Old Aadhaar applicants may have to reapply

NEW DELHI: Applied for an Aadhaar card before April 1, 2012, but haven't got it yet? You may have to apply all over again. A lot of data related to applicants who enrolled for the Aadhaar unique identification number in the first phase has apparently been either lost or rendered unusable due to "encrypting errors".

UID Authority of India on Monday told the Delhi government that applicants whose status on the e-aadhaar website reads "can't be processed due to technical reasons" will need to re-enroll - unless they have given their biometrics for the National Population Registry card.

Delhi government data shows 1.36 crore citizens, out of a population of 1.67 crore, have enrolled for Aadhaar. Delhi has made Aadhaar card mandatory for more than 20 services, including property and marriage registrations.

Many enrolled in 2011 but no Aadhaar card yet

The government now says it has no readily available data on how many people had enrolled for the card before April 1, 2012.

"UIDAI has clarified that applicants will have to re-enroll under three conditions. One, if their status on the e-aadhaar website says 'rejected'. Two, if it shows 'not found' and, three, if enrolments were done prior to April 1, 2012 and the status shows 'cannot be processed due to technical reasons'," Dharampal, Delhi's revenue secretary & divisional commissioner, told TOI. The revenue department is the coordinator for Aadhaar regis8trations in the city.

Dharampal had sought UIDAI's clarification on the status of Aadhaar enrolments done six or more months ago. Sources said the Aadhaar website may also show an applicant's status as 'rejected' if the person had made multiple registrations. The government is seeking a clarification on this.

As the state government prepares to put up helpdesks at the offices of the deputy commissioners in 11 districts now that the surge of crowds has overwhelmed the counters, TOI found many hassled Delhiites who had enrolled as early as 2011 but are yet to get their Aadhaar cards.

One such couple, Hemchand Jain and his wife Santosh, were seen doing the rounds of the east district deputy commissioner's office. Jain, a resident of Kailash Nagar in East Delhi, said he had enrolled for the UID number way back in October 2011 but is yet to get the number.

Jain was frustrated and anxious because he would now have to apply for the card afresh. "I am 66 years old. They should have a system to give us information at the counters itself. Everyone does not have access to internet," he said.

Similarly, Pooja Verma, a mother of two, had applied for the card in August 2011. While her husband has received his Aadhaar number, she still awaits it. She had come to an Aadhaar enrolment camp to inquire about her status but could get no information there.

Dilip Kumar Vaidya, a music teacher from Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi, said the entire Aadhaar enrolment process was marked by chaos. "I enrolled in 2011 and got my Aadhar card in early 2012. Suddenly, there was a buzz in our colony that all cards have been cancelled and everyone would have to enroll afresh. I enrolled a second time in June last year but am still awaiting my number. I don't know if the old number stands," he said.

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of the people landing up at Aadhar counters, the personnel there often have little information about the peoples' queries.

The queues at Aadhaar counters have grown by the day, ever since the city government decided to make the UID number mandatory for 20 critical services from January 1 this year. These include property and marriage registrations and all certificates such as domicile, income and caste.

The revenue department has taken the lead in making Aadhaar necessary for availing 20 services rendered by it. Other departments will follow gradually. The state's cash transfer schemes and cash for food scheme under Anshree Yojna have also been linked to Aadhaar ID.

Those enrolled under the ongoing National Population Register by the Union home ministry need not apply separately for Aadhaar.

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Controversy, Outreach Mark Pope Benedict's Reign

Pope Benedict XVI's unprecedented announcement today that he will resign Feb. 28 brings to a close one of the shortest papacies in history, for which the pontiff will leave a legacy as a leader with views in line with church tradition, but also as one who worked during a controversial reign to advance religious links cross the globe.

The pope's decision, which he announced in Latin today during a meeting of Vatican cardinals, makes him the first pontiff to resign in nearly 600 years. It was perhaps the most shocking moment of his nearly eight years as leader of the world's roughly 1 billion Catholics, years in which he worked on religious outreach.

