|
|
|
|
|
Saharanpur riots
Didi off to Singapore to attract investment
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Pak unwilling to sign legal treaty despite assurances
Plan to attack US consulate
Andhra, Telangana agree to resolve issues
Organisers to lower height of dahi handis
IAF to equip its quick reaction teams with bullet-proof vehicles
No toilets at in-laws’ place, women return to parents
Will stay with Lalu to keep BJP away, says Nitish
Ebola threat: Sex workers asked to keep Africans at bay
Centre issues flood warning in parts of UP
|
|
UP panel blames BJP MP for fanning violence
Criticises local admn for its failure to control situation | Report politically motivated: BJP
Lucknow, August 17 “The report has been submitted by the committee to the Chief Minister which names a BJP MP besides pointing out laxity of administrative officers,” SP’s national general secretary Naresh Agarwal said. “As the role of a BJP MP has also come to the fore, we can say that the party (BJP) has a role in the Saharanpur incident,” he said. The five-member committee headed by UP minister Shivpal Yadav, which inquired into the July 26 violence in the western UP district that left three persons dead, has alleged that local BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal provoked the rioters which led to attempts to torch shops. Trashing the allegations, Lakhanpal said they reflected the “low-level politics” of the Samajawadi Party which was trying to “appease” a particular community ahead of the Assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh. “It is politically motivated. I have been praised for my efforts to end the violence and restore peace. The government should have thanked me instead of levelling false allegations,” the MP told PTI in Saharanpur. While the BJP dismissed the report as an attempt by the Samajwadi Party to gain political mileage, BSP supremo Mayawati targeted both the Samajwadi Party and the BJP, alleging that the two parties were hand in glove in fanning communal violence in the state. The BSP leader said the “actual facts” were buried and the report had little meaning. “The BJP and the SP are hand in glove. The report has not put forth the facts. It has little meaning. We do not accept the report,” Mayawati said. The Congress too reacted sharply saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi should follow his words that communalism will not be tolerated and take up the issue “strictly” with his party men. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he would not comment as it was a “report of a political party” and he had not seen it. The report has blamed laxity of some officers and said the government should take stern action against them to give a message to the bureaucracy, Agarwal said. The committee alleged that the administration became active only after the violence broke out. Questioning the findings, BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, “When there is an administrative failure, then how is the BJP responsible for the clashes”. He said the SP was indulging in a blame game for political mileage.Reacting to the report, Congress leader Rashid Alvi said, "It is painful. In Meerut, Moradabad, Saharanpur, everywhere VHP and BJP members have been named. On one hand the Prime Minister, speaking from the Red Fort, tells the country that communalism will not be tolerated. On the other, his party members are found involved in wrong activities. The PM should talk to his party workers about it." — PTI
The BJP and the SP are hand in glove. The report has not put forth the facts. It has little meaning. We do not accept the
report.
On one hand the Prime Minister, speaking from the Red Fort, tells the country that communalism will not be tolerated. On the other, his party members are found involved in riots. The PM should talk to his party workers about
it.
|
|
Didi off to Singapore to attract investment
Kolkata, August 17 She has been accompanied by a 60-member delegation, including State Industries Minister Amit Mitra and representatives of various commerce and state departments. During her five-day stay in Singapore, the CM will meet Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien and Industries and Commerce Minister, and several industrialists and woo them to invest in West Bengal, Mitra told mediapersons before leaving the city. "Apart the from IT and other traditional industries, we will focus on the real estate business for building low-priced houses under the smart city scheme and infrastructural development programme of the state," Mitra said. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Foreign Minister K Shanmgan during her two-day visit to the country.
