As India marks 70 years of partition, memories fresh of border bloodshed

- AMRITSAR, India (Reuters) - India's independence from British colonial rule coincided with the partition of the subcontinent into two separate countries, setting off unprecedented communal carnage on both sides of the hastily created border.

A mass migration followed, marred by violence and bloodshed, as about 15 million Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, fearing discrimination, swapped countries in an upheaval that cost more than a million lives.

During the chaotic transition, train cars full of bodies arrived at railway stations in the twin cities of Lahore and Amritsar in the province of Punjab, which was split roughly down the middle at partition on Aug. 14, 1947.

As India prepares to mark 70 years of independence on Aug. 15, families who witnessed the death and destruction during partition recalled the tales of horror.

Brothers Santa and Niranjan Singh were lucky to survive the crossing from their village of Bhasin on the Pakistani side of the new border to their current home in Sarangra in India.

Santa, then aged 15 or 16, says everyone was baying for blood. People were running around with knives, swords and guns.

Up to a dozen people from their village were killed in the madness, Santa recalls, saying they carried an injured brother across the border after he was shot through the head.

"The bullet went in from one side and went out from the other side of his head," said Santa, reminiscing at a gathering of his extended family. "We carried him all the way and he died after reaching this side."

His younger brother, Niranjan, was barely 5 years old but still remembers the sight of houses being burnt and people being massacred, and hearing stories of women and girls being raped.

Now the brothers live with their children and grandchildren, tending their lush green farmland located just three kilometers from the troubled border.

The separation based on border lines created by the British at the end of their colonial rule came into effect at the stroke of midnight on the eve of Aug. 14, 1947.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since 1947, and relations remain tense, particularly when it comes to the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule in parts.

Even as the rawness of the carnage that marked partition fades into history, the nuclear-armed neighbors re-enact their hostilities in ritual form in a colorful flag ceremony staged as the sun is setting over the Wagah border post that lies midway between Amritsar and Lahore.

Thousands of supporters from each country come to witness a parade of patriotism from their border guards who, in a mock confrontation, goose-step up to each other, stomp their feet and shout their lungs out during their daily retreat.

"Amazing, amazing feeling about my country, about my army," said Phalguni Zaveri, who came from Mumbai with her husband Rahul to witness the parade.

"I am so happy and obliged for making us feel safe." (ontinueReading

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Strength!: American tourist gives Nazi salute in Germany, is beaten up

- BERLIN (AP) — Police say a drunken American man was punched by a passer-by as he gave the stiff-armed Nazi salute multiple times in downtown Dresden.

Dresden police said Sunday the 41-year-old, whose name and hometown weren’t given for privacy reasons, suffered minor injuries in the 8:15 a.m. Saturday assault.

Police say the American, who is under investigation for violating Germany’s laws against the display of Nazi symbols or slogans, had an extremely high blood alcohol level. His assailant fled the scene, and is being sought for causing bodily harm.

It’s the second time this month that tourists have gotten themselves into legal trouble for giving the Nazi salute.

On August 5 two Chinese tourists were caught taking photos of themselves making the gesture in front of Berlin’s Reichstag building.

Related - Chinese tourist behavior in spotlight again after arrests

Trump Warns of Potential U.S. 'Military Option' in Venezuela

via bloomberg.com - President Donald Trump said he’s considering a military option in response to the political and economic crisis in Venezuela, raising the specter of a U.S. intervention in Latin America that could spread turmoil in the region.

Trump’s statement on Friday suggested the U.S. may get more deeply involved in Venezuela, which has been subject to increasing sanctions since President Nicolas Maduro convened a national assembly designed to rewrite the country’s constitution and consolidate his power.

“Venezuela is not very far away, and the people are suffering, and they’re dying,” Trump said during a brief news conference Friday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. “We have many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option, if necessary.”

The president declined to say whether the U.S. would seek to overthrow Maduro. He gave no specifics on what the U.S. would do militarily or whether it would act unilaterally. Vice President Mike Pence is heading to South America this weekend, with stops including Colombia, Argentina and Chile over several days.

Trump’s comment on considering a military option in Venezuela prompted a negative response from a fellow Republican, Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, a member of the Armed Services Committee.

