December 21, 2021

This comes close on the heels

In the period between January 1 to April 30, it detected den-gue larvae from 1,997 spots and 577 malaria breeding mosquitoes spots. In its six-month drive, the civic body has slapped 8,744 notices and has China Aluminium Single Louver Window collected fine amounting to Rs 20,4600.In December 2016, the BMC had slapped a notice to Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor, after it found illegal construction of a terrace gym at his residence at Raheja Orchid in Juhu."Taking revenge by sending notice is wrong and absurd. Indoor breeding was also detected in pots kept in the window,” read the report. The notice, which was sent to the RJ’s mother, Mrs Lily Mendonsa on Wednesday, warned of legal action. The BMC shouldn’t have acted like this,” said Congress corporators Ravi Raja, who is the leader of the opposition in the civic house.


Of course, this comes close on the heels of Malishka’s widely watched video in which she slammed the civic body for the sorry state of city roads and not many believe that it is a coincidence. BMC officials say that dengue mosquitoes were found breeding among the indoor plants in the RJ’s sixth floor apartment. "We have detected Aedes mosquito breeding in the clay bowl kept under the planter in front of the door. It’s absolutely the wrong way to deal with the Malishka jingle on civic issues; the jingle should have rather been handled in the rightful manner. "In a democratic set-up, if the right views are expressed in a proper manner, then it should be taken as a suggestion by the BMC rather than taking revenge,” he said.

Similar cases of BMC vs CelebsIn July 2016, the BMC had slapped a stop-work notice to comedian Kapil Sharma after an illegal extentsion on 1000sq ft area was observed at his residence in Versova. Two Shiv Sena councillors were incensed by the lyrics of the jingle in the video, ‘Mumbai tula BMC var bharosa nahi ka’ (Mumbai don’t you have faith in BMC). One of the councillor had demanded that the civic chief file a Rs 500 crore defamation suite against the RJ’s radio network..The insecticide department had started the drive of checking various residential complexes, construction sites and government offices etc, since January.Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has slapped a notice on RJ Malishka’s mother’s apartment in Bandra, after dengue breeding spots were discovered at the premises

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November 18, 2021

We reached Bangkok at around six

And we both picked a window, when the airline and the hotels were offering a huge discount (much to our delight), and started the much-awaited journey. We decided to take our first day a little easy since we had bigger things planned for the days to come. People in canoes waving at us, peddlers in boats coming near ours with souvenirs to sell, and people living under the bridges of this celebrated travel destination that we were in at the moment — a side of Bangkok I never thought I’d see. It is, without a doubt, a labyrinth of never-ending shopping and food experience. The three Siam malls, which made my jaw drop, saw gradation from super cheap to super expensive from the first mall to the third. We walked all the way to the mall, which was situated roughly two kilometres from our hotel in Makkasan.— The writer is a fashion designer and travel lover.But our driver was calm, and eventually, both of us accepted the fate as it is, and finally started to embrace the exclusive, private tour of the Bangkok waters. There were houses, temples, schools and offices, all accessible by land and water alike. We then understood why. I had never gone out of the country until then, and my passport was just another ID proof to me.The first half of the next day was a walk in the park — literally — since we were eager to find out why everyone on the Internet asked the world not to miss the beautiful Lumpini Park, situated right in the middle of the city.


For me, it was one of the things that was there in my wish list for a long time, and had started to seem like a joke. China Town is also a place to try out the distinctive Asian cuisine, which may or may not align with one’s traditional concept of food. And by the time we departed from Bangkok, my mind wanted more, and was already set on another international trip. Who would have thought that right inside the city, one could find acres and acres of lush green grass, tall trees, cool, clean ponds, and a huge lake? And, let’s not forget the countless komodo dragons roaming freely within! After getting a healthy dose of all that peace and tranquility, it was quite the task to get on with the next set of events, which was to visit all the major monuments, the Wats.It was quite on an impulse that my friend Minu and I decided to plan a trip to Bangkok. And with every big boat passing us by, our tiny boat got rocked to its limits, at times even glass curtain wall getting pushed. It came as a surprise to most of our friends and relatives as well, since we didn’t want to answer any questions about "how will two young women survive an international trip with no assistance?” People ask us to this day why we didn’t go through a holiday package.

