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9 trekkers dead in TN forest fire

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Chennai: Nine trekkers have died in a forest fire on the Kurangani Hills in Tamil Nadu, the District Collector said on Monday.

A rescue operation with the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters has been underway since Sunday. A total of 27 trekkers were rescued from the fire in picturesque Theni district, some 520 km from here.

The trekking group of eight men, 25 women and three children had camped at a place up in the hills on Saturday night. They were supposed to return on Sunday.

Earlier, in a tweet, Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan expressed grief and shock at the loss of life of those who were caught up in the blaze.

The Minister said he was praying for the fast recovery of those who were injured. He also thanked Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for deploying the IAF team in the rescue effort.

According to a Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services official, the operation was expected to be over by Monday afternoon.

Speaking to IANS, District Collector Pallavi Baldev said the operations were continuing and the trekkers were being brought down by the rescue team members.

A temporary helipad has been set up at the Bodi foot hills. The injured have been admitted in hospitals in Madurai and Theni, she said.

The night climate was generally chilly while efforts were afoot to reach the stranded trekkers caught up in the blaze, the fire official added.

State Health Secretary J.Radhakrishnan said six of the rescued admitted in a Madurai hospital have suffered serious burn injuries.

The IAF commando team had flown in from the Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore late on Sunday and climbed up the hills.

Sitharaman had confirmed on Sunday that the commandos deployed in the rescue mission would carry medicines and provide medical assistance on spot.

Having access to advanced communication facilities, the IAF team was also deputed to check the landing facility for helicopter.

They decided on the best ways to evacuate those stuck on the hill, including the injured.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Baldev had said that 24 trekkers from the Chennai Trekking Club and 12 from Erode and Tiruppur had gone up the Kurangani Hills.

The adventure was part of the Woman’s Day activity that was celebrated on Thursday.

A Tamil Nadu Forest Department official had said that the organisers had not obtained any permission for the trekking mission.

(IANS)

Karti sent to judicial custody till March 24

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New Delhi: A court on Monday sent senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram to judicial custody till March 24 in the INX Media corruption case.

After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told Special Judge Sunil Rana they did not require further custody of Karti Chidambaram, the court remanded him in judicial custody.

Karti Chidambaram was arrested last month for allegedly taking money to facilitate Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media in 2007 when his father was the Finance Minister in the UPA government.

(IANS)

Agrarian crisis: Over 35,000 farmers converge in Mumbai to protest

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Mumbai: For the second time in 10 months, Maharashtra farmers cracked the whip on the government to turn spotlight on the grave agrarian crises gripping the state by completing a long march to the Legislature, here on Monday.

More than an estimated 35,000 peasants — men, women, youth and even seniors — with lines of worry collectively writ on their weary faces, determinedly completed the 180-km long march over six days.

Organised by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), the farmers wing of Communist Party of India-Marxist, the farmers sporting red caps, red flags, beating drums and cymbals and the tribal blowing instrument –‘tarpa’, marched in disciplined unity as the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena braced itself for the political fallout of the peasant power.

In a considerate gesture, the farmers abandoned their night’s rest, to march from the Somaiya Grounds, Vidyavihar starting 2 a.m. (Monday) to reach the historic Azad Maidan at dawn, to avoid inconveniencing students appearing for the ongoing board examinations.

Wary of the potential ramifications as the farmers prepared to lay ‘seige’ on the Maharashtra Legislature on Monday afternoon, the state government hurriedly formed a high-powered six-member Ministerial Committee to discuss all issues with the peasants.

Farmers leader Ajit Nawale said that among the major demands are implementation of the farm loans waiver announced in June 2017, (after farmers in the state went on a ‘strike’), then make the farmers completely debt-free, besides other demands.

“Considering the tremendous response we have evoked from across the state, the government cannot dismiss us lightly. If it continues to dilly-dally on the farm loans waiver or try to take us for a ride, it will face the consequences,” Nawale told reporters late on Sunday.

AIKS Maharashtra President Ashok Dhavale pointed out that the crisis in the farmlands is very severe with “over 400,000 farmers committing suicides in the past 25 years”.

“Agrarian distress is linked to malnutrition… The farming community is feeling betrayed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre,” Dhavale said.

Congress leaders including state chief Ashok Chavan, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and Prithviraj Chavan, and the Nationalist Congress Party’s President Sharad Pawar and Dhananjay Munde and Jitendra Awhad declared support to the marchers.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and Yuva Sena President Aditya Uddhav Thackeray turned up personally to welcome the farmers on Sunday evening.

Many of the marchers, braving the early summer heat, were seen reaching Mumbai with red and swollen eyes, broken or temporarily mended footwear, dusty, torn clothes, having barely managed a square meal or a proper bath during the past week as they started in Nashik on Wednesday.

However, they hoped that justice might be finally done to their cause.

(IANS)

Bangladesh plane carrying 67 passengers crashes in Nepal

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Kathmandu: A US-Bangla Airlines plane carrying 67 passengers today crash landed after catching fire at Nepal’s international airport here, officials said.

It was not immediately clear if there were fatalities.

