26 June 2006
Islamabad, June 26 (IANS) Twenty-two Pakistani tribesmen from South Waziristan have been killed in Afghanistan in the current offensive by US-led forces and the Afghan security forces.
Those who died were found in action in Paktia and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan, the hotbed of the Taliban activities that Kabul has been busy thwarting, The Nation newspaper reported.
Pakistan officially denies the involvement of its nationals in Afghanistan, but has blamed the role of "a few individuals" for the border between the two countries being poorly guarded on the Afghanistan side. This has been the cause of a slinging match between the two neighbours involving the two presidents, Hamid Karzai and Pervez Musharraf.
North and South Waziristan have witnessed free movement of Taliban fighters. The area is supposed to have sheltered Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Omar at different times, says the western media.
Those who were killed in the operation were from the Mehsood tribe and belonged to Ladha, Makin, Sarogha, Tiarza and other tribal areas. The dead were laid to rest in their native areas, the newspaper said, quoting an online report.
New York, June 26 (IMI) The Million Faces Petition, which organizers billed as the world’s largest appeal for tougher global controls on the arms trade, was presented to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today in New York by a consortium of international groups as well as the one millionth petitioner – a survivor of gun violence from Kenya.
“I am honoured to receive this petition in recognition of the people in more than 160 countries who have supported it, and given it a million ‘faces,’� Mr. Annan said in accepting the call from the Control Arms Campaign, Amnesty International and Oxfam International, the International Action Network on Small Arms and the young survivor.
The Secretary-General pledged to transmit the petitioners’ call for an international arms trade treaty to the President of the Review Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, which is currently meeting at the UN to review a 2001 plan of action against the scourge. “It will be in their hands to decide the future direction of the initiative.�
Irene Khan, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said the proliferation of small arms “has facilitated some of the most appalling human rights tragedy of our times, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, massacres, mass displacement, torture and ill treatment.� She blamed “hypocrisy, greed, and inaction of governments� for allowing the trade to continue.
Ms. Khan pointed to the effect on women and children. “From the bedroom to the battlefield, whether killed by violent partners or raped at gun point, women and girls have paid a high price for the unregulated trade in small arms. Children as young as eight years of age have been drawn into conflicts as soldiers.�
“Up to 1000 people a day die from gunshot wounds, and thousands more are injured,� the Executive Director of Oxfam, Jeremy Hobbs, said. “And for every person shot, there is a family left to fend for itself; a family left without a child; or a family that must now look after a relative with a serious disability.�
The Million Faces petition is a photo petition from people in more than 160 countries who recognize the small arms issue and have signed and supported the initiative.
Julius Arile, a Kenyan armed violence survivor, presented the Secretary General with the Million Faces Petition showing the many faces on the plaque.
“I used my first AK47 (gun) at the age of 15. Small arms are dangerous. Guns have affected my life, have killed my friends and my brother,� he told the UN News Service. “This petition means a lot to me and the people of Kenya,� added Mr. Arile, whose brother died from gun violence and who has witnessed other numerous crimes caused by small arms.
The armed violence survivor spoke of trading in his weapon in 2004 for money during a local peace agreement, “I am much better now, at that time when I surrendered my AK47, for a price, and then I went down and told my friends that these arms are no good, and to leave those guns.�
In an appeal to delegates, he added: “I would like this UN conference to agree [to] global rules for small arms sales. We owe it to people like me from all over the world.�
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By Manish Chand, New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) Africa will look at new ways of collaborating with India for expanding the UN Security Council, Ghana Foreign Minister Nana Addo Akufo-Addo says.
"We in Ghana are confident that the AU (African Union) summit at Banjul will give the issue of Security Council expansion a big impetus," Akufo-Adda told IANS in an interview.
"The collaboration (between Africa and India) is there in the area of Security Council expansion. And it should be there. And we in Ghana are hoping that the forthcoming AU summit at Banjul will give a new push to that," said Akufo-Addo, a key African leader involved in creating AU consensus on Security Council expansion.
Most African heads of state and governments are expected to attend the weeklong 53-nation meet that kicked off at Bnajul Sunday.
Akufo-Addo, known as the 'Ross Perot (maverick American billionaire-politician) of Ghanaian politics' because of his generous contribution to the ruling party and an array of philanthropic projects, is convinced that it is no longer possible for major powers to skirt the issue of Security Council expansion.
"We in Ghana are very much in favour of UN reforms and expansion of the Security Council. We believe that the Security Council as it is today is not reflective of the global realities of today," the Ghanaian foreign minister said.
Akufo-Addo, a passionate advocate of stronger India-Africa ties, was here on an official visit early this month.
"Even British Prime Minister (Tony Blair) has said that and that's what major nations like Japan and India are saying. The new impetus that will be coming out of Banjul will launch Security Council reforms," he added.
He stressed that the AU was trying hard to evolve a consensus on the issue, but there were still divisions and differences.
He, however, warned against making the consensus a sticky issue and underlined the point that nothing should come in the way of the reforms.
It was not Africa that was divided, but all other continents were divided on the issue, he pointed out.
"There is division in Europe; there is division in Asia; there is division in Latin America," he said.
"It's not fair to target Africa. We are still working for consensus, but regardless of that we still have to go forward," he added.
Africa wants two permanent seats with veto powers in an expanded Security Council whereas the G4 grouping comprising India, Germany, Brazil and Japan has presented a proposal in the General Assembly for six permanent seats with no immediate veto powers and four extra non-permanent seats.
The AU came close to supporting a joint plan with the G4 at a meeting in London last year, but the London understanding was not endorsed by the AU summit at Addis Ababa last year. The compromise deal had envisaged presenting a joint resolution that would propose six permanent seats with no immediate veto powers and five non-permanent seats.
If the AU comes out in clear support of a joint plan with the G4, the Security Council expansion, which has remained stuck due to the indifference of the US and other major powers, could get the much-needed momentum to reach its logical conclusion. The resolution needs 128 votes to pass muster in the 191-member General Assembly.
Cairo, June 26 (Xinhua) A group linked to the Al Qaeda terror network in Iraq claimed Sunday it had executed four Russian embassy workers it kidnapped in Baghdad.
