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Archives for November 2018

CBI gets sanction to prosecute Chidambaram in Aircel-Maxis deal case

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 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday told a Delhi court that it has received requisite sanction from the competent authority to prosecute former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis deal case.

The investigation agency, however, sought more time to get prosecution sanction against other accused in the case.

The special court was hearing the anticipatory bail plea of former Minister and his son, and the matter of taking cognisance of the chargesheet.

The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have opposed the bail plea of the father and son.

Special Judge O.P. Saini, meanwhile, extended the interim protection from arrest of Chidambaram and his son Karti till December 18.

The CBI and the ED are investigating how Karti Chidambaram allegedly managed to get clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006 when his father was the Union Finance Minister.

The ED on October 25 filed a charge-sheet in the case naming Chidambaram and a few others.

The CBI had on July 19 filed a chargesheet against 18 persons in the case, including the former Finance Minister and Karti.

On August 29, 2014, the CBI had filed a charge-sheet in the case alleging that between July 2004 and September 2008, Dayanidhi Maran, as Minister in the UPA-I government, used his influence to help Malaysian businessman T.A. Ananda Krishnan buy Aircel by coercing its owner Sivasankaran to part with his stake.

Sivasankaran alleged that Maran favoured the Krishnan-owned Maxis Group in the takeover of his company. In return, he alleged, Maxis made investments through Astro Network, a sister concern, in Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd (SDTPL), stated to be owned by the Maran family.

However, a special court had dropped charges against Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi and others in the alleged kickback of Rs 742 crore in the Aircel-Maxis deal, saying the “perception or suspicion” was not backed by concrete evidence.

IANS

PM to address two election rallies in Telangana

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 The BJP’s campaign for next month’s Assembly elections in Telangana is set to gather further momentum with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to address two election rallies in the state on Tuesday.

Modi will address the first meeting at Nizamabad at 11 a.m. and will then reach Mahabubnagar to address another meeting in the afternoon, state BJP leaders said.

These meetings are expected to intensify the campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the December 7 elections to the state Assembly.

According to BJP’s Telangana unit president K. Laxman, Modi will again campaign in Telangana on December 3. He will address a public meeting in Hyderabad.

BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday addressed four public meetings in different parts of the state. He is scheduled to address more meetings on November 28 and December 2.

The BJP is contesting all 119 Assembly seats on its own.

IANS

India to play football friendly against Oman

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India will be playing an International Friendly against Oman on December 27 in Abu Dhabi as part of their preparation for the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, it was announced on Monday.

As per the October FIFA Rankings, Oman are currently ranked 84 in comparison to India on 97.

All India Football Federation General Secretary Kushal Das said it’s important that the National Team plays “stronger opposition” in their quest to prepare better for the Asian Cup.

“Oman are a very strong team. We were drawn against them in the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifiers and are aware of their quality and strength. It will be the perfect test for our boys as they gear up for the Asian Cup,” Das said.

“I need to thank the Oman Football Federation for agreeing to play the match in Abu Dhabi,” he added.

National coach Stephen Constantine highlighted the “need to strike a rhythm.”

“It’s now a question of trying to establish a rhythm and making sure we all know what we have to do. In our last game against Jordan, the circumstances were exceptional and that was a good learning experience for all the players,” the coach stated.

Constantine explained that Oman will be very similar to Bahrain and UAE, both of whom India will be facing in the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup.

“Oman will be in some ways very similar to Bahrain and UAE which is why we wanted to play them so that we can get a good idea of what we are going to face in the group stages,” he maintained.

India last played Oman in the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifiers (in 2015) and lost 1-2 in Bengaluru and 0-4 in Muscat.

Constantine, however, said that the team is a “completely different” outfit now.

“After 3 years, we are a completely different team and I believe we are getting better. It should be a great game for us,” he said.

India will play Thailand in their first match of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 at the Al Nahyan Stadium on January 6.

