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Archives for September 2018

Kerala minister warns against Govt offcials for fudging flood damages

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A Kerala Minister on Sunday warned that strict action would be taken against the state government officials who were not making an objective assessment of the damages caused to houses by the recent floods.

With Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan leaving for medical treatment to the US, Industries Minister EP Jayarajan, the de facto number two in the government, told the media that “very tough action” would be taken against erring officials.

“All complaints will be looked into and none will be spared,” he said.

Kerala floods have claimed 483 lives and the estimated loss is more than the annual outlay of the state. Thousands of houses have been destroyed, while a greater number of homes have been damaged.

With the state government starting a massive fund collection drive to rebuild a ‘new Kerala’, besides announcing compensation to the losses suffered, the local bodies officials have begun estimation of the losses.

Jayarajan spoke tough when he was told about specific cases of officials overestimating the damages suffered to residential properties in Malappuram district.

The state government has also announced an interim relief of Rs 10,000 to every family that has suffered on account of floods.

“This money will be given to all and there is no rule that this money will be given to only who were in relief camps. Every family who suffered the floods… even if they remained in their homes would get this. Only those who say they do not want, will not be given,” said Revenue Secretary PH Kurien.

Meanwhile, Kerala CM Pinarayi left for America for medical treatment in the early hours of Sunday. He took a 4.30 am Dubai-bound flight from Thiruvananthapuram airport. From Dubai, he will be leaving for New York to undergo treatment at the Mayo clinic in Rochester. His wife, Kamala, is accompanying him.

(IANS)

Need code of conduct for MPs and MLAs, says Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu

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There is a need for political parties to “evolve a consensus on the code of conduct for their members, both inside the legislature and out of it”.To ensure that people do not lose faith in political processes and institutions, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday.

Naidu was speaking at the release of his book, Moving On, Moving Forward: A Year In Office, to mark the completion of one year as Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson. The event at Vigyan Bhawan saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Deve Gowda, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Congress leader Anand Sharma sharing the dais with Naidu.

Recalling his travels with Naidu in the past, Modi said he was always required to be on alert as Naidu is known to never carry any money, pen, or watch on him. “Yet, (he) is always on time,” said Modi, alluding to Naidu’s penchant for punctuality and discipline. “Venkaiahji is a strict disciplinarian. But in our country, the situation is such that it is very easy to brand discipline as undemocratic. If anyone calls for some discipline, he is called autocratic and every such label in the dictionary,” he said.

Expressing his displeasure over the functioning of Parliament, Naidu listed reforms that he felt are necessary for its effective functioning, as well as that of the state legislatures. Besides calling for a code of conduct for MPs and MLAs, he said that “if a member desires to change party, he must do so by resigning from the membership of the House. The anti-defection laws should be implemented in letter and spirit expeditiously, within three months.”

Prime minister Narendra Modi former prime minister Manmohan Singh during the book launch of Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.
Naidu added that election petitions and criminal cases against political leaders should be disposed of within a certain time frame and, if necessary, special benches of the Supreme Court and high courts should be formed for the matter. He also emphasised the need for a national policy on having an Upper House in the states.

He said it is equally important for the media, an “invaluable partner in strengthening democratic culture”, to focus more on the constructive contribution made by members of the House rather than giving importance to their disruptive activities.

PM Modi with former PM Dr Manmohan Singh at the launch of VP Venkaiah Naidu’s book.
Talking of how the last Monsoon Session of Parliament was rightly called “the session for social justice” as it saw the passage of legislation to empower under-represented groups, Naidu called for political parties to consider “dispassionately and legislate measures to empower women through reservation in all spheres of public life including legislatures”.

“True nationalism is not just garlanding a picture of Bharat Mata and shouting Bharat Mata ki jai, it means not discriminating against any Indian based on his caste, religion or gender,” he said.

In his speech, Modi recalled how Naidu chose to be the rural development minister due to his personal engagement with rural India, despite then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee wanting to give him more important portfolios.

Talking of Naidu’s contribution and extensive travel across the country during his first year in office, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh added how the “best is yet to come”, by reciting Iqbal’s couplet, “Sitaaron se aage jahaan aur bhi hain, abhi ishq ke imtihaan aur bhi hain.”

(PTI)

Petrol, Diesel Prices Hit All-Time High

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The prices of petrol and diesel hiked again on Monday, hitting an all-time high in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Oil marketing companies (OMCs) increased fuel rates for the ninth consecutive day. A litre of petrol is selling at Rs. 79.15 in Delhi, Rs. 86.56 in Mumbai, Rs. 82.24 in Chennai and Rs. 82.06 in Kolkata. Diesel rates on Monday were hiked by 39 paise a litre, the steepest increase since the daily revision in prices was introduced in mid-june 2017.
Diesel prices rose to its highest levels of Rs. 71.15 a litre in Delhi and Rs. 75.54 in Mumbai today. Diesel is retailing at a price of Rs. 75.19 per litre in Chennai and Rs. 74.00 per litre in Kolkata, according to daily price notification issued by state-owned oil firms.

