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IAF chopper crashes in UP, seven
feared dead
Sitapur
(UP): An Indian Air Force helicopter today crashed here with all seven persons on board feared killed.
Sub Divisional Magistrate,
Sidhauli, A K Srivastava said that the chopper was engulfed in fire as it crashed in Manipurwa in Ataria area.
Attempts were underway to douse the fire.
Senior officials of district administration and police have reached the spot.
The helicopter took off from Bareilly and was going towards
Allahabad.
PTI
SGPC row: Punjab attacks
Haryana, knocks on Centre's doors
New
DelhI: As its face-off with Haryana intensifies over the separate SGPC issue, Punjab government today appealed to the Centre against the former's move in this regard, which it described as an "attack" on the country's integrity.
Upping the ante ahead of the congregation of Sikhs which is to be held in Amritsar on Sunday to discuss the issue, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley here.
"The Government of Haryana has taken a decision which will basically harm national integration. It is an attack on India's unity," Sukhbir Badal told reporters here after taking up the issue with Rajnath and
Jaitley.
"They (Haryana) have challenged the authority of the Government of India, they have violated every article, every word of the Constitution. They have done something which is unimaginable in the history of this country," he added.
SAD sources said the meet may be led by its patron and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh
Badal, who may even quit his post over the issue if required.
There is talk that the Centre may resort to a Presidential Reference to annul the Haryana legislation. The Union Law Ministry has told Home Ministry that it has the executive powers under Article 256 to give directions to a state in such cases.
Further slamming the Haryana government, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, "No party has the right to break the Constitution for their political gains. We have raised the issue with the
Centre. It is up to the Centre now to ensure that there is no constitutional breakdown." PTI
Indian
summons Pakistan Dy High Commissioner over
Mumbai trial
NEW DELHI: India
today summoned Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner and lodged a strong
protest against the adjournment of the ongoing Mumbai terror attack
case trial in Pakistan.
While the Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner was summoned to the
Ministry of External Affairs here, the Indian Deputy High Commissioner
went to the Pakistan foreign office in Islamabad and lodged a similar
protest.
According to informed sources, Indian officials in their meetings with
Pakistani officials both in New Delhi and Islamabad have sought
regular briefing on the progress of the trial and the investigation
being conducted by Pakistani authorities It is understood that Indian
officials during the meetings reiterated the high importance India
attaches to bring to justice all those responsible in Pakistan for the
Mumbai terror attack in 2008 in which 166 people were killed and
hundred others injured.
For the seventh time in a row, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court trying
the seven accused in the Mumbai attacks case adjourned the hearing on
Wednesday.
The last hearing in the case and the one on June 25 could not be held
because the judge was on leave. The case proceedings have not
been held on a regular basis following the absence of the
prosecution lawyers.
In the May 28, June 4, June 18 and July 2 hearings, the
prosecution lawyers had not appeared in the ATC Rawalpindi primarily
owing to security concerns.
Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid,
Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and
Anjum have been charged with planning, financing and executing the
attacks in India's financial capital. -PTI
Uttarakhand
bypoll: Cong sweeps all 3 seats, CM wins by over 19,000 votes
DEHRADUN: Congress
on Friday won all three seats in the by-election to state Assembly.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat won the bypoll from the Dharchula Assembly
seat, by over 19,000 votes. He defeated his nearest Bharatiya Janata
Party rival BD Joshi.
Rawat was an MP from Uttarakhand before taking over as the Chief
Minister of the hill state and had to become a lawmaker within the
stipulated period of six months.
The seat was vacated by legislator Harish Dhami to facilitate election
of the Chief Minister as a legislator.
In the bypolls in other two constituencies - Doiwala and Someshwar -
following election of incumbents Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank and Ajay
Tamta, both from the BJP as Lok Sabha members from Haridwar and Almora,
the ruling Congress has won these seats too.
This comes as a setback for the BJP which made a clean sweep in the
Lok Sabha elections held in May, winning all five seats of Almora,
Garhwal, Hardwar, Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar and Tehri Garhwal from
Uttarakhand.
