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Archives for October 2018

Mayors warn petrol, diesel vehicle makers

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The Mayors of Paris, Copenhagen, Seoul, and Medellin on Monday called for vehicle manufacturers to stop producing petrol and diesel cars as soon as possible to protect the health of children in cities around the world.

In the wake of an alarming new research released by the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier in the day, the mayors also urged every city around the world to help their youngest citizens by signing the C40 Green and Healthy Streets Declaration.

The declaration commits mayors to procure only zero-emission buses from 2025 and ensure that a major area of their city is zero emission by 2030.

“The children of Paris and cities around the world have the absolute right to breathe clean air,” Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40 Anne Hidalgo said.

“They have no power to change the environment they are growing up in, so we as responsible adults and political leaders must act on their behalf.”

“The problem of petrol and diesel vehicles polluting our streets needs to be fixed if we want to improve air quality and protect the health of our children,a said Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, and Vice-Chair of C40 Cities.

The WHO report “Air pollution and child health: Prescribing clean air” urges “strong action from decision-makers to protect the most vulnerable, voiceless citizens: children who have little or no control over the air they breathe”.

It says every day around 93 per cent of the children globally under the age of 15 years (1.8 billion children) breathe air that is so polluted it puts their health and development at serious risk. Tragically, many of them die.

To tackle the man-made crisis, mayors of the world’s big cities are already committing to the bold action required to deliver clean, safe air for all to breathe, as well as delivering on the highest goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Twenty-six cities have already committed to Green and Healthy Streets. They included Paris, Copenhagen, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona, Quito, Vancouver, Cape Town, Seattle, Mexico City, Auckland, Milan, Rome, Warsaw, Oslo, Rotterdam, Medellin, Heidelberg and Birmingham.

More than 80,000 buses run on the streets of these 26 cities, representing a major shift towards zero emission vehicles in the world’s great cities.

IANS

At UN, Pakistan attacks growing arms sales to India

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Pakistan has attacked growing arms sales to India by several countries, including the US and Russia, calling them “double standards” that jeopardise regional balances.

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The policy of double standards towards South Asia, based on narrow strategic, political and commercial considerations, must be eschewed,” Jehanzeb Khan, a First Secretary, in Pakistan’s UN Mission, said on Monday during a debate on conventional weapons in the General Assembly committee dealing with disarmament.

He did not name India or the countries selling weapons to India, but the context made the references clear.

Khan said in an obvious reference to India that in South Asia “one state’s military spending grossly and vastly outnumbers that of others” and that “this has the potential of fueling instability and jeopardising the delicate regional balance.”

“Islamabad was concerned over the growing transfers of conventional armaments especially in volatile regions that are inconsistent with the imperatives of maintaining peace, security and stability,” he added.

He said, “Pakistan, for its part, is committed to the establishment of a strategic restraint regime in South Asia, which includes an element of conventional force balance.

He did not say how Pakistan would achieve a conventional force balance with India given the wide disparities in the economies of the two countries nor did he acknowledge that India’s military capabilities have to take China into account.

Pakistan is smarting under US decisions to block military aid.

Last month, Pentagon said it would withhold $300 million aid in what is known as coalition support funds citing Islamabad’s failure to curb terrorist organisations including the Haqqani Network and the Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The Congress cut $500 million in payments to Pakistan from the Defence Department budget in March.

In January President Donald Trump’s administration announced it was blocking most military aid to Pakistan estimated to be in the range of $1.3 billion.

Meanwhile last month, India and the US signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) paving the way for India to access and buy advanced weapons and military technology.

The US is also pitching several advanced military jets and other weaponry to India.

This month India defied the US, which has threatened sanctions on those making military purchases from Russia, and signed a deal with Moscow to buy an advanced air defence missile system, the S400, at an estimated cost of about $5 billion.

IANS

Shakeela to make cameo in her biopic

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A biopic on southern film industry’s adult film star Shakeela will see her play a cameo.

Director Indrajit Lankesh is helming the movie, which stars Richa Chadha in the role of Shakeela, who was popular in southern showbiz in the 1990s and continues to work even today.

Before commencing the film’s shooting, Richa had a rendezvous with Shakeela in Bengaluru to understand the nuances. Seeing the camaraderie between both the actors and also to honour Shakeela’s popularity, Lankesh roped in the real Shakeela for a cameo in the film.

Lankesh said in a statement: “I always wanted to make a film on Shakeela. I was immensely impressed with her on-screen and off screen personality.

“I wanted to portray her story, the hardships and rough phase when she was not getting films and was trying for character roles. I wanted to show the true story behind the superstar Shakeela.”

He said Shakeela has been an integral part of the making of the movie as she gave the team detailed insights into her life.

