Democracy grants citizens the right to vote and with that power, citizens become the most important feature of any democratic government. Anything to everything that the government does is assumed to be in the benefit of the people. Abraham Lincoln defined democracy as the government of the people, by the people and for the people with the root word in Greek itself citing “rule by the people”. But with the latest Bill floated in the Lower House of Parliament, there is a sense of irony prevailing on the government’s part. The RTI (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced with the objective to strengthen and streamline the RTI Act, 2005. But, with details of the proposed amendments along with reasons for such an amendment bill as forwarded by the government, the objective somewhat gets diluted. RTI Act has perhaps been the biggest boon for the citizenry of this nation. It gave them the medium to know and question those in power without any barrier preventing the revelation of any information not disclosed by the government. Immeasurable good has resulted from such legislation and that may have in itself acted as a strong deterrent for government officials in withholding any information–let alone the one people seek. It is, therefore, to the existence of RTI that citizens can take the necessary step to criticise the government based on information reflecting its performance across different parameters and pertinent issues. It cannot be surprising that this pro-democratic tool has also prevented the country from functioning in the traditional way where the outright belief highlighted that the less public knows, the better it is. And, this may not have been as sound as it seems for everyone. For those who continue to possess something to conceal, RTI will always be a dangerous trump card in the common man’s pocket. Given the purview that RTI exercises and the social good it has done for society, steps to strengthen it should be in the direction of increasing its reach and cementing its implementation. Those are the ideal amendments. But the version of amendments that the government presented were far from those. They elaborated on the tenure, salary, and posting of personnel working to uphold the RTI Act. Information Commissioners, both state and Central, as well as Chief Information Commissioner will be subject to the government’s discretion over the length of their tenures and their salaries. Against the earlier rule of a fixed five-year tenure and salary as that of the Election Commissioner–or Chief Election Commissioner in case of Chief Information Commissioner–this new amendment leaves the decision on the government’s whims. By stating that the terms and salaries of state and Central Information Commissioners, Information Officers as well as the Chief Information Commissioner, the government, through RTI (Amendment) Bill 2019, seeks to undermine the independence of a statutory body. This is a violation of the very cause that gave birth to RTI. Information Commissions were set up to perform the sacrosanct task of functioning independently while processing information desired by the people, especially without any interference from the government. If what government wants is passed then it would not be surprising if Information Commissioners are transferred or their tenure curtailed in case of any particular matter involving the government itself doing rounds of the judiciary. Against the ideal amendments, controlling officers and commissioners posted under the Information Commission is not representative of a substantial amendment. The government argues–through the Statement of Objects and Reasons of RTI (Amendment) Bill, 2019–that functions being carried out by the Election Commission of India and the Information Commission are totally different. It cites that because ECI comes under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution serving a special purpose of conducting elections, it is different from Information Commissions, both state and Central, which are statutory bodies under RTI Act, 2005. The government concludes that since the mandate of ECI and IC are different hence their status and service conditions need not be rationalised accordingly. Even if the government summarised their summary, laymen may still be unable to see how it strengthens the RTI Act and not grant powers to government in a bid to control these independent commissions. Also Read – A compounding difficultyIt must be recalled that this Bill was not tabled in the Lok Sabha despite being circulated amongst legislators due to protests from opposition leaders and RTI activists for particularly clear reasons for the amendment impinging on the freedom exercised by Information Commission in processing and furnishing requisite information to the public. In this context, it is hardly surprising that the very same protests were the order of the day when the Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha. Keen on getting the amendment passed in the Lower House, the government could have channelised the eagerness towards strengthening RTI’s implementation say, filling vacancies in Information Commissions, addressing attacks on RTI activists or for that matter drafting a Whistleblower’s Protection Act. Legislations ought to forecast the problem it pertains to address and reflect the change due to its presence but with this amendment Bill, both seem bleak.
