authors list | date_download timestamp[s] | date_modify null | date_publish timestamp[s] | description stringlengths 1 5.93k ⌀ | filename stringlengths 33 1.45k | image_url stringlengths 23 353 | language stringclasses 21
values | localpath null | title stringlengths 2 200 ⌀ | title_page null | title_rss null | source_domain stringlengths 6 40 | maintext stringlengths 68 80.7k ⌀ | url stringlengths 20 1.44k | fasttext_language stringclasses 1
value | date_publish_final timestamp[s] | path stringlengths 76 110 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
[] | 2016-08-27T10:50:12 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Wolfram, 83, and Anita, 81, are in separate care facilities in Surrey, British Columbia, and were ripped apart because they require different levels of care. | 'Saddest photo I have ever taken': Elderly couple forced to separate | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fsaddest-photo-i-have-ever-taken-elderly-couple-forced-to-separate%2F20160827.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/27couple.jpg | en | null | 'Saddest photo I have ever taken': Elderly couple forced to separate | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 27, 2016 14:54 IST
A couple who have spent almost their entire lives with one another, are being forced to spend their golden years apart because they cannot get into the same care home.
Wolfram Gottschalk and his wife, Anita, were photographed by granddaughter Ashley Bartyik, who posted the image on Facebook in hopes it would spur officials to get the couple back together permanently.
“This is the saddest photo I have ever taken,” she wrote. “We want justice for my grandparents who after 62 years together deserve to spend their last moments in the same building.”
Wolfram, 83, and Anita, 81, are in separate care facilities in Surrey, British Columbia, and were ripped apart because they require different levels of care.
Wolfram, who suffers from dementia and congestive heart failure, was hospitalised and moved to a transitional health care facility where he’s been ever since.
Meanwhile, Anita has moved to an assisted living facility a 30-minute drive away from her husband in the hope that a spot will open up for him in the complex care area.
The image has been shared more than 6,000 times online.
Image: In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Ashley Baryik posted a touching image of her "Omi and Opi" wiping away tears as they held hands, adding that it was "the saddest photo I have ever taken." Photograph: Ashley Baryik/Facebook | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/saddest-photo-i-have-ever-taken-elderly-couple-forced-to-separate/20160827.htm | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/0834ba1f85af3578fe6727344e8e6b93b5e1bba705914b7fda9e68f8ceed7625.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:39:10 | null | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | Body of Reyaz Ahmad, with a big perforation in the abdomen, was found outside Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital. | Curfew extended to more areas in Kashmir, body of youth found | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fcurfew-extended-to-more-areas-in-kashmir%2F20160803.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/03kashmir.jpg | en | null | Curfew extended to more areas in Kashmir, body of youth found | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 03, 2016 15:22 IST
Curfew was extended to more areas of Kashmir Valley as a precautionary measure even as body of a youth with pellet injuries was on Wednesday found outside a hospital in Srinagar, triggering protests.
Body of Reyaz Ahmad, with a big perforation in the abdomen, was found outside Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, a police official said.
He said initially it was not clear how the youth had been killed but X-ray of the body showed presence of pellets inside it. An autopsy was conducted on the body but the report will be out only after few days.
The death of the youth led to protests in Bagiyas and adjoining areas early on Wednesday morning, he said.
The authorities extended curfew to more areas of the Valley for maintaining law and order in view of violent protests on Tuesday that led to death of a youth in Lethpora area of Pulwama district and injuries to several others.
Curfew remained in force in five police station area of old city and was extended to Batamaloo, Shaheedgunj, Soura, Zadibal, Qamarwari and Bemina areas of the city as a precautionary measure, the official said.
He said curfew was also imposed in Khanpora area of Baramulla district, Awanitpora and Pampore in Pulwama district while Anantnag town in south Kashmir also continued to remain under curfew.
“There are restrictions on the assembly of four or more people under Section 144 Code of Criminal Procedure in rest of Kashmir,” he added.
Normal life remained affected for the 26th consecutive day in the Valley due to the curbs imposed by the authorities and separatist sponsored strike against the killing of civilians in security forces action during clashes which erupted in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8.
Schools, colleges, business establishments, banks and private offices remained closed while public transport remained off roads.
Attendance in government offices was also thin, the official said.
Mobile Internet services continued to remain snapped in the entire Valley where the postpaid mobile telephony services have been restored across all networks.
The incoming facility on prepaid connections has also been restored, but the outgoing calls are barred on such numbers.
The separatist camp has extended the shutdown call in Kashmir till August 5, calling for march to Hazratbal shrine on Friday.
IMAGE: A security personnel stands guard during 26th day of curfew in downtown Srinagar on Wednesday. Photograph: Umar Ganie | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/curfew-extended-to-more-areas-in-kashmir/20160803.htm | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/f65460b5db112ac7fcab3af328d52a392a1d6cf626b2b4825bbc1cd8286cbc9d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:33:49 | null | 2016-08-07T00:00:00 | Beware of fake cow vigilantes, says PM Modi | Modi slams cow vigilantes, again: 'Fake gau rakshaks want to fuel tension' | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fmodi-slams-cow-vigilantes-again%2F20160807.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/07pm.jpg | en | null | Modi slams cow vigilantes, again: 'Fake gau rakshaks want to fuel tension' | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 07, 2016 21:09 IST
Keeping up his attack on cow vigilantes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked people to beware of "fake" cow protectors as they were trying to create tension in the society.
He also asked the state governments to take stringent action against them.
Modi, while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a host of development projects Gajwel, Telangana, accused the cow vigilantes of trying to create tension in the society and said they should be exposed and punished.
"I want to tell everybody beware of these fake cow protectors. These handful of vigilantes have nothing to do with cow protection, but want to create 'tandav' (tension) in the society," Modi said.
"In the name of cow protection, these fake cow protectors are trying to disturb the peace and harmony of the nation. I want the real cow protectors to expose them (fake ones) and the state governments should take stringent action against them," he added.
Describing cattle as country's wealth and not burden, the prime minister made a mention of a Himachal Pradesh Governor's campaign of protecting abandoned cows and handing them over to farmers to use them for agricultural activity.
"Cow will never become a burden. Cow urine and dung are used in agriculture," he said, adding that cow should be linked to the country's economic development.
India is a land of diversity, he said, adding "protecting our country's unity and integrity is our primary responsibility. To fulfil it all countrymen should protect and serve cows (gau raksha and gau seva karein). Such service enhances national wealth.... it does not create problem for the nation".
"But fake (cow protectors) destroy society and country. We need to beware of these people. There is a need to punish these people. Then alone can we take the nation to great heights," the prime minister said after inaugurating a host of development projects.
Modi's comments come at a time when his government and the Bharatiya Janata Party are facing flak over incidents of violence against Dalits and Muslims by cow vigilantes in various states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier, Modi launched Phase-1 of Mission Bhagiratha, a flagship project of Telangana government aimed at providing piped drinking water to every household in the state.
Modi unveiled a plaque in Medak district's Komatibanda village in Gajwel constituency, represented in the Assembly by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and formally turned on a water tap on the premises to mark the occasion.
This is Modi's maiden visit to Telangana after formation of the state in June 2014.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting in Telangana. Photograph: PIB | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/modi-slams-cow-vigilantes-again/20160807.htm | en | 2016-08-07T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/90fe9664761f83a08c9209da386470f3b62b609c0ef9c2e0f89fdee855ccf91b.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T10:51:43 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Dozens of UK-based Baloch and Sindhi protesters gathered outside the Chinese embassy in Londonand held a protest against Pakistan and China. | 'Hands off Balochistan': Baloch, Sindhi activists stage protest against Pak, China in UK | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fbaloch-sindhi-activists-stage-protest-against-pak-china-in-uk%2F20160829.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/29baloch.jpg | en | null | 'Hands off Balochistan': Baloch, Sindhi activists stage protest against Pak, China in UK | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 29, 2016 15:52 IST
Dozens of United Kingdom-based Baloch and Sindhi protesters gathered outside the Chinese embassy in London on Monday and held a protest against Pakistan and China over the two countries' $46 billion economic corridor and "gross human rights violations".
The protest in London follows a similar demonstration in Leipzig, Germany, last week demanding Pakistan to cease plans for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Balochistan and against what the protesters describe as "gross human rights violations" in the region.
"Pakistan wants to forcefully impose the CPEC on Balochistan. We are being shown as a minority community and being displaced from our land," said a protester, who was part of the Baloch Students and Youth Association.
Other groups involved in the protest included Baloch Human Rights Council UK and the World Sindhi Congress and they chose the Chinese embassy with the aim of raising wider international support for their cause.
"Pakistan's security agencies have intensified their operations in Balochistan and Sindh to brutally implement the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, ruthlessly committing gross human rights violations while doing so," BHRC-UK said in a statement.
"The Baloch ethnic population perceives the corridor project as a plan to convert them into a minority in their own homeland, and have openly opposed it on every level...Balochs and Sindhis firmly believe that CPEC will further intensify and strengthen their subjugation," it said.
The protesters waved placards reading 'Hands off Balochistan' and 'Balochistan Zindabad, Pakistan Murdabad' and shouted slogans in praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the issue recently.
Photograph: ANI/Twitter | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/baloch-sindhi-activists-stage-protest-against-pak-china-in-uk/20160829.htm | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/8ca00f6f0d6216b610493a49995e63ab531249a6014d5c98ba2ab12d51204895.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:51:45 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | The Nitya Mehra-directed film starring Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif is scheduled to release on September 9. | Censor Board snips bra scene from 'Baar Baar Dekho' | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fcensor-board-snips-bra-scene-from-baar-baar-dekho%2F20160829.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/29baar.jpg | en | null | Censor Board snips bra scene from 'Baar Baar Dekho' | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 29, 2016 20:15 IST
The Censor Board is back in the news for suggesting three cuts in the upcoming Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Baar Baar Dekho’.
According to reports, the board has objected to a shot of bra and a scene with reference to the adult comic series ‘Savita Bhabhi’.
When contacted, Anurag Srivastav, CEO, Central Board of Film Certification, confirmed that board has suggested cuts but said it was part of the normal certification process.
“We have suggested three-four cuts for this film. We can’t reveal what cuts and objections we have raised. Any film that violates the guidelines are given cuts. It’s normal,” Srivastav said.
The Nitya Mehra-directed film also stars Sidharth Malhotra and is scheduled to release on September 9.
The romantic-comedy is scheduled to clash with Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer ‘Freaky Ali’ on September 9.
The Censor Board had faced a lot of controversy for suggesting arbitrary cuts to movies.
Films like ‘Udta Punjab’, ‘Aligarh’, ‘Jai Gangaajal’, ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ have had a run in with the board and its chief Pahlaj Nihalani. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/censor-board-snips-bra-scene-from-baar-baar-dekho/20160829.htm | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/efa7d8c8a0770f1d3d93ae3a34b12e9d332000680a3ad0d1106d28a02706e683.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T04:51:33 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Angela Nikolau, 23, scales horrifying heights in her bid to get the world's great cities as her backdrop. | This Russian girl takes the riskiest selfies ever | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpix-please-do-not-try-this%2F20160829.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/24selfie8.jpg | en | null | This Russian girl takes the riskiest selfies ever | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 29, 2016 08:16 IST
Where has your best selfie been taken? In a bar? On a rollercoaster? In the bathroom?
Sigh, those are nothing compared to the selfies Russian girl Angela Nikolau takes.
Angela Nikolau, 23, scales horrifying heights in her bid to get the world’s great cities as her backdrop.
Nikolau has posed, in some rather cringe-worthy positions, on rooftops, bridges and skyscrapers all over Moscow, Hong-Kong and China.
And although all her pictures are ridiculously cool and amazing to look at, they’ll also have you clinging to your chair in terror.
She gives her followers on Instagram a daily dose of vertigo!
A view to die for, is it?
It’s not right that someone’s so comfortable with doing this.
'No limit, no control’, is her tagline on Instagram – where her 8,67,000 followers watch her dangling over scaffolding and practising yoga on impossibly high, narrow ledges.
That's Angela in China taking in the scenic views.
Her pictures also prove one thing. She's actually the real life Spider-Man.
Just hanging! Joining Nikolau in her daredevil rooftopping is Russian photographer Ivan Kuznetsov who goes by the name Ivan Beerkus on Instagram.
Will do anything for a selfie, won't she. But we urge you, please don't!
Me, my flowy dress and Hong Kong!
Equal parts mind-blowing and terrifying.
Thinking about life and all its troubles... 100 floors above ground level.
All photographs: @angela_nikolau/Instagram | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-please-do-not-try-this/20160829.htm | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/35835c57f1a1efe147b13f1f56ff86becb5eae527bcbd532e4ad713e74a71063.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:34:56 | null | 2016-08-06T00:00:00 | Digital democracy is the essence of India and Digital India is the destiny of India,' Prasad said at the inaugural session of myGov's two-year anniversary celebration. | Centre launches MyGov app; 15 crore people expected to join platform | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fcentre-launches-mygov-app%2F20160806.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/06mygov01.jpg | en | null | Centre launches MyGov app; 15 crore people expected to join platform | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 06, 2016 15:44 IST
Terming myGov as the biggest platform of Digital India, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said the user base of the government's citizen engagement platform should touch at least 10-15 crore, given that the country has 103 crore mobile phone users.
IMAGE: IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad addressing those in attendance . Photograph: MyGov/Facebook
"The country is changing. Digital democracy is the essence of India and Digital India is the destiny of India. MyGov is the biggest platform of Digital India," Prasad said at the inaugural session of myGov's two-year anniversary celebration.
He added that at present, 35 lakh people are connected to the myGov platform and that the site has logged constructive suggestions on a variety of subjects, including smart cities, Union Budget, net neutrality, new education policy amongst others.
"Where there are 103 crore mobiles, I expect 10-15 crore people should be connected to myGov. Suggestions on how to improve the future (of the country) should come from the citizens... Our government is attempting to connect with people in a new way (using technology)," the Minister said.
Prasad said myGov platform should also include path- breaking achievements of the common man in the times ahead. "I would like MyGov to become a platform to showcase achievements of those common people who don't get space on TV etc... You can change India by using technology, that is the essence of myGov," he said.
Prasad said suggestions that come on myGov, even if they are tinged with criticism, should be taken positively.
The event will culminate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducting his first-ever 'townhall' in the evening. A new PMO app that will enable mobile users to connect with the Prime Minister's portal will also be launched at the event. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/centre-launches-mygov-app/20160806.htm | en | 2016-08-06T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/2dd12dd0a5f1b9afa47bcc1899542d7a2c2272e59aca7dcf173e038818b43e40.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:19:43 | null | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | According to the 'Mood of the Nation Poll' conducted by television news channel India Today, Modi's personal popularity remains intact half-way into his term as prime minister of the world's largest democracy. | NDA will win 304 seats today: Poll | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fnda-will-win-304-seats-today-poll%2F20160819.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/19lead5.jpg | en | null | NDA will win 304 seats today: Poll | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 19, 2016 14:57 IST
In a shot in the arm for the Narendra Modi government, a new poll has suggested that if elections were to be held today the National Democratic Alliance would romp home to victory with 304 seats.
According to the 'Mood of the Nation Poll' -- conducted by television news channel India Today -- Modi's personal popularity remains intact half-way into his term as prime minister of the world's largest democracy.
The survey, which took the views of 12,321 respondents spread across 97 parliamentary constituencies in 194 assembly constituencies in 19 states, suggested that Modi has bounced back strongly after his government's popularity fell precipitously in the last three opinion polls.
However, in terms of all-time popularity, Modi still has some ground to cover.
Respondents termed the late Indira Gandhi as India's best prime ministers followed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Yet, among the current crop of political leaders, Modi is way ahead of competition.
Despite his rankings taking a plunge, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is still the second best person suited to be India's next prime minister followed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal respectively.
According to the India Today-Karvy Insights poll, Nitish Kumar, who after taking over as chief minister announced a slew of measures including prohibition in Bihar, was polled as the best chief minister in the country. That should cheer him even though his prime ministerial dreams may be way out of reach as of now.
Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting at Parliament Library in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/nda-will-win-304-seats-today-poll/20160819.htm | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/c0c84ac911933a86c003264e0e7a06a347ff4064ec5f97353f5c0c5f6e165f8b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:21:57 | null | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | Here's a recap of the events from the past 24 hours. | REWIND: India in the last 24 hours | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpix-rewind-india-in-the-last-24-hours%2F20160819.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/18rewind17.jpg | en | null | REWIND: India in the last 24 hours | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 19, 2016 12:42 IST
Here’s a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs 'bhoomi poojan' rituals for the start of construction work for the new BJP headquarters at Deendayal Upadhyaya Marg in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo
People take shelter on the roof of their houses at Salori area on the swollen bank of Ganga river in Allahabad. Photograph: PTI Photo
Artistes perform ‘Azadi se Azadi Tak-Ek Buland Naara (Quit India-2)’ show at the Bharat Parv -- a cultural extravaganza, organised by the ministry of tourism -- at the Rajpath Lawns, India Gate, in New Delhi. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/ PTI Photo
Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani ties rakhis on soldiers as she celebrates Raksha Bhandan with them at Siachen Glacier. Photograph: PTI Photo
Govindas make a human pyramid to protest against the Supreme Court’s order that minors cannot participate in pyramid formation during Dahi Handi festival, at Dadar in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo
A bus set afire by an irate mob after an accident in Ludhiana. Photograph: PTI Photo
A physically-challenged girl ties Rakhi to President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo
The body of wireless operator (Indian Army) Shakti Singh, who was martyred in a gunbattle with terrorists in Baramulla, Kahsmir, arrives at Birsa Munda International Airport in Ranchi. Photograph: PTI Photo
Folk artists participate in a walk to promote ‘Safe Drive Save Life’ campaign in Kolkata. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo
Relatives of Shabir Ahmad Mir, who was allegedly killed by a police officer, talk to media after his post-mortem following the directions of the Supreme Court, at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar. Photograph: S Irfan/ PTI Photo
A passenger bus fell into a roadside pond at Kirnahar in Birbhum district of West-Bengal. Photograph: PTI Photo
People gather near a bakery where a blast took place at Jagat Puri in east Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo
Union Minister for State (Independent Charge) of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman ties a Rakhi to a solider at Lumla in Tawang near the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. Photograph: PTI Photo | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-rewind-india-in-the-last-24-hours/20160819.htm | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/1f6c61f1fc17492504543f98f27d634ff03abba15c511c48da29b3a316a25222.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:38:49 | null | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | 'This is the beginning of a big campaign which may last a hundred years of trying to understand the human body in detail.' | Indo-US research may create designer humans | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Finterview%2Findo-us-research-may-create-designer-humans%2F20160804.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/02accelerator.jpg | en | null | Indo-US research may create designer humans | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 04, 2016 12:14 IST
'This is the beginning of a big campaign which may last a hundred years of trying to understand the human body in detail.'
Unknown to most, a new Indo-American collaboration with outcomes that can change the way we view life itself, this billion dollar project seeks to address some of the most fundamental questions.
Nigel Lockyer, director of the iconic Fermi National Accelerator Lab in Chicago and the man credited with spearheading the discovery of the fundamental particle 'Top Quark', explains to Pallava Bagla how his facility and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, have embarked on making a novel accelerator that could one day even lead to the creation of designer human beings, while on the way it may also help India tap its vast thorium reserves for a clean energy nirvana.
What is state of the understanding we have of the universe?
We have barely scratched the surface for an understanding of the universe, the nirvana of science in the future is going to be in the next 20, 30 years when major discoveries are likely.
At present, India, especially the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai, is collaborating with the United States to develop a new type of accelerator that uses super-conductingtechnology.
This new accelerator will have many applications and one of the applications is called a free electron laser, which allows you to look at the behaviour of soft materials at very small time scales like, say, in femto-seconds.
These are trillionth of a trillionth of a second and during that time you are able to see proteins inside a cell opening up and you can determine its structure.
Which means getting to understand what life is?
Yes, understanding life, understanding the cell, understanding the basic building blocks of life which is enzymes, understanding reactions within the body, understanding everything.
This is the beginning of a big campaign which may last a hundred years of trying to understand the body in detail and then you know what the scientists are going to do with that.
So what will the understanding lead us to?
They are going to take this new knowledge and tweak it,and just like we engineer plants today, we would be engineering new materials.
These would change life, change the way we get energy and change the way we look inside the body and life.
We will start engineering the body itself. The future of science will be making our lives better, and we will use the technologies we are developing today, jointly with India, to make a big difference to the world.
Would that include engineering human beings in the future, designer human beings?
Yes, designer clothes and designer human beings are definitely the future.
Do you think Indian and American scientists can together create better human beings?
Indian scientists and Indian businessmen are already walking that way now and there will be a continuum in the future. The young Indians will all be excited by these possibilities.
What is this project that India and the US are embarking on to utilise India's vast thorium reserves?
The project is an accelerator technology project, driven by India's Department of Atomic Energy on one part and with Fermi Lab. They are getting together to design a couple of accelerators using the latest technology which will impact materials science and energy generation.
This accelerator that BARC and the Fermi Lab will make to try and tap energy from thorium -- has it been attempted anywhere in the world ever?
This is a US-India partnership; we are working together on it. This thorium energy utilisation is the goal on the Indian side of the collaboration.
The American goal is different -- to use similar accelerators to understand the basic physics of fundamental particles of matter.
The accelerator that will be jointly developed will use the latest technology. Some extra technologies need to be developed so it is a research that will drive India into a new space what are called 'Accelerator Driven Systems.'
This will be the state-of-the-art accelerator that uses super conducting magnets to derive the energy of the future.
These new ADS machines you are talking about, I hear, have many advantages like they can be switched on and off at will and may not suffer a Fukushima-type nuclear accident?
These are indeed very safe since when you turn off the accelerator everything just switches off, that is the basic idea.
Thorium is an element that India has a lot of and you can use an accelerator to add neutrons to the thorium so that it generates energy and electricity.
Can India and America work effectively in collaborating in areas of high technology? Are the two countries natural partners?
India and America are two big democracies, and there is a tremendous interest in education and in particular science education. Everything starts with basic science.
The fact that young people in both countries get attracted to science is the knowledge economy of the future. It will be less and less about natural resources and more and more about the grey matter one is born with.
Do India and America have complimentary talents that can blossom in the future?
I think it is possible. If one analyses, Americans play baseball and Indians play cricket; there are great physicists that have come out of India, my favourite is Dr S N Bose on whom the particle Boson is named and there are great physicists in the US.
In both countries the culture matches well. Americans drink coffee, Indians drink tea that is a complimentary thing, I guess; we get our tea from India and maybe Starbucks will flourish in India.
As you know the very big corporations in the United States are all run by Indians and the impact of India's culture in America is huge. More than that, Americans love Indian food.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left a deep mark in America after his speech in the US Congress and his good relations with President Barack Obama will drive India and America towards a tighter embrace even in science and technology.
So is the future bright for Indian and American scientists?
No doubt very bright, actually Supernova times!
IMAGE: A particle accelerator at the Fermi Lab in Chicago. Photograph: Fnal.gov | http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/indo-us-research-may-create-designer-humans/20160804.htm | en | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/d69f8e18ce321474360864e88000e58d26b6bcb5966053873705fd0edd38f1e4.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:52:36 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Though the show cause was issued in May, the order came after three months.
| EC censures AIADMK on Model Code violation | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fec-censures-aiadmk-on-model-code-violation%2F20160830.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2013/jan/31jaya3.jpg | en | null | EC censures AIADMK on Model Code violation | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 30, 2016 21:51 IST
The Election Commission has censured the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu for violating the provisions of the Model Code during the assembly polls, saying its manifesto gave no rationale to meet the financial requirement for fulfilling promises such as free distribution of washing machines.
"... The Commission...censures your party and also advises you and your party to be more circumspect and adhere to the provisions of Model Code of Conduct, particularly Para VIII of the Guidelines relating to Manifestos, in future," the EC order of August 23 addressed to party supremo J Jayalalithaa said.
Though the show cause was issued in May, the order came after three months.
In a separate order, the Commission also asked Opposition DMK to be "more circumspect" and adhere to the provisions of Model Code of Conduct, particularly those relating to manifestos.
On May 14, the poll watchdog had issued show cause notices to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam President M Karunanidhi for violating model code, saying their election manifestos do not "substantially" fulfil its guidelines.
The Commission had said the two parties had not complied to its guidelines on manifestos. It had asked them to reflect the rationale for the promises made in their manifestos and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirement for the same.
EC said it went through the reply to AIADMK to the show cause notice and found it "unsatisfactory".
"... It has been observed that no rationale or/and detail on the ways and means to meet the financial requirement for fulfilling such promises has been given in the manifesto for certain promises, like, waiver of all farm loans due to co-operative banks, free distribution of washing machine, steam boiler, idli cooker for Adi-dravidar and tribal welfare hostels, gift coupons of Rs 500 for all ration card holders to purchase handloom textiles from co-optex at a cost of Rs 500 during Pongal festival...," the order said.
In its order on DMK, addressed to Karunanidhi, the poll body said that though the rationale and ways and means to meet the promises have now been given, the same should have been given while issuing the manifesto.
In its show cause notice to the two Tamil Nadu parties, the Commission had referred to the guidelines on election manifesto for political parties and candidates.
It had reminded the two parties of section 3, which says that "in the interest of transparency, level-playing field and credibility of promises, it is expected that the manifesto also reflects the rationale for the promises and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirement for it.
"Trust of voters should be sought only on those promises which are possible to be fulfilled."
Parties in Tamil Nadu are known to promise things such as colour TV, mixer grinder, ceiling fans and free rice in their election manifestos. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/ec-censures-aiadmk-on-model-code-violation/20160830.htm | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/509115e03c19751fe46e989c5a61b68f47933c887c9135f646fbca142a751f98.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:07:54 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | The navy said it has taken up the matter with the Directorate General of Armament of the French government expressing concern over the incident. | India requests French government to probe Scorpene data leak | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Findia-requests-french-government-to-probe-scorpene-data-leak-%2F20160825.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/25sub-1.jpg | en | null | India requests French government to probe Scorpene data leak | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 25, 2016 16:09 IST
The navy on Thursday said it has taken up the Scorpene document leak matter with France's Directorate General of Armament and has asked the French government to investigate the incident with urgency and share their findings with the Indian side.
An internal audit of procedures to rule out any security compromise is also being undertaken, the navy said in a statement, a day after it stressed that the leak appears to be "from overseas and not in India".
"The documents that have been posted on the website by an Australian news agency have been examined and do not pose any security compromise as the vital parameters have been blacked out," the navy said.
Interestingly, The Australian, a newspaper based in Australia, had put out only few of the 22,400 pages that is in its possession. Citing security concerns of India, the paper had itself blackened out vital information.
Officials had on Wednesday sought to play down the impact of the leak.
They had argued that the leaked documents are outdated technical manuals and don't constitute sensitive information and is very different from specifications of the Scorpene subs being built for India.
In Thursday's statement, the navy said it has taken up the matter with the Directorate General of Armament of the French government expressing concern over this incident and has requested the French government to investigate this incident with urgency and share their findings with the Indian side.
The matter is being taken up with concerned foreign governments through diplomatic channels to verify the authenticity of the reports, it added.
"The government of India, as a matter of abundant precaution, is also examining the impact if the information contained in the documents claimed to be available with the Australian sources is compromised.
"The detailed assessment of potential impact is being undertaken by a high level committee constituted by the ministry of defence and the Indian Navy is taking all necessary steps to mitigate any probable security compromise," the statement by the navy said.
Defence experts has raised concerns over the leak, irrespective of the leak compromising Indian security or not.
Defence analyst Commodore Uday Bhaskar (Retd), Director of Society of Policy Studies, said that if the veracity of the documents is proved then it definitely compromises the Indian platform.
"This is so because the leakage of so much technical details compromises the submarines capability to stay undetected," he said.
Rear Admiral Raja Menon (Retd), a submariner who once headed naval operations, has said the breach of security of data should not have happened.
"The loss of data is a serious issue," he said.
Photograph: @SpokespersonMoD/Twitter | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/india-requests-french-government-to-probe-scorpene-data-leak-/20160825.htm | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/e3b40a45144eab8fbb6c66a5b2979896e75536aa0ddc6b4b28d590824411da3b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:32:49 | null | 2016-08-08T00:00:00 | At least 75 people were killed and 115 others injured in the attack. | Taliban, Islamic State claim responsibility for Pak hospital suicide attack | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpakistan-quetta-hospital-blast%2F20160808.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/08quetta1.jpg | en | null | Taliban, Islamic State claim responsibility for Pak hospital suicide attack | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 09, 2016 02:57 IST
At least 75 people were killed and 115 others injured on Monday when a suicide bomber struck mourners, mostly lawyers, gathered at a hospital in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province in an attack claimed by both the Taliban and the Islamic State terror groups.
IMAGE: Kin of victims grieve at the scene of a bomb blast outside a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan on Monday. Photographs: Naseer Ahmed/Reuters
The bomber struck at a time when over 200 mourners had gathered at the government-run Civil Hospital in Quetta where the body of prominent lawyer Bilal Anwar Kasi, who was shot dead earlier in the day, was brought. Kasi was the president of Balochistan Bar Association.
Both Islamic State and a faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.
"A martyrdom bomber of the Islamic State detonates his explosive belt on a group of personnel belonging to the Ministry of Justice and the Pakistani Police in the city of Quetta," the IS-linked Amaq news agency said.
A spokesman for Jamaatul Aharar, a faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, said that his faction "accepts responsibility" for the attack in the southwestern city of Quetta and vowed more attacks "until the imposition of an Islamic system in Pakistan".
"The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ur-Ahrar takes responsibility for this attack, and pledges to continue carrying out such attacks. We will release a video report on this soon," spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan said in an email to media outlets.
A loud explosion was heard at the emergency department where Kasi's body was brought for an autopsy.
Gunfire followed the explosion. Police said it was a suicide attack where eight kilogrammes of explosives were used.
"No crater found at the site of the attack and it appears the bomber had the explosives strapped to his chest," a police officer said.
Bomb Disposal Squad officials also confirmed the explosion was a suicide bombing -- one of the deadliest terror attacks in the country this year.
IMAGE: Volunteers transport an injured man away from the scene of a bomb blast in Quetta.
Soon after the attack, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of army staff General Raheel Sharif reached the city and visited the hospital to take stock of the situation.
Prime Minister Sharif and President Mamnoon Hussain strongly condemned the attack. Sharif ordered the provincial government to arrest the culprits.
"No one will be allowed to disrupt the peace of the province," Sharif said.
He said "all state security institutions must respond with full might to decimate these terrorists".
Doctors and rescue officials put the death toll at 75 and said the number could increase as the condition of some of the injured was very critical. They said 115 people were injured in the attack.
The international community condemned the terror strike.
“On behalf of the United States Mission to Pakistan, I strongly condemn today’s (Monday’s) horrendous and despicable attacks in Quetta, the murder of Bilal Kasi, the Balochistan Bar Association President and the bombing at the Civil Hospital. I extend my deepest condolences to the victims and their families during this time of grief,” American Ambassador David Hale said.
The European Union also condemned the assault. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pakistan-quetta-hospital-blast/20160808.htm | en | 2016-08-08T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/76fef8aafed9f0c8ff9f777e97175a409760c38a6bb4d6bc3d4b7f073b38bbf0.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:34:54 | null | 2016-08-07T00:00:00 | The Kerala Congress-Mani led by former Kerala finance minister K M Mani on Sunday decided to withdraw its support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front coalition of which it was a part for more than three decades. | KC-M quits Congress-led UDF in Kerala | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fkc-m-quits-congress-led-udf-in-kerala%2F20160807.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2014/apr/07lead5.jpg | en | null | KC-M quits Congress-led UDF in Kerala | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 07, 2016 17:52 IST
The Kerala Congress-Mani led by former Kerala finance minister K M Mani on Sunday decided to withdraw its support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front coalition of which it was a part for more than three decades.
The KC-M also announced at a two-day meeting that concluded at Charalkunnu in Pathanamthita district that the party MLAs would now sit as a separate block in the state assembly.
The party would be "equidistant" from Opposition United Democratic Front, the ruling Communist Party of India Marxist -led Left Democratic Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, KC-M Supremo K M Mani told reporters after the meeting.
Hitting out at the Congress, Mani said there were attempts to tarnish KC-M's image and also weaken the party in many ways.
The party, which has one MP, said its relationship with the United Pemocratic Alliance would be issue-based.
The party has six MLAs in the present assembly.
On Saturday, while inaugurating the conclave, 82-year-old Mani had stated that his party had received only "insults and humiliations" from the Congress.
Congress leaders in the state had, however, tried to iron out the differences with statements that KC-M was an integral part of the front and any issues with the Congress would be sorted out.
Relations between the KC-M and the Congress over the bar bribery scam sharpened recently after Congress leaders Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala attended the betrothal ceremony of the daughter of controversial hotelier Biju Ramesh with the son of Congress leader and former minister Adoor Prakash.
Ramesh, working president of the Kerala State Bar Hotel Owners Association, had levelled bribery charges against Mani which finally led to his resignation in November last.
KC-M has maintained that a "conspiracy" was behind the scam.
The rift in relations between the two parties came to the fore after Mani announced he would keep away from a crucial UDF leaders liaison committee meeting last month, forcing the front to postpone it. Subsequently, Congress had deputed former chief minister Oommen Chandy to hold talks with Mani to resolve the issues.
Though Chandy met Mani, he failed to get any assurance from the latter, who maintained that the party will take a final call on all matters at its Charalkunnu meeting.
The KC-M, which has a history of switching fronts and suffering many splits since its inception in 1964, has a strong base in the central Travancore belt, especially among Christians. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/kc-m-quits-congress-led-udf-in-kerala/20160807.htm | en | 2016-08-07T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/01188eece75d5a695c78dd52a393dee0b00ea58fc01ffa6eea92f25ac3a2f238.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:17:04 | null | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | Two-term Bahujan Samaj Party MP Brajesh Pathak on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party expressing faith in its 'developmental' agenda for poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, a day after attending Mayawati's rally in Agra. | Jolt to BSP as another close aide of Mayawati joins BJP | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fjolt-to-bsp-as-another-close-aide-of-mayawati-joins-bjp%2F20160822.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/22bsp.jpg | en | null | Jolt to BSP as another close aide of Mayawati joins BJP | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 22, 2016 18:48 IST
Two-term Bahujan Samaj Party MP Brajesh Pathak on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party expressing faith in its "developmental" agenda for poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, a day after attending Mayawati's rally in Agra.
Pathak joined the saffron organisation in the presence of its president Amit Shah and Union minister Mahesh Sharma and was described as a "pillar" in the Hardoi-Unnao region of the state. Assembly polls in UP are scheduled next year.
Sharma said Pathak joining the BJP will help the party consolidate Brahmin votes.
Even though he was at the BJP headquarters fulfilling his joining formalities, the BSP expelled him for the party, apparently after coming to know of his plans.
Unlike some BSP leaders, including Swami Prasad Maurya, who tore into BSP supremo Mayawati as they joined the BJP, Pathak did not attack her but said nepotism, corruption and goondaism ruled the roost in the state.
"I thought any delay will be harmful. Only Prime Minister Narendra Modi's developmental agenda and Amit Shah's efforts can rescue UP," he told reporters.
Asked about his presence in the BSP rally on Sunday and he joining the BJP is less than 24 hours, he said he was doing his job in the BSP as long as he was there.
Pathak said he had played a role in swinging Brahmin voters to the BSP during the 2007 assembly polls, but Brahmins were disappointed by the party.
The BJP is counting on the former Unnao Lok Sabha MP and now a sitting Rajya Sabha member, to help it win over Brahmin voters, who are also being wooed by Congress.
IMAGE: BJP Chief Amit Shah with Brajesh Pathak. Photograph: @dr_maheshsharma/Twitter | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/jolt-to-bsp-as-another-close-aide-of-mayawati-joins-bjp/20160822.htm | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/57b39767008106ab102c9dff26ec11df4d8132b90a7f38bef90d21f4947300cc.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:28:59 | null | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | 'After a long search and working 12-14 hours a day for the last 8 days, the Naval teams have located two bus wreckage submerged in water at Mahad,' said Defence spokesperson, Rahul Sinha, in a statement. | Mahad bridge collapse: Drowned wreckage of both buses found | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fwreckage-of-both-buses-washed-away-in-mahad-bridge-collapse-found%2F20160811.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/03bridge1.jpg | en | null | Mahad bridge collapse: Drowned wreckage of both buses found | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 11, 2016 12:26 IST
Nearly two weeks since a British-era bridge on Mumbai-Goa Highway collapsed near Mahad in Raigad district, divers on Thursday spotted the wreckage of the two buses which were washed away on August 2.
IMAGE: A part of a bridge on Savitri river at Mahad in Raigad district of Maharashtra that collapsed on August 2. Photograph: Chief PRO, Defence
"After working 12-14 hours a day for the last 8 days, the teams have located wreckage of the two bus buses submerged in water at Mahad," a Defence spokesperson said.
"The wreckage seems to be parts of the buses and was found approximately 170 and 200 meters from the collapsed bridge. Spot diving was carried out despite presence of crocodiles, high current and tough conditions in the river.
"The NDRF teams are being informed and crane for recovery of the wreckage is being requested," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Indian Navy team comprising personnel specialising in diving have been searching for the wreckage and survivors since the morning of August 4.
The effort was in response to a request received from the state government for undertaking search along the river for survivors and bodies, he said.
So far, 26 bodies have been recovered after two State Transport buses and some other vehicles fell in the river following the bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad in Raigad district, about 170 kms from Mumbai, on August 2.
The British-era bridge was to be dismantled in December this year as part of Mumbai-Goa Highway expansion project, Maharashtra government said on Wednesday.
State PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil had said there are about 2,300 bridges in the state, of which 100-odd are from the British era and from the time of 17th century warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
"All these bridges will be inspected twice every year. A three-member committee of experts from Indian Institute of Technology has commenced its study about the collapsed bridge and the report is expected by the next cabinet meeting due on August 23," he said on Wednesday.
