Thursday, June 29, 2017

UK Palestine event to go ahead after pro-Israel ban bid defeated

Government minister investigated Palestine Expo 2017 amid claims from pro-Israeli lobby that the Friends of al-Aqsa group had praised Hamas

Screengrab of Palestine Expo event site (Screengrab)

Areeb Ullah-Thursday 29 June 2017

Europe's largest Palestine convention is to go ahead in the UK after surviving attempts by pro-Israel lobbyists to have it cancelled.

The Palestine Expo, organised by the non-profit Friends of al-Aqsa (FOA) group, is expected to draw about 10,000 people to the Queen Elizabeth Centre in London, on 8 and 9 July.

But doubts emerged as to whether the event would go ahead after the UK's local government minister, Sajid Javid, whose department controls the QEII Centre, had warned he was "minded" to cancel the event.

Since the decision to go ahead was announced, momentum has grown and thousands of tickets have been sold

- Ismail Patel, founder and chairman of FOA

Javid's intervention came amid claims by various Jewish and pro-Israel groups that FOA had previously praised Hamas and Hezbollah, two groups proscribed in the UK.

Lawyers representing the Jewish Human Rights Watch (JHRW), an Israeli lobby group based in Britain, accused the pro-Palestine campaign group and its co-organiser, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, of supporting "Jew hate".

In a letter to the DCLG written by JHRW's lawyers, it said: "Our client is certain that this event is a front for Jew hate and that the main groups (Friends of al-Aqsa and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign) are organisations promoting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) in relation to Israel, a known anti-Semitic movement."

However, the claims were dismissed after a government departmental investigation, and the event was told it could go forward.

Ismail Patel, the founder and chairman of FOA, described the pro-Israeli group's claims as "baseless".

"Since the decision to go ahead was announced, momentum has grown and thousands of tickets have now been sold," Patel told MEE.

"It now means people in the UK can come and celebrate all things Palestinian at one of the most prestigious buildings in the country."

'A democratic right'

Speaking about the government's decision to not ban the event, Patel said described it as "not a victory as this is us simply exercising our democratic right".

"The pressure came early from pro-Israeli groups that deliberately conflated our work and past statements as anti-semitic and supporting terrorism," he said.

The PSC also denied accusations that it supported "Jew hate" and was anti-Semitic, saying that it would take legal action over what it described as "defamation".

Javid had written a letter to FOA on 14 June saying he had concerns about the group's "public support for a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, and that you have supported events at which Hamas and Hezbollah - also proscribed - have been praised."

After investigations, the Department for Communities and Local Government said it was "content" that the event could be staged.

It said: "We have worked with the QEII Centre to carry out checks following concerns raised about the Palestine Expo 2017.

"Following these checks, we have agreed the event can take place as planned."

The event, which costs £20 to attend, is expected to include political discussions, concerts, comedy acts, workshops and a food court.

Earlier this year, MEE revealed how British universities had cancelled events hosted by pro-Palestine societies across the country in a bid to "manage" Palestine activism on UK campuses as part of the Prevent strategy.

For U.S. Aid to the Palestinians, Don’t Use a Sledgehammer When a Scalpel Would Do

BY DANIEL SHAPIRO, ILAN GOLDENBERG-JUNE 29, 2017

Taylor Force, a U.S. Army veteran who survived combat in Iraq, was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in a knife attack in Tel Aviv last year. His death, which occurred while Vice President Joe Biden was meeting with former President of Israel Shimon Peres at the Peres Center for Peace less than a mile away, highlighted the Palestinian Authority’s practice of providing welfare payments to the families of Palestinians in prison, including those who killed Israelis. Indeed, the Palestinian system actually provides more money to those who serve longer sentences. This is an abominable practice and it should stop.

It is not as politically easy as some might think. In Palestinian culture, prisoners who have committed violent acts against Israelis are revered as freedom fighters, and acting against them comes with a high political cost for the Palestinian leadership. But this is not an acceptable excuse. While we understand the need to provide families that are struggling economically and have lost a breadwinner with welfare payments similar to other families in that position, there should be no extra bonuses for someone who attacks Israelis.