"I think he deserves a lot of credit for advancing inter-religious links the world over between Judaism, Christianity and Islam," Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger's spokesman said today. "During his period, there were the best relations ever between the church and the chief rabbinate and we hope that this trend will continue."

FULL COVERAGE: Pope Benedict XVI Resignation

Horst Seehofer, minister-president of the German state of Bavaria, where Benedict was born as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger 85 years ago, echoed the sentiments about his work for the greater good, adding that Benedict had a global reach.

"With his charisma and his tireless work for the good of the Church, the Pope from Bavaria has inspired people all over the world," he said.

Such global reach and efforts to reach the masses resulted recently in a new Twitter account, which the Vatican launched in late-2012. But true to his traditional worldview, he cautioned the world's Catholics at his Christmas 2012 Mass about the risk of technology's pushing God out of their lives.

"The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have. And God? The question of God never seems urgent. Our time is already completely full," he said.

RELATED: Pope Benedict XVI Resigns: The Statement

Benedict XVI was the oldest pope to be elected at age 78 on April 19, 2005. He was the first German pope since the 11th century and his reign will rank as one of the shortest in history at seven years, 10 months and three days.

The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415.

Vatican officials said they've noticed that he has been getting weaker, while Benedict said he is aware of the significance of his decision and made it freely.

Pope Benedict XVI Resignation: Who Will Be Next? Watch Video

He was widely seen as a Catholic conservative who was in line with the politics of his predecessor, Pope John Paul, and Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Dimitriy Sizonenko pointed out today that the Vatican is unlikely to move away from that tradition.

INTERACTIVE: Key Dates in the Life of Pope Benedict XVI

"There are no grounds to expect that there will be any drastic changes in the Vatican's policies," he said.
"In its relations with Orthodox Churches, the Roman Catholic Church has always ensured continuity between Popes."

Benedict did court controversy, memorably with his speech in September 2006 at the University of Regensburg, in which he quoted a remark about Islam by Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos that some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad are "evil and inhuman."

Pope Benedict XVI Never Aspired to Be Pope: Historian

A number of Islamic leaders around the world saw the remarks as an insult and mischaracterization of the religion. Mass protests ensued, notably in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Benedict soon apologized.

John Thavis, former Rome bureau chief for the Catholic News Service and author of an upcoming book about the Vatican called "Vatican Diaries," said Catholics will remember him as a gentle and very deep teacher.

"I think the outside world will probably have a different impression of this pope," he said. "I think they will remember him as someone who probably found it hard to govern the church in the face of the scandals that the church has experienced over the last several years."

During his papacy, Benedict was forced to address accusations that priests had sexually abused boys, a scandal that hit in the United States more than a decade ago and soon spread across Europe.

As the Catholic church was rattled by such allegations, the Vatican published "Criteria for the Discernment of Vocation for Persons with Homosexual Tendencies."

It was widely viewed as the church's response to the worldwide scandal, but was also criticized for drawing a connection between pedophilia and homosexuality.

In 2008, the pope said the clergy sex abuse scandal in the United States made him feel "deeply ashamed." In 2010, Benedict apologized directly to victims and their families in Ireland.

"You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry," he wrote to victims of child sex abuse by clergy in Ireland.

Benedict had plenty of critics during his papacy over what was perceived as archaic views on contraception. In March 2009, he commented that condoms are not the solution to the AIDS crisis, and can make the problem worse. He revised the comments in 2010, saying that male prostitutes who use condoms might be taking a first step toward a more responsible sexuality.

More controversy came in 2010, when, in what is seen as a gesture to traditional Catholics, Benedict removed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass. The old rites include a Good Friday prayer for the conversion of Jews.

The year 2012 brought the "Vatileaks" scandal in which Benedict's former butler Paolo Gabriele was convicted of stealing the pope's private papers from his apartments and leaking them to a journalist, who published them in a best-selling book. Gabriele was sentenced to 18 months in an Italian prison.

