Indian American wins Miss America title

Atlantic City: To the delight of tens of thousands of Indian Americans, a growing, influential and visible community in the United States, Miss New York, 24-year-old, Nina Davuluri has become the first person of Indian descent to be crowned Miss America. As the famous beauty pageant returned to Atlantic City, New Jersey, after a six-year stint in Las Vegas, Davuluri from Syracuse sashayed off with the tiara and the $50,000 scholarship cash as she was chosen to succeed former Miss New York, Mallory Hagan. Davuluri, who was also the first Indian-American to serve as Miss New York, performed a Bollywood dance for the talent part, answered a question about plastic surgery and hopes to become a doctor, like her father.

Davuluri studied at St. Joseph High School and University of Michigan. Her scholastic honours include Dean's List; Michigan Merit Award; National Honour Society She competed on the platform issue of "Celebrating Diversity through Cultural Competency" showcasing her talent of "Classical Bollywood Fusion," according to Miss America organisation. Earlier, after a night of big numbers, endless crowd cheering, swimsuit strutting, dancing, singing, the 53 Miss America contestants representing 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands were narrowed down to one winner, according to USA Today.

The 53 contestants introduced themselves in a taped segment with those quippy catchphrases, including "Listening to your phone calls from the Nation's Capital. Just kidding! I'm Miss District of Columbia, Bindhu Pamarthi." The nearly 100-year-old pageant which debuted in 1921 was televised live by ABC, which picked up the contest again in 2011 after dropping it in 2004 because of a steep ratings decline. The judges were 2004 Miss America winner Deidre Downs Gunn, the New York Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire, Lance Bass from the boy band 'N Sync, comedian Mario Cantone, violinist Joshua Bell and television chef Carla Hall.

- IANS

Indian American wins Miss America title

Atlantic City: To the delight of tens of thousands of Indian Americans, a growing, influential and visible community in the United States, Miss New York, 24-year-old, Nina Davuluri has become the first person of Indian descent to be crowned Miss America. As the famous beauty pageant returned to Atlantic City, New Jersey, after a six-year stint in Las Vegas, Davuluri from Syracuse sashayed off with the tiara and the $50,000 scholarship cash as she was chosen to succeed former Miss New York, Mallory Hagan. Davuluri, who was also the first Indian-American to serve as Miss New York, performed a Bollywood dance for the talent part, answered a question about plastic surgery and hopes to become a doctor, like her father.

Davuluri studied at St. Joseph High School and University of Michigan. Her scholastic honours include Dean's List; Michigan Merit Award; National Honour Society She competed on the platform issue of "Celebrating Diversity through Cultural Competency" showcasing her talent of "Classical Bollywood Fusion," according to Miss America organisation. Earlier, after a night of big numbers, endless crowd cheering, swimsuit strutting, dancing, singing, the 53 Miss America contestants representing 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands were narrowed down to one winner, according to USA Today.

The 53 contestants introduced themselves in a taped segment with those quippy catchphrases, including "Listening to your phone calls from the Nation's Capital. Just kidding! I'm Miss District of Columbia, Bindhu Pamarthi." The nearly 100-year-old pageant which debuted in 1921 was televised live by ABC, which picked up the contest again in 2011 after dropping it in 2004 because of a steep ratings decline. The judges were 2004 Miss America winner Deidre Downs Gunn, the New York Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire, Lance Bass from the boy band 'N Sync, comedian Mario Cantone, violinist Joshua Bell and television chef Carla Hall.

