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More rain forecast for North even as monsoon stays quiet over South

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As a dry spell entrenched itself over most parts of Peninsular India, India Met Department (IMD) has said that North India will not have any respite from active monsoon conditions. This is in view of the expected formation of a low-pressure area over North Bay of Bengal over the next two days, after it missed date with the region around the first of this month.

Dry spell in South
According to IMD’s wind-field projections, the system would track in a west-north-westerly track cutting across Bihar, Jharkhand, West Uttar Pradesh and winding up over Delhi and neighbourhood. This effectively means that the atmosphere over Rajasthan is not any more conducive to receive rain systems originating from the Bay since it is transitioning into monsoon withdrawal mode.

September 1 is the normal date of withdrawal for the monsoon from Rajasthan, the north-western fringes of the geography, in a month-long procedure that progressively covers the rest of the country.

Peninsular India would not benefit too much from the brewing ‘low’ since it forms too far north of the Bay and out of its own internal dynamics at a time when the Arabian Sea flows stay indifferent.

According to the Climate Prediction Centre of the US National Weather Services, the dry spell over Peninsular India may extend for another week (till September 11).

An ensemble model of the US National Weather Services, the monsoon circulations may linger over the East Coast, mainly along and off Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts, into September 20. It sees the last one among these emerging as a conventional ‘low’ and making its presence felt along the foothills of the Himalayas across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh before winding up over Uttarakhand.

Projections by the IMD indicate that there is scope for at least one more ‘low’ to form over the North Bay by September 13, although this needs to be watched out empirically for confirmation.

It said in the morning update that fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy falls are likely to continue over Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the next three days.

Heavy to very heavy and isolated extremely heavy falls are likely over parts of North-West Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas during the next two days, it added.

Death toll rises as Typhoon Jebi batters Japan

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At least 10 people have been killed in Japan by a powerful typhoon that has caused massive flooding, landslides and power outages across the country.

Typhoon Jebi, the most powerful storm to hit the island nation in 25 years, also injured at least 300 people, according to officials.

Jebi left at least 3,000 people stranded at Kansai airport, an artificial island located in Osaka Bay in the west of the country.

Authorities said they would start evacuating those stuck at Kansai airport on Wednesday to nearby Kobe airport using high-speed boats and buses.

As a result of the typhoon, more than 1.2 million people were without power. Other essential infrastructures such as train lines were also affected by the storm.

“The government will continue to do everything possible to tackle these issues with utmost urgency,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a response to the emergency.

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Japan slammed by most powerful storm in decades
Depending on the damage, it could take up to a week before Kansai airport will be reopened again.

Jebi is considered a category-3 typhoon, out of five on the Saffir-Simpson scale. For a brief moment, it was considered a “super typhoon” because of its power.

Wind gusts of up to 208km/h were recorded in one part of Shikoku, with forecasts as high as 216km/h.

Tides in some areas were the highest since a typhoon in 1961, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was criticised for the government’s slow response to the natural disaster, cancelled a scheduled trip to Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island, to oversee the government’s response to the typhoon.

Damages are expected to put a further strain on Japan’s recovery budget as the country continues dealing with natural disasters.

The threat of further floods comes soon after parts of Japan were hit by torrential rains in July, killing more than 100 people.

(Aljazeera)

Peace Rally in Chennai to pay homage for late M Karunanidhi

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Over 8000 people gathered at Triplicane police station in Chennai to participate in a silent rally announced by Alagiri to pay homage to his late father M Karunanidhi.

‘Saviour of the party’, ‘long live Alagiri’ were the slogans raised by the supporters of Alagiri who participated in the rally held in Chennai on Wednesday.

Many of the crowds that participated in the rally had come from Madurai — which is Alagiri’s stronghold. An ardent supporter of Alagiri said, “Alagiri is a great leader and we are sure he will be the change Tamil Nadu needs.”

A group of 60 people had worn T-shirts with Alagiri’s picture and said he is the ‘second Kalaignar’. When asked if Alagiri’s influence in Madurai has faded over the last four years, the group said, “He still has the support of all the people in Madurai. He has helped many families and has done charitable activities even when he was sacked from the DMK.”