OTTAWA – Canada will extend its commitment to maritime security in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean with ships and personnel for another four years, says Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan.He says Operation Artemis, the latest incarnation of Canada’s contribution to a multinational security force in the area, will be extended until the end of April 2021.The international task force deploys ships and surveillance systems to intercept shipments of weapons and narcotics in the region.Sajjan said the extension authorizes the Canadian Armed Forces to commit up to 375 personnel to the operation, send in a frigate once every two years and contribute an Aurora patrol plane once a year.Canada will earmark up to $131.4 million to support the extension.He says Canada has supported security in the area since 2001 under a number of operations and Canada just completed its third rotation in command of the maritime security task force.In the last year, this task force seized and destroyed nearly 2,700 kilograms of narcotics and more than 3,000 weapons.“The government of Canada’s renewed commitment to counter-terrorism efforts is vital to building a safer and more prosperous world,” Sajjan said in a statement.Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A headline on an earlier version included an incorrect year.
Îles artificielles de Dubaï : un projet pharaonique qui s’enfonce sous l’eau, découvrez les imagesDubaï – La construction des îles artificielles du titanesque projet “The World” a été arrêtée de 2007 à 2009, crise financière oblige. Ces 300 îles se sont depuis rapprochées et plus préoccupant encore, commencent à couler.On connaît trop bien Dubaï pour ses excentriques projets architecturaux. Le 4 janvier 2010, l’Emirat nous livrait sa Burj Khalifa, une tour haute de 828 mètres, arrachant ainsi l’ancien record du gratte-ciel Taipei 101 culminant à 508 mètres. Mais Dubaï ne fait pas qu’envahir les airs, ses constructions s’emparent également des mers : il l’a prouvé avec les Palm Islands, un ensemble de trois archipels artificiels construits sur ses côtes. Depuis 2003, cet émirat arabe est penché sur la construction de “The World”, un autre archipel artificiel de 300 îles, chacune représentant un pays. Il est situé à 4 kilomètres des côtes de Dubaï et mesure 9 km de longueur et 6 de large. Son coût était estimé à plus de 10 milliards d’euros en 2005.Malheureusement, la crise financière ayant durement frappé, les travaux ont dû être mis en veille de 2007 à 2009. De ce fait, les îles ont dérivé, se sont rapprochées les unes des autres et ont commencé à s’enfoncer.À lire aussiLe Conseil de Paris lance le projet de construction de la Tour TriangleA l’origine de ce projet : Nakheel Properties, qui a mis en place des moyens hors norme. Onze milliards de mètres cubes de sable ainsi que 47 millions de tonnes de roches ont été nécessaires à la construction de l’archipel. Des moyens énormes pour un projet qui ne sera sûrement pas finalisé. D’après le Guardian, quotidien britannique, l’archipel est “privé de tout renforcement et de maintenance, les îles sont doucement submergées par les vagues. Ce ne sont que des pâtés de sable crasseux qui s’enfoncent dans la mer”.En 2003, lorsque le projet n’en était qu’à ses débuts, la rumeur de stars se ruant pour acheter certaines îles avait couru. Il serait aujourd’hui difficile de croire qu’elles étaient prêtes à débourser plusieurs dizaines de millions de dollars pour ce piètre résultat.Découvrez les images : https://www.maxisciences.com/duba%ef/les-world-islands-de-dubai-un-projet-qui-tombe-a-l-039-eau_art5631.htmlLe 3 février 2010 à 12:54 • Emmanuel Perrin
Sasha Banks Gets Cagey When Asked About Feud With Alexa Bliss Facebook WhatsApp WWE’s Sasha Banks Opens Up About Concussion Google+ Videos Articles International Superstar Shake-up Dates Confirmed Dave Bautista will be a character in new video game, Finn Balor reveals new look What Is Ronda Rousey’s Dream Match? WWE Superstar Finn Balor confirms marriage to FOX Sports Reporter Veronica Rodriguez Xavier Woods Videos Articles Alexa Bliss Now Playing Up Next
Now Playing Up Next Sasha Banks Now Playing Up Next Sasha Banks Takes A Break From WWE To Deal With Injury Now Playing Up Next 9/13 NXT Live Results: Cocoa, FL (Dain vs. Kushida, NXT North American Title Match) Pinterest Twitter Jason Namako RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR 11/13 NXT Results: Orlando, Florida1. The Jersey Boys def. The Mechanics2. NXT Tag Team Champion Kalisto def. Aiden English3. Steve Cutler, Elias Sampson & Hugo Knox def. Shoot Nation4. Baron Corbin def. Tye Dillinger5. CJ Parker def. Solomon Crowe6. Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch def. Bayley & Alexa Bliss7. Bull Dempsey def. Jason Jordan8. Hideo Itami & Finn Balor def. The Ascension by DQ.Source: PWInsider.comRecommended videosPowered by AnyClipSasha Banks Gets Cagey When Asked About Feud With Alexa BlissVideo Player is loading.Play VideoPauseUnmuteDuration 0:27/Current Time 0:03Loaded: 54.24%0:03Remaining Time -0:24 FullscreenUp NextThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.Replay the list Videos Articles Now Playing Up Next
