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  1. Citing the Wisconsin Gurdwara shootout last year that killed six Sikh worshippers, US President Barack Obama has expressed concern over increasing instances of acts of violence inside the country by home grown terrorists. We face a real threat from radicalised individuals here in the United States. Whether its a (white racist terrorist) shooter at a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, a plane flying into a building in Texas, or the extremists who killed 168 people at the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, America has confronted many forms of violent extremism in our history, Obama said on Thursday. Deranged or alienated individuals often US citizens or legal residents can do enormous damage, particularly when inspired by larger notions of violent jihad. And that pull towards extremism appears to have led to the shooting at Fort Hood and the bombing of the Boston Marathon, Obama said. So thats the current threat lethal yet less capable Al-Qaeda affiliates; threats to diplomatic facilities and businesses abroad; homegrown extremists. This is the future of terrorism. We have to take these threats seriously, and do all that we can to confront them, Obama said. But as we shape our response, we have to recognise that the scale of this threat closely resembles the types of attacks we faced before 9/11, he said. Later in a fact sheet on domestic radicalisation, the White House said even as the US guards against dangers from abroad, one cannot neglect the daunting challenge of terrorism from within our borders. This threat is not new, but technology and the Internet have increased its frequency and lethality. To address this threat, the Presidents Administration did comprehensive review in 2011. The best way to prevent violent extremism is to work with the American Muslim community, which has consistently rejected extremism, it said. Our communities must work together to understand the signs of radicalisation, and partner with law enforcement when an individual is drifting towards violence. And these partnerships can only work when we respect that Muslims are a fundamental part of the American fabric, the White House said.
  2. Narendra Modi tipped as India's next prime minister Narendra Modi, the Hindu nationalist chief minister reviled for failing to stop the 2002 massacre of Muslims in Gujarat, was hailed as a candidate for India's next prime minister after a landslide victory in the state elections. His victory strengthened his position to lead India's mainstream opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2014 general election campaign after a number of senior BJP allies voiced serious concerns over his suitability. Mr Modi has been one of India's most controversial political leaders since the 2002 riots when communal clashes led to the killing of between 790 and 2000 Muslims and several hundred Hindus throughout Gujarat. The violence was sparked by reports of that 54 Hindus had been killed in a fire after Muslims attacked their train at Godhra. More than 30 Hindus were sentenced to life imprisonment for their role in the killings in 2011 while in July this year another 32 people were convicted including Mr Modi's former women and child development minister, Maya Kodnani, who was jailed for 28 years for murder during two riots in which 95 people were killed. The chief minister was accused of failing to stop the killing at best and encouraging the violence at worst, a charge he has strongly denied. The United States however said there was evidence of complicity among officials and police and revoked Mr Modi's visa in 2005. Britain boycotted the Gujarat government in response to the killings which included the murder of three British nationals. Despite the controversy surrounding his role at the time of the riots, his stature has grown steadily since then and he has built a reputation for turning Gujarat into one of India's best-governed and most affluent states. His party has lost the last two general elections and has yet to transform its fortunes, but Mr Modi is increasingly seen as the leader who could finally return the Hindu nationalist party to power. Britain announced it would end its boycott in October and sent its High Commissioner to meet Mr Modi as part of its drive to increase trade with India, while the United States said he would be eligible to apply for another visa. Both decisions were driven in part by the possibility that Mr Modi could be India's next prime minister. He won 115 of 182 seats in the state assembly and marked his victory by apologising for his past mistakes while his supporters chanted "PM" in celebration. The BJP's leader in the Indian parliament's upper house, Arun Jaitley, said his past should no longer constrain his future. "Gujarat had a very unfortunate situation in the social tensions, in the riots in 2002. Now the agenda of politics of Gujarat has grown, Narendra Modi has grown. He has tried his best to get out of that agenda and take Gujarat to a very positive agenda. And this election, if you see, is a result of that positive agenda," he said. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/9758527/Narendra-Modi-tipped-as-Indias-next-prime-minister.html
  3. In these interviews, former Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury Roberts explains to us the current financial situation facing America and the world. I recall that Giani Thakur Singh ji once mentioned in his katha that the food, homes, jobs etc we have are a result of our past kamai. Difficult economic situations come about b/c peoples' kamai runs out. part 1 http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2013/3/15_Former_US_Treasury_Official_-_Fed_Desperate_To_Avoid_Collapse.html part 2 http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2013/3/16_Former_US_Treasury_Official_-_US_Financial_System_To_Collapse.html Trends Forecaster, Gerald Celente, discusses Government Preparations for Economic Implosion:
  4. i've been remembering websites that i have visited in the past and now when i search for them they no longer exist was wondering if anyone else came across these websites and knows of others that have disappeared? http://www.khalistan.com http://www.burningpunjab.com http://www.akalidal.org website for british sikh federation has disappeared?