S’pore hosts 3 Indian women leaders
Singapore will be hosting three Indian women leaders — Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje —this month
|
|||||||
|
Pak unwilling to sign legal treaty despite assurances
New Delhi, August 17 Pakistan has remained silent for more than two years on the Indian proposal despite its assurance to sign it. “The issue was flagged during the Home Secretary-level talks held in Islamabad on May 24-25, 2012, when an Indian standard draft of the treaty was handed over to Pakistan. “It was agreed that Pakistan would examine the draft and revert with its comments. However, no specific response from Pakistan side has so far been received,” a Home Ministry official said. The treaty aims at gathering and exchanging information in an effort to enforce bilaterally public or criminal laws. This assistance may take the form of examining and identifying people, places and things, custodial transfers, and providing assistance with the immobilisation of the instruments of criminal activity. “Had MLAT been signed, Pakistan would have been obliged to provide information on Dawood Ibrahim and other fugitives who are taking shelter in that country,” the official said. Despite repeated efforts by India to bring back Dawood to face law here, Pakistan has been continuously denying his presence within its territory. On August 11, Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed Rajya Sabha that the government is making every effort to arrest the fugitive underworld don, believed to be hiding in Pakistan. — PTI
Is Dawood the reason?
|
|||||||
|
Hand over evidence against accused, India tells Malaysia
New Delhi, August 17 Sources in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the request under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), signed by the two countries in 2012, urged Kuala Lumpur to share the evidence against Mohamed Hussain Mohamed Sulaiman, a Sri Lankan national. India has already secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Sulaiman and moved Kuala Lumpur with an application for a provisional arrest till all requirements for extradition are completed, the sources said. Sulaiman, 47, is wanted in India for the alleged hatching of “criminal conspiracy, acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention, possession of forged or counterfeit currency-notes or bank-notes, terrorist act and raising funds for terrorist act”. Sulaiman has reportedly told the investigators in Malaysia that he had been tasked to ferry two terrorists from Maldives to a South Indian coast to carry out terror strike on US Consulate in Chennai and Israeli Consulate in Bangalore. Under the MLAT, either country can approach the other for collecting evidence against an accused. A senior NIA official had also recently visited Malaysia and held talks with the anti-terror body there. The terror plot was foiled by an effective coordination of Intelligence Bureau (IB) with foreign countries, as Malaysia tipped the central agency about an alleged conspiracy being hatched from Sri Lanka about carrying the attack on US and Israeli consulates in Chennai and Bangalore, the sources said. Malaysia had stumbled upon the case when its special unit was probing money-laundering and human-trafficking cases. Hussain was alleged to be talking to ISI officers and planning to carry out terror strikes on the two consulates. The probe was handed over to NIA by the Tamil Nadu Police so that the conspiracy hatched overseas, including in Sri Lanka and Malaysia could be unravelled, the sources said. Besides these two countries, a probe would also be carried out in Maldives from where the suicide attackers were supposed to take a boat ride to reach a coast in Kerala, the sources said. The case was cracked with the arrest of Sri Lankan national Sakir Hussain on April 29.Hussain named Colombo-based Pakistan High Commission’s Visa Consular Amir Zubair Siddiqui as his handler, a charge denied by Pakistan. However, facing heat from India, Siddiqui has been shifted out of Colombo. According to the plan, Hussain told interrogators that the ISI planned to carry out terror strikes on the two consulates, the sources claimed. — PTI
Request made under mutual legal aid treaty
|
|||||||
|
Andhra, Telangana agree to resolve issues Hyderabad, August 17 Accompanied by senior officials, they held talks for nearly two hours at the Raj Bhawan to iron out their differences on various issues between the two states. ESL Narasimhan, who is the Governor of both the states, was present for the first half an hour. Later the CMs had detailed discussions. It was the first formal meeting between the two to discuss the issues arising out of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh since they formed governments in June. It was held at the initiative of the Governor. The meeting between Naidu and his one time friend in Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Terming it as a good beginning, Rao said the talks were fruitful. “If necessary we will meet two to three times to sort out the issues,” said Rao, who is also the chief of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). The Telangana CM told reporters that the chief secretaries would hold talks to sort out problems related to bifurcation of employees. He said bifurcation of majority of 45,000 employees was already completed and the two officials would address the problem with regard to remaining a few hundred employees. KCR said the meeting decided to address other issues including the one related to institutions located in Hyderabad as per the agreed guidelines. Before the meeting, Naidu said they would discuss issues relating to the bifurcation of employees in the secretariat and directorates in Hyderabad. — IANS Want to be Hitler to stop injustice: KCR Hyderabad: Defending Telangana government's controversial decision to hold an intensive household survey on August 19, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said he would be like Hitler to stop “injustice”. “One says KCR is Hitler, another says KCR is dictator; KCR is definitely Hitler for thieves. I want to be Hitler for the corrupt. I don't feel shy. KCR is Hitler to stop injustice. I can even be Hitler's grandfather," Rao said.