- IANS

US warns Syria of ’real threat of force’

Jerusalem: US Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday warned the Syrian regime saying "the threat of force is real" if it fails to dismantle its chemical weapon stockpiles, as the UN confirmed reports of 739,000 Syrians taking refuge in neighbouring Lebanon -- up by 13,000 since last week. Kerry arrived in Jerusalem Sunday for a one-day visit to brief Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the US-Russian deal to dismantle Syria of its chemical weapons by mid-2014. Washington's top diplomat reassured sceptic Israel that the new deal "has the full ability to strip all of the chemical weapons from Syria", Xinhua reported. Netanyahu said the Syrian regime led by President Bashar al-Assad "must be stripped of all its chemical weapons, and that would make our entire region a lot safer." Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Sunday said that about 636,000 refugees have been registered in Lebanon while more than 103,000 are still waiting for their registration process to complete. 

A weekly report by the UN refugee agency said the registered refugees are benefiting from aid provided by the Lebanese government, the UN agencies and its non-governmental organisations. The Syrian opposition Sunday demanded that the ban on the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government should be expanded to military aviation and ballistic missiles as well.  "The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces insists the ban on use of chemical weapon is spread on use of ballistic missiles and use of aviation in settlements," ITAR-TASS reported from Ankara citing a communique issued by the coalition. The opposition forces also demanded that those responsible for the alleged chemical attack Aug 21 near Damascus be brought to justice at the International Criminal Court. Former Cuban president Fidel Castro has, in an article titled 'Undeletable Memories', applauded the Russia-backed proposal for a commitment to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons.

The risk of the Syrian conflict to explode seems to have diminished thanks to the intelligent Russian initiative, which stood strong before the unusual claim of the US government, reported Xinhua Saturday citing the former president's article The article was dated Sep 10 and published in the Cuban press Saturday.  A US attack on Syria could cost thousands of lives and unleash a conflict of unpredictable consequences, Castro said. 
He said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "contributed maybe to avoid an immediate global catastrophe". 
Castro, 87, said the American people were also opposed to a political adventure that would not only affect their own country but also all humanity.

The US and Russia agreed Saturday on a framework to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons by mid-2014. In another development, the Turkish foreign ministry said that the US-Russia agreement, though a positive step, could be exploited by the Syrian government. The deal should not turn into a process that would buy time for Syria, Xinhua quoted a foreign ministry official in Ankara as saying citing local media. The given schedule to strip Syria of its chemical weapons was long enough for it to exploit the deal, it added. Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu reiterated his concerns over Syria during a phone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry late Saturday, semi-official Anatolian news agency quoted diplomatic sources as saying. 

He said the agreement did not address the urgent need to solve the conflict in Syria. In Cairo, Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy Sunday said his country was following with great interest the agreement reached by the US and Russia which should pave the way for the desired political solution to the Syrian crisis. The official MENA news agency quoted the Egyptian foreign ministry as saying that Fahmy has expressed his hope that the agreement would open the way for a conference as soon as possible. He called on the Syrian parties that will participate in the conference to work to heal without delay to save the lives of Syrian citizens, the United Arab Emirates' official news agency WAM reported from Cairo.

He appealed to the parties to bring regional security and stability in order to achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people in a democratic state that would allow all Syrians to participate in building their common future.  In Tokyo, the Japanese government Sunday welcomed the agreement between the US and Russia, according to the country's foreign ministry. Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, in a statement, hailed the agreement to secure and eliminate Syria's chemical weapons under international supervision and called for a "sincere response" by the Syrian government, Xinhua reported.  He also said Japan "will watch its real action".

-IANS

US warns Syria of ’real threat of force’

Jerusalem: US Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday warned the Syrian regime saying "the threat of force is real" if it fails to dismantle its chemical weapon stockpiles, as the UN confirmed reports of 739,000 Syrians taking refuge in neighbouring Lebanon -- up by 13,000 since last week. Kerry arrived in Jerusalem Sunday for a one-day visit to brief Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the US-Russian deal to dismantle Syria of its chemical weapons by mid-2014. Washington's top diplomat reassured sceptic Israel that the new deal "has the full ability to strip all of the chemical weapons from Syria", Xinhua reported. Netanyahu said the Syrian regime led by President Bashar al-Assad "must be stripped of all its chemical weapons, and that would make our entire region a lot safer." Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Sunday said that about 636,000 refugees have been registered in Lebanon while more than 103,000 are still waiting for their registration process to complete. 