"We have carried out god's verdict on the four Russian diplomats in retaliation for the torture, killing and expulsion of our brothers and sisters by the Russian government," Al Arabiya TV channel, citing a statement posted on a website frequently used by militants.
The statement was signed by the Mujahedeen Shura Council, which is believed to be an umbrella grouping several insurgent groups in Iraq including Al Qaeda.
Pictures showing the four Russian embassy staff as well as a videotape accompanied the statement.
The four hostages appeared at the beginning of the videotape, speaking Russian. Then the tape showed the beheading of one hostage and the shooting of a second and a beheaded body of a third.
There was no immediate comment from Russia.
The same group threatened Wednesday to execute the four Russian embassy staff as the Russian government failed to meet its demands.
"The Russian government has failed to do what we have demanded within eight hours. So the Islamic court of the Mujahideen Shura Council ruled to execute the hostages," said the group in another statement posted on the same website.
The group had demanded the Russian authorities in a separate Internet statement June 19 to "withdraw immediately from Chechnya" where Muslim rebels are fighting Moscow's rule and "release all our brothers and sisters detained in Russian prisons" within 48 hours, warning Russia to "take the consequences", if it failed to do so.
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Sydney, June 26 (IANS) Australian surgeons claimed to have performed the world's first triple-transplant operation involving the liver, kidney and pancreas of a patient, said a report Monday.
Surgeons at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital carried out the procedures on Leanne Myles of Cowra in central-eastern New South Wales, reported the online edition of Radio Australia.
Leanne, 33, was suffering from an auto-immune disease.
The woman who had developed liver and kidney failure, and diabetes made a full recovery after delicate operations to replace her liver, kidney and pancreas.
New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has bagged a Rs.550 million ($11 million) contract for setting up 230 KV substations in Bangladesh despite stiff global competition.
"Outbidding Chinese, Malaysian and Indian companies, BHEL has won the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for supply and installation of a 230 KV substation at the Baghabari power plant and extension of a 230 KV substation at Ishurdi," the power equipment major said in a statement Monday.
"Valued at Rs.550 million, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded contract has been placed on BHEL by the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh," the statement added.
This is the first order for BHEL for substations in Bangladesh. Earlier contracts executed by BHEL in Bangladesh include the turnkey execution of a 100 MW gas turbine-based power plant at Baghabari.
The power plant is operating successfully since commissioning.
Perceiving Bangladesh as a potential market, BHEL is pursuing other opportunities as part of its overseas business expansion plans.
During 2005-06 fiscal, BHEL booked the highest ever physical export orders of Rs.33.48 billion, a six-fold increase over the previous year. For the first time, export orders contributed 18 percent to the company's total order booking during 2005-06.
Dhaka, June 26 (IANS) The historic Kali Mandir at Dhaka's Ramna ground will be rebuilt close to the original site, 35 years after it was destroyed by Pakistani forces during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.
But the government's decision to shift the location has become a subject of controversy.
Ramna Kalimandir Committee has welcomed the government's consent to allocate land to rebuild the destroyed temple close to the original spot at Suhrawardy Udyan.
Ramna Kalimandir and Anandamayee Asram Committee President Gayeswar Chandra Roy said the government had accepted the groups' proposal, BSS news agency reported.
Roy, also a joint secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, told reporters that a section of the Hindu community was opposed to the move on the plea that the temple was being shifted from its original site.
The former minister was quoted by the Bangladesh Observer as saying that those opposing it had "political motives".
Jakarta, June 26 (DPA) Flash floods and landslides swept through villages in South Kalimantan on the Indonesian side of Borneo, leaving at least 21 people dead and 20 missing, officials said Monday.
The floods occurred early Sunday after several days of incessant rains, which caused rivers in three different districts of South Kalimantan to overflow, sweeping away dozens of homes and inundating thousands of others, officials said.
At least 21 people were confirmed dead and 20 were reported missing and feared dead in the disaster, the latest tragedy to afflict Indonesia in recent weeks. Hundreds of residents have been left homeless in the disaster.
According to Hadi Susilo, an official at the disaster task force in the provincial capital of Banjarmasin, the floods and landslides hit the Kotabaru, Tanah Laut and Tanah Bumbu districts, and took place when locals were asleep, so the victims were unable to escape.
The Hampang sub-district of Kotabaru regency was the worst-hit area, with most of the fatalities reported from the region, Susilo was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency.
Meanwhile, rescue workers in the South Sulawesi province continued their search for many residents still missing a week after severe flash floods and landslides left at least 285 people confirmed dead and several unaccounted for.
Marine Captain Edi Budiansyah, spokesman for the navy base in the provincial capital of Makassar, said a navy ship would be sent to the nearby disaster area to help search for possible bodies that may have drifted to sea.
The floods and landslides swept through at least seven districts in South Sulawesi province, about 1,400 km northeast of Jakarta, on June 20 following two days of torrential rain.
Flash floods and landslides have long plagued Indonesia and have increased in frequency in recent years. Environmentalists say repeated disasters have occurred largely because of rampant deforestation.
Pune, June 26 (IANS) The top three ranks in the Maharashtra secondary school examination this year has been bagged by girls, according to the results announced here Monday.
In this year's Class 10 exams, 10,38,722 of the 16,08,278 students succeeded, bringing the pass percentage to 64.59 percent, state secondary and higher secondary education board chief Vasant Kalpande said.
Monika Mallinath Mashalkar of Latur in Osmanabad district has topped the examination that was conducted in March 2006. A student of Adarsh Vidyalaya, Monika secured 725 marks out of 750 (96.66 percent) to top the state.
Two students of Aurangabad and Amravati divisions were tied at the second spot while the third place in the state merit list went to a student from Pune, he said.
Nisha Kailasrao Lagad, a student of Dwarkadas Mantri Rajasthani Vidyalaya, Beed (Aurangabad division), and Arshaiya Tarannum Sayeed Yousuf of Janata Shikshan Prasarak Mandal Urdu High School, Fulsavangi, Yavatmal (Amravati division), secured 724 marks (96.53 percent) each to share the second place.
