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Barack Obama called for "collective introspection" in the Muslim community after the Paris attacks. He said that Muslims all over the world must ask "serious questions" on how extremist ideologies have taken root. A call for introspection and taking stock of a situation is a good thing, but by putting that responsibility squarely on the Muslim community, he has deepened the growing chasm of misunderstanding between Muslims and the rest of the world.

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A cruelty-free world for animals: This is the proverbial pole star that guides the course of Humane Society International/India. While there is a lot to do and achieve for animals in the coming year, here's a small glimpse of how we made a difference in 2015!

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Today when one witnesses Muslim youths raised in liberal, democratic and multicultural Europe falling prey to Jihadi ideology, it arouses fears that the same or worse may happen in India - after all, we have a huge Muslim population and they also on average are less educated and more religious than their brethren in Europe. Yet, accounts of Indians joining ISIS are few and far between.

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Section 80C of the Income Tax Act allows a deduction of certain investments and expenditures up to a maximum of Rs 1,50,000 from your gross total income in a given financial year. Here are the top tax-saving instruments of 2015 - if they've somehow slipped under your radar, perhaps you can resolve to give them a try in 2016.

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As I grew up, I put down my obsession with superheroes as one of the side effects of being a single child. Fast forward to the present. I am now a proud papa to an amazingly active and naughty toddler, and over the course of the past year, I've discovered that I've had some superhero-esque traits all along. I just had to become a parent to release them.

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We have among the highest number of millionaires in the world but a large percentage of the population lives in poverty. We churn out doctors and engineers but also have a high illiteracy rate. Inequality is present in every form in India. While the extent of the wealth gap is undisputable, what we should really focus on is the opportunity gap. Levelling the playing field is different. We first need to make sure that everyone has access to a field.

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A government may institute systems, incentives and controls that support improvement, but it is ultimately for the people to adopt the necessary changes in day-to-day life. Swachh Bharat will not succeed till the time a majority of Indians stop tolerating littering, for example. Beti Padhao will not amount to much, if daughters continue to be seen as liabilities by parents conditioned to worry about their future marriage.

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Overall, after some dramatic ups and downs in India-Pakistan relations, both sides can be content to have ended the year on a high note.

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Consider this - the WHO says that "no threshold [of small particulate concentration] has been identified below which no damage to health is observed" and so, they've instead stated a guideline that aims to achieve the lowest possible PM concentration - this is 10 micrograms per cubic metre for PM 2.5. Delhi's is 15 times that much!

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You can control your anger, but what will you do? You will suppress it. And what happens when you suppress a certain thing? The direction of its movement changes: it was going out, and if you suppress it, it starts going in -- just its direction changes. And for anger to go out was good, because the poison needs to be thrown out.

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Language, culture and history provide a pillar of psychological support to us and give us pride in our country. Not being exposed to the above could be one of the reasons why so many of the youngsters I meet are not proud of their country nor have an attachment to it. I, therefore, sometimes think that there is a merit to the present BJP government's policy of introducing Indian classics in schools.

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Today, there is a virtual war going on between hundreds and thousands of e-commerce stores that are fighting to attract more customers, sales and subsequently profits. However, many of these businesses fail to build their most important weapon - customer satisfaction and loyalty.

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You can do the same with your irritating and demanding relatives: Take no notice of the negative but just reply with a positive. It's fun to see what happens! Here are some other ways we can help ourselves.

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From time to time I review my "naughty" list to make sure I haven't fallen back to old habits. We have all heard the saying "out with the old, in with the new." Truthfully, we can't enjoy the new if we don't make a conscious effort to get rid of the old.

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Both cash and prepaid cards ride on the convenience quotient only. However, the "secured" element of the transaction also needs to be given equal consideration -- the Paris attack and the Delhi heist should serve as a wakeup call to all stakeholders. Both avenues will have a 9/11 moment soon and legislation is bound to come in to control their usage. The Finance Ministry has already issued a paper talking about tax incentives for merchants accepting digital payments.

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Having worked in the education sector for the past three years, I've come up against many issues that need urgent fixing. However, I've encountered many promising stories of change as well. My experiences have taught me that if children deeply understand social issues and decide to take charge, they can not only influence their own lives but also create a tremendous positive impact within their communities.

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My divorce case was initiated about 10 years ago and my spouse was (and is) a member of Khar Gymkhana Club. He was a primary member and as his wife I became a secondary member. When things started souring between us I started going more often to the club to use the gym and library. While this was going on, my spouse sent a letter to the club asking them to bar me from using the facilities.