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has revealed how the job has taken a toll on him so much so that he is now trying to get back to normal life following the Scottish League winter break.Gerrard is now so immersed with the job that he says his mind is always on the next opponent or the formation to be played even while on a day off.Gerrard who joined the Ibrox team last summer says it is expedient that the players have some time to rest while he uses the opportunity to catch up with family.He told Daily Record:“The important thing is to switch off mentally. It has been full-on for us, with games smacking you in the face every three or four days.
Owen reveals why Liverpool didn’t offer Gerrard a new contract Manuel R. Medina – September 6, 2019 According to Owen, the Reds wanted to sell Gerrard two years before he left the club and that’s why they didn’t offer him a contract renewal.“The fitness coach told me the other day that 80 percent of our games have had less than a three-day lead-in. That’s tough for the players.“Do I need to switch off as well? I’ll try.“But the thing that’s surprised me most about management at this level is how difficult it is to switch off. Even when you’re at home or on a day off, I’ve found it really hard.“As a player it was easy to switch off. I could do stuff with my friends, play golf or watch telly. It was like a switch.”
Everybody knows America has gotten a little silly about assigning special observances to days, weeks and even entire months. Did you know October is National Apple Month, National Pizza Month and National Toilet Tank Repair Month?But here’s a deadly serious one: October is also domestic violence awareness month.How serious? According to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, an average of three women are killed by a current or former partner in the United States each day. According to Washington state, there were 28 domestic violence homicides in Clark County from 1997 to 2009 — and 14 abuser suicides.“We’re right around the national average,” said Debra Adams, director of the YWCA Clark County’s SafeChoice program. “We handle 50,000 calls per year related to domestic violence.” She said the local SafeChoice shelter hosts around 300 women and children fleeing domestic violence per year.SafeChoice combats domestic violence through education, advocacy and growing partnerships, Adams said. Given the way the economic climate has curtailed social service budgets including the Y’s, she said, agency collaborations have never been more crucial.“Because we’re the only domestic violence agency in the whole county,” she said, “and because even our own agency budget been impacted, we are asking community partners to step up and work with us. We want to do a lot of cross training.” That means police, teachers, social service providers, church leaders — anyone who can help.
Income taxFlickrJust two days ahead of the deadline for filing income tax (I-T) returns, the online system of the tax department suffered a technical snag on Saturday holding off taxpayers from uploading the annual statements on the website.Although the issue was sorted on Saturday, the problem apparently recurred on Sunday again.”For the last two hours, the system has stopped functioning. It is showing a glitch. We now have a huge backlog of returns to be filed,” said a chartered accountant based in the national capital.”It is a hardware glitch. The site has not crashed. The technical team is working on it and it should be up and running shortly,” The Times of India quoted a CBDT spokeswoman said.Tax consultants said the department’s filing system had been erratic since Saturday morning but completely stopped accepting returns by the evening.On Saturday, TOI quoted the I-T department as saying that technicians were working to resolve the glitch.The problem seemed to have been addressed for that day. However, some took to Twitter to complain that the website did act up on Sunday as well. Read what they say here: @PMOIndia @arunjaitley @PiyushGoyal @sureshpprabhu Dear sir Pls extend duedate of filing ITR as Income tax website is not working properly— Kiran Bhargav (@kiranbhargav378) July 30, 2017@IncomeTaxIndia Aadhaar linking not working on Income Tax website.. session expired error occurred simultaneously..!!! Pls resolve..— Pardeep Chaudhary (@pardeep8137) July 30, 2017On Sunday late evening, a top official of Income Tax department told TOI the last date for filing of income tax returns (ITRs) for the financial year 2016-17 will not be extended beyond Monday’s deadline.”The last date for filing of ITRs remains July 31. There are no plans to extend this deadline. The department has already received over 2 crore returns filed electronically. The department requests taxpayers to file their return in time,” the official said.