Pune's Jamandar Afreen Sikandar of Anglo Urdu Girls High School, New Modikhana, Pune (Pune division) was placed third with 723 marks (96.40 percent).
Kalpande said around 3,760 case of use of unfair means came to the board's notice during the exams.
By Prasun Sonwalkar, Berlin, June 26 (IANS) A flurry of activities by the Indian embassy here in the field of culture and education in the last two years is helping Germany regain its position as a leading centre of scholarship on India-related subjects.
For decades, German indologists such as Fredrick Max Mueller have conducted in-depth studies on Indian languages and philosophy. The Indian government has honoured many of them, including Heinrich von Stietencron and Lothar Lutze, who were awarded Padma Shri in recent years.
However, Indian studies in Germany received a setback when education authorities here cut down state funding in 2005 and asked universities to generate their own income. Most European countries had earlier adopted such a market-driven approach to education.
In the new education environment, some centres for India-related studies in German universities were closed and their number fell from 25 to 16.
Wilhelm von Schlegel, a Sanskrit scholar, set up the first centre for Indian studies in Germany in 1818 at the University of Bonn. It soon became known as the 'Benares on the Rhine'.
"Centres for Indian studies have come under intense competition from centres focussed on the study of China or Japan, countries with which Germany has stronger economic relations," Sudhanshu Pandey, counsellor (culture) in the Indian embassy here, told IANS.
In the last three years, India's trade relations with Germany have grown exponentially, and Pandey hopes this would have a positive impact on the growth of Indian studies here. From the current bilateral trade worth 7.6 billion euros, it is expected that the figure will increase to 10 billion euros in the next two years.
Pandey added: "As a supportive gesture, the Indian government has launched five rotating chairs in German universities in India-related subjects. Universities here can now request scholars from India to come and teach for six months.
"The Indian government bears the cost of Indian scholars' travel and salary while the German partner offers free accommodation and insurance. Tulsi Patel, a sociologist from Delhi University, has been the first such chair."
For the next academic year, the embassy has so far received requests for Indian scholars from the universities of Heidelberg, Humboldt, Hamburg, Bonn and Wurzburg.
Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had announced the first such chair, and his successor Manmohan Singh announced four more during his visit to Hanover in April this year.
"Over the coming years, we hope the earlier number of India-related study centres will be restored. India's growing economic strengths may also encourage German corporate houses to sponsor centres for the study of India-related subjects", Pandey said.
Under the bilateral cultural agreement renewed in 2005, special focus has been placed on establishing partnerships and conducting exchanges between Indian and German schools. These include exchange visits by students and staff, who are given free visas by each country to travel to schools in the other country.
A major memorandum of understanding was recently signed with the board of school education of the state of Baden-Wurttemberg and the Delhi Public School (DPS) Society. This has been followed by visits by representatives of the two sides.
The Max Mueller Bhavan in Delhi is providing German language training to DPS teachers while the Indian embassy here is providing customised CDs 'Hindi Kaise Seekhein' (How to learn Hindi) to German schools. The embassy also facilitates links between schools teaching Hindi and the local Indian communities.
Pandey said that after a two-year process of consultation by students and staff of a local school to choose an international personality of stature, it was decided to rename the school as Tagore School May 2. The Indian embassy gifted a bust of Rabindranath Tagore to the school.
In May 15, principals of leading schools such as Banasthali, Mayo College (Ajmer) and DPS attended the International School Congress in Baden-Wurttemberg.
Brussels, June 26 (IANS) India and Belgium have concluded a landmark agreement on social security which will not only benefit Indians working in this country but eventually serve as a prototype for similar agreements with other nations.
"This is the first agreement ever India has concluded with another country in social security," G. Gurucharan, joint secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), told INEP agency.
Gurucharan, who represented India at the negotiations with Belgium, stressed that "this agreement is significant because it will form the basis for our negotiating agreements with other countries in the European Union."
India's Ambassador to Brussels Dipak Chatterjee described the agreement as "historic", noting that this was the first deal of its kind in the social security sector that India has with any other country.
"It is an historical agreement and I am happy that it has seen the light of the day," commented Sunil Prasad, secretary general of the Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) and president of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), Belgium.
For all Indians who come and work in Belgium for five years, the agreement will provide exemption from contributing to the Belgium social security system. Secondly, for those Indians who live and work in Belgium on a long term basis the agreement ensures repatriation of benefits.
"Through this agreement we have been able to negotiate both these points," said Gurucharan.
Moreover, those Indians who are self-employed like businessmen or shopkeepers will also be entitled to repatriate their benefits back home if they wish to relocate to India.
Most IT or management professionals come to Belgium for one, two or three years and they pay the social security here but get nothing in return, Prasad pointed out.
"This agreement is a good one. It is in the interest of both India and Belgium. It will also attract Indian professionals to come and work in Belgium," he said.
About 7,000-8,000 Indians living and working in Belgium are expected to benefit from the agreement.
Gurucharan said the real importance of the agreement was that increasingly there is going to be much higher cooperation between Belgium and India and "we think more and more Indians will get the opportunity to come and work here".
The Belgium-Indian social security agreement is expected to be signed when Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt visits New Delhi early November.
By Gyan Varma, New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) Scanners are to be installed at all international airports in India to catch drug traffickers in the wake of increased smuggling of narcotic drugs in the country.
"These gadgets would be able to detect the drugs being smuggled by traffickers," said a senior official of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
According to the official, traffickers wrap up cocaine and other drugs and swallow these so that they can pass through security checks without being detected.
"Now, with the introduction of scanners, we would be able to crack down on this method of smuggling narcotics," the official told IANS, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Mumbai has become one of the biggest centres of drug trafficking since it is well connected by air and sea," he added.
"Many tourists who come to Goa demand drugs. This demand has made Mumbai the most favoured destination for traffickers," the official pointed out.
According to the latest figures, 172 foreign nationals, including 41 Nigerians and 42 Myanmarese, were nabbed last year.
"Though more people have been arrested from Myanmar, it is the drug cartels in Nigeria that are running the drug trade in this part of the world," said the NCB official.
He said that a total 59 people from Africa have been arrested in 2005. "This is the highest number of people arrested from a single continent.