Speaking today, Cardinal Donald Wuerl Archbishop of Washington said the pope's willingness to step aside is a sign of character

"I think it's a sign of the great humility of this pope and his love of the church and his courage," he said.

The role Benedict will play in retirement, as well as any enduring legacy of his brief but busy papacy, might be his love for the church, his humility or his courage. Or, perhaps, it has yet to be clearly understood.

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Biggest Crocodile Dies in Captivity

Lolong is the largest crocodile in captivity no longer.

The 20.24-foot-long (6.17-meter-long) saltwater crocodile died recently at his home in the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Centre in the Philippines' Bunawan township (map), according to news reports.

In July, Guinness World Records named the behemoth, which was captured alive in September 2011, the largest crocodile in captivity. (See pictures of Lolong's capture.)

The previous captive record-holder was a 17.97-foot-long (5.48-meter-long) Australian-caught saltwater crocodile.

The cause of death is unknown, although a post-mortem may reveal more details, CNN reported.

Biggest Crocodile Boosted Conservation

The giant reptile's death is a loss to crocodile conservation in the country, Philippines' Environment Secretary Ramon Pajeto told CNN affiliate ABS-CBN News.

Indeed, the 2,370-pound (1,075-kilogram) Lolong may have inspired people in the Philippines to "perhaps respect crocodiles a little bit more,"Adam Britton, senior partner of the Australia-based crocodilian research and consulting group Big Gecko, wrote on his blog in June 2012. (See pictures of alligators and crocodiles.)

For instance, in 2011 Philippine Senate introduced a resolution to strengthen laws protecting the saltwater crocodile and the Philippine crocodile, a species deemed critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Lolong will still loom large even after death, however—Paje told ABS-CNN that the reptile will be stuffed and mounted.

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Obama should focus on deficit in State of the Union

President Obama is preparing to deliver his fourth State of the Union address on Tuesday at — or close to— the height of his political power. He has been reelected convincingly, won legislative showdowns with Republicans on debt and spending issues, and is basking in some of his highest approval ratings in years.

Of course, modern political history has shown that political momentum can disappear — or at least erode — rapidly. That’s especially true for a second-term president, who probably has until the midterm election — 2014 in Obama’s case — to either use or lose his political power.

So, how can Obama use the speech to keep on his current political roll? Here are three ideas.

It’s the deficit, stupid. A look back at Obama’s first three State of the Union speeches, plus the address to a joint session of Congress in 2009, suggests a similar thematic pattern: He starts with the economy, moves to education and then, in the middle section of the speech, addresses the deficit. (The exception was in 2011, when Obama began his speech with a riff on partisanship.) In 2012, Obama spent just five minutes on the debt — less time than he spent on partisanship (5¹/
₂ minutes) or foreign policy (six minutes).

He should flip that script in this State of the Union and spend the bulk of his time talking about the deficit. Here’s why: In January 2009 polling by Pew Research Center, 53 percent of respondents said reducing the deficit was a “top priority.” In January 2013, that number soared to 72 percent, by far the biggest increase of any issue over that time. (By contrast, 85 percent said strengthening the economy was a top priority in 2009, while 86 percent said so at the start of this year.)

The debt is the issue of the day, and one that, if Obama is beginning to eye his legacy as president, could go a long way toward shaping how history remembers him. Make this speech a deficit speech.

Pressure Republicans. Much of Obama’s success since the November election has been born of a willingness to take advantage of the fact that congressional Republicans are not only deeply unpopular with the public at large but internally divided over the future of the party — and without a clear leader to guide them. (The choice of Marco Rubio as the Republican responder to Obama’s State of the Union address suggests the GOP establishment would like the Florida senator to be that leader.)

Polling tells the story. While Obama’s job approval rating was at 55 percent in a January Washington Post-ABC News survey, just 24 percent of respondents approved of the job performance of Republicans in Congress. And two-thirds of the sample (67 percent) said Republicans were doing too little to compromise with the president on major issues.