IANS

Netherlands win FIH Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy

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The Netherlands outclassed Australia 5-1 to win its seventh Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy at the Wujin Hockey Stadium here.

With the win on Sunday, the reigning world champion has kept its record intact during the tournament and extended its winning streak to 43 matches, reports Xinhua news agency.

“We are always challenging ourselves to be the best we can be. We focus on our performance, not that of our opposition,” head coach Alyson Annan told the official website of the International Hockey Federation.

Apart from the team trophy, the Dutch players also reaped three individual awards of the tournament. Eva de Goede was crowned Best Player, Marijn Veen as Best Scorer and 22-year-old Marijn Veen as Rising Player.

The Best Goalkeeper award went to China’s Ye Jiao, who had excellent performance in the tournament although China lost 6-0 to Argentina to finish fourth.

The tournament featured only six teams, including world’s top four of the Netherlands, Britain, Australia, Argentina as well as Asian Games champion Japan and host China.

Australia finished second, followed by Argentina, China, Britain and Japan.

IANS

Maneka bats for harassment watchdog in police stations, hospitals

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 Union Minister Maneka Gandhi on Monday asked her Home and Health counterparts Rajnath Singh and J.P. Nadda to immediately constitute Internal Complaint Committees (ICC) under the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013, in all police departments and hospitals.

“I have been informed that while the ICCs have been put in place in most government offices, the same have not been constituted in the offices of police organisation in the states,” the Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister said in her letter to Singh.

In her letter to Nadda, she raised the same issue of absence of ICCs in some hospitals under the central and state governments.

“I request you to look into this matter and issue suitable directions to the central government hospitals and state health departments to ensure that ICCs are immediately constituted and notified by all hospitals,” Gandhi told Nadda.

She also noted in both the letters that the police and hospital authorities should be advised to use the training material available on the WCD website to sensitise their staff as well as members of the ICCs.

“We have created a fully integrated complaint management system wherein any women can complain regarding sexual harassment to us on our website which has been integrally linked to all ministries, all state governments and most of the districts in the country.

“The National Commission for Women has also set up a separate cell to handle complaints of sexual harassment at workplace,” she wrote.

 

IANS

A big earthquake might be waiting to strike Delhi NCR

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If a large magnitude earthquake occurs in the near future in the northwest (NW) Himalayas region as predicted by a recent study, the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi would suffer very heavy damage.

The 2001 earthquake in Bhuj in Gujarat, which claimed about 10,000 lives, had shown that the destruction by an earthquake is caused by two different types of waves: Shear Waves, confined to about 70 to 100 km from the epicentre and which adversely affect the foundations and basements of structures; and Rayleigh Waves that travel with a velocity between 2.5 to 3 km per second and produce a different type of destructive effect.

These Rayleigh Waves from earthquakes of magnitude above 7.5 become active at a distance beyond 150 to 200 km or more from the epicentre and adversely affect tall structures (height more than 17 meters) as was observed at Ahmedabad city located at a distance of about 320 km from the Bhuj earthquake’s epicentre. Another very important observation was that all structures with “stilted” floors (where the ground floor is used for vehicle parking) were severely damaged. A similar damaging effect by Rayleigh waves was observed in Mexico City, located about 500 km from the epicentre of the 1985 earthquake.

The Himalayan states had been visited by a number of large magnitude earthquakes and a recent study suggests the NW region (mostly Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Kashmir) is ripe for one. The Delhi NCR escaped major damage from the destructive Rayleigh Waves from past earthquakes because, prior to 1950, there were no high rise buildings there.

But the situation is now different. With its satellite townships of Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad, NCR Delhi forms a big cluster of high-rise buildings with flyovers, bridges and elevated roads. It is also known that some of the high-rise structures have collapsed during construction itself. Many high-rise buildings have stilted floors. As was witnessed in Ahmedabad after the Bhuj earthquake, all these structures could suffer heavy damage in case of a large magnitude earthquake in the NW Himalayan region with its epicentre in the range of 270 to 350 km from NCR Delhi.