Now, legislation to address this problem is advancing in the U.S. Congress. It is championed by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and named for Force, the veteran who was killed last year. The proposed law would cut off U.S. economic aid to the Palestinians, which in the past few years has totaled roughly $250 million per year, unless these payments are stopped.

The legislation is well intended and we support its goals, but in its current form, enacting it would lead to a number of unintended consequences that would worsen things for Israel, the Palestinians, and the United States.

One problem is the legislation’s inflexibility. The way the current language is framed, the cutoff in economic aid would be a near certainty, leaving in place only assistance for the Palestinian security forces, which in recent years has been between $40 and $75 million per year.

But American economic investments keep the West Bank stable, which is in everyone’s interests. Much of U.S. investment goes towards schools, roads, and similar infrastructure projects critical to keeping the Palestinian economy running. Indeed, even before deepening its involvement in mediating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a visit last week by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, the Trump administration has greatly emphasized the importance of improved economic conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank.

The administration will undoubtedly hear the same thing from Israeli officials. Despite years of complaints about Palestinian incitement, the Israeli government has not cut off any of the steps it takes to ensure that the Palestinian economy remains viable. For example, the Palestinians do not have the capacity to collect their own tax revenue, so Israel collects revenue on their behalf and then transfers money every month to the Palestinian Authority. On occasion, when Israel has gotten frustrated with Palestinian actions, it has temporarily halted these transfers. But Israel has always resumed them after a short hiatus because it knows the risks to Palestinian stability, and therefore to Israel’s security, are too high.

And despite intense feelings about the prisoner payments in Israel, the Israeli government has never stopped financial transfers to the Palestinians over this issue because the long-term consequences are too severe. That is why a group representing more than 270 retired Israeli generals came out against the current version of the Force legislation last week. Active duty Israeli officers charged with maintaining security and stability in the West Bank have also repeatedly affirmed to us that they would not welcome any sustained reduction in assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

Some argue that American aid is going to support terrorism, but this is not the case.

Some argue that American aid is going to support terrorism, but this is not the case. Most U.S. aid goes not to the Palestinian Authority itself, but to contractors and NGOs who are working in the West Bank to build roads, schools, hospitals, and other important investments. The only exception is the roughly $75 million that the United States pays to Israeli power and fuel companies to provide electricity to the West Bank and Gaza and to the Israeli-run East Jerusalem Hospital Network, to which the Palestinian Authority sends sick patients when their illnesses are not treatable in the Palestinian territories. And even that money does not go directly to the Palestinian Authority, but to its creditors.

The legislation also contains no exception for humanitarian assistance. In the case of another conflict with Hamas in Gaza, the United States would be prevented potentially from providing basic foods, medicine, blankets, and shelter for the thousands of Palestinians — many of them children — who would be homeless. After past conflicts, Israel, anxious to avoid a humanitarian disaster on its doorstep, turned to the United States to play that role, which it always has with bipartisan support.

And while the legislation does not touch U.S. funding for the training of Palestinian security forces, it could nevertheless harm security cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. Perhaps the most positive story of the past 10 years with regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the development of effective Palestinian security forces, which coordinate closely with Israel to counter threats of terrorism.

But the Palestinian public often views these security forces as puppets of the Israelis, even as the Palestinian Authority and these forces remain deeply committed to the mission because they fear the threat posed by Hamas. But if security assistance is the only U.S. support that remains, and no other economic benefits for the Palestinians materialize, then it becomes politically much more difficult for the Palestinian leadership to accept these funds and continue the program.

How can the legislation be amended to address these concerns? The easiest and most meaningful fix would be to add a national security waiver. This would allow the executive branch to waive the requirement to cut off aid to the Palestinians if the administration judged that it was in the national security interest of the United States to continue the aid.

The Trump administration has already prioritized this issue and is pressing the Palestinians to reform. The legislation would give the administration an additional tool to pressure the Palestinians, but the waiver would also give it some some flexibility and not completely tie its hands.