"Apart from Nigeria, we have arrested nationals from Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia," he added.
With the increasing demand for drugs in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, the amount of seizures has also increased considerably.
This year alone, India's law enforcing agencies have recovered 230 kg heroin and 203 kg of cocaine. Police have also recovered 20,000 drug tablets, including the highly potent Ecstasy.
"It is difficult to judge how many illegal consignments have missed our detection," said the official, noting that the recoveries were nothing but the tip of the iceberg.
"We only manage to trace one out of the ten consignments that come into the country," he said. "It is difficult to quantify the spread of narcotic drugs in the country."
Even so, "this year has been the most exciting, as we have recovered over 200 kg of cocaine. In comparison, in the past four years, only 12 kg of cocaine was seized in India," said an official.
"Cocaine is not produced in India, it is mostly smuggled into the country for consumption and to be exported to Europe and Latin America after further processing," he added.
The growing demand for narcotic substances in South Asia can be gauged from the fact that 22 Sri Lankans and 15 Nepalese have also been arrested, apart from the 42 Myanmarese.
Officials said the easy accessibility of New Delhi and Mumbai had made them a major transit point for trafficking drugs to most parts of Asia.
"Cartels are focussing on New Delhi as it is the best connected city in South Asia and also a growing market in itself. Furthermore, these cartels are trying to establish linkages in the other metros of the country," he said.
Officials added that "goods" from New Delhi could easily be sent to or received in any part of Asia, especially Southeast Asia.
"Some of the traffickers have revealed during interrogation that they sell at least 100 grams of cocaine every month," the official said.
New York, June 26 (IANS) Benita Singh, an Indian-American girl studying in Yale University, is among 15 people chosen by Newsweek magazine for its "Giving Back Awards" in recognition to their "bravery or generosity, genius or passion and devotion in helping others".
Singh and Ruth DeGolia, both students of international studies, have been engaged in working for the rehabilitation of poor women artisans in a non-descript village on the Pacific coast of Guatemala since 2003.
They, and the 13 others were chosen from hundreds of nominations "for imaginative approaches to difficult problems" and the magazine termed them as "15 people who make America great".
Singh and DeGolia were still undergraduates when they found their destiny in San Alfonso village, the magazine said.
The duo was working on their theses when they visited the village, which was filled with women who had fled Guatemala during that country's brutal civil war in the 1980s.
After two years in refugee camps in Mexico, the women, many of them widowed by the fighting, had been repatriated here, where there was no work and no market for the exquisite woven and beaded handicrafts they produced.
"It was the first time I'd ever walked into an impoverished (Third World) community where people weren't asking me for money," says Singh.
With a start-up grant from Echoing Green, a social entrepreneurship group, the two girls organised 15 to 18 cooperatives in remote villages where many inhabitants didn't even speak Spanish.
The members produced textiles on backstrap looms, hand-painted ceramics and jewellery for the export market.
They grossed about $75,000 last year in retail, online and catalogue sales.
This year, Singh and Ruth expect to earn $600,000 and are in talks with a major chain about carrying their hand-painted coffee mugs.
The money will be used to fund scholarships for children whose parents could not afford the $50 or 60 it costs to send a child to elementary school in the country.
"We have a very special place in our heart for young people with the audacity, the vision and the energy to see things through," says Lara Galinsky, a vice-president of Echoing Green.
Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, CNN anchor Solidad O'Brien and writer Rick Warren are among the other winners.
New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) Deepening income inequalities in South Asian countries may impede the recent strong economic growth witnessed in the region, a new World Bank report cautioned Monday.
"While countries in the region are growing rapidly, evidence shows that expansion, due to its uneven nature, is deepening income inequality and may be hard to sustain in the longer term if the key constraints are not addressed," states the new report, "Economic Growth in South Asia".
With nearly 400 million poor people, poverty in South Asia is not just endemic, but increasingly concentrated in lagging regions, the report states.
"Not only are these regions poorer, but their growth rates are substantially slower than the better-off regions," the report states.
"The phrase 'two Indias' that describes the great divide between those who benefit from Indian economic growth and the 300 million poor people being left further behind is a vivid example of the current challenge, repeated across South Asian countries."
Building on recent strong growth, countries in South Asia can dramatically reduce poverty by embracing policies aimed at increasing investment and productivity, and improving the quality of labour, while addressing pervasive income inequalities and poor service delivery, says the report.
"South Asia's decade-long economic expansion has raised the possibility that the subcontinent could eliminate poverty in our lifetime," says Shantayanan Devarajan, co-author of the report and World Bank chief economist for the South Asia region.
"But to realise this dream, South Asians must create the conditions and incentives necessary to sustain and accelerate growth that benefits all. The economic well-being of several hundred millions of people depends on it."
The World Bank envisages an annual investment requirement of around $25 billion for new rural and urban infrastructure in the region to reach higher growth targets.
The report cites country-specific challenges that policy-makers would need to address to accelerate growth. These include reducing fiscal deficits and public debt in India, strengthening governance in Bangladesh, deepening human capital in Pakistan, and addressing civil conflict in Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Giving an optimistic projection, the report shows that South Asian countries could see single-digit poverty rates in a decade if economic growth accelerated to 10 percent a year until 2015.
This means the number of people living in poverty could go down by two-thirds in less than a decade.
Looking back at the economic performance of the past decade, the report suggests that South Asian countries should aspire to this goal and emulate the East Asian growth rates of seven to 10 percent that lifted millions of people out of poverty in relatively few years.
"Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan have all grown at over 5.0 percent per year on average during the last five years. Growth in both Pakistan and India topped 8.0 percent last year. Forecasts put South Asian economies on a steady path of expansion this year," the report points out.
Economic growth has already contributed to an impressive reduction in poverty.
In the last decade, poverty in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal fell by 9.0, 10 and 11 percent respectively; in Sri Lanka it fell by 6.0 percent.
Only in Pakistan poverty increased by 8 percentage points due to economic stagnation throughout the 1990s, the report highlights.
The most recent evidence (2004-5 survey), however, suggests that with the resumption of high growth, poverty is again declining rapidly in Pakistan.