“Even Richa got to spend time with her, understand her style of talking, her body language and such nuances. In fact, when she came on set, she gave us very interesting insights like about our art direction and how her house was and is in real life,” Lankesh added.

He said it was nice to shoot Shakeela for the biopic, though this is not the first time he has worked with her.

“I have shot with her in the past for another film of mine in 2003. That sparked an interest in me to make a film on her and in 2015 after conceiving the idea of making a film on her, I met her and realised my dream.

“I feel every woman and girl who wants to be an actress should see her story, to know what she went through to become an actress and how it was such a compelling rags to riches to rags story of her life.”

IANS

AIADMK allots bypoll duties for party leaders

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The ruling AIADMK party on Monday geared up for bypolls in 20 assembly constituencies by announcing rolls for various party leaders.

It should however be noted that the Election Commission has not announced the poll dates or anything pertaining to bypolls.

In a statement issued here, the AIADMK announced the allocation of roles to several party leaders including Coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O.Panneerselvam.

The 20 seats fell vacant after the Madras High Court last week upheld

The Tamil Nadu Speaker P. Dhanapal’s decision to disqualify 18 dissident AIADMK legislators and owing to the death of MLAs — M.Karunanidhi (Tiruvarur) and A.K.Bose (Thiruparankundram).

Conflicting views are being voiced by the disqualified legislators on their plans to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court’s verdict.

Speaking to reporters in Madurai on October 26, Thanga Tamilselvan, one of the disqualified MLAs, said they will be filing their appeal petition in two or three days.

Subsequently they said a final decision is yet to be taken whether to approach the court or contest in bypolls.

The 18 disqualified legislators belong to the sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V.Dhinakaran, now an independent legislator.

Last year, the 18 legislators had met the then Governor C.Vidyasagar Rao and gave a representation requesting him to change Chief Minister K.Palaniswami as they had lost confidence in him.

Following that Speaker Dhanapal on the representation from the Chief Government Whip S.Rajendiran disqualified the 18 legislators under the anti-defection law.

IANS

Tigress Sundari to be shifted to Nandankanan: Minister

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The Odisha government has said the Royal Bengal Tigress Sundari, which allegedly killed two persons, will be shifted from Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar.

Forest and Environment Minister Bijayshree Routray on Monday said once it is tranquilised, the tigress will be shifted to a well-protected environment in the zoo.

“Our plans are to keep Sundari in Nandankanan and we will inform National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) about the decision. If they do not accept our proposal, we may consider sending back the tigress to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh from where it was brought as a part of tiger translocation programme,” informed the Minister.

He said efforts are on to capture the elusive tigress in Satakosia wildlife sanctuary in Angul district.

Meanwhile, two experts team from Pench and Kanha tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh arrived to tranquilise tigress Sundari.

The Odisha Forest Department had requested its Madhya Pradesh counterpart to send two teams to capture the tigress.

The Royal Bengal tigress was brought from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on June 28 in a pilot inter-state transfer project to increase the big cat population in Odisha. It was released into the Satkosia Tiger Reserve.

However, locals demanded to shift the tigress after it allegedly killed two persons inside the reserve.

IANS

Meeting between top Congress leader, ex-Goa CM triggers speculation

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A meeting between state Congress president Girish Chodankar and former Chief Minister and disgruntled BJP leader Laxmikant Parsekar has triggered political speculation in Goa, especially with the state likely to see two Assembly by-polls soon.

When asked about his meeting with Parsekar, who has publicly threatened to defeat Dayanand Sopte, a now former Congress MLA who was inducted into the BJP two weeks back and is likely to contest a by-poll from his Mandrem assembly constituency, Chodankar said: “I have been meeting lots of people because our ultimate target is to fulfil the wishes of the people of Goa. Ever since these two MLAs have resigned, there is tremendous anger in the people of Goa… We are ready to work with anyone who is ready to defeat them (BJP).”

On Sunday, Chodankar met Parsekar, where sources said the two discussed ways and means to defeat Sopte in the yet-to-be-scheduled Mandrem by-poll.

Parsekar has already claimed that he was meeting political leaders from across the spectrum because he has shared a healthy relationship with them. “I am opposed to their ideology. But that does not mean I can’t meet them,” he said.

Sopte, who was elected to the state Assembly on a Congress ticket from Mandrem — a seat formerly represented by Parsekar — resigned as an MLA and from the Congress party before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) amid drama.

Parsekar, who served as CM from 2014-17, has already slammed the state BJP leadership of trying to “finish him” and has openly threatened to work against the party to defeat Sopte as and when the Assembly by-polls are held.

Parrikar who is currently being treated for advanced pancreatic cancer has been in an out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and Delhi. His absence has created a political leadership vacuum in Goa, with several leaders in the BJP as well as the ruling coalition parties eyeing the top political position.