Another possibility would be to take a scalpel — not a sledgehammer — to economic aid. For example, threatening to cut off only the budget assistance that goes to the Israeli companies providing electricity and fuel in the West Bank would have the most meaningful effect on Palestinian leadership’s calculus and impact the Palestinian Authority’s budget without cutting off aid that goes directly to the Palestinian people or provides humanitarian relief.

Making clear that it is unacceptable to incentivize or reward terrorism in any way is completely appropriate, and it is a worthy goal of the Force legislation. Doing so in a way that preserves stability and security in the West Bank would be consistent with the goals of the Trump administration, which has already devoted considerable energy to the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Photo credit: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images

Republicans condemn Trump for crude tweets about ‘Morning Joe’ host

'Your tweet was beneath the office,’ Lindsey Graham said about Trump’s message about a bleeding face-lift.

Trump’s pledge to keep the world from laughing at us hits another setback

trump-and-8217;s-pledge-to-keep-the-world-from-laughing-at-us-hits-another-setback photo 3

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trump-and-8217;s-pledge-to-keep-the-world-from-laughing-at-us-hits-another-setback photo 2

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was cut off then laughed at while speaking by teleconference at a gathering of the Economic Council of the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was supposed to attend this week’s Economic Council of the Christian Democratic Union meeting in Berlin, but suddenly canceled his travel plans on Tuesday. Ross was scheduled to give an address at the conference immediately before German chancellor Angela Merkel, so he instead gave his remarks by teleconference from Washington.

Ross was allotted 10 minutes to speak. After speaking for more than 20, the conference organizers cut his feed mid-sentence. The audience “laughed and clapped” in response, according to Bloomberg. Merkel then rose and, during her remarks, disagreed with one of Ross’s points.

The relationship between President Trump and Merkel has been strained since his inauguration. His repeated insistence that Germany owes money to NATO and his unusual reticence to embrace that alliance has been one point of friction. His disparagement of Germany as “very bad” in a closed-door meeting was another. That claim centered on what Trump (and Ross) viewed as a trade disparity between the two countries and was the point with which Merkel took issue.

In most other contexts, a laughing reaction from a small group of America’s economic and geopolitical allies would be odd but not particularly noteworthy. In the context of the Trump administration, though, it’s telling.

Trump’s campaign rhetoric repeatedly centered on the idea that America was being laughed at internationally. His evidence for this claim was lacking, but it was a point he raised repeatedly.

During his campaign launch, he said Mexico was “laughing … at our stupidity” on the border. In a speech before the Iowa caucuses, Trump claimed that the Islamic State was laughing at our leaders, a claim he repeated in a March debate. The whole world was laughing at us because of Barack Obama, he said in an interview in May of 2016 — and in speeches in June and October. As Election Day approached, he made the claim over and over.

When he announced that he was withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord last month, Trump claimed that it was necessary because we’d gotten a bad deal — so bad that we were being laughed at.

“The Paris agreement handicaps the United States economy in order to win praise from the very foreign capitals and global activists that have long sought to gain wealth at our country’s expense. … The same nations asking us to stay in the agreement are the countries that have collectively cost America trillions of dollars through tough trade practices and, in many cases, lax contributions to our critical military alliance,” he said. “At what point does America get demeaned? At what point do they start laughing at us as a country? We want fair treatment for its citizens, and we want fair treatment for our taxpayers. We don’t want other leaders and other countries laughing at us anymore. And they won’t be. They won’t be.”

On Tuesday, The Post highlighted new survey data from the Pew Research Center showing that perceptions of America and our president have decreased substantially in most parts of the world following Trump’s election. That includes Germany — a country to which Trump was pointedly referring in his Paris remarks and where Trump’s commerce secretary was laughed at literally.

Views of the American people have held fairly constant over the years among Germans, Pew’s polling revealed. But views of our government and president slipped during the George W. Bush administration, rose under Barack Obama — and then collapsed this year.

German confidence in the American president followed the same pattern. Last year, 86 percent of Germans had a lot of or at least some confidence in America’s president. This year, more than half have none at all.

It’s easy to read too much into the reaction Ross prompted this week. But as a symbol of the relationship between the two countries at the moment, it’s hard not to — particularly given how often other countries’ laughter was raised by Trump as something we should be concerned about.