The Himalayan fault is known to have a potential to generate earthquakes up to a magnitude of 8 or more. The foundations in Delhi are not on solid rock but there is excess of soil and crushed rock (murrum) on the ground. In case of a powerful earthquake in the Himalayas, the long scissors of Rayleigh Waves could wildly chop the tall concrete structures in Delhi and neighbouring areas. The possibility that these buildings may collapse like a pack of cards in “Ahmedabad Fashion” cannot be ruled out.

In the opinion of some international expert seismologists, the world could see an increase in the number of strong earthquakes in 2018 and the next few years due to the periodic slowing of the Earth’s rotation. There is a clear correlation between the speed of the earth’s rotation and global earthquake activity, said Roger Billham of the University of Colorado and Rebecca Bendick of the University of Montana, who recently presented their research at a conference in the US.

Fluctuations in the Earth’s rotation are tiny — changing the length of the day by several milliseconds — but could be enough to release vast amounts of underground energy, they have said. It has been reported that on five occasions in the past century, a 25-30 percent increase in annual number of earthquakes (of magnitude 7 or greater) coincided with a slowing in the mean rotation velocity of the Earth.

The slowing down of Length of Day (LoD) normally lasts for six years, after which the earth enters a period of enhanced seismicity. In this century, the LoD started in 2011 and now the year 2018 could be considered a period of higher seismic activity. While the research did not indicate precisely when and where these future earthquakes will occur, it showed that most of the intense earthquakes that responded to changes in day length seemed to occur near the equator.

A destructive earthquake is an extreme geophysical event and 2018 had already been witness to some climatic and atmospheric extremities. These include no water in Johannesburg and to some extent in Rio de Janeiro; thermal high of 48.2 degrees (C) in Churu (Rajasthan) and Gadchiroli (Maharashtra); and an all-time high value (45 degree C) in Vancouver (Canada) that claimed 28 lives. It has also been a record year of snowfall in Europe, America and China-Japan, with 20 causalities.

Currently, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in India are experiencing heavy snowfall up to about 1-1.5 meters. The year 2018 also appears to be an extremity as far as air accidents go. Until June, there were four accidents in Havana (Cuba), Algeria, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Moscow (Russia) together taking 488 lives.

Considering the expert opinions accounting for climatic and atmospheric extremities and keeping in view the reduction in the length of day due to slowing down of earth rotation, it could be assumed that the predicted large magnitude earthquake in the Himalayas could occur most probably in 2018 or its proximity.

 

Amarinder warns Pakistan, vows to protect Punjab

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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday vowed to protect Punjab and its people from terror unleashed by Pakistan, warning Islamabad of “serious consequences” if it did not end the violence perpetrated against India.

Even as he thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for reciprocating India’s move on developing the Kartarpur corridor, the Chief Minister was scathing in his criticism of Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa for “promoting state-sponsored terror through brutal killings of Indian soldiers and innocent citizens”.

He urged Imran Khan to rein in his Army and bring an immediate end to terror against Indian armed forces and citizens, “or else be ready to face a strong reaction from India, which has a bigger army than the neighbouring country”.

Taking a strong stand on the issue of terror, which was immediately endorsed and backed by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu who was present on the occasion of the foundation stone laying ceremony of a road link to the Kartarpur corridor, the Chief Minister said India was a land of peace but was prepared to counter Pakistan’s aggression in kind if continued to be threatened.

Lashing out at those who felt he should have accepted Pakistan’s invitation to participate in their ground-breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor, Amarinder Singh asked how he could go there “when innocent Indian citizens and soldiers were being killed by them every day”.

“I want to go to Kartarpur and also visit Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib gurdwaras again, but cannot go there as I have to pass Pakistan, which is killing my people every day.”