|
|||||||
|
Organisers to lower height of dahi handis
Mumbai, August 17 The apex court has set aside an earlier order by the Bombay High Court which banned the participation of children under 18 in dahi handi celebrations. The high court has also restricted the height of human pyramids to 20 feet. Some organisers believed that the festival would be a low-key affair in the city as the uncertainty over the height of pyramids prevented many groups from holding practice sessions. The Dahi Handi Utsav Samanvya Samiti has asked mandals not to accept any cash prize from organisers for forming pyramids. It also asked major organisers to not invite celebrity guests and instead, spend the money on govindas, who were injured during practice sessions. “We have appealed to1,200 mandals, which are registered with the samiti, not to accept cash prizes, said Bala Padelkar, president, Dahi Handi Samanvay
Samiti.
|
|||||||
|
IAF to equip its quick reaction teams with bullet-proof vehicles
Chandigarh, August 17 The IAF needs 200 such vehicles, which will be employed for the movement and operations of small independent teams to counter sub-conventional threats to the IAF in real time. These are expected to replace the conventional light commercial vehicles presently being used for such purposes. The move to acquire bullet-proof vehicles comes in the wake of some other measures such as procurement of assault rifles, lighter flak jackets and better communication gear to enhance the effectiveness of QRTs. The IAF wants an air-conditioned vehicle of not more than 5 m with a turbocharged diesel engine and automatic transmission. It should have firing ports on both sides and the rear, along with a protected, fully-traversing roof turret for mounting a light machine gun. The vehicle will have “run-flat” tyres and an armoured flooring to protect the occupants from high-intensity blasts on the ground, and bullet-proof windshield and windows along with bullet-proof glass above the firing ports. The IAF’s requirements stipulate that the vehicle should have the capability to withstand direct multiple hits from the latest weapons. Given the high-value assets such as aircraft, radars and missiles possessed by the IAF, QRTs are deployed in most air force stations.
Vehicles will be able to withstand blasts
|
|||||||
|
No toilets at in-laws’ place, women return to parents
Lucknow, August 17 Neelam, Kalawati, Shakina, Niranjan, Gudiya and Sita, registered their protest against their husband and in-laws after finding that there were no toilet in their houses, said Parveen, adding that they are adamant not to go back until toilets are built there. However, there was no official information about the incident. Founder of Sulabh International, an NGO working in the field of sanitation, Bindeshwar Pathak, said toilets will be constructed in the houses of the in-laws of all these six women. Pathak termed the step taken by the women as bold. “Such kind of rising incidents clearly show the changing mindset of girls over toilets. Now everybody realises the importance of toilets,” he said. Toilets will be constructed by Sulabh International free of cost without any delay so that the women can return to their in-laws’ place soon, he said. “They will also be honoured for their bold stand,” Pathak said. “The problem is especially acute in rural areas where women suffer the most due to lack of toilets. They have to wait for darkness for the sake of privacy before attending to the call of nature. They have to leave before sunrise or wait for the sun to go down,” he said. — PTI
|
|||||||
|
Will stay with Lalu to keep BJP away, says Nitish
Chapra (Bihar), August 17 “I had parted ways with him on differences over certain issues,” Kumar said at an election rally addressed jointly with the RJD supremo, the second such campaign by them for bypolls in 10 assembly seats in Bihar to be held on August 21. Prasad was seated on the dais when Kumar spoke about his parting ways with the RJD chief. The senior JD(U) leader said this time he has joined forces with Prasad to keep the resurgent BJP away from power in Bihar during 2015 assembly polls. Charging the Modi government at the Centre with being arrogant, he said the grand alliance of the RJD, JD(U) and Congress will give “medicine” to BJP from Bihar. Prasad rued that the secular forces lost the general elections due to division of votes, but said no such mistake will be committed this time. — PTI