"But much remains to be done to achieve accelerated growth rates that increase economic prosperity across the board," the report says. "Faster growth must also be more equitably shared."
Kolkata, June 26. A Kolkata-based imam who had issued a fatwa against exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen for her anti-Islamic remarks withdrew it Monday after he was summoned by the city's top cop.
Syed Noor-ur-Rehman Barkati, the shahi imam of Tipu Sultan Mosque, had issued the fatwa after Taslima's comment at a seminar here June 10 and even announced a reward for blackening the feminist writer's face.
After meeting city police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee, who summoned him following a strong outcry by intellectuals, Barkati withdrew the fatwa but maintained that he did not issue it in the first place and only made some comments to "pre-empt an unsavoury incident in view of Taslima's comments".
"My talks with the police commissioner were very cordial," Barkati said.
Earlier Barkati had reportedly said to a Bengali news channel: "I have issued a fatwa against her. After the Jumma namaz, I said if anyone blackens her face and drives her out of India, I will give him Rs.50,000. There was pressure on me to do something about it as the people were angry."
"She has no right to hurt Muslim sentiments by saying anything against our prophet. She is a Jewish spy and there should be a CBI probe into her funding," he said, alleging the writer of disrupting communal harmony in West Bengal.
Reacting to the imam's move, Taslima said, "I'm not against any religion. The people have the right to practise any religion they want. I speak on women's issues and advocate that men and women be treated equally. I speak for humanity. If in any religion women are discriminated against, I speak up."
On June 10, speaking at a seminar on the "Irrelevance of religion in the era of technology", Nasreen reportedly said she had "abused Allah as a child" and that Quran "contains contradictions".
Nasreen, who now lives in Kolkata, has applied for Indian citizenship. However, India's home ministry is yet to decide on it. She had been here on an extended tourist visa since last year.
By T.R. Ramakrishnan, Basseterre (St Kitts), June 26 (IANS) On the close of the fourth day of the third Test, West Indies were 113 for 4 in their second innings, rattling along at almost five runs an over, for an overall lead of 332 against visitors India here.
The West Indies dismissed India for 362, 219 behind their first-innings score of 581, but skipper Brian Lara did not enforce the follow-on.
When Lara declares the Indies second innings Monday, what target he will set India, if he does at all, is anyone's guess.
Given the nature of the wicket, the lack of a specialist spinner in his side and the groin injury which saw Pedro Collins leave the field towards the end of India's innings, he might well let things drift and take their own course.
Earlier a Laxman hundred, and a 47-run last wicket stand between Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel - they batted together for 73 minutes - however, ensured that India did not stay in the shadows all day.
At stumps on the fourth day of the third Test it appeared that a draw would be the most likely result and that the teams would go even-even to Kingston, Jamaica, for the fourth and final Test, from June 30-July 4.
Laxman's 10th century in Tests, his 77-run seventh wicket stand with Anil Kumble (43) and the last-wicket stand between Harbhajan (38 not out) and Patel, gave India some respite after Jerome Taylor struck decisive blows early in the morning.
Taylor removed Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mohd Kaif in the space of six deliveries in his first two overs of the day.
The Indians might have been surprised that three of their first four batsmen to fall on Sunday - Dravid, Kaif and Mahendra Singh Dhoni - were given out leg before by umpire Brian Jerling, especially given his reluctance to raise his finger on the first two-and-a-half days when the Indians had several good shouts turned down.
But while Jerling, standing in his first Test, might not have been consistent, he could not be faulted on accuracy.
Only Kaif could consider himself unlucky not to get the benefit of doubt. The ball that got him, cut back sharply and seemed to be missing leg.
Dravid looked a little late coming down and missed the line of one that cut back sharply from Taylor while Yuvraj nibbled lazily at one angled across and edged to Ramdin.
Dhoni was trapped in front by Corey Collymore, missing the ball as he shuffled and tried to play it on the legside, after he and Laxman had put on 61 for the sixth wicket.
Laxman and Kumble then seemed to be steering India to safety. They tackled the second new ball effortlessly. Laxman hit Taylor for 12 in one over. Kumble outdid him in the next, getting 14 off Collins.
Then Laxman got out, the ball after he got his hundred.
Perhaps he did not regain his concentration after reaching the landmark. He just poked at a ball from Collins, angled away from him, nicked it and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, diving, took a good catch.
Like so many of his big innings, this too was vital to the interests of his team. It was full of grit and determination, and flair, too. Fifteen boundaries, in a stay of 338 minutes in which he faced 231 balls, were testimony to that.
The dismissal would have left Laxman with mixed feelings.
There has been increasing pressure on him over the last year or so and after three poor scores in the series, this century would have done wonders to his morale. But he would have been disappointed that he had not got his team out of the woods.
Harbhajan and Patel's stand, however, ensured that India did escape. They came together almost 40 minutes before tea, with India 315, still 67 short of the follow-on target of 382.
Had West Indies separated them early, Lara might well have enforced the follow-on and, as he had wished at the start of the Test, the tables would well and truly have been on India.
They would have been struggling to save the Test on the final day of the Test, just as West Indies were forced to do so on the final day of the first two Tests.