We reached Bangkok at around six in the morning, and after changing our currency to local Baht at the airport and getting our visas in place, we took a taxi to the city, where our hotel was. The mall is good for all sorts of shopping, from clothes, shoes, jewellery, toys, mobile accessories, gadgets, and even packaged local food! It is also a good area for street shopping, which is more lively at night, owing to the number of makeshift shops that pop up after sunset. Bangkok is also famous for its weekend markets, and we visited one of them called the Chatuchak weekend market, which is a good place to shop for anything under the sky. Our very first day started off with some rest, breakfast, and a visit to the nearby shopping centre called the Platinum Mall, and the street stalls. Bargaining was key when it came to any of the markets in Bangkok, not unlike our Indian ones. Tuk Tuks, roaming freely around the city originated from an old-fashioned rickshaw during the second World WarWe saw all the major Wats, a few landmarks which we would have never covered otherwise, and of course, saw another side of Bangkok — a rotting one — which they never show in the brochures.

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October 28, 2021

35-year-old Algerian

A special forces sniper shot dead gunman Mohamed Belkaid when he tried to fire at the police from a window, prosecutors said. — AFPBelgian authorities identified the gunman killed in a raid targeting suspects in the Paris attacks as a 35-year-old Algerian and said the police had detained two others while finding an ISIS flag at the scene.On Tuesday, six Belgian and French police officers arrived to search a flat in a Brussels suburb and came under a barrage of automatic weapons fire through a door from at least two people barricaded inside, injuring four officers. Brussels was put on the maximum level four for almost a week, with some public spaces locked down, after the attacks in Paris. Another suspect was detained for questioning after a further house search near the scene of the shooting.Investigators were holding a man admitted to hospital near Brussels with a broken leg that required surgery."We should bear in mind that level three is not a normal level of threat,” Mr Michel told a press conference.Investigators believe much of the planning and preparation for the November 13 shooting and bombing rampage in Paris that killed 130 people was conducted in Brussels by young French and Belgian nationals, some of whom fought as militants in Syria..They said a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a book on Salafism, a radical branch of Islam, were lying next to Belkaid’s body, and that he had been living illegally in Belgium though was known to the police only for a case of theft in 2014.Police forces seen on Chaussee de Neerstalle, near the site of a shooting in the Rue du Aluminium Casement Window Factory Dries-Driesstraat in Forest-Vorst, Brussels, on Wednesday.The apartment in southern Brussels also contained a large cache of ammunition and an ISIS flag, investigating prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said.Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Wednesday that the country would remain on "level three alert”, its second-highest state of security readiness.

The Girl Who Ate Books is meticulously researched and dense with historical data. There is a delightful mention of food in every other interview — lunch at I.The second section features the author’s meeting with poets Dom Moraes, Arun Kolatkar, Jeet Thayil, Agha Shahid Ali and Kamala Das. Of these, a few crossed over from regional language writing to writing in English successfully, some floundered and a majority drifted into the no-man’s land between failure and success.Informative, interesting and amusing in turns, and covering vast ground besides, The Girl Who Ate Books could well go on to become the Bible of Indian writing. There is a palpable sense of catharsis as the book ends amidst the scenic charms of Goa, with the author, very successfully, mapping out the silhouette of her maiden novel. A smattering of youthful voices — Annie Zaidi, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan — pulls it to the immediate present momentarily but by and large the book is content to bob around its dated moorings. We are introduced to Roy’s grandmother’s cosy red-brick house on Rowland Road which appears to be made entirely of books. 
Pioneers like Romesh Chunder Dutt and Bankim Chandra are feted for their pluck in attempting to write in English and although they may not have attained spectacular success (or quality, according to the author), they paved the way for future writers, freeing them from the bondage of their native language. Childhood is in Kolkata and the city, viewed through the rosy lens of nostalgia, is brought alive vibrantly.
Certain omissions stare out from the fabric of this work but by Roy’s own admission she has skipped writing about reading Indian writers in translation, food writing and dalit writers.

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October 12, 2021

Suket Dhir

Suket Dhir’s run up to the final round of the International Woolmark Prize was marred with setbacks. He says, "The collection is inspired from the playtimes I have with my son, which in turn reminds me of my childhood. I also had plans for a wedding collection but that will have to wait.”Currently, the designer is busy pacing himself with the international orders that have been streaming him since his win. 

