Introduce Bill to amend laws for conducting jallikattu during Pongal: Jayalalithaa

Amid growing chorus for holding the banned bull-taming sport 'jallikattu' in January, Tamil Nadu government has urged the Centre to introduce a bill to amend laws for its conduct. It also suggested a special Parliament session for the purpose or even promulgating an ordinance considering the "urgency" of the matter.

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Pongal (Tamil harvest festival) was fast approaching (next month) and "it is very important that the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, who have a deep attachment to the conduct of the traditional event of jallikattu, are honoured."

In a December 22 letter to Modi, she said media reports had "indicated" that Minister of State for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar had stated the Centre would introduce a Bill in Parliament in the Winter Session to enable its conduct.

She said, "We were eagerly looking forward to introduction of the bill," but Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan was quoted in media that the deadlock in Rajya Sabha was the reason for non introduction of the legislation.

Strongly urging the PM to immediately direct the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to introduce a Bill to comprehensively and suitably amend relevant provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, she said it had to be passed immediately to enable conduct of Jallikattu.

"May I request that the Parliament session be extended, or a special session called for this purpose? Alternatively, considering the urgency of the issue, the Government of India may consider promulgating an ordinance enabling the conduct of jallikattu during Pongal 2016. On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu, I urge you to have the ordinance promulgated expeditiously," she said in the letter, released today.

The CM said inability to conduct Jallikattu has caused general disappointment and widespread resentment among the people, particularly in rural areas, as this was a sport, which was part of their cherished tradition.

Jayalalithaa said jallikattu was a traditional sporting event held as part of Pongal festivities in rural Tamil Nadu for many centuries, adding that bulls reared exclusively for this event were tamed by able-bodied youth.

Jallikattu had considerable historical significance and was ingrained in the cultural tradition of Tamil Nadu and even found mention in the 'great epic Silappathigaram', and was popular among warriors since the Sangam era, she said.

"The sport is inextricably linked to rural, agrarian customs and practices and helps with the conservation of native germplasm since bulls with excellent physical attributes are reared. It also has religious connotations with families donating bulls to temples in fulfillment of vows."

"The second day of the Pongal festivities is dedicated to showing gratitude to the bulls that serve and contribute to the prosperity of the farmers," she said.

Barack Obama, Narendra Modi have strong, productive relationship, says US official

Washington: US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have developed a strong and productive relationship between them, a top American climate change official has said.

"President Obama and Prime Minister Modi have a very, strong and productive relationship, not just on climate change but broadly," Todd Stern, the US Special Envoy on Climate Change said on Tuesday.

"It was a quite extraordinary fact that within the space of four months there were two head of the state visits, one first to the United States in September of 2014 and then Prime Minister Modi invited the President to India just four months later in January," the official said.

Thereafter the two leaders have been close communications with each other. "They met on the margins of the UNGA in New York and they met on the first day of the Paris meeting," Stern said.

According to Stern the meeting was a very warm and positive, cordial and detailed.

"In fact, they talked so long that they were both supposed to go — and did go finally, but they were a little bit late to the announcement of this big Mission Innovation idea on R&D that both — well, the United States, India, China, many other countries ultimately were part of," the US official said.

"So I think, that the call later, sort of more towards the end, was a check-in call to see how we were doing and to urge us all on together toward a successful conclusion. And I think it was done in that spirit, not in the spirit that there was some specific thing that had to be done before the agreement could get completed," Stern said. 

Malala Yousafzai calls for end to Syria war, welcomes young activist to Britain

Malala, who moved to Britain in 2012 after being shot in the head in Pakistan by the Taliban for refusing to quit school, won acclaim for her advocacy of women’s right to education. She became the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Nearly two years after they met in a refugee camp in Jordan, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday welcomed the Syrian schoolgirl activist Muzoon Almellehan to her new home in northern England.

Malala, who moved to Britain in 2012 after being shot in the head in Pakistan by the Taliban for refusing to quit school, won acclaim for her advocacy of women’s right to education. She became the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Meeting with families in tow at a gleaming public library in the northeast English city of Newcastle, 18-year-old Malala and Muzoon, 17, pledged to campaign together for access to education for Syrian refugee children.

“I hope world leaders promise the future generation that they will not deprive them of their basic human right, which is education,” Malala told Reuters in an interview.

The setting for their reunion was a far cry from the sprawling lines of tents comprising the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in the Jordanian desert, where the pair first met in early 2014.

Malala now lives in England’s second city, Birmingham, where she was treated after being shot, and Muzoon is among the first Syrians from refugee camps in the Middle East to have come to Britain.

Since the two first met, the number of registered Syrian refugees has doubled to almost 4.4 million people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR).

More than 250,000 people have been killed since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.

“I hope 2016 becomes a year when this war ends and world leaders must try,” Malala said.

Appeals for funding from the world’s governments have fallen far short of targets. With only days before the end of the year, the UNHCR’s $4.3 billion appeal for Syria in 2015 has raised just $2.2 billion.

Syria’s children

UN children’s agency UNICEF estimates 2.6 million Syrian children are no longer in school. Muzoon, often dubbed the “Malala of Syria”, made her name encouraging girls to stay in school, rather than being married off at a young age.

“We need to speak about education and how to help children, especially in Syria, because there are more children in Syria without education,” Muzoon said.

Malala and Muzoon met again in July this year to open a school for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and have kept in touch through Skype and email.

“(World leaders) need to listen to Muzoon - she has a dream, she wants to become a journalist, she has been away from her home for three or four years, and she wants to go back to her country one day,” Malala said.

Despite being occupied by school exams and plans to attend university in the next couple of years, the pair will be keeping a close eye on an international summit due to be held in Britain in early February, focused on Syria’s humanitarian crisis.

“This coming generation of Syrians are going to be deprived of their right and it means that country is going to face more problems if its children are uneducated,” Malala said.

Britain said in September it would resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees through to 2020. Germany was the world’s biggest recipient of new asylum claims at 159,000 during the first six months of 2015 alone, according to the UNHCR.

Malala expressed hope that Newcastle would welcome Muzoon in the same way Birmingham did for her.

“I call myself a Brummie now,” Malala said, referring to the nickname for residents of Birmingham.

“It’s a lovely society where you can interact with people and feel like you’re just part of it. I hope Muzoon can have a similar feeling.”