Govt
asks protesting Civil Services aspirants to be patient
NEW DELHI: The
government today appealed to protesting Civil Services aspirants to be
"patient" and said it would not tolerate any injustice to
them on the basis of language.
"Government sympathises and it should be clear that under no
circumstance we will tolerate injustice on the basis of language. The
government and the Prime Minister are more concerned than the
agitating students and are trying to find a satisfactory
solution," Minister of State for Personnel, Public grievances and
Pensions Jitendra Singh told reporters outside Parliament.
"We appeal them to be patient and stay calm and not subject
themselves to mental agony," he said.
When pointed out that admit cards for UPSC exams scheduled on August
24 have already been sent out, Singh said, "This will not affect
the exams as the committee report (constituted to look into the
matter) is not out yet. This is also the UPSC's internal procedure of
conducting the exams in a time-bound manner.
"As far as the controversy is concerned, we have to wait for 2-4
days. The controversy is related to syllabus and a satisfactory
solution will be sought accordingly," he said.
Hundreds of Civil Service aspirants last night clashed with police,
burning vehicles, including a police jeep, and pelting stones near
main highway by-pass road in North Delhi's Burari area.
A three-member government appointed committee is looking into the
demands of civil services aspirants to change the pattern of the Civil
Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) to give level-playing field to those
coming from rural areas.
There are two compulsory papers of 200 marks each in the preliminary
examination. These papers are also known as CSAT I and CSAT II.
The CSAT-II paper carries questions on comprehension, interpersonal
skills including communication skills, logical reasoning and
analytical ability, decision-making and problem- solving, general
mental ability, basic numeracy, and English language comprehension
skills (of Class X level).
Students have been objecting to the level of aptitude and English
language questions being asked in the CSAT II paper claiming they are
much above the standard prescribed for the examination.
The civil services examination is conducted in three stages--
preliminary, main, and interview-- to choose candidates for Indian
Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian
Police Service (IPS) among others. -PTI
Bindra bids adieu to CWG with elusive individual gold medal
Glasgow: Abhinav Bindra made his swansong appearance at the Commonwealth Games a memorable one as the star Indian shooter won the battle of nerves in a gripping competition to bag the 10m Air Rifle gold medal, which has eluded him in the previous four attempts.
Bindra, who has already won nine medals including three gold in pairs events, was calmness personified as he did not put a foot wrong in the final round, having finishing third in the qualifications at the Barry Buddon Shooting
Centre,Dundee.
Bindra, first Indian Olympic individual gold medallist, shot an aggregate of 205.3 to set a new Final Games Record.
This is first CWG, which applied the ISSF rule of taking the final round score only and not adding the qualification score in shooting.
"This is my last Commonwealth Games. Five CWG and nine medals, it is enough for me," Bindra said while speaking to Indian journalists.
"It was a well-earned medal because I work hard and I am happy to have achieved the feat. I got the desired result." Asked if Rio 2016 would be his last Olympics, he said, "I will take on thing at a time. I will decide later." He joked that after retirement he would take up journalism as career. "Journalism is an easy job, I may become a journalist after my shooting career." Bindra said he would now focus to the World Championships to be held in a few months time.
"I will relax a bit and then prepare for the World Cup," said the 31-year-old Bindra who won India's first individual Olympic medal by winning the 10m Air Rifle event in 2008 Beijing Games.
Abdullah Baki of Bangladesh finished second with a total score of 202.1 in a shootoff while Daniel Rivers of England bagged the bronze, also after a shoot-off with another Indian Ravi Kumar for an aggregate score of 162.4. PTI
Lifters
Sukhen, Sanjita win gold as India make rousing start
GLASGOW: Sukhen Dey and K Sanjita Chanu stole the
limelight by clinching a gold each in weightlifting, as India launched
their campaign in the 20th Commonwealth Games with a flourish, winning
seven medals in all on the opening day of the competitions here.