  5. Hi, everyone please check this link, and everyone please try and attend. The location is, the Old Palace Yard, House of Parliament, SW1A 0AA, London http://www.kesrilehar.co.uk/index.html They also need your support as this campaign is aiming to plant 84 trees across the UK to remember the 1984 genocide. They require our support in securing approvals from our local Gurdwaras or council for land to be allocated for the tree planting and commitments for the purchase, the planting and the pruning/caring for the tree. If you are willing to help or know someone that can, then please send and fill out information needed in the below link. http://www.kesrileha...k/84-trees.html
  6. Hi, everyone please check this link, and everyone please try and attend. The location is, the Old Palace Yard, House of Parliament, SW1A 0AA, London http://www.kesrilehar.co.uk/index.html
  7. SIKH FEDERATION (UK) Panthic conference to honour Shaheed Satwant Singh Ji and Shaheed Kehar Singh Ji Sunday 6 January 2013 (11am-1.30pm) Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Sheehy Way, Slough, SL2 5SS Arambh Akhand Paath Sahib Ji on Fri 4 January, Bhog on Sun 6 January For further information contact Daljit Singh on 07976 715237
  8. Lahore roundabout (to be named after Bhagat Singh) sparks battle of identity in Pakistan BBC News 1 January 2013 Last updated at 00:33 A row over the naming of an apparently mundane roundabout in Lahore exposed how much of a battleground Pakistan's identity can be. BBC Urdu's Shumaila Jaffrey examines the city's struggle to embrace its history. Lahore has long been known for its historical traditions, love of culture and its diverse heritage, where parts of the city were named after Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and other communities. That is now changing. Most roads and spaces have been renamed to be associated with Muslim heroes or personalities. It appears as if nobody ever objected until the trend was bucked by the renaming of a small and insignificant roundabout, which stirred up a huge controversy between religious groups and civil society in the city. In September, the district government of Lahore declared it would rename a roundabout called Fawara Chowk in the city's Shadman area after the revolutionary Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in order to acknowledge his sacrifice for freedom. Revered idol Bhagat Singh was hanged in Shadman Square almost 80 years ago - when this part of the world was under colonial British rule - on charges of murdering a British police officer. He is still one of the most revered idols of the Indian movement for freedom. For years, admirers of Bhagat Singh across the border in India have been imploring authorities to rename this square after him. He was born into a Sikh family, but many historians believe he was an atheist. Irrespective of his religious views, his Sikh identity has become a bone of contention in the most recent controversy. Several religious groups opposed the move. A spokesman for the hardline charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, said: "We respect Bhagat Singh's sacrifices for freedom, but in the present age, the controversy is between Islam and non-Islam, and we believe that Islamic names, personalities and ideology should be promoted in Pakistan." But the decision to rename the roundabout was approved - and it unleashed a torrent of opposition. Religious groups said they would rename the roundabout Hurmat-e-Rasool (Sanctity of Prophet Muhammad) Chowk for themselves and threatened protests. Now a local traders' association has filed a petition against the decision in the Lahore High Court. In reality, most people do not care about its name but religious groups can bring pressure on people, particularly if they cast the move as anti-Islamic. The trader who filed the petition, known simply as Zahid, said: "How can we tell our children such names, names that are associated with Sikhs? Hindus are demolishing our mosques [in India], and our rulers are naming squares after them!" There is little evidence to support the claim that mosques are being demolished in India, but such a message is likely to find supporters in Pakistan. Although this is not the first time public amenities or monuments have been subject to dispute, it did raise many questions. Is Pakistan a society that can embrace the long history of its land, including the events that shaped events in the sub-continent before Independence? Or is it a place that wants to shed all such past associations and focus on its current identity. Queen Victoria moved Under the British, there were many statues erected in public places. Many have since been removed. One statue, of Sir Ganga Ram, noted for giving many landmarks to Lahore, was torn down in the communal riots of 1947 - retold in a short story by Urdu writer Hassan Manto - as documented in this blog post on Lahore's cultural heritage. "They first pelted the statue with stones; then smothered its face with coal tar. Then a man made a garland of old shoes climbed up to put it round the neck of the statue. The police arrived and opened fire. Among the injured were the fellow with the garland of old shoes. As he fell, the mob shouted: 'Let us rush him to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.'" Another prominent statue was Queen Victoria's which since 1904 had stood on Charing Cross Square on the Mall road until 1974 when it was removed from the public eye on the eve of the Islamic Summit Conference. Since then it has been displayed at the Lahore museum. Statues of Dayal Singh, King Edward, Bhagat Singh, and Lord Lawrence met the same fate. The prominent archaeologist, historian and the ex-director of the Lahore Museum, Saif-ur-Rehman Dar, believes that the statues were removed for religious reasons. "A very limited number