The process of launching judicial inquiry into the crash is also underway, Patil said adding that "a workshop will be conducted for the PWD engineers for methodology to be used for inspection of the bridges." | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/wreckage-of-both-buses-washed-away-in-mahad-bridge-collapse-found/20160811.htm | en | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/5bc9bbb31b16f47226d3bf308b246c45fe54700f7f9f61f0434b40b643e8d91a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:35:08 | null | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | Each story is sadder than the next, but what is most heartbreaking is to see the indifference shown towards these children by the police. | Shocking! How children are sold into sexual slavery | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Fspecial%2Fshocking-how-children-are-sold-into-sexual-slavery%2F20160805.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/jun/17trafficking.jpg | en | null | Shocking! How children are sold into sexual slavery | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 05, 2016 17:38 IST
Each story is sadder than the next, but what is most heartbreaking is to see the indifference shown towards these children by the police.
Rashme Sehgal reports.
IMAGE: To break this silence of complicity NGOs decided to organise a public hearing with victims restating their experiences. Photograph: Mansi Thapliyal/Reuters
India is reported to have 12 million children working in forced labour. The figure alone would boggle the mind and yet this is an issue no wants to address.
It is to break this silence of complicity that the NGO HAQ: Centre for Child Rights and Campaign Against Child Trafficking decided to organise a public hearing in mid-June, the first of its kind in India, where children who had faced the trauma of being trafficked went public with their horrifying stories.
Each testimony is sadder than the next, but what is most heartbreaking is to see the indifference shown towards these children by the police and other law enforcement agencies.
Some of the pain suffered by these young lives could have been mitigated if the police had taken timely action. A common thread that runs through these young lives is that of poverty and how many of them tried to escape their plight by wanting to make some easy money.
A 13-year-old child told the jury, comprising of former additional solicitor general Siddhartha Luthra, theatre personality Lushin Dubey and journalist Om Thanvi, of how she was on her way to the neighbourhood market along with two of her friends when she was kidnapped by two men she had seen in the colony.
She was drugged and kept in an isolated room where she was raped and then, one week later, sold to become a prostitute for Rs 200,000.
Her kidnappers gave her a daily dose of steroids so she could look like a grown woman, after which she was sold to a brothel in Siliguri, West Bengal, for Rs 800,000. The brothel's owner forced her to engage both in prostitution and drug peddling.
Meanwhile, her parents had filed a missing persons complaint. After seven months, the family sought the help of Sharan, an NGO working on drug de-addiction in the Nizamuddin Basti, New Delhi.
Sharan referred the case to HAQ: Centre for Child Rights. A habeas corpus petition had to be filed to get the police to take action.
By this time another three months had elapsed. In a case where perhaps every second mattered, the delays only added to her suffering. The local police had failed to even trace the mobile numbers from which she had tried to call her mother.
HAQ, along with the anti-trafficking group Shakti Vahini, met a senior police officer to get the case transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit which finally resulted in her getting rescued from the Khalpara district in Siliguri's red light area.
Even after her rescue, the police took its time over arresting the men who had kidnapped her.
The girl's ordeal lasted more than three years, but what was even more traumatic was for her to testify in court. Even after eight appearances, she continues to have to visit court and repeat her experiences in public.
Even a timely intervention by the police does not always bring about relief as was the case of a 14 year old who was trafficked from North 24 Parganas, Bengal, by her neighbour, who taking advantage of her family's poverty, lured her to Delhi on the promise of providing her with a good job.
En route, the man sold her to a woman in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, who forced her into prostitution. A fortnight later, five to six men were taking her somewhere when some policemen chanced to pass by.
Scared of the police, the men ran away and the police took this crying girl to the Nirmal Chhaya shelter home where she stayed for two months during which period her family members were identified.
The neighbour was arrested and released on bail within one week while this girl's case has been pending for the last ten years.
Although her mother, who works as a daily labourer, welcomed her back, the other villagers did not want her to live there and so she was sent to a shelter home run by the NGO Jabala.
Jabala took the initiative of getting her admitted to a local school. When she turned 18, this young girl told the jury members that she began working in a police canteen supervised by Jabala and has presently joined the Green Police in Kolkata.
The modus operandi to lure women into prostitution often varies.
A 16-year-old girl studying in Class 8 from North 24 Parganas became close to an individual with whom she had a phone conversation.
A series of such conversations saw him promise to marry her, and so she left her parents' home to meet her 'telephone friend' in Pune, Maharashtra.
When she reached Pune, he refused to marry her and sold her to a stranger who forced her into prostitution.
She was rescued from a flat in Farashkhana, Pune, by two NGOs, Jabala of West Bengal and the Rescue Foundation in Maharashtra who helped ensure the trafficker was convicted.
Her family, however, did not want her back and it was only through Jabala's initiative that she was accepted back into the fold. Jabala helped provide her with vocational training and she presently works in a police canteen run by Jabala in Kolkata.
Another survivor from Assam gave testimony about how she was preparing for her Class 10 exams when a friend of hers introduced her to a man who promised to take her to Chennai where he would ensure she got a good job and also marry her.
Thus lured with the promise of marriage, she was first brought to Delhi and later taken to Fatehabad, Haryana, where she was kept in confinement for 15 days, raped by multiple men including the man who promised to amrry her, and forced into sexual slavery.
After 15 days, she was sold to another man where she was made to work through the day and sexually abused at night.
The survivor informed the jury that she managed to get hold of a mobile phone and contact her parents who reported the matter to the local police in Assam.
The police sought Shakti Vahini's help and the girl was rescued. A case was registered in Assam against the perpetrators.
She was produced before the child welfare committee in Fatehabad and as per its order, was sent back to Assam where she was able to appear for her Class 10 and 12 exams. She is not able to study further because her father, a daily wager, lacks the means to educate her.
Another horrifying story is that of a 14 year old whose parents agreed to marry her to a 40-year-old man who claimed to belong to a rich Kanpur family. He paid the parents Rs 10,000 and bore the marriage expenses.
When this child reached Kanpur, she received a rude shock. Not only was she made to work as a domestic help, she was forbidden to step out of the house.
After a few weeks, her husband forced her into prostitution. She was compelled to sleep with various relatives of her husband. When she resisted, she was denied food.
She gave birth to two children, but the abuse continued till she fled with her children. When she left home, she was pregnant with her third child.
Her parents were not happy with her decision to return to them and kept asking her to return to her husband. There was no legal intervention in this case as her family refused to register a case. The police too do not seem to feel the need to proceed with any formal complaint.
Next: The fate of young boys forced into child labour | http://www.rediff.com/news/special/shocking-how-children-are-sold-into-sexual-slavery/20160805.htm | en | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/770f87fc5938a6eff3a6d4177a5815a88e2aa5316a4bca674aa8ae48b7daf0cd.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:23:12 | null | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | This incident has again exposed that despite prohibition being in force in Bihar, alcohol is still available in the black market and that the liquor mafia is very much active | In dry state of Bihar, spurious liquor kills 12 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fin-dry-state-of-bihar-spurious-liquor-kills-10%2F20160817.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/17lead1.jpg | en | null | In dry state of Bihar, spurious liquor kills 12 | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 17, 2016 22:25 IST
This incident has again exposed that despite prohibition being in force in Bihar, alcohol is still available in the black market and that the liquor mafia is very much active. M I Khan reports from Patna.
Twelve people have died after suspected consumption of spurious liquor in Gopalganj district of Bihar.
Gopalganj District Magistrate has ordered an investigation into the mysterious death of 12 persons during treatment at a local hospital.
According to district police officials, the victims were brought to the hospital after their condition deteriorated on Tuesday night. However, they could not be revived.
"The victims developed uneasiness followed by stomach pain, vomiting and lack of consciousness," they said.
The family members of the victims -- all of whom belong to the Mahadalit community -- said they consumed spurious liquor on Tuesday.
"The deaths have been reported from different areas of five police stations of the district in the past 24 hours. One person is admitted at a Sadar hospital," Kumar told PTI.
A single reason may not be the cause of the deaths with the deaths having been reported at different time from different locations under five police stations of Majha, Thawe, Yadavpur, Sidhwalia and Kotwali, Kumar said.
Of the 12, the administration has taken possession of the bodies of five persons from their relatives for carrying out postmortem as the remaining seven bodies have already been cremated by the relatives, he added.
"This incident has again exposed that despite prohibition being in force in Bihar, alcohol is still available in the black market and that the liquor mafia is very much active," an official in the prohibition and excise department admitted.
A case has been lodged and a probe is underway.
Attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his "Tuglaqi" diktat, the Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded he take responsibility for the death of 12 persons.
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain accused the state government of working to cover up the reason for these deaths, but said the party supported prohibition.
Taking a dig at Kumar over his prohibition pitch in various parts of the country, he told a press conference that people of Bihar had elected him with a lot of hope and believed his many promises but he "discusses nothing but prohibition".
The Bihar government had enforced total prohibition in the state from April 5, 2016.
Over 1.5 lakh litres of banned liquor -- 96,878.66 litres of country-made liquor, 52,530.446 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and 13,153 litres of spirit -- have been recovered within four months, a police official said, adding that 4,707 people have been arrested and and 3,719 FIRs lodged since the ban was enforced.
With inputs from PTI
Respresentational Image. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/in-dry-state-of-bihar-spurious-liquor-kills-10/20160817.htm | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/fdefc5130b69f7ab33787d0cb53581df7440e7b32e7f9951cfa95b4df273d84c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:31 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | Congress demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting high court judge. | Una incident: Ruckus in Gujarat assembly, 50 Congress MLAs suspended | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Funa-incident-ruckus-in-gujarat-assembly-50-congress-mlas-suspended%2F20160823.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/23dalit.jpg | en | null | Una incident: Ruckus in Gujarat assembly, 50 Congress MLAs suspended | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 23, 2016 18:23 IST
Nearly 400 Congress supporters, along with senior leaders and MLAs, were detained as they took out a march towards the assembly.
As many as 50 Congress MLAs were on Tuesday evicted and suspended for a day from the Gujarat assembly after they staged a demonstration and disrupted the House proceedings over the Una Dalit flogging incident.
During a discussion on atrocities on Dalits in Una, Congress members rushed to the Well of the House displaying placards, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party government was ‘anti-Dalit’ and also threw bangles towards ruling party ministers.
At least 20 of the members wore body suit banners as they continued with their protest despite repeated warnings by Speaker Ramanlal Vora on the second and last day of the Monsoon session in Gandhinagar.
As the din refused to die down, the speaker ordered marshals to evict them from the House. Then he named and suspended them for a day. Subsequently, Congress MLAs were forcefully taken out of the House.
The speaker then remarked that the Opposition came with a strategy to protest over Dalit issues as more than their concern for Dalits, they were trying to garner political mileage out of it.
Two leaders -- Leader of Opposition Shankersinh Vaghela and senior leader Mohansinh Rathwa -- remained seated during the ruckus. The speaker had not suspended them, but later they too walked out protesting the action of Vora.
Earlier, the assembly session began with a heated debate over the issue of Dalit atrocity in the state, with senior Congress leader Raghavji Patel raising the issue of attack on Dalits at Samter village after the Dalit Asmita rally on August 15 as a matter of urgent public interest under Gujarat Assembly Rule 116.
He sought answer from the government as to what actions were taken to provide security to Dalits in the event of the attack.
Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja, in his reply, said that Dalits were attacked at Samter village when they were returning from the rally on Independence Day.
He said police fired 51 teargas shells and several rounds in the air to protect them. In the process, seven police personnel, including one deputy superintendent of police and a police inspector, were injured, Jadeja said.
Following this, Vaghela demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting high court judge into the Una incident of beating Dalits over skinning of a dead cow on July 11.
Vaghela said the Crime Investigation Department inquiry initiated by the government is not trustworthy. Upon this, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the government will act with responsibility to ensure safety of Dalits, and asked opposition to work together to protect the interest and safety of Dalits.
Raghavji alleged that the Dalits were attacked because they were not provided adequate police protection (in Samter case).
Jadeja said police have filed 11 first information reports against the perpetrators (in all Dalit atrocity case as a whole) and required measures were taken and immediate help was provided.
Congress Dalit leader Shailesh Parmar rose and demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting high court judge in the Una Dalit atrocity incident.
He also questioned as to why the Sanjay Prasad report on 2012 Thangad killing of three Dalit youths by police, and a Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University report on untouchability in Gujarat, were not yet tabled in the House.
Responding to this, Jadeja said Thangadh incident report was under consideration, and added that government has formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the Thangadh incident. The government has also requested the high court to constitute a designated court for this.
A heated debate ensued over this with Congress leader Manibhai Vaghela alleging that the Una incident was a conspiracy to destabilise Gujarat government and remove Anandiben Patel as chief minister.
On this remark, BJP MLA Jayantibhai Kavadiya made some comments and Manibhai twice threatened to lodge a case against him. This caused chaos in the House with the chief minister assuring that the BJP government is with the Dalit community.
The 182-member Gujarat assembly has 57 Congress MLAs, 2 Nationalist Congress Party, 1 Janata Dal-United, one Independent and 121 legislators of the ruling BJP.
Later, nearly 400 Congress supporters, along with senior leaders and MLAs, were detained as they took out a march towards the assembly as part of the party’s ‘Janakrosh rally’.
They were stopped when they reached the main gate of the assembly, police said.
“We detained around 400-odd people as they tried to enter the state assembly. Those detained included senior party leaders,” Gandhinagar superintendent of police Virendra Yadav said.
Thousands of Congress supporters had gathered in Gandhinagar to join the rally against the ‘oppressive’ BJP government, and ‘atrocities’ on the Dalits, as the monsoon session of the assembly was in progress.
As protesters reached the entrance of the assembly, police put up a barricade to stop them from entering the premises. When they tried to force their way, police prevented them from moving ahead using water canons, and then detained them.
All those detained were later let-off later.
Emerging from the police detention, Bharatsinh Solanki attacked the state government charging it with being ‘irresponsible and oppressive’.
“The BJP government has become irresponsible and oppressive towards the public. Corruption has grown and every section of people is fed up with the government. Even when the Dalits were being attacked, beaten up, the prime minister remained silent on the issue and instead expressed his solidarity for the people of Balochistan,” Solanki said.
He said the government had done little to prevent attacks on the Dalits, the adivasis and the OBC community members.
Earlier, addressing the rally, Vaghela asked the public to uproot the BJP government.
“Unlike the BJP government, the Congress government worked in the interest of the public. When our PM (Narendra Modi) was chief minister here, in 2013, he criticised the Congress-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government over rising petrol, diesel price. The price continues to rise,” he said.
“The BJP stalled passage of GST (Goods and Services Tax) Bill for four years. Now, it had trouble when Congress raised objection to it. The BJP continues to chant that the PM is from Gujarat. They wanted to congratulate Urjit Patel for being appointed as the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) governor, for his being a Gujarati. I objected to it. All this is being done to mislead the public,” Vaghela told the gathering.
IMAGE: Dalit community members hold a banner during a protest against attacks on them in Gujarat. Photograph: PTI Photo | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/una-incident-ruckus-in-gujarat-assembly-50-congress-mlas-suspended/20160823.htm | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/5890b8910dc78607afe7f86f6cf579c5154b1fa8b0881a848ea217de4f08aaed.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:36:31 | null | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | Former Bahujan Samaj Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya has described Congress Uttar Pradesh chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit as discard from Delhi, drawing sharp reaction from her party leaders on Thursday. | Ex-BSP leader calls Sheila rejected 'maal'; triggers a row | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fex-bsp-leader-calls-sheila-rejected-maal-triggers-a-row%2F20160804.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2013/dec/08lead5.jpg | en | null | Ex-BSP leader calls Sheila rejected 'maal'; triggers a row | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 04, 2016 22:43 IST
Former Bahujan Samaj Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya has described Congress Uttar Pradesh chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit as discard from Delhi, drawing sharp reaction from her party leaders on Thursday.
"Sheila Dikshit is a rejected 'maal' of Delhi whom Congress party has put up in Uttar Pradesh," Maurya told reporters in Shrawasti on Sunday.
As the video of his remarks went viral on social media, the Congress on Thursday lashed out at Maurya for his "sexist remark" and protested before Ekona police station here demanding lodging of an FIR against him.
"If the FIR is not registered, we will intensify our protest," Congress leader Dilip Sharma told PTI.
He said that he had submitted a complaint to the police in which he said using such expressions against a woman was tantamount to criminal offence.
Maurya, who quit Mayawati's party and formed Loktantrik Bahujan Manch, was here to meet his supporters to garner support for his rally in Lucknow next month.
"That party (Congress) talks about youth, but in such a big state like Uttar Pradesh they could not find a single young face and out of compulsion they had to project a rejected 'maal' of Delhi who has lost mass support as its chief ministerial candidate," Maurya had said.
The former BSP leader said Congress has completely lost its support among people and projection of Dikshit as the chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh assembly 2017 polls proved this.
"This shows the thinking of Congress party ...this proves they have dearth of leaders...the face which had failed in Delhi is being put up in UP...the party which is dreaming of forming government is in the dark," Maurya said.
UP Congress Secretary Bhagat Ram Mishra said Maurya was in the habit of "speaking against Brahmins".
"This is not the first time that he (Maurya) is talking like his. He has been speaking against Brahmins in the past too," Mishra said.
When asked whether BSP's Naseemudin Siddiqui should be arrested for raising slogans against the family members of expelled BJP leader Dayashankar Singh, Maurya said, "If Dayashankar can be arrested for abusing why not Naseemuddin?" | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/ex-bsp-leader-calls-sheila-rejected-maal-triggers-a-row/20160804.htm | en | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/0297b4308eb4533443bd1ead996f76ee519abbd1167e215ce02140206cd235b5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:22:13 | null | 2016-08-16T00:00:00 | The Pak PM reiterated his government's firm resolve to extend its fullest moral, diplomatic and political support to the indigenous freedom struggle of Kashmiri people. | Nawaz Sharif vows to support struggle of Kashmiri people | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fnawaz-sharif-vows-to-support-struggle-of-kashmiri-people%2F20160816.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2013/jun/05nawaz1.jpg | en | null | Nawaz Sharif vows to support struggle of Kashmiri people | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 16, 2016 19:35 IST
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said the world needs to take stock of the plight of Kashmiri people and vowed to support their "indigenous freedom struggle".
Sharif's remarks came as he met Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan, the outgoing president of Pakistani-occupied Kashmir.
The prime minister reiterated his government's firm resolve to extend its fullest moral, diplomatic and political support to the indigenous freedom struggle of Kashmiri people.
"The world needs to take stock of the latest brutalities against unarmed innocent Kashmiri people who are heavily sacrificing for attainment of their inalienable right to freedom," he said on the occasion.
Sharif also appreciated the outgoing president for amicably conducting state’s affairs during his term in office. The continuity of electoral process has amply strengthened the "democratic system" in PoK, said the prime minister.
Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won last month's parliamentary elections in Kashmir.
Sharif already appointed Raja Farooq Haider as prime minister of Kashmir and Masood Khan as president. Both are from PoK.
While Haider is seasoned politician, Khan is career diplomat who served in key positions including Foreign Office spokesperson, ambassador to China and Permanent Representative at the UN.
Former ambassador and career diplomat Masood Khan was today elected as the new president of Pakistani Kashmir. The legislative assembly of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as the region is known in Pakistan, met at capital Muzaffarabad to choose the new president.
Khan, who was nominated by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, got 42 votes and was declared as elected.
His opponent Lateef Akbar of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) got just six votes.
The new president is nominated by Sharif but is believed to enjoy the confidence and support of the army. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/nawaz-sharif-vows-to-support-struggle-of-kashmiri-people/20160816.htm | en | 2016-08-16T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/1c0400d5eda70de1566a6d48de1b5a3b60b2dbc082ad90acb938f312555b987b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:24:11 | null | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | Do you follow the news? Think you know all that happens around you? Then put your knowledge to the test right here... | Ready for the ultimate news quiz? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fready-for-the-ultimate-news-quiz%2F20160817.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/12srk2.jpg | en | null | Ready for the ultimate news quiz? | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 17, 2016 08:52 IST
Do you follow the news? Think you know all that happens around you? Then put your knowledge to the test right here... | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/ready-for-the-ultimate-news-quiz/20160817.htm | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/520d6aaedc16111143711144414c46dd1fbd8a0961127017cee9ac8efa2b55f4.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:21:46 | null | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | The fatwa was issued against the Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief by Mufti Mohammed Saleem Barelvi, an Islamic seminary in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. | Islamic seminary issues fatwa against Hafiz Saeed; deems him an 'outcast' | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fislamic-seminary-issues-fatwa-against-hafiz-saeed%2F20160818.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2012/jul/20saeed1.jpg | en | null | Islamic seminary issues fatwa against Hafiz Saeed; deems him an 'outcast' | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 18, 2016 18:58 IST
The Islamic seminary of Barelvi sect on Thursday issued a fatwa (edict) against Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed declaring him anti-Islamic.
The fatwa was issued against the Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief by Mufti Mohammed Saleem Barelvi, an Islamic seminary in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.
It dubbed Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who carries a USD 10 million (Rs 66 crore) bounty on his head, as "outcast" from Islam and declared those following him or considering as Muslim as "illegal".
A fatwa is a legal pronouncement in Islam which is given by a mufti, a Muslim scholar of a recognised authority, who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law.
The ruling came close on the heels of Saeed asking Pakistan Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif to send troops to Kashmir to "obey" the pending order of Pakistan founder M A Jinnah.
The fatwa was issued by Manzar-e-Islam Saudagaran, an institution associated with Dargah Ala Hazrat, in a reply to a question asked by Mohd Moinuddin of Jaipur.
It said Saeed has no connection with Islam.
Moinuddin had mentioned in his query that Saeed considered those writing against Allah and Prophet Mohammad as Muslims. Besides, he publicised anti-religious ideology and points of view and provoked people to create terror.
He asked whether such a person should be considered as Muslim.
In his fatwa, Mufti Saleem said that having any type of connection with persons working against the dignity of Allah and the Prophet was illegal and 'haraam', an act that is forbidden by Allah.
It said since Saeed was having contacts with such persons, he has been outcast from Islam.
It said that considering him as Muslim and listening to his words was also illegal and prohibited.
As per the fatwa, Saeed was a man with terrorist ideology, who with his acts has brought infamy to Islam and Muslims across the world. Therefore, it was compulsory for every Muslim not to follow him and keep away from his ideology.
Addressing a rally held under the banner of 'Defence Council of Pakistan' in Karachi on Sunday, Saeed had claimed, "Kashmiris had announced before the partition that they wanted to remain with Pakistan. But after the partition, India forcibly sent Army to Jammu and Kashmir.
"On this Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah ordered his commander-in-chief to respond by sending troops but he refused (to obey his orders). Now, I ask Gen Raheel Sharif to send troops in (Jammu and) Kashmir as Quaid-e-Azam's order is pending," Saeed said.
He said he was not asking for a war with India but they (Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Raheel) must form a strategy regarding the Kashmir issue. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/islamic-seminary-issues-fatwa-against-hafiz-saeed/20160818.htm | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/56c75ae1c504aef47be69c765f4a9356c444abd18f95741fdf63c7c279033ece.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:27:33 | null | 2016-08-13T00:00:00 | The wreckage is 400 meters from the bridge in an area where strong currents are observed. | Mahad bridge tragedy: Naval divers locate 2nd MSRTC bus | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fmahad-bridge-tragedy-naval-divers-locate-2nd-msrtc-bus%2F20160813.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/13lead5a.jpg | en | null | Mahad bridge tragedy: Naval divers locate 2nd MSRTC bus | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 13, 2016 14:11 IST
Naval divers on Saturday located wreckage of the second MSRTC bus which was washed away in the turbulent Savitri river near Mahad in Raigad district after a British-era bridge collapsed on August 2.
"Continuing search operations on Day 10 at Savitri River, the naval divers located one more wreckage assessed to be part of the second bus (Jaigad-Mumbai).
Post recovery of first bus on August 11, search was continued downstream. The wreckage is 400 meters from the bridge in an area where strong currents are observed. The wreckage is completely submerged in around 5 meters depth," a Defence spokesperson said.
"It is assessed that the wreckage is recoverable. NDRF teams are being informed and a crane for recovery of the wreckage is being requested," spokesperson Commander Rahul Sinha said in a statement here.
On Thursday, wreckage of Rajapur-Borivali MSRTC bus was retrieved approximately 170 and 200 meters from the collapsed bridge.
After the Navy divers located the bus, braving strong currents and crocodiles in the river, NDRF teams were summoned to retrieve it.
The Indian Navy team comprising personnel specialising in diving was searching for the wreckage and survivors since the morning of August 4, braving high water current and crocodile hotbeds in the river.
So far, 26 bodies have been recovered and nearly 14 are still missing and feared dead after two state transport buses and some other vehicles fell in the swollen river following the bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad in Raigad district, about 170 kms from Mumbai.
The bridge was to be dismantled last December as part of the Mumbai-Goa Highway expansion project.
Meanwhile, anxious kin of the deceased who were camping at the rescue site have left the place.
Sanjay Patil, Additional SP of Raigad police said, "The local MIDC Mahad police has registered a case of accidental deaths of 26 people whose bodies have been recovered while a missing case has been registered for those whose bodies have not been found so far."
"Our investigation into the missing cases registered with us will go on up to two months and if their bodies are not found or recovered, then on the basis of accidental death reports, we will come to a conclusion that they too were part of the tragic incident and would be considered dead.
"Thus they will be issued the necessary documents paving their way to claim the financial compensation announced by the state government," Patil said.
NDRF's 5th battalion commandant Anupam Srivastava also said that his four teams were at work and doing their job to trace remains of the swept away vehicles and passengers.
"Till we don't get orders from the higher authorities, we are not going to call off the (search) operations," he said.
The State Cabinet, in this particular case, has already reduced the waiting period for granting compensation to next to the kin to two months (from seven years as per existing rules).
If the missing people are not traced within two months, the state will declare them dead and award solatium, PWD Minister Chandrakant Pati had said.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has announced a compensation of Rs 14 lakh each to the kin of deceased travelling in the ST buses and Rs 10 lakh each to the family of deceased in other vehicles involved in the tragedy.
Photographs: Press Information Bureau (Defence Wing) | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/mahad-bridge-tragedy-naval-divers-locate-2nd-msrtc-bus/20160813.htm | en | 2016-08-13T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/65ef8b6970ffb569fabd2ed6aadb636c5b46d06199c633a7ffaf08dc4d252289.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:27:32 | null | 2016-08-13T00:00:00 | Khan was known to directly participate in attacks against US and coalition forces, and the actions of his network terrorised Afghans, especially in Nangarhar. | US drone takes out top ISIS leader Hafiz Sayed Khan | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fislamic-state-chief-for-afghanistan-and-pakistan-killed-by-us-drone%2F20160813.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/12is.jpg | en | null | US drone takes out top ISIS leader Hafiz Sayed Khan | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 13, 2016 10:32 IST
The top leader of Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been killed in a US drone strike in a southern Afghan province, the Pentagon has said, dealing a major blow to the dreaded terrorist outfit.
Hafiz Sayed Khan along with his senior lieutenants died in the drone strike on July 26.
The Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Gordon Trowbridge said the US and Afghan Special Operations Forces conducted operations against the ISIS in southern Nangarhar province between July 1 and 30.
"During this time, US forces conducted an airstrike targeting Hafiz Sayed Khan, the Islamic State in the Levant-Khorasan emir, in Achin district, Nangarhar province July 26, resulting in his death," Trowbridge said.
Khan was known to directly participate in attacks against US and coalition forces, and the actions of his network terrorised Afghans, especially in Nangarhar.
Nangarhar province has been a hotbed for ISIL-Khorasan activity since the summer of 2015.
ISIL-K uses the area to train, equip, disseminate and control fighter pipelines, providing ISIL-K commanders throughout Afghanistan with a continuous supply of enemy fighters from this province.
"Khan's death affects ISIL-K recruiting efforts and will disrupt ISIL-K's operations in Afghanistan and the region," he said.
Khan, a former member of the Pakistani branch of the Taliban who swore allegiance to Middle East-based Islamic State, had earlier reported killed last year but the death was never confirmed.
His death is the latest in a series of high-profile targets killed by the coalition forces as the war on terror goes on.
In May a US drone killed Mullah Akhtar Mansour, the Afghan Taliban leader, in a strike in Pakistan.
Khan's death is a major blow to efforts by the ISIS to expand its control from its Middle East territory into Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Afghanistan's Taliban group has frequently clashed with IS since January 2015.
The Taliban's dominance in a region home to numerous local and foreign militant groups is facing a serious challenge from IS, which has been gaining some support.
There has also been evidence that IS is trying to recruit Taliban fighters, with several Taliban commanders declaring allegiance to IS. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/islamic-state-chief-for-afghanistan-and-pakistan-killed-by-us-drone/20160813.htm | en | 2016-08-13T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/8d4b858ba86989c3b637d0a160d6890dadf320aa1a705bc1421012cd5fe6ecda.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:39:38 | null | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | Minister of State for Environment and Forests Anil Dave gave these figures to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. | 102 rhinos, 46 tigers, 89 elephants poached in 3 years! | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fover-hundred-rhinos-46-tigers-89-elephants-poached-in-3-years%2F20160803.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/getahead/2015/mar/24rhino-manas-national-park-3.jpg | en | null | 102 rhinos, 46 tigers, 89 elephants poached in 3 years! | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 03, 2016 01:34 IST
Over hundred rhinos, 45 tigers and 85 elephants across the country have fallen prey to poachers in the last three years.
Minister of State for Environment and Forests Anil Dave told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that as per the reports received by his ministry, 20 tigers were poached in 2013, 14 in 2014 and 12 in 2015.
Similarly, 2013-14 saw poaching of 46 elephants, while 2014-15 and 2015-2016 recorded killing of 21 and 22 pachyderms respectively.
The poaching incidents were much higher regarding to rhinos. 2013-14 saw poaching of 41 rhinos, followed by 38 in 2014-15 and 23 in 2015-16, he said.
Dave said the government has taken several initiatives in order to check poaching by improving surveillance in Ratapani Wildlife Santuary, reserves of Corbett and Kaziranga for protection of tigers. A Rhino Task Force has also been formed Kaziranga in Assam.
Responding to another question, the minister said as of July 18, a total number of 373 draft and final notifications of Eco-Sensitive Zones around Protected Areas around national parks and sanctuaries in the country have been published. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/over-hundred-rhinos-46-tigers-89-elephants-poached-in-3-years/20160803.htm | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/5916d8ae302b239a7dcd609c9e1267700b42d6e5f43048260c8159ba55f8e016.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:18:52 | null | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | I am not a fool to say that everything is well, said Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on a clean chit to the rights advocacy group. | Karnataka HM makes U-turn, denies giving clean-chit to Amnesty | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fkarnataka-hm-makes-u-turn-denies-giving-clean-chit-to-amnesty%2F20160822.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2012/mar/01parm.jpg | en | null | Karnataka HM makes U-turn, denies giving clean-chit to Amnesty | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 22, 2016 19:25 IST
Under attack over the Amnesty International row, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said he had not given a clean chit to the rights advocacy group, which has been booked for sedition for hosting an event where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.
"First of all let me clarify because there is a lot of talk in the media about it.... let me be very clear, I have not given any clean chit to Amnesty International," Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru as he went into damage control mode after his remarks drew sharp criticism.
"All I have said is that I have not heard Amnesty International being involved in any anti-national activity. Second thing is, there is an investigation going on, and I am not a fool to say that everything is well," he said.
To a query, Parameshwara said his remarks had been misinterpreted.
"Of course, I have been misinterpreted. That is why I did not want to react to it unnecessarily," he added.
"Now that the investigation is going on, the law will take its own course. That's all I have said and I am also standing by that statement," he said.
He said he is not going to interfere with the probe as the home minister and it has been left to the police to decide on the next course of action against Amnesty International.
"The (police) commissioner has made a statement which will be on record. It is left to the police and the Investigating Officer to take action accordingly whether to close the case; whether to take it forward... I am not going to interfere in that."
Parameshwara rejected the charge by some Union ministers that the state government was protecting Amnesty International and had virtually given it a clean chit.
He asked the Centre to get the activities of the NGO probed and take action accordingly.
"Why they (central government) think that we in Karnataka are trying to protect them, trying to give them (Amnesty international) a clean chit and all those things.
"They (BJP) have the government of India in their hands and also all investigation agencies in their hands. Let them find out what Amnesty international is doing and take action accordingly," he said.
"Nobody can stop the Centre or the Union home ministry or any other agency which is responsible for that (from probing Amnesty's activities)," he added.
Parameshwara had on August 20 said Amnesty has never involved itself in any kind of anti-national activities.
"I have not heard of Amnesty International being involved in any seditious activity so far," he had said.
The Kashmiri Hindu Cultural Welfare Trust Chairman Romesh Kumar Mattoo had criticised him for having given a "clean chit" to the organisation when it was being probed for alleged sedition.
The Congress had come under attack from top ministers in the Modi government for "sympathising with supporters of terrorists" following Karnataka home minister's remarks.
Leading the offencive, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said on Sunday that 'Azadi' slogans cannot be treated as freedom of speech and slammed the Congress and its Karnataka government for "indulging in vote bank politics" over the issue.
"Four days ago, in the capital of Karnataka, during a programme in Bangalore, 'Azadi' (freedom) slogans were raised by a few people."
"An organization, which gets funding from abroad, organized the event and yesterday I read the statement of Karnataka home minister in which he said that whatever happened is nothing wrong," Jaitley had said.
Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who met a group of ABVP activists on a dharna in Bengaluru here yesterday, had charged the Congress government in Karnataka with "sympathising with supporters of terrorists" and taking action against nationalists.
However, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor defended Parameshwara's remarks on Amnesty, saying national security does not get compromised when a few people chant anti-national slogans.
He had also said, "Charging Amnesty with sedition law was already a big mistake. The NGO has not advocated violence and no one at the conference did so."
Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday submitted a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala seeking a probe by the National Investigation Agency into the "anti-national episode" at the Amnesty event.
The memorandum also alleged that a section of the audience had raised anti-national slogans and the organisers did not stop it.
"We are having a strong feeling that they (Amnesty) are also a part of this malicious campaign. The programme also showed a nexus between Amnesty and secessionist forces and has exposed a systematic and sustained misinformation campaign against the Indian government agencies, especially the Army," it said. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/karnataka-hm-makes-u-turn-denies-giving-clean-chit-to-amnesty/20160822.htm | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/fe1d75cc1a2763232a67f8fed202aa22ff52ce976ffffb0e936902165667dc76.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:17:03 | null | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | The death toll in the Mahad bridge collapse incident has reached 28 after navy divers on August 14 found the wreckage of a washed away SUV and recovered two bodies trapped inside it on August 14. | Bodies of 2 suspected Mahad tragedy victims found | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fbodies-of-2-suspected-mahad-tragedy-victims-found%2F20160820.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/05mahad3.jpg | en | null | Bodies of 2 suspected Mahad tragedy victims found | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 20, 2016 17:04 IST
Two highly decomposed bodies, suspected to be those of Mahad bridge collapse incident victims, have been found at Velas beach in Ratnagiri district, nearly 60 kilometre away from the mishap site, district authorities said on Saturday.
“The two bodies were found at Velas beach in Ratnagiri district yesterday by local residents and local administration informed us about it. Since the bodies are highly decomposed and beyond recognition, DNA tests would be conducted to ascertain their identity,” a senior Raigad district official said.
The death toll in the Mahad bridge collapse incident has reached 28 after navy divers on August 14 found the wreckage of a washed away SUV and recovered two bodies trapped inside it on August 14.
“The process of verifying the bodies found at Velas is underway and their DNA samples would be taken to see if they match with those of the relatives of Mahad victims, who are yet to be traced,” the official said.
Satish Bagal, Resident Deputy Commissioner of Raigad district said, “The bodies would not be shifted to Raigad, but kept in a rural hospital in Ratnagiri district. The process to retrieve the DNA samples is on and it would be tallied with the samples of the relatives.”
“Only if the test results show that the DNA samples are matching, we can declare that they are victims of Mahad bridge collapse incident. Once that is done, their relatives can be given compensation,” Bagal added.
The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 14 lakh each to the kin of deceased travelling in the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses and Rs 10 lakh each to the family of the deceased in other vehicles involved in the tragedy.
Two buses of MSRTC and a few private vehicles were washed away after the bridge crashed amid heavy rains on August 2.
The decades-old structure on Savitri river was to be dismantled in December this year as part of the Mumbai-Goa Highway expansion project. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/bodies-of-2-suspected-mahad-tragedy-victims-found/20160820.htm | en | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/c585241d45b603dbcaa37a0eadcc6276ec3c20f8dcfbb79abd8d1a508372a5b7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:27:47 | null | 2016-08-14T00:00:00 | In his fifth address as President, Pranab Mukherjee asked authorities and institutions of the State to adhere to the 'dignity' in discharging their duties. | Attacks on minorities should be dealt with firmly: President's I-Day speech | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fattacks-on-minorities-should-be-dealt-with-firmly-presidents-i-day-speech%2F20160814.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/14prez.jpg | en | null | Attacks on minorities should be dealt with firmly: President's I-Day speech | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 14, 2016 20:59 IST
In his fifth address as President, Pranab Mukherjee asked authorities and institutions of the State to adhere to the 'dignity' in discharging their duties.
Against the backdrop of attacks on Dalits and minorities, President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said these incidents should be dealt with “firmly”, calling the violence against “weaker sections” that militate against the national ethos as “aberrations”.
Coming down heavily on forces of intolerance, Mukherjee cautioned against “unmindful pursuit” of a divisive political agenda and polarising debates by groups and individuals, saying they lead to institutional “travesty” and constitutional “subversion”.
The President also made it clear that democracy was not just about exercising choice to elect government periodically.
In his address to the nation on the eve of India’s 70th Independence Day -- his fifth since assuming office, the President asked authorities and institutions of State power to adhere to the “maryada”(dignity) in discharge of their duties as established in this ancient Indian ethos.
“In these four years, I also saw with, some disquiet, forces of divisiveness and intolerance trying to raise their ugly head. Attacks on weaker sections that militate against our national ethos are aberrations that need to be dealt with firmly,” he said.
The President said the collective wisdom of our society and our polity gave him the confidence that such forces will remain marginalised and India’s remarkable growth story will continue uninterrupted.