Judokas Navjot Chana and Shushila Likmabam had to be contend with a
silver medal each after they failed to clear the final hurdle in the
men's 60kg and women's 48kg events, respectively. There was a bronze for
for another judoka, Kalpana Thoudam.
In weightlifting, there was a silver medal for S Mirabai Chanu, while
Ganaesh Mali bagged a bronze.
The paddlers, shuttlers and squash players had easy outings on the first
day, with both badminton and table teams posting convincing wins.
It was a display of overwhelming domination in 48kg women's
weightlifting by the Indians as apart from Sanjita's gold, S Mirabai
Chanu bagged the silver medal to make it a one-two for last edition's
hosts.
In the men's 56kg contest, the 25-year-old Dey lifted a total of 248kg
(109+139) after trailing at the halfway snatch stage, but came back
strongly in clean and jerk to win the gold and cap a remarkable day for
the Indians at the Clyde Auditorium.
In women's 48kg weightlifting, Sanjita won with a total lift of 173kg
(77+96), while Mirabai grabbed the silver with a cumulative effort of
170 (75+95) in the absence of other strong competitors.
21-year-old Mali was leading after snatch but slipped behind in clean
and jerk to settle for bronze with a total lift of 244kg (111+133).
Malaysia's Mohd Pisol Zulheimi was at fourth after snatch but recovered
in fine fashion to bag the silver with a total lift of 245kg (108+137).
Meanwhile, Australia's female swimmers set a new 4x100m freestyle relay
world record of 3min 30:98sec as they retained their Commonwealth Games
title in style.
Lifter Sanjita's total of 173kg missed the Games record, held in the
name of 2010 CWG gold winner Augustina Nkem Nwaokolo (175kg effort), by
two kilograms. Sanjita's 77kg effort in snatch, however, equalled
Nwaokolo's CWG record.
The contest was all but over at the halfway snatch stage with
20-year-old Sanjita and 19-year-old Mirabai lifting 77kg and 75kg. –PTI
CWG 2014: Indian shuttlers outclass Uganda
GLASGOW: Indian shuttlers registered their second successive win in Group B of Commonwealth Games 2014 by defeating Uganda 5-0 in the mixed team event at the Emirates Arena here Thursday.
World badminton's rising women singles star P.V. Sindhu paired up with R.M.V Gurusaidutt to dispatch Wilson Tukire and Daisy Nakalyango 21-4, 21-8 in just 19 minutes.
In the men's singles tie, Srikanth Kidambi took only 23 minutes to beat Edwin Ekiring 21-10, 21-8 to continue India's dominance.
P.C. Thulasi gave India a 3-0 unassailable lead when she drubbed Margaret Nankabirwa 21-3, 21-1 in just 16 minutes in the women's singles.
Men's double pairing Akshay Dewalkar and Pranav Chopra increased Uganda's woes as the Indian duo took 20 minutes to crush Wilson Tukire and Edwin Ekiring 21-6, 21-8.
India's top women's doubles team of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa completed the rout thrashing Margaret Nankabirwa and Daisy Nakalyango 21-4, 21-8 for the clean sweep.
In the first match, India had beaten Ghana by the same margin.-IANS
American lawmakers hopeful of better Indo-US ties under Modi
WASHINGTON: Eagerly awaiting to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visits the US in September, top American lawmakers have hoped that an assertive foreign policy of the new Indian government would bring the two countries closer than ever.
In their remarks, Congressmen cutting across party lines supported strengthening of ties with India.
They asked House of Representative Speaker John Boehner to invite Modi to address a joint session of the US Congress.
During a Congressional hearing on India held by House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, American lawmakers hoped that the Modi government would take steps to restore the confidence of the international business community and revive the economic growth of the country.
"Prime Minister Modi faces the daunting mission of reviving the Indian economy and taking steps to encourage private sector growth. I am hopeful that his strong position on trade and business development will help achieve this," said Congressman Steve Chabot, who chaired the Congressional hearing on India.