Share Gail Delaughter | Houston Public MediaHouston Rockets merchandise is displayed in a store on May 23rd, 2018, before Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors.When the Houston Rockets suit up for Thursday night’s Western Conference finals game, they’ll carry onto the court a remembrance of the 10 people who lost their lives in last week’s Texas school shooting in Santa Fe.Each player’s uniform will feature a gray rectangular patch on one shoulder that will read: “Santa Fe HS” when they meet the Golden State Warriors in Game 5. The words will be in green writing with a yellow outline as a nod to the school’s colors.“If it moves two or three people to understand that we’ve got to have some change, that would be great,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Your heart goes out to them and it puts you back in reality real quick. It’s just time for something to change. We just can’t go on (like this).”The patches are one of several tributes the team plans in the first home game since Friday’s shooting. Eight students and two teachers died at the school, located 30 miles from downtown Houston. A 17-year-old student is being held on capital murder charges.The high school’s choir will perform the national anthem and there will be a moment of silence and a video tribute prior to tipoff to remember the victims.Before answering questions about the series Friday, Chris Paul sent his condolences to those affected by the shooting, and the star guard addressed the tragedy again in an on-court interview with TNT after Tuesday night’s win.“The city of Houston, we’re going to need you,” Paul said. “We’re going to need you Game 5. The city has been through a tough time with the things in Santa Fe. But … hopefully basketball can be a way that people can come and ease their minds if only for a second. Houston, we’re coming home.”Santa Fe’s senior class, which is about 300 students, and administrators have been invited to attend the game as guests of owner Tilman Fertitta. The Rockets also will honor first responders on the court. Fertitta was born and grew up in Galveston, Texas, which is in the same county as Santa Fe, and hopes his gesture can help raise the spirits of students trying to find a sense of normalcy after the shooting.“I have roots in Galveston County. Everybody knows that,” Fertitta told reporters Tuesday night. “I played on that football field in Santa Fe. We just wanted to step up … just something we can do to recognize the deceased and let the survivors have a great time.”Proceeds from Thursday night’s charity raffle will go to the Santa Fe Strong Memorial Fund.The Rockets have joined the city’s other professional sports teams in honoring those affected by the shooting. On Tuesday, the Houston Astros donned T-shirts during batting practice that said: “Santa Fe Strong.” Houston Texans star J.J. Watt pledged to pay for the funerals of all the victims and visited with some of those wounded in the shooting at a local hospital Monday.“We have to all come together, obviously, politicians mainly, need to come together and get it right,” Texans’ coach Bill O’Brien said. “Whatever the answer is, they need to come together and get it right because it’s got to stop happening. But what J.J. has done, nothing surprises me with J.J. He really cares about Houston. He cares about people, and it’s a great thing.”