“The great tree of liberty requires constant nourishment through the institutions of democracy. Disruptions, obstructionism and unmindful pursuit of a divisive political agenda by groups and individuals lead to nothing but institutional travesty and Constitutional subversion. Polarising debates only deepen the fault lines in public discourse,” he said.
Mukherjee said the Constitution has clearly defined the duties and responsibilities of every organ of the state.
“It has established the ancient Indian ethos of “maryada” as far as authorities and institutions of State power are concerned. The spirit of the Constitution has to be upheld by adherence to this “maryada” by the functionaries in the discharge of their duties,” he said.
The President said India will grow, only when all of India grows.
“The excluded ones have to be included in the development process. The hurt and the alienated have to be brought back into the mainstream,” he added.
The President said for all the challenges faced by the country, he has a great belief in our innate and inherent capacity as an ancient country whose soul and ‘jijivisha -- the will to live and excel’ can never be suppressed.
“Various forces external as well as internal have tried to smother this soul of India over millennia but every time this soul has emerged more powerful and more glorious having neutralised, assimilated and incorporated every challenge that it faced,” he said.
Making a plea for promoting scientific temper and questioning unscientific beliefs, the President said, “We must learn to challenge the status quo and refuse to accept inefficiency and slipshod work. In a competitive environment, a sense of immediacy and some impatience is a necessary virtue.”
“We often celebrate the achievements of our ancient past but it would be wrong to rest on our laurels. It is much more important to look to the future. It is time to join hands to cooperate, innovate and advance,” the President said.
Mukherjee said India’s focus in foreign policy will remain on peaceful co-existence and harnessing technology and resources for its economic development.
“Recent initiatives have enhanced energy security, promoted food security, and created international partnerships to take our flagship development programmes forward,” he said.
The President said there will be no stepping back on our “neighbourhood first policy”.
“Close bonds of history, culture, civilisation and geography provide the people of South Asia with an extraordinary opportunity to carve out a common destiny and to march together towards prosperity. This opportunity must be seized without delay,” he said.
Expressing concerns over global terror activities and radicalisation in the name of religion, the President said, “These forces apart from killing innocent people in the name of religion also threaten to disturb geopolitical divides, which could prove disastrous for world peace.
“The inhuman, mindless and barbaric modus operandi of such groups have been visible in France, Belgium, United States, Nigeria, Kenya and closer home in Afghanistan and Bangladesh recently,” Mukherjee said.
He said these forces now pose a danger to the entire comity of nations and the world will have to fight them unconditionally and in one voice.
The President said when India gained freedom in 1947, nobody believed that India will survive as a democracy yet, seven decades later, one and a quarter billion Indians with all their diversity have proved those forecasts wrong.
“The strong edifice of democracy built by our founding fathers on the four pillars of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity has withstood several threats from both within and without and has grown from strength to strength,” he said.
The President said in the past four years, he has seen with some satisfaction a stable and progressive democracy in full play with peaceful transfer of power from one party to another, from one government to another, and from one generation to another.
“Notwithstanding the different hues of political thought, I have seen the ruling party and the opposition coming together in pursuit of national agenda of development, unity, integrity and security of the nation.
“In the just-concluded session of Parliament, the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill for the introduction of Goods and Services Tax amidst non-partisan and quality parliamentary deliberations is reason enough to celebrate our democratic maturity,” he said.
The President said our Constitution is not only a political or legal document but also an emotional, cultural and social contract.
Citing the famous speech of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru “tryst with destiny”, the President said it is true that in a nation’s history, moments come when we step out from the old to the new, when the soul of a nation finds utterance.
“But it is also important to realise that such moments are not strokes of luck that come upon us by surprise. A nation can and must strive to create such a moment.”
“We must take destiny in our own hands to build the India of our dreams. Backed by strong political will, we have to create a future which will economically empower six hundred million youth, build a digital India, a start-up India, and a skilled India.
“As we build an India of hundreds of smart cities, towns and villages, we must ensure that they are humane, hi-tech and happy places leading to the creation of a technology-driven but compassionate society,” he said.
Mukherjee said in this machine age, the only way to survive this is to acquire knowledge and skills, and learn to innovate.
“We as a nation must nurture creativity, science and technology. Here, our schools and institutions of higher learning have a special responsibility,” he said.
The President said India has had remarkable growth in recent times, often growing above eight percent per annum over the last decade.
Mukherjee said international agencies have acknowledged India’s status as the fastest growing major economy in the world and recognised major improvements in indices of ease of doing business and logistics performance.
“The start-up movement and the innovative spirit of our young entrepreneurs have also attracted international attention. We must build on our strengths so that, this lead can be sustained and furthered. A normal monsoon this year gives us reason to cheer, unlike the past two years when below normal rains created agrarian distress,” he said.
The President said the fact that despite two consecutive drought years, inflation has remained below six percent and agricultural output has been stable, is a testimony to our nation’s resilience, and to how far country has progressed since Independence.
Read President Pranab Mukherjee's full speech HERE | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/attacks-on-minorities-should-be-dealt-with-firmly-presidents-i-day-speech/20160814.htm | en | 2016-08-14T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/6b3b3d798b995d4a5c5fa8395d7ad1379448452ea0ed9f7ac95ff841ee87fb3c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:34:19 | null | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | The party also attacked Jung over alleged inaction in the compressed natural gas fitness scam, irregularities in the Delhi & District Cricket Association. | Approach LG for resolving civic issues now: AAP after HC verdict | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fapproach-lg-for-resolving-civic-issues-now-aap-after-hc-verdict%2F20160805.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2015/jul/13kejriwal-iftar2.jpg | en | null | Approach LG for resolving civic issues now: AAP after HC verdict | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 05, 2016 18:35 IST
A day after the high court ruled that the Lieutenant Governor is the ‘administrative head’ of Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday said people of the national capital can knock the doors of LG Najeeb Jung if they have an issue with civic amenities as powers have now been vested in his hands.
The party also attacked Jung over alleged inaction in the compressed natural gas fitness scam, irregularities in the Delhi & District Cricket Association and a first information report filed against Reliance.
“From today onwards, I urge people that if they have any civic amenities issue related to power and water then they should go to the Lt Governor because after the high court judgment all powers lie with him now,” AAP leader Ashutosh said.
Stressing that the party ‘humbly differs’ with the high court judgment, Ashutosh questioned what would be role of chief minister, his cabinet and the elected representatives in such a scenario.
“We hope to get justice in the Supreme Court the way it gave in the case of Arunachal Pradesh (reinstating the Congress government),” he said.
Dubbing Jung a ‘guardian of scam and scamsters’, Ashutosh asked how many times Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was summoned in connection with the alleged irregularities in the DDCA.
“Since Najeeb Jung is the head of the National Capital Territory and also the ACB (Anti-Corruption Branch), we want to know what action has to be taken in the DSAC (Delhi State AIDS Control Society), CNG fitness scam. What is the status of the FIR? We want to know what action has taken against Jaitley. How many times has been summoned?” he asked.
The Delhi government had formed a Commission of Inquiry in the CNG fitness scam and DDCA scam, a decision, which the high court termed illegal since it was issued without concurrence of the LG. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/approach-lg-for-resolving-civic-issues-now-aap-after-hc-verdict/20160805.htm | en | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/45522dc0a9f826aa62bdfa5a1c3853e42dcb4fbdd647f7fe0e25c49556a71666.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:39:03 | null | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and dismissed army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque have been identified as the brains behind the two terror attacks. | Bangladesh announces cash reward for info on cafe attack mastermind | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fbangladesh-announces-cash-reward-for-info-on-cafe-attack-mastermind%2F20160802.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/jul/02dhaka-live.jpg | en | null | Bangladesh announces cash reward for info on cafe attack mastermind | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 02, 2016 18:15 IST
The Bangladesh Police on Tuesday announced a reward of over $25,000 (Rs 16,75,000) for clues leading to the arrest of two Islamists identified as ‘masterminds’ of the terror attacks at a cafe in Dhaka and an Eid congregation.
Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and dismissed army officer Syed Md Ziaul Haque have been identified as the brains behind the two terror attacks.
“The law enforcement and intelligence agencies are trying to arrest Tamim Chowdhury and (sacked and fugitive) major Zia (Ziaul Haque), we seek everyone’s cooperation in this regard,” Inspector General of Police A K M Shahidul Hoque told reporters.
The police chief announced two million taka rewards on each of them for information leading to their arrest.
“If anyone helps to arrest them or inform us after detaining them, we will give Tk 2 million reward for each of them,” he said.
The IGP said their arrests will result into a ‘significant curb in militant activities’.
Investigators earlier identified Chowdhury as the leader of ‘reconstituted’ Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh or Neo JMB and the deserter military officer as main organizer of Ansarullah Bangla Team, which off late appeared as Ansar Al Bangladesh.
Independent security analysts earlier said the neo JMB was inclined to Islamic State while ABT was ideologically linked to al-Qaeda though Bangladesh repeatedly declined presence of any foreign terrorist outfit in the country.
The briefing came a day after the police chief said that Bangladesh has alerted Indian security agencies that Chowdhury may have fled to India, amid a nationwide manhunt to track down the Bangladeshi-Canadian.
He said a massive manhunt is underway to track down Chowdhury.
A newspaper earlier reported that Chowdhury appeared as the leader and main financier of a reorganised JMB while Bangladesh earlier attributed the two attacks to the outfit.
A police officer familiar with the investigation earlier said evidence gathered from the scene of the July 26 overnight security raid at Dhaka’s Kalyanpur area, when nine presumed terrorists were killed, led police to identify Chowdhury, believed to be in his mid 30s.
The July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan restaurant left 22 people including an Indian girl and two police officers dead, while the July 6 assault on an Eid congregation at northern Sholakia killed 2 policemen and a woman. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/bangladesh-announces-cash-reward-for-info-on-cafe-attack-mastermind/20160802.htm | en | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/a36b156a0b87e17f498efc4fa3a2c13c776c2a6e9738c281975431f5c6159e72.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:23:21 | null | 2016-08-16T00:00:00 | Amnesty India said allegations mentioned in a complaint by an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad representative against it were 'without substance'. | No employee raised any slogan at any point: Amnesty clarifies after sedition case | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fno-employee-raised-any-slogan-amnesty-after-sedition-case%2F20160816.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/16amnesty1.jpg | en | null | No employee raised any slogan at any point: Amnesty clarifies after sedition case | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 16, 2016 16:34 IST
Amnesty International’s India chapter on Tuesday said none of its employee had shouted any anti-India slogan at an event on Kashmir in Bengaluru, allegations based on which sedition charges were slapped against the human rights body.
IMAGE: Amnesty India had a discussion on allegations of human rights violations and the denial of justice to families in Kashmir on Saturday. Photograph: @amnesty/Twitter
Amnesty India said allegations mentioned in a complaint by an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad representative against it were “without substance” and that only discussion at the event on Saturday was about allegations of human rights violations and denial of justice in Jammu and Kashmir.
Local police had slapped sedition charges against Amnesty International India on Monday following allegations that anti-India slogans were raised at the event, organised by it, during a discussion on Kashmir issue.
“No Amnesty International India employee shouted any slogans at any point,” the human rights organisation said in a statement referring to allegations that “slogans were raised that Indian Kashmir should be part of Pakistan.”
To charges that the event indirectly supported terrorists, Amnesty said the only discussion that had taken place was about allegations of human rights violations and the denial of justice to families in Kashmir.
“These are issues that have regularly been discussed in the media. They have been written about at length by members of Parliament, politicians, judges and civil society,” it said.
The event was held as part of a campaign based on the report “Denied: Failures in accountability for human rights violations by security force personnel in Jammu and Kashmir”, published in July 2015, it said.
Amnesty said the report was based on in-depth research in Jammu and Kashmir, including interviews with family members of “victims”, RTI applications, examination of police and court records, and interviews with civil society groups, lawyers, and government officials.
The families of three Kashmiri victims that were interviewed for the report were invited to share their stories at the event, said Amnesty.
About allegations that some people at the event tried to assault ABVP activists, it said, “No Amnesty International India employee was involved in any form of assault.”
“Towards the end of the event, some of those who attended raised slogans, some of which referred to calls for ‘Azaadi’ (freedom). Amnesty International India as a matter of policy does not take any position in favour of or against demands for self-determination.
“However, Amnesty International India considers that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to peacefully advocate political solutions. Amnesty International India had invited the Bengaluru police to be present at the event in the interest of the security of the invited families and other attendees,” the statement said.
About allegations that Sindhujaa Iyengar, an Amnesty employee, and two others raised anti-national slogans, it said Iyengar was not present on stage at any point during the event.
Amnesty said footage of the event has been shared with the police.
The rights body said Amnesty has worked extensively on human rights violations in Pakistan, including “the enforced disappearances and unlawful killings of political activists in Balochistan, violations by security forces in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and violence against journalists by groups including the Inter-Services Intelligence”.
IMAGE: ABVP protest against Amnesty India over chanting alleged anti-India slogans. Photograph: ANI/Twitter
Meanwhile, ABVP activists staged a huge protest, demanding arrest of those who allegedly raised slogans against India and the Army at an event on Kashmir held by it.
The Karnataka government said the police were examining video and CCTV clippings to identify the culprits.
As ABVP activists held a protest in front of Raj Bhavan and nearby, police struggled to control the agitated students and tried to baton chase them away.
The students demanded action against Amnesty International and speedy arrest of those who had allegedly raised “pro-freedom” and anti-army slogans at the event on Saturday.
“The police have been slow in bringing to book the pro-freedom Kashmiris who raised slogans. We demand that the police expedite the investigation and arrest the culprits as soon as possible,” Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pratap Simha said.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said police were examining the video and CCTV clippings to identify the “pro-freedom” Kashmiris who raised “independence” slogans.
“Police have filed an FIR against Amnesty International India. Police are examining the video and CCTV clippings to identify the pro-freedom Kashmiris who raised independence slogans at the event,” he told reporters.
Asked whether Amnesty International India Executive Director Aakar Patel is likely to be arrested, Parameshwara said, “Not to my knowledge. Not at the moment. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/no-employee-raised-any-slogan-amnesty-after-sedition-case/20160816.htm | en | 2016-08-16T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/6b1281285df69b761de4c4896f24a7920b960a8d0ca5246ec20fb15f60ae6af4.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:30:48 | null | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | However, Trump sought to dismiss the charges by saying that these 'Washington elites' should look for answers on why the world has become a mess. | Trump's in-house woes: Some call him 'dangerous', some won't vote for him | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fdonald-trumps-in-house-fire-rages-on-republicans-rebel%2F20160809.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/09lead2.jpg | en | null | Trump's in-house woes: Some call him 'dangerous', some won't vote for him | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 09, 2016 10:51 IST
In a blow to Donald Trump, a group of 50 Republican national security experts, including former top spy masters and diplomats, has said the White House nominee would be a dangerous President and would put the country's safety at risk.
However, Trump sought to dismiss their charges by saying that these "Washington elites" should look for answers on why the world has become a mess.
In a statement, the group of national security experts said, "None of us will vote for Donald Trump. From a foreign policy perspective, Trump is not qualified to be the President and Commander-in-Chief. Indeed, we are convinced that he would be a dangerous President and would put at risk our country's national security and well-being."
"Most fundamentally, Trump lacks the character, values, and experience to be President. He weakens the US' moral authority as the leader of the free world," said the letter which has been signed by individuals who served in senior national security and foreign policy positions in Republican administrations, from Richard Nixon to George W Bush.
The statement added that the 70-year-old business tycoon appears to lack basic knowledge about and belief in the US Constitution, US laws and US institutions, including religious tolerance, freedom of the press and an independent judiciary.
Claiming that Trump lacks the temperament to be the President, the statement alleged he has demonstrated repeatedly that he has little understanding of America's vital national interests, its complex diplomatic challenges, its indispensable alliances and the democratic values on which the US foreign policy must be based.
Trump, the statement said, is unable or unwilling to separate truth from falsehood. He does not encourage conflicting views.
"He lacks self-control and acts impetuously. He cannot tolerate personal criticism. He has alarmed our closest allies with his erratic behaviour. All of these are dangerous qualities in an individual who aspires to be President and Commander-in-Chief, with command of the US nuclear arsenal," they said.
The group joins members of the security establishment who have already come out against Trump, including former CIA director Michael Morell, who last Friday accused Trump of being an "unwitting agent" of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prominent among those who signed the letter were former CIA director Michael Hayden, former US trade representative Carla A Hills, former US Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill and former associate director for Near East affairs, National Security Council, White House Richard Fontaine.
Striking back, Trump, in a statement issued late Monday night, said, "We thank them for coming forward so everyone in the country knows who deserves the blame for making the world such a dangerous place. They are nothing more than the failed Washington elite looking to hold onto their power and it's time they are held accountable for their action."
Trump said the signatories, along with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, are the owners of the disastrous decisions to invade Iraq, allow Americans to die in Benghazi, and they are the ones who allowed the rise of ISIS.
"Yet despite these failures, they think they are entitled to use their favour trading to land taxpayer-funded government contracts and speaking fees. It's time we put our foot down and declare that their gravy train is over: no longer will crooked Hillary Clinton and the other disasters in Washington get rich at our expense," he said.
Trump asserted that he has offered a better vision for the country and foreign policy -– one that is not run by a ruling family dynasty.
"It's an America first vision that stands up to foreign dictators instead of taking money from them, seeks peace over war, rebuilds our military, and makes other countries pay their fair share for their protection. Together, we will break up the rigged system in Washington, make America safe again, and we will make America great again," he said.
Top Republican Senator Collins joins anti-Trump bandwagon
Striking yet another blow, top Republican Senator Susan Collins has announced that she would not vote for Trump as he lacks the "temperament" and "judgement" required for the post, the latest party senator to renounce the presidential nominee.
"I will not be voting for Donald Trump for President," Collins, who represents the State of Maine in the US Senate, said in an op-ed in The Washington Post.
Trump, she argued, does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in the country.
Collins, the most senior senator to split publicly with the presidential nominee, said her conclusion about Trump's unsuitability for office is based on his "disregard" for the precept of treating others with respect, an idea that should transcend politics.
"Instead, he opts to mock the vulnerable and inflame prejudices by attacking ethnic and religious minorities. Three incidents in particular have led me to the inescapable conclusion that Trump lacks the temperament, self-discipline and judgement required to be President," she wrote.
Collins wrote, she is deeply concerned that Trump's lack of self-restraint and his barrage of ill-informed comments would make an already perilous world even more so.
"It is reckless for a presidential candidate to publicly raise doubts about honouring treaty commitments with our allies. Trump's tendency to lash out when challenged further escalates the possibility of disputes spinning dangerously out of control," she wrote.
Defending her decision not to support Trump, Senator Collins said some will say that as a Republican she has an obligation to support her party's nominee.
"I have thought long and hard about that, for being a Republican is part of what defines me as a person. I revere the history of my party, most particularly the value it has always placed on the worth and dignity of the individual, and I will continue to work across the country for Republican candidates," she said.
"It is because of Trump's inability and unwillingness to honour that legacy that I am unable to support his candidacy," Collins wrote.
She joined the few other Republican senators to repudiate the party’s nominee for president.
Senators Lindsey Graham, Mark Kirk, Ben Sasse, Dean Heller and Jeff Flake have all said they would either not vote for Trump or adamantly voiced their resistance to the notion.
Senator Ted Cruz, who was defeated by Trump in the primary race, had urged conservatives to "vote your conscience" at the Republican national convention.
Photograph: David Becker/Reuters | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/donald-trumps-in-house-fire-rages-on-republicans-rebel/20160809.htm | en | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/364cf38aeb9f907008231927c0006470872250451c0433016ec81159b074523d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:21:56 | null | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | 'My appeal is for calm. We have to sit down, put our heads together and see if we can find a way out of this situation. So everybody, who is in anyway involved in Jammu-Kashmir, needs to introspect and see what we can do to stop it. It is not person or one organisation which can do it (alone),' the top army commander said. | In curfew-hit Kashmir, army appeals for calm, says 'everyone needs to step back' | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fin-curfew-hit-kashmir-army-appeals-for-calm-says-everyone-needs-to-step-back%2F20160819.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/19kashmir3.jpg | en | null | In curfew-hit Kashmir, army appeals for calm, says 'everyone needs to step back' | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 19, 2016 19:10 IST
As unrest continues in Kashmir, the army on Friday appealed for calm, saying “everyone needs to step back” and sit together to find a way out of the current situation.
Asking everyone involved to look at ways to de-escalate the situation rather than provoking it further, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D S Hooda said while security forces have been directed to exercise maximum restraint, the other side also needs to see that security forces, police stations and bases of security forces are not attacked.
He said the “cycle of conflict and violence” has been going on for more than 40 days now and “no one is going to get away from it unhurt”.
“My appeal is for calm. We have to sit down, put our heads together and see if we can find a way out of this situation. So everybody, who is in anyway involved in Jammu-Kashmir, needs to introspect and see what we can do to stop it. It is not person or one organisation which can do it (alone),” the top army commander said.
“It is a statement of facts because everybody is involved, whether it is security forces, whether it is separatists, governments, students leaders. My appeal is to everyone. We need to find a way forward from this,” he added.
He noted that the unrest has affected the children who cannot go to school, the youth, those in the hospital, as also employees, traders and even the policemen and security forces.
The unrest and the cycle of violence began after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8.
Asked if his appeal was addressed to the separatists, Lt Gen Hooda said “everyone needs to step back. Where are the protest calendars coming from?” Separatists have been issuing calendars for protests, with the latest week-long schedule issued only on Thursday.
In response to a question, he said a decision has been taken that the army will provide assistance to security forces and police in securing the highways and district roads in order to ensure movement of vehicular traffic during the day.
“This will instil a sense of normalcy. Law and order is dealt with by the police and CRPF. We will provide whatever assistance in terms of reinforcement at police stations where the number of police personnel is low,” he said.
Asked if there was a possibility of the army taking over Kashmir, Lt Gen Hooda said “the situation is not there for the army to take over”.
He said the unrest has affected the counter insurgency operations but the forces will resume these in right earnest.
“The civil disturbance has affected the operations, particularly in South Kashmir. A deliberate decision has been taken to go after the terrorists. It will start in right earnest,” he said.
Lt Gen Hooda, however, said the counter-insurgency grid in north Kashmir was functioning properly as was witnessed during the operation in which four militants were killed one -- Bahadur Ali -- was captured alive.
“One infiltration bid was also foiled in Uri sector recently,” he said.
The Army Commander said the counter-infiltration grid was alert and the borders continue to remain secure, notwithstanding the situation in the valley.
“We have not pulled out one soldier from the borders. The borders continue to remain secure. Our counter-infiltration posture is strong. An infiltration bid was foiled in Uri sector recently,” he said.
In response to a question, he said everyone was worried about young boys joining militant ranks in the wake of the civil unrest in Kashmir.
“Everyone is worried be it the central government, the state government, the security forces or army. There are no easy answers that we will do this or that which will stop it,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of spurt in militant attacks after the unrest in Kashmir, Lt Gen Hooda said the ultras will always try for an upsurge in the violence. “I do not see the situation going out of hand (due to militancy related violence). Our posture is ready for it,” he said.
On the encounter that led to killing of Burhan Wani, Lt Gen Hooda said “it was not a staged encounter. It did not finish in two and half minutes. Information about presence of Burhan Wani (inside the house where he was killed) was not available (before hand).”
Photograph: S Irfan/PTI | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/in-curfew-hit-kashmir-army-appeals-for-calm-says-everyone-needs-to-step-back/20160819.htm | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/fac6ceaff3825fa5e5dd4698edd17cea8c750267e4150c0e3e4fab768ea69533.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:41:38 | null | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | Trump refuted Clinton's allegations, saying he has no relationship with Putin. | Trump's 'absolute allegiance' to Russia raises security concerns: Hillary | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Ftrumps-absolute-allegiance-to-russia-raises-security-concerns-hillary%2F20160801.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/01clinton.jpg | en | null | Trump's 'absolute allegiance' to Russia raises security concerns: Hillary | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 01, 2016 14:30 IST
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has slammed Donald Trump for his ‘absolute allegiance’ to Russia that raises ‘national security’ concerns, prompting her Republican rival to deny having any ‘relationship’ with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We know that Donald Trump has shown a very troubling willingness to back up Putin, to support Putin, whether it’s saying that NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) wouldn’t come to the rescue of allies if they were invaded, talking about removing sanctions from Russian officials after they were imposed by the United States and Europe together, because of Russia’s aggressiveness in Crimea and Ukraine, his praise for Putin which is I think quite remarkable,” she said.
“And for Trump to both encourage and praise Putin despite what appears to be a deliberate effort to try to affect the election, I think, raises national security issues,” the Democratic presidential nominee alleged.
Last week, Trump during a news conference had appeared to have asked Russia to find out the missing 30,000 emails of Clinton and release them.
Trump later said he was just kidding and being sarcastic. Clinton, however, did not appear to be convinced by that clarification.
“I think if you take his encouragement that the Russians hack into American e-mail accounts, if you take his quite excessive praise for Putin, his absolute allegiance to a lot of Russian wish-list foreign policy position, his effort then to try to distance himself from that backlash which rightly came not just from Democrats, but Republicans, independents and national security and intelligence experts leads us once again to include he is not temperamentally fit to be president and commander in chief,” Clinton said.
Trump, however, refuted Clinton’s allegations, saying he has no relationship with Putin.
“I have no relationship with him (Putin),” Trump said, adding that he had praised him the in the past because he had said ‘nice’ things about him.
His comments came amid scrutiny of the Republican presidential nominee following the leak of nearly 20,000 Democratic National Committee emails.
“He said very nice things about me, but I have no relationship with him. I don’t – I’ve never met him,” Trump said.
“I mean he treats me with great respect. I have no relationship with Putin. I don’t think I’ve ever met him. I never met him,” Trump reiterated.
The real estate mogul said he has never spoken to Putin on the phone.
IMAGE: Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at East High School in Youngstown, Ohio. Photograph: Aaron P Bernstein/Reuters | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/trumps-absolute-allegiance-to-russia-raises-security-concerns-hillary/20160801.htm | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/948bd068b7ba110d87d2ced512e1517e887536819da75c225edb36905e5a18a6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:26:37 | null | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | Modi said his government's focus was on adopting the strategy of 'Reform, Perform and Transform'. | 'Reform, Perform and Transform': Top 20 quotes from PM's Red Fort speech | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Freform-perform-and-transform-top-20-quotes-from-pms-red-fort-speech%2F20160815.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/15lead2a.jpg | en | null | 'Reform, Perform and Transform': Top 20 quotes from PM's Red Fort speech | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 15, 2016 10:06 IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his I-Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Monday. Addressing the nation on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day, Modi said his government's focus was on adopting the strategy of 'Reform, Perform and Transform'.
Here are top 20 quotes from Prime Minister's nearly 100-minute speech:
* A strong country cannot be build without a strong society which is based on social justice. Tough and "sensitive" approach is required to tackle the age-old social evils whether it is castism or untouchability.
* Our social unity is most important; division in the name of caste, creed hurts the country. Need to rise above all these issues. 'Unity in Diversity' is the whole essence of Indian culture. There is no place for violence and atrocities here.
* I have tried to adopt the strategy of 'Reform, Perform and Transform'; tried to avoid populism.
* Under the previous government, inflation had crossed 10%. We have brought inflation rate below 6 pc; I will continue to work to ensure food plate of poor is not affected by inflation.
* Many innocents were killed in Peshawar terrorist attack (Pak), but there were tears in everyone's eyes in Parliament here. People of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK have thanked me a lot in the past few days, I am grateful to them. This is the example of our humanitarian approach, but there are some countries who glorify terrorists.
* We have worked to achieve "One nation, one grid and one price".
* We all know about coal scam. However, we auctioned coal online, without any corruption charges levelled against us due to transparency.
* When new government is elected, many-a-times, good initiatives taken by the previous government are forgotten. But we did not let this happen, we have taken forward the good initiatives taken by the previous government.
* Our government is giving importance to 'last man delivery' by taking decisions decisively as our policies and intentions are clear.
* In my first speech I had asked how we can tackle the huge problem of sanitation in our country. In such little time, we have built 2 crore toilets, more than 70,000 villages are open defecation free.
* From Delhi it takes 3 hours to reach Nagla Fatela village in Hathras, it took 70 years for electricity to reach there. Electricity has reached 10,000 villages out of 18,000 unelectricified villages. The LED bulb that was priced at Rs 350 each, is now being sold at Rs 50 each.
* We have found 9,000 lower ranks in which there will not be any interviews, there will not be any need of references and middlemen. These appointments are being done on merit. Today the citizen is not happy with just the announcement of projects, the unveiling of plans. She / He wants to see the actual work being done on the ground.
* There was a time when the central government was surrounded by allegations but now the government is surrounded by expectations. We have connected 70 crore Indians to Aadhaar and social security schemes.
* We have worked to achieve "One nation, one grid and one price". GST is one such tax reform which will help us bring in financial stability. GST will give strength to the economy and all parties are to be thanked for it being passed. GST will give strength to our economy & all parties are to be thanked for its passage.
* We did not get an opportunity to die for the country but we have the opportunity to live for the country.
* It is easy to keep account of the work done by the government, but it is difficult to have in-depth knowledge of those initiatives. Today, more than 'Karya', I want to talk about 'Karya Sanskriti' of the government.
* Today our government is enlivened with expectations. Today, as I speak to you from the ramparts of the Red Fort, it is only natural I give you an account of what the government has been doing. And I can give you a long list of what we have done. But if I tell you everything, I will have to speak from here for a week.
* March from self-governance to good-governance is a resolve of entire nation, it will need sacrifices. The onus is on 125 cr people of India to convert this 'Swaraj' into 'Surajya'. From Parliament to panchayats, gram pradhans to the prime minister, everyone has to fulfill their responsibility. Only then will the dream of surajya come true.
* India's age is not 70 years, but the journey post colonial rule for a better India is 70 year old.
* India faces a lot of challenges,today but I believe that 125 cr people of India have the ability to face and overcome these challenges.
Photograph: Press Information Bureau | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/reform-perform-and-transform-top-20-quotes-from-pms-red-fort-speech/20160815.htm | en | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/ec438e372f607bf2d2eea38ea65d8f8692f20e0d7d0e637d9b037eda5ab0d2ee.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:28:23 | null | 2016-08-12T00:00:00 | The joint search operation was launched by Quick Reaction Team of the Army and Special Operation Group of police. | Terror alert in Jammu; security forces on standby | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fterror-alert-in-jammu-security-forces-on-standby%2F20160812.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/12live5.jpg | en | null | Terror alert in Jammu; security forces on standby | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 12, 2016 13:51 IST
Security forces on Friday launched a search operation in Kunjwani locality of Jammu after they received information about the presence of suspicious persons in the region.
The joint search operation was launched by Quick Reaction Team of the Army and Special Operation Group of police.
"The QRT of the Army provided support to the SOG to carry out the search operation after we received inputs on movement of suspicious persons," Defence spokesman, Lt Col Manish Mehta, said.
He said that the search operation was still going on.
"Nothing is being left to chance and every input that we receive is being thoroughly looked after," a police officer said.
On Thursday, security was beefed up at sensitive installations, including the Vaishno Devi shrine, and high alert was sounded across Jammu district in view of the ongoing unrest in Kashmir Valley and the upcoming Independence Day.
Photograph: ANI | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/terror-alert-in-jammu-security-forces-on-standby/20160812.htm | en | 2016-08-12T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/2bda065665c20e3ce8f0db8e8657445579fb1324c2bfc0316837ff6e161eb8e9.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:35:05 | null | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | Around 150 NDRF personnel have been scanning the river on speed boats. But the strong current in the swollen river has made their task difficult. | Rains, flood hinder search ops at collapsed Mahad bridge | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Frains-flood-hinder-search-ops-at-collapsed-mahad-bridge%2F20160805.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/05ndrf.jpg | en | null | Rains, flood hinder search ops at collapsed Mahad bridge | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 05, 2016 18:51 IST
Search operations launched to trace the remains of the two buses and private vehicles swept away in Mahad have run into adverse weather conditions coupled with high currents in the Savitri river, a senior National Disaster Relief Force official said.
IMAGE: NDRF personnel fly over the Savitri river as part of the rescue operations. Photograph: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI
The NDRF joined other agencies including the coastguard in relief operations soon after the tragedy struck on Tuesday night and has since then been scouring the swollen waters for vehicle remains and missing people.
"We are facing problems on three fronts. First the adverse weather conditions due to heavy rains, and then the extreme water current. Also, the water is so muddy that it has hindered the visibility to zero levels for our deep divers," Anupam Srivastava, a commandant of the 5th battalion told PTI.
Srivastava said his team is not equipped with infra-red based technology that could help in locating objects in muddy water.
Another obstacle they have to contend with is the presence of crocodiles in the water.
"The latest obstacle is that our team jawans have spotted few crocodiles in the waters which means extra caution is needed while venturing out. But definitely these are not going to dampen our commitment," Srivastava said.
With his crew of 160 jawans, 12 deep divers and 13 boats, DIG of NDRF (South Zone) S P Selvan is personally monitoring operations on the site.
Elaborating on his team's efforts, Srivastava said, "One the first day, we lowered down a 150 kg hook as an anchor (into the river) but it could not stabilise at one place due to high currents. Then we got a 300-kg magnet from nearby MIDC but it too faced lot of resistance."
"During the process, this magnet anchor got stuck to a heavy object and we guessed that it could be the one of the buses. But the crane present on the spot could not pull it out," he said.
"Next day we got a big size crane from Mumbai which also failed to pull that substance out from the river. When we discussed this issue with the local administration, then we were informed that it could be a water pipeline which supplies potable water to nearby 14 villages. Therefore, for the time being, we have deferred our plans to pull out the magnet anchor until we get a confirmation about this," Anupam said.
He said the severity of the conditions at the rescue site could be gauged by the fact that when anchors weighing 300 kg are not getting settled in the water due to the current, then how can divers go inside.
Three more bodies were recovered from the Savitri river taking the mishap toll to 17 on Friday. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/rains-flood-hinder-search-ops-at-collapsed-mahad-bridge/20160805.htm | en | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/5d678aed8c13e9b4ea21f1fc18adfb7c7000c034980c373dafb87786aac27b5c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:23:42 | null | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | Tamil Nadu assembly on Wednesday witnessed uproarious scenes when DMK members strongly protested remarks made by a ruling AIADMK member apparently ridiculing Leader of Opposition M K Stalin, culminating in their en masse eviction and suspension. | Stalin, all DMK MLAs thrown out of TN assembly | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fstalin-all-dmk-mlas-thrown-out-of-tn-assembly%2F20160817.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/17live-stalin.jpg | en | null | Stalin, all DMK MLAs thrown out of TN assembly | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 17, 2016 20:54 IST
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members in Tamil Nadu assembly were on Wednesday evicted enmasse and its leader M K Stalin physically carried by marshals after pandemonium broke out during their strong protests against remarks by a ruling AIADMK MLA apparently ridiculing the Leader of the Opposition.
Later, the government moved a resolution suspending the DMK members for a week which was passed by voice vote. The DMK has 89 members in the AIADMK-dominated 234-member assembly.
Speaker P Dhanapal ordered eviction of the DMK members by assembly marshals after they stood up and insisted on expunging the remarks even after he rejected their demand and asked them to cooperate for the smooth conduct of the House.
Trouble erupted during the debate on demands for grants for the housing and IT departments when AIADMK member S Gunasekaran, without naming Stalin, made some remarks about the 'Namaku Naame' programme undertaken by the DMK Treasurer in the run up to this year's assembly election.
During the 'Namakku Naame' programme, Stalin had extensively toured the state and interacted with people.
The remarks about the programme triggered strong objection from the DMK members who wanted the Speaker to expunge them.
Dhanapal, however, said the MLA had not made any pointed reference to anyone and therefore there was no need to expunge the remarks.
DMK Deputy Leader Durai Murugan said 'Namakku Naame' was an initiative of Stalin and therefore the remarks refer only to him and sought their expunction.
At one point, Stalin himself rose and said he was proud that 'Namakku Naame' had featured in an assembly debate. He also made some remarks which were later expunged by the speaker.
Following this, the DMK members stood up and opposed the Speaker's action even as Dhanapal asked them to cooperate in the smooth conduct of the House.
Since the DMK members did not heed his repeated pleas, he summoned the marshals to evict the agitating MLAs.
Stalin, who was physically removed, staged a brief sit-in before being finally taken out of the House.
The Speaker later said he had to resort to such an action as the DMK members did not heed his pleas for cooperation.
Leader of the House and Finance Minister O Panneerselvam then moved a resolution for the suspension of the DMK members for a week, which was passed by a voice vote in the AIADMK-dominated House.
After this, the Speaker said the day's proceedings of the House have ended and asked Housing Minister Udumalpet K Radhakrishnan and IT Minister M Manikandan to give their replies to the debate on their departments on Thursday.
Earlier, explaining the rationale behind his decision to evict DMK members, Speaker Dhanapal said they had made it a "practice" to stall proceedings "right from day one" of the ongoing session and not allowing him run the House smoothly.
"This was a situation where I had no other option."
Later, speaking to reporters, Stalin said the comments by Gunasekaran were "unwarranted".
Image: DMK leader MK Stalin is removed from the House after he staged a sit-in. Photograph: ANI/Twitter | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/stalin-all-dmk-mlas-thrown-out-of-tn-assembly/20160817.htm | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/c23aa653959fa37db7c6fbf169dfa39f00ba98f49cd786d61c1d04e0ed7aa075.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T10:51:09 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | There was no casualty and all passengers were taken to Thrissur for their onward journey, Railways said. | 12 bogies of Malabar Express derail, rail traffic hit in Kerala | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fbogies-of-malabar-express-derail-in-kerala%2F20160828.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2015/may/25crashed.jpg | en | null | 12 bogies of Malabar Express derail, rail traffic hit in Kerala | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 28, 2016 14:32 IST
Passengers of the Mangaluru-bound Malabar Express escaped unhurt on Sunday when 12 bogies of the train derailed amid heavy rains at Karukutty, about 45 km from Kochi, disrupting rail traffic in Kerala.