Since I was born in a family of fabric merchants, I decided to try my hand at this anyway.”. I told myself that since the worst is over, I have nothing to fear. There are some honest emotions that I have brought to life with my designs. Of course, then there are times where I bring out an entire collection in a couple of hours.The collection was made with eco-friendly wool with the help of hand- tied and dyed yarn (ikat) and kasui, a traditional hand embroidery, a take on the classic quilting stitch, which created geometric, grid-like patterns.. 
The yarn he needed wasn’t delivered on time, which caused his collection to be delayed by at least two months. I now believe that the moment you make it relatable, people will accept it. My regular collection is currently being worked on. I guess my team does find it difficult to work at such pace, but that’s just how I function.. For our collection, we reinterpreted the prints to give it a universal appeal. I had no answer to it. 
Suket used colours like sky blue, mustard and mango yellow for the collection. I was out of school for five years, and I had absolutely no answer.”Suket’s team worked tirelessly for the last one year to bring these designs to life. I have taken inspiration from everyday life. I also want to go out and travel but work remains priority. Sometimes I visit my friend for a little chat, and keep deadlines out of my mind. Actually I am glad it happened so that everything could go smoothly,” said Suket, who has joined the company of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent after winning the prize this year. He says, "I don’t clock in hours at my workplace every day. "I wasn’t expecting to win at all — everything that had to go wrong went wrong. I also had an inclination towards fabrics but there was no interest that was particularly close to my heart.
 He says, "There is a lot that can be done with just ikat.”Suket’s decision to get into fashion was nothing less than an experiment. I panicked and almost began to cry! There are things I liked, such as photography, but it wasn’t something I wanted to pursue. He says, "The win is like my window to the world. The designer believes that his collection only touched "the tip of the iceberg”. Now when I look at it, I realise that there is so much one can do. His wife, Svetlana couldn’t make it to the event because of visa hassles.
When the Delhi-based designer says that his approach to designing his organic, he means it. This is the first time I have received any award in my life. 
Right now, I am busy working on international projects that the win has got me. "When I was 22, one of my friends asked me what I wanted to do with my life. So China Aluminium Casement Window Manufacturers it means a lot to me,” Suket recounts

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September 16, 2021

We welcome Prime Minister Modi

On whether the Modi government has delivered on its target of improving ease of doing business score and the feedback from the US companies operating in India, she said: "We welcome Prime Minister Modi’s ambitious efforts to improve India’s business climate and enable greater trade and investment.She exuded confidence that "India’s rapidly growing economy and the Modi government’s ambitious reform agenda, including the landmark Goods and Services Tax, passage of the recent national bankruptcy law, and liberalised foreign direct investment limits in key sectors, point toward a deeper economic relationship in the years ahead.The recent passage of the Goods and Services Tax, for example, is a truly historic accomplishment with potentially far-reaching benefits for the Indian economy pvc Sliding Doors Manufacturers and our expanding bilateral trade and investment partnership with India." Pritzker said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment tohost the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit will highlight India’s strong culture of innovation on the global stage and provide Indian entrepreneurs with an exceptional opportunity to meet with top investors and network with their international peers."She added: "However, the GST is just one in a series of steps the Indian government has taken to improve the ease of doing business in India."On infrastructure, the Modi government has established Special Purpose Vehicles for smart cities, promoted municipal bonds for urban development, and launched a National Infrastructure Investment Fund."(This article first appeared in Deccan Chronicle).

"US and Indian companies are also investing in each other’s economies at record levels."Read: Govt may advance Parliament session to get GST laws approvedAsserting that there is a tremendous potential for the US and India to achieve even more together, the Secretary said she is particularly excited over two new areas of focus that will drive their cooperation in the coming year -- travel and tourism and subnational engagement.US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who will be on a 3-day India visit from tomorrow, also said that travel and tourism and sub-national engagement have been identified as two new areas of focus to drive commercial cooperation between the two countries in 2017, under which the focus would shift from India and the US to Chennai and Charleston.