Britain’s social mobility crisis in ten graphs

By Martin Williams28 JUN 2017

A damning new report has criticised politicians’ efforts to improve social mobility.
The research, by the Social Mobility Commission, warns that for years policies have “failed to deliver enough progress in reducing the gap between Britain’s ‘haves and have nots’.”
“The old agenda has not delivered enough social progress,” it says. “The policies of the past have brought some progress, but many are no longer fit for purpose in our changing world.”
So, how bad is it? Here are ten key graphs from the Social Mobility Commission’s report that paint a picture of the problem.

1. Child development equality has flatlined

This graph shows the percentage-point gap between deprived and non-deprived areas for children who reach a good level of development by the age of five. It was improving, but has now flatlined.

2. If your parents are not highly educated, you receive less child development time

The gap has got wider over time. Here, we can see the number of minutes that parents spend on their child’s development per day, in 2001/01 and 2014/15.

3. There’s still a big gap between rich and poor children at school

This shows the percentage of pupils who achieve at least level 2 in Key Stage 1. It’s broken down by those children who are eligible for free school meals (FSM), and those who are not.

4. Attainment for poorer children is improving quicker in London than the rest of England

As above, this graph is based on pupils who are eligible for free school meals. It shows the percentage who achieved at least five A*-C grades at GCSEs, or equivalent. (We’ve added the coloured lines on to the Social Mobility Commission’s graph to make it easier to track each region’s progress).

5. Good school leadership is linked to location and deprivation

The percentage of secondary schools with “good and outstanding” leadership is far lower in deprived areas outside London. This graph shows the breakdown by both region and deprivation in 2016.

6. Careers advice in schools is declining

This one shows the percentage of schools offering career support between 1997 and 2008. Every category of support has decreased except university visits, which have slowly become more widespread.

7. University access is improving… but the government is set to miss its target

The government wanted to double university access for students from low-participation areas by 2020. It looks like that won’t happen, but there is steady progress nevertheless.

8. University access improvements are driven by poorer students going to the least selective universities

The percentage of disadvantaged 18-year-olds entering higher education has increased the most among those who go to low entry tariff institutions.

9. Social mobility has improved much more in some professions than others

This graph shows the percentage of people at the top of a sample of professions who went to private schools, in 1987 and in 2016. This demographic continues to dominate among barristers and the judiciary, and have actually increased in proportions in journalism and medicine. But the percentage of privately educated CEOs has dropped dramatically.

10. Most poor people live in working households

People who are in poverty are less likely to be unemployed than they were 20 years ago. Unemployment has fallen but wages have stayed low since the financial crisis, meaning the percentage of people suffering from in-work poverty has gone up.

Cholesterol-free diet: Recipes and possible health benefits

Written by Alyse WexlerReviewed by Natalie Butler, RD, LD

Last reviewed: Fri 12 May 2017

Cholesterol is an essential building block for cells, and the body makes as much of it as it needs on its own. A diet that that causes the body to produce too much "bad" LDL cholesterol can cause plaques to form in the arteries, leading to coronary heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the ideal amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood is 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or lower.
If a person's LDL level is greater than this, they might consider trying a cholesterol-lowering diet. This is especially the case if the person is at high risk for heart disease due to obesity, diabetes, or other lifestyle or hereditary factors.
Although it seems counter-intuitive, it is not the cholesterol found in foods that relates to a person's blood cholesterol level. It is the saturated and trans fats that need to be reduced.

Contents of this article:

Common themes of cholesterol-cutting diets

There are many diets available that claim to lower LDL levels. However, the nutritional plans that work best share the same important elements:

they cut saturated and trans fat intake
they replace foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats with unsaturated fats, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and wholegrains
they keep serving size in check to assure a healthy daily calorie intake

Three cholesterol-cutting diets that follow these guidelines are vegan diets, Mediterranean diets, and the National Institute of Health's TLC diet.

Vegan diet

A vegan diet excludes all animal-based foods and is a true cholesterol-free diet.

A vegan diet prohibits eating animal-based foods, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy. Only animal-based foods contain cholesterol. For this reason, veganism is the only truly cholesterol-free diet.