"I am also hopeful that Modi's resolve to implement a more assertive foreign policy, would foster further geo-political alignment and co-operation between the two nations because at the end of the day, US-India strategic interests do converge more than they conflict," Chabot, member of the Republican Party, said.
"Initiative to spur development in India is critical and the US can play significant role in promoting and facilitating steps in this efforts," he said, adding that US businesses continue to face several barriers in India including the crucial intellectual property rights.
The Congressional hearing came ahead of the India-US Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi on July 31 for which Secretary of State John Kerry is travelling to India.
Expressing concern over market access, caps on foreign direct investment and the stalled bilateral investment treaty negotiations, Chabot hoped that these issues would be discussed during the next week's Strategic Dialogue.
There can be no question that it is time for the India-US relationship to be taken to the next level, Congressman George Holding, who is also a Republican, said.
"Joining up the Modi magic with the American dream would be a very powerful combination worldwide," said Holding, who visited India last year.
Subcommittee's Ranking Member F H Faleomavaega, a Democrat, said the US-India partnership should be, could be, one of the most defining of the 21st century.
"While it is shameful that the United States failed to develop a strong friendship and comprehensive partnership with Shri Modi when it mattered most, I thank Prime Minister Modi for accepting President Obama's invitation to meet at the White House on September 30 of this year," he said "Prime Minister's willingness to put the past in the past is a testament to his track record of good governance. He is a selfless leader who puts India first. In recognition of his visit to our Nation capital, I join with my colleagues in calling upon the House and Senate leadership to invite Prime Minister Modi to address a Joint Session of the US Congress," Faleomavaega said.
Exuding confidence that Modi will usher in India's new era, he said the US would be wise to support his goals.
"India will not threaten nor be intimidated by any country. India will deepen partnerships regionally and globally in areas of defence, nuclear energy, space research, and trade and investment.
"India will also invest heavily in infrastructure, affordable housing, healthcare, education, and clean energy," he said.
Indian-American Democratic lawmaker Ami Bra said, "As an Indian American and Gujarati American member of Congress, this is an exciting time." He said that he looked forward to realising the full potential of the bilateral ties between the two largest democratic countries of the world.
"There is a real opportunity now to take this partnership to the next level. Both economically, geo politically India is emerging in its own way. If we do this right and take a long view of this relationship, we really have an opportunity to make this the defining relationship of the 21st century," Bera said.
"I am hopeful that with the new change in regime that the future in the land of promise and the land of opportunity of India can finally become so," said Republican lawmaker Curt Clawson, who is a frequent visitor to India and joint venture partnership factories in Pune.
"This is an awesome country with awesome potential and somebody we need to be friends with and we can trust, not just for security, but also for economic development," he said.
Congressman Gerald Connolly, who is a Democrat, said the US has "hopefully" found a partner in Modi that will continue India's record of trade liberalisation and economic growth, address bureaucratic inefficiency, and strengthen regional co-operation with the United States.
The success of the US rebalance to Asia and the Pacific will depend heavily upon its relationship with India, he added.
Congressman Brad Sherman from California said so far as many as 84 members of the House of Representatives have joined him in urging the Congressional leadership to invite Modi to address a joint session of the US Congress.
He hoped that the India US nuclear deal would be implemented.-PTI
Army chief pays tribute to Kargil war martyrs
JAMMU: Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh Friday paid tribute to the martyrs of 1999 Kargil war in Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh region on the occasion of 15th Vijay Diwas.
Singh, who is retiring July 31, paid homage at the Kargil war memorial in the Drass area.
"I want to assure you as chief of the army staff that the Indian Army is deployed at the border and has the capability to protect India's sovereignty and integrity," Singh told the media.
He added the army is "fully geared to take on challenges" and that the present government is committed towards ensuring that the needs and aspirations of the soldiers are met.
Each year since 1999, the army observes Vijay Diwas to remember its soldiers who laid down their lives in Kargil district of the cold desert Ladakh region during the conflict between India and Pakistan.