Not taking the act of rebellion lightly, the DMK has suspended party functionary Ravi, the area secretary for Velachery, for greeting Alagiri at the Chennai airport yesterday.

“They sacked a party functionary who received me at the airport. Will he sack all the one lakh people who have pledged their support to me today,” said Alagiri taking a jibe at Stalin, his brother and now DMK president.

Interestingly, MK Stalin met the public at DMK headquarters in Chennai. Stalin’s camp remains unperturbed and feel that Alagiri is not a threat to the party.

Duraimurugan, treasurer of the DMK and senior leader, refused to comment on Alagiri’s rally.

As of now, Alagiri’s only plan is to be re-indcuted into the party. If the DMK doesn’t rethink, he says he will decide his next plan after meeting his supporters.

Following the death of Karunanidhi last month, the family had put up a united front for two days. A day after the burial rituals, Alagiri, taking a leaf out of deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam’s playbook, sounded the call for rebellion from Marina.

On August 30, however, Alagiri, in a climbdown, said he would accept Stalin as the ‘leader’ if he is allowed back into the party.

Trump ‘wanted Bashar al-Assad killed’ after chemical attack

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US President Donald Trump wanted to have Syrian President Bashar al-Assad killed after the Syrian government reportedly carried out a chemical attack in April 2017, a new book by renowned journalist Bob Woodward alleges.

The attack, which was widely blamed on forces loyal to the Syrian government, was carried out on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing more than 80 people.

According to the book ‘Fear: Trump in the White House’, by Woodward, Trump wanted the US military to go into Syria and assassinate al-Assad.

“Let’s f*****g kill him! Let’s go in. Let’s kill the f*****g lot of them,” Trump said according to Woodward’s book.

A year after Khan Sheikhoun, Syria chemical weapons ‘still used’
Secretary of Defense James Mattis said the Pentagon would “get right on it” after Trump made his request, according to Woodward, but after getting off the phone with Trump, Mattis made it clear to his staff that they were not going to follow through with Trump’s plan.

“We’re not going to do any of that. We’re going to be much more measured,” Mattis said according to Woodward’s book.

Instead of targeting al-Assad personally, the Pentagon drew up plans for air strikes to take out Syrian military infrastructure.

Following those air strikes on 7 April 2017, Trump praised the US military, saying the military personnel “represented the United States and the world so well”.

In an official response to the allegations, Mattis called the quotes used in Woodward’s book “fiction” and “a product of someone’s rich imagination,” adding that the publication was “a uniquely Washington brand of literature”.

“In serving in this administration, the idea that I would show contempt for the elected Commander-in-Chief, President Trump, or tolerate disrespect to the office of the President from within our Department of Defense, is a product of someone’s rich imagination,” Mattis’ statement said.

Trump also responded to the book, calling the quotes in the book “made up by frauds, a con on the public”.

The Woodward book has already been refuted and discredited by General (Secretary of Defense) James Mattis and General (Chief of Staff) John Kelly. Their quotes were made up frauds, a con on the public. Likewise other stories and quotes. Woodward is a Dem operative? Notice timing?

When asked about the allegations, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley denied ever hearing threats made by Trump against al-Assad.

“I have not once ever heard the president talk about assassinating Assad,” Haley told Al Jazeera correspondent James Bays.

The Syrian government has always denied it was involved in the chemical attack, but an independent United Nations panel concluded the attack was carried out by al-Assad’s forces.

‘We’re in Crazytown’
Woodward’s book also details several other encounters in the Trump White House between senior staff and the president.

According to the book, sources told Woodward that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly regularly lost his temper with Trump, calling him “unhinged” and “an idiot”, the Washington Post reported.

“It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had,” the book quotes Kelly as saying according to unnamed sources.

Trump himself also railed against the people he appointed, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, the book states.

Rob Porter, former staff secretary, was told by Trump to ignore whatever Priebus said, saying that Priebus was “a little rat”, Woodward wrote.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has recently been targeted by Trump on Twitter for his recusal in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential Election, was also alleged to have been criticised regularly by Trump.