SCOREBOARD
Day 4, Third Test, West Indies v India, Warner Park Stadium, Basseterre (St Kitts)
West Indies (1st innings): 581
India (1st innings):
Wasim Jaffer c Lara b Bravo 60
Virender Sehwag c Lara b Collymore 31
V.V.S. Laxman c Ramdin b Collins 100
Rahul Dravid lbw Taylor 22
Yuvraj Singh c Ramdin b Taylor 0
Mohd Kaif lbw Taylor 0
M.S. Dhoni lbw Collymore 29
Anil Kumble c Collins b Collymore 43
Harbhajan Singh not out 38
S. Sreesanth c Lara b Collins 0
Munaf Patel c Ganga b Bravo 13
Extras (b8, lb 5, nb 13) 26
Total (all out in 107 overs) 362
Fall of wicket: 1-61, 2-124, 3-157, 4-159, 5-159, 6-220, 7-297, 8-311, 9-315, 10-362
Bowling:
Jerome Taylor 26-3-118-3
Pedro Collins 29.3-4-117-2 (10 nb)
Corey Collymore 25-4-63-3 (2nb)
Dwayne Bravo 17.3-6-38-2 (1nb)
Chris Gayle 2-0-3-0
Marlon Samuels 7-1-10-0
West Indies (2nd innings):
Chris Gayle c Dhoni b Sreesanth 3
Darren Ganga batting 41
Ramnaresh Sarwan c Dravid b Sreesanth 23
Brian Lara st Dhoni b Kumble 19
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c and b Kumble 11
Dwayne Bravo batting 9
Extras (lb 5, w 1, nb 1) 7
Total (for 4 wkts, in 24 overs) 113
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-46, 3-81, 4-102
Bowling:
Munaf Patel 7-0-43-0 (1nb)
S. Sreesanth 6-1-19-2
Anil Kumble 8-0-36-2 (1w)
Harbhajan Singh 3-0-10-0
By Sanjay Sharma, Bhopal, June 26 (IANS) After dropping a poem penned by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Madhya Pradesh government is reportedly planning more changes in the junior school history text books.
The state's school education department is holding brainstorming sessions these days to decide on what matter to insert and what to remove for a new history book for primary and middle school children, official sources said.
The reported move comes amid a controversy over the dropping of a poem by Nehru as well as his memoirs from the textbooks of Class 1 to 4 in the state. The opposition has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of "saffronising education on the directives of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh".
The state has also seen several protests and demonstrations by the Congress and its affiliate National Students Union of India (NSUI) during the week. However, the BJP government seems unfazed over the criticism.
The state government has also removed popular English nursery rhymes, including "Baa baa black sheep", "Twinkle, twinkle little star", and "Johnny, Johnny yes papa", from primary school textbooks. In addition, "Abu Khan Ki Bakri", a short story by former president Zakir Hussain has also been erased from Class 4 textbooks.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has called for the revision of history syllabus all over the country, told a function at Jabalpur on Sunday that he wants the coming generation to read more about the contribution of people of the state to the freedom struggle.
Chouhan said: "If Nehru was a great leader, it doesn't mean he alone contributed to the country's freedom. Others should also be given due place in the school curriculum."
Taking a dig at the Congress, Chouhan said: "The Congress, which has been making a hue and cry over the replacement (not removal) of some chapters on Nehru, has itself removed a poem on Mahatma Gandhi - `Main Gandhi Banoonga' - when it was in power in the state."
Meanwhile, the Agrawal community comprising over 1.8 million people in the state, is up in arms against the government over the removal of a chapter on Agrasen Maharaj, religious guru and founder of the Agrawal Samaj.
School Education Minister Narottam Mishra was evasive on being asked about further changes in the history text books. He said: "A school curriculum review exercise is underway."
By Prasun Sonwalkar, London, June 26 (IANS) Fresh from the Sunday agreement with Arcelor, Lakshmi Mittal - who has become the global face of Indian enterprise - declared that the merger was one of the greatest days in the history of Mittal Steel and a "seminal event" that will shape the steel industry's future.
The Arcelor board's decision to accept Mittal Steel's merger offer not only symbolises a triumph for global business over economic nationalism, but also a vindication of Mittal's vision of the steel industry in Europe.
According to him, European companies need to merge and consolidate in order to ensure their competitiveness in a globalised world.
Mittal said: "I am delighted that Mittal Steel and Arcelor have agreed to merge. This is one of the greatest days in the history of Mittal Steel and a seminal event in the steel industry that will shape its future."
Mittal's journey from the small village of Sadulpur in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan to jetting across continents, acquiring steel mills and interacting with powerful political leaders is the stuff of legend. His story has seen several ups and downs, but he proved all along that he has nerves of steel in the face of odds.
Like the British media, which once vilified Mittal for using donations to the Labour party to expand his business but now lauds his acumen, Arcelor officials also effected a turnaround Sunday after they had earlier launched personal attacks on Mittal.
Earlier this year, Arcelor chief executive Guy Dolle had described Mittal's offer as having been made with "monopoly money" and denigrated Mittal's products with: "They make Eau de Cologne, we make perfume."
On Sunday, after a marathon day-long meeting of the Arcelor board, chairman Joseph Kinsch said: "In the end, it was decided unanimously by the Arcelor board that (it will) recommend the new offer by Mittal Steel," adding that Mittal's improved bid was a 10 percent premium over its previous offer. He is reported to have offered 43 euros per share in a fresh offer.
The setting up of the new company called Arcelor Mittal is the latest in the list of Mittal's long list of acquisitions over the years that stretches across continents. Of late, he has been ably assisted in securing mergers and acquisitions by his son, Aditya Mittal.
Mittal, who turned 56 on June 15, is Britain's richest resident, and continues to be an Indian citizen. His multinational business plans include expansion in the steel sector in India, mainly in Jharkhand state that is rich in iron ore.
On paper, Mittal and his family will own 43.6 percent of the capital of the new company - after the offer is accepted by Arcelor shareholders on June 30 - but no one is in any doubt about who will soon be in the driving seat. It is widely expected that Mittal will come to acquire majority shareholding in the company in the near future.
On Sunday night, the merger was presented as a "merger of equals". Arcelor's current chairman Joseph Kinsch and chief executive Guy Dollé will keep their roles in the new dispensation while Mittal will become the group president. Four of the seven management positions will be filled by Arcelor directors.
Mittal is widely expected to take on the chairmanship next year when Kinsch is due to stand down.
Mittal said: "Arcelor is an exceptional company with world class assets and highly regarded management. I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of our employees, shareholders, and business partners for their support throughout this process of creating the best steel company in the world.
"This combination is a natural alliance that represents a transformational change towards realising our vision of a more sustainable and stable industry benefiting all stakeholders. It is a winning combination between our two complementary companies, creating the industry leader that will create significant value for our shareholders."
Mittal's takeover bid, launched in January, had provoked much political opposition in European capitals. It was feared that the takeover would lead to job losses, but Mittal moved quickly to publicly deny any such future plans.