of people are against pre-partition social and cultural icons, but they have access to media. They are very loud so their voices can be heard everywhere." He adds that statues are not popular in Pakistan: "We don't have statue of Jinnah or Liaqat Ali Khan anywhere in the country as well." But when it comes to home-grown symbols, there are fewer inhibitions. Wagah cheerleader Earlier this year, Mehar Din, also known as Chacha Pakistani (Uncle Pakistan), died aged 90. He was widely mourned in the city and indeed across the country. With a distinctive white beard, for years he was regularly seen at Pakistan's Wagah border crossing with India holding a Pakistani flag and wearing colour-co-ordinated clothing as the famous ceremony was played out each day. A patriot rather than a nationalist, he had become a prominent feature and could always be heard chanting pro-Pakistan slogans. The troops and visitors mourned his death and his zeal has been sorely missed. "The Wagah border had become his home, and everybody here was his family," said one border guard, Asim. "As long as we remember, we cannot recall any evening when Chacha Pakistan was not around." Bhagat Singh dedicated his life to revolutionary actions out of love for his motherland and these acts were part of the march towards independence from British rule. Chacha Pakistani lived from day-to-day to express his zeal for Pakistan. But were it not for Hindus, Sikhs and others like Bhagat Singh who fought for independence from the British, the series of events that led to Pakistan's creation might never have occurred. Lahore, meanwhile, remains divided about giving Bhagat Singh a place on its streets. Mr Dar says: "History is continuity, individuals can accept or reject it on their personal liking and disliking - but it cannot be disowned." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20762866
  9. Putin to push for arms deals in India Hindustan Times Saturday, December 22, 2012 Agence France-Presse Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to the country on Monday on an official visit expected to focus on gaining contracts for Russia's arms manufacturers and boosting ties with one of Moscow's oldest allies. Putin flies to New Delhi early Monday to hold one-on-one talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and broader delegation talks, followed by a signing of documents, the Russian embassy in New Delhi said. He will also meet the ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and Sushma Swaraj, the leader of BJP opposition party. The Kremlin said this week that Putin will discuss "concrete steps to further develop strategic partnership" in trade, investment, military and energy policy. The trip will be Putin's first to South Asia since his return to the Kremlin in May. Dmitry Medvedev met with Prime Minister Singh in New Delhi in late March, shortly before stepping down from his presidency. Putin last travelled to the country in 2010, when he was prime minister. The country is one of Russia's key partners, which Putin often praises for sharing Moscow's geopolitical vision of a multipolar world. Putin will be eager to show Russia's ally, now the world's largest arms importer, that it is a key and desirable partner, said Fyodor Lukyanov, who chairs the Russian council on foreign and defence policy, an independent organisation. "The point of the visit is to sustain the exclusive status of these relations," said Lukyanov. "The relationship with India is very broad, but it is not developing very well," he said. The country is still Russia's number one arms importer, and Russian-made military equipment accounts for 70% of Indian arms supplies. But while Moscow once had a virtual monopoly over the country's arms market, the situation is now changing because New Delhi has started shopping around, Lukyanov said. "India made a real breakthrough (during the 1990s), one that Russia has slept through," he said. "Putin is trying to compensate for that, but you cannot take back what is lost." The country is still buying Russian weapons "because it is preparing for a regional conflict, and Russian equipment satisfies its needs, since it's better than that of the adversary," said Alexander Golts, an independent analyst. But Moscow has been worried recently by New Delhi's increasing preference for Western suppliers, especially after Boeing was chosen last month over Russia's MiL plant for a major helicopter contract. The country has also been unhappy with delays of deliveries of some naval equipment, notably of the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which is being refurbished for the Indian Navy at Russia's Sevmash naval yard. Russia was originally to deliver the upgraded vessel in August 2008, but the date has now been pushed back to the end of 2013, while the price has more than doubled from $978 million to $2.3 billion. That contract is likely to come up in the course of Putin's visit, said Igor Korotchenko, director of the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade. "One of the visit's goals is to agree that the project will be finished next year," he said. "It's a difficult project." Many potential deals involve Russia's Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer, including a $3.77 billion deal for 42 Su-30MKI fighters, a $1 billion refurbishment deal for older Su-30MKIs already used by India's airforce, and a deal to produce the fifth generation Sukhoi fighter, a joint Russia-India project, he added. Russia's Kazan Helicopter Plant has this week delivered to India a shipment of Mi-17 helicopters as part of a contract for 80 that India signed in 2008, Russian Helicopters said Thursday. The remainder of the contract will be delivered in 2013, it said. "India is still Russia's number one military buyer," Korotchenko said. "We plan to keep that position."