Trump in war of words with Attorney General Jeff Sessions
“This guy is mentally retarded. He’s this dumb Southerner,” Trump said about Sessions, according to the book.

Another allegation made in the book is that former top economic adviser to Trump Gary Cohn stole a letter off Trump’s desk to prevent the US from withdrawing from a trade agreement with South Korea.

“I’ll just take the paper off his desk,” Cohn, who has since quit the White House, said to his staffers.

Woodward is considered one of the most renowned investigative political journalists in recent decades.

He became famous after he and his colleague Carl Bernstein revealed the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration in the 1970s.

Their reporting eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.

Since then, Woodward has written several books about the inner workings of presidential administrations.

Aljazeera

Modi government to focus on fiscal prudence; will not cut taxes on petrol, diesel

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The Centre is unlikely to cut excise duty on petrol and diesel despite sky-rocekting fuel prices pummelled by a sliding rupee as the government intends to remain focussed on fiscal prudence, a top government official said on Tuesday.

“We cannot reach a point of twin deficit. Current account deficit (CAD) is already widening and an excise duty cut will disturb fiscal deficit (target). We’d rather remain fiscally prudent,” the official told Moneycontrol on condition of anonymity.

Global crude oil price has been on a rise in the last few months and is hovering above $70 per barrel.

Falling value of rupee against dollar, as well as escalated crude oil price has inflated India’s import bill as it is the largest imported commodity into the country.

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Further, higher import bill has widened the current account deficit – a key measure of a country’s macroeconomic stability and an excess of sum of exports of goods and services, as well as income receivable over imports and income payable.

While the current account deficit had ballooned to 6.7 percent of GDP in 2012-13, the Narendra Modi-led government consistently maintained the deficit to contain it under 2 percent of GDP annually. Experts believe that CAD will worsen to cross 2 percent of GDP in the quarter ended June as against 1.9 percent in 2017-18.

The official further said that the rupee is expected to come down in the near future.

“Rupee is falling because of the trade war and rising oil prices. The US-China trade war has been a major factor behind this slide. This is further hurting Asian currencies,” the official said.

On Tuesday, the rupee closed to a record low of Rs 71.58 per dollar.

At this point, the government can only take advantage of the situation by taking steps to boost exports, the official added.

Rising oil prices continues to remain a concern with petrol price in Mumbai crossing Rs 86 per litre and diesel being sold at Rs 75.74 per litre on Tuesday.

A higher fuel price brings risk of an increased inflation, which could ultimately result in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiking key interest rates, which makes borrowing more expensive.

However, the official said that reducing excise duty on fuel will massively widen the fiscal deficit.

Lower revenue from oil could mean that the government may have to curtail its expenditure to stay on the path of fiscal prudence.

“We can’t cut expenditure on social sector schemes such as Ayushman Bharat (health insurance scheme), or on building rural roads. We cannot reduce defence expenditure or interest payments if we decide to cut excise of petrol and diesel,” the official explained.

(PTI)

Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt arrested

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Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was detained Wednesday by the Gujarat CID in connection with a 22-year-old case of arrest of a man for alleged possession of drugs, a senior police official said.

Bhatt and seven others, including some former policemen attached with the Banaskatha Police, were detained for questioning in the case, Director General of Police, Crime Investigation Department (CID), Ashish Bhatia said.

Bhatt was the Banaskantha district superintendent of police in 1996.

As per case details, the Banaskatha Police under Bhatt had arrested Sumersingh Rajpurohit, an advocate, in 1996 on charges of possessing around one kg of drugs.

At that time, the Banaskanta Police had claimed that drugs were found in a hotel room occupied by Rajpurohit in the district’s Palanpur town.

However, a probe by the Rajasthan Police had revealed that Rajpurohit was allegedly falsely implicated by the Banaskatha Police.

It had also found that Rajpurohit was allegedly abducted by the Banaskatha Police from his residence at Pali in Rajasthan.