Pointing out that Punjab had seen bloodshed for 20 years, Amarinder Singh said that while his family had close ties with Kartarpur Sahib, he, as Chief Minister, had a responsibility to the people of his state, which Pakistan was trying to weaken.

Lashing out at the Pakistan Army chief, he said that as an ex-soldier himself he saw no justification in killing soldiers, which he described as “an act of cowardice, not becoming of Army personnel”.

“Soldiers are taught to protect and serve their nation, not to kill innocent people,” he said, seeking the immediate removal of Gen Bajwa and said the Pakistan Army should learn the message of love and brotherhood propounded by Guru Nanak Dev.

The Chief Minister recalled that the 26/11 Mumbai attacks was a grim reminder of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in India.

He further pointed out that the Dina Nagar and Pathankot attacks in Gurdaspur district also stood out as major examples of the terror unleashed by Pakistan in Indian Punjab.

Describing terror as madness, Vice President Naidu said he fully endorsed Amarinder Singh’s views and vowed that India will not allow its people to be killed.

“While India wants peace and promotes friendship, it will not allow terrorism to breed on its soil,” Naidu said, urging countries that support terror to shun this path.

India wants peaceful relations with its neighbours and wanted them to change their mindset and embrace peace.

Writ petition filed against govt move to cremate Ambi at Kanteerava studio

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A writ petition has been filed in Karnataka High court against the state government decision to conduct Ambareesh’s funeral at Kanteerava studio.

The petitioner, RLN Murthy, a high court lawyer himself has also written a letter to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Governor of state in this regards.

Murthy in his letter contended that Kanteerava studio is meant for shooting films and not for performing funeral of the actors.

Chief Minister Kumaraswamy had earlier said that the last rites of Ambareesh would be held beside Dr. Raj Kumar memorial at the Kanteerava Studio and the government would develop a memorial for Ambareesh.

PTI

 

8 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh

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 Eight Maoists were killed and one was injured on Monday in a gun fight with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, police said.

A joint team of the paramilitary forces and the police went inside the core area of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) — an armed wing of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist — as part of an operation against the Maoists.

It started around 10.30 a.m. in a forested stretch near Sakler village.

Over 150 Left wing extremists clashed with troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the District Reserve Group of the Chhattisgarh Police, an official said.

“Security forces of different units went inside the PLGA’s core area from different directions,” CRPF Deputy Inspector General M. Dinakaran told IANS.

All eight bodies were recovered while the injured PLGA member was taken into custody. A large quantity of arms and ammunitions was seized. They were being taken to Kistaram police station.

The CRPF called it a big achievement. A combing operation was still underway.

IANS

Over 600 injured in massive Iran quake

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 At least 634 people were injured in the magnitude-6.4 earthquake that struck Iran’s Kermanshah province, authorities said on Monday.

There has been no report of any fatal casualties, Xinhua news agency quoted Mahamoud Reza, president of Medical Science University of Kermanshah province, as saying.

According to the Iranian Seismological Centre, the epicentre of the earthquake, which took place on Sunday night in Sar Pol Zahab city, lied at a depth of 7 km, 34.38 degrees north latitude and 45.70 degrees east longitude.

Also, Iran’s National Gas Company said in a statement that pipelines have been broken in Sar Pol Zahab and Gasr-e Shirin cities.

People should not be concerned about the gas supply, the announcement said. Iran’s National Gas Company has started fuel supplies to people in the quake-hit area, it added.

All the schools and universities in Kermanshah province remained closed on Monday.

The quake was also felt in the neighbouring provinces of Lorestan and Ilam and Kordestan, as well as in the border areas of Iraq.

At least 161 aftershocks, ranging from 2.4 to 5.2 magnitude, have been registered in the region so far.

In November 2017, 211 people died in a magnitude-7.3 earthquake that hit the Iran-Iraq border.

 

IANS

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