  10. Two MPs, 6 legislators face rape charges: New Delhi: Two sitting MPs and six sitting legislators in different states were fielded by their parties despite cases of crimes against women pending against them, a think tank said on Thursday, four days after a 23-year-old medical student was gangraped in Delhi. Data compiled by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) showed that parties like the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) gave tickets to candidates with charges of rape and other atrocities against women in different states. Referring to affidavits filed by lawmakers ahead of their election, ADR said MPs S Semmalai of the AIADMK from Salem constituency in Tamil Nadu and Suvendu Adhikari of the Trinamool Congress from Tamluk constituency in West Bengal declared that they were facing charges of cruelty and intent to outrage a woman's modesty. There were six legislators across state assemblies with rape charges against them, it said. Another 36 legislators declared that they were facing charges such as assault and molestation, it said. The think tank said that out of the six legislators with rape cases, three were from Uttar Pradesh and members of the SP. They are: Sribhagwan Sharma, Anoop Sanda and Manoj Kumar Paras. The three other legislators facing rape charges were: Mohd Aleem Khan of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Jethabhai G Ahir of the BJP in Gujarat and Kandikunta Venkata Prasad of the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh. The report showed that parties like the Congress, BJP, SP and BSP gave tickets to candidates with charges of rape. Of the 36 legislators, who declared in their affidavits that they were facing charges of crimes against women, six were from the Congress, five from the BJP and three from the SP, ADR said. Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number of legislators (eight) who declared in their affidavits that they were facing charges of crimes against women, followed by Odisha and West Bengal with seven lawmakers each. The think tank said 27 candidates with rape charges contested different state elections in the past five years. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/two-mps-6-legislators-face-rape-charges-report/311637-37-64.html
  11. India Must Ban Child Labor Posted: 12/21/2012 10:35 am Gordon Brown Pressure is mounting on the Indian Parliament to end child labour after 150,000 Indians signed an abolition petition demanding an immediate change in the child labour laws. The petition follows the recent revelation of slave labour conditions under which young children of eight and nine were making Christmas decorations. Currently dangerous work is outlawed in India -- but there is no blanket ban yet on child labour under the age of fourteen. As a result India accounts for some of the worst excesses in global child labour; overall fifteen million children worldwide work full time when they should be at school. This week the children who escaped slave conditions have spoken of their fate and about their ambitions for the future. During their horrific ordeal they were trafficked, exploited, imprisoned and denied food and their stories underline the urgent action needed to end child labour. They would still be making tree decorations and other trinkets but for the courageous rescue carried out by Kailash Satyarthi and his co-leaders of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) and Global March Against Child Labour (GMACL). Their captors were slave masters who had them trafficked from Indian provinces. Often their parents were tricked into believing they were leaving to be given free education. Their stories, recounted in a new film published on our website EducationEnvoy.org, reveal a pattern of child abuse. The first child featured on the film is eleven year old Rahim from Malman Nagariain. From the moment he boarded a train to India's capital he became a prisoner and was eventually confined to a dark and dingy sweatshop in LNJP colony. He was forced to work 18 hours a day with only two recesses of ten minutes each for eating. He was never allowed to leave the premises and had to cook food for himself and his employer inside the sweatshop. He was often scolded and hit for being slow at work. His employer did not pay him a single rupee for his work despite being promised INR1500 per month. Now free he wants to study hard and become a soldier. Imran is eleven and hails from the Katihar district in Bihar. He was indentured to an employer who promised he could send home money to support his family. In the asphyxiating sweatshop, which also doubled up as his living quarters, Imran had to work 14 hours a day. While he produced quality Christmas ornaments and gifts for export, he was never paid anything. Imran will find it difficult to recover from his ordeal as his health suffered having to spend endless hours inhaling chemicals and adhesives. Though he is now free from the shackles of slavery and wants to go to school, the injuries he endured may be lasting, standing in the way of his ambition to be a teacher. He feels strongly that no child should experience what he went through. Aslam, twelve, is a native of Sipur village, Azam Nagar in the Katihar district. Despite being promised a good education he too ended up in the same dingy sweatshop in Delhi. Like the other rescued children he worked very long days, sleeping in the same room where he worked. He was never paid a single rupee. Interestingly he too now wants to be a teacher. Abdul came from the same village as Aslam. His parents sold him after they were promised their son would receive training to help him get a job. Instead he worked from 10am until midnight every day for months. He is now at BBA's transit Mukti Ashram