A possible major collision was also averted as the Chennai-Trivandrum train coming towards Ernakulam was stopped around 300 metres away from the accident spot following a timely alert, railway official said.
The derailment occurred at 2.55 am shortly after the 16347 Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Malabar Express left Aluva station and was running at a slow speed.
There was no casualty and all passengers were taken to Thrissur for their onward journey, Railways said.
Helpline numbers -- 9746769960, 9746761072, 0471-2320012. -- Six long distance trains, including Kanyakumari-Mumbai CST Express, Thiruvananthapuram-Gorakhpur Rapthisagar Express, Kanyakumari-Begaluru Express and Thiruvananthapuram-New Delhi Kerala Express have been diverted via Tirunelveli.
Southern Railways Additional General Manager P K Mishra, who visited the accident spot along with senior colleagues, told reporters that fortunately there was no casualty.
One woman passenger complained of shoulder pain and was taken to a nearby hospital and after first aid left for home, he said.
According to railway officials in Thiruvananthapuram, the derailed coaches have not detached or toppled, which is one of the reasons for passengers escaping unhurt.
A Railway official said major collision was averted as the Chennai-Trivandrum train coming towards Ernakulam was stopped on time.
“We alerted the incoming train and it was stopped about 300 metres away. This was an achievement of the railways safety measures,” the official said.
But the derailment threw rail traffic on Ernakulam-Thrissur route out of gear with 21 trains being cancelled. Several others were terminated at Ernakulam and some long-distance trains rescheduled.
Rail traffic towards Ernakulam was expected to be restored by 6 pm on Sunday and on the Thrissur route by Monday morning, Mishra said.
Railway officials from the state capital and elsewhere are overseeing the relief and rescue operations.
On the mishap, Mishra said it could be due to defect in track or in the coaches.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Railways have arranged special trains and buses for transporting stranded passengers, adding it was suspected that there was some defect in the track.
Ramachandran, a ticket examiner, said he heard a loud noise at the time of the derailment and passengers panicked.
It was raining heavily when the incident occurred, he said.
A railways release announced helpline numbers: 9746769960, 9746761072, 0471-2320012.
Six long distance trains, including Kanyakumari-Mumbai CST Express, Thiruvananthapuram-Gorakhpur Rapthisagar Express, Kanyakumari-Begaluru Express and Thiruvananthapuram-New Delhi Kerala Express have been diverted via Tirunelveli, it said.
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation will be providing buses between Thrissur and Ernakulam depending on the arrival and departure timings of trains, it said.
Image used for representation only. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/bogies-of-malabar-express-derail-in-kerala/20160828.htm | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/b69fd7e7dfd4b65262d89720998fde66063a4c3900fa7f27888df9263d1414f0.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:24:40 | null | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | Kanhaiya has approached the high court as his six-months interim bail is scheduled to expire on September 1. | JNU row: Delhi HC asks Kanhaiya to move trial court for regular bail | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fjnu-row-delhi-hc-asks-kanhaiya-to-move-trial-court-for-regular-bail%2F20160817.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/17kanhaiya.jpg | en | null | JNU row: Delhi HC asks Kanhaiya to move trial court for regular bail | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 17, 2016 14:46 IST
The Delhi high court on Wednesday refused to hear JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar's application for regular bail in a sedition case, asking him to approach a sessions court for the same.
Justice P S Teji dismissed the plea for grant of regular bail to the students' union leader, who was on interim bail since March 2 this year.
"The present application is dismissed with liberty to the petitioner to move before the sessions court," the court said.
Kanhaiya has approached the high court as his six-months interim bail is scheduled to expire on September 1.
Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for the JNU Students' Union president, told the court that the petitioner seeks permanent bail.
The court, however, without hearing the matter in detail, said the counsel can move the application for regular bail before the sessions court.
John, who was accompanied by advocates Sushil Bajaj and Vrinda Grover, said they will move the application before the trial court on Wednesday only.
Kanhaiya, in his bail plea, said he has not interfered in the ongoing probe and had appeared before the investigating officer as and when asked by him.
He also said that he has not violated any condition imposed on him by the high court while granting him interim bail on March 2.
The high court had granted interim conditional bail for six months asking him not participate actively or passively in any activity which may be termed as anti-national.
The high court had on August 11 declined the plea of two private individuals to cancel Kanhaiya's interim bail, saying nothing has been brought before it to show that the student leader had made any anti-national speech after his release.
It had earlier pulled up the police for not taking a unequivocal stand on whether it wanted cancellation of Kanhaiya's interim bail.
The police had submitted in high court that the JNUSU leader failed to adhere to "letter and spirit" of the bail order by making derogatory remarks against Army in Kashmir and he "misused his liberty".
Kanhaiya was arrested on February 12 on sedition charges in connection with an event on the campus on February 8 where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
While laying down the conditions for Kanhaiya's release on interim bail, the high court had said he would not leave the country without the permission of the trial court.
It had also taken strong exception to the manner in which slogans were raised and protests staged by students carrying photographs and posters of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat, mastermind of hijacking of a passenger airline to Lahore in 1971 who was hanged in 1984, on the campus.
"The reason behind anti-national views in the mind of students who raised slogans on death anniversiry of Afzal Guru, who was convicted for attack on our Parliament, which led to this situation have not only to be found by them but remedial steps are also required to be taken in this regard by those managing the affiars of the JNU so that there is no recurrence of such incident," the high court judge had said. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/jnu-row-delhi-hc-asks-kanhaiya-to-move-trial-court-for-regular-bail/20160817.htm | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/ae6575a2a0ede6d78da7668325034528b4b3536dbcdb0427ca5eed2f567c1918.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:40:53 | null | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | As she steps down, a look at the top two contenders -- Vijay Rupani and Nitin Patel -- who could become Gujarat's next chief minister.
| Patel or Rupani: Who will succeed Anandiben? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpatel-or-rupani-who-will-succeed-anandiben%2F20160802.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/02gujcm1.jpg | en | null | Patel or Rupani: Who will succeed Anandiben? | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 02, 2016 09:05 IST
About two months ahead of her 75th birthday on November 21, Anandiben Patel has offered to step down as Gujarat's first woman chief minister.
In a Facebook post, Patel said she decided to step down keeping in mind next year's assembly polls and the Vibrant Gujarat summit.
The resignation would give her successor enough time to settle down, she said.
As she steps down, a look at the top two contenders -- Nitin Patel and Vijay Rupani -- who could become Gujarat's next chief minister.
Nitin Patel: The seasoned politician
IMAGE: Nitin Patel, Gujarat's health, public welfare and roads and building minister. Photograph: Nitin Patel/Facebook
This is not the first time Nitin Patel is being considered a strong contender for the post of Gujarat chief minister.
'I am ready to be the chief minister if the party asks me to take up the job,' he had said in 2014, during the Lok Sabha elections.
Considered a seasoned politician, Patel rose up the ranks over the years, especially in the last two years as the second-in-command of CM Anandiben Patel.
Currently serving as health, public welfare and roads and building minister in Gujarat, Patel has also been a businessman, having dabbled in cotton ginning and oil pressing.
Having contested his first assembly election in 1995, Patel has usually won from the Kadi constituency and became a cabinet minister in the Keshubhai Patel government.
He has been in the party for about 30 years and has served in various positions within the organisation. While his industry friendliness could help the state continue to be a favoured investment destination, Nitin has not been favoured among the Patidar community, despite being a member.
If chosen for the post, he might face a tough task in placating the community.
-- Vimukt Dave
Vijay Rupani: Mr Neutral
IMAGE: Vijay Rupani is very close to BJP President Amit Shah. Photograph: Vijay Rupani/Twitter
Vijay Rupani, who turns 60 on August 2, might get a surprise gift. Speculation is rife that he is one of the top contenders for the CM's post.
Rupani was made president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Gujarat unit in February. His appointment, insiders said, was delayed by almost a month owing to differences between Anandiben Patel and BJP President Amit Shah.
He replaced the Leuva Patidar leader, R C Faldu, and his appointment came at a time when the party was facing serious challenges from the community.
The appointment was seen as a mark of confidence the BJP brass had in the leader from the Baniya community.
A Jain Baniya, Rupani does not belong to one of the majority communities in the state; Jains make up only one per cent of Gujarat's population while Baniyas comprise three per cent.
The BJP selected a non-other backward classes and non-Patel leader at the helm to avoid a tricky political situation, sources said. Many see Rupani as an Amit Shah confidante. Hence, his appointment hinted at the latter's increased indirect control of the state unit, where rumours of factionalism are rife.
Rupani was a cabinet minister with portfolios such as transport and labour & employment. As Gujarat party president, Rupani was required to consolidate the cadre amid challenges such as the Patidar reservation agitation.
Also, given the party's poor performance in rural areas during the recent local body polls, Rupani's role was deemed to be crucial in maintaining and improving on the party's prospects in the assembly elections in December 2017.
Rupani has also been the party's general secretary and was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.
Born to Ramniklal Rupani in 1956, Vijay holds a bachelor of arts and an LLB degree.
He started his political career as a student activist, and eventually joined the RSS and thereafter the Jan Sangh in 1971. He is the only minister in the state cabinet to have been jailed during the Emergency.
Rupani is known to have Narendra Modi's support and in August 2014, when Vajubhai Vala, the incumbent speaker of the Gujarat assembly, resigned as the MLA from Rajkot West, Rupani was nominated by the BJP to contest his vacant seat. He won the by-poll in October 2014 by a handsome margin
He is married and has a daughter and a son.
-- Sohini Das | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/patel-or-rupani-who-will-succeed-anandiben/20160802.htm | en | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/c4edafda39a377ee3556aecd51e3dade70ea1c1c31a4e9fc2d88a4516bdc1907.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:39:16 | null | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | The people of Uttar Pradesh have always been springing surprises, he said. | Expect a miracle in favour of Congress in UP: Raj Babbar | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fbabbar-expects-miracle-in-favour-of-congress%2F20160802.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/02babbar.jpg | en | null | Expect a miracle in favour of Congress in UP: Raj Babbar | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 02, 2016 16:24 IST
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar on Tuesday expressed hope that there will be a ‘miracle’ in favour of his party in the upcoming assembly election in the state.
“The people of Uttar Pradesh have always been springing surprises -- be it 2004, 2007, 2012 or 2017 -- this time they are going to do a miracle in favour of Congress,” he said.
Babbar is in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents, to take part in Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s roadshow.
Responding to questions from mediapersons if road shows and other programmes would help the party at the hustings, he said, “Rest assured...we are among the people...Sonia is here to have darshan and take blessings of Baba Vishwanath in this holy month of Shravan.”
This is the third major programme of the party in the past few days after ‘27 saal-UP behal’ Delhi-Kanpur bus yatra and Rahul Gandhi’s interactive session with booth level workers in Lucknow.
Earlier, Sonia arrived in Varanasi to a rousing reception by party workers for a six-km-long road show.
Her cavalcade was accompanied by 5,000-strong contingent of motorcyclists from Lal Bahadur Shastri Babatpur airport to the circuit house.
Huge banners and buntings have been put up by party to make the roadshow successful and launch the poll campaign in the eastern region of the poll-bound state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party did not fare very well in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh in the last assembly election and the Congress hopes to take advantage make inroads.
The BJP, which swept the 2014 national election in the state winning 71 of its 80 Lok Sabha seats, hopes to extend that victory to the 2017 UP assembly elections.
IMAGE: Congress leader Raj Babbar during a rally in Agra, UP. Photograph: @RajBabbarMP/Twitter | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/babbar-expects-miracle-in-favour-of-congress/20160802.htm | en | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/f37dafe826e775f5ac5521d6f41a47e0543d841979f1bfe0093ce044ffaaaa81.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:34:26 | null | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | The AAP govt on Thursday said it will challenge the HC order holding that the LG is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory. | AAP government to move SC against Delhi HC order | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Faap-government-to-move-sc-against-delhi-hc-order%2F20160804.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/04kejriwal.jpg | en | null | AAP government to move SC against Delhi HC order | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 04, 2016 20:35 IST
With the high court ruling against it in the turf battle with Delhi Lt Governor, the Aam Aadmi Party government on Thursday said it will challenge the order in the Supreme Court and questioned why the Constitution was amended to have a legislative assembly if the city was to be run by the LG.
"We respectfully disagree with the High Court verdict," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, adding there was a "big difference" between any other Union Territory and the national capital and alleged that on the "pretext of rules", various decisions aimed at curbing corruption have been stalled.
"The high court says Delhi is merely an Union Territory. If as per Constitution Delhi is only an UT, then why was it amended to make Delhi an UT with legislature.
"If Delhi was to be run by the Lt Governor, then why was the Constitution amended to have state assembly. Why provision was made to have an elected government. We were targeted as we tried to rid the city of corruption," he said addressing a press conference after the high court ruled that the governor is the administrative head of Delhi and that the national capital remains a Union Territory.
Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain said city government will move the Supreme Court against the HC verdict.
"Several acts of the Parliament relating to Delhi have defined both the Lt Governor and the Government of NCT as different entities. So, if Constitution had considered Delhi a mere UT, the city would have functioned like Chandigarh, Lakshadweep and Andamans. But it is not so," he said.
Sisodia said people of Delhi had brought AAP to power with a historic mandate hoping that that corruption will "end" in all spheres of governance and when AAP started to fulfil people's aspirations, the efforts to curtail "rights of a democratically elected government" had started.
"When we started fixing the issue of corruption, caught corrupt policemen, the crisis began there. They felt if the government continues to work like this, the business of transfer-postings will shut down and corruption will end. They could not digest it and started curtailing rights of a democratically elected government.
"The Anti-Corruption Branch was part of the Delhi government since 1993. But the day the ACB caught a policeman accepting bribe, it was brought under the Centre. The services department too was taken away from the Delhi government," Sisodia said.
Targeting Jung, Sisodia said Kejriwal government was consistently prevented by the LG and Centre from taking any action against corruption since it was formed.
"They wanted a government in Delhi which cannot take action in cases of corruption, compensate farmers, transfer officials.
"This decision of the high court should be seen in this background. The government had approached the court after it was stopped from doing all these works," he said.
A Delhi government spokesperson said that the verdict shows it has "undermined powers of council of ministers mentioned in the Constitution".
AAP leader Raghav Chadha said "a democratically elected government cannot be undermined. This isn't a fight for supremacy, but democracy".
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath dismissed AAP Government's plea challenging the Centre's May 21, 2015, notification giving absolute powers to LG in appointing bureaucrats in the national capital.
The court also quashed several notifications issued by Kejriwal after returning to power last year, saying they were illegal as they were issued without concurrence of LG. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/aap-government-to-move-sc-against-delhi-hc-order/20160804.htm | en | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/216c6fff677d0762a9e2083d9ec0301699fe61ba124644496ee8e4d5d76942d9.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:39:34 | null | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | Ribeiro had challenged Pandey's appointment as he is an accused in the alleged fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan and three others, and is currently out on regular bail. | Gujarat HC dismisses PIL challenging elevation of PP Pandey as state DGP | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fgujarat-hc-dismisses-pil-challenging-elevation-of-pp-pandey-as-state-dgp%2F20160803.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2013/aug/17pandey.jpg | en | null | Gujarat HC dismisses PIL challenging elevation of PP Pandey as state DGP | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 03, 2016 15:23 IST
The Gujarat high court on Wednesday rejected a PIL filed by former top cop Julio Ribeiro challenging the appointment of P P Pandey, accused in Ishrat Jahan encounter case, as the state's in-charge DGP.
"Dismissed," said a division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi, while pronouncing the order on the public interest litigation.
Ribeiro had challenged Pandey's appointment as he is an accused in the alleged fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan and three others, and is currently out on regular bail.
In his PIL, Ribeiro said that Pandey could hamper the investigation and influence witnesses in the Ishrat case.
Ribeiro served as the DGP of Gujarat and Punjab, the latter during the height of insurgency, and is known as super cop for his exemplary work during those periods.
He further stated in the PIL that Pandey's authority and influence of his post will affect witnesses, many of whom are serving police officers under him.
Appearing for the state government, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that the PIL should not have been entertained in Ahmedabad as it is a service matter.
Mehta said that Pandey has only been given additional charge as he is the senior-most IPS officer and it is not a regular posting.
The government had earlier stated in a written reply before the court that investigation in the Ishrat case was done by the Central Bureau of Investigation and not state police, and such apprehension therefore bore no merit.
The government had stated that Pandey was the most suitable IPS officer for the in-charge DGP's post because of his seniority. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/gujarat-hc-dismisses-pil-challenging-elevation-of-pp-pandey-as-state-dgp/20160803.htm | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/2e5ff2a532643aa13da2d13c7c211ae956b6f10f7200877ed06059101cd58859.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:49:55 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The government is contemplating how to overcome the problems caused by the street dogs and sterilisation process will be also strengthened, he told reporters in Kottayam. | Kerala to go ahead on plan to check violent stray dogs amid protests | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fkerala-to-go-ahead-on-plan-to-check-violent-stray-dogs-amid-protests%2F20160827.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/20dog.jpg | en | null | Kerala to go ahead on plan to check violent stray dogs amid protests | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 27, 2016 03:01 IST
The Kerala government on Friday virtually brushed aside Union minister Maneka Gandhi's opposition to its proposal to cull violent dogs, saying it will go ahead with its resolve to check dangerous canines even as three more children were injured by stray dogs.
"There is no change in the state government's decision to tackle violent street dogs," Local Administration Minister K T Jaleel said, reacting to Gandhi's statement that the move to cull the dogs was "unlawful and unscientific".
The government is contemplating how to overcome the problems caused by the street dogs and sterilisation process will be also strengthened, he told reporters in Kottayam.
"Violent dogs would be handled the way they should be handled," he said, noting each person would have an opinion on the law in this regard.
However, the minister said the wishes of animal and environmental lovers also would be taken into consideration.
Taking a dig at Gandhi, Jaleel said, "How can people talk about being humane to animals when they did not have compassion towards human beings. First of all one needs to have love towards fellow human beings.
"It is not our policy to kill dogs...What we are contemplating is how to overcome the problems," he added.
In the wake of the recent death of a 65-year old woman who was attacked by a pack of dogs, the government has announced steps, including culling violent dogs.
Meanwhile, stray dog attacks continued in different parts of the state with three children, including a five-year old boy, suffering injuries due to dog bites in Thrissur district last night.
The children were undergoing treatment at the MedicalCollegeHospital in Thrissur, police said.
In a related development, Stray Dog-Free Movement, an outfit campaigning against stray dog menace, asked the state government to take immediate steps to cull violent dogs.
Its Chairman and industrialist Kochouseph Chittilappilly said the outfit would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi detailing the dangers posed by stray dogs in the state.
The stray dog menace has became a major issue in the state following the death of the 65-year-old woman after being attacked by dogs at coastal hamlet Pullivilla near Thiruvananthapuram last week.
According to a report submitted in the Supreme Court recently in a connected case, more than one lakh people in Kerala have been bitten by dogs in 2015-16.
The report has also said there were about 2.5 lakh street dogs in the state. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/kerala-to-go-ahead-on-plan-to-check-violent-stray-dogs-amid-protests/20160827.htm | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/677d7b07b44b8469345a51c2615b78dfdd974898a564ee4ef0025d42e5fc9493.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:40:52 | null | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | A temporary museum dedicated to all things ice cream has opened up in New York. | This museum is way too sweet to miss | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpix-this-museum-is-way-too-sweet-to-miss%2F20160802.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/02ice1.jpg | en | null | This museum is way too sweet to miss | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 02, 2016 09:54 IST
Bored of visiting museums? Well, but this ain't the one to be missed. A temporary museum dedicated to all things ice cream has opened up in New York.
Each week, the pop-up promises to mix up its ice cream offerings, treating customers to signature flavours dreamt up by some of the best eateries around.
The ticketed pop-up museum, which will be around for one month, is already sold out (Yes, all 30,000 of them). But fear not: we can still give you a glimpse of what's inside there.
Scroll below to see:
The Museum of Ice Cream promises to tap into childlike memories of summer days and ice cream cones. (Above) A visitor eats an edible balloon at the Museum of Ice Cream across from the Whitney Museum. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images
Created by friends Maryellis Bunn and Manish Vora, the funky attraction was inspired by a surreal dream Bunn had in which she was floating on a pool of sprinkles. (above) Visitors play into a large pool filled with faux confetti-colored sprinkles at the museum. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images
Visitors pose for a snap at the Museum of Ice Cream. The museum’s Willy Wonka-inspired Chocolate Chamber celebrates the common ice cream ingredient with a chocolate fountain and digital projections of chocolate dripping down the walls, all set to a unique score. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images
A woman serves ice cream cones at the Museum of Ice Cream. How much ice cream does each lucky visitor get? One scoop and one soft-serve cone.Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images
A visitor examines the exhibits at the pop-up museum. The museum has a Scoop Room dotted with trivia. Did you know the world's largest cone stands 10 feet tall? Or that America's favorite dessert first emerged in China in 1000 BC?Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images
Visitors enjoy into a large pool filled with faux confetti-colored sprinkles. Vora says a local confection factory did offer him 8,000 pounds of the actual sugar topping, "but that wouldn't be sanitary". Instead, there are 11,000 pounds of tiny artificial dots in the 3-foot-deep pool, which were added bucket by bucket.Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images
Visitors pose as they visit the Museum of Ice Cream. Thirty-two artists contributed to a room of floor-to-ceiling ice cream-inspired works, including paintings, sculptures and photos. Some are even rideable. There’s a scooper see-saw and an ice-cream-sandwich swing.Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images
In one room dedicated to ice cream cones, the wall is covered in vague, uncredited trivia -- "cones damaged during production are further ground down into animal feed" -- and guests can suck on a helium-filled balloon made of heated sugar. (above) A visitor poses with an edible balloon. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images
An installation called 'Sundae Stag' by P J Linden is among ice cream-themed works of art previewed at the Museum of Ice Cream. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images
A woman eats an ice-cream as she exits the Museum Of Ice Cream. "It was a feat to get this built. It was manual. We did it by hand, we had 20, 25 people," Vora said. "It felt like 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'."Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-this-museum-is-way-too-sweet-to-miss/20160802.htm | en | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/c9bee5a669a8dccd99d85168c19015b1dbdeb23a35aa1e84b5d32fe3f41b7bb7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:32:01 | null | 2016-08-08T00:00:00 | Know who's the highest-paid official in the Prime Minister's Office? The answer is Bhaskar Kulbe. | Want to know how much babus in PMO earn? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fwant-to-know-how-much-babus-in-pmo-earn%2F20160808.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/08pm.jpg | en | null | Want to know how much babus in PMO earn? | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 08, 2016 16:33 IST
Know who's the highest-paid official in the Prime Minister's Office? The answer is Bhaskar Kulbe.
Kulbe, secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and an IAS officer of the 1983 batch, pockets a cool Rs 2.01 lakh a month, according to information released by the PMO.
Three other top officials at PMO -- Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra, Additional Principal Secretary P K Mishra and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval -- get paid Rs 1,62,500 per month plus pension since they are retired civil servants.
The PMO made public the monthly remuneration of all its officers and staff as part of proactive disclosure under the Right to Information Act.
You can see the full list of PMO officials' monthly remuneration, HERE
Photograph Courtesy: Press Information Bureau | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/want-to-know-how-much-babus-in-pmo-earn/20160808.htm | en | 2016-08-08T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/f0b9b038de6e55832928c54c798d061e7ccc69a97070d6039a1ffcf77e5ac272.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:20:00 | null | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | 'Civilian casualties are something that could change the mood overnight, and therefore should be avoided by every means.'
| 9 ways to deal with the Kashmir crisis | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Finterview%2Fnine-ways-to-deal-with-the-kashmir-crisis%2F20160820.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/jul/10srinagar1.jpg | en | null | 9 ways to deal with the Kashmir crisis | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 20, 2016 11:57 IST
'Civilian casualties in Kashmir could change the mood overnight, and therefore should be avoided by every means.'
IMAGE: Protesters hurl stones amid tear gas smoke fired by the police during a protest in Srinagar. Photograph: Umar Ganie
The India-Pakistan slugfest over Kashmir is nothing new, either in terms of intensity of vitriol or in terms of the issues raised.
Enough of opinions on the mutual grandstanding by the two nuclear armed South Asian neighbours. The question remains: What should be India's strategy to deal with Pakistan?
N A Prasad, a senior Research and Analysis Wing officer who recently retired as additional secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, spoke to Rajeev Sharma about how to deal with Pakistan and the ongoing crisis in Kashmir.
How should India deal with Pakistan?
First of all, India must recognise that it is not worth to nurture any pretensions of 'reasonableness' of the Pakistani establishment to negotiate a settlement other than full transfer of the Kashmir valley.
Their policy will not change for another two to three generations, at least until the retirement of the 'crop' of army personnel recruited during and before General Zia-ul Haq's presidency.
Hence, the Indian government should not feel compelled to get into any kind of political negotiations until Islamabad demonstrates its 'reasonableness' and stops exporting terrorism.
Where do you see Jammu and Kashmir in all this?
New Delhi shall have a consistent dialogue with all shades of opinion in Jammu and Kashmir. The Kashmir problem can't be termed as a sole creation of Pakistan.
There is no doubt of New Delhi's mishandling of the situation for a long time. It is a border state and should be handled a little more delicately.
It is fine to imprison some Hurriyat leaders belonging to Syed Ali Shah Geelani's group as there is enough proof of seditious activities carried out under the guidance and financial support of Pakistan.
No tears would be shed for them by most Kashmiris who want to live in peace and development.
'If there is no let up in Pakistan's export of terrorism across the border, there must be well deliberated retaliation -- both diplomatically and militarily.'
IMAGE: Policemen take cover behind shields as protestors pelt stones at the security forces in Baramulla in April after the deaths in Handwara. Photograph: Umar Ganie
Your views on the current crisis in Jammu and Kashmir which has been under curfew for over 40 days and the high number of civilian casualties.
Civilian casualties are something that could change the mood overnight, and therefore should be avoided by every means.
One should not get into working a 'package' for Jammu and Kashmir as some of the issues could not be resolved (by it) and hence would hold back other positive actions.
Get some of the 'do-ables' done right away and others can be negotiated at leisure.
The coalition government of the Peoples Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party should demonstrate that they are alive to the aspirations of the people of the three regions of the state and could fulfil them.
Such genuine dialogue between Delhi and J&K would be appreciated by the international community and would silence the Pakistani establishment as any of their tricks could further damage their reputation.
What should be India's strategy in dealing with the crisis in Jammu and Kashmir?
India should maintain that Pakistan has no role at all in Kashmir affairs, and, hence, it would not negotiate with it on this issue.
If there is no let up in its export of terrorism across the border, there must be well deliberated retaliation -- both diplomatically and militarily.
Each action of Pakistan should be well documented and publicised before any retaliatory counter action is taken.
Consistent policy of talks with the Kashmiris and a stick for the Pakistanis would prove effective and productive in the long run.
IMAGE: Over 40 unprecedented days of curfew in the Kashmir valley: A scene from curfew in Srinagar. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters
In a first, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the Balochistan issue in his Independence Day speech. Is it a good strategy?
India is within its right to expose Pakistan of its dirty tricks and parade its atrocities, both in Balochistan and Kashmir, relentlessly and consistently.
Pakistan will up its ante to claim that they are vindicated by the statements of Modi and other leaders about Indian involvement in Baloch terrorism.
The next few weeks will see its diplomatic offensive in international capitals to present another so-called 'proof' of Indian interference.
Evidently, Pakistan is going to ratchet up Modi's Balochistan remarks before the international community in coming weeks, particularly before the United Nations General Assembly session which begins on September 13.
The Indian bureaucracy and political leadership are prone to collapse under a Pakistani diplomatic offensive. There is absolutely no need to lose one's nerve over their propaganda.
New Delhi should be ready for a quiet but effective counter-diplomacy.
There are tonnes of reports of atrocities committed by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, no less than what they did in the then East Pakistan.
The ministry of external affairs may set up a special cell to compile data on a regular basis and circulate among concerned interested parties, particularly the UN, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Organisation of African Unity, and the Arab League etc.
Indian intentions must be made very clear that we had no interest in interfering in Pakistani affairs, but were compelled to highlight the issues as the international community is not doing enough to force Pakistan to stop supporting terrorism. The same message should go to saner voices in Pakistan.
Will the Baloch leaders actually follow the Indian line or will they chart their own course?
While the rebel leaders of Balochistan and PoK would welcome Indian support to highlight atrocities committed against them by security forces, they might be sceptical of New Delhi's interest to sustain the pressure.
They are quite aware of the 'flip-flop' in India's policies. India, therefore, needs to give them enough confidence that its political support would be unwavering and consistent. This has to be practically demonstrated in all international fora.
The US, the UK and the EU are likely to question India's change of policy and threaten consequences. They need to be clearly told that if they are 'good friends', get Pakistan to stop exporting terrorism into India and wind up terrorist bases in PoK and other parts of their country.
There cannot be one policy for Pakistan and another for India.
ALSO READ | http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/nine-ways-to-deal-with-the-kashmir-crisis/20160820.htm | en | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/58f667573592c1f149cbc1c685d05a244b0a0d149519ee8f7115d8bfa0e0d077.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:34:32 | null | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | Have some monsoon pictures you would like to share? Please post your photographs. | Share your monsoon pics with us! | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fshare-your-monsoon-pics-with-us%2F20160805.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/05mumrains31.jpg | en | null | Share your monsoon pics with us! | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 05, 2016 19:32 IST
Have some monsoon pictures you would like to share? Please post your photographs. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/share-your-monsoon-pics-with-us/20160805.htm | en | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/258c239ae0c87a8be22a14b5654580c09855274a96d0b6ea01d25c7bf370c66f.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T10:50:15 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Panic prevailed in the hospital as people ran helter-skelter leading to a near stampede.
| 2 die in stampede as fire breaks out in West Bengal hospital | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpix-fire-breaks-out-in-west-bengal-hospital%2F20160827.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/27fire1.jpg | en | null | 2 die in stampede as fire breaks out in West Bengal hospital | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 27, 2016 16:12 IST
Two persons were killed and some others injured in a stampede after a fire broke out in the Murshidabad Medical College Hospital on Saturday, triggering panic among patients and their relatives.
IMAGE: The fire, which began from the air conditioner unit, was put out after almost three hours. Photograph: ANI/Twitter
Two persons were killed and some others injured in a stampede after a fire broke out in the Murshidabad Medical College Hospital on Saturday, triggering panic among patients and their relatives.
“Two women, both nursing aides, died in the stampede following the incident of fire which broke out at 11.50 am at the hospital. Some others are injured, but we are yet to receive details,” Director of Health Services Biswaranjan Satpathy said.
Giving details, Satpathy said that a fire broke out in the air conditioning machine of a vacant VIP cabin at the main medical ward of the hospital.
“Everybody tried to run away to escape from the fire which resulted in a stampede in which two ayahs (nursing aides) died,” he said.
IMAGE: People inside the hospital scurried to exit the hospital after the fire broke out on the third floor of the building. Photograph: ANI/Twitter
“Patients in the adjacent wards were immediately taken out including those from the paediatric ward and all of them were relocated to the newly built MCH (mother child) Hub,” Satpathy said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is monitoring the situation from Kolkata, while a four-member high power team from Kolkata has been asked to rush to the site at the earliest, he said.
A departmental inquiry has already been ordered to probe the incident, Satpathy said, adding the chief medical officer of health of the hospital Subhasis Saha was monitoring the situation, while a special medical team from Malda has already rushed to the spot for assistance.
“There is no panic right now and the situation is under control,” Satpathy said.
State Fire Minister Sovan Chatterjee said the blaze was now well under control.
The firemen at the spot suspect that a short circuit in the AC machine of the VIP cabin triggered the fire. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-fire-breaks-out-in-west-bengal-hospital/20160827.htm | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/3a394616ac8ab30e778c00fe2f55e411e58b9a584f31acb8178929fbf86bac1a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:08 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | In Uttar Pradesh, two persons were killed since Tuesday in the floods which have affected around 8.7 lakh people in 987 villages of 28 districts in the state. | Flood situation in Bihar, UP turns grim; 10 more killed | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fflood-situation-in-bihar-up-turns-grim-10-more-killed%2F20160824.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/24floods.jpg | en | null | Flood situation in Bihar, UP turns grim; 10 more killed | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 24, 2016 22:25 IST
Ten people were killed and lakhs affected due to floods in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal where major rivers are flowing above danger mark, while two boys are feared dead after they were washed away in flash floods in the Tawi river in Jammu on Wednesday.
In Uttar Pradesh, two persons were killed since Tuesday in the floods which have affected around 8.7 lakh people in 987 villages of 28 districts in the state, officials said.
NDRF teams have been sent to Varanasi, Allahabad, Ghazipur and Ballia, Relief Commissioner D K Singh said, adding, "In these four districts, 30,247 people have been shifted to the relief camps, while 62,397 have been moved to safer places."
The situation has worsened due to release of water from Nepal and the adjoining states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand which has led to further rise in the water levels of the major rivers, he said.
In Bihar, with seven fresh deaths, the toll in the current round of floods mainly due to the swollen Ganga river rose to 29.
While five deaths were reported from Samastipur, one each was reported in Nalanda and Khagaria, a release by State Disaster Management Authority said, adding the floods caused by rising waters of Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra and Kosi have affected 29.71 lakh people in 4,222 villages in 24 districts of the state.
In Aurangabad district, one person was killed and eight others feared dead when a country boat ferrying flood victims capsized in swollen Punpun river last evening.
With the latest deaths, toll in Bihar floods including those in Kosi areas earlier, has risen to 127.
Except for a light downpour in Gaya, major parts of Bihar did not witness any rain on Wednesday.
Heavy rains lashed the national capital bringing down the mercury two notches below normal even as humidity levels rose.
"The maximum temperature was recorded at 31.8 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal while the minimum temperature was 27 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal," a MeT official said.
The Safdarjung observatory recorded 5.6 mm rainfall. Humidity levels oscillated between 87 an 64 per cent.
In Jammu, two teenage brothers are feared dead after they were washed away in flash floods in the Tawi river, while another youth was rescued, police said.
In West Bengal, West Midnapore, Hooghly, Howrah, Bankura, Burdwan and Nadia districts are affected due to release of water by Damodar Valley Corporation. In Malda district, around 135 houses were washed away due to erosion in the Ganga river, while 20 villages were inundated with rise in water level of the river.
A few places in the state received little or moderate rains since yesterday, while Kolkata recorded maximum temperature of 32.1 degrees Celsius.
In Punjab and Haryana maximum temperatures hovered close to normal levels, even as light rain lashed a few places.
IMAGE: Houses submerged in flood, in Allahabad. Photograph: PTI Photo | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/flood-situation-in-bihar-up-turns-grim-10-more-killed/20160824.htm | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/8bee16964e114f9ef15491117bcd6edbf546987201f64f858e2106c483edf6cc.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:37:41 | null | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | The Indian delegation will be led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, according to the provisional agenda released by the United Nations. | PM Modi skips UN General Assembly session | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpm-modi-skips-un-general-assembly-session%2F20160804.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/04lead4.jpg | en | null | PM Modi skips UN General Assembly session | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 04, 2016 02:54 IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the annual high-level UN General Assembly session next month.
The Indian delegation will be led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, according to the provisional agenda released by the United Nations.
Senior Indian diplomats confirmed that Swaraj is "as of now" scheduled to head the Indian delegation for the General Debate of the 71st session of the General Assembly.
The General Debate will open on September 20 and will run through September 26, when Swaraj will address the annual high-level debate.
According to the first provisional list, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to attend the General Debate and address the global leaders on September 21.
Sources, however, added that the programme for Sharif to attend the General Assembly session could change as they cited his health.
Modi had given his maiden address to the UN General Assembly as prime minister in 2014, when addressing the world leaders in Hindi he had also made a clarion call to commemorate an annual International Yoga Day.
Last year, he had attended the high-level UN Sustainable Development Summit ahead of the General Debate, when world leaders had adopted the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an intergovernmental set of aspiration Goals with 169 targets.
He had also attended the UN Peacekeeping Summit hosted by President Barack Obama when he had announced that India will contribute an additional battalion of 850 troops for UN peacekeeping operation.
The summit was the only forum when Modi and Sharif had come face to face during their visit for the UN General Assembly.
The two leaders had only waved at each other as they sat across from each other on a horse shoe-table for the peacekeeping summit.
According to the provisional list, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Maithrapala Sirisena of Sri Lanka are also expected to address the world leaders.
As per tradition, Brazil's president opens the General Debate every year and is followed by the US President.
The 71st session of the General Assembly will open on September 13.
The General Debate will open on the theme of 'The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world,' as announced by President-elect Peter Thomson last month.
The UN General Assembly will also host a high-level summit on September 19 to address large movements of refugees and migrants, with the aim of bringing countries together behind a more humane and coordinated approach.
The UN said this is the first time the General Assembly has called for a summit at the Heads of State and Government level on large movements of refugees and migrants and it is a historic opportunity to come up with a blueprint for a better international response.
"It is a watershed moment to strengthen governance of international migration and a unique opportunity for creating a more responsible, predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants," the world organisation said.
Also on the margins of the General Assembly, on September 20, Obama will host the Leaders' Summit on Refugees which will appeal to governments to pledge significant new commitments on refugees.
While the Presidential Summit will focus on refugees, not migrants, the General Assembly event will address large movements of both. The two events will complement one another.
Photograph Courtesy: Narendramodi.in | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pm-modi-skips-un-general-assembly-session/20160804.htm | en | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/7a4457de938513e52ddf0fe564ad9de2ac52069ff9421680345602b795439ea8.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:32 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | Like in the previous case, the newspaper has blacked out all details which it felt would compromise India's security interests. | The Australian newspaper uploads new set of leaked Scorpene documents | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fnew-set-of-leaked-scorpene-documents-uploaded%2F20160825.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/25submarine.jpg | en | null | The Australian newspaper uploads new set of leaked Scorpene documents | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 25, 2016 23:24 IST
Australia's The Australian newspaper on Thursday uploaded a fresh tranche of leaked documents relating to information about operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the six Scorpene submarines which are being built in India by French firm DCNS.
However, a top defence analyst allayed fears that it could compromise the security of the strategically important combat vessels.