Fuel prices vary from state to state due to local levies. The revised rates are applicable from 6 am on September 3, 2018. The surge in fuel prices is largely attributed to the recent rise in crude oil cost and the high excise duty levied on transportation fuel in the country.

Since August 16, petrol prices have risen by over Rs. 2 per litre. Diesel prices on the other hand have risen by Rs. 2.42 a litre during this period. Diesel rates had hit Rs. 69.31 a litre on May 28, but this record was breached on August 27 and on Monday they hit a fresh high.

According to officials, the spike in rates is on account of exchange rate falling to a record Rs. 71 to a dollar, depreciating by Rs. 2.5 in a month. Also, crude oil has gained $7 a barrel in a fortnight, driven by fears that the US sanctions on Iran will likely contract supplies.

Globally, oil prices fell on Monday amid rising supply from OPEC and the United States, outweighing concerns that falling Iranian output will tighten markets once US sanctions bite from November. Output from the producer cartel of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose by 220,000 barrels per day (bpd) between July and August, to a 2018-high of 32.79 million bpd, a Reuters survey found.

Many analysts have warned that an economic slowdown because of trade disputes between the United States and other major economies including China and the European Union would drag on oil demand, reported Reuters.

(PTI)

Bodies of 14 newborn babies found at Kolkata ground

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In a shocking incident, at least 14 dead bodies of newborn babies, wrapped in plastic bags, were recovered from a deserted ground in south Kolkata’s Haridebpur on Sunday, police said.

Covered with shrubs and twigs, the bodies were found on Sunday afternoon while the sprawling ground was being cleaned up.

The ground has been sealed by the officials of Kolkata Police following the recovery.

City Mayor Sovan Chatterjee and Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar rushed to the spot.

“I was informed by the local councillor that the ground was filled with litters for many months and needed to be cleaned. While the cleaning work was on, 14 dead bodies of new born babies could be recovered from one side of the ground. The bodies were wrapped in plastic and chemical was applied to stop them from rotting,” Chatterjee said.

“The police are keeping a strict vigil on the spot. The entire ground needs to be cleaned to ascertain the exact number of bodies that have been dumped here.”

The police are still figuring out how the bodies were dumped on the empty ground.

(IANS)

Indian gets suspended jail term, deportation order for forgery

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An Indian man has received a suspended jail term along with a deportation order for forging a parking ticket in Dubai.

The Court of First Instance heard that the 25-year-old Indian made a fake copy of a ticket using Photoshop to avoid paying for the parking lot. He was caught in Al Rafaa following the incident in March, the Khaleej Times reported on Sunday.

He received a suspended jail term along with a deportation order. The man admitted to the police that he copied an original Roads and Transport Authority ticket and placed the forged one on his car.

Myanmar jails 2 Reuters reporters for 7 years

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Two Reuters reporters were jailed on Monday for seven years for violating a state secrets act during their reporting of the Rohingya crisis, a court said, in the case that has drawn outrage for its attack on media freedom.

The two journalists were being tried since 2017 for breaching Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act while investigating violence against the Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state by the army, the BBC reported.

Reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested on the night of December 12, after meeting with two police officers who, according to the defendants, handed them confidential documents, the Efe news reported.

Since then, both have been held without bail and have appeared 30 times before the court, which started a preliminary investigation on January 9 and formally filed charges on July 9.

The case has been widely seen as a test of press freedom in Myanmar.

The journalists have maintained their innocence, saying they were set up by the police.

“I have no fear,” Lone, 32, said after the verdict. “I have not done anything wrong. I believe in justice, democracy and freedom.”

The two men, who both have families with young children, have been in prison since their arrest in December 2017.

“Today is a sad day for Myanmar, Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and press freedom anywhere,” said Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen Adler.

Judge Ye Lwin told the court in Yangon the pair had “intended to harm the interests of the state”. “And so they have been found guilty under the state secrets act,” he said.

Lone and Soe Oo, 28, had been collecting evidence about the execution of 10 men by the army in the village of Inn Din in northern Rakhine.

During their investigation, they were offered the documents by two police officers, but were arrested immediately afterwards for the possession of those documents.

Authorities later launched their own probe into the killings, confirming the massacre took place and promising to take action against those who had taken part.

The BBC said that many would see this verdict as a crushing blow to freedom of the press in Myanmar and another setback for the democracy, three years after Aung San Suu Kyi’s party triumphed in free elections.

He said Lone and Soe Oo bowed their heads as the verdict was delivered. Wa Lone – who has missed the birth of his first child while being detained — protested his innocence once again as he was led away.