In June this year, the Gujarat High Court had handed over the probe in the case to the CID while hearing Rajpurohit’s plea.

The high court had asked the CID to complete the probe in three months.

The CID found substance in charges against Bhatt, which led to his detention, Bhatia said, adding that Bhatt and some others could be arrested after questioning.

Bhatt was sacked by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2015 for “unauthorised absence” from service.

(PTI)

Govt hikes in guidance value to make up for farm loan waiver

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Even before Bengaluru real estate market could fully recover from the scars of from demonstration, the state government increased the guidance value in and around Bengaluru city. The increase is between 5 to 20%.

According to the Gazette notification issued by the state government, the guidance value has been increased in all the zones of the Bengaluru city and the urban areas of the Bengaluru rural district.

According to the authorities, the state government has given 15 days time to submit objections for the revised guidance value. “It will be implemented from October 1,” said sources.

“Last time guidance value was revised in March 2016. This time, the revision has been done to compensate the revenue loss arising out of the farm loan waiver,” said sources.

Nine-year-old girl raped, killed in J-K; step-mother among five accused

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A nine-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and brutally killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, police said Tuesday, adding five people, including her step-mother and step-brother, were arrested in this connection.

The minor had gone missing on August 23 following which her father, a resident of Uri, filed a complaint with the police, Baramulla Superintendent of Police Imtiaz Hussain Mir said.

Her body was found in a decomposed state on Sunday in a nearby forest area, he said, adding it appeared to be a case of murder.

He said a special investigation team (SIT) headed by SDPO Uri was constituted to investigate the murder.

“The SIT interrogated the suspects and during sustained questioning of the step-mother of the deceased, a bone-chilling and horrible account of murder and rape of the nine-year-old child came to light,” Mir said.

It was found that the step-mother had been nourishing a long-standing grudge against her husband’s second wife and her children, he said.

“During questioning, she revealed that her husband would mostly spent time with her second wife and the girl was dearest to him,” he said. She hatched a conspiracy to eliminate her step-daughter.

On the fateful day, she was armed with a sharp-edged knife and took the girl to the nearby forest area.

Her 14-year-old son joined her along with his friends and committed the crime.

The SSP said the girl was gang-raped by the accused in presence of her step-mother.

They all took turns to rape her and thereafter her step-mother strangulated her, Mir said.

Detailing the extent of brutality, the SSP said, “While the step-mother strangulated her, the step-brother hit her head with an axe. Another accused gouged out her eyes with a sharp knife and then sprinkled acid on her body parts. Physical condition and preliminary forensic analysis of the body substantiated all these facts”.

He said they dumped the body in bushes and covered it with twigs and branches of pine trees.

All the material and weapons of offence, including the axe and the knife, have been recovered at the instance of the accused.

All the accused have been arrested, the police officer said.

Governor should sack TN Health Minister, DGP: Stalin

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DMK President M.K. Stalin on Wednesday asked the Tamil Nadu Governor to sack Health and Family Welfare Minister C. Vijayabaskar and Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran if they don’t quit on their own after raids by the CBI.

Stalin said in a statement that the continuation of Vijayabaskar and Rajendran would be a blot on democracy and the police administration.

“If they do not resign, then the Governor (Banwarilal Purohit) should dismiss them without any delay,” he said after the Central Bureau of Investigation raided offices and homes in Tamil Nadu in connection with a gutkha scam.

Stalin said the CBI raids had brought shame to Tamil Nadu.

He alleged that the AIADMK government had tried various measures to stall investigation into the scam.

On Wednesday morning, CBI officials from New Delhi searched several places in Tamil Nadu including the houses of the Health Minister and Rajendran.

The case is related to an Income Tax Department raid on the offices, residences and godowns of a gutkha manufacturer in Tamil Nadu in 2016.

A diary seized then listed alleged bribes paid to officials amounting to Rs 39.31 crore.

The Tamil Nadu government has banned the manufacture and storage of gutkha — a tobacco product — since 2013. However, the product was reportedly available in the market with the alleged connivance of police officers and others.

