in 2003.

"Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism - and literally changed the face of America's space program," Nasa administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. "She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly."

After leaving Nasa, Ride became a professor at University of California, San Diego, and served as a science fellow at Stanford University.

She launched Sally Ride Science, which created science programmes and publications for young students, in 2001. She also wrote five children's science books.

"The fact that I was going to be the first American woman to go into space carried huge expectations along with it," Ride said in a 2008 interview.

"I didn't really think about it that much at the time - but I came to appreciate what an honour it was to be selected," she said.

Ride is survived by her mother and partner Tam O'Shaughnessy.

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