Given those numbers, there’s every reason for Obama to continue the aggressive approach he has taken in his dealings with Republicans since winning a second term in November. Act, oratorically speaking, and force Republicans to react.

Pick a pet issue, just one. A look at the Pew priorities polling conducted last month is a telling indicator of the public’s priorities. Of 21 issues tested, global warming ranked dead last among those priorities, while strengthening gun laws came in 18th and illegal immigration 17th.

And yet, that trio of issues — along with the economy — has been at the forefront of political and policy discussions in Washington over the past few months. (Circumstances obviously matter here; the shootings in Newtown, Conn., thrust gun laws into a spotlight they would never have had if that tragedy had not happened.)

What that discrepancy should tell Obama is that he needs to tread carefully on those issues in his State of the Union speech, and beyond. While most people would like to see all of them addressed, none are even close to the priority of fixing the economy or reducing the debt. And so, Obama would be smart to pick one — guns seems by far the most likely — and spend real time on it in the speech, with only a passing reference or two to the others.

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Ben Affleck's 'Argo' wins best film at Britain's BAFTAs

LONDON: Iran hostage crisis drama "Argo" won the best film prize at Britain's BAFTA awards on Sunday, in a further boost for US actor-director Ben Affleck's movie at the Oscars later this month.

Affleck also won the best director award at the biggest night of the British film industry, while Daniel Day-Lewis was named best actor for "Lincoln" and France's Emmanuelle Riva won best actress for "Amour".

Anne Hathaway won best supporting actress for her performance in British musical "Les Miserables" while Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor for his role in Quentin Tarantino's blood-soaked Western "Django Unchained".

Celebrities defied sleet, rain and wind to parade down the red carpet for the ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London, with the BAFTAs widely seen as a key bellwether for the Academy Awards.

The best director award for Affleck highlights the fact that he has been snubbed in the same category at the Oscars, which will be handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles on February 24.

- AFP/jc

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No Rafale, nuclear deals during Hollande visit

NEW DELHI: India and France will not sign a contract for nuclear reactors at Jaitapur during the forthcoming visit of French President Francois Hollande. Neither will they seal the deal for 126 Rafale fighter aircraft. But as Hollande makes India his first stop in Asia, both sides are keen to showcase a growing relationship.

The complex negotiations for the nuclear reactor deal will get a leg up during the official talks. Described as "complex", the deal has been caught in the toils of nuclear protests in India, the Indian nuclear liability law and review procedures for the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) in a post-Fukushima environment.

India and France have started a dialogue on "civilian nuclear responsibility" which is a euphemism for consultations on the liability law. While France has not expressed displeasure, it continues to have concerns and the dialogue is intended to find answers to the vexing issues of supplier liability clauses in the law. After a first meeting, the two sides are expected to have a second in the run-up to the visit. However, there is an expectation of an agreement for joint manufacture between NPCIL, Areva and Alstom.

Meanwhile, sources said the EPR has been subject to a year's review of its safety features -- China has two EPRs and Finland has one. France's Areva has reportedly carried out a few fixes and enhanced the safety features. "These have been shared at every stage with the Indian nuclear authorities," said diplomatic sources.

The Rafale deal has probably been pushed further down the year because India is cash-strapped. Rafale won the race for supplying 126 MMRCA to India, but during his recent visit to Paris, foreign minister Salman Khurshid said India had asked France to supply an extra 63 aircraft. The deal, under which the first 18 aircraft will be manufactured in France and the rest in India, involves an extraordinary number of related offset deals, as well as questions of technology transfer.

In his conversation with PM Manmohan Singh, Hollande is expected to talk about Mali, where French troops are fighting to oust al-Qaida from the desert. India, unexpectedly, has stepped up to be involved in the Mali campaign, contributing to upgrading the Malian army as well as contributing $100 million to the stabilization and reconstruction of the desert state.

