Climate meet emits lot of gas World leaders settle for words, not action | |||
JAYANTA BASU | |||
Copenhagen, Dec. 18: World leaders scrambled to patch together a non- binding political stateme- nt late tonight after fail ing to agree on the Copen hagen summit's key objec tive of taking urgent ac tion against climate change. A weak statement, touted as the Copenhagen Accord, ap peared on its way after Presi dent Barack Obama's meeting with Prime Minister Manmo han Singh and leaders of Ch- ina, Brazil and South Africa. "We are close to seeing a legally non-binding Copen hagen outcome after 36 hours of gruelling, intensive negoti ations," environment minis ter Jairam Ramesh said. A US official claimed that Obama had reached a deal with India, China, Brazil and South Africa. "It is not sufficient to com bat the threat of climate change, but it's an important first step," a late-night New York Times report quoted the official as saying. The draft statement falls far short of the aims with which the leaders gathered here: to set new and ambitious emission cut targets for indus trialised countries and for malise financial and techno logical assistance for develop ing nations. The draft, leaked to non- government observers at the summit, indicates that the de veloping countries would have to list their own domestic tar gets through an international process, a proposal India has resisted in the past. Sources said the political pledge by the leaders is expect ed to be accompanied by two drafts from negotiating gr-ou- ps — one on emission reduc tions by the industrialised co- u-ntries and the other involv ing long-term cooperative ac tion. "I won't say the Copen hagen talks have completely failed — there is certain progress in discussions," said Shyam Saran, India's special envoy on climate change. "However, as the Prime Mi-n- ister said, we expected more from Copenhagen." An appendix in the leaked draft of the proposed political statement suggests that the de- veloping countries would have to list their domestic emis sion-curbing actions, known as nationally appropriate mit igation actions, just as the in dustrialised countries would have to list their own emission reduction targets. Senior Indian officials have in the past argued that this violates the principle of the 12-year-old Kyoto Protocol that imposed legally binding targets only on the industri alised countries. India has in the past resisted attempts to open domestic actions to inter national scrutiny. Despite compromises by countries like India and China over the issue of monitoring review and verification and the US pledging funds for poor countries, there was no agree ment on fundamental issues like the fate of the Kyoto Pro tocol and the Bali Action Plan after Copenhagen. There was no consensus on common but differentiated mechanisms of responsibility, either. Negotiators and ministers from across the world sat thr- ough the night seeking to sal vage a meaningful agreement. The position of India and China had hardened as news spread of a late-night meeting involving 40 countries appar ently to produce an umbrella text to be signed by the lead ers. Neither India nor China was invited there. | |||
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091219/jsp/frontpage/story_11885363.jsp |
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2020 date for bullet train | |||||||
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT | |||||||
New Delhi, Dec. 18: Bullet trains running at up to 350km an hour, a railway-run TV channel, multi-lingual magazines for passengers, punctuality and zero accidents — they could all become reality by 2020, according to the railways. Bullet trains running at 250-350kmph between Howrah and Haldia, Pune and Ahmedabad, Delhi and Amritsar, Delhi and Patna, and Hyderabad and Chennai are part of the Vision 2020 document tabled in Parliament today. The railways also aim to raise the speed of regular passenger trains to 160-200kmph from 110-130kmph. If this happens, the document says, "Delhi-Calcutta and Delhi-Mumbai will become an overnight service". It looks at the possibility of increasing advertising revenues "using freight and passenger trains (both inside and outside), multi-lingual magazines for passengers and merchandising opportunities for… ticket to foodstuff and other materials served on trains". | |||||||
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Baby boom, baby bust | ||||
India's Rs 25,000 crore surrogacy industry is caught in a legal quagmire. And foreign couples run into trouble when they try to take their babies out of the country. Reena Martins looks at the travails of the wombs-for-rent business | ||||
Little Manji Yamada arrived in Osaka last October to be united with her father. Manji, born in India of a Japanese father and an Indian surrogate mother, was luckier than the 23-month-old German twins Leonard and Nikolas Balaz. The boys' parents are still waiting for the Indian courts to take a decision on their nationality. Last week, the Supreme Court stayed a Gujarat High Court order directing the granting of Indian citizenship to the Balaz boys, by virtue of their being born via an Indian — a 22-year-old surrogate mother called Martha Kristhy — in India's surrogacy capital Anand, Gujarat. According to the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, a child is born an Indian if one of the parents is Indian. The twins' parents, Jan and Susanne, had sought Indian citizenship for their boys, to get them passports to facilitate their entry to Germany, which like most European countries does not recognise surrogacy and had therefore refused them visas. The central government questioned the Gujarat High Court verdict. The apex court is set to take the matter up on December 15. The twins, however, have been issued their travel documents, as directed by the Supreme Court. The case represents a dramatic problem many couples are now waking up to — the trouble that arises when they try to take their babies out of the country. As a result, India's burgeoning surrogacy industry is confronted with