While cholesterol intake does not affect LDL levels as much as saturated fat intake does, many foods that have high cholesterol content also contain a lot of saturated fat. By replacing animal-based foods with plant-based foods, people can avoid both of these LDL-raising factors at once.

However, cutting cholesterol and saturated fat intake is not the only way a vegan diet can reduce LDL levels. To make this diet especially effective, it is important that people include nutrients that actively remove LDL cholesterol from the body.
The most important of these nutrients are:

Polyunsaturated fats. These stimulate the liver to dispose of LDL cholesterol. They can be found in natural vegetable oils, such as canola, sunflower, and safflower oils.
Soluble fibers. These dissolve into a gel in the intestines. The gel binds to cholesterol and fats and carries them off to be removed from the body before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Soluble fiber is found in oat-based cereals, whole grains, barley, beans, chia seeds, and eggplant. Apples, grapes, strawberries, and citrus fruits are also rich in a kind of soluble fiber called pectin.
Stanols and sterols. These also block cholesterol from being absorbed into the bloodstream. They can be extracted from certain plants, and are often used to fortify juices and nutrition bars. They can also be taken in supplement form.

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, eating 5 to 10 grams (g) of soluble fiber each day can lead to a 5 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol. Within weeks, a daily intake of about 2 g of either stanols or sterols can reduce LDL by about 5 to 15 percent.

Even a vegan diet fortified with these substances can have shortfalls, though. According to a literature review, cutting all animal products from the diet increases risk for vitamin D, vitamin B-12, and zinc deficiency.

Avoiding fish, eggs, and seaweed also deprives one of omega-3s, which are especially heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats. To reduce these risks, it is recommended that people on a vegan diet include:

vitamin B-12 fortified foods, such as soy and rice beverages and nutritional yeast - leafy vegetables cannot provide enough B-12 on their own
vitamin D fortified foods, especially during the winter months
plant foods rich in omega-3s, such as ground flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil, soy products, and hemp-seed based beverages
foods rich in zinc, such as whole grains, legumes, soy products, and fortified snacks

As veganism has become more popular, many resources have become available to help develop tasty meals that fit an individual's dietary needs. A recent article in Good Housekeeping suggests a variety of creative vegan recipes.

The Vegetarian Resource Group also offer a wealth of vegan meal ideas on their website, as well as a directory of vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants.

Mediterranean diet

Alongside olive oil and fish, the Mediterranean diet consists of fruits, vegetables, starches, nuts, seeds, eggs, and wine.

If giving up animal-based foods is too difficult, following a Mediterranean diet may be a better option. While the Mediterranean diet does not allow much red meat, dairy products, poultry, and fish are acceptable in low to moderate amounts.

The American Heart Association (AHA) explain that while there are many different versions of the Mediterranean diet, each relies on the same basic nutrients:

olive oil in place of saturated fats
high volume of fruits and vegetables
high-fiber starches, such as potatoes, beans, breads, and whole-grain cereals
nuts and seeds
fish and poultry
eggs, up to four times a week
wine, in small to moderate amounts

Fatty-fish focused dishes, such as this recipe for salmon with apricots, yogurt, and pistachio sauce, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Because vegan diets tend to lack omega-3s, a Mediterranean diet can be more healthful than a vegan diet in this sense.

However, the Mediterranean diet also has shortfalls of its own. The biggest concern is calorie intake. Though unsaturated fats and natural starches are not unhealthful, they contain a lot of calories.

If a person doesn't think about portion size carefully, they could end up gaining more weight from a Mediterranean diet. As being overweight and obesity are also risk factors for heart disease, this would defeat the purpose of lowering one's cholesterol.

The AHA advise that more than half of the fat calories in a Mediterranean diet should come from monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil. While these are much more healthful than saturated or trans fats, they have not been shown to actively signal the liver to cut LDL levels as polyunsaturated fats can.

The TLC diet

Alongside reducing cholesterol in the diet, the TLC diet pairs dietary adjustments with lifestyle changes.

TLC stands for "Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes," and was created by the National Institute of Health in 2005. It is still considered a very strong low-cholesterol option by health experts.