Mittal has since travelled across European capitals, explaining his plans for the future of the merged company and allaying apprehensions at the political level. His efforts slowly led to lowering of political opposition to the bid and ensuring that economic considerations alone determined its fate.
Islamabad, June 26 (IANS) Pakistan may field its High Commissioner to Britain Maleeha Lodhi as its candidate for UN secretary general, essentially to counter Indian nominee Shashi Tharoor.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's name also did the rounds, The Nation newspaper said.
"After hectic consultations among the ruling circles, a decision has been taken about Dr. Lodhi's candidature for the post of the UN Secretary General," the newspaper said, quoting a senior official.
"As for the names of Prime Minister Aziz and Ambassador Munir Akram (permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN), it was all rumours but the candidature of (UN official) Nafis Sadik was considered," the official said, adding that it was dropped because of the "age factor" and the decision been taken in favour of High Commissioner Lodhi.
Announcement regarding this vital decision was likely after the envoys conference being held here this week from Monday to Thursday.
A well-known journalist, academician and diplomat, Lodhi had earlier served as ambassador to the US.
Before becoming a diplomat, she was editor of an English daily.
Some media reports earlier suggested that Pakistan was unlikely to go in for a tit-for-tat nomination on India's bid for the post of UN secretary-general after it came up with the candidature of Shashi Tharoor as candidate for the secretary-general's job.
However, the official said Pakistan would counter the Indian move and all possible efforts would be made for the success of Lodhi.
Berlin, June 26 (DPA) Portugal face England in the World Cup quarterfinals Saturday after they beat the Netherlands 1-0 in an ill-tempered affair that saw 16 yellow cards shown.
Four men were sent off - two for both sides - and 8 others were booked as tempers boiled over in Nuremburg, while in Stuttgart earlier, England beat Ecuador in a damp squib of a match settled by a free kick by captain David Beckham.
It was a 23rd-minute goal from Maniche that put Portugal into the clash with England, a repeat of their quarterfinal match at the 2004 European Championships, which Portugal won on penalties.
On an incredible night, Russian referee Valentin Ivanov completely lost control of the match, flashing 16 yellow cards in all, and four reds as a result - equalling the record for a World Cup match.
Portugal defender Costinha was the first to go - sent off for a second booking just before half-time. Khalid Boulahrouz evened the numbers when he saw red after a second booking for a foul on Portugal captain Luis Figo just after the hour mark.
"I tried to get the ball, he hit me in the face and I think he deserved the red card," Figo said.
Portugal midfielder Deco then made it 10-9 to the Dutch when he lost his head to be booked twice in five minutes (73 and 78) while Ivanov gave Giovanni van Bronckhorst his marching orders in injury time, also for a second booking.
For Portugal, it got even worse when Cristiano Ronaldo hobbled off the pitch in tears nursing a serious thigh injury that could put him out of the competition after the clash with Boulahrouz for which the Dutch defender saw his first yellow.
Phillip Cocu came closest to equalising for the Dutch early in the second half but his right-foot effort cannoned off the crossbar.
England's win over Ecuador saw David Beckham become the first Englishman to score in three World Cups - his 59th-minute free kick, a rare bright spot in a turgid display by his side.
Frank Lampard had been obstructed by Ulises De La Cruz and the England skipper curled his 28 metre effort over the wall and past Cristian Mora in the Ecuador goal.
He was then sick on the turf. "I didn't feel well before the game but I thought I would be fine and in the first half, I felt fine," he said later. "But it continued in the second half and it just came out."
Coach Sven Goran Eriksson admitted the performance was not the best but defended his decision to play Wayne Rooney as a lone striker "because we think it could be useful later in the tournament. We have so many half strikers - (Frank) Lampard, (Steven) Gerrard, Beckham. We will see if we use it again."
Ecuador named the side that gave them their first two wins in Group A with first-choice front pairing Agustin Delgado and Carlos back after being rested in the defeat to Germany.
Back home, the euphoria may have gone, but the fans still hailed their footballers, their previous cries of "we can do it" replaced by "we could do it" and "mission accomplished" for reaching the last 16.
By Allah Bukhsh
“We must also ponder why Bihar which was chosen to be the original location of the Indian Institute of Agricultural Research has failed to catch up with the rest of the country? Bihar, in 1950 was described as the second best governed State in the very famous Paul Appleby Report. From that point, from that benchmark where Bihar is today in terms of its absorptive capacity? …we have Indian Rice Research Institute located in Cuttack, yet Orissa remains by and large still a mono-crop economy. There is something wrong with our ways we manage our agricultural research and technology systems … I don’t know the answers but I do feel that these are issues, which need in-depth analysis.�
-- Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
The application of scientific knowledge was the essence of the Green Revolution. New seeds, new fertilizers, new ways of farming and providing extension services were all examples of the application of scientific and technological knowledge.
Apart from contributing to food security, the Green Revolution increased the incomes of farmers in many parts of the country. It has contributed to agrarian change and rural development.
It is scientists like Dr. B. P. Pal and Dr Swaminathan who laid the foundations of our Green Revolution. If today India is substantially self-sufficient in food, it is to a great extent because of their dedicated work in increasing yields and incomes
Nutritional Security
The Green Revolution was not just about yields and incomes. It was also about empowerment. By increasing the value of knowledge in improving the lives of the farmers, it empowered them. It enhanced the country’s food security. However, the nutritional security of all our people particularly our children and women have yet to be ensured. The benefits of food security have to translate into the nutritional security of the poorest of the poor - that’s the challenge. It looks formidable but what is needed today is a practical, viable strategy to reach to the poorest section of the population. Resources are not that binding a constraint today because the present UPA Government stands committed to enlarge very substantially those segments of development programme, which will help to improve the nutritional status of women and children. There is now a new nation-wide programme of providing a cooked Mid-Day meal to all school children, all over the country. The expansion of the Integrated Child Development (ICDS) programme that will cover all walks of our population is also there.
To sustain a higher rate of economic growth and make it more equitable and inclusive, growth process has to be certainly more broad-based. It must envelope the agrarian economy and society. It must translate into higher incomes and better capabilities for farmers and the rural poor.