“It’s about technology receding,” Miloseski told Variety. “Do you really need to bring a supercomputer everywhere you go?”Nuk puts the duo’s counter-intuitive goal this way: “We want to get people out of using screens.”The “Palm” name will ring a bell for longtime technology fans: The original Palm Inc. introduced one of the first personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, the Palm Pilot, in the 1990s. The new incarnation of Palm was founded in December 2016 by Miloseski and Nuk. Their Palm Ventures Group acquired the rights to the Palm trademark from Chinese electronics manufacturer TCL, which in turn had bought it from HP in 2014.“We’re not bringing back the PDA,” Miloseski said with a laugh. “We’re focused on reinventing Palm with its roots in mobile innovation.”Among Palm’s investors are TCL, which is the startup’s manufacturing partner — and NBA superstar Stephen Curry, who’s also an adviser to the company on marketing, usability and social strategy. Curry will be a “brand ambassador” for the Palm, and he’s expected to wear it during pregame warmups and workouts with the Golden States Warriors.Here’s Curry working out with the Palm strapped to his left arm in a custom sports sleeve he helped design:Curry promoted the Palm’s launch with posts on social media Monday to his millions of followers with the startup’s tagline of “Live in the Moment”: Hate lugging a bulky, large-screen smartphone everywhere? Verizon has a new gadget for you: The “ultra-mobile” Palm, bigger and more functional than a smartwatch but more compact than a regular mobile phone.The $349 Palm, about the size of a credit card, features a 3.3-inch HD display and weighs in at just 2.2 ounces (62.5 grams). The Android-based device is not meant to be your primary smartphone — in fact, it must be linked to an existing Verizon Wireless account (with which it shares the phone number).What’s the point of a teeny-tiny phone, if you still need to have a regular one? The device’s creators, ex-Samsung design executives Dennis Miloseski and Howard Nuk, said they wanted to create a new category of mobile devices for on-the-go activities, like working out, going to a concert, or taking a weekend getaway. The new Palm is designed for quick, easy access to tasks like listening to music or texting but includes a key feature, called Life Mode, that turns off all app notifications. ×Actors Reveal Their Favorite Disney PrincessesSeveral actors, like Daisy Ridley, Awkwafina, Jeff Goldblum and Gina Rodriguez, reveal their favorite Disney princesses. Rapunzel, Mulan, Ariel,Tiana, Sleeping Beauty and Jasmine all got some love from the Disney stars.More VideosVolume 0%Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcutsKeyboard Shortcutsplay/pauseincrease volumedecrease volumeseek forwardsseek backwardstoggle captionstoggle fullscreenmute/unmuteseek to %SPACE↑↓→←cfm0-9Next UpJennifer Lopez Shares How She Became a Mogul04:350.5x1x1.25×1.5x2xLive00:0002:1502:15 Popular on Variety 
In a nod to the original Palm PDA, the new device includes a gesture pad on the lockscreen for quick access to apps. That lets you scribble a letter with your finger, and the Palm pulls up apps that start with that letter.Palm runs Android OS 8.1, and it works with every app in the Google Play store (as long as it complies with Android design specs), including Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Twitter.The Palm is slated to ship in November. The device will be priced at $349 or $299 with a two-year Verizon contract; there’s also a payment plan of $14.58 per month for 24 months. Verizon’s NumberShare service for the device is $10 per month as an add-on to an existing wireless plan. Available in two colors — titanium and gold — the Palm will be sold at Verizon and Best Buy stores and on their websites. In addition, Verizon will offer a range of Palm carrying cases, billfolds and other accessories for the Palm, from Kate Spade and other partners.While it’s small, the Palm is a pretty robust, full-featured smartphone. The LCD display packs in 445 pixels per inch, all in a device that measures 50.6-by-96.6-by-7.4 millimeters.The device runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 435 processor and includes 3 gigabytes of RAM and 32 GB of storage. It has a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera and an eight-megapixel front-facing one, and comes equipped with 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The Palm’s front and back feature Corning’s impact-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 and it has an aluminum mid-frame.With Life Mode enabled, Palm has all-day battery life (about eight hours) with “typical use,” according to the company. More specifically, it’s rated for talk time of up to 3 hours and 20 minutes and local music playback of 9.5 hours. Palm Ventures Group is based in San Francisco’s SOMA district. The company declined to disclose specifics about its headcount, funding or investors (including whether Verizon owns any equity).According to Nuk, one of the sources of inspiration for the new Palm came from Spike Jonze’s 2013 dystopian AI drama “Her.” In one scene, Joaquin Phoenix’s character takes out a small, card-size device and speaks into it. To that end, the Palm features voice-activated features with Google Assistant, which users can access by pressing the power button.Miloseski believes the Palm’s Life Mode feature will be one of its lead selling points. Essentially, it turns off all connectivity when the device goes into sleep mode, so no notifications will pop up until a user reactivates it. “Instead of the phone demanding my attention, I can connect on my terms,” Miloseski said.