The plane carrying 67 passengers and four crew skidded off the runway while landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

At least 17 people on board had been rescued, authorities said.

The plane caught fire after it careened off the runway during landing and crashed onto a football ground near the airport, the TIA spokesperson Prem Nath Thakur was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.

The aircraft took off from Dhaka and landed at the airport at 2:20 pm (local time).

All the flights to and from TIA have been halted after the crash.

(PTI)

“Not just Karnataka, MEP will contest elections across India”: Dr. Nowhera Shaikh

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All India Mahila Empowerment Party’s (MEP) today held a massive rally at Palace Ground in Bengaluru.

Dr. Nowhera Shaikh, President of the MEP said that her party is confident of winning over 150 seats, in its maiden elections.

Addressing the rally, the business women turned politician said that there are a lot of offers from big political parties seeking a poll alliance with MEP, but she has declined all such offers.

She said that “the Karnataka elections will be a warm-up. We intend to contest all the Lok Sabha seats and make a mark”.

Dr. Shaikh also said that MEP is not just a party for Muslims, but for everyone, irrespective of their caste and creed. She said the party is contesting elections to create an impact in people’s lives, and promised interest-free loans for taxi drivers and farmers of the state if they come to power.

Syria’s war: Surprise rebel evacuation from Eastern Ghouta

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Fighters from besieged Eastern Ghouta were transported on a government bus through the al-Wafeedin corridor [Youssef Badawi/EPA]

by Al Jazeera

In a surprise move, several members of Syria’s armed opposition have been evacuated from rebel-held Eastern Ghouta late on Friday, sources told Al Jazeera.

The evacuation comes as the Syrian army intensified its operations in the central part of the besieged Damascus suburb, state television reported on Saturday.

Jaish al-Islam, one of the main rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta, announced it had agreed to the evacuation of several Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters – previously part of al-Qaeda-linked Al Nusra Front – who were detained by the group in Eastern Ghouta.

According to Syrian state media, 13 fighters were evacuated with their families through the al-Wafeedin passage and bussed to Idlib province.

The agreement for the evacuation was reportedly reached with the help of the United Nations and several international entities, in addition to civil society members.

The evacuation deal came after Jaish al-Islam sent a letter last month to the UN vowing to facilitate the evacuation of the former al-Qaeda members.

Split down the middle
Syrian state TV reported that the army is close to cutting the enclave in two.

The Syrian army was advancing near Mesraba and Mudeira, two small towns which represent the last link between the northern and southern halves of the enclave, which is located near to the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Jaish al-Islam and Failaq al-Rahman, another large rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta, said they have staged counter-attacks in recent days that retook some lost positions.

The ferocious three-week assault on the last major rebel stronghold near Damascus has captured about half its area and killed 960 people, according to a war monitor.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said on Saturday that warplanes, helicopters and artillery were used in bombardment of the area overnight.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia, his main ally, say the campaign is needed to end rebel shelling of Damascus and to end the rule of rebels over the area’s civilians.

The offensive follows the pattern of previous assaults on rebel strongholds, deploying massive air power and tight sieges to force rebels to accept “evacuation” deals.

These involve rebels surrendering territory in exchange for safe passage to opposition areas in northwest Syria, along with their families and other civilians who do not want to come back under Assad’s rule.

However, both Jaish al-Islam and Failaq al-Rahman have said they are not negotiating such deals for themselves.

Shortages
The intensity of the government’s attack on an enclave that has been besieged since 2013 and suffers acute shortages of food and medical supplies has drawn Western condemnation and demands by UN aid agencies for a humanitarian halt in fighting.

The United Nations estimates that some 400,000 people are trapped in the enclave.

“Living conditions are harsh… Shop owners and traders are sending their workers to the shelters to sell food for three times their price before the offensive,” said a man in Saqba who identified himself as Abu Abdo in a voice message.

Aid agencies have tried to deliver aid into Eastern Ghouta, but they have only been able to bring in a portion of the amount they wanted.

A convoy was unable to finish unloading on Monday because of continued fighting, bringing in the remaining undelivered food parcels on Friday despite bombardment nearby.

However, UN agencies said most medical supplies had been stripped from the convoy by Syrian government officials and added that the food supplies brought in were insufficient.

The government has opened what it says are several safe routes out of Eastern Ghouta for civilians, but none are known to have left so far and Damascus and Moscow accuse the rebels of preventing them from fleeing the fighting.

Azlan Shah Cup: India thrash Ireland to finish 5th

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PTI Photo

Ipoh: India finished fifth at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament with a 4-1 thrashing of Ireland here on Saturday.

Varun Kumar scored twice from penalty corners while Shilanand Lakra and Gurjant Singh got the other goals for India.

Julian Dale exploited some poor marking by the Indian defenders to get a consolation goal for the European minnows in the final quarter.

India thus avenged the 2-3 loss to Ireland in their last league stage match on Friday which had eliminated their already slim chances of qualifying for the medal rounds.

Ireland finished sixth in the tournament.