The Kargil conflict was the most serious military engagement between the two neighbours since the war of 1971 that resulted in the division of Pakistan into two countries and the creation of Bangladesh.- IANS
Himachal HC allows regulation of admission to private varsities
SHIMLA: In a major setback to 16 private universities and an equal number of private technical institutes in the state, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has refused to intervene in the state's mechanism to regulate their admission process.
Dismissing petitions of the Himachal Private Universities Management Association and the Private Technical Institution's Association, a division bench of Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan Wednesday said: "The impugned measures providing for admission on the basis of combined entrance test (CET) are reasonable."
The bench, which had reserved the judgment July 8, said the "fixation of fee is a policy matter and lies solely within the domain of the respondents (government and Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission). Even otherwise, this court lacks expertise to determine what should be the fees for different kinds of courses".
Though the petitioners have claimed various relief in their petitions, the court said that during the course of arguments, the petitioners confined their claim for issuance of writ of mandamus directing the state to allow the institutions to fill the seats.
The petitioners contended that earlier they were permitted to admit students in technical courses in accordance with guidelines prescribed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
It was provided that in case some seats remain vacant after counselling, these would be filled by adhering to the criteria prescribed by the AICTE.
The state-run Himachal Pradesh Technical University in Hamirpur issued fresh guidelines Dec 6, 2013 for admission to B.Tech, B.Pharma, MCA, MBA, M.Tech and M.Pharma courses for the session 2014-15 and the petitioners cannot admit students either on their own or through any other agencies, they pleaded. -IANS
AirAsia India to fly to Chandigarh from Sept 5
NEW DELHI: Budget passenger carrier AirAsia India has said it will start its operations in North India from September 5 next with flights to Jaipur and Chandigarh.
The airline will start daily flights from Bangalore to Jaipur, and Bangalore to Chandigarh from September 5.
"Starting flights to Jaipur and Chandigarh was a strategic decision since we wanted to accelerate our operations in North, considering the demand for our services," said Mittu Chandilya, chief executive, AirAsia India.
"With the addition of new routes, we will ensure that Indians experience a brand new way to fly within the country."
The new budget carrier is offering all-inclusive fare from as low as Rs 1,999 from Bangalore to Jaipur and Chandigarh for a booking period from July 25 to 27 2014, for the travel period from September 5 till October 25.
The company added it will increase its flight frequency from one daily flight to two flights per day between Bangalore and Goa from September 5. -IANS
Chandigarh cop kills wife, attempts suicide
CHANDIGARH: A Chandigarh Police constable Friday shot his wife dead with his service pistol at the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH) in Sector 16 here following an altercation. He later attempted to shoot himself but was overpowered, police said.
The victim, Dimple, worked in the hospital.
Eyewitnesses told police that Constable Anand Kumar had an argument with his wife for 15 minutes outside the new OPD block after which he pulled out his 9 mm pistol and fired four shots at her from close range.
Anand Kumar then fired two more shots, one of which hit him in the shoulder and the other hit a passer-by. He was subsequently overpowered by another Chandigarh Police constable present there.
Dimple was pronounced dead on the spot.
Both Anand Kumar and the passer-by have been admitted to hospital and have been declared to be out of danger, police said.
-IANS
Himachal to provide bicycles to women labourers
SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh will provide household items, including a bicycle, to women labourers and insure all workers enrolled under the state Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, an official said Friday.
The cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Thursday allowed amendments in the Himachal Pradesh Building and Other Construction Welfare Board (Regulation and Employment and Condition of service) Rules of 2008, a government spokesperson told IANS.
He said all the workers have been covered under insurance, both accidental and natural death.
A provision of Rs.100,000 has been made in case of accidental death and Rs.50,000 for natural death of a worker, who is between 18 and 60 years.
To ensure the welfare of women workers, they will be provided a bicycle, a solar lamp and a washing machine, said the spokesperson.
A total of 45,683 workers are registered with the welfare board at a contribution of Rs.10 per month.
A cess amounting to Rs.184 crore has been deposited with the board by Nov 30, 2013, says an Economic Survey report of 2013-14.-IANS
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