Like in the previous case, the newspaper has blacked out all details which it felt would compromise India's security interests.
However, the new set of documents, with Indian Navy insignia on it and marked "Restricted Scorpene India", gives details about the sonar system of the submarines which is used to gather intelligence underwater.
It talks about a wide range of technical specifications of the sonars and at what degree and frequency it will function.
The documents detail the "Operating Instruction Manual", which talks about how to select a target for weapon firing, weapon configuration selection, among others.
Though the Navy has not yet officially reacted to the release of new documents, sources maintained that it does not compromise national security.
They said the same information about a submarine was on "many naval defence websites".
"On the face of it, these documents are basic operating manual. You buy any goods from the market, it will come with an operating manual," defence analyst Commodore Uday Bhaskar (Retd), Director of Society of Policy Studies told PTI.
If the question is if tonight's revelation has made our submarines vulnerable, "then the answer is no", he said.
"It is more like basic operating instructions for the user," he said.
The paper said it has been told that the secret data was removed from DCNS by a former sub-contractor in 2011 and taken to a private company in Southeast Asia before being passed on to a branch of that company in a second Southeast Asian nation.
A disk containing the data filed was then posted in regular mail to a company in Australia.
DCNS is focusing its investigation on former employees and sub-contractors involved in the project. At this stage it is not thought that the leak came from India.
IMAGE: Employees stand in front of the Indian Navy's first Scorpene submarine before being undocked from Mazagon Docks Ltd, a naval vessel ship-building yard, in Mumbai. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/new-set-of-leaked-scorpene-documents-uploaded/20160825.htm | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/584449849fca4cf211d69108249d062a8d6030e643397adbbe6a8a489a5bf33b.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:52:34 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | The tenders were scrapped as they are under investigation by the ACB | Maha scraps irrigation tenders 'illicitly' approved by Ajit Pawar | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fmaha-scraps-irrigation-tenders-approved-by-ajit-pawar%2F20160831.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2012/sep/Ajit_Pawar.jpg | en | null | Maha scraps irrigation tenders 'illicitly' approved by Ajit Pawar | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 31, 2016 01:57 IST
The tenders were scrapped as they are under investigation by the ACB.
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided to scrap 94 tenders in 14 irrigation projects in the Konkan and Nashik divisions which are under the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s scanner, a move viewed as a setback for Nationalist Congress Party leader and former state water resources minister Ajit Pawar, who allegedly approved them by tweaking norms.
This includes 81 various works related to Gosi-Khurd irrigation project in Vidarbha region, which has seen a massive cost escalation in last 35 years.
The decision to scrap the tenders was taken during a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.
The tenders were scrapped as they are under investigation by the ACB, an official of the Chief Minister’s Office said.
The move is considered a blow to Pawar, who, as the water resources minister between 1999 and 2009, approved projects worth Rs 20,000 crore, allegedly by tweaking rules and without a clearance of Governing Council of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation.
The 14 irrigation projects include the controversial Kondhana dam in Karjat taluka in Raigad district, over which former Aam Aadmi Party leader Anjali Damania had alleged a Rs 72,000-crore irrigation scam.
Addressing reporters at Mantralaya, Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan said the total cost of the scrapped tenders is about Rs 3,295 crore.
He said the government will float fresh tenders and the projects will be completed in a time-bound manner.
Mahajan said the Cabinet also gave its nod to third revised administrative approval to the Gosi-Khurd project.
He said the government will call for fresh bids and mandate to complete works on Gosi-Khurd project before June 2019.
“The cost of Gosi Khurd irrigation project which has been tagged as a National Project has escalated to Rs 18,494 crore from its original cost of Rs 372 crore during last 35 years. The Cabinet today gave its nod to the third revised administrative approval to Gosi-Khurd project,” the minister said.
Mahajan said the Centre will share 90 per cent of the proposed project cost whereas state will share the rest, adding that the total cost escalation in Gosi-Khurd stands at Rs 3,544.95 crore now.
Referring to the decision to grant revised administrative approval to Gosi-Khurd, the minister said that approvals shall be given while ensuring that they won’t affect the ongoing ACB probe.
“There were court cases filed in connection with the 14 irrigation projects. Several irregularities were found in awarding of the contracts,” the minister said, adding majority of the contracts in Konkan and Nashik were awarded to one company.
Earlier this month, the ACB had filed a chargesheet against 10 people before a district court in Thane in connection with the Balganga irrigation scam.
The ACB slapped various sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating and fraud, besides the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 against the accused.
Though the charge sheet did not name Pawar, it had sought further permission to investigate the deals which directly involved him.
When contacted, Damania said, “Most of the projects were unviable or unnecessary. The cost benefit ratio was beyond permissible limits. Designs were faulty and with an annual budget of only Rs 7,000 crore for irrigation works, work need to be prioritised. This government should first consider all these points before showing the haste for re-tendering. They should not go the NCP way.” | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/maha-scraps-irrigation-tenders-approved-by-ajit-pawar/20160831.htm | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/636d808aedb40a10a168c9789be93938ff9fd569442270d87cae75b304d7357c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:27:11 | null | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort in the national capital on the occasion of India's 70th Independence Day celebrations | WATCH LIVE! PM addresses the nation from Red Fort | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fwatch-live-pm-addresses-the-nation-from-red-fort%2F20160815.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2015/aug/13iday2.jpg | en | null | WATCH LIVE! PM addresses the nation from Red Fort | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 15, 2016 07:35 IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort in the national capital on the occasion of India's 70th Independence Day celebrations. This is his third Independence Day address to the nation.
Watch his speech LIVE on Rediff.com | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/watch-live-pm-addresses-the-nation-from-red-fort/20160815.htm | en | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/f4cb3acfba863db6fc4fb9598110bb4106f3947d483f1003c628e76363f42fcf.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:08:44 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | 'I agree that the Ganga has caused loss, but there is profit in it as well,' Lalu said.
| Take it positively: Lalu on calling flood victims 'fortunate' | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Flalu-defends-remarks-on-flood-victims-calling-them-fortunate%2F20160825.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/25lalu01.jpg | en | null | Take it positively: Lalu on calling flood victims 'fortunate' | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 25, 2016 21:46 IST
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad has come in for sharp criticism from opposition leaders for his 'Ganga at one's doorstep' remark while taking stock of the flood situation on the outskirts of the state capital two days ago.
While talking to flood victims, Lalu had on August 23 said they (people) were lucky to have the Ganga coming to their doorstep as not everybody gets 'Gangajal' in his home.
He had also said that the floods in Bihar was caused by the sudden release of water by Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states.
Taking strong exception to Lalu's statement, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said he has made fun of the flood victims by making such statement.
"On one hand the state government has failed in carrying out relief and rescue operations for flood affected people and on the other hand, Lalu Prasad is making fun of the flood victims by his insensitive statement," Sushil said.
This is being done to deflect people's attention from relief and rescue operations, he said.
Replying to Lalu's remark on water released by BJP-ruled states, the BJP leader said the flood was caused by the release of 11 lakh cusecs of water from Indrapuri barrage and Lalu should know that the barrage was in Bihar and not in any BJP-ruled state.
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan expressed surprise over Lalu's statement saying it rubbed salt on the wounds of flood victims.
"I am surprised to hear such statement. If you cannot provide relief to the flood victims, then at least refrain from mocking them," Paswan said after visiting the flood affected areas in the state.
He said the Centre would make foodgrains available to Bihar in adequate quantity if the state government makes a demand in this regard.
Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi too criticised the RJD supremo's statement, saying "People affected by floods in the state are dying in the absence of grains. Neither people nor cattle are getting food and Lalu is joking."
The current round of floods in Bihar has taken a heavy toll so far as 37 people have been killed and 31.33 lakh people were affected in 12 districts of the state.
IMAGE: RJD chief Lalu Prasad conducting an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas near Patna. Photograph: PTI | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/lalu-defends-remarks-on-flood-victims-calling-them-fortunate/20160825.htm | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/4a7eb70444bdec56e7cf2158b010cac4ff93fe34150c260875b52e7e982a8b87.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:29:55 | null | 2016-08-10T00:00:00 | A retired professor Kamaraj and his wife had petitioned the Coimbatore Collector alleging that their daughters had been held captive at Isha Yoga centre near Coimbatore. | HC orders inquiry into alleged captivity of women in Isha yoga centre | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fhc-orders-inquiry-into-alleged-captivity-of-women-in-isha-yoga-centre%2F20160810.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/may/31sadhguru1.jpg | en | null | HC orders inquiry into alleged captivity of women in Isha yoga centre | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 10, 2016 19:04 IST
The Madras high court on Wednesday directed the Principal District Judge, Coimbatore, to visit the premises of Isha Yoga Centre near that city to conduct an inquiry with the inmates about their willingness to stay there and submit a report on Thursday.
A division bench comprising justices S Nagamuthu and V Bharathidasan gave the direction on the Habeas Corpus petition filed by parents of two women living in the premises of Isha yoga centre, 27 kms from Coimbatore.
The Principal District Judge, Coimbatore, who is also the Chairman of District Legal Services Authority, is directed to visit the centre by 3 pm on Wednesday and conduct an inquiry with the inmates and other detainees and submit a report to the court on Thursday, the order said.
On August 1, a retired professor Kamaraj and his wife had petitioned the Coimbatore Collector alleging that their two daughters had been held captive at Isha Yoga centre near Coimbatore and were made 'sanyasins'.
However, on August 5, Isha Foundation issued a press release refuting the allegations. "We would like to clearly state on record that all the above allegations of holding captives, brainwashing, and forcing individuals into sanyas or brahmacharya are absolutely false," the foundation, running the Centre, had said in the release. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/hc-orders-inquiry-into-alleged-captivity-of-women-in-isha-yoga-centre/20160810.htm | en | 2016-08-10T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/7f083da000719389a8266af7311a77de967fb612abcc9de571ada37e9dadf030.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:33:06 | null | 2016-08-08T00:00:00 | As of now, political advertisements are barred in electronic media, including TV, radio and social media platforms. | Ban political ads in newspapers 48 hrs before polling: EC to Centre | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fban-political-ads-in-newspapers-48-hrs-before-polling-ec-to-centre%2F20160808.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2015/nov/04ad.jpg | en | null | Ban political ads in newspapers 48 hrs before polling: EC to Centre | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 08, 2016 16:15 IST
The Election Commission has urged the government to amend the electoral law to bar political advertisements in newspapers 48 hours before the day of polling on the lines of the restriction on electronic media.
The move came as the poll panel had to use its constitutional powers to ban such newspaper advertisements on a case-by-case basis during the Bihar assembly elections in October-November 2015.
In a meeting with Legislative Department of the Law Ministry in May, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and fellow Commissioners A K Joti and O P Rawat said print media should also be included in Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act so that campaign or political advertisements are barred from appearing 48 hours ahead of polling day.
As of now, political advertisements are barred in electronic media, including TV, radio and social media platforms.
During Bihar assembly elections, the EC had used its constitutional powers under Article 324 to impose a ban on political advertisements in newspapers in various districts of the state.
The EC had said the advertisements were divisive in nature.
This proposal was first mooted by the Commission in April, 2012 and has the backing of the Law Commission.
After banning the advertisements in Bihar, the EC had ensured that newspapers do not carry advertisements which are not certified by Media Certification and Monitoring Committees ahead of each phase of assembly polls in Assam and West Bengal held in April.
On October 30 last, the Commission had clamped a ban on publication of two controversial advertisements printed by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar during assembly polls.
One of the advertisements alleges that Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar are ‘snatching the plate of Dalits’ by planning to transfer the quota meant for Dalits and Extremely Backward Class to minorities.
Another advertisement dealt with vote ki kheti or votebank politics.
It alleged that some parties were ‘giving sanctuary’ to terrorists to appease a particular community for votes.
IMAGE: An advertisement released by the BJP during Bihar polls last year. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/ban-political-ads-in-newspapers-48-hrs-before-polling-ec-to-centre/20160808.htm | en | 2016-08-08T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/a2e999954ff5eace5b31ec4870042c9d7b67d5eb47010e8a051d85d7ea607858.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:16:12 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | Here's your weekly digest of the craziest stories from around the world. | WTF News! It's Weird, True and Funny | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fwtf-news-its-weird-true-and-funny%2F20160824.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/22wtf1.jpg | en | null | WTF News! It's Weird, True and Funny | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 24, 2016 21:04 IST
Here's your weekly digest of the craziest stories from around the world.
She's selling her wedding dress on eBay to fund divorce from husband
In a bizarre incident, a 28-year-old woman in the UK has put her designer wedding dress, worth 2,000 British pounds, up for sale on eBay to pay for her divorce after she found her husband was cheating on her.
Samantha Wragg, from Chesterfield, wore the dress on her wedding in August 2014. She claims her husband left her after 18 months and was already living with another woman, the Dailymirror reported.
Wragg, a blogger, is now selling her designer art deco wedding dress on eBay to help pay for her divorce, which she says her ex-husband "left her to foot the bill for."
She says the ivory, floor-length dress is a little dirty and will need to be dry-cleaned before it's worn again "to get rid of the stench of betrayal."
Samantha says the size six strapless gown, which has a long lace train and buttons down the back, cost her parents around 2000 British pounds brand new in 2014, but she's started the bidding at 500 British Pounds. Bids for the dress are currently close to 66,000 British.
The day Americans turned Madrasi
The US Consulate General in Chennai had a remarkable idea to commemorate the city's 377th birthday.
Instead of raising a toast to the city, founded on August 22, 1639, a few members from the US Consulate decided to go on a gastronomical journey at Kasivinayaga Mess.
And then, they uploaded their experience on Facebook on a video titled, "Feeling the everyday rhythm of Madras life"
"We should come here every day," they could be heard saying as they feasted on delicacies off banana leaves.
"Eating a MEAL with your hands in banana leaf is always special, isn't it? And it's a celebration especially in South India! We are trying to connect your every day rhythm of Madras life highlighting Madras culture, food, and traditions. This is the first video in the Madras Week video series. SEVEN more to come. Keep watching and make your Madras connections! Happy Madras Week," read the caption of the video posted by the US Consulate General on YouTube.
Since it was posted on August 21, the video has received over 1.6 million views and more than 49,600 shares.
Eight-acre 'Super Mario Bros.' Corn Maze is a crowd-puller
Images of Mario, Luigi and friends have been carved into the fields of an upstate New York farm as part of a corn maze based on Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. game series.
It is the latest installment of an annual themed maze at the Stoughton Farm in Newark Valley.
Owner Tom Stoughton told Fox News that the farm's mazes typically attract about 10,000 visitors annually.
An aerial photo of the 8-acre maze clearly shows Mario, Luigi and fellow Mario Bros.
characters Princess Peach, Toad and Yoshi carved into the cornfield. Stoughton says he created the maze based on a design by a Utah company. He says creating the maze usually takes a few weeks and involves "a lot of math."
Booze party begins in US, ends up in Canada
About 1,500 Americans floating down a river that separates the United States from Canada had to be rescued from the water when strong rains and winds sent them illegally into Canadian territory, Reuters quoted the country's coast guard as saying on Monday.
The Americans were taking part in the annual Port Huron Float Down on Sunday in the St Clair River, which runs between the US state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario.
The winds blew the flotilla of inflatable rafts and inner tubes off course and toward the Canadian shore, Reuters reported.
Some rafts deflated, spurring a rescue effort by the Canadian Coast Guard as well as federal and provincial police, coast guard spokeswoman Carol Launderville said in an email.
Most "floaters" had to be rescued from the water, with many towed to shore, according to the coast guard.
Some tried to swim back to the United States.
Seen the world's first playable DJ pizza box
Pizza Hut has got something for you out-of-the box, or maybe you can say, on the box.
Though there's not much to innovate in the pizza-making industry, this international franchise has recently launched the "world's first playable DJ pizza box", which is a standard cardboard container rigged up with touch-sensitive decks, a mixer and other controllable buttons.
According to Engadget, it is created by printed electronics expert Novalia. The battery-powered box connects to your computer or smartphone via Bluetooth and is compatible with DJ software like Serato DJ.
You can scratch, rewind, control pitch and cross-fade. This playable DJ pizza box will however be limited to just five of Pizza Hut's 350 UK restaurants.
Melt-proof ice-creams are here!
Ice-cream lovers, rejoice! There's a new ice-cream in town with a melt-free twist. Gastronaut Ice Cream, created by a food expert, comes in a bar and can be enjoyed at room temperature, the Mirror reported.
It may be very different from its frozen counterpart as it can be crumbled in your hands, but once you begin eating it, the organic snack transforms into the "exact same sweet and creamy ice cream" you have known all your life. To melt-proof an ice-cream, first they freeze-dry it and then dehydrate it, with nothing added to it except a pinch of salt.
Freeze-drying involves first freezing a food substance and then creating a powerful vacuum before adding heat which draws out the frozen liquid from the food as vapour. The Gastronaut range comes in 3 mouth-watering flavours -- Mexican Chocolate Chip, Cookies and Cream and Mint Chocolate Chip.
Owner Rob Collignon said: "This is the only premium organic freeze-dried ice cream on the planet. I've always liked freeze-dried ice cream -- they sell it in space museums and camping stores. I've eaten it my whole life but it doesn't taste that good because they start with the cheapest ice cream imaginable."
The 34-year-old from Brooklyn worked on his product for three and a half years before bringing it onto the market.
Doctors remove 40 knives from stomach of a policeman
In an unusual case, as many as 40 knives were surgically removed from the stomach of a policeman in Gurudaspur, Punjab who claimed that he used to feel an "urge" to eat them.
A team of five doctors carried out a five-hour long surgery on Surjeet Singh (40), who is employed with Punjab Police and is posted at Tarn Taran district, at a hospital.
"He had a wild urge to consume metal. Even for us, the experienced surgeons, it was frightening," Dr Jatinder Malhotra told CNN.
"A series of ultrasounds followed by various tests, including endoscopy and CT scan, related to the stomach were carried out before the surgery as the patient was admitted in the hospital with severe weight loss, besides multiple ailments.
"In the beginning, cancer was suspected but during investigation some hard metal substances were found inside the stomach that had damaged liver and kidney and other organs," said Malhotra who led the team of doctors during the operation.
"We were so nervous... a small mistake could have taken the patient's life," Malhotra said. "In my 20 years of practice, I have never seen anything like it."
Malhotra said they found folded knives, unfolded knives and rusted and broken knives in the man's stomach.
Is that a Tyrannosaurus Rex?
A lightning bolt some believed to be shaped like a tyrannosaurus rex struck a national park in Arizona.
The US Department of the Interior shared a photo of the oddly shaped bolt of lightning which struck Petrified Forest
National Park.
"This bolt looks like a Tyrannosaurus rex getting ready to chomp a formation at Blue Mesa," they wrote.
Some people provided their own opinions of the lightning bolt's shape, suggesting it resembled a snake, a cougar or an upside down heart-shaped balloon on a string.
KFC's fried chicken-scented SUNSCREEN?
Are you a fan of Kentucky Fried Chicken? Here's a complete bizarre move by the fast food giant.
KFC has created an "exclusive and extremely limited run of fried chicken-scented sunscreen" that will be available on a first come, first served basis, according to a press release.
Their tagline is, fittingly, "The only skin that should be extra crispy this summer is on your fried chicken."
So, how do you score the body grease? Visit ExtraCrispySunscreen.com!
Spoof video shows 'human sacrifice' at CERN
No, there wasn't actually a human sacrifice at the CERN laboratories in Switzerland -- home of the Large Hadron Collider.
Officials say they are looking into a "spoof" video filmed on the site without permission.
Shot from a building at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva, known as CERN, the video shows hooded people in a courtyard before the cape of one woman is lifted off her shoulders. After she lies down, a hooded person approaches and appears to stab her with a knife. An off-camera voice reacts with an expletive and the camera turns away.
On its website, CERN called the video "a work of fiction showing a contrived scene." | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/wtf-news-its-weird-true-and-funny/20160824.htm | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/6e31ce639212ca423a2cabcfe294116995c3428c9e19256e4bbd74253a4d41a3.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:29:24 | null | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours. | REWIND: India in the last 24 hours | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpix-rewind-india-in-the-last-24-hours%2F20160811.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/11rewind14.jpg | en | null | REWIND: India in the last 24 hours | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 11, 2016 08:41 IST
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
Taznim Miran, a 13-year-old Muslim girl, waves the national flag outside her house in Ahmedabad. Taznim said that she will unfurl the tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Independence Day. Photograph: PTI
Residents of Tengpora village in Srinagar shout slogans during a protest demanding arrest of DSP Yasir Qadri who allegedly killed a 26-year-old inside his house. The Supreme Court has sought a report from the police on the circumstances which led to the youth's death. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI
Workers install LED bulbs for the first time in place of incandescent light bulbs at Parliament House ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI
People remove a bed from their flooded house in Allahabad. Photograph: Jitendra Prakash/Reuters
Media persons taking a photo of Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist Bahadur Ali from a screen during a press conference at the National Investigation Agency headquarter in New Delhi on Wednesday. Showing a confessional video of the captured LeT terrorist, the NIA has claimed that Pakistan is orchestrating unrest in Kashmir. Photograph: Kamal Singh/ PTI
A view of the Shri Bade Hanumanji temple submerged with the waters from Ganga and Yamuna at Sangam, in Allahabad on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI
Haj pilgrims wave at relatives from a bus outside the Haj House in Lucknow on Wednesday. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI
Policemen lathicharge to disperse sanitation workers near Municipal Corporation office in Hazratganj on Wednesday. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI
Army and National Disaster Response Force personnel carry out rescue operations after a two-storey building collapsed in Varanasi on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI
Security jawans stand guard during 33th day of curfew and strike in Srinagar on Wednesday. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI
Visually challenged women from National Association for the Blind make rakhis in Mumbai on Wednesday. The association will gift 1 lakh rakhis to the Indian Army on Rakshabandan. Photograph: Sahil Salvi
A Coast Guard ship succeeds in reaching a stranded fishing trawler from Kakdwip, South 24-Parganas and rescued its 10-member crew on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI
Police personnel paying last rights to former Arunachal Pradesh CM Kalikho Pul at the Chief Minister's Official Bungalow on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-rewind-india-in-the-last-24-hours/20160811.htm | en | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/de09240a0649442c5b51bcfb4f4565bdd55d304c199d171af3aac06bc7035e06.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T06:50:07 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | The mother-to-be, named Sandhya Yadav, a resident of Simaria village, had to endure hardship after state government's Janani Express (ambulance) didn't reach in the said time. | Pregnant woman forced to walk 6 km to hospital in flood-ravaged MP | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpregnant-woman-forced-to-walk-6-km-to-hospital-in-flood-ravaged-mp%2F20160827.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/27flood2.jpg | en | null | Pregnant woman forced to walk 6 km to hospital in flood-ravaged MP | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 27, 2016 10:35 IST
In what could be a slap on the face of the civil society, a case of shocking apathy has come to fore, wherein a pregnant woman in Madhya Pradesh was forced to walk six kilometres through a waterlogged area to reach the hospital to deliver her baby.
The incident was reported from the state’s Chhatarpur district, when a family called for a government ambulance, but the hospital said it would take half an hour.
The mother-to-be, named Sandhya Yadav, a resident of Simaria village, had to endure hardship after state government’s Janani Express (ambulance) didn’t reach in the said time.
Sandhya said that she gave birth as soon as she reached the hospital. She also said that this was not the first such incident in her village and that pregnant women have been transported in folding beds to the hospital.
Describing the incident, Asha worker Haribai said, “They called the ambulance. But the person said that they will take 30 minutes to reach. So we took her by auto. The distance from our Asha Centre to the hospital is 12 kilometres. In midway, the auto-rickshaw got stuck. She then went to the hospital by walking.”
“It is a usual thing that takes place in our village. If there is more problem in carrying the pregnant ladies, we take them in folding beds,” she added.
The Janani Express Yojana of the government aims at providing benefit of transportation to all of the expectant mothers for their institutional deliveries.
As per the scheme, the vehicles to be used for transportation of these people would be available at the government hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres or any other suitable places in the respective areas.
Image: People wade through waist-deep water after the state received heavy rains leading to flooding. Photograph: PTI | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pregnant-woman-forced-to-walk-6-km-to-hospital-in-flood-ravaged-mp/20160827.htm | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/4d10cd6071e8ff5a30f71b1bb80494b5ed41ebf1fdd85a3897aabb1c5dd2bd4e.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:35:30 | null | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | The family members of the deceased filed an FIR against the station in-charge and other police personnel for beating Kamal to death. | Dalit dies in police custody in Kanpur, 12 cops suspended | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fdalit-dies-in-police-custody-in-kanpur%2F20160805.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/05dalit1.jpg | en | null | Dalit dies in police custody in Kanpur, 12 cops suspended | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 05, 2016 08:30 IST
A 26-year-old Dalit man died in police custody under suspicious circumstances in Kanpur following which 12 police personnel have been suspended.
Kamal Valmiki, a resident of Shiv Katra village, was found dead at Ahirwan police station on Thursday afternoon after he was picked up along with another man, Raju Mistri, on Wednesday in a case of looting.
Police called the family of Mistri to identify the body, which was later claimed by Kamal’s family.
The family members of the deceased filed an FIR against the station in-charge and other police personnel for beating Kamal to death. However, police claimed he had committed suicide and sent the body for post-mortem.
“Twelve police personnel, including the station in-charge Yogendra Singh, have been suspended and strict action will be taken against them if found guilty,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Mathura, Shalabh Mathur said
The members of Valmiki community blocked the Kanpur-Lucknow highway and threw stones at the police station following which senior police officials reached there to control the situation.
Meanwhile, Raju Mistri has been reported missing. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/dalit-dies-in-police-custody-in-kanpur/20160805.htm | en | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/c1bf785f180c863c9cdbafbb4ac71fda317199298af8e86cbab968b8b9086322.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:29:11 | null | 2016-08-10T00:00:00 | The video shows 21-year-old Bahadur Ali, a resident of Raiwind in Lahore, spilling beans about LeT's role in the disturbances. | Captured terrorist says LeT, Pak orchestrating Kashmir unrest | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fcaptured-terrorist-says-let-pak-orchestrating-kashmir-unrest%2F20160810.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/10kashmir1.jpg | en | null | Captured terrorist says LeT, Pak orchestrating Kashmir unrest | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 10, 2016 21:22 IST
In a new twist to the turmoil in Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency on Wednesday claimed it was being orchestrated by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and that it was gathering further evidence of the terror group’s role in fuelling the unrest, triggered by the encounter killing of a terrorist leader.
Armed with a confessional video of a captured LeT terrorist, Inspector General of NIA Sanjeev Singh told reporters that since the summer this year, the banned outfit, with the ‘help of Pakistani forces deployed on the border’, pushed heavily armed terrorists into India with the direction to mix with the local people, create disturbance, and attack police and security forces.
The video shows 21-year-old Bahadur Ali, a resident of Raiwind in Lahore, spilling beans about LeT’s role in the disturbances. He is also shown speaking about the LeT’s sophisticated communication network and assistance rendered to it by the Pakistani army.
Ali, who was arrested on July 25 this year from Yahama village in Handwara in North Kashmir, was in one of the groups allegedly instructed to take advantage of the current situation and throw grenades at the security forces by mixing with the protesters.
“During communications with Ali, Alpha-3 (a communication centre in Pakistan occupied-Kashmir) told that the LeT cadres had been successful in fuelling large-scale agitation in Kashmir after Eid subsequent to the death of Burhan Wani.
“Further investigation is continuing on the disclosure of Bahadur Ali regarding his role in the present unrest in Kashmir,” Singh said.
The anti-terror probe agency also said it is gathering further evidence regarding the role of Pakistan-based LeT in the ongoing turbulence in the Valley for the last 33 days.
The NIA’s comments came a day after India handed over a ‘strong demarche’ to Pakistan over its continued support to cross-border terrorism in India.
The NIA also showed to the media a video of Ali alias Saifullah, a Punjabi-speaking man, talking about his family, the time he spent in the terror outfit and his crossing over to the Indian side of the border.
Ali told his interrogators that he was informed by his handlers from a control room code-named ‘Alpha-3’, believed to located at a high altitude somewhere in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, about the unrest in the Valley following the killing of Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant on July 8.
His handlers from the control room asked him to throw grenades at the security forces and also informed him that other cadres of the terror group had managed to sneak into the Valley, mingled with protesters and were fuelling tension in the Valley.
This is for the first time that the NIA has shown a video statement of a captured terrorist. Pakistan had earlier this year shown a video statement of Kulbhushan Yadav, an Indian national arrested in Balochistan in March over charges of spying for the Indian intelligence agencies.
Ali said he was recruited into Jamaat-ud-Dawa, an organisation headed by Hafiz Saeed, aged 14, by a close aide of the 26/11 mastermind, and given the task of collecting funds for Jihad in his village.
Moulana Abdur Rahim, who belonged to the LeT, also headed by Saeed, radicalised him by showing films of alleged atrocities on Muslims in different parts of the world including India and exhorting youth to undertake Jihad to establish Islamic rule there.
He also served in the office of an LeT-affiliated NGO Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation at Lahore.
Before being sent to India, Ali underwent three training courses -- Daura-e-Tulba (basic training for 15 days) at Manshera in the year 2013, Daura-e-Aam (21 days of basic arms training) at Aksa camp near Muzaffarabad in 2014 followed by month-long Daura-e-Khas at Tabook camp near Muzaffarabad in the summer of 2016, during which he was trained in use of sophisticated arms and field craft.
He said there are 30 to 50 trainees at any given time in each course from different parts of Pakistan including Pushto speaking men who are sent to Afghanistan to fight the allied forces, the NIA said.
Ali said he was launched from Mandaku area of PoK where he was handed over arms and ammunition besides other accessories like GPS, night vision device, compass, grenades, grenade launchers, maps, matrix sheets, food packets, dry ration, medicines etc.
Before being launched, Ali and other were repeatedly shown the infiltration route on the Google maps beamed on an LCD TV besides landmarks on the route.
Ali said some army officers in civilian clothes visited to brief them about their tasks and check their preparedness. He said those officers were referred to as ‘major sahib and captain sahib’, corroborating the statement made by Mohd Naveed, another Pakistani terrorist, who was captured and arrested following an attack on a Border Security Force convoy at Udhampur in August 2015.
“The in-charge of the control centre at Muzaffarabad whom Bahadur Ali had also met before infiltrating into India was a man named Waleed,” Singh said.
Indicating continued encouragement and support of Pakistani military regulars in pushing terrorists into the Kashmir Valley, Singh said the arrested Lashkar terrorist had been promised cover fire when attempting to infiltrate into Northern Kashmir.
He said the terrorists were communicating with ‘Alpha-3’ on Japanese I-com radio sets which had been modified to cover a vast range.
“Highly technically qualified people have done the modification of the radio set and also trained these militants including Bahadur Ali,” Singh said.
About the persons who could be manning ‘Alpha-3’, Singh said it was not possible for a terror group or ordinary people to have such a communication set up which covers a wide range of area and can hack into defence networks.
“(The) NIA is collecting evidence that will stand international udicial scrutiny and will share it with Pakistan for further action through proper channel,” he said. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/captured-terrorist-says-let-pak-orchestrating-kashmir-unrest/20160810.htm | en | 2016-08-10T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/5578061cc7311017bec6acc70b33876517edc3817e4ee6a10b98ebbe3f7e8134.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:33:47 | null | 2016-08-08T00:00:00 | Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours. | REWIND: India in the last 24 hours | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpix-rewind-india-in-the-last-24-hours%2F20160808.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/08rewind1.jpg | en | null | REWIND: India in the last 24 hours | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 08, 2016 09:55 IST
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani enjoying lassi (sweetened yogurt) during 2nd National Handloom Day function in Varanasi on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
Girls tying friendship band to a bus counductor during Friendship Day celebrations in Kolkata on Sunday. Photograph: Ashok Bhaumik/PTI Photo
Boys playing cricket at the famous Marina beach in Chennai on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a crowd during a Bharatiya Janata Party rally in Hyderabad, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
Expelled BJP leader Daya Shankar Singh addressing a press conference with wife Swati Singh in Lucknow on Sunday. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo
Students of Visva-Bharati University carry saplings in a decorated palanquin for plantation during 75th death anniversary function of Rabindranath Tagore at Santiniketan in Birbhum district of West Bengal on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
A turban being tied for Gujarat's new Chief Minister Vijay Rupani during his swearing-in ceremony in Gandhinagar on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi switching on the pump for supply of drinking water to villages at the inauguration of Mission Bhagiratha in Gajwel, Medak district in Telangana on Sunday. Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting, M Venkaiah Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao are also seen. Photograph: PTI Photo
Candidates undergoing tattoo checking during an Army recruitment rally in Patiala on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
People enjoying under a waterfall during rains in Bhopal on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
A view of flooded River Tawi after heavy rains in Jammu on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh holds a sword at a programme in Lucknow on Sunday. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo
Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed residential building in Bhiwandi, on the outskirts of Mumbai, August 7. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters
A man rests in a boat under a bridge over the Ganga river in Allahabad. Photograph: Jitendra Prakash/Reuters | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-rewind-india-in-the-last-24-hours/20160808.htm | en | 2016-08-08T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/cf68aa600f1ad76a9501214ae5a590414718da50302f179fbed925c539f4c9d3.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:34:07 | null | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | Pakistani authorities did not allow entry of Indian mediapersons inside the venue of 7th SAARC Home Ministers Meeting in Islamabad, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. | Indian media not allowed to cover my speech in Pakistan: Rajnath | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Findian-media-not-allowed-to-cover-my-speech-in-pakistan-rajnath%2F20160805.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/05rajnath2.jpg | en | null | Indian media not allowed to cover my speech in Pakistan: Rajnath | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 05, 2016 14:38 IST
Pakistani authorities did not allow entry of Indian mediapersons, including those from PTI and Doordarshan, inside the venue of 7th SAARC Home Ministers Meeting in Islamabad, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.
Responding to questions in Rajya Sabha after making a suo motu statement on Thursday’s conference, the minister also said that after the meeting was over, Pakistan’s home minister, who was the host, invited the participants for lunch but left in a car soon thereafter.
“Keeping in mind the country’s prestige, I did what I should have done. I have no complaints. I had not gone there for lunch,” he said amid thumping of benches by members.
He also said he was “hesitant to say if the host were courteous... I don’t want to comment on it. I have no qualms or complaints”. The minister also said “India is known globally for its ‘meheman nawaazi (hospitality)’.”
Several members had appreciated Singh for “boycotting” the lunch and criticised Pakistan for not showing due courtesy to the visiting Indian home minister.
To queries whether there was no telecast of his speech, Singh said he was not aware of the convention and would need to ask the ministry of external affairs regarding it.
“Since I was giving the speech, I did not see if it was live telecast or not. But this is true that Doordarshan, ANI and PTI reporters were not given permission to enter inside (the venue)”, he said as members condemned it by chanting “shame, shame”.
Rajya Sabha members also criticised Pakistan for allowing protest against India and the visit of Singh.
The minister said as per the original plan, he had to reach the hotel by road from Rawalpindi airbase, but probably security officials later decided to use helicopter.
“I saw people were protesting at several places in groups of 10-25 or 100,” he said, adding “had I bothered about the protest, I probably wouldn’t have gone to Pakistan”. Singh also said he did not register any protest against these protests.
Reports had said that members of the Indian media, which went from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to enter the venue and kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, leading to a verbal duel between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official.
The home minister also skipped the official lunch as the host had left the venue, the reports had said.
Recalling former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statement that one can change friends but not neighbours, Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh have expressed sympathy with Pakistan as it too has been a “victim of terror”.
He said all prime ministers have made efforts to improve relations with neighbours.
“But the dilemma is...padosi hai ki maanta hi nahi (the neighbour is not ready to change)...May God give sense to all”, he said evoking laughter in the House.
Earlier Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, seeking clarification on Singh’s statement, said his Congress party and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party may have differences, but when the prime minister or the home minister travel abroad, they are one.
He sought to know if local TV channels did not cover the home minister’s visit and his statements and there was a media blackout.
He also sought to know whether protocol was not extended to him in accordance with India’s standing among SAARC nations and the host being absent at his reception and added if all this was true, it was condemnable.
Subramanian Swamy of the BJP wanted to know if Singh took up with his Pakistani counterpart the “daily retort by their prime minister about disintegrating” India and Kashmir.
He wanted to know if he suggested to Pakistanis to take care of problems in their own backyard.
Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress wanted to know if the Indian media including official media DD were not given access to the home minister’s speech which was blacked out.
He also wanted to know if this was the first instance of blackout or is there a precedence.
Asked whether paramilitary forces should be given a free hand to deal with terrorists, the home minister said that the Border Security Force has been asked to maintain “patience, but if a bullet is fired, then they do not need to seek permission for how they have to respond. This is the standing order”. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/indian-media-not-allowed-to-cover-my-speech-in-pakistan-rajnath/20160805.htm | en | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/115379a276dd20cdb933c6cbccfdd2017836c49e86cfc77b6574b21143f5aecb.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:16:33 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | The water level of major rivers, including the Ganga and the Yamuna, in Uttar Pradesh has crossed the danger mark at several places. | Raging Ganga, Yamuna flood UP; Varanasi, Allahabad worst hit | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpix-raging-ganga-yamuna-flood-up-districts%2F20160823.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/23flood1.jpg | en | null | Raging Ganga, Yamuna flood UP; Varanasi, Allahabad worst hit | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 24, 2016 01:19 IST
The water level of major rivers, including the Ganga and the Yamuna, in Uttar Pradesh has crossed the danger mark at several places in the state.
IMAGE: Cremations are being performed on the roof of a building as the famous Manikarnika Ghat is flooded in Varanasi. Photographs: PTI Photo
At least 22 people were killed and lakhs affected in floods in Bihar even as major rivers, including the Ganga, were in a spate in the state and Uttar Pradesh.
In Bihar, 22 people were killed and 23.71 lakh people affected in the floods in the state caused by a spate in rivers Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra and Kosi.
IMAGE: A view of submerged houses in Allahabad.
The weather department has predicted thunder and lightning at places including Patna, Gaya and Bhagalpur in the state during next 24 hours.