On sub-national engagement, Pritzker said: "Both US and Indian states play a vital role in driving economic growth and setting business climate policy.She said the Obama Administration in the past seven-and- a-half years has made significant progress toward realising the potential of what could be one of the largest commercial relationships in the world."She further said that while the US companies have responded positively to these efforts, they also continue to raise concerns about persistent business climate issues that impede greater trade and investment between our two countries.Pritzker, who has been the US Secretary of Commerce for over three years and is a key member of President Barack Obama s economic team, will be travelling to India for the second US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and the US-India CEO Forum.US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said that tourism and sub-national engagement as new areas of focus for commercial cooperation. Companies choose to invest in Charleston, South Carolina or Chennai just as much as they select the US and India. In fact, US affiliates of Indian-owned firms now employ more than 52,000 workers in the US," Pritzker told PTI in an interview. India and the US have decided to be Travel and Tourism Partner Countries in 2017.Pritzker said: "These include unclear tax policies, burdensome regulations, inadequate protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, and onerous localization requirements.During the visit, she will meet Indian entrepreneurs and participate in an event celebrating US-India cooperation on travel and tourism.In 2015, US investment in India reached more than USD 28 billion and Indian investment in the United States reached more than USD 11 billion. Since taking office in 2014, the Modi government has passed the national bankruptcy law, raised foreign direct investment caps in sectors including defense and insurance, established commercial courts, and ratified the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.

US-India bilateral trade reached USD 109 billion in 2015, up from USD 37 billion in 2005.Companies seek a more transparent and predictable policy environment, including consistent notice and comment procedures in the rule-making process, in order to plan investments and inform long-term business decisions. More than 1 million people travel between the two countries each year.Washington: Bullish on expanding economic ties with India, the US today said bilateral trade has reached USD 109 billion and it will get a further boost from new reforms including GST even as it flagged persisting concerns American firms have on issues related to business climate in the fast-growing economy.Read:GST an example of how big tasks can be done if parties work together: Modi"Our two countries enjoy a thriving trade and investment relationship.She described increasing the number of travelers who move between the US and India as a significant commercial opportunity."Industry also sees promising opportunities to facilitate trade further through streamlining complex and cumbersome customs processing procedures, implementing a single-window approach to government licensing, and increasing predictability and efficiency in government approvals and inspections related to cross-border trade. We applaud these reforms and urge the Government of India to prioritise their full implementation."While that figure is strong, there is certainly potential for growth," she added

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August 10, 2021

It was well past noon when I disembarked

The story behind the massacre site goes back to the days of World War II during the height of the Nazi occupation of Greece. I chose to put up at a homely guesthouse perched atop a forested hill. The train took me on a two-hour circuitous ride, covering 44 km right down to the coastal town of Diakofto and all the way back. So the next day, I hopped into the narrow-gauge toy train at the nearby Kalavryta Station.

It was well past noon when I disembarked after a 190 km ride, only to be greeted by a panoramic sight of ‘wonderland’ — bright green rolling hills, peppered by tiny, red-tiled cottages; a pleasantly chilly breeze ferrying brilliant-white puffs of clouds across the vast skyline; and the faint tinkle of goat-neck bells floating in from a distance.The writer is a journalist and independent travel photographer based in China Aluminum Sliding Doors Factory the Middle East. Today, sombre-looking Kapi Hill is a memorial site. Stunning scenes of the lofty gorge along Vouraikos River, seven tunnels and innumerable waterfalls marked the trip.SCULPTURE AT KAPI HILLStay options in Kalavryta include regular hotels and stone chalets (that are in demand during the ski season in winter). The entire male folk of Kalavryta — totalling nearly 700 — were rounded up and paraded to the top of Kapi Hill.

After a visit to the iconic Acropolis and tired of an overdose of Athenian chaos, I chose to leave for greener pastures. So, as the clock struck nine in the morning, I boarded a rickety bus at the Kifissos Station in central Athens, Greece.. For about a week, the village had become my home — just as its cobblestone alleys; its dirt tracks through pine forests; its tangy local food (especially feta cheese); its mountain railway that’s fondly called ‘chhookoo-chhookoo’; the nearby Cave of the Lakes (an underground river with 13 tiny lakes and surreal cascade-like rock formations); and the Kapi Hill war memorial site. The packed bus (I was the lone tourist aboard) trudged along the coastline, easing past the Megara Gulf and the Gulf of Corinth, then meandering through pine forests, before negotiating hairpin bends to reach my destination. On the night of December 13, 1943, in retaliation to the killing of 78 Nazi soldiers by the Greek Resistance Army in Kalavryta, the German forces launched what is quite often referred to as ‘the Holocaust of Greece’. Soon, I would leave the din behind and in about three hours’ time, I would be in the mountain village of Kalavryta in the south-eastern region called Peloponnese.