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$1M Reward for Capture of Fugitive Ex-Cop Dorner

A $1 million reward was offered today for information leading to the arrest of Christopher Dorner, as authorities in Big Bear, Calif., scaled back their search for the disgruntled ex-cop, who is suspected in three revenge killings.

"Hopefully the reward will motivate people that may be involved with assisting him or might be reluctant to talk to us to call us and to put an end to this," Los Angeles police Sgt. Rudy Lopez told The Associated Press.

Irvine Police Department/AP Photo

Manhunt for Alleged Cop Killer Heads to California Mountains Watch Video

Christopher Dorner Search: Officials Search for Ex-officer in the Mountains Watch Video

Hundreds of Officers on Hunt for Alleged Cop Killer Watch Video

Although there have been no reported sightings of Dorner in the Big Bear area, authorities have zeroed in on the area after finding his burned out truck.

On day four of the manhunt, a scaled-back force of 25 officers and one helicopter spread out in the mountainous area, located 80 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Officers have been going door-to-door at some 600 cabins, looking for signs of the fugitive ex-cop.

No new evidence has been found, authorites said.

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Michelle Obama mourns slain teenager at Chicago funeral

CHICAGO — First lady Michelle Obama attended the funeral here Saturday of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who went to school only a mile from the Obama family home and was gunned down a few days after visiting Washington for President Obama’s second inauguration.

Obama did not know Pendleton, nor did scores of other political dignitaries who filed into the Greater Harvest Baptist Church in Chicago’s South Side for the service. But by returning to her home town of Chicago to honor Pendleton, the first lady spotlighted the everyday gun violence that plagues the nation’s biggest cities at a time when the president is pushing Congress to pass tougher gun laws.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan and White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett accompanied the first lady to the service. All three have long ties to the South Side.

Although the president did not travel here Saturday, the back of a glossy obituary program distributed to mourners included a handwritten note from him to Pendleton’s parents, Cleopatra and Nathaniel.

“Michelle and I just wanted you to know how heartbroken we are to have heard about Hadiya’s passing,” he wrote in the letter. “We know that no words from us can soothe the pain, but rest assured that we are praying for you, and that we will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence. God Bless, Barack Obama.”

As hundreds of people filed into the church Saturday morning, a heart-shaped pillow rested beside Pendleton’s casket, which was lined in purple, her favorite color. The pillow featured a smiling image of the girl, signed by “mom and dad.”

Some of Pendleton’s classmates and fellow majorettes in the King College Prep’s band wore their black and yellow warm-up suits and carried roses.

Pendleton was remembered as an honors student who enjoyed cheerleading, debate and volleyball. She loved eating Chinese food, cheeseburgers and Fig Newtons; her favorite class in school was Latin; and she aspired to major in pharmacology or journalism in college.

During the service, Eric Thomas, pastor at Greater Harvest Baptist Church, asked that God “let the family know — her parents know — that her life has not been in vain. Because of this day, there will be many others saved.”

President Obama has spoken out repeatedly about finding ways to end not only mass shootings like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., but also the daily gun violence on street corners in cities such as Chicago, the nation’s third-largest.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Rep. Danny Davis (Ill.), all Democrats, attended Saturday’s service, as did the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who stood at the front of the church near Pendleton’s casket for a while before taking his seat in the congregation.

Quinn mentioned Pendleton in his “State of the State” address this week, in which he called for tougher gun control measures. And Emanuel, who was President Obama’s first White House chief of staff before being elected mayor, has become emotional recently when talking about Chicago’s frighteningly high homicide rate.

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Golf: Sterne, Fisher extend Joburg Open lead

JOHANNESBURG: South Africans Richard Sterne and Trevor Fisher stretched their lead to five shots on Saturday, after three rounds of the 1.3 million euros Joburg Open.

They held a healthy advantage at the event being played at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the local Sunshine Tour.

Playing together, each fired a third-round 68 to share first place on 196, with compatriots George Coetzee, tournament favourite Charl Schwartzel, Jaco van Zyl and Chilean Felipe Aguilar on 201, the nearest challengers.