the prospect of losing considerable business. No statistics exist on the number of foreign couples that head for India in their quest to obtain a child. But doctors confirm that the numbers have been growing by leaps and bounds. Dr Nayana Patel, whose infertility centre in Anand put India on the world surrogacy map, says she had six foreigners in 2007, 21 in 2008 and another 21 in 2009. She recruits 30 surrogates a month and her centre can house 54 expecting surrogates at any given time. The Law Commission estimates in its 228th report released this August that the assisted reproductive technology (ART) industry in India is worth about Rs 25,000 crore. But the industry operates without legal sanction in India. The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2008, has yet to become law. The industry is caught in a legal quagmire. First, the Law Commission is not in favour of commercial surrogacy. It talks of the need to adopt a "pragmatic approach by legalising altruistic surrogacy arrangements and prohibiting commercial ones." But the ART Bill, 2008, seems to favour commercial surrogacy. It goes to great lengths to detail the number of instalments a surrogate should be paid by a couple that has a baby through her. The second problem, of course, is the one that foreign couples now face. Many European countries do not recognise surrogacy as a legal form of parenthood. And the UK accepts altruistic surrogacy — that is, someone offering her womb for humanitarian reasons and not for money. "... No matter what the genetic make up of the child, UK law sees the woman who carried and bears the child as the legal mother," the UK Home Office said in its inter-country surrogacy and immigration rules issued in June this year. "This remains even if the surrogate mother is a foreign national living abroad." Other legal questions abound. Is a child born to an Indian surrogate mother, an Indian citizen, as the Gujarat High Court held? And what if the foreign father of the child becomes single? Manji Yamada was born to a surrogate mother a month after her Japanese parents divorced. Her Japanese father could not adopt her, because the Indian law does not allow a single man to adopt a baby girl. Another British-Indian couple (names withheld on request) shares an uncertain fate, as the civil court in Anand, has dismissed their plea for confirming the status of the commissioning mother, a British national, as the mother of the child. The ART Bill, 2008, defines a surrogate mother as a woman who agrees to have an embryo generated from the sperm of a man who is not her husband, and the egg of another woman implanted in her to carry the pregnancy to full term and deliver the child to its biological parent(s). Typically, doctors advise surrogacy when couples are keen on having their own children but cannot for a host of reasons. Mostly it is because the woman does not have a uterus, or has no ovaries, or has a damaged or defective uterus, says Dr Duru Shah, infertility specialist in Mumbai. As the industry grows, raking in money, infertility specialists are making a quick buck by advising patients to opt for surrogacy without weighing the pros and cons, says Dr Anjali Malpani, infertility specialist in Mumbai. Recently, a British-American couple in their late sixties approached G.R. Hari, a partner in the Chennai-based law firm Indian Surrogacy Law Centre, saying that they wished to have a baby through a surrogate mother. Hari says he had to dissuade the couple, who had adult children from previous marriages, from doing so. "Before coming to India to have a baby through surrogacy, intended couples must understand their own laws," says Hari, whose firm has represented commissioning parents from the UK, Italy, the US and Australia, who wish to have babies through surrogates in India. Many parents run into trouble. After the Manji fiasco, another Japanese couple had trouble taking their baby born through a surrogate in Anand to the US where they lived, says Dr Nayana Patel. "The mother (of Japanese origin) was a US citizen but the Japanese father was a US green card holder. The US embassy did not grant a visa to the baby, and they had to go to the US via Japan." The US, Dr Patel says, is "baby friendly" and allows its citizens to bring home babies born through surrogacy in India. But Australia and some American states do not recognise commercial surrogacy. Would-be parents, however, continue to throng India for surrogacy because of the low costs involved. Hospitals and clinics in India offer couples a package deal, which involves the treatment, surrogate, housing and legal assistance — for Rs 10-12 lakh. This would cost up to 10 times as much in the US, says Dr Kedar Ganla, infertility specialist at Hiranandani Hospital in Mumbai. "But we deserve to be paid more," says Lalita, 33, a middle class housewife in Mumbai, who was a surrogate for a non resident Indian couple two years ago. "The couples that hire us can afford much more. They would spend this amount on shopping." Most surrogate mothers earn around Rs 2.5 lakh. If Lalita agrees to lend her womb again, it will be for not less than twice the amount, she stresses. The first time she needed the money to tide over a domestic crisis — this time it will be to buy a one bedroom flat. Experts believe that a law has to carefully address the needs of women who rent out their wombs. After all, it's not easy carrying somebody else's child. The first time Lalita was pregnant with her own twin boys — now aged 10 — it was a happy affair. "I trusted in God to look after them," she says. But being a surrogate mother was tough. "It was stressful. I waited for the pregnancy to end and to hand over another couple's treasure." The Law Commission believes it is just a system that encourages women to rent out their wombs. "It seems that wombs in India are on rent, which translates into babies for foreigners and dollars for Indian surrogate mothers," it says. The commission recommends altruistic surrogacy but that may not be a solution, either. "It will be very difficult to get altruistic surrogates