MONTH THAT WAS
HOUSTON : AN Indian American has been appointed as the Deputy Mayor of the city of Stafford in Texas, becoming the first person of the community to hold the post in the US.
Ken Mathew has been unanimously appointed as the Mayor Pro Tem (Deputy Mayor) of the City of Stafford, Texas. He is the first Indo- American to become a Mayor Pro Tem in the state of Texas.
Mathew, married with two daughters, said , "I want to see a clean and efficient government at all levels. I see before me Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa as my idols."
He added that the defence minister of India also inspired him, "I also see a rare politician, like AK Antony, the current Defense Minister of India, as a living example of what public servant ought to be."
Mathew, known as soft spoken yet confident person is originally from Mumbai and has done his graduation from University of Bombay, India.
He also holds an MBA degree from the University of Detroit.
He is serving his second term on City Council for the City of Stafford. Mathew said he was humbled and honored to serve the residents of Stafford in his new role as Mayor Pro Tem.
Stafford, a city of approximately 20,000 people is located in Fort Bend Country with 20 per cent Asians including 8 per cent Indians.
The Mayor Pro Tem performs the Mayor’s duties during his absence and retains the right to vote on all matters before Council while performing the duties of the Mayor.
Stafford is the only city in the State of Texas with no property tax. A recent Fortune magazine poll has found the city as one of the best places to live and launch a business among forty thousand cities in America.
Ken Mathew has been unanimously appointed as the Mayor Pro Tem (Deputy Mayor) of the City of Stafford, Texas. He is the first Indo- American to become a Mayor Pro Tem in the state of Texas.
Mathew, married with two daughters, said , "I want to see a clean and efficient government at all levels. I see before me Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa as my idols."
He added that the defence minister of India also inspired him, "I also see a rare politician, like AK Antony, the current Defense Minister of India, as a living example of what public servant ought to be."
Mathew, known as soft spoken yet confident person is originally from Mumbai and has done his graduation from University of Bombay, India.
He also holds an MBA degree from the University of Detroit.
He is serving his second term on City Council for the City of Stafford. Mathew said he was humbled and honored to serve the residents of Stafford in his new role as Mayor Pro Tem.
Stafford, a city of approximately 20,000 people is located in Fort Bend Country with 20 per cent Asians including 8 per cent Indians.
The Mayor Pro Tem performs the Mayor’s duties during his absence and retains the right to vote on all matters before Council while performing the duties of the Mayor.
Stafford is the only city in the State of Texas with no property tax. A recent Fortune magazine poll has found the city as one of the best places to live and launch a business among forty thousand cities in America.
Divorces overwhelm UK courts
LONDON SPIRALING cases of divorces and family breakdowns have overwhelmed courts in Britain, prompting a senior judge to call for a national commission to consider the problem and suggest a solution.
The number of family breakdowns amounted to an "epidemic", and the "meltdown" in family life was "as big a threat to the future of our society as terrorism, street crime or drugs," said Justice Coleridge in a speech in Westminster.
He said the consequences of family break-up for society were so great that it could no longer be treated as purely private matter. A family division judge, he called for a national commission to consider the problem and its solution.
Justice Coleridge said, "What…I am drawing attention to is the endless game of ‘musical relationships’ or ‘pass the partner’, in which such a significant portion of the population is engaged in the endless and futile quest for a perfect relationship".
According to him, the fundamental change was required in the assumption that "both the production and parenting of children or the break-up of a parental relationship is a private matter which only affects the individuals directly concerned".
He added, "Although, superficially, these are private issues, they become matters of public concern when they are happening on such a huge scale.
The number of family breakdowns amounted to an "epidemic", and the "meltdown" in family life was "as big a threat to the future of our society as terrorism, street crime or drugs," said Justice Coleridge in a speech in Westminster.
He said the consequences of family break-up for society were so great that it could no longer be treated as purely private matter. A family division judge, he called for a national commission to consider the problem and its solution.
Justice Coleridge said, "What…I am drawing attention to is the endless game of ‘musical relationships’ or ‘pass the partner’, in which such a significant portion of the population is engaged in the endless and futile quest for a perfect relationship".
According to him, the fundamental change was required in the assumption that "both the production and parenting of children or the break-up of a parental relationship is a private matter which only affects the individuals directly concerned".
He added, "Although, superficially, these are private issues, they become matters of public concern when they are happening on such a huge scale.
Free education to be a fundamental right
NEW DELHI : A Bill seeking to make free and compulsory education to children in the 6-14 age group a fundamental right will be placed before current sessions of parliament. The right to Education Bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet after incorporating certain changes in the original draft as suggested by the Standing Committee, sources said. Once the Bill becomes a law, it will make free and compulsory education a fundamental right.
The Act provides for 25 per cent reservation of seats in private schools for poor children in neighbourhood.
NEW DELHI : A Bill seeking to make free and compulsory education to children in the 6-14 age group a fundamental right will be placed before current sessions of parliament. The right to Education Bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet after incorporating certain changes in the original draft as suggested by the Standing Committee, sources said. Once the Bill becomes a law, it will make free and compulsory education a fundamental right.
The Act provides for 25 per cent reservation of seats in private schools for poor children in neighbourhood.
Al Qaeda warns France on Burqa row
LONDON : Al-Qaeda militants have threatened to launch "dreadful revenge" on France after President Nicolas Sarkozy said the burkha worn by Muslim women was "not welcome" as it was a sign of "subservience."
The French leader had told lawmakers at the Palace of Versailles in a special sessions last week that "The burkha is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience". "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic," he told members of both Houses of parliament.
The comment sparked a racial row and was condemned by Islamists in many countries. Now militants of al Qaeda’s North African network have called on French Muslims to react "with the utmost hostility".
"We will seek dreadful revenge on France by all means at our disposal, for the honour of our daughters and sisters," an Islamic extremist website was quoted as saying by the Mail online. "Our Mujahadin followers must not remain silent in the face of such provocation and such injustice," it said in a message.
French security are on "high level of vigilance" as authorities reaffirmed "their determination to fight terrorism."
"Our security services will remain on their continuously high level of vigilance against any threat to security in France," a French government spokesman was quoted as saying by the British news portal.
New municipal colleges to train students for engg entrance tests
MUMBAI : HERE is real heartening news for the students of municipal schools! Not only that they will get coaching in the science stream, but they will also be imparted training for engineering entrance examinations like IIT JEE, AIEEE and MHT-CET in the three junior civic colleges to be operated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The civic body’s decision to start three junior science colleges has already come as a boon to these students, most of whom are from lower strata of society. In addition to this, the training for engineering entrance examinations in these colleges will act as a catalyst for them to go in for higher studies. These colleges will be located in Vile Parle, Dadar and Mulund.
The BMC junior colleges will run the entire academic course for XI and XII junior college. The education will be free of cost and the colleges will offer subjects in English, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science (vocational).
The colleges will have 100 seats in the first year, out of which 50 seats will be reserved for students from municipal schools. The colleges will be held in the classrooms of municipal schools and facilities like computer lab, laboratory, library, will be provided by Pace and Yukti.
Drunken driving brings in seven crores
MUMBAI: THE Mumbai Traffic police arrested 121 people for drunk driving in a span of two hours on 17th last month . Of those arrested 88 were on two wheelers, 25 on four wheelers, two on three wheelers and interestingly one accused was driving a crane. The majority of those arrested (77) were aged between 21 and 35. Until the latest arrest, for the whole year the traffic police has detected a total of 35,010 cases of drunken driving collecting a fine of above seven crore.
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