The diet pairs dietary adjustments with lifestyle changes in order to lower one's risk of heart disease as much as possible. It has fewer restrictions than a vegan diet, but it also follows a much more strict, scientific structure.

According to the TLC handbook, a person should consume the following each day:

less than 7 percent of calories from saturated fat
25 to 35 percent of daily calories from total fat
less than 200 mg of cholesterol
a low but healthy number of calories, determined with the help of one's doctor
an optional 2 g per day of plant stanols or sterols
an optional 10 to 25 g per day of soluble fiber

For women, 1,000 to 1,200 daily calories are usually recommended for weight loss. For men, 1,200 to 1,600 calories are recommended.

This structure is meant to ensure that LDL levels are not only lowered, but that nutrient intake is well balanced and weight is not gained in the process.

Recipes, menu plans, and tips to make vegetables tastier can all be found in the TLC handbook. The AHA also offer an online collection of heart-healthy recipes that are compatible with the TLC diet.

Health benefits

Regardless of which diet a person chooses, making healthy nutritional changes can do more than just lower cholesterol. Cutting saturated fats and increasing the intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fibers can help promote healthy vision, as well as brain, muscle, bone, and digestive system health.

Weight loss also relieves stress from the major organs and arteries and reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Written by Alyse Wexler

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Protest condemns burglary of Trincomalee women's organisation

28 Jun 2017

Women’s organisations in Trincomalee were joined on Tuesday by colleagues and supporters across the island in a protest condemning the vandalism and burglary of the Trincomalee Women’s Network office.

The organisation’s office was raided on Sunday night, with their computers and laptops having been tampered with.

Uppuveli police are investigating the break-in but have not been able to find identifiable fingerprints.

Plaque asks: Was this just a burglary or a plot?

Related Articles:

15 June 2017 : Women's Action Network concerned about political manipulation of Trinco sexual assault incident

05 June 2017 : Trincomalee women's groups and children protest schoolgirl assaults

RTI commission responds to incorrect reference in Sunday Leader

Jun 28, 2017

The RTI Commission of Sri Lanka has written to the Editor of the Sunday Leader informing him of an incorrect reference to the Commission in the Leader of June 25th, 2017 in an article dated titled '‘Departments Under Law And Order Ministry Ignore Request Under RTI’ by Ms. Nirmala Kannangara (also carried by LNW).

The article had stated that the RTI Commission had not responded to Ms Kannangara’s email query sent to the Commission.

A D E Bernard, Coordinating Secretary to the Commission has informed the Sunday Leader that in direct contradiction to this claim, he had responded to the email sent by Ms Kannangara (dated 28th April 2017)on 25th May 2017.

She had been informed that that an information officer had been appointed by the Department and had been further apprised that the Commission has been intervening with the nodal agency, the Ministry of Mass Media to ensure compliance by Public Authorities with the RTI Act, No 12 of 2016.

Furthermore, Ms. Kannangara was informed that her email cannot be accepted as an ‘appeal.’ The Commission is bound by Rule 13 (2) of the RTI Rules (Fees and Appeal Procedure) ( Gazette No. 2004/66, 03.02.2017) issued in terms of Section 42 of the RTI which states thatappeals to the Commission may be made only through the medium of registered post or in person. This requirement has been clearly stated
by the Commission in its Public Statements and clarified on its ebsite: www.rticommission.lk.

Ms Kannangara was asked to resubmit her appeal in accordance with the Rules on Appeals as provided for. She was also informed that, if she wishes, any further clarification could be sought from the Commission through email or by phone.

The Commission has observed that it is surprising that her article referred to above contains no mention of this fact. The Commission has copied the response to the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) given that the SLPI is engaged in carrying out trainings for journalists on Sri Lanka’s RTI Act and to web media re-publishing the incorrect reference.

In its response to the Sunday Leader, the RTI Commission has also noted that it is encouraging to see that many Public Authorities are complying with the RTI Act. However, it has pointed out that if any Public Authority is found culpable of wilfully disregarding the Act, the Commission will be acting directly in pursuance of its statutory powers, to the fullest extent of its authority.