“No, Congress obviously isn’t authorizing war in Venezuela,” Sasse, a regular critic of the president, said in a statement. “Nicolas Maduro is a horrible human being, but Congress doesn’t vote to spill Nebraskans’ blood based on who the Executive lashes out at today.” (ontinueReading

India: More Troops Sent Along China Border, Caution Level Raised: Report

via ndtv.com - India has increased operational readiness by sending more troops along the eastern border with China, sources told news agencies Reuters and Press Trust of India. The latter said that the army has also raised the "caution level" among soldiers who are guarding the 1400-km border in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Army officials refused to comment on the reports because they said they cannot reveal operational details.

The Press Trust of India said its sources attributed the new activity to China's aggressive rhetoric and to a careful analysis of the existing confrontation.

Neither India nor China has shown any sign of backing off from a face-off that began nearly three months ago along the Sikkim border when Indian soldiers entered the Doklam plateau to stop the Chinese army from constructing a road.

China says that the plateau, which it calls Donglang, is a part of its territory and it has every right to build a road there. India and Bhutan claim the land belongs to the Himalayan kingdom. Delhi says it had warned Beijing that the road would be a serious security concern because it changes the status quo at the tri-junction of the borders of India, China and Bhutan.

The stand-off has so far involved about 300 soldiers on each side standing a few hundred feet apart.

Yesterday, army sources said they did not expect the tension to escalate. The military alert level has been raised as a matter of caution, two sources in New Delhi and in Sikkim told Reuters on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Each year, Indian troop formations deployed on the border go on such an "operational alert" usually in September and October. But this year the activity has been advanced in the eastern sector, sources said to Reuters.

"The army has moved to a state that is called 'no war, no peace'," said a source to NDTV yesterday. Under the order issued to all troop formations in the eastern command a week ago, soldiers are supposed to take up positions that are earmarked for them in the event of a war, the source said.

India has suggested that both countries withdraw troops while exploring a compromise through diplomatic talks. But China demands a unilateral troop withdrawal.

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said this week in parliament that the military is ready to meet any challenge to the country's security and that India has learnt lessons on being under-prepared from the 1962 war which was fought over Arunachal Pradesh and delivered a humiliating defeat to Delhi. "The armed forces have been made fully capable...because even today the nation faces challenges from our neighbouring countries" he said.

Indian sources say the road construction is a threat to the security of its northeastern states.

China has repeatedly warned of an escalation if India does not pull back its soldiers with state-controlled newspapers warning this week that a countdown to a military clash has begun. (Source)

TRIGGERED: Wal-Mart back-to-school sign hung above guns, sparking outrage

via cnbc.com - Wal-Mart is catching fire for a guns display at one of its stores, after a photo went viral on Wednesday of the sign that hung above it.

The photo shows a back-to-school banner that reads "Own the school year like a hero" situated above a glass case full of guns.

"What's seen in this photograph would never be acceptable in our stores," a Wal-Mart spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. "We regret this situation and are looking into how it could have happened."

Initial reports said the store was in Evansville, Indiana, but that has not been confirmed by Wal-Mart as of Thursday afternoon. They had started their investigation midday Wednesday, after the photo began circulating.

The customer who initially tweeted out the photo and who also spoke with The Washington Post has since taken her Twitter account private.

The woman, Leeanna May, insisted in an interview with the Post that the photo was taken in Evansville.

But Wal-Mart's latest tweets to unhappy customers tell a different story. It appears there is still some confusion regarding which store the sign was seen at.

This isn't the first time Wal-Mart has come under a viral attack for its products.

In July, Wal-Mart used a racist term to describe a wig cap sold online. Sold by a third party, the color of the hat was listed as "nigger brown."

The retailer also drew fire in 2016, prior to Sept. 11, when a store used Coca-Cola products to build two towers signifying the World Trade Center. A banner reading "We will never forget" hung above it. (ontinueReading

Related: Walmart says back-to-school gun display was a prank

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Oprah Winfrey joins Kraft Heinz in new supermarket food venture

usatoday.com - Oprah Winfrey, whose endorsement and investment has breathed new life into Weight Watchers, is branching out into food branded under her own name.

Winfrey is behind a new line of refrigerated soups and side dishes in conjunction with Kraft Heinz that will come with a clever name: "O, That's Good." The products start coming to store shelves this week.