In Delhi, the mercury settled within levels normal for this time of the year.
The maximum temperature was recorded at 33.7 degrees Celsius, while the minimum settled at 27 degrees Celsius. The humidity levels oscillated between 81 and 64 per cent.
IMAGE: Huts of sadhus submerged in waters of Ganga and Yamuna in Allahabad.
In UP, the Ganga was swollen well above the red mark in Allahabad, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur and Ballia, while Yamuna, Sharda and Ken were flowing above the danger mark at various places as flood-like situation prevailed in eastern part of the state.
In Ballia, Ganga's level has risen at dangerous level of 60.30 metres, which is about three metres above the red mark, according to the Central Water Commission.
Light to moderate rain and thunder showers occurred at a few places over eastern UP where nearly 200 villages in Varanasi, 230 in Ghazipur, 115 in Chandauli, 125 in Ballia, 300 in Mirzapur, 20 in Bhadohi, 12 in Jaunpur, 11 in Azamgarh and seven in Mau district were reportedly affected by flooding.
IMAGE: View of a temple submerged in water in Salori area in Allahabad.
Flooding has forced closure of schools and disrupted vehicular and train movement in Varanasi and Ballia. The spate in Ganga has also slowed down the cremation of bodies at the famous Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats in Varanasi, while the river submerged Assi and Dashashwamedh ghats leading to the Ganga Arti now being held in the bylanes.
Teams of National Disaster Response Force were pressed into service in Bihar and UP even as the force managed to rescue over 33,000 marooned people from states including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Assam.
Senior NDRF officials said a special control room at the forces' headquarter in the national capital is monitoring the flood situation 24x7.
IMAGE: A woman dries clothes in a flooded area in Mirzapur near Varanasi.
It has been raining heavily in isolated parts of Uttarakhand for the past few days with brief let-ups in between with nearly hundred rural motorable roads in 13 districts still blocked by debris from landslides.
A woman went missing after a cloudburst hit Maroragaon village in Pauri district of Uttarakhand.
The chardham yatra routes were also blocked at places affecting the annual pilgrimage.
In West Bengal, most parts except Asansol and Darjeeling received scant rain during the day even as there was a likelihood of light to moderate rain during next 48 hours in the state.
IMAGE: People take refuge at the top floor of a building at a flooded locality in Assi, Varanasi.
Asansol received 94.1 mm rainfall, the highest in the state in 24 hours from Monday morning, while Darjeeling hills received 74 mm rainfall during the same period.
The maximum temperatures in Punjab and Haryana hovered around normal levels despite rains lashing a few places.
In Haryana, Ambala and Hisar recorded the maximum temperature of 32.6 and 36.2 degrees Celsius. Ambala received rainfall of 8.2 mm. Karnal and Narnaul recorded their respective maximums at 33.6 and 33 degrees Celsius.
IMAGE: Temples submerged at Ram ghat due to heavy rains which caused flood in Kshipra river in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
In Punjab, the maximum temperature at Amritsar settled at 35.4 degrees Celsius, while Ludhiana and Patiala registered maximum temperatures of 33.9 and 33.2 degrees Celsius respectively. Ludhiana and Patiala received 13.8 mm and 1 mm of rainfall respectively. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-raging-ganga-yamuna-flood-up-districts/20160823.htm | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/ecbaabdfc897d51da7a026fe849c48da3965a4758d8c90691d74eac0d0d0e795.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:27:15 | null | 2016-08-14T00:00:00 | Thousands of security personnel, 200 CCTVs and two high-mast, high-resolution cameras and 60 sniffer dogs of paramilitary forces and Delhi Police will also be part of the extensive security arrangement. | Red Fort comes under security blanket for August 15 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpix-red-fort-comes-under-security-blanket-for-august-15%2F20160814.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/14iday1.jpg | en | null | Red Fort comes under security blanket for August 15 | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 14, 2016 13:49 IST
Red Fort, the 17th century monument from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on the 70th Independence Day on Monday, and adjoining areas have been put under an unprecedented air-to-ground security cover with hawk-eye vigil being maintained across the entire national capital.
IMAGE: Security men stand guard near India Gate in view of beefed up security arrangements ahead of upcoming Independence day celebrations. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI
Thousands of security personnel, including 5,000 men from Delhi Police, have been deployed to ensure foolproof security in and around the historic Mughal fort which will see the presence of senior ministers, top bureaucrats, foreign dignitaries and common people.
A multi-layer security has also been thrown around Rajpath where a seven-day-long cultural festival ‘Bharat Parv’ is underway. All the government buildings, including North Block and South Block, are being illuminated after sunset in the run up to August 15.
At Red Fort, a special team of National Security Guard snipers and commandos will form the inner layers of the security cordon while anti-aircraft guns have been deployed to thwart any aerial intrusion by objects like drones and projectiles, senior police officials said.
IMAGE: Thousands of security personnel, including 5,000 men from Delhi Police, have been deployed to ensure foolproof security. Photograph: PTI
Delhi Police has already prohibited aerial activities, including para-gliding, flying UAVs and hot air balloons, across the city till October 10.
Also, police are surveying the areas in the vicinity of the Red Fort and have collected details of over 9,000 people residing there. The buildings facing the Red Fort will be secured by police and paramilitary personnel.
Entry and exit to Metro stations near Red Fort will be closed till the prime minister is present at the venue.
Panoramic photography will be used to ensure a close watch on 605 balconies and 104 windows that open towards Red Fort. Security agencies have also marked out over 3,000 trees in the area, said the officials.
IMAGE: A man gets his picture taken in front of the Illuminated Defence Ministry, Presidential Palace and the home ministry ahead of Independence Day celebrations. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Army and NSG officials will run a special communication and command centre to keep a close watch on the proceedings of the day at Red Fort.
Special measures will be taken to meet “on-the-spot situations” such as the prime minister choosing to meet people at the venue as he previously did twice, officials said.
Security along the route to be taken by the prime minister’s cavalcade from 7 RCR to Red Fort will be monitored with the help of hundreds of CCTV cameras.
IMAGE: Children participate in a full-dress rehearsal ahead of Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI
Besides, 200 CCTVs and two high-mast, high-resolution cameras, managed by three control rooms, will keep under observation the Red Fort premises.
Special spotters of Delhi Police and paramilitary will keep an eye on parking areas. Over 60 sniffer dogs of paramilitary forces and Delhi Police will also be part of the extensive security arrangement.
Preliminary security arrangements were made in July and senior police and intelligence officials have been regularly updating them to weed out any shortcomings and glitches. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-red-fort-comes-under-security-blanket-for-august-15/20160814.htm | en | 2016-08-14T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/4ffdc69d8e3b3b5bd06a4c35cc33f9f38f96e00bd2cfd39658d7aa5c1f39fefd.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:36:34 | null | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | The central government has denied a diplomatic passport to a Kerala minister, deputed to visit Saudi Arabia for assessing the situation of Keralites who have lost jobs and are languishing in labour camps, putting a question mark over his visit. | Govt denies diplomatic passport to Kerala minister to visit Saudi Arabia | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fgovt-denies-diplomatic-passport-to-kerala-minister-to-visit-saudi-arabia%2F20160805.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/05lead1.jpg | en | null | Govt denies diplomatic passport to Kerala minister to visit Saudi Arabia | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 05, 2016 01:03 IST
The central government has denied a diplomatic passport to a Kerala minister, deputed to visit Saudi Arabia for assessing the situation of Keralites who have lost jobs and are languishing in labour camps, putting a question mark over his visit.
"We got intimation a short while ago that the diplomatic passport has been denied," Local Self Development Minister K T Jaleel, who is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday night.
Jaleel had earlier in the day said they have applied for the diplomatic passport and he expected they would be able to leave on Friday.
He had been deputed by the state government for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation of Keralites in labour camps.
The minister's office received an email intimation from the External Affairs Minister's office informing about the denial of diplomatic passport.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had been informed about the development, Jaleel said.
"No reason for denying the passport has been given. Whether there is any politics involved is not known," he said.
He, however, said he did not wish to have any confrontation with the Centre on the matter.
Earlier in the day, he said there was no clear information on the exact number of Keralites affected by the recent situation in Saudi Arabia.
As per hearsay, there were several Keralites among the 10,000 Indians who had lost jobs, he said.
"Our effort will be to visit the labour camps. But, as per information, there are restrictions on visiting labour camps in Saudi Arabia," he said.
"But, we will try to visit the camps to know the plight of our people," Jaleel said.
Local Self Government Special secretary V K Baby would also accompany Jaleel.
As per the present plan, they will visit labour camps in Jeddha, Riyadh and if possible Dammam.
On rehabilitation package for those who return to the state, he said the state government was working on it.
Representative Image: Video Grab | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/govt-denies-diplomatic-passport-to-kerala-minister-to-visit-saudi-arabia/20160805.htm | en | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/a4c0629dcea8d0b6c8db9419677f77ec99b96ad8bd3f11991d94bdac5f94f4ea.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:20:26 | null | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | As per the US laws, presidential nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties receive classified presidential briefings which prepares them for presidency if elected. | Trump receives first top secret intel brief, but won't use it | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Ftrump-receives-first-top-secret-intel-brief-but-will-not-use-it%2F20160818.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/18lead1.jpg | en | null | Trump receives first top secret intel brief, but won't use it | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 18, 2016 08:48 IST
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has received his first classified intelligence briefing which he said he is unlikely to "use" if he is elected in November's general election.
As per the US laws, presidential nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties receive classified presidential briefings which prepares them for presidency if elected.
Given some of his rhetoric in the past, his opponents have urged the US Government not to provide him with intelligence briefing. However, the FBI went ahead with its well established tradition of providing classified briefings to the GOP candidate, which happened at the FBI office in New York.
Trump was accompanied by two of his confidants New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn. The briefing that reportedly lasted for more than two hours was led by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
While there was no word, these classified intelligence briefings normally includes on threats to the US and other security issues. It is not secret intelligence briefings which includes operational intelligence.
Before the briefing, Trump said he would not much depend on such intelligence briefings. "Very easy to use them, but I won't use them, because they've made such bad decisions. If we would have never touched it, it would have been a lot better," Trump told Fox News in an interview.
Before headed for intelligence briefing, Trump held round table with his national security team on defeating radical Islam, his campaign said.
"Today, Trump convened a meeting of some of the top foreign policy and national security experts in the country to discuss how to win the war against Radical Islamic Terrorism," said his national policy director Stephen Miller.
"The participants talked about improving immigration screening and standards to keep out radicals, working with moderate Muslims to foster reforms, and partnering with friendly regimes in the Middle East to stamp out ISIS," he said.
"This is a stark contrast to Hillary Clinton who wants to bring in 620,000 refugees with no way to screen them, who refuses to say radical Islam, and who bears direct responsibility for the rise of ISIS with her disastrous interventions overseas," Miller said.
It was not immediately known when Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would receive such a briefing or when it has been scheduled for. Several Republican leaders have called for Clinton not to be given classified information in view of the email scandal.
Image: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reads a document during a round table discussion on security at Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York, US, August 17, 2016. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/trump-receives-first-top-secret-intel-brief-but-will-not-use-it/20160818.htm | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/423459e43ed81e211f296a74cae865cff9b3916ca27c94e94400f62819fa283b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:32:32 | null | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | Police officers in Bihar are up in arms over the suspension of 11 Station House Officers for not enforcing the liquor ban in the state. | Bihar cops are on a war path with their superiors | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fbihar-cops-are-on-a-war-path-with-their-superiors%2F20160809.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/09lead7.jpg | en | null | Bihar cops are on a war path with their superiors | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 09, 2016 17:15 IST
Police officers in Bihar are up in arms over the suspension of 11 Station House Officers for not enforcing the liquor ban in the state.
Bihar Police Association general secretary Murtunjay Kumar Singh said, "Nearly 250 SHOs of different police stations across the state have already informed their Superintendents of Police that they would not like to continue on their posts in view of suspension of 11 of their colleagues for their reported failure to check and control the manufacture of illicit country-made liquor in areas within their jurisdiction."
The association has described the suspension as an act that will demoralise police officials who have been working hard to implement the liquor ban.
For the first time, the police officers have issued an ultimatum to the their superiors to withdraw the suspension or they would be forced to launch an agitation.
"If the suspension is not revoked by August 28, around 21,000 officers from assistant sub inspector to inspector rank will go on a week-long mass leave," Singh said.
Over 1.5 lakh litres of banned liquor -- 96,878.66 litres of country-made liquor, 52,530.446 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and 13,153 litres of spirit -- have been recovered within four months, something that could not have been possible without the alertness displayed by the police officers, Singh claimed, adding that instead of rewarding the officers, the state government was punishing them.
However, the police top brass has defended the suspension.
"Despite the liquor ban being in place for the last four months, these SHOs did not take any step to crack down on the manufacture of illicit country-made liquor in their respective jurisdiction. That is why they were suspended,” Additional Director General of Police Sunil Kumar said.
Kumar said the suspended SHOs would not be made in charge of any police station for the next 10 years.
The officer also informed that 4,707 people have been arrested and and 3,719 FIRs lodged since the ban was enforced. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/bihar-cops-are-on-a-war-path-with-their-superiors/20160809.htm | en | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/dbd2d11985aef303ec5bf05aac34ea5dfed6ccd3deef51ccb0b5c409537e8c2d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:25:55 | null | 2016-08-14T00:00:00 | On the eve of 70th Independence Day, President Pranab Mukherjee is addressing the nation.
| WATCH LIVE! President Mukherjee addresses nation on eve of I-Day | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fwatch-live-president-mukherjee-addresses-nation-on-eve-of-i-day%2F20160814.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2014/aug/14prez1.jpg | en | null | WATCH LIVE! President Mukherjee addresses nation on eve of I-Day | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 14, 2016 19:10 IST
On the eve of 70th Independence Day, President Pranab Mukherjee is addressing the nation.
Watch the full speech here | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/watch-live-president-mukherjee-addresses-nation-on-eve-of-i-day/20160814.htm | en | 2016-08-14T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/7af8d7cb283c22264a1bd8d9f8ad3086134570ebc85c7a3dcc08159a37c6df84.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:39:42 | null | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said her condition was 'stable' after she suffered a bout of 'dehydration, vomited and had fever' in Varanasi. | Ailing Sonia back in Delhi, taken to Army's RR Hospital | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Failing-sonia-taken-to-hospital-in-delhi%2F20160803.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/03lead2.jpg | en | null | Ailing Sonia back in Delhi, taken to Army's RR Hospital | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 03, 2016 00:59 IST
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had to cut short her visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi after she was taken ill, returned to New Delhi late Tuesday night and was taken to the Army's Research and Referral Hospital.
The 69-year-old leader landed in Delhi by a chartered flight close to midnight after she had to abandon the 8-km roadshow midway due to illness.
Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said her condition was "stable" after she suffered a bout of "dehydration, vomited and had fever" in Varanasi.
She received medical attention in Varanasi and doctors who attended to her in the holy city accompanied her on the flight back to Delhi.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was at the airport to receive her mother, said she was unwell for the last couple of days but decided against cancelling the programme.
"She was unwell for the couple of days before but since the programme was there, she was very keen to go," Priyanka said.
After landing, Sonia was taken to the RR Hospital, which is close to the airport. Doctors at the Gangaram Hospital were also kept on standby.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Congress's chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh Sheila Dikshit, who accompanied Gandhi on the road show and inquired about her health.
Modi also offered to send a doctor and an aircraft to bring the Congress president back to Delhi, sources said.
Congress sources said Sonia was running fever but decided to go ahead with the roadshow in Varanasi, where her condition worsened, as she was not inclined to cancel it at the last moment.
In a statement, the Congress chief regretted that she could not complete her visit to Varanasi due to illness but said she would come back soon for "darshan" of Kashi Vishwanath in the temple town.
"Due to illness, I could not complete my visit for which I regret. I could not seek the blessings of Kashi Vishwanth in the holy month of Savan. I will come back soon. I am thankful to all citizens of Varanasi and Congress workers for the love and affection," she said.
Image: Sonia Gandhi at the roadshow in Varanasi earlier in the day. Photograph: PTI Photo | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/ailing-sonia-taken-to-hospital-in-delhi/20160803.htm | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/74adb66371c3da4c80664f47a0e746ffa28a7a210e63a8294f44ed145c94b9e9.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:23:45 | null | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | A bench of Justices A K Sikri and D Y Chandrachud issued notice to the state on the plea filed by the Akhil Bharat Krishi Goseva Sangh. | SC seeks state's response on plea challenging Bombay HC decision on beef possession | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fsc-seeks-states-response-on-plea-challenging-beef-possession-verdict%2F20160817.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/getahead/2012/nov/16restaurant5.jpg | en | null | SC seeks state's response on plea challenging Bombay HC decision on beef possession | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 17, 2016 19:27 IST
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought the response of Maharashtra government on a plea challenging a Bombay high court verdict which held that mere possession of beef of animals slaughtered outside the state cannot invite criminal action.
A bench of Justices A K Sikri and D Y Chandrachud issued notice to the state on the plea filed by the Akhil Bharat Krishi Goseva Sangh.
The counsel appearing for the Sangh told the apex court that they were challenging part of the May 6 verdict of the high court which had said provisions of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, which criminalise possession of beef, is an infringement on the right to privacy of citizens and unconstitutional.
The high court had also upheld the ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks in Maharashtra while striking down two sections of the state Act which criminalised possession of beef.
Striking down sections 5(d) and 9(b) of the Act which criminalised and imposed punishment for possession of beef of animals slaughtered in the state or outside, the high court had held that the state cannot control what a citizen does in his house, which is his own castle, provided he is not doing something contrary to the law.
"Sections 5(d) which provides that no person shall have in his possession flesh of cow, bull or bullock slaughtered outside Maharashtra is unconstitutional and infringes upon a citizen's right to privacy," the high court had said.
The court had also modified section 5(c) of the Act, which makes possession of beef of animal slaughtered in the state an offence, and had said only "conscious possession" of such meat will be held as an offence.
The high court's order had come on the bunch of petitions challenging the provision of the law which had said that mere possession of beef in any place in the state is a crime.
In February 2015, the President had granted sanction to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act. While the Act had banned slaughter of cows way back in 1976, the recent amendments prohibited slaughter of bulls and bullocks, possession and consumption of their meat.
As per the Act, slaughter attracts a five-year jail term and Rs 10,000 fine and possession of meat of bull or bullock hands over one-year jail and Rs 2,000 fine. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/sc-seeks-states-response-on-plea-challenging-beef-possession-verdict/20160817.htm | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/46150d8de01c5349a76e982a8965ed82d3d7793afa5f9ba916e8ec68466adcd7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:36:53 | null | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | The main opposition party alleged 'trampling' of democracy by the BJP-led government which hit back by reminding that Congress had 'butchered' democracy by misusing Article 356 about 100 times. | Govt vs Oppn showdown over Arunachal, Uttarakhand | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fgovt-vs-oppn-showdown-over-arunachal-uttarakhand%2F20160804.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/04lead7.jpg | en | null | Govt vs Oppn showdown over Arunachal, Uttarakhand | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 04, 2016 19:24 IST
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday witnessed a face-off between Opposition and government over dismissal of Congress dispensations in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, bringing into close scrutiny the role of governors.
"What happened in Arunachal last year and in Uttarakhand this year shocked the country and invited censure of the Supreme Court and high court of Uttarakhand," said Congress Deputy leader Anand Sharma. Photograph: PTI Photo
The main opposition party alleged "trampling" of democracy by the BJP-led government which hit back by reminding that Congress had "butchered" democracy by misusing Article 356 about 100 times.
The Congress pressed for a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, since he talks of "cooperative federalism".
The clash took place as the House took up a discussion on 'Developments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh leading to change in governments there and the role of Governors in the respective States'.
What happened in the two states was a "brazen violation of Constitution" and "insult to democracy", said Deputy Leader of Congress Anand Sharma while initiating the debate.
"What happened in Arunachal late last year followed by Uttarakhand in Janauary this year shocked the country and invited censure of the Supreme Court and High Court of Uttarakhand," he said.
Questioning the role of Governors, the former minister said he or she is "not supposed to interfere in day-to-day functioning... take unilateral decisions... Constitution was not respected... It is insult to peoples mandate."
Citing the developments in both the states, he said Governors do not meddle in politics or undermine elected governments but "brazen violation of constitution" occured in both the states.
He alleged that the Governors in both the states "willingly became tools to pursue nefarious agenda of the ruling party".
Citing the Supreme Court orders on the dismissal of governments in these two states, Sharma asked why no action was taken against Uttarakhand Governor.
"Sack that Governor. Remove him. If he continues to hold the post you are insulting constitution," Sharma said.
"What happened was shameful. The government conduct was outrageous... Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of constitutional federalism... At the same time ruling party president talks of Congress-mukt Bharat...that is the official position of the ruling party and its national executive... this is insult to democracy and misuse of authority to destabilise elected governments," Sharma charged.
Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu intervened to say that it is "the Devil quoting the scriptures".
This was objected to by the Congress after which Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said he will examine whether it fell under unparliamentary language.
Naidu said, "Issue is ...does the Congress party have any moral right to raise this. It has misused Article 356 at least 90 to 100 times... Such a party is giving sermons."
Naidu said the "the original Congress was National Congress. This is a notional Congress.
He said the Sarkaria Commission report had spoken about misuse of Article 356 by the successive Congress governments.
Justifying imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh and then in Uttarakhand, Naidu said there was Constitutional crisis there at that time.
He was responding to Sharma's allegation that Governors in the two states had "willingly become tools to pursue nefarious agenda of the ruling party" and had acted as "political agents" of the government to topple the elected governments,
Sharma also questioned whether BJP respects the Constitution or not.
Naidu replied, "You should have been aware of the consequences. The arguments are over now. Your man did not have majority. He has resigned. How can you blame it on us? Had you taken appropriate action at appropriate time this would not have happened."
Naidu quoted Sarkaria Commission recommendation that Article 356 be used sparingly as the last resort and in extreme urgency as misuse will have disastrous consequences.
He gave details about how it was misused 12 times till 1967 and was later used umpteen times to topple several elected governments with the crescendo in 1977.
"It is not the first time Article 356 is used, not the first time any Central government has intervened at any particular stage in a state... Congress party has done this umpteen times all these years. Several non-Congress governments became casualties because of your political considerations," the minister retorted.
Referring to instances of imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Naidu said such a situation arose due to internal squabbling within the Congress party.
Defending the action to recommend President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh, he said, "It was your problem and we were compelled to step in because of the constitutional breakdown."
He asserted, "We believe in cooperative federalism, we want to take states along us. We are following the 'Team India' spirit. So you please cooperate and set your own house in order. Rest we can all address it together."
Recalling how he was arrested during Emergency just for inviting socialist leader Jaiprakash Narain to college, Naidu said, "you disqualify MLAs and get Constitution bill passed. You have misused, dismissed and murdered popular elected Governors."
He added, "Let us not score political points. We have to be responsible to the Constitution. Rules cannot be one for you and the other for me. We never say we want a Congress-mukt Bharat but we want a party like Congress to benefit."
Naidu told Congress not to point accusing finger at government. "Let us reform the system," he said.
After Naidu's intervention, Derek O'Brien (Trinamool Congress) raised a point of order under Rule 261 on use of "Devil preaches scripture" remark. To this, Kurien said, "I will examine this."
Immediately after this, there were peals of laughter in the House as Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said he just wanted to know why Naidu was so aggressive and whether he had had chillies today instead of his usual sweets.
Kurien said, "you can offer him sweets."
Soon after this, Prabhat Jha (BJP) said Congress had no right to charge BJP as this was the party which had sterlised unmarried youth during Emergency.
This provoked protests by members from Congress.
Amid the din, Jha said, "you have no right on this issue. Your party has forced President's Rule as many as 123 times and barring the two newly-carved states Telangana and Chhattisgarh, no other state has been spared from it."
There was ruckus in the House when Jha said that during the Emergency 2 lakh people had been jailed and there was rampant violation of Constitution with government even censoring media.
Kurien then urged members to restore peace.
Meanwhile, Jha said Congress should have courage to listen to the truth.
As the Congress members continued to protest, Kurien warned that he would adjourn the House if the members failed to restore peace and sit down allowing the House to conduct business.
The altercation between members of the two major parties escalated to such an extent that the Chair had to reprimand Congress member Mohammad Ali Khan and even threatened that the House would be adjourned for the day if the debate continues in a disorderly way.
"I am sorry, I will adjourn the House for the day. This notice was given by Anand Sharma, Digvijay Singh and Bhubaneswar Kalita. All are from one party. They are blocking the discussion. Why do you think for every point raised you should reply. This is most disorder discussion. This behaviour I cannot accept," Kurien said.
He told Sharma, "If you cannot control your members. I will apply (Rule) 255." The Chair also admonished Khan.
Order was then restored in the House.
Continuing, Jha said the Congress was leveling charges against the Modi government instead of changing its behaviour.
"I challenge you. Let's debate on Emergency. How you trampled upon the Constitution.... We have got the full mandate, we are not going to submit before you," he added.
Neeraj Shekhar (SP) said BJP was committing the same mistakes that Congress had done.
"You fight on politics, you fight on principles, but not personal. What is happening in Uttar Pradesh? It pains me. You please recall the Governor and send some civilized person," he said.
He wanted apology from both Congress and BJP for misuse of Article 356, while questioning the necessity of having the post of Governor.
"Why should we require Governor? They are propagandist and using the Raj Bhawan for this purpose. Is it the job of a Governor to dethrone the government" he asked.
He sought to know if the report of the Sarkariya Commission report on role of Governor is being followed in letter and spirit.
The report defines a Governor as one who should be away from politics. "He can do politics to some extent but not propaganda. Whether you are following this report? I am unable to understand the role of Governor," he said.
Shekar urged the government not to misuse power of governor and ensure image of governor is kept clean.
Vijila Sathyananth (AIADMK) condemned the actions of Governors in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh and called upon the President to remove them.
"If this (misuse of Governor's post) is not curbed, this is dangerous to the federal state and the autonomy of a state. This issue is not confined to Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. If this is done in any other part of the country, it will have reverberation," she said.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (Trinamool Congress) sought review of the appointment of Governors and demanded putting in place of eligibility and qualification criteria for selection.
This is necessary as recent developments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh prove that some Governors have "acted as agents," he said.
"Article 157 of the Constitution deals with the appointment of a Governor and this must be reviewed. The qualification should be provided," he said.
He also sought review of the Article 356 even as he observed that the ruling party was giving "uncanny respect" to the Constitution.
Ramnath Thakur (JD-U) said both Congress and BJP have committed mistakes and asked if strict action would be taken against violators of the Constitution.
He also hoped that the debate would find a solution to this problem. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/govt-vs-oppn-showdown-over-arunachal-uttarakhand/20160804.htm | en | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/310f82e38690bc7e376972ac4ecacc42eb9b41fb61ccd7a89a89ca81a9af55f6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:37:10 | null | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | North Korea on Wednesday test-fired a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan. | North Korea test-fires ballistic missile; draws global ire | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fnorth-korea-test-fires-ballistic-missile%2F20160803.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/03missile.jpg | en | null | North Korea test-fires ballistic missile; draws global ire | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 03, 2016 12:13 IST
North Korea on Wednesday test-fired a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, South Korea said, in an apparent show of force against the planned deployment of a United States missile defence system.
The United States strongly condemned the test and asserted that America's commitment to the defence of its allies, including South Korea and Japan, in the face of such threats remains "iron-clad".
"We are aware of reports that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea fired ballistic missiles. We are monitoring and continuing to assess the situation in close coordination with our regional allies and partners," State Department spokeswoman Julia Mason said.
"We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests, which violate multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology," Mason said.
These provocations only serve to increase the international community's resolve to counter the North Korean prohibited activities, including through implementing existing UN Security Council sanctions.
The latest test also comes amid mounting tensions ahead of a planned US-South Korea joint military exercise later this month. Last year the drills involved 30,000 US soldiers and 50,000 South Korean troops.
The missile was launched from near the western North Korea city of Unyul at around 07:50 am, South Korea's defence ministry said.
The projectile flew some 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) and was believed to be a Rodong mid-range missile, the defence ministry added.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has condemned the test missile that landed 250 kilometres (155 miles) off Japan's coast as an "outrageous act" which threatened his country.
"It's a serious threat against our country's security," Abe told reporters. "This is an outrageous act that cannot be tolerated."
The test follows the launch of three ballistic missiles on July 19 in what the North said were simulated nuclear strikes on the South.
Pyongyang has carried out a series of missile tests this year in defiance of tough UN sanctions, and vowed to take "physical action" against the planned deployment of a US missile defence system in the South announced in July.
Since leader Kim Jong-Un took over from his late father Kim Jong-Il, who died in 2011, North Korea is believed to have tested 16 Scud missiles with a range of between 300 km and 1,000 km, six Rodong missiles, six Musudan missiles with a range of up to 4,000 km and three submarine-launched missiles, according to the South's Yonhap news agency.
UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from developing ballistic missile technology. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/north-korea-test-fires-ballistic-missile/20160803.htm | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/813627b98e2b28ac7faae560e6beecdea50d2bccea2e9e6734a292eba959f55d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:34:34 | null | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where she has been admitted, said all her health parameters are showing improvement and she was shifted out of the ICU. | Sonia treated for shoulder injury; health parameters improving | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fsonia-treated-for-shoulder-injury-health-parameters-improving%2F20160804.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/03lead2.jpg | en | null | Sonia treated for shoulder injury; health parameters improving | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 04, 2016 22:42 IST
Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi underwent a surgery at a Delhi hospital to repair a shoulder injury she sustained during her roadshow in Varanasi and was shifted from the intensive care unit after making "steady progress" towards recovery.
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where she has been admitted, said all her health parameters are showing improvement and she was shifted out of the ICU.
"Mrs Sonia Gandhi is making steady progress towards recovery from her illness. All her health parameters are showing improvement," according to a health bulletin issued by Dr D S Rana, Chairman (Board of Management) of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
"She has also successfully undergone treatment for a shoulder injury by an internationally acclaimed team of shoulder experts comprising Dr Sanjay Desai from Mumbai and Dr Prateek Gupta from Sir Gangaram Hospital. She is recovering well," the bulletin said.
Gandhi was shifted to the Sir Gangaram Hospital on Wednesday afternoon from the Army Research and Referral Hospital, where she was rushed soon after her arrival from Varanasi around midnight on Tuesday.
Sources said the operation on Wednesday night to repair her left shoulder lasted nearly two hours.
They said she is likely to remain at the hospital for a week and will need physiotherapy.
Gandhi is admitted under the care of Dr Arup Basu and his team from Department of Pulmonology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Photograph: PTI Photo | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/sonia-treated-for-shoulder-injury-health-parameters-improving/20160804.htm | en | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/26c4381c8b856d60e343790b4ee8b2c065894b8fbe7196d21a7f824dc48d41a6.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T10:52:25 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | LG Jung transferred of several senior officials engaged in flagship projects of the government, prompting Kejriwal to accuse the PM of being 'hell bent' to 'destroy' Delhi. | Modiji hell-bent on destroying Delhi, says Kejriwal livid over transfers | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fmodiji-hell-bent-on-destroying-delhi-says-kejriwal%2F20160830.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2012/oct/19kejriwal.jpg | en | null | Modiji hell-bent on destroying Delhi, says Kejriwal livid over transfers | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 30, 2016 15:25 IST
Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has ordered transfer of several senior officials engaged in flagship projects of the Aam Aadmi Party government, prompting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "hell bent" to "destroy" Delhi.
This is the first major reshuffle by the Lt Governor in Public Works Department and Environment and Health Departments following the Delhi High Court ruling that the Lt Governor is the administrative head of the national capital.
Jung has replaced Health secretary Tarun Seem with IAS officer Chandrakar Bharti while Ashwani Kumar has been appointed as new PWD Secretary in place of non-IAS cadre office Sarvagya Srivastava.
In the wake of the HC order that stamped the primacy of the LG in the city administration, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had requested Jung not to transfer Seem and Srivastava as they were handling flagship projects – setting up of mohalla clinics and construction of new school buildings -- of the Kejriwal government.
"Today, several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy?... Manish Sisodia requested LG not to transfer these two officers looking after works of setting mohalla clinics and new schools till March 31, but he (LG) did not relent," Kejriwal tweeted.
Reacting strongly to the LG's order, Sisodia said that if quality of health and education deteriorates, Modi will be responsible as he is creating hurdles in the functioning of the AAP government.
"We have got to know that Modiji has asked LG on phone to transfer these two offices. Modi can go to any extent. If education and health quality deteriorates, Modiji will be responsible for this," he said.
In another order, Jung has created approving authorities for transfer and postings of officers of IAS, DANICS and DASS cadres, Principal private secretaries, suspending all previous orders of the AAP government.
In the order, Jung said the LG will be the approving authority for transfer and postings of IAS, DANICS, All India Service Officers, equivalent officers of central civil services. But for DASS Grade I/II, principal private secretary, senior personal assistant, the Chief Secretary will be the approving authority.
Besides, Secretary (Services) has been appointed as the approving authority for transfer and postings of DASS Grade III/IV and Grade II/III (Stenographer) while Administrative Secretary/Head of Department will look after transfers and postings of other employees of cadre/ex-cadre within the department concerned. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/modiji-hell-bent-on-destroying-delhi-says-kejriwal/20160830.htm | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/359e9673276c04d524d95db58e154888da0ab44921a50e8b3f46f5bfc4c6db4c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:40:19 | null | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | Donald Trump's own party leaders came out openly against the Republican presidential nominee. | Trump faces backlash for comments about parents of slain soldier | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Ftrump-faces-backlash-for-comments-about-parents-of-slain-soldier%2F20160801.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/01us-soldier.jpg | en | null | Trump faces backlash for comments about parents of slain soldier | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 01, 2016 15:12 IST
Donald Trump’s comments against father of a slain Pakistani-origin American Muslim soldier appears to have shaken the United States presidential race as his own party leaders came out openly against the Republican presidential nominee.
While House Speaker Paul Ryan said a “religious test” for entering the US is “not reflective of the country’s fundamental values”, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said the reality TV star’s remarks were “disrespectful” in targetting a family that endured the “ultimate sacrifice” for the country.
Ryan hailed Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004, and said America’s greatness is built on the principles of liberty and preserved by the men and women who wear the uniform to defend it.
“As I have said on numerous occasions, a religious test for entering our country is not reflective of these fundamental values. I reject it,” he said in a statement.
“Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such brave example. His sacrifice -- and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan -- should always be honoured. Period,” he said.
Governor John Kasich of Ohio, a former Republican presidential candidate, tweeted: “There’s only one way to talk about Gold Star parents: with honour and respect. Capt. Khan is a hero. Together, we should pray for his family.”
Kasich was joined by Bush on Twitter in slamming Trump. “This is so incredibly disrespectful of a family that endured the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Bush, who badly lost the Republican primary to Trump.
In an interview to CNN, Senator Jeff Session who was among the first few top Republican leaders to endorse Trump said that he “rejects” and is “disappointed” over the remarks made by the billionaire from New York against Khan.
The 70-year-old real estate tycoon sparked controversy last week when he lashed out at Humayun’s father Khizr Khan over his speech on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention in which he was highly critical of Trump and said that the billionaire has “sacrificed nothing” for the country.
A day later, Trump hit back, saying he created thousands of jobs and questioned whether his wife was even “allowed” to speak, triggering a national outrage following which he later called Humayun a “hero”. He, however, continued to criticise Khizr, drawing a flood of criticism on Sunday.
Many criticised him both for attacking a mourning mother and because many considered the remarks racist and anti-Muslim, especially because they came from someone who has called for a ban on Muslims entering the US.
“I was viciously attacked by Mr Khan at the Democratic Convention. Am I not allowed to respond? Hillary voted for the Iraq war, not me!” Trump tweeted, even as his running mate came to his rescue giving another set of clarification.
“Donald Trump and I believe that Captain Humayun Khan is an American hero and his family, like all Gold Star families, should be cherished by every American,” Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said as the national outrage over Trump’s comment refused to die down.
In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Ghazala Khan, mother of Humayun, lashed out at Trump and said that he is ignorant about Islam.
Ghazala said: “When Donald Trump is talking about Islam, he is ignorant. If he studied the real Islam and Quran, all the ideas he gets from terrorists would change, because terrorism is a different religion.
“Donald Trump said he has made a lot of sacrifices. He doesn’t know what the word sacrifice means.”
In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid urged the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Ryan to revoke their endorsement of Trump.
“Anything short of Senator McConnell and Speaker Ryan revoking their endorsements of Donald Trump is cowardice,” he said.
The Council on American Islamic Relations on Sunday demanded that Trump apologises on his comments and is urging Muslim women to speak out against him.
Pence said: “Captain Khan gave his life to defend our country in the global war on terror. Due to the disastrous decisions of Barack Obama an Hillary Clinton, a once stable Middle East has now been overrun by Islamic State. This must not stand.
“By suspending immigration from countries that have been compromised by terrorism, rebuilding our military, defeating IS at its source and projecting strength on the global stage, we will reduce the likelihood that other American families will face the enduring heartbreak of the Khan family.”
Image: Khizr Khan, father of deceased Muslim U.S. Soldier Humayun SM Khan, delivers remarks on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/trump-faces-backlash-for-comments-about-parents-of-slain-soldier/20160801.htm | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/062be9d81b41ad658f4f4628a67d03427e95414ad6dee04ec41d452b99f5a9d8.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T04:51:34 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | Pakistan's prime minister is trying to use the unrest in Kashmir to save his government, says Ambassador G Parthasarathy, a former high commissioner to Islamabad. | Yet Another Nawaz Gimmick | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Fcolumn%2Fyet-another-nawaz-gimmick%2F20160829.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2014/aug/11pak1.jpg | en | null | Yet Another Nawaz Gimmick | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 29, 2016 09:31 IST
Pakistan's prime minister is trying to use the unrest in Kashmir to save his government, says Ambassador G Parthasarathy, a former high commissioner to Islamabad.
Just before the unrest that followed Burhan Wani's death in South Kashmir commenced, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was in dire domestic straits, with his domestic standing seriously eroded.