A weekly report by the UN refugee agency said the registered refugees are benefiting from aid provided by the Lebanese government, the UN agencies and its non-governmental organisations. The Syrian opposition Sunday demanded that the ban on the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government should be expanded to military aviation and ballistic missiles as well.  "The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces insists the ban on use of chemical weapon is spread on use of ballistic missiles and use of aviation in settlements," ITAR-TASS reported from Ankara citing a communique issued by the coalition. The opposition forces also demanded that those responsible for the alleged chemical attack Aug 21 near Damascus be brought to justice at the International Criminal Court. Former Cuban president Fidel Castro has, in an article titled 'Undeletable Memories', applauded the Russia-backed proposal for a commitment to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons.

The risk of the Syrian conflict to explode seems to have diminished thanks to the intelligent Russian initiative, which stood strong before the unusual claim of the US government, reported Xinhua Saturday citing the former president's article The article was dated Sep 10 and published in the Cuban press Saturday.  A US attack on Syria could cost thousands of lives and unleash a conflict of unpredictable consequences, Castro said. 
He said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "contributed maybe to avoid an immediate global catastrophe". 
Castro, 87, said the American people were also opposed to a political adventure that would not only affect their own country but also all humanity.

The US and Russia agreed Saturday on a framework to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons by mid-2014. In another development, the Turkish foreign ministry said that the US-Russia agreement, though a positive step, could be exploited by the Syrian government. The deal should not turn into a process that would buy time for Syria, Xinhua quoted a foreign ministry official in Ankara as saying citing local media. The given schedule to strip Syria of its chemical weapons was long enough for it to exploit the deal, it added. Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu reiterated his concerns over Syria during a phone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry late Saturday, semi-official Anatolian news agency quoted diplomatic sources as saying. 

He said the agreement did not address the urgent need to solve the conflict in Syria. In Cairo, Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy Sunday said his country was following with great interest the agreement reached by the US and Russia which should pave the way for the desired political solution to the Syrian crisis. The official MENA news agency quoted the Egyptian foreign ministry as saying that Fahmy has expressed his hope that the agreement would open the way for a conference as soon as possible. He called on the Syrian parties that will participate in the conference to work to heal without delay to save the lives of Syrian citizens, the United Arab Emirates' official news agency WAM reported from Cairo.

He appealed to the parties to bring regional security and stability in order to achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people in a democratic state that would allow all Syrians to participate in building their common future.  In Tokyo, the Japanese government Sunday welcomed the agreement between the US and Russia, according to the country's foreign ministry. Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, in a statement, hailed the agreement to secure and eliminate Syria's chemical weapons under international supervision and called for a "sincere response" by the Syrian government, Xinhua reported.  He also said Japan "will watch its real action".

-IANS

CM extends Onam greetings

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today greeted Malayalees all over the world wishing them a prosperous and peaceful Onam festival.  "Let this Onam be a festival of plenty, peace and camaraderie and a happy event to remember for ever," he said in his Onam message.  State ministers also extended warm Onam greetings to the people.

CM extends Onam greetings

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today greeted Malayalees all over the world wishing them a prosperous and peaceful Onam festival.  "Let this Onam be a festival of plenty, peace and camaraderie and a happy event to remember for ever," he said in his Onam message.  State ministers also extended warm Onam greetings to the people.

Mechanism to monitor child abuse cases

Thiruvananthapuram: A mechanism to monitor cases of child abuse and strict implementation of the 2012 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act will become operational in Kerala from October 2.  This was decided at a meeting of officials here, convened by State Child Rights Protection Council chairperson Neela Gangadharan in the wake of increasing incidents of child abuse being reported from different parts of the state, an official release said.  The functions of the monitoring mechanism include setting up of special trial courts, appointment of Special Public Prosecutors, formulation of guidelines for NGOs and drawing up of a training protocol for police officials, the release said.