Marketed as healthy riffs on comfort food, the inaugural offerings include mashed potatoes with cauliflower mixed in, creamy parmesan pasta with white bean puree replacing some of the cheese and broccoli cheddar soup infused with butternut squash.

Winfrey was involved in the recipe development, including a trip to the Kraft Heinz test kitchen in Chicago . The ad campaign featuring Winfrey launches Oct. 2.

"It all started with the idea for the cauliflower mashed potatoes -- the twist is really what sparked this whole idea," Winfrey said. "I was sitting at my table in my own home and had whipped up some cauliflower, trying to make myself think I was eating mashed potatoes, but it was not working. So I thought, 'What if I used a portion of the mashed potatoes and added the cauliflower? Then, I would have a substantive mashed potato-cauli dish.'"

Refrigerated foods add another dimension to Winfrey's empire that spans everything from entertainment and O, The Oprah Magazine, to her involvement as an investor and pitchwoman for Weight Watchers. Winfrey became a major stakeholder in Weight Watchers in October 2015 and has served as a company booster. On Thursday, the company reported second-quarter profits of $45.2 million and 67 cents in earnings per share -- almost 50% higher than what it'd been a year ago.

Winfrey's name and image could help bolster Kraft Heinz at a time when supermarkets "are decreasing for the space for center store and increasing space for refrigerated. That’s where the growth is," explained analyst Phil Lempert of supermarketguru.com, an industry website.

All eight items in the line will have no artificial flavors or coloring and 10% of the profit will go to charities working to reduce hunger.

"O, That's Good brings together the three things the consumer really wants – great tasting food, convenience and nutrition they can feel good about," said Nina Barton, senior vice president of marketing, innovation and research & development for the U.S. business at Kraft Heinz.

Suggested prices will be $4.99 for the soups and $4.49 for the sides.

"I’ve been asked over the years to attach my name to many product lines and would turn them down, because it really has to feel authentic to me," Winfrey said. "In this case, everyone knows I love healthy foods and cooking with food straight from my garden. I am always looking to make my meals more nutritious, without compromising on the comfort elements I love. Kraft Heinz approached me with a food line and they mentioned the idea of making nutritious food accessible to everyone...and I was hooked."

Kraft Heinz brands include Oscar Mayer, Grey Poupon and Jell-O.

Kraft Heinz stock closed at $86.16 Tuesday, down 86 cents or 0.99%. (Source)

US job openings hit record high in June

via washingtonexaminer.com - The number of advertised job openings rose to a record-high 6.2 million in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

Tuesday's release marked the first time that advertised job vacancies cleared the 6 million mark, which had been approached but not hit a few times in the past few years of the recovery. The data goes back to December of 2000.

Thanks to the month's strong job creation, there is almost one advertised job opening for every unemployed worker. The ratio of unemployed workers to openings was 1.1, the lowest since 2001. In contrast, that ratio spiked to over 6 during the depths of the recession.

While the record high in job openings was good news, actual hiring declined in the month, and the number of workers quitting their jobs — a gauge of confidence in the jobs market — wasn't significantly changed.

The new data for Tuesday comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, a report that includes more fine-grained detail on the jobs market than the monthly jobs report. JOLTS, as it is known, is released on a one-month lag from the payroll jobs report, but is still valued by investors and Federal Reserve officials because it contains valuable information about hiring and layoffs.

The report shows that layoffs have become rarer and rarer in the past year, with about one worker in 100 getting laid off per month.

With layoffs so infrequent, it doesn't take much net job creation to keep the unemployment rate trending down. In July, according to the monthly jobs report, unemployment stood at 4.3 percent, already below the point that Fed officials think would signal a fully healthy economy. Yet job creation has averaged 195,000 over the past three months, about twice as much as is needed to keep up with population growth to maintain a steady unemployment rate.

That is good news for President Trump, suggesting that the long-running jobs recovery is not at risk of petering out in the near term.

It also will come as validation to Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen and others at the central bank who have charted a course to raising interest rates and withdrawing stimulus this year on the belief that the strong jobs market must eventually translate to higher wages and inflation.

"An economy at full employment eventually sends off the sparks of inflation," noted MUFG chief financial economist Chris Rupkey. "The Fed has no justification for keeping rates down here at less than normal levels." (ontinueReading