and relatives could end up being pressured to become surrogates," says Dr Hrishikesh Pai, infertility specialist at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. Worse still, he adds, is the risk of a woman refusing to part with the baby if she is not legally bound by a financial contract. "It would help to have a law so that the interests of both the surrogate and the commissioning parent are protected. Without a clear cut law, there is confusion and one has to go to court if there is a problem," he says. But Mumbai lawyer Amit Karkhanis points out that of the 150 surrogacy contracts he drafted last year — for couples coming from "Japan to Alaska and Finland to New Zealand" — only one surrogate threatened to abort the baby she was carrying if she was not paid what she demanded. But even that one case highlights the need for a law on surrogacy. Till that happens, babies like little Manji and the Balaz twins will have to do the rounds of the courts. | ||||
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091213/jsp/7days/story_11857133.jsp |
Real shockers | ||||||||
REALITY SHOWS ARE BECOMING EVEN MORE ADVENTUROUS THAN BEFORE IN THEIR BID TO GRAB VIEWERS, SAYS SUSHMITA BISWAS | ||||||||
Who says that reality shows in India are only about song and dance contests or even politicking housemates? Take a look at NDTV Imagine's latest show, Raaz — Pichhle Janam Ka, which takes reality TV into a new direction. The show, which is hosted by actor Ravi Kishan, is putting its participants through regression therapy to unravel their deepest past-life secrets. Or cut to the forthcoming Splitsvilla Season 3 on MTV. Now that shows like Sach Ka Saamna have shown that some Indians aren't shy of baring their dirtiest secrets in public, here's another show that will set a new standard of boldness. Splitsvilla Season 3 will be about casual dating and break-ups for the five unmarried couples and 10 singles. Yes, there'll be oodles of oomph where women will be bitchy while the men will get to dump some of them. All this for a prize bounty of Rs 10 lakh. Welcome to the latest edition of reality television, where washing one's dirty linen on prime time has become big business and where outrageous content is catching on like never before. Bold is the new beautiful on reality shows. And television channels are becoming more adventurous in their bid to grab those all-important eyeballs. "There's an innate voyeurism in every person that gets gratified through such shows," says Shailesh Velandy, vice-president, strategic planning, at media planning firm Mudra Radar. The channels are eager to provide these "kicks". Says Ashis Patil, vice-president, creative and content, MTV: "Young people today are looking for unlicensed vicarious pleasure, and such shows (like Splitsvilla) are driven by social trends, where casual dating and break-ups have become common."
Meanwhile, Trupti Jayin, the clinical psychologist who's part of Raaz — Pichhle Janam Ka, believes that "a show on past-life regression (using techniques like hypnosis), where contestants recount their past lives, can be shocking, surreal and captivating all at the same time." Reality show producers too feel that Indian viewers have matured. After all, they've had a taste of juicy moments with shows like Bigg Boss (currently in its third season) on Colors, or Sach Ka Saamna on Star Plus, or even the more recent Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao on Sony TV. So they're ready for bolder acts now. Channels too feel that viewers are receptive to experimentation. "Viewers are willing to accept and enjoy edgier content," says Shailja Kejriwal, executive vice-president (content), NDTV Imagine. NDTV Imagine has got bolder ever since its Rakhi Ka Swayamvar became a hit. Outspoken item girl Rakhi Sawant turned into a coy bride on this show and held the entire nation in thrall — while pushing the channel's rating skywards. (The grand finale garnered a TVR of 8.4). Up next, then, is season two with 'bad boy' Rahul Mahajan. The show will be titled Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega, and Mahajan will choose his "perfect life-partner" from 16 contestants. Others are playing the marriage theme too. There's Perfect Bride on Star Plus, which takes a cue from arranged marriages. The show will end with a grand wedding — and a prize of Rs 25 lakh for the winning couple. "It's peppered with high drama featuring conflicting opinions between the mothers and their sons in selecting the right soulmate,"says Anupama Mandloi, senior creative director, Star Plus.
On the other hand, there's Channel V's Dare 2 Date, an anti-mush show in which, VJ Andy pairs youngsters who're complete opposites. "It turns the very idea of romance on its head by highlighting how one man's chocolate can be another man's poison," says Prem Kamath, general manager, Channel V. If you don't like relationship-based shows, there are other daring reality shows too. There's Big Switch on UTV Bindaas, which is aimed at a younger audience. Hosted by Genelia D'Souza, it's about 10 rich brats, who're dropped into a claustrophobic Mumbai slum where the cameras track their every move. The winner will get Rs 10 lakh. Or check out the second season of Dadagiri, also on UTV Bindass. Here, the 12 contestants face the wrath of two dadas, who give them physically daunting tasks to test their mental strength. Again, the prize is Rs 10 lakh. Heather Gupta, head, UTV Bindass, says: "Today, young people are an impatient lot. We need to come up with exciting shows to attract their attention." So is the trend of bolder reality shows here to stay? Says Mudra Radar's Velandy, "From exotic locales to showing sensational stuff to devising abnormal situations, the possibilities are far greater than what any soap can ever provide." | ||||||||
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091213/jsp/graphiti/story_11853985.jsp |
Palash Biswas
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http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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