A giant cross, a soft-stone sculpture and graves of the dead stand out as a reminder of that nightmare past.CAVE OF THE LAKESAs my journey began, the sight of urban chaos outside my window was soon replaced by refreshing views of the Gulf of Elefsina on the Mediterranean Sea.DIAKOFTO TOY TRAINKapi Hill, overlooking the village, stood out in jarring contrast to the uplifting setting. They were all machine-gunned, with only 13 surviving the onslaught.I needed to cheer up. I picked Kalavryta, which lies on the slopes of Mount Helmos, for two reasons: One, it’s so remote that even most Greeks themselves have admittedly never visited it.

My remaining days there were well spent pursuing slow, walking trails around the village and visiting the nearby landmarks of the monasteries at Agia Lavra and Mega Spileo. In the evenings, I would catch up with the villagers at the cobblestone-paved squares or the marketplace and feast on local cuisine (usually souvlaki, the chicken kebabs) — and, of course, plenty of wine. Secondly, it has huge historical significance as the venue of a tragic Nazi era massacre

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July 22, 2021

This is a time for integration

."India is currently buzzing with entrepreneurial activity like never before.at the level of economy also, we are among the most open and integrated economies," he said.. "A recent symbol of our historic links is Torana Gate in the heart of Kuala Lumpur which connects two great nations and two great cultures," Modi said. We have now become the 6th largest manufacturing country in the world," he said.Referring to "Make in India" which celebrated 2nd anniversary this year, the Prime Minister said the initiative is aimed at making the country a global hub of manufacturing, design and innovation..Talking about India-Malaysia relations, he said close ties are "integral to the success of our Act East Policy".


Against the backdrop of his demonetisation decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said cleaning the system from black money and corruption is "very high" on his agenda amid a push towards employment generation and self-employment opportunities..Underlining that the 21st century is that of Asia, the Prime Minister said despite unfavourable and uncertain global economic environment, the growth prospects of Asian region remain bright.Total FDI inflows in the last two and a half years have touched USD 130 billion, Modi said."Building futuristic infrastructure is the biggest task at our hand. Indias initiatives including a Project Development Fund and Line of Credit have given a huge fillip to India-ASEAN cooperation, he added.

"Presently, cleaning the system from black money and corruption is very high on my agenda," Modi said, against the backdrop of his November 8 decision to scrap notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination.Modi said startups are the next big economic force in India and are "no less than a revolution"...."The outcomes of our efforts are visible from Indias global rankings on various indicators," he said. PVC Casement Window Manufacturers We are now moving towards a digital and cashless economy," he said while addressing via video conferencing the Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2016 in Kuala Lumpur along with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak."We have adopted a comprehensive National Intellectual Property Rights policy to lay the future roadmap for intellectual property," he said about an issue which has beena major concern among the foreign investors.He said the government has also "rationalised greatly" the licensing regime and launched "single window interfaces" for registering a business, export-import clearances and labour compliance."Our efforts to ensure ease of doing business in India have been comprehensive and wide ranging, including legislative and structural," Modi said.

"This is a time for integration.He said the "timeless ties" between India and Malaysia are reinforced by the presence of a large Indian community in that country.He said the leaders of ASEAN countries have led efforts for better integration among the countries of the region."We welcome those who are not in India so far.He also praised Najib, saying under his leadership, Malaysia is moving towards its goal of achieving developed country status by 2020."Asia is where there are hands to work, homes to consumeand heads have the humility to learn," Modi said.He said there is immense focus on removing the logistics constraints and roads, railways, ports are being upgraded across the country. Its always a good decision to be in India," Modi said. We are developing a pentagon of industrial corridors across India," the Prime Minister said.He also mentioned that amendment to the Constitution to pave the way for Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will overhaul the indirect tax system in India, has been cleared by Parliament and "this is expected to be implemented in 2017".The Prime Minister told the gathering that a number of steps have been taken to attract greater FDI and listed the various steps taken in this direction.."We have opened up new sectors for FDI and enhanced caps for existing sectors," he said, adding the governments concerted efforts on major FDI policy reforms continue and conditions for investments have been simplified.

He said the economic process in India is being geared towards activities that are vital for generating employment or self-employment opportunities. India is not only a good destination.."India is currently witnessing an economic transformation."The positive change in policy, regulatory and investment environment in India is recognized by both domestic and foreign investors," he said

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