Saturday’s match capped a rather insipid campaign for India during which the only positive results were a 5-1 rout of hosts Malaysia and a 1-1 draw with European powerhouse England.

(IANS)

Not kept in loop, won’t sign BCCI central contracts: Amitabh Chaudhary

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New Delhi: BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary on Thursday questioned the process followed for awarding central contracts to international and domestic cricketers, saying none of the office-bearers were kept in the loop on the matter.

COA member Diana Edulji, however, alleged that the BCCI finance committee sat on the central contracts despite three reminders and all officer-bearers were informed including Choudhary.

The contracts for October 2017 to September 2018 were finally announced on Wednesday with cricketers receiving a windfall.

“What I can tell you for sure is that I was not part of process. I can also tell you that nobody from the board was. I also happen to be the convenor of senior selection committee and no meeting was called. I won’t sign (on the contracts) if they come to me,” Choudhary told PTI.

Edulji countered Choudhary’s claims saying the selectors indeed met on Saturday and graded the players.

“We wrote to the BCCI finance committee three times (first time in October and latest this January) but did not get a reply. Now the players’ insurance was also coming up for renewal so we had to go ahead with the contracts,” said Edulji.

“I can also tell you that the selectors met on Saturday and the gradation was done only by them,” she added.

Off-spinner Jayant Yadav and Karun Nair bagging a contract despite not playing for India for a year raised eyebrows while someone like Rishabh Pant, who played for India on Tuesday, was excluded. Even Shreyas Iyer, who is a contender for World Cup berth.

A new A+ category was introduced for India players who play all three formats while C category was added for the women cricketers. The five players in A+ category including captain Virat Kohli would gets Rs 7 crore each while the players in A, B and C categrory Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively. MS Dhoni was named in A category as he doesn’t play all formats.

The BCCI officials and COA have been at loggerheads of late as implementation of Supreme Court-backed reforms keeps getting delayed further.

(PTI)

PNB scam fallout: Government makes passport mandatory for bank loans above Rs 50 crore

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Express photo by Sumit Malhotra

New Delhi: Passport details of borrowers taking loans of Rs 50 crore and more have been mandatory to ensure a swift action in case of fraud and prevent fraudsters from fleeing the country, a top official said today.

Passport details will help banks to take timely action and inform the relevant authorities to prevent fraudsters from fleeing the country.

“Next step on clean and responsible banking. Passport details must for loans above Rs 50 crore. Step to ensure quick response in case of fraud,” Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar tweeted.

This is a preventive step to avoid flight of economic offenders and banks to collect passport details of all new borrowers of loans in excess of Rs 50 crore, he said.

For all existing loans of over Rs 50 crore, banks have been asked to collect passport details of borrowers within 45 days, he added.

In absence of passport details, banks were hamstrung in taking timely action to prevent defaulters especially wilful one from fleeing the country.

Several big defaulters like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya and Jatin Mehta have fled the country putting the recovery mechanism in quandary.

Last week, the Cabinet approved the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill after Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi allegedly defrauded state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) of Rs 12,700 crore and left the country and are refusing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

The proposed fugitive law aims to impound and sell assets of Nirav Modi-type escapees with a view to quickly recover dues. It also will apply to defaulters who have an outstanding of Rs 100 crore or more and have escaped from the country.

As part of drive to clean the banking system, the Finance Ministry last week had directed public sector banks (PSBs) to probe all NPA accounts of over Rs 50 crore for possible fraud and accordingly report the cases to CBI.

Besides, the ministry had asked banks to monitor loans above Rs 250 crore and red flags whenever the original covenants of the loans are violated. This was spelt out as part of 6-point-reform measures announced for PSBs in January.

(PTI)

All this happened because I embraced Islam: Hadiya

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Kozhikode: On her first visit to her home state Kerala after the Supreme Court upheld her marriage with Shafin Jahan, Hadiya on Saturday said “all this happened as I embraced Islam”.

“The Constitution gives all the freedom to choose their religion, which is a fundamental right of every citizen and all this happened because I embraced Islam,” said Hadiya while interacting with the media.

Hadiya and her husband arrived here on Saturday from Salem and drove to the office of the Popular Front of India (PFI) where she briefly interacted with reporters.

“With the Supreme Court upholding our marriage, we feel we have got freedom,” Hadiya said here. The top court on March 8, set aside an order of the Kerala High Court that annulled their marriage.

Hadiya, 24, earlier Akhila Ashokan, embraced Islam and married Shafin Jahan, a Muslim. Hadiya’s father alleged that she was forcibly converted by groups with links to terrorist outfits.

“It was only the PFI that supported us all through our troubled times and what’s more surprising is that two Muslim organisations whom we approached refused to help us,” added Hadiya who will be in Kerala for three more days before returning to Salem in Tamil Nadu where she is studying.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud on Thursday said: “Hadiya alias Akhila Asokan is at liberty to pursue her future endeavours according to law.”

However, the court also said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would continue its probe into the criminal dimension of the case, if any.

Hadiya’s father has said that he will go ahead in the case seeking legal recourse to the apex court’s latest judgement.

(IANS)

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