  

Mechanism to monitor child abuse cases

Thiruvananthapuram: A mechanism to monitor cases of child abuse and strict implementation of the 2012 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act will become operational in Kerala from October 2.  This was decided at a meeting of officials here, convened by State Child Rights Protection Council chairperson Neela Gangadharan in the wake of increasing incidents of child abuse being reported from different parts of the state, an official release said.  The functions of the monitoring mechanism include setting up of special trial courts, appointment of Special Public Prosecutors, formulation of guidelines for NGOs and drawing up of a training protocol for police officials, the release said.

  

President agonised over communal clashes, gang rapes

Midnapore: Describing the incidents of killings and gang rapes of women and children in the recent communal clashes as a "sad spectacle", President Pranab Mukherjee Sunday expressed his agony over the violence and called for "widespread" public mobilisation for gender sensitization. The president stressed that religion should not be the vehicle for spreading hatred and violence against "believers of different faiths", and called for introspection "on the sad decline in moral values" in the society.

"At a time when our country is witness to the sad spectacle of people, including women and children, getting killed in communal clashes, the life of Pandit Vidyasagar teaches us that religion should never become an instrument for propagation of hatred and violence against believers of different faiths," Mukherjee said. Delivering the seventh Vidyasagar Memorial lecture at the Vidyasagar University here, he said no society which ill-treats women and girls can claim itself to be "civilized". "When such incidents occur, angry criticism of the government cannot lead to a solution," he said.

"There is an urgent need for widespread public mobilisation aimed at gender sensitisation. We need to introspect on the sad decline in our moral values and reflect on how we can reset our moral compass," he said.  Urging teachers to ingrain in the students values like sincerity of purpose, honesty, integrity and respect for women, he regretted that there was a lack of respect for women in the society. "This situation cannot be changed unless the society asserts itself," he said. Seeking pro-active intervention of the society in such areas, he said laws for securing women's safety would become effective only if there was efficient mechanisms to enforce them.

He stressed the need for continuous police and judicial reforms to ensure prompt justice for women. The president also called for women's empowerment and better health, education and employment facilities for them. 
Railing against female foeticide, he said such practices should cease to exist immediately.

- IANS

President agonised over communal clashes, gang rapes

Midnapore: Describing the incidents of killings and gang rapes of women and children in the recent communal clashes as a "sad spectacle", President Pranab Mukherjee Sunday expressed his agony over the violence and called for "widespread" public mobilisation for gender sensitization. The president stressed that religion should not be the vehicle for spreading hatred and violence against "believers of different faiths", and called for introspection "on the sad decline in moral values" in the society.

"At a time when our country is witness to the sad spectacle of people, including women and children, getting killed in communal clashes, the life of Pandit Vidyasagar teaches us that religion should never become an instrument for propagation of hatred and violence against believers of different faiths," Mukherjee said. Delivering the seventh Vidyasagar Memorial lecture at the Vidyasagar University here, he said no society which ill-treats women and girls can claim itself to be "civilized". "When such incidents occur, angry criticism of the government cannot lead to a solution," he said.

"There is an urgent need for widespread public mobilisation aimed at gender sensitisation. We need to introspect on the sad decline in our moral values and reflect on how we can reset our moral compass," he said.  Urging teachers to ingrain in the students values like sincerity of purpose, honesty, integrity and respect for women, he regretted that there was a lack of respect for women in the society. "This situation cannot be changed unless the society asserts itself," he said. Seeking pro-active intervention of the society in such areas, he said laws for securing women's safety would become effective only if there was efficient mechanisms to enforce them.

He stressed the need for continuous police and judicial reforms to ensure prompt justice for women. The president also called for women's empowerment and better health, education and employment facilities for them. 
Railing against female foeticide, he said such practices should cease to exist immediately.

- IANS