The BJP earlier this month was forced to induct two Congress MLAs into the party and get them to resign from legislatorship, so as to bring the legislative strength on par with the Congress with 14 MLAs in the state Assembly, which currently has 38 MLAs.

IANS

Delhi man was piloting crashed Indonesian plane

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Bhavye Suneja, the pilot of Indonesian Lion Air Boeing passenger plane which crashed on Monday with 189 people onboard, was a student of Ahlcon Public School in Delhi till 2005.

Sources in the school, located in Mayur Vihar of east Delhi, confirmed that he was an alumnus but did not share further details.

According to Suneja’s LinkedIn profile, he received his pilot’s licence from the US-based Bel Air International in 2009.

He was associated with Lion Air as an airline pilot since March 2011. Prior to that, he served as a trainee pilot with Emirates for three months in 2010, the profile showed.

However, Emirates in a statement said that the pilot was never an employee or trainee with the airline.

The passenger plane crashed into the Java Sea on Monday shortly after take-off. Authorities said they had not found any survivor.

Suneja was living in Jakarta with his wife while his parents were in Delhi when the disaster took place.

“Our deepest condolences on the tragic loss of lives in the Lion Air plane crash, off the coast of Jakarta today. Most unfortunate that Indian Pilot Bhavye Suneja who was flying JT610 also lost his life… Embassy is in touch with Crisis Center and coordinating for all assistance,” the Indian Embassy in Jakarta said in its official twitter handle.

IANS

HC initiates contempt proceedings against Chennai journalist

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The Delhi High Court on Monday initiated contempt proceedings against Swaminathan Gurumurthy, Editor of a Chennai-based Tamil weekly news magazine “Thuglak”, for his tweets against sitting judge Justice S. Muralidhar.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the issue, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Yogesh Khanna has asked Gurumurthy, who is also a Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s part-time non-official Director, to file a response on the contempt proceedings.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing on December 11.

The court order came after receiving a letter from advocate Rajshekhar Rao, who sought contempt action against the scribe and requested to remove the tweets and online video against the judge.

Gurumurthy had shared a tweet alleging bias by Justice Muralidhar while delivering an order on October 1.

On October 1, a division bench headed by Justice Muralidhar set aside a lower court order allowing the Maharashtra Police to take Navlakha to Pune and said Navlakha’s detention had exceeded 24 hours which was “untenable” in law.

Karnataka seeks drought relief aid from Centre

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Karnataka on Monday sought drought relief aid of Rs 2,434-crore from the National Disaster Response Fund of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to compensate for the crop losses in drought-hit districts.

“The southwest monsoon has been very erratic. The prolonged dry spell in north and south interior Karnataka during August and September has resulted in huge agricultural and horticulture crop losses,” the state’s Revenue Minister R.V. Deshpande said in a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, shared with reporters here.

While pegging the losses incurred due to drought situation in 100 sub-districts (taluks) in 24 of the state’s 30 districts at Rs 16,500-crore, the state has requested the central government for a relief of Rs 2,434-crore.

“A total of 26.18 lakh hectares of agricultural area and 1.94 lakh hectares of horticulture area have suffered greater than 33 per cent crop loss with an estimated loss of more than Rs 16,500-crore,” Deshpande stated in his letter.

The letter was also sent to Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.

Eleven of the 16 weeks of southwest monsoon season were largely dry, leading to soil moisture stress and crop loss, according to the state government’s estimates.

“I request you to depute an inter-ministerial central team for first-hand assessment of large scale agriculture and horticulture crop losses,” Deshpande wrote in his letter to the Union Agriculture Minister.

With depleting ground water levels, the state is supplying drinking water to 159 villages and has dug 203 private bore-wells to make drinking water available in the rural areas, and few of the urban areas facing water shortage, according to the letter.

The state also anticipates a fodder shortage in the coming days, with a total livestock of 75.31 lakh cattle and 114.35 lakh fodder dependent animals living in the 100 drought-affected sub-districts of the state, and has distributed 8.11 lakh fodder seed kits to overcome the shortage, Deshpande’s letter informed the Union Ministers.

A total of Rs 50-crore worth funds were released from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), providing Rs 50-lakh to each of the drought-hit sub-districts to carry out immediate relief measures such as augmenting existing water supply scheme, drilling new bore wells, the letter added.

IANS

NIA raids Srinagar businessman’s residence

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A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team on Tuesday raided the residence of a businessman here.

An NIA official in New Delhi confirmed that the raid was being conducted at Fayaz Ahmad Mir’s residence in the city’s Lal Bazar area.

The team was accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel.

No other details of the raid were immediately available.

The agency has been carrying out raids at the offices and residences of separatists and businessmen in connection with the hawala scam that the NIA has been investigating.

Two months ago, the NIA raid the residence of another businessman in Srinagar’s Nowhatta area.

IANS

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