|
|||||||
|
Ebola threat: Sex workers asked to keep Africans at bay
Kolkata, August 17 The Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a forum of 1,30,000 sex workers in West Bengal, has warned of a life risk should they come in contact with infected persons. “We have requested sex workers not to entertain Africans as it can be a life risk for them if they get infected by the highly contagious Ebola virus causing havoc in some West African countries,” Mahasweta, a member of the DMSC, said. Durbar is presently training and providing classes to sex workers to identify the signs of an Ebola-affected person. “According to WHO guidelines, transmission of the virus requires close contact with body fluids such as sweat, saliva, cough of an infected person and also body contact. So we are training the sex workers on how to identify the symptoms,” Samarjit Jana of Durbar, who is looking after the training programme, said. Jana says that the training schedule forms a part of the regular training programme in which sex workers are taught on sexually transmitted or body contact transmission disease. Asked if the guideline applied to all foreigners, not just Africans, who showed the symptoms, Jana said, “This is for the sex workers to decide. We can request them for their own safety and we have told them to be careful.” According to the latest WHO update, 128 new cases of Ebola virus disease as well as 56 deaths were reported from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone between August 10 and 11, bringing the total number of cases to 1,975 and deaths to 1,069. The Ebola virus is highly contagious, but is not airborne. Jana said that the training programme, which started this week in Sonagachi, would be extended to other red light areas in the city as well as the entire state, especially in port and bordering areas. — PTI
1,069 deaths reported so far
According to the latest WHO update, 128 new cases of Ebola virus disease as well as 56 deaths were reported from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone between August 10 and 11, bringing the total number of cases to 1,975 and deaths to 1,069
|
|||||||
|
Centre issues flood warning in parts of UP
Lucknow/New Delhi/ Dehradun/Itanagar, August 17 According to reports, 10 persons have died in the last 24 hours in flood-related incidents in the state with four deaths occurring in Bahraich where among the victims were two siblings. The weather improved across Uttarakhand on Sunday with a let-up in rain as most places received little or no showers. No loss of life and property was reported from anywhere and major rivers were flowing below danger level. Incessant rains in the past couple of days have triggered floods and landslides in Arunachal Pradesh. In UP, Rapti apart, water levels have also risen in Ghaghra and Saryu rivers. The Ghaghra is still flowing near danger level at Elgin Bridge in Ayodhya, while the Sharda at Paliakalan and the Ghaghra at Ayodhya were flowing above the danger mark. According to reports in Bahraich, floods in the Bhada, Kaudiyala and Gerua rivers in Nepal led to a rise in the water levels of the Ghaghra and Saryu in Bahraich and Rapti in Shravasti yesterday. Three persons were killed in Shravasti in drowning and wall collapse incidents, official sources said. — PTI
Assam situation critical
Toll rises to 85 in Nepal
Kathmandu: At least 85 persons have been killed and 139 gone missing in the past three days in floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall in various districts across Nepal. As many as 73 persons have lost their lives in the mid-western region, while 131 are still missing. The number of missing might go up, officials said.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Hyderabad, August 17
Chapra (Bihar), August 17
Rising water levels in rivers of Uttar Pradesh has wreaked havoc in different parts of the state even as the Centre issued an “unprecedented flood situation” warning for the
Rapti, which is flowing above the danger mark.
Facts are buried
PM should clarify