rehabilitation centre whilst the legal formalities of his repatriation are completed so he can go home. Like Rahim, he wants to be soldier when he grows up. These boys tell similar stories -- from when they were trafficked through to being eventually rescued -- but they are only four of around fifteen million children not at school because they are forced to work. Only a bold change in the law and the policing of it will change the plight of these child slaves. So when the Indian parliament reconvenes in February, the Global March Against Child Labour is seeking a change in the law which bans forever child labour under fourteen and restricts the minimum age to eighteen. The bill has been drafted. Politicians of all parties support it. It just needs the time required to be heard in Parliament so it can be voted through and passed into law. Join us at EducationEnvoy.org in demanding the Indian people finally abolish child labour. Children should be putting up decorations not making them; the only work they should be doing is school work. Let's make 2013 the year child labour is consigned to history. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gordon-brown/india-child-labor-laws_b_2345756.html
  12. Sad news. Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/112000-mann-to-quit-politics-over-lack-of-funds.html Former IPS officer and president of SAD (Amritsar), Simranjit Singh Mann, who espoused the cause of the hardliners, decided to call it quits. After remaining in active politics ever since giving up his job as a Commandant of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in Bombay protesting against the Operation Bluestar in 1984, Mann, along with his party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), has finally decided to give up electoral politics for “lack of funds”. The decision to “quit” the electoral politics, it is believed, was also the upshot of party’s constant dismal performance in both parliamentary and Assembly elections. “SAD (Amritsar) would not contest Lok Sabha polls or Punjab Assembly polls in the coming future. We do not have money power unlike other political parties, that made it really hard for us to match their potential,” Mann said. He added that the lack of funds eventually result in defeat of party’s candidates in one after another polls. SAD (Amritsar) is registered with the Election Commission of India as Shiromani Akali Dal (Simranjit Singh Mann) -a splinter group of the Shiromani Akali Dal. The party’s biggest success was during the 1989 parliamentary elections, when it won six seats out of 13 in Punjab, winning 29.19 per cent of the popular vote. The party also managed to bag one parliamentary seat of Sangrur constituency in 1999, out of the total share of 13 in Punjab’s kitty. After that, the party has failed to fare well in the previous two elections held in Punjab. Active supporter of Khalistan - an independent State for the Sikhs, Mann vowed to work for the cause of Sikh panth in future also. Stating that his aim would not be the Indian Parliament or Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Mann indicated that the party would participate in the Sikh bodies’ elections, including the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). But how does he look at his exit from active politics? “It will be a big setback to the democratic setup of the nation. It is bad that a political party had to quit electoral process, and that because of paucity of enough funds,” said Mann. He said: “SAD (Amritsar) is based on strong ideology and is forced to opt out of the electoral politics as it does not have enough funds to woo the voters like other parties, thriving on muscle power and ill-gotten money.” Mann resigned from his last posting on June 18, 1984, in protest of Indian government troops attack on the Amritsar’s Golden Temple. He was, subsequently, dismissed in July from the Indian Police Services. Mann also went underground after learning that the Punjab police had issued a circular with shoot-to-kill orders of Mann in June 1984. He was first arrested on November 29, 1984 with four others while attempting to cross into Nepal from the State of Bihar. He spent five years in the Bhagalpur prison in solitary confinement. Having a shady past, Mann has been arrested or detained around 30 times but has never been convicted.
  13. WJKK WJKF, hope your well, i was wondering if our community would support a new political party based on Sikhi values for example which helped the Sikh Empire become so respectable and prominent such as equality etc. Im thinking of setting up a political party to combat the main 3 parties who are only in it for their own gains. We have plenty of people in the Financial and Social Industry, and could easily come up with policies which will help the whole of society and not just a minority. I feel that the british community will respond to this in a positive way because they feel let down by the Coalition Government and Labour. Let me know your views, appreciate any feedback Thank you
  14. For university i plan on studying politics and afterwards i plane on getting myself into Government. The thing im struggling with at the moment is what political party i should join. I want to join a party that will help benefit the progression of the Sikh faith within this country. I want to represent Sikhs in parliament and be the voice when situations like Rajoana occur. The reason being is that i feel that if we had someone like that in parliament, action could be taken much quicker and resolutions made much faster, Could you help me by giving me an insight on what political party is suited best? Also what kind of work experience/placement i could do involving politics? Thanks for your time
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