Rural Growth
To accelerate rural development a combination of policies is needed: investments in rural infrastructure – in schools, hospitals, roads, power supply, civic amenities, telecommunications and irrigation. The Bharat Nirman programme is an attempt to address this challenge. This alone of course is not enough. The economic connectivity between the farm and the market and between the farm and our laboratories has to be improved. The benefits of research must reach the farmer. The bounty coming out of various science and technologies must reach continually in the market, in a manner that would benefit the farmer. Finally, the benefits of increased production and productivity must translate themselves into improved consumption. Higher food production must reflect itself in better nutritional status of all people.
There is also the need for increased application of science and modern technology to forest conservation and management, environmental protection, management of animal husbandry resources, water conservation and utilization of herbs and plants. A harmonious blend of advanced science and technology, appropriate technology and local knowledge is needed to ensure an equitable distribution of the benefits of new knowledge.
Objectives of New Revolution
These are the objectives of what the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has often called the Second Green Revolution. Dr Swaminathan and the National Commission on Farmers have suggested a “programme of renewal� that would be its starting point. To the five components suggested by Dr Swaminathan, two more have been added by the Prime Minister. The seven components identified are:
Ø soil health enhancement through concurrent attention to the physics, chemistry and microbiology of the soils;
Ø water harvesting, water conservation and sustainable and equitable use of water;
Ø access to affordable credit and to crop and life insurance reform;
Ø development and dissemination of appropriate technologies and,
Ø improved opportunities, infrastructure and regulations for marketing of produce,
Ø the application of science and biotechnology to the improvement of seeds and utilization of herbal and other plants;
Ø the application of science to animal husbandry to improve the productivity of our livestock and poultry.
The focus of agriculture has also shifted from staple crops to high value crops. Apart from government funded research and extension work, privately funded R&D and extension services, like e-chaupal have come up.
The scientists must work with Government and non-government organizations, local bodies and corporates, to take knowledge to its users. The revolution in information technology has opened up new opportunities. It has made it easier to take knowledge to its user. However, the market for knowledge has not yet fully developed in rural areas. It is the responsibility of Government, of non-governmental organizations, of farmers’ organizations and of the suppliers of such knowledge-based services to create such a market.
Bio-factories
Perhaps a much sharper focus is required on strategic research in plant technology. Plants as “bio-factories� are seen as potential producers of drugs, vaccines, biofuels and bioplastics. Research in these areas can be enormously beneficial to a country like ours. It can have a global impact too, but for all this a well-functioning research system is needed.
If the pattern of energy consumption and utilization in Indian agriculture can be altered, made more environment friendly and less dependent on fossil fuels, it could have far-reaching consequences for our growth process, environment and the well-being of our people.
Indian agriculture certainly needs new investments. It needs new productivity enhancing measures. It needs a new wave of entrepreneurship. The agricultural credit system must respond to the felt needs of the farmers. And so should our scientists and managers. Greater public-private partnership is required, but it must not remain a mere buzzword. (PIB Features)
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Writer is Director (Media & Coordination), PIB, New Delhi
Jaipur, June 26 (IANS) Two people, including a woman, were killed and 16 injured when the tent of an ongoing religious function collapsed here Sunday.
The accident took place at Suraj Maidan in Adarsh Nagar area where spiritual teacher Sadhvi Rithambara was preaching from the Bhagwat Gita, said superintendent of police V.K. Singh.
He said over 2,500 people were attending the function when the 'pandal' collapsed, seemingly due to a thunderstorm, at around 6.30 p.m.
The seven-day function started Saturday.
Pune, June 26 (indianmuslims.info) Two Muslims girls Arshaiya Tarannum and Afreen Sikandar are on the Maharashtra Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board merit list.
The exams were conducted in March 2006 and results were announced on Monday by Board's Chairman Vasant Kalpade.
Monika Mallinath Mashalkar of Latur with 725 marks out of 750(96.66%) topped the merit list.
Arshaiya Tarannum of Urdu High school in Amravati, is tied for second position with Nisha Kailasrao Lagad with 724 marks.
Pune's Jamandar Afreen Sikandar of Anglo Urdu Girls High School, New Modikhana, Pune (Pune Division) was placed in the third place with 723 marks (96.40 per cent).
The total pass percentage for this year examination for Standard X was 64.59 per cent. A total of 16,08,278 students had appeared for the examination out of which 10,38,722 came out successful.
This year 55123 students appeared for Urdu language exam and 50939 passed resulting in a pass percentage of 92.41% among the highest for languages.
New York, June 26 (IANS) Many in the West see Muslims as fanatical and violent while Muslims in the Middle East and Asia generally see Westerners as selfish, immoral, greedy as well as violent and fanatical, says a survey.
The survey by Pew Global Attitudes Project, conducted among roughly 14,000 people in 13 nations, including India, reveals that people in predominantly Muslim nations blame Western policies for their own lack of prosperity. It also notes that generally Muslims feel much more embittered towards people in the West than vice versa.
The poll also indicates that the majority in Muslim countries that have fairly strong ties with the US - like Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Turkey - do not believe Arabs carried out the 9/11 attacks in the US.
It shows that Westerners are broadly sceptical of Muslim values. Many of them, including in Germany and Spain, feel there is a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society. It also points out that Westerners are less optimistic about the prospects for democracy in the Muslim world than are Muslims themselves.
The survey reveals that Muslim support for terrorism has declined. It says in Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia, there have been substantial declines in the percentages saying suicide bombings and other forms of violence against civilian targets can be justified to defend Islam against its enemies.
It also indicates that Westerners, by lopsided margins, do not think of Muslims as "respectful of women" while Muslims in predominantly Muslim countries feel the same about Westerners.
"Perhaps no issue highlights the divide between Muslims and the West more clearly than their responses to the uproar this past winter over cartoon depictions of Muhammad," the report of the survey released June 22 says.
"Muslim publics blame the controversy on Western nations' disrespect for the Islamic religion. In contrast, majorities of Americans and Western Europeans more often say Muslims' intolerance to different points of view is more to blame," it adds.
Pew conducted the survey from March 31-May 14 in Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Turkey and the US.
A non-profit organisation, Pew serves the public interest by providing information, advancing policy solutions and supporting civic life.