American Peter Uihlein is alone on 202 and the group a shot further back includes South Africans Thomas Aiken and Garth Mulroy, Tommy Fleetwood of England, David Drysale of Scotland and Lorenzo Gagli of Italy.

Mulroy and Aiken posted the best third rounds -- 65 and 66 respectively over the par-72, 6942-metre east course at the north-eastern Johannesburg club -- but bridging a seven-stroke gap on the leaders is asking a lot of the pair.

The chances of the trophy staying in South Africa for a fourth consecutive year after two wins by Schwartzel and one by Branden Grace are good with seven locals among the top 12 contenders.

Sterne, runner-up to Stephen Gallacher of Scotland in the Dubai Desert Classic last weekend, had three birdies on the outward nine to make the turn one shot behind Fisher, who was four-under-par over the first nine holes.

But Fisher had an inconsistent inward nine with three birdies and three bogeys while 2008 Joburg Open champion Sterne displayed greater stability with two birdies and a solitary bogey.

"It was pretty good going out there," said Sterne as he admitted feeling the mental and physical pressure of being a title chaser for the second consecutive weekend.

"I feel quite drained at chasing first prize twice within eight days, but I would rather be at the top of the leaderboard than in the middle of the pack. My heart was pumping quite fast out there today."

Fisher admitted to back-nine nerves: "A few set in -- you try not to think about the lead, but the board is there in front of you. I was jumpy with the swing and not waiting at the top, so I hit a few bad shots.

"But I came back nicely on the second nine with a few birdies. It is all about feeling and you have got to try and feel comfortable out there on the course as much as possible."

- AFP/jc

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Afzal Guru's execution: Security agencies unfazed by likely spurt in J&K militancy

NEW DELHI: Terror outfits from across the border are likely to leverage the hanging of Md Afzal Guru and the resulting resentment against Indian state in the Valley to revive militancy in Jammu & Kashmir. Indian security establishment, however, is not perturbed as it believes the sentiment for militancy among the youth in the Valley is dead and even the emotional connect of the Afzal issue is largely limited to the state's urban centres.

Intelligence agencies, however, believe there will be wide protests and stone pelting in the Valley in days to come with situation likely worsen coming Friday.

Outside the state, trouble is being anticipated from front organizations of the Maoist movement who, say sources, have been trying for the past few years to find a common cause with Kashmiri separatists to ramp up their political strength.

According to sources in the security establishment, outfits such as LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed are likely to get a boost from the developments in Afghanistan where they are likely to find safe havens following drawdown of US forces from the region next year. With Pakistan becoming a major player in the region, the spillover from Af-Pak borders is likely to head towards the Valley aided and abetted by ISI. Given the resentment against Indian state over Afzal's hanging, these outfits might find the mood ripe for revival of militancy in the Valley, said sources.

Indian security agencies, however, say these attempts will not have a major impact as the Valley youth is looking to be part of the nation's growing economic boom and is practically tired of militancy, one of the reasons why it has been on the wane for the past one decade. "Youth in the Valley today want jobs and are looking at ways to make their life better. The rising aspirations of a young nation have caught on the imagination of Valley youth too. They are not going to pick up guns now," said an official from the security establishment.

The official also pointed out that the Afzal sentiment has been amplified, thanks to social media which restricted to urban centres in the Valley. For militancy to get some significant foothold, the sentiment has to capture the imagination of rural youth who have traditionally fed the outfits. "So there will be stone pelting and rabble rousing in urban centers but things will be back to normal after people have vented their anger," said the official.

Not surprisingly, except for general alerts of possible law and order disruptions within and outside the Valley, no specific terror alert has been issued by the Intelligence Bureau.

Politically too, sources said, the Omar Abdullah government may not face too much trouble save the initial few days as none of the political or separatist outfits have shown signs of leveraging the issue to create long-term problems and their reactions to the development have been largely moderate.

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