His growingly assertive army Chief General Raheel Shareef was breathing fire. General Shareef was claiming that the civilian government had done nothing to normalise the situation and take measures to rehabilitate displaced persons in the Pashtun tribal areas, after the army had launched the massive military operation, 'Zarb e Azb,' in the tribal areas, bordering Afghanistan.
This military operation was launched purportedly to cleanse the tribal areas of 'terrorists' of the Tehriq e Taliban e Pakistan, TTP, which had earlier been ISI 'assets' tasked to attack Afghanistan.
The army's military operations in the Pashtun tribal areas resulted in 1.8 million tribals fleeing their homes, with some 50,000 crossing into Afghanistan. The overbearing General Shareef had landed his country in a serious situation, which is set to promote violence, unrest and instability, across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Some Pashtuns leaders are now questioning the legality and validity of the Durand Line, separating Pakistan and Afghanistan. This is a border that no government in Afghanistan has or will recognise.
With winter approaching, the misery of the displaced tribals will only increase and the public, egged on by the army, will hold the hapless Nawaz Sharif government responsible for the situation.
The Nawaz Sharif government is also confronted with a situation where three South Asian countries -- Bangladesh, India and Afghanistan -- are accusing Pakistan of fomenting terrorism on their soil.
All three countries downgraded their presence at the meeting of SAARC finance ministers in Islamabad. Bangladesh and Afghanistan had done so even earlier at the meeting of SAARC home ministers.
Worse still, Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhri Nissar Ali Khan behaved churlishly while receiving his Indian counterpart, Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Nawaz was expecting to get a political boost as host of the SAARC summit in Islamabad in November. It is entirely possible that these three SAARC countries would decide not to participate in the Islamabad summit at the highest level.
This would leave Nawaz in an embarrassing position of having to answer to the world why three of his South Asian neighbours are holding his government responsible for promoting terrorism on their soil.
Nawaz Sharif is being seen as deflecting charges connected with the involvement of his two sons and daughter in the Panama bank accounts scandal.
The final blow to Nawaz Sharif's standing came when Pakistan-based terrorists attacked the American University in the heart of Kabul. An enraged Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rang up, not Nawaz Sharif, but his army chief General Raheel Shareef, to launch a bitter complaint about what had happened.
The Afghan president thus directly indicated that he regarded General Shareef and not Nawaz Sharif as the head of the government in Pakistan!!
In these circumstances, it was inevitable that Nawaz Sharif would try to deflect domestic and international attention away from these developments and Pakistan's growing isolation in the region and the world, by focusing on to the unrest in the Kashmir valley.
As soon as the unrest in Southern Kashmir commenced, Nawaz Sharif went on the offensive. He whipped up passions in Pakistan's parliament and got resolutions passed, expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir, while condemning alleged human rights violations by India.
He drew a blank with the permanent members when it came to getting support at the UN Security Council. The UK asked him to settle issues bilaterally with India. The US also advised talks with India. The Russians and French remained silent, signaling that they were continuing their policies of requiring issues between India and Pakistan to be settled bilaterally.
President Hollande of France is fully occupied with the leak of data on Scorpene submarines being supplied to India. It is, after all, a deal running into billions of dollars. President Putin, in turn, will be looking forward to attending the BRICS-BIMSTEC Summit in Goa. Neither is going to have the inclination to gratuitously offend India, to please a financially weak and jihadi oriented Pakistan.
Even Pakistan's 'all weather friend' China remains committed to its policy of calling on India and Pakistan to settle issues bilaterally. China knows that India has been silent on allegations of violations of human rights by it in Tibet and Xinjiang.
Pakistan did receive some solace from the secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, expressing solidarity with its views on Jammu and Kashmir. But Pakistan also knows that for nearly three decades now, individual OIC members routinely back such OIC resolutions, but do not wish to get involved in international forums on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, against India.
In the meantime, India has thrown a spanner in the works, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi coming out openly, laying claim to the whole of Jammu and Kashmir and focusing on human rights violations in Baluchistan and Gilgit/Baltistan.
Under siege from within, Nawaz Sharif has to be seen to be pro-active on the issue of J&K. He is heading to New York to spit venom on India at the UN General Assembly. Everyone, with any knowledge of the UN, knows that everyone forgets speeches made by prime ministers on stale and long-pending issues, the very next day. They are meant primarily for domestic audiences.
Nawaz Sharif will get a big splash in the Pakistani media and things will be back to business as usual in New York, the next morning. He has, therefore, devised another gimmick to keep Pakistani attention focused on Kashmir rather than its internal problems.
He has decided to send 22 MPs roaming all around the world, espousing Pakistan's cause. He will then be seen in the Pakistani media as being innovative and active. The MPs will return with tall tales about how successfully they persuaded countries they visited to support Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir.
Interestingly, on the very day Nawaz Sharif told the world about his ideas on Kashmir, the prestigious National Press Club in Washington hosted a function where the woes of the people of Baluchistan were openly voiced. A British human right activist demanded greater international access and scrutiny of human rights abuses in Baluchistan.
One wonders how with all this happening, Sharif confidently asserts that that his 22 envoys can help him 'strike the collective conscience of the international community during my address in the UN in September.'
ALSO READ | http://www.rediff.com/news/column/yet-another-nawaz-gimmick/20160829.htm | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/1746bada771891e45683d1f8f4d641a6ceea23ae737f272c723b0f7d407e8c8d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:31:49 | null | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | 'India is my country and we will raise our voice against anybody who harms the interests of Adivasis, be it the state government or the Maoists.' | Why Soni Sori plans to hoist the Tiranga in Maoist heartland | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Finterview%2Fwhy-soni-sori-plans-to-hoist-the-tiranga-in-maoist-heartland%2F20160809.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/08sori.jpg | en | null | Why Soni Sori plans to hoist the Tiranga in Maoist heartland | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 09, 2016 11:42 IST
IMAGE: Firebrand Adivasi leader Soni Sori. Photograph: PTI
'India is my country and we will raise our voice against anybody who harms the interests of Adivasis, be it the state government or the Maoists.'
Firebrand Adivasi leader Soni Sori -- who has allegedly suffered sexual exploitation by the police as well as acid attacks for her fight for the tribals of Chhattisgarh -- will lead a 200 kilometre-long padyatra from Dantewada to Gompad village, where an Adivasi teen, Madkam Hidme, was allegedly raped and killed by security forces.
The march will highlight the brutalities faced by the people in the battle between the government and the Maoists in the tribals' name.
Sori spoke to Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore about her "historic fight" to seek justice for Hidme and many other women by hoisting the Tricolour in the remote village of Gompad.
What is the main purpose of your padyatra from Dantewada that begins August 9 and culminates on August 15 in Gompad with the hoisting of the Tricolour?
August 9 is the day when Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India movement against the British. August 9 is also considered as International Adivasi Diwas.
We will be highlighting the injustices done to the Adivasis of Chhattisgarh by the police during this padyatra and raise questions about fake encounters of the Adivasis by the police and sexual exploitation of Adivasi women by the state.
We have chosen Gompad to end our padyatra because it was in this village that the police brutally killed Madkam Hidme (the Chhattisgarh police claim she was a Naxalite and killed in an encounter with the police) after sexually assaulting her.
These areas happen to be 'liberated zones' of the Maoists where hoisting the Indian national flag is not allowed.
By hoisting the Tiranga we will highlight the police atrocities against the Adivasis of these tribal areas and also send a message to the nation that even these so-called 'liberated zones' are part of this country.
What is the route you will be taking?
Beginning August 9 from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Park in Dantewada we will be covering over 200 km across the state and reach Gompad on August 15.
The Chhattisgarh police have begun a devious campaign of dividing the Adivasis and inciting the tribals against me by saying that I purposely started my padyatra on August 9 -- International Adivasi Diwas -- to disturb the various programmes planned by various tribal associations in the state. They are telling the gullible Adivasis that I am not fighting for their rights and upliftment.
I have met all my Adivasi brothers and sisters (24 Adivasi organisations are part of this padyatra) and convinced them the police is trying to divide the Adivasis by such dangerous propaganda.
How is the Chhattisgarh police trying to scuttle your padyatra?
Till now, they have kept us hanging as far as the permission for the padyatra is concerned. They are trying to create a rift among the Adivasis by saying that Soni Sori is only interested in her welfare and political career.
I have succeeded in convincing my fellow Adivasis how the Chhattisgarh government is trampling the rights of the Adivasis, killing them in fake encounters, sexually exploiting our mothers and sisters and we have to fight against such injustices now.
We can't stand such atrocities any more and the government and the police should now know that we have lost our patience with this system that only suffocates the Adivasis.
It is amply clear that the police don't want us to succeed in taking out this padyatra and highlight such gross injustices.
'I have immense faith in the people of this country. With support from them I think it will be very difficult for the Maoists to attack us or forcibly stop our flag hoisting ceremony on August 15 in Gompad.'
Do you think the police can detain or arrest you in their bid to stop this padyatra?
Both possibilities cannot be ruled out. These people (the police and the state government) can do anything to me.
But let me warn them that such intimidators cannot hold us back now. This is not just Soni Sori's padyatra; this is the padyatra of the Adivasis of Chhattisgarh who are affiliated to almost 24 organisations under the banner of the Sanyukt Sangharsh Manch for saving Bastar.
So, the padyatra will go on even if you are arrested?
Zaroor chalegi! (of course, the padyatra will go on!).
If they arrest us then on the day Irom Sharmila has decided to end her indefinite fast in Manipur (August 9), we will be launching a similar fast in Chhattisgarh.
If the police create a Manipur-like situation here, we will have to do what Irom Sharmila did there.
Gompad is part of the area that the Maoists of Chhattisgarh call a 'liberated zone' and you will be hoisting the Indian flag there on August 15. Have you received any threats from the Maoists?
Not yet. I haven't been threatened by the Maoists yet.
But there are chances that the Maoists will try to disturb your flag hoisting programme in Gompad.
I have the interests of the people of Bastar and Chhattisgarh in my heart. So, I am not scared of the state government or the Maoists.
It will be an open padyatra through the main roads and villages. Let them (the Maoists) do anything they want to stop this padyatra, but we will go on with our programme.
Why should I hide from anybody? My struggle is very clearly for the justice of the people of Chhattisgarh and against the atrocities of the state police.
It will not be just Soni Sori, but the people of Bastar who will be a part of this padyatra. Ten women who have been raped by the police will be part of our padyatra; the state government is responsible for their rapes; the police are just the perpetrators.
Don't the Maoists also indulge in sexual assaults on the tribal women who oppose their ideology or who side with the state government?
Whenever such incidents come to our notice we will raise our voice against such acts. We will speak against the Maoists too.
'What better way to highlight the atrocities committed against a poor tribal by the police on the orders of the state government but to hoist our national flag and organise people to fight against the exploitation of Adivasis?'
Ours is not a one-sided fight; we have chosen this path because we want to fight all kinds of injustices against the poor tribals of this region.
India is my country and we will raise our voice against anybody who harms the interests of Adivasis, be it the state government or the Maoists.
Don't the Maoists wave black flags on Independence Day instead of the Tricolour?
You are right. They (the Maoists) do what they think is right, but we will do what we think is good for our brothers and sisters. Accordingly, we are charting our path.
Aren't you scared that the Maoists can attack you? On the one hand, the police are making, as you say, all efforts to scuttle your padyatra and then there are the Maoists who use violence to oppose the hoisting of the national flag in their so-called 'liberated zones'?
I have immense faith in the people of this country. With huge support from them I think it will be very difficult for the Maoists to attack us or forcibly stop our flag hoisting ceremony on August 15 in Gompad.
I am fighting a battle in a democratic and Constitutional way and that gives me the strength to fight against the police brutalities and the violence of the Maoists.
This government (in Chhattisgarh) is blatantly violating the Constitution of India and those sitting in power are exploiting the hapless Adivasis by making use of the state's law and order machinery.
This government has refused to accept the basic human rights of Madkam Hidme, who was brutally raped by men in uniform in Gompad. They are labelling the Adivasis of Chhattisgarh as 'Naxals' and using that as a ploy to illegally eliminate them in fake encounters and sending them to jail in false cases, and they call it development.
We will restart the schools in Gompad under the banner of the Indian flag and also highlight the grave injustices suffered by many women like Madkam Hidme.
These people have no voter IDs, no ration cards, no human rights, enjoyed by the other citizens of India.
If the Maoists want to oppose our just fight against the system, it is their wish. But they won't be able to stop us.
We will fight for the rights of the Adivasis and are ready to pay any price for it.
The day these Adivasis come out against the Maoists and say they also exploit them, then we will also voice our opposition to the Maoists too. But the people have to come out against the Maoists.
IMAGE: A protest against the fake encounters of Adivasis. Photograph: Reuters
Why is your padyatra culminating in Gompad? What is the message that you want to send to the state government and the Maoists?
This is a fight for seeking justice for Hidme and we will wage it in a democratic way.
What better way to highlight the atrocities committed against a poor tribal by the police on the orders of the state government, but to hoist our national flag and organise people to fight against the exploitation of Adivasis?
Hidme is one of the many Adivasi sisters, who was dragged out of her house, raped in the jungle by the police, and then killed in cold blood and labelled a Maoist.
While the focus of our padyatra and flag hoisting is seeking justice for Hidme, our overall plan is to highlight how brutally the state government is suppressing its own people in the name of development.
The fight for justice for Hidme will become a historic fight and we will continue our fight till we get justice for the women of Chhatisgarh who have met Hidme's fate.
Hidme has become a symbol of rapes against the tribal women of Chhattisgarh.
We will also be questioning the system that allows 76 of its own policemen to be killed in a violent encounter with the Maoists (in one of the deadliest attacks on security forces 76 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed by Maoists on April 6, 2010 in Chhattisgarh's Chintalnar village).
As a reaction to such brutal killings the state government requisitions more police force to quash the Maoists, but despite getting more additional forces the fight against the Maoists continues forever.
The 76 CRPF personnel who were killed by the Maoists are our brothers too and fought for the security of the country.
But the question is: Why do these jawans have to sacrifice their lives?
Why hasn't the fight against the Maoists come to a definitive end?
Why is this war still raging on in Chhattisgarh?
Instead of putting a lid on Maoist activities more police forces in the state has led to more killings, rapes and arrests of the Adivasis. Till when will this bloodshed continue?
So, you will also seek justice for the 76 CRPF personnel who were killed by the Maoists during this padyatra?
I will question the state government on why our jawans are dying in Chhattisgarh.
Despite sacrifices of so many of our jawans as well as innocent Adivasis, the state government is still fighting against the Maoists with no success.
Why hasn't the state government succeeded in diluting the influence of the Maoists among the tribals of Chhattisgarh?
We want to ask the state government if this strategy of employing more police force into Chattisgarh against the Maoists has failed.
If so, isn't it time they change tack and put an end to this bloodshed of the people?
But, on the contrary, we are seeing more forces being called in, more money being spent on them, more arms and ammunition being bought and in effect, fanning the flames of further bloodshed.
Why is there no peace in Chhatisgarh? | http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/why-soni-sori-plans-to-hoist-the-tiranga-in-maoist-heartland/20160809.htm | en | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/e0bc6f4e55a6a7b454976c2789eab0fe1a02579ed4c24ea373b0787a0bb47819.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:34:44 | null | 2016-08-06T00:00:00 | Rupani on Sunday met Governor O P Kohli and staked claim to form the government, a day after he was elected by BJP legislators to succeed Anandiben Patel. | Rupani to be sworn in as Gujarat CM on Sunday | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fvijay-rupani-meets-gujarat-governor-to-stake-claim%2F20160806.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/06rupani1.jpg | en | null | Rupani to be sworn in as Gujarat CM on Sunday | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 06, 2016 17:48 IST
Vijay Rupani will on Sunday be sworn in as the chief minister of Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the Bharatiya Janata Party is grappling with unrest due to the Patel quota stir and attacks on Dalits ahead of the high-stake assembly elections scheduled next year.
Rupani on Sunday met Governor O P Kohli and staked claim to form the government, a day after he was elected by BJP legislators to succeed Anandiben Patel, with the central leadership playing a vital role in the choice.
After the meeting with the governor, BJP state in-charge Dinesh Sharma said Rupani will take oath tomorrow at 12.40 pm.
While Rupani was accompanied by Deputy CM designate Nitin Patel and other state leaders, outgoing Chief Minister Anandiben Patel was conspicuous by her absence.
“We have told the governor that the BJP Legislature party has endorsed the names of Vijay Rupani as new chief minister and Nitin Patel as deputy chief minister,” Sharma said after the meeting.
“The governor has given his go ahead for the oath taking ceremony which will be held tomorrow at 12.40 pm,” he said.
He, however, evaded a direct reply to a question on Anandiben’s absence, saying, “She was present when she resigned. Today those who have been chosen are present.”
In a dramatic turnaround the BJP central leadership on Friday decided on Rupani, an Amit Shah loyalist and state party chief, to replace Anandiben as the chief minister, instead of Nitin Patel who was the front-runner till the last moment.
Anandiben had insisted on Nitin Patel as her successor, while Shah stood firm by Rupani.
As a compromise formula, Patel was elevated to be deputy chief minister after intervention of the central leadership, including Modi.
Selection of Rupani, who belongs to Jain Baniya community, is being seen as a deft move by the party to avoid the impression of favouring any major segment of the society over others.
While the Patel community has been on a warpath with their demand for OBC quota, the state has witnessed Dalit unrest over the widely condemned Una flogging incident which seems to have dented the image of the government.
Rupani, who came up through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is being assigned the task of leading BJP in the polls at a time when BJP is struggling to retain its political base. The party has also been affected by the absence of leaders of Modi’s calibre in the state.
Anandiben, who turns 75 this November, had handed over her resignation to the governor on Wednesday.
Under her leadership, BJP had suffered losses in the civic polls last year, with the opposition Congress making handsome gains at the expense of its saffron rival.
In the last two years, BJP has been at loggerheads with its loyal vote bank of Patidars who have been demanding OBC quota and launched violent protests for the same.
A devoted RSS member since his school days, Rupani, hailing from politically significant Saurashtra region, is known for hard work but keeps a low profile.
Rupani, who represents Rajkot West seat, joined Jan Sangh in 1971 and has been associated with BJP since its formation.
His elevation to the top post is also being seen as a recognition to the Jain community, which was recently accorded minority status by the state government.
Born in Rangoon (now Yangon, in Myanmar) to Ramniklal Rupani in 1956, he grew up in Rajkot where he joined RSS as a school boy. He pursued BA and then LLB.
As the chairman of the state tourism corporation, he headed ‘Khushbu Gujarat Ki’ campaign to popularise the state as a tourist destination.
Between 2006-12, he was a member of Rajya Sabha. During this period he was a part of various Parliamentary committees on water resources, food, public distribution and public undertaking.
In October 2014, he won the Assembly bye-election from Rajkot West after the sitting MLA Vajubhai Vala resigned upon appointment as Karnataka governor.
On February 19, Rupani became the state BJP president, replacing R C Faldu, which was seen as a victory for the Amit Shah faction in state BJP. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/vijay-rupani-meets-gujarat-governor-to-stake-claim/20160806.htm | en | 2016-08-06T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/6c3e7934c8e918643bb7e695cd45bfa09658414d331fda55b6d681db96ef1989.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:32:25 | null | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | They have been booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Indian Penal Code Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), he said. | Zakir Naik's aide booked in IS recruitment case | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fzakir-naiks-aide-booked-in-is-recruitment-case%2F20160809.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/jul/07zakir-naik.jpg | en | null | Zakir Naik's aide booked in IS recruitment case | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 09, 2016 18:59 IST
A case has been registered by Mumbai police against an employee of controversial preacher Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation and three others, including two arrested earlier by Kerala police in connection with alleged Islamic State recruitment, a senior official said Tuesday.
Based on a complaint lodged by father of Ashfaque, one of the 21 youths from Kerala reported missing and suspected to have joined IS, a case was registered on Monday against IRF employee Arshid Qureshi, Rizwan Khan and two others at Nagpada police station, the official said.
They have been booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Indian Penal Code Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), he said.
Qureshi and Khan were earlier arrested by Kerala police.
In a joint operation by Kerala Police and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, Qureshi was nabbed from Navi Mumbai on July 21 for allegedly radicalising youths.
The Kerala police traced Qureshi to Mumbai following a complaint lodged in Kochi by the brother of a young woman, suspected to have joined the IS along with her husband and left the state.
Ebin Jacob, 25, brother of Merin alias Mariam who is missing along with her husband Bestin Vincent alias Yahia from Kerala, had told Palarivattom police in Kochi that there was an attempt to forcibly convert him to Islam and make him join the IS, and that Bestin and Qureshi were behind it.
In a similar operation, Khan, also allegedly instrumental in recruiting youths to the IS, was apprehended from his residence at Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district on July 22.
At least 21 youths from Kerala were reported missing and suspected to have joined the IS. Qureshi had been taken to Kerala after a Mumbai court granted his transit remand.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued against the backdrop of the report on the preacher submitted by Mumbai police to state Home department, the IRF said that all allegations leveled against Naik were ‘false and baseless’.
‘(The) IRF is not privy to the police commissioner’s report, but from reports put across in the media, (the) IRF wants to reiterate that the allegations are false and baseless. Dr Zakir Naik firmly believes in promoting peace and harmony and has been doing that for decades,’ it said.
The foundation said that neither Naik nor the IRF have received any notice from the MHA or any government agency as of now, and hence they won't be able to comment on it.
‘(The) IRF is a research body that promotes greater awareness of Islam and its tenets. Dr Zakir Naik is an expert in comparative religion and has been conducting well-researched talks on Islam and other religions across the world,’ it said.
Naik emphasises on teachings of Islam which is ‘not unconstitutional’ and preaching and propagating one’s religion is allowed by Article 25 of the Constitution, it said.
The IRF also said that conversion (of religion) has never been its objective.
‘Conversion is not the objective of (the) IRF. The organisation only spreads the message of Islam and clears misconceptions. This is fully permitted by our Constitution,’ it said.
The statement also said IRF’s Guest Relations Manager Arshid Qureshi never forced anyone to convert religion.
‘Qureshi has never forced a single person into conversion against his or her free will, as it is against Islam. We emphatically deny all allegations,’ it said. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/zakir-naiks-aide-booked-in-is-recruitment-case/20160809.htm | en | 2016-08-09T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/29b4f6ed0ab544d290e85ebc48c200a409bbf1103d3af2bf4b3e5556edf6b0b3.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T04:51:32 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | For the first time in 67 years, after the Narendra Modi government came to power, the National Crime Records Bureau added 'sedition' as a head under which data on crime were collected. | Want to know how many were booked for sedition since 2014? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fwant-to-know-how-many-were-booked-for-sedition-since-2014%2F20160829.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/29lead1.jpg | en | null | Want to know how many were booked for sedition since 2014? | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 29, 2016 08:52 IST
For the first time in 67 years, after the Narendra Modi government came to power, the National Crime Records Bureau added 'sedition' as a head under which data on crime were collected.
Section 124-A in the Indian Penal Code says, "Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India shall be punished with life imprisonment."
According to this explanation, "expression of disaffection" includes disloyalty and all feelings of hate.
It also says comments that express strong disapproval of "the measures of the government, with a view to obtain their desired modifications by lawful means, without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offense under this section."
According to the section, comments expressing strong disapproval of the "administrative or other action of the government without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offense under this section."
The law, originally drafted by Thomas Macaulay, was not part of the IPC in the 1860s. It was introduced in 1870.
Many Indian freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, were charged with sedition during the struggle for independence.
Top Image: Courtesy Reuters/File | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/want-to-know-how-many-were-booked-for-sedition-since-2014/20160829.htm | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/2ca817a5ffe84d150f021e34d16d0b59118746a8aea052d84eac3d1048998a50.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:39:52 | null | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | The National Park is facing the worst floods in the past 10 years. | Assam flood: Over 200 animals drown at Kaziranga | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fpix-assam-flood-over-200-animals-drown-to-death-at-kaziranga%2F20160802.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/02rhino1.jpg | en | null | Assam flood: Over 200 animals drown at Kaziranga | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 02, 2016 09:44 IST
The flood fury in Assam has taken a toll on one of the world’s most protected heritage sites -- The Kaziranga National Park.
Located in between beautiful Himalayas, Dhansiri and Brahmaputra river the National Park is facing the worst floods in the past 10 years.
Even as the flood situation in Assam improves, the park which is 80 per cent under water, has been robbed of as many as 218 animals, 17 of them being rhinos and over 166 hog deer by the floods in a span of just seven days.
Mobile Veternary Units of Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation has so far rescued 62 hog deer, three eastern swamp deer, 10 Asian one-horned rhinoceros, and eight rhinos calves separated from their mothers, according to a Wildlife Trust of India release.
Dr Panjit Basumatary, lead veterinarian at the centre said, “A large number of the animals, as you would expect from the trauma they have undergone, are highly stressed. Several of the orphaned rhino calves in particular were injured and emaciated, and were initially not responding to our milk formula.”
Kaziranga National Park is home to 35 species of mammals and has 2,400 one-horned rhinoceros, 20,000 hog deer, 100 tigers, 1000 elephants, 1500 wild buffaloes, 1000 swarm dear.
-- With inputs from PTI | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pix-assam-flood-over-200-animals-drown-to-death-at-kaziranga/20160802.htm | en | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/291e21ae2c7702b2265a7a0b3dc14a764ec545c459e799e4cbc68d8c3b5f7479.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:36:43 | null | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours. | REWIND: India in the last 24 hours | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Frewind-india-in-the-last-24-hours%2F20160803.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/02rewind1.jpg | en | null | REWIND: India in the last 24 hours | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 03, 2016 08:37 IST
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
Kolhapur's mountaineer Jaydeep Jadhav and his bride Reshma Patil tie knot onto nylon-fibre ropes during their unique wedding ceremony, at Vishalgad in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra. Photograph: PTI Photo
Minister of State Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel and Boxer Mary Kom signing the 'Wall Of Wishes' & 'Digital Campaign of Wishes' for Indian Olympic contingent after its inauguration at India Gate in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo
Children play at a school flooded by Gandak river at Ijra village in East Champaran district of Bihar. Photograph: PTI Photo
People gather to see the portion of the Gopalpura bypass road that collapsed due to heavy rains in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Photograph: PTI Photo
A woman looks through window of the Spanish train Talgo after it arrives from Delhi during its trial run in Mumbai on Tuesday. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo
Congress President Sonia Gandhi paying tributes at a statue of B R Ambedkar during a road show in the view of upcoming UP assembly elections in Varanasi. Photograph: PTI Photo
A woman showing her identity card to a security jawan during curfew in Srinagar. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI Photo
People take pictures inside the parked high speed Talgo train during its trial run at a railway station in Mumbai. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
A burning poster of Home Minister Rajnath Singh lies on the road during a protest by Hindu Sena, a right wing Hindu group, against his visit to Pakistan for the SAARC summit, in New Delhi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
A woman carrying religious offerings walks past a Kalpavriksha tree, believed to be a divine wishing tree, during a festival on the outskirts of Ajmer, Rajasthan. Photograph: Himanshu Sharma/Reuters
Policemen walk past a graffiti painted on a road during a curfew in Batamaloo area of Srinagar. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters
A fireman clears a fallen tree which fell on a parked taxi due to monsoon rains in Mumbai. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters
A boy pushing his bike through a flooded road after heavy rains in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. Photograph: PTI Photo | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/rewind-india-in-the-last-24-hours/20160803.htm | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/b5ab0ee6a36945c13289b7285d36609cee38c21fbab6994d3a361e2d2de50af7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:20:58 | null | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | All opposition parties from J&K to apprise President of Kashmir situation. | Omar Abdullah seeks judicial probe on Kashmir unrest | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Foppn-parties-from-jk-to-meet-prez%2F20160817.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/17all.jpg | en | null | Omar Abdullah seeks judicial probe on Kashmir unrest | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 17, 2016 22:31 IST
Opposition parties in Kashmir which met in Srinagar on Wednesday decided to approach President Pranab Mukherjee to apprise him of the situation in the Valley and demanded a probe by a retired Supreme Court judge into allegations of excessive use of force by security personnel.
"We have decided to seek time from the President to apprise him about the real ground situation in Kashmir.
"We will try to persuade the (Union) government to take steps that will at least help in improving the situation in the Valley," National Conference working president Omar Abdullah told reporters after the meeting at his residence.
He said the delegation of opposition parties will go to Delhi to press for a dialogue with all stakeholders and added that blaming Pakistan for everything that goes wrong in Kashmir was not the right approach.
The meeting was attended by several Congress leaders including JKPCC chief G A Mir, Communist Party of India-Marxist MLA from Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Independent MLAs Hakim Mohammad Yasin and Sheikh Abdul Rashid and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir.
Omar said the opposition parties have demanded an inquiry by a retired Supreme Court judge into the allegations of excessive force by security forces while dealing with protestors. They will also seek a special session of the assembly to discuss the situation.
"Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in her speech on August 15 has herself said that some elements in security forces did not follow her instructions (of exercising maximum restraint).
"So this is an opportune time for a judicial inquiry headed by a retired Supreme Court judge," he said.
The former chief minister said all the opposition parties were worried about youths getting killed and injured in security forces' firing, while the state and the central governments "mishandled" the situation.
"We are also worried that the political nature of Jammu and Kashmir has neither been accepted nor understood.
"When it has not been accepted, it is implied that no efforts have been made to find a solution to it," he said.
Omar said Kashmir is a political issue which needs to be addressed politically.
"The first step is to admit and recognise the anger and then take steps to address it.
"So far that has not happened. The all-party meeting chaired by the Prime Minister (on August 12) happened because Parliament was in session and it was the opposition's initiative that brought the issue twice for discussion.
"Otherwise, we would not have heard anything from the government," he said.
Asked about the Centre raising the Balochistan issue, Omar said his personal view was that efforts should be focused on setting "our own house in order".
"You (Centre) want to rake up Balochistan, by all means do it but there is a fire burning in Kashmir. It also should be addressed," he said.
On Pakistan's role, Omar said, "While Pakistan has a habit of fishing in troubled waters, I do not think the present situation is because of it.
"If we believe that Pakistan is behind all this, it means that we do not have to do anything to set things right," he added.
"As far as dialogue (with Pakistan) is concerned, we have been votaries of dialogue for resolution. Jammu and Kashmir was made an issue between India and Pakistan way back in 1970s with the Simla Agreement.
"We believe Pakistan as our neighbour is a country that needs to be talked to... and it is something Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done in the past," Omar said.
Referring to the firing incident in Magam on Tuesday that left four persons dead, Omar said, "We have to see why an area which did not give any trouble for 40 days has suddenly erupted.
"Wanton arrests have been effected, cases are being filed (against the youth). PSA is being slapped on them.
"It seems a reaction is being induced and it is the result of these actions that peaceful areas are now becoming part of the agitation," he said.
On the use of pellet guns as crowd control weapon, Omar said all parties have spoken against it.
"The issue has figured in Parliament as well but for some reason, it's use is not stopped."
In response to a question, Omar said the idea of Kashmir being an integral part of the country should not be limited to its land only.
"The people of Kashmir have to be owned. It is mind-boggling that a far lesser agitation in Gujarat had no lesser a person that the prime minister addressing that state in Gujarati from Delhi because he owned the people.
"Why is that we don't get owned? Why is it that our anger does not get owned?" he asked.
Asked if the opposition parties will demand resignation of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and her government, Omar said it was not about the chair.
"We have not demanded resignation because it would seem we want to be in the chair. It is not about the chair, it is about saving the future generation of Kashmir....
"It is about the eight-year-olds, the ten-year-olds and the 12-year-olds who are out on the streets," he said.
Omar said the opposition will act responsibly and contribute towards improving the situation.
Asked if meeting will bear any fruit, Omar said the mainstream opposition parties were as relevant today as they were before the start of the current agitation.
"If you are saying that we are irrelevant today, then Hurriyat Conference should be irrelevant during normalcy.
"But the fact is that neither are we irrelevant today, no are the Hurriyat during the times of normalcy," he added.
He said the opposition parties' delegation will go to Delhi and press for a dialogue with all stakeholders.
"He( Modi) has made unscheduled visit to Lahore and recently our home minister visited Islamabad.
"The dialogue has continued and we hope the dialogue continues but for the dialogue to work, both sides have to be interested.
"Therefore I hope both the countries, India and Pakistan, should take requisite steps to improve the environment so that dialogue is possible," he said.
Omar said that political parties have been supporters of dialogue with Pakistan.
"Be it Atal Behari Vajpayee's dialogue with Pakistan, the Manmohan Singh dialogue or the Narendra Modi dialogue with Pakistan, we believe that dialogue is the only way forward."
Replying to another query, he said, "I cannot see a war like situation. There is a lot of tension in relations between the two countries and it is the resposibility of the two nations to reduce the tension.
"It is not as if there has been no war between India and Pakistan. We have fought more than three wars but nothing has been achieved."
Omar said the opposition parties will demand a special session of the state Assembly so that a threadbare discussion on the current situation can be held.
"If Parliament can pass resolution on Jammu and Kashmir, I see no reason why an Assembly session cannot be called and all of us cannot put forward resolutions with regard to Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
IMAGE: National Conference working president Omar Abdullah chairs all opposition parties' meeting on Kashmir unrest. Photograph: Umar Ganie/Rediff.com | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/oppn-parties-from-jk-to-meet-prez/20160817.htm | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/6aeed8014d3ca3fbfc4662b0ba01fe0ad79e3b22e394c236f7e1aa532feff1f6.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:49:58 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | Branson was cycling with his two children on the British Virgin Islands when he hit a hump in the road. | 'Thought I was going to die': Richard Branson on horrific bike crash | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fthought-i-was-going-to-die-richard-branson-on-horrific-bike-crash%2F20160827.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/27branson.jpg | en | null | 'Thought I was going to die': Richard Branson on horrific bike crash | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 27, 2016 09:08 IST
Sir Richard Branson, Virgin founder and Britain’s best known businessman on Friday said that he thought he was “going to die” after an horrific bike crash on the Caribbean island Virgin Gorda this week.
Branson was cycling with his two children on the British Virgin Islands when he hit a hump in the road.
In a post on the Virgin website, the 66-year-old entrepreneur said, “I was heading down a hill towards Leverick Bay when it suddenly got really dark and I managed to hit a sleeping policeman hump in the road head on.
“I really thought I was going to die. I went flying head-first towards the concrete road, but fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life.
“We’ve since recovered the crumpled bicycle, completely destroyed. My cheek has been badly damaged and my knee, chin, shoulder and body severely cut.”
His assistant was the first to arrive on the scene followed by another member of his team who sprinted up the hill. They took him home and patched him up before he flew to Miami for scans.
Branson said it was one of many brushes with death he has had over the years. These include being rescued along with other crew members from his capsized speedboat when attempting the fastest-ever Atlantic crossing in 1985.
Two years later he ended up in the sea again when forced to abandon his hot air balloon while attempting the first transatlantic crossing in a balloon.
In February he was bitten by a stingray, and cut his head running into a bulletproof glass door. And Monday’s accident occurred on the fifth anniversary of the fire on Necker Island, which is owned by Branson. “What a way to mark it,” he said. “Thankfully, good fortune has smiled on me so far.”
-- With inputs from Agencies | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/thought-i-was-going-to-die-richard-branson-on-horrific-bike-crash/20160827.htm | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/469a6c374c11c766ea7e8a5993afe53602efa80d894dae1f740594c6fe83a54b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:18:03 | null | 2016-08-21T00:00:00 | Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has warned the people against the 'communal designs' of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party and urged them not to lose their cool in the run-up to the 2017 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. | Maya warns UP: Watch out for 'communal design' of BJP, RSS | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fmaya-warns-up-watch-out-for-communal-design-of-bjp-rss%2F20160821.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/21lead9.jpg | en | null | Maya warns UP: Watch out for 'communal design' of BJP, RSS | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 21, 2016 21:27 IST
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has warned the people against the "communal designs" of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party and urged them not to lose their cool in the run-up to the 2017 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
She accused the Modi government of raising issues of cow slaughter and 'love jihad' to keep the minorities "under fear" as well as of being "anti-Dalit".
Describing the NDA government at the Centre as "pro-capitalist", Mayawati alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had forgotten all of his promises made to the people before the 2014 general election.
"The black money from abroad has not been brought back nor have cheques of Rs 15 lakh per person been issued as promised," she told a rally at the Kothi Meena Bazar ground in Agra on Sunday.
Referring to a recent statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, the BSP supremo said, "The RSS chief wants Hindus to produce more than two children. They cannot even provide for two children. Who will look after them?"
"They (BJP) came to power on the basis of lies and false promises but their performance has been dismal," she alleged.
Mayawati also attacked the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh alleging that it was "run by goondas".
Accusing the BJP of putting up a "facade" in the name of development, Mayawati said had the party been serious about its intentions, it would have worked towards achieving that goal when it was in power in Uttar Pradesh.
Reminding the people of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promises of free water and electricity, foodgrains at an affordable price for the poor and better remuneration for labourers, the BSP supremo claimed that the BJP had failed to deliver on every front.
Stating that the party had promised to double the income of farmers after coming to power, she said, "More than two years have passed. What has been done for the farmers? The BJP had plans to amend the land acquisition laws in such a manner, which would favour big industrialists and the rich."
Claiming that small traders were starving due to the "wrong policies" of the BJP, Mayawati alleged that under the party's rule, the nationalised banks have written off debts of big industrialists to the tune of almost Rs 1.14 lakh crore.
She also took a dig at the BJP by referring to the Vyapam scam and controversies surrounding industrialists Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya.
Training her guns on the Congress, the BSP supremo said the party had ruled Uttar Pradesh for almost 32 years since Independence and now, it was out of power both in the state and at the Centre for its "wrong policies".
Alleging that the party was "eyeing upper caste votes" in the 2017 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, she said, "In a last ditch effort, the Congress is now mooting a 10 per cent reservation for the poor among the upper castes whereas, the BSP has been batting for the same for not only the upper castes, but also Muslims and other backward sections of the society for long."
Mounting an attack on the chief ministerial candidate of the Congress, Sheila Dikshit, Mayawati said, "They are projecting an elderly woman from the Brahmin community as the party's face for the UP polls. The same woman, when she was the chief minister, had blamed the people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for making Delhi unclean."
Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/maya-warns-up-watch-out-for-communal-design-of-bjp-rss/20160821.htm | en | 2016-08-21T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/394fedc7594e3beb6ccc87ea720aa885671fd19397cbc0205058c361ca88dca3.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:40:33 | null | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | Catch all the live debates and discussions from both the houses of Parliament. | WATCH LIVE! All the action from Parliament | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fwatch-live-monsoon-session-of-parliament%2F20160802.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2013/aug/24lead1.jpg | en | null | WATCH LIVE! All the action from Parliament | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 02, 2016 11:05 IST
Tuesday is the 12th day of monsoon session of Parliament. The crucial GST bill is likely to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha this week.
The BJP on Monday issued a whip to its members asking them to be present in the House for the next three days during which the party expects the legislation to be passed.
Catch all the live action from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha here. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/watch-live-monsoon-session-of-parliament/20160802.htm | en | 2016-08-02T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/d2470c6e9f641213187569f9154ca9d7eb52657f7ef39c03522de2bf6ce33548.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T06:52:14 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | Now, India and US can jets, warships can use Indian bases | India, US sign agreement to enable forces to use each other's base | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Findia-us-sign-agreement-to-enable-forces-to-use-each-others-base%2F20160830.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2015/dec/10def1.jpg | en | null | India, US sign agreement to enable forces to use each other's base | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 30, 2016 11:21 IST
India and the United States on Monday signed an important agreement that will make the two nations logistical allies and enable both the militaries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.
Welcoming the signing of the bilateral 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement', Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the pact will facilitate opportunities for "practical engagement and exchange".
LEMOA facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies, and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a framework to govern them.
"They agreed on the importance (that) this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation. To this end, the US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners," said a joint statement after the pact was signed.
According to the statement, the defence ties between the two countries is based on their "shared values and interests," and their "abiding commitment to global peace and security."
During their meeting, Parrikar and Carter discussed the "wealth of progress" in bilateral cooperation and deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India.
The US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners.
The visit -- their sixth official interaction to date -- demonstrates the importance both sides place on strengthening defence ties across many areas: from strategic and regional cooperation, to deepened military-to-military exchanges, to expanded collaboration on defence technology and innovation, it said.
Welcoming India's membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime, Carter reaffirmed US support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Acknowledging India's positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to further consultations in the area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, scheduled later this year.
During his stay in the US, Parrikar will visit Boeing's manufacturing facility at Philadelphia. He would also interact with American defence industry representatives at an event organised by the US-India Business Council.
Earlier, Parrikar was accorded an enhanced honor cordon by Carter after he arrived at the Pentagon in Washington.
The enhanced honour is reserved for valued guests. During normal cordon, visitors are greeted at the Pentagon stairs and welcomed with handshakes, before proceeding inside. During the enhanced honour cordon, national anthems are played.
Parrikar, accompanied by Carter, also laid a wreath at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial.
Parrikar said the US is one of India's primary sources of defence equipment, and while it has shared some of its cutting-edge platforms, he would like to take this forward to greater collaborative projects.
The two leaders, he said, decided to significantly expand the scope and activities of defence technology and trade initiative.
Carter said the designation builds on the success of last year's framework for the US-India defence relationship.
"It will facilitate defence, trade and technology sharing with India on a level we reserve only for our closest friends and allies, and it will support both of what I have called the two important handshakes between our countries and our two militaries," he said.
"The first is the strategic handshake. As the United States is reaching West in President Obama's rebalance, India is reaching east in Prime Minister Modi's Act East Policy, which will extend India's reach further into the broader Indo-Asia-Pacific region," he said.
The major defence partner designation will also tighten the second handshake between the two countries, the technological one, he said.
"Four years ago, the United States and India created the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, DTTI, to leverage the convergence between our industrial and technological abilities in an unprecedented way. That initiative grasps hands with Prime Minister Modi's Make in India campaign," he said.
"We made important progress on that technological partnership today, also. We agreed to advance a number of collaborative projects, on jet engine technology, chemical and biological protection, aircraft carriers and other systems; all by the end of the year. That collaboration will surely bring further cooperation, co-development and co-production," he added.
"And we're working together and networking with other Asia-Pacific militaries to provide the security and to promote the principles, including freedom of navigation and overflight, that have benefited so many in the region, including India," Carter said. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/india-us-sign-agreement-to-enable-forces-to-use-each-others-base/20160830.htm | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/e20ffa911cefd5b90d1d2b6ab5911dc4c91b47d00dd18519a6b0c0e3aa112720.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:50:18 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | With four more deaths, the toll in Bihar floods on Saturday increased to 153, while 12 more panchayat areas were inundated affecting a total population of 34.69 lakh in twelve districts. | Bihar flood situation worsens, toll rises to 153 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fbihar-flood-situation-worsens-toll-rises-to-153%2F20160827.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/27lead2.jpg | en | null | Bihar flood situation worsens, toll rises to 153 | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 27, 2016 21:13 IST
With four more deaths, the toll in Bihar floods on Saturday increased to 153, while 12 more panchayat areas were inundated affecting a total population of 34.69 lakh in twelve districts.
The four fresh deaths were reported from Bhojpur and Begusarai, each district accounted for two, a release by the Disaster Management Department said.
Caused by a spate in Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers, the flood affected 34.69 lakh people in 2,037 villages under 565 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state, it said.
The number of flood-hit people was 32.51 lakh in 2,018 villages under 553 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state on Friday.
Ganga, though showing a receding trend, is flowing above the danger mark at seven places -- Digha Ghat, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, besides in Munger and Buxar districts.
The receding trend has been witnessed at Gandhi Ghat, Digha Ghat and Hathidah in Patna also.
A total 4.97 lakh people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar, the release said.
The government is plying 2,571 boats for evacuation and national and state disaster response forces are deployed.
A total of 544 relief camps are being run in the flood-hit areas in which 2.66 lakh people have taken shelter.
They are being provided medical services by 328 teams.
Besides, 151 camps were being run only for animals, the release said.
The authorities were making an estimation of the total affected areas due to floods and areas under cultivation.
Besides, the assessment for crop damage was being made by the authorities, it said.
Photograph: PTI Photo | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/bihar-flood-situation-worsens-toll-rises-to-153/20160827.htm | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/57b4794660993e6aceccf0ef7d91a60087f07c38ffb913078fab02a1ddf0168a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:16:23 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | The eight-point advantage that Clinton has is virtually unchanged from her nine-point lead last week. | Hillary Clinton holds 8-point lead over Donald Trump in national poll | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fhillary-clinton-holds-8-point-lead-over-donald-trump-in-national-poll%2F20160824.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2015/aug/12clinton.jpg | en | null | Hillary Clinton holds 8-point lead over Donald Trump in national poll | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 24, 2016 02:59 IST
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton holds a eight-point lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump, a latest national poll has said.
According to the survey conducted by the NBC News, among registered voters, Clinton, 68, is supported by 50 per cent of the people while 42 per cent support 70-year-old Trump.
The eight-point advantage that Clinton has is virtually unchanged from her nine-point lead last week.
She has seen similar margins since the end of July.
In a four-way general election match-up, Clinton holds a five-point margin over Trump 43-38 percent, while Libertarian Gary Johnson garners 11 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein gets five percent, it said.
Based on the survey, the news channel said race relations will likely continue to be a campaign issue through November.
The latest tracking poll found that 65 per cent of registered voters think race relations in the US are getting worse, it said.
Just under a quarter said race relations are staying about the same and only 10 per cent said they think race relations are getting better.
Majorities across all racial groups -- white, black, Hispanic and Asian American voters -- said they think race relations are getting worse in this country, it added.
According to RealClearPolitics.Com which tracks all major national polls, Clinton leads Trump by 5.5 percentage points. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/hillary-clinton-holds-8-point-lead-over-donald-trump-in-national-poll/20160824.htm | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/38b18bd3a89d6a06062a7756269b22d6d5372d09c070f529cb9325d4d8c72f70.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:35:22 | null | 2016-08-06T00:00:00 | Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Sarma on Saturday visited Guwahati Medical College and Hospital to take stock of the injured who were shifted to Guwahati last night. | Kokrajhar attack: Assam remains tense; slain ultra identified | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fkokrajhar-attack-assam-remains-tense%2F20160806.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/06assam02.jpg | en | null | Kokrajhar attack: Assam remains tense; slain ultra identified | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 06, 2016 17:28 IST
An NIA team on Saturday scoured the site and spoke to eyewitnesses of Friday's terror attack in Kokrajhar in which 14 people were killed while a massive combing operation was on to nab the militants of Bodo separatist outfit National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Songbijit suspected to be involved in the strike.
Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who visited the attack site, told reporters that the militant who was neutralised on Friday has been identified as Manjay Islari.
"He is a self-styled area commander of 16th battalion of NDFB-S faction. We will give the body to his parents," he said.
He said that combing operation in the area has been intensified to nab those who fled after carrying out the attack on Balajan Tiniali market, about 12 km from Kokrajhar, just days before Independence Day.
IMAGE: Assam CM Sonowal speaks with police officials as he inspected the security apparatus in the state. Photograph: PTI
To a question, he said that the militants were not part of any suicide squad. "If they were part of a suicide squad they would not have fled."
An NIA team has reached the spot and was speaking to eyewitnesses, officials said.
Combing operation by police, para-military and army is also on in neighbouring Chirang district to nab militants.
Defence sources said specialised troops, tracker dogs and other equipment have been pressed into service.
The army was also carrying out extensive area domination operations in the district to ensure swift actions, they said.
The situation was described as tense but under control by police.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal visited the seriously injured at Gauhati Medical College Hospital and inquired about their condition. He spoke to doctors there on providing them advance medical treatment, government sources in Guwahati said.
IMAGE: Assam CM Sonowal visits those injured in the attack on Friday. Photograph: ANI/Twitter
Kokrajhar deputy commissioner held a high level security meeting with police, army and paramilitary forces to review the situation ahead of Independence Day, administration sources said.
A strict vigil was being maintained along the Assam-Bengal interstate border and international fronts with Bhutan to prevent the NDFB-S militants from escaping there, the sources said.
Meanwhile, opposition Congress leaders, who visited Kokrajhar on Saturday, accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state of failing to take preventive measures despite the fact that militants regularly indulge in violent activities in the run up to Independence and Republic Days.
Armed militants dressed in army fatigues and belonging to the Bodo separatist outfit had opened fire and threw grenades at the crowded weekly market killing 14 people. One of the attackers, who were believed to be five in number, was killed in retaliatory action by security forces, police had said.
Assam Director-General of Police Mukesh Sahay had said that the attack was suspected to be the handiwork of NDFB. AK-56 and 47 series rifles along with grenades were also recovered from the spot.
The Assam Director General of Police and Additional Chief Secretary T Y Das also held a high level security review meeting with the district administration where it was decided to continue with the security operations. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/kokrajhar-attack-assam-remains-tense/20160806.htm | en | 2016-08-06T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/449fdd5c34101c8bf507a3b6e83706459e8c9487347f8165cc048ee6e35722c1.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:28:47 | null | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | According to NIA sources, Ali's request has been forwarded to the ministry of external affairs from where it will be sent to Pakistan's High Commissioner Abdul Basit. | Captured terrorist Bahadur Ali requests consular access to family | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fcaptured-terrorist-bahadur-ali-requests-access-to-family%2F20160811.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/10live-terrorist.jpg | en | null | Captured terrorist Bahadur Ali requests consular access to family | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 11, 2016 15:29 IST
Captured Pakistani terrorist Bahadur Ali has requested the National Investigation Agency for consular access to meet his family.
According to NIA sources, Ali's request has been forwarded to the ministry of external affairs from where it will be sent to Pakistan's High Commissioner Abdul Basit.
During his interrogation by the agency, the captured terrorist has revealed that a proper recce was done of the route from which they would infiltrate, adding that videos were also taken of the path as part of preparation.
Stating that Ali is not a fidayeen terrorist, sources further stated that he has made earlier attempts to hurl grenades at public places in Handwara, Jammu and Kashmir, but had failed to do so.
Ali, who was was initially recruited by the Jamaat-ud-Dawah and trained by the LeT to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and brew tension in the region, also confessed that the LeT has built its own network.
He also possessed 23,000 Indian rupees although some of it was fake.
The NIA on Wednesday disclosed that Ali has confessed to the involvement of LeT and Pakistan Army behind the unrest in Kashmir.
NIA chief Sanjeev Kumar said Ali during his interrogation confessed that he was directed to take advantage of the unrest in Kashmir Valley.
"We have collected all kinds of evidences. Bahadur Ali was directed to take advantage of the current situation in Kashmir," said Kumar.
"Bahadur Ali was recruited by the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, subsequently LeT radicalised him. Bahadur Ali underwent all three training process organised by the LeT," he added.
Ali was captured by the security forces earlier on July 26 during an encounter with the infiltrators, in which two of his accomplishes were killed.
Ali was the second Pakistani terrorist captured alive by Indian forces in the last two months in Kashmir.
Ali had later confessed that he was from Jahama village of Raiwind in Lahore, adding he had entered the Indian territory along with two other terrorists to exploit the unrest in Kashmir.
He was also trained for map reading and handling GPS devices. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/captured-terrorist-bahadur-ali-requests-access-to-family/20160811.htm | en | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/0baf01b343b8762e5c13d1e926ce4844feccca63b26e85fbd78d8f83e27b21f6.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:19:05 | null | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | 'Cultural property crimes have been linked, by the United Nations and others, to terrorism.'
'These links show the perpetrators to be associated with major criminal and terrorist networks like ISIS. | The American who rescues Indian treasures! | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Finterview%2Fthe-american-who-rescues-indian-treasures%2F20160822.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/12stolen-treasure.jpg | en | null | The American who rescues Indian treasures! | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 22, 2016 22:14 IST
'Cultural property crimes have been linked by the United Nations and others to terrorism.'
'These links show the perpetrators to be associated with major criminal and terrorist networks like ISIS.'
For an excited five-year-old boy, perched on the edge of his seat in a New England theatre, nothing could be more thrilling than watching the exploits of an archaeologist-professor, played by Harrison Ford, who escapes his university classroom to heroically assist North Indian villagers recover the holy Sankara stone relic belonging to their ancient temple.
The Steven Spielberg film and Indiana Jones -- its swaggering, fedora-sporting hero, who salvages historical loot -- made a lasting impression on the little boy. Especially since he was seeing Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom for the second time!
He had already seen it on television at home and hankered to see Indiana Jones' swashbuckling antics, king size, on the big screen too. But his town lacked a cinema. The youngster then dragged his folks to see it in a theatre in a neighbouring town. And, every Halloween thereafter, he religiously dressed up as Indiana Jones, in khakhis, black leather, hat, bullwhip and all.
So durable was the movie and Jones' impact that when Brenton Easter grew up and left the "rural, rural" north-eastern American town of "2,000 or less," whose name he does not wish to disclose, and went to Brandeis, Massachusetts, he chose to study, along with anthropology, archaeology like the good ol' Dr Cowboy.
When he started looking for a job, he was certain it would be for Homeland Security Department's New York office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In Indy style, when he was appointed a special agent, Easter became a rescuer of relics, mounting perilous investigations on behalf of the US government to uncover robbed artefacts. A real-life noble treasure hunter.
Quite reminiscent too of the beloved cinematic character Dr Henry Walton aka Indiana Jones Jr, this agent is something of a 'non-superhero superhero' -- low-profile, unpretentious but passionate and focussed on his work, say those who know him.
"At first blush, Brent Easter is a soft-spoken, doe-eyed gentleman with a passion for antiquities. But that disarming first impression belies the tenacious pit bull of a federal agent whose investigative work has done more to curb the illicit antiquities trade that anyone I know," says Jason Felch, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist who has investigated the antiquities trade for many years.
As one of the most experienced agents at the antiquity division of the ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement), Easter, along with his team (up considerably from the small unit they began as a decade ago), has done a tremendous job behind the scenes, raising awareness about the trafficking of stolen cultural objects and their clandestine passage to America from their country of origin.
Every operation to return an object -- more than 8,000 apparently till date -- from the US to its home culture -- Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Turkey, Syria (in the past) among others -- has the invisible signature of Easter and his colleagues on it, even if on a telephonic interview from New York, which takes 10 months to materialise because the agent really keeps busy, he is matter of fact and laconic about his role.
More importantly, Easter ought to be a household name for all of us in India. He is a man we Indians, who are proud of our centuries-old culture and history, owe a huge debt to.
Easter & Co, have, over a decade plus, repossessed, among other looted historical treasures, innumerable stolen Indian artefacts and notified Indian authorities to have them rightfully sent back to India, many in connection with the Hidden Idol Operation, the largest US seizure of stolen antiquities worth $107.6 million, leading to the arrest of kingpin dealer Subhash Kapoor.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in America to address the United States Congress in June, he stopped by at the Indian embassy in Washington DC to take back a Chola-era Sripuranthan village Ganesha idol (stolen a decade before from Tamil Nadu and sold for $245,000) and 200 other valuable items that were handed over to him by US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
Easter was not there.
But, yes, he and his team were the people behind this haul.
This special agent has been to India on the trail of a stolen antiquities case. To Mumbai and Tamil Nadu. "I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I loved the culture and the people and the food!" he says,
He popped in at the Taj Mahal, Agra, and to see our capital, when his work was done and he had put his badge away. "I hope to go back. Both for business and pleasure in the future," he adds.
It is both laudable and ironic that the tiny boy, who admired Doc Indy with all his little heart, grew up to become a figure larger than his film hero. In an exclusive interview to Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel, over e-mail and on the phone, Easter discusses how he and the ICE squad go out reclaiming historical treasure and chase the villains who trade in it.
They painstakingly build up dossiers for difficult-to-pull-off criminal prosecutions, based on substantiated facts because, as Easter told CNN, the facts are vital just the way Indy put it: 'Archeology is not about finding the truth, it's about finding facts.'
IMAGE: How the stolen treasures were transported.
Your role in the recovery of hundreds of Indian idols and antiquities that are now slowly making their way back to India, as part of Operation Hidden Idol and other operations mounted by the ICE, makes you a big figure in India.
How did you get into this profession? And into recovering antiquities?
When I was growing up, there was a movie character named Indiana Jones. He kind of inspired me as a child to want to do something along the lines of hunting and rescuing treasure. And giving things back to villages.
There is even a movie called (Indiana Jones And The) Temple Of Doom where Indiana Jones recovers artefacts for a village in India! That was definitely an inspiration.
I joined (the) government (service) because I had learned there was a group in New York that did some cultural property investigations. It took me a little while to get into this group.
But when I got there, about 10 years ago, I really loved the work and loved the people I was working with. And I have been successful at working on this stuff.
What do you love most about the work?
The opportunity to do something good while stopping something bad.
I get to catch the bad guys and save a bit of history at the same time. That's very satisfying.
What is the high point of your daily work?
There are numerous high points in this field. It is gratifying when you recover an artefact. Doing so stopped it from going to the people who are trying to profit off another peoples's history and culture.
It is very, very satisfying, gratifying to give those pieces back later on in the investigation, when the pieces have been forfeited and (can be) repatriated.
It is also incredible if you can put handcuffs on a person who has been making a profit off of someone else's property.
There are a lot of different high points in an investigation -- high points that occur for me, hopefully, on a fairly regular basis.
Probably no raid to uncover antiquities is similar to another? Without divulging anything confidential, can you please tell us if is there is some way in which you plan a raid? And how it happens? How it evolves?
I don't really term anything I do as a raid -- what we do is conduct operations.
Operations are typically long-term, multi-person investigations that we conduct in an effort to try and disrupt or dismantle transnational criminal organisations that are dealing in cultural property and profiting from it.
One of the goals is to see if we can link these individuals to other crimes as well, whether it is money laundering or other types of smuggling.
Cultural property crimes have been linked by the United Nations and others to terrorism. These links show the perpetrators to be associated with major criminal and terrorist networks like ISIS.
This is an issue that concerns not just our shared history, but also our current levels of international security.
Inside those operations, hopefully, we will have arrests; hopefully, we will have search warrants conducted. I think search warrants might be what you are thinking of when you hear raids.
Yes, and when you find something? Either in a shipment? Or in someone's house? Warehouse?
Right, right. In some of those search warrants we have executed, we have recovered hundreds of artefacts.
We have conducted search warrants in different kinds of locations. Some of the (places) we have seen are labs where people were getting huge amounts of antique coins or numismatic material or other types of metal-detected antiquities -- they have to recondition them in order to be able to sell them.
(They have) all kinds of apparatuses, magnifying glasses and pots of chemicals in order to try to bring those things up to marketable conditions.
We have done (laughs) search warrants in very uncomfortable situations -- in little storage units where temperatures, literally, might be 100 plus degrees. Or you might end up inside someone's garage.
And you will find some of the weirdest things inside of these garages. Like ancient Egyptian sarcophagi.
(These raids then) run the ambit from smaller antiquities to large. From cold to hot temperature conditions. From first-class storage units or high-end apartments to some of the most despicable, (rundown) conditions you can imagine.
It is the same with shipments. Sometimes, you will see something packaged exceptionally well. At other times, a shipment is packaged incredibly poor(ly).
You will see, unfortunately, the antiquity or cultural property suffer in some of those poor conditions. You feel the lack of regard for the history and culture, which is sad.
'When cases are made public, these networks adapt and change to elude the authorities. That can be seen with the recent theft of a Jain idol of Lord Mahavira from Bihar.'
Is the Subhash Kapoor case a watershed when it comes to stolen Asian antiquities?
Has a lot changed after Kapoor was caught in terms of bringing about awareness and cleaning up things in general, on all sides?
There are pros and cons when a case like Operation Hidden Idol goes public.
It is great to heighten awareness within the art trade that stolen cultural property is out there. It is also important for the public to realise that this is a serious issue.
Unfortunately, there is still much work to be done when combating transnational criminal networks dealing in illicit cultural property.
When cases are made public, these sophisticated networks adapt their methods and change with the times in an effort to elude the authorities. (That) can be seen with the recent theft of a Jain idol of Lord Mahavira from Bihar (earlier this year).
People are still committing thefts and individuals are still smuggling and buying illicit cultural property.
It is a trade as old as civilisation and it won't end any time soon. The demand may have diminished, but it hasn't disappeared.
You said you first encountered a stolen Indian artefact nearly a decade ago. Would you say that you are pretty much an authority on identifying an Indian piece, its date or period?
One of the things we have been able to do here in New York is that the agency has become exceptionally (adept) at utilising sources.
We have been doing this for about 10 years (now). That allows me and my group the opportunity to obtain sources and to network and find resources within almost every single aspect of the trade.
If we need an expert for Syrian artefacts, we have got one.
If we need a person we can count on for Indian artefacts, we actually have quite a few (experts) at this point.
If we need somebody who will help us (with a) recast or with a restoration or if we need to see if something is a certain age or (for a) chemical analysis -- we have got experts that can do almost every single aspect of the trade.
A lot of the agents, like myself, have become very good at what we do (but) we still rely on those experts.
We know that, while we have to look at everything, they look at only one specific type of (historical) material. That way, if we ever do go to court, their opinions will be much harder to refute than any of ours.
So basically you have a good gut feeling about artefacts which you back up with connections with all kinds of experts. Would that be how to sum it up?
Yes. But it is not just the experts that we utilise. It is our contacts, our sources that we have developed over the past 10 years. That's one of the reasons why we have been so successful.
In fact, we changed the model, I think, over the last decade, of how these investigations are being conducted. We have gone from the seize and repatriate model, which is what we used to do.
We used to find artefacts predominantly, recover them, forfeit them and repatriate them.
Now, we are actually going after the individuals who are responsible, both here and abroad, for stealing another nation's cultural property, for stealing what might be considered a peoples's identity and heritage and giving it back.
So we have created experts, yes. But (also) sources.
People who will help us from inside the shipping community.
People who will help us from inside the dealer community. The restorer community.
People who really are aspects (participants in) the trade. Not just academics at a university. Or professors of different types of (historical) material and culture. Really people from all ranges of the trade.
It is very hard to talk about figures. But do you have any measure of knowing how many Indian antiquities are still out there in America, which are recently stolen but not discovered yet? (Interpol, two years ago, estimated the illegal trade was worth $9 billion.)
That's a great question. I don't think anybody can give you a solid number. Or figure. One of the reasons for that is that I don't think there is anyone in India who can tell you how much was there. And how much has gone missing.
I can tell you that, over the last 10 years, our agency, working with CBP (US Customs and Border Protection) has identified numerous instances where Indian antiquities have been either smuggled into the United States or appeared to have been stolen and imported into the United States.
I think we recovered some Indian antiquities just this last March and the people still dealing in this illicit material should be ashamed. Especially after seeing how Operation Hidden Idol has exposed how ripe the market is with problems.
So, although people are becoming aware that this is a problem, (there is still a) market for Indian antiquities.
The market is starting to become aware that there are some problems with this portion of the trade; that there might be some issues. I think they are reacting to that.
Hopefully, the trade of illicit antiquities out of India will decrease. Awareness was (boosted) with some of our successes.
It is also going to have an impact, not just on the trade here in the United States and abroad, but on how things progress in India.
I have been reading about additional arrests down in Tamil Nadu. That's wonderful. I am glad that we have been able to help and to provide whatever assistance and evidence we can.
I think the collaboration that is occurring between investigators and prosecutors, and between countries, with regard to these investigations is very, very important. Hopefully, it will continue to grow.
(Easter told National Geographic in June: 'I don't always know the good guys around the world, the other law enforcers in different countries. But the bad guys all seem to know each other. It's like they're on speed dial.'
He was recently informed by a collaborator that smugglers/dealers have gotten to know about ICE's successes to which the special agent said grimly to National Geographic: 'Guess that means I've got their attention. Good. Now I know I'm doing my job.')
We are in 2016. Let's look at it over a 10 year time frame. What are the chances that the journey of a stolen Indian antiquity travelling secretly from a historic site in India to America will remain unbroken today? And how does today compare with how it was 10 years ago or five years ago?
I think the big difference between five or 10 years ago and now is the level of awareness. People are much more cognisant that there is an issue. Cognisant that there is illicit trade. Because of that, the market is adapting and changing.
I also (believe) that custom officers, both here and abroad, are probably trying to look for more of these problematic shipments. That's one way in which things have changed.
So is it 50 per cent better? Or 90 per cent better than say five or 10 years ago?
I think it is impossible to give a number on that right now. Because we don't know what numbers were in the past.
But I think the odds have dramatically decreased especially since the levels of awareness have increased.
'It is a trade as old as civilisation and it won't end any time soon. The demand may have diminished, but it hasn't disappeared.'
Museums across America -- and across the world, Australia, Europe -- now understand the issue of pilfered artefacts. They are trying very hard to make sure they are not acquiring new stolen antiquities. But isn't it still happening in a small way? Accidentally? Or through carelessness?
What I have seen, for the most part, from the museum community in the United States and abroad, (is that) when there is a problem they work with law enforcement to try and remedy it.
When I deal with them, they are extremely agreeable and complicit. They help me out.
The Honolulu Museum (of Art) was one of the first ones we worked with, with great success. They helped us immensely. They helped us to go beyond what we were originally looking for.
I think that museums are currently trying to do the right thing. You are always going to have people who are trying to pull a fast one.
Crime exists, right? That's why I am here. But for the most part, I think people are genuinely trying to do the right thing.
I think that's what you see across the board with these institutions. So I don't think it is fair to say that an institution, whether it is an auction house or a museum as a whole is doing something wrong.
If they do do something wrong, then it is probably one individual responsible for that, not an institution as a whole.
Could there exceptions to the rule? Well, of course. That's what I am here, to try and find out.
I applaud museums actually at this point for their assistance. I find a lot of private collectors have also been very helpful in terms of the investigations.
Have attitudes changed considerably in America and the world over with reference to how Asian antiquities are acquired?
The climate surrounding the acquisition of art in the world has steadily changed since the UNESCO agreement in 1970. Most museums now hold themselves to a high standard when they look to purchase cultural property.
In most cases, it appears that collectors and institutions are doing their due diligence; however, there will always be the few exceptions to the rule.
We just saw ancient treasure lost to history due to ISIS terrorism in Palmyra, Syria. It leads to views that it is first-world museums that keep treasures of other cultures safe.
Many are of the view: 'Well, we are keeping it more safe than them.' And better a stolen artefact in a museum than it being lost entirely to history.
In India too, so many of our ancient treasures are not looked after well enough. Is that an attitude you are up against?
There are some people who do have that attitude. People that feel some things of history will be safer in institutions.
And their homes?
And in their homes.
But you know what? I am not paid to have that opinion. I am paid to find violations of law. So I don't concern myself with those arguments.
What I concern myself with is if someone is knowingly transporting or moving stolen property or if any import regulations or laws are being broken.
If somebody is going to let their thinking cloud their judgement and do something wrong, then I will enforce the law.
If their opinions are not affecting whether or not they are breaking the law, then they are fully entitled to them.
You mentioned that a lot of work needs to be done to keep antiquities from getting stolen and leaving the country of their origin. In the case of India, what are two key points? Especially anything that needs to be done from the Indian side?
One of the things that made this case (Hidden Idol) very successful was the inventory that was held by the French Institute of Pondicherry (Institut Français de Pondichéry, the 1955-established institution that studies Indian civilisation and culture and has a 160,000 photo archive devoted to ancient South Indian art).
Those inventories of what were in (Tamil Nadu) temples allowed us to (prove) that certain artefacts had been were stolen from those temples.
What that shows you is that inventories are incredibly useful and helpful to making criminal cases.
(In) Other cases (relating) to Indian antiquities, theft reports and records showing that something had (belonged to someone) had been useful. Or documentation of a person's property or temple property. Basically, paper trails.
Is the ICE now well-outfitted to deal with intercepting smuggled Asian, specifically Indian, artefacts? What are some of the system changes that have come about? Is there enough manpower?
HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) is definitely better equipped to investigate and ultimately to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organisations dealing in cultural property now than we ever have been in the past.
We annually train agents all over the country to investigate these crimes and there are now two or more agents at most offices and ports around the nation prepared and searching for illicit cultural property.
We have continued to increase our numbers of seizures and arrests on a regular basis and it is anticipated that we will continue to successfully combat cultural property crime.
IMAGING: Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com | http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/the-american-who-rescues-indian-treasures/20160822.htm | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/25dec6410745a6b16deaceb6b06fb41c7364f0eaf55ef6381e963ca502334e55.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T10:52:28 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | BJP members took strong exception to the comments and rushed to the well demanding that the speaker expunge the 'derogatory words' from the proceedings. | BJP targets SP leader Azam Khan over 'derogatory remarks' against PM Modi | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fbjp-targets-azam-khan-over-derogatory-remarks-against-pm-modi%2F20160830.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2014/apr/28up1.jpg | en | null | BJP targets SP leader Azam Khan over 'derogatory remarks' against PM Modi | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 30, 2016 16:04 IST
Certain remarks by Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday led to an uproar in the assembly with Bharatiya Janta Party members disrupting the proceedings and forcing a brief adjournment by pressing for expunction of the "derogatory comments".
During a discussion on law and order issue, Khan, in an apparent reference to Modi, said, "It is an irony that the 'badshah' (emperor) of the country does not keep his mother with him and goes on gifting things to enemy's mother. He talks of 'beti bachao' (save daughters) but left his own wife."
The comments by the state's parliamentary affairs minister were an apparent reference to Modi gifting a shawl to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif's mother on the latter's visit to India during Modi's swearing-in-ceremony in 2014. Modi had also sent a saree for Sharif's mother.
BJP members took strong exception to the comments and rushed to the well demanding that the speaker expunge the "derogatory words" from the proceedings.
The minister, however, said the country wanted to know who were inside the room when 'badshah' was giving birthday wishes (to Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan).
Even after Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey's assurance that he will look into the matter, BJP members did not return to their seats. The Speaker then adjourned the House for 20 minutes till 12.20 pm.
Earlier, BJP member Suresh Kumar Khanna wanted to know from the Samajwadi party-led state government about the response of '1090 women helpline' when the Bulandshar rape incident took place on July 19.
He said if the helpline had responded properly, the incident would not have happened.
Azam Khan had courted controversy by allegedly saying that the Bulandshar incident was a "politically controversy". The SC had on Monday sought a reply from the minister and the state government on a plea to shift the probe and trial in the case out of the state due to "distrust". | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/bjp-targets-azam-khan-over-derogatory-remarks-against-pm-modi/20160830.htm | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/309ad75e8b83c676c441c130e27fa43b152a3a08716b4295e09e07acd845c029.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T02:50:57 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | The scramjet engine, used only during the atmospheric phase of the rocket's flight, will help in bringing down the launch cost. | ISRO successfully test launches scramjet engine from Sriharikota | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fisro-successfully-test-launches-scramjet-engine%2F20160828.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/28scramjet.jpg | en | null | ISRO successfully test launches scramjet engine from Sriharikota | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 28, 2016 07:56 IST
The Indian Space Research Organisation has successfully tested its scramjet engine on Sunday in Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
The rocket took off at 6 am after reports confirmed that the wind speeds were conducive for the launch.
The scramjet engine, used only during the atmospheric phase of the rocket’s flight, will help in bringing down the launch cost by reducing the amount of oxidiser to be carried along with the fuel.
Meanwhile, the launch of the Indian weather satellite, INSAT-3DR, which was slated for Sunday has now been postponed to September 8.
Queried about the change in launch plan Krishnan said: "While carrying out the tests there was a technical issue found with a satellite component. It has been sorted out now and hence the delay."
He said the GSLV rocket that would carry the weather satellite INSAT-3DR is fully assembled.
The weather satellite will be mounted on to the rocket in three to four days.
According to officials, the ISRO will launch ScatSat -- a weather monitoring and forecasting satellite -- with polar satellite launch vehicle end of next month.
The Indian satellite will be a co-passenger to an Algerian satellite.
Both the satellites will be put into different orbits. So the fourth engine of the rocket will be switched off after ejecting ScatSat first. Then after a gap of around 30 minutes, the engine will be switched on and put the Algerian satellite into its intended orbit. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/isro-successfully-test-launches-scramjet-engine/20160828.htm | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/32162f9a95a4e7e0c9cfd8b2847b89ff332ea0b71a065006b857197125602e80.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:21:09 | null | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | The CRPF told the court that if the pellet gun option was withdrawn they would have to use rifles, causing more fatalities. | Fired 3,500 pellets in 34 days; do you want us use rifles instead: CRPF to HC | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Ffired-3500-pellets-in-34-days-do-you-want-us-use-rifles-instead-crpf-to-hc%2F20160819.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/19kashmir2.jpg | en | null | Fired 3,500 pellets in 34 days; do you want us use rifles instead: CRPF to HC | null | null | www.rediff.com | August 19, 2016 14:39 IST
The Central Reserve Police Force told the Jammu and Kashmir high court that if the pellet gun option was withdrawn they would have to use rifles, causing more fatalities.
The Central Reserve Police Force has informed the Jammu and Kashmir high court that if pellet guns are banned as a crowd control measure, its personnel will be forced to fire bullets in extreme situations, which can cause more fatalities.
“In case, this (pellet gun) is withdrawn from the options available with the CRPF, CRPF personnel would have no recourse in extreme situations but to open fire with rifles, which may cause more fatalities,” the CRPF said in an affidavit submitted to the high court on Wednesday.
The paramilitary force submitted the affidavit in response to a PIL filed before the court, seeking ban on use of pellet guns as a means for crowd control mechanism in the Valley, which has been rocked by violent protests since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.
The force said pellet guns were introduced in 2010 and were an accepted weapon of riot control. It said that following the standard operating procedures while dealing with a dynamic law and order problem is difficult in case of moving, bending and running target.
The standard operating procedure regarding use of firearms for crowd control in extreme situations requires that the weapon be aimed below the waist.
“But the situation prevailing on the streets during an ongoing law and order incident is dynamic and mobile.
“In such a situation, sometimes it is difficult to go in for precise aimed fire at a moving, bending and running target,” it said.
The CRPF said it has fired around 3,500 pellet cartridges from July 9 to August 11 during violence by protesters in the Valley.
The PIL was filed by Kashmir high court bar association on July 30.
While the CRPF and Border Security Force have submitted their replies, the state government has not filed its response so far.
The case is listed for hearing on Saturday again.
Image: A father comforts his son whom he said was injured by pellets shot by security forces in Srinagar following weeks of violence in Kashmir. Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/Reuters | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/fired-3500-pellets-in-34-days-do-you-want-us-use-rifles-instead-crpf-to-hc/20160819.htm | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/c0be7b24f9ac762e2c76c56724f1d809d124a970e79b56b987157cbab34f6ab1.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:37:54 | null | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | Addressing a gathering in Virginia on Tuesday, the Republican nominee for United States president asked a woman with a crying baby to leave his rally after the infant cried over his speech. | Donald Trump boots crying baby from rally | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fget-him-out-of-here-trump-boots-crying-baby-from-rally%2F20160803.htm.json | http://im.rediff.com/news/2016/aug/03trump1.jpg | en | null | Donald Trump boots crying baby from rally | null | null | www.rediff.com | Last updated on: August 03, 2016 03:02 IST
Donald Trump seems to be losing the plot. Addressing a gathering in Virginia on Tuesday, the Republican nominee for United States president asked a woman with a crying baby to leave his rally after the infant cried over his speech.
Initially, he didn't seem to be bothered as he went about discussing his relationship with China and Chinese businesses.
He stopped mid-way and said: "Don't worry about that baby. I love babies. Don't worry about it. I love babies. I hear that baby crying, I like it. What a baby. What a beautiful baby. Don't worry, don't worry. The mom's running around like -- don't worry about it, you know. It's young and beautiful and healthy and that's what we want."
The baby continued to cry out loud.
And moments later, Trump lost his patience.
That's when he blurted, "Actually, I was only kidding, you can get the baby out of here."
"That's all right. Don't worry. I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I'm speaking. That's okay. People don't understand. That's okay," he said, referring to the baby's mother. | http://www.rediff.com/news/report/get-him-out-of-here-trump-boots-crying-baby-from-rally/20160803.htm | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.rediff.com/f0e315510c99e6e6c0bbd588f84cc5772685d76546006544bbe8b78b61daa406.json |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.