“We are extremely disappointed by this verdict,” Britain and the US have said, saying the court’s decision was “deeply troubling for everybody who has struggled so hard here for media freedom”.

The UN’s resident and humanitarian co-ordinator in Myanmar Knut Ostby said the UN had “consistently called for the release” of the journalists and that “a free press is essential for peace, justice and human rights for all. We are disappointed by today’s court decision”.

“The outrageous convictions show Myanmar courts’ willingness to muzzle those reporting on military atrocities,” Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said.

“These sentences mark a new low for press freedom and further backsliding on rights under Suu Kyi’s government.”

The verdict comes a year after the crisis in Rakhine state came to a head when a Rohingya militant group attacked several police posts. The military responded with a brutal crackdown against the Rohingya minority.

The UN has said leading army figures in Myanmar should be investigated and prosecuted for genocide.

Media access to Rakhine is strictly controlled by the government so it is difficult to get reliable news from the region.

Equity indices cede major gains to trade flat

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Mumbai The key Indian equity indices traded on a flat-to-positive note during the afternoon session on Monday, after opening sharply higher on the back of healthy April-June GDP figures released last week.

The indices trimmed major gains made earlier in the day, due to weak Asian markets. Globally, Asian markets traded in the negative territory on concerns of escalations in the US-China trade war.

According to analysts, healthy buying was witnessed in consumer durables, healthcare and IT stocks.

At 1.08 p.m., the wider Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange traded at 11,684.75 points, higher by 4.25 points or 0.04 per cent from its previous close of 11,680.50 points.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex, which had opened at 38,915.91 points, traded at 38,666.18 points, higher by 21.11 points or 0.05 per cent from its previous close of 38,645.07 points.

So far, it has touched an intra-day high 38,934.35 points and a low of 38,655.66 points.

The BSE market breadth, however, remained bullish with 1,576 advances and 919 declines.

The top gainers on the Sensex were, Wipro, Sun Pharma, Adani Ports, Reliance Industries, Infosys while Hindustan Unilever, Maruti Suzuki, Kotak Mahindra Bank, NTPC and ICICI Bank were the major losers so far.

[IANS]

Massive search operation on in J&K’s Pulwama

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Security forces started a massive search operation on Monday in around two dozen villages of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said.

The operation began following reports about the presence of militants in the villages of Putrigam, Rohmu, Rajpora, Matrigam, Goosu, Frasipora and others.

“So far, there has been no reports of any exchange of fire in any of the villages included in the search,” a police officer said.

This is not the first such operation in the south Kashmir area undertaken by the security forces.

These operations known as area domination operations are usually undertaken to keep the militants on the run and prevent them from establishing a foothold in the region.

Stones pelted at MP CM

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Stones were hurled at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s chariot while he was conducting the ‘Jan Aashirwad Yatra’ in Sidhi district, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred in Churhat area late on Sunday in the assembly constituency of Congress’s Ajay Singh. “The miscreants hid in the dark and pelted stones,” Bhartiya Janta Party state media cell chief Lokendra Parashar said.

Parashar and the BJP have accused the Congress for the attack, while the Congress refuting it have blamed Chouhan’s own party for staging the attack to malign Singh’s name.
The Chief Minister on Monday dared the Congress leader to come out in the open and fight him.

Rejecting this, Singh said: “The Congress does not follow the culture of violence. I suspect that it is a well-planned conspiracy hatched to defame me and the people of Churhat.”

(IANS)

Microsoft redesigning Skype for mobile, desktop

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San Francisco, Microsoft is redesigning Skype’s interface for both mobile and desktop, eliminating the less used features on the app and simplyfying its core functions like voice calling, video chatting and messaging.

“This past year, we explored some design changes and heard from customers that we overcomplicated some of our core scenarios,” Peter Skillman, Director of design for Skype and Outlook wrote in a blog post.

The redesign concentrates on decluttering the mobile app interface and shifting chats, calls, contacts and notifications options to the top left of the window, providing a central navigation point for desktop users.

Microsoft is also removing the “Highlights” feature which was added to Skype last year and was inspired by photo-messaging app Snapchat. It allowed users to post a thread of photos and videos for friends to view and react to with emoticons.

“Calling became harder to execute and ‘Highlights’ didn’t resonate with a majority of users. We needed to take a step back and simplify,” wrote Skillman.

The video-and-voice platform would now also come with light and dark theme options to choose from.

“We toned down the visual range of the gradients and re-introduced a simplified Skype ‘Classic’ blue theme-adjusted for contrast and readability,” Skillman added.

More updates, focussing around calling, chats and contacts would be rolling out in the months to come, the post noted.

Microsoft has also reportedly rolled out end-to-end encryption for private conversations on Skype that would ensure that the chat content between two people is hidden in both, the chat list and the notifications.

[IANS]

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