DMK legislator J. Anbazhagan, on whose petition the Madras High Court ordered a CBI probe, also sought the resignation of Rajendran and Vijayabaskar.

“The probe seems to be proceeding on the right track under the CBI. Whether a case will be filed against the scamsters or not will have to be seen,” Anbazhagan told IANS. “If no case is filed, then we may have to approach the Madras High Court again.”

Several political parties had demanded a CBI probe into the issue but the AIADMK government did not agree.

In June, the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against unnamed government officials in Tamil Nadu based on a first information report (FIR) registered by the CBI in May.

Despite opposition from opposition parties, Rajendran was given a two-year extension in 2018.

Any hint of dissent is frowned upon by Modi government: Shashi Tharoor

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 Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is now actively involved in an ambitious multilingual web series based on his book ‘Why I Am A Hindu”, says any criticism of the current government is frowned upon nowadays.

Tharoor’s next book on the four years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is all set for release.

Being known to be a vocal voice of dissent against the Narendra Modi government, does the author-politician foresee controversy for his new book?

He said: “Not from the readers, the people who read my books… No, they won’t see anything worthy of dissent. However, I can’t predict how the Government in power would react to the book.

“Nowadays, any hint of dissent is frowned upon by the government. Unfortunately, any criticism of the government’s policies, no matter how healthy and just, is taken as an attack on individuals who run the Government. This was not the case when we, of the Congress (I), were in power,” Tharoor said.

“Criticism of the government, was in fact, encouraged then. Now when we are in the opposition, the rules have changed,” he added.

As though the erudite and articulate parliamentarian-academic didn’t have enough on his plate, he has now involved in an adaptation of “Why I Am A Hindu”, for which he will also turn narrator.

He says he agreed to the web series because he believed in the producer, Sheetal Talwar.

“When Sheetal Talwar came to me, I liked his conviction. He made no tall promises. But he assured me the essence of my book would be captured in the series. I have not read the screenplay yet.

“But I’m confident it will do justice to my thoughts on Hinduism. Nowadays this question of who is a real Hindu is being asked constantly. I want my thoughts on this subject to reach out a wider public than the one afforded by a book.”

Tharoor, who deals simultaneously and actively with his parliamentarian duties, has also authored a large volume of fictional and non-fictional work.

“If we include the book that is coming out in the next few months, it is 17 books. I’ve various other duties and obligations, including an ongoing legal battle to prove my innocence in the case where I’m being made out to be the person that I am not.”

Adding to his schedule is now the web series, which he says is important to him.

“There are many misconceptions about Hinduism in the current times. I am going to be the narrator for the English version of the series. A very distinguished voice will join in for the Hindi version,” he said.

Cinema is one of the pleasures that Tharoor has forfeited in the pursuit of a larger good.

“In the past few years, my work as a parliamentarian and my writings have occupied a large part of my time. Then there are various other imperative pursuits.

“For these, I’ve given up many pleasures, including cinema and cricket. But there is no regret over these losses. I cannot be a rubber stamp politician. Politics is a tool for me to try and improve the status quo to the best of my abilities. Likewise my writing, Tharoor said.

“It is important for me to ensure the thoughts in my book on Hinduism are put out there on a platform where the optimum would be able to receive them,” he added.

Tharoor’s tweets are perceived as works of art, carved and polished with the most chiseled words.

Taking the compliment graciously, he said: “It’s kind of you to say that. But the truth is, I don’t toil over the tweets.

“The medium demands brevity and one has to finish what one has to say in the shortest possible way.”

In the meanwhile, there are miles and miles to go before Tharoor takes a long nap.

With the January 2014 case pertaining to the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar ongoing against him, he admits the bandwidth of his creativity is somewhat shrunk.

“There is much more that I want to do. But current circumstances restrain me from expressing myself fully. Because of the legal issues, I am not even allowed to speak about the case,” he said.

“My one reassurance in this whole situation is that the people I meet do not seem to believe in what I am being accused of. Wherever I go, I am met with the same warmth and goodwill that I experienced before,” Tharoor said.

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