Wayanad: A huge quantity of explosives, including 4,700 kg of gelatine sticks, were Thursday seized from a truck at a village in Wayanad district bordering Kerala and Karnataka and four persons taken into custody, police said.

During a vehicle check at Thakarapadi near Muthanga around 8.00 am following a tip-off, a truck with Karnataka registration and suspected to be proceeding from Bengaluru to Kozhikode was intercepted, police said.

Besides the gelatine sticks, 200 kg of safety fuses and 4,700 kg of ammonium nitrate kept beneath 100 bags of onions, were seized.

Wayanad: A huge quantity of explosives, including 4,700 kg of gelatine sticks, were Thursday seized from a truck at a village in Wayanad district bordering Kerala and Karnataka and four persons taken into custody, police said. During a vehicle check at Thakarapadi near Muthanga around 8.00 am following a tip-off, a truck with Karnataka registration and suspected to be proceeding from Bengaluru to Kozhikode was intercepted, police said. Besides the gelatine sticks, 200 kg of safety fuses and 4,700 kg of ammonium nitrate kept beneath 100 bags of onions, were seized.

A car, which was used to escort the vehicle, was impounded, police said.

Those taken into custody were Sakthinesan and Krishna Kumar, hailing from Thrissur district of Kerala, the driver and cleaner of the truck respectively besides the car occupants Suruli Rajan and Rajan, both belonging to Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu, police said.

They are being interrogated, police said, adding, the truck was also impounded.

A car, which was used to escort the vehicle, was impounded, police said. Those taken into custody were Sakthinesan and Krishna Kumar, hailing from Thrissur district of Kerala, the driver and cleaner of the truck respectively besides the car occupants Suruli Rajan and Rajan, both belonging to Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu, police said. They are being interrogated, police said, adding, the truck was also impounded.

(PTI)

Bengaluru: Thousands in Bengaluru struggled this morning as metro services came to a halt for nearly seven hours over a protest by its employees against the arrest of their colleagues. The services have been resumed after negotiations with the workers who were on strike was successful.

Metro trains across the IT city have not been running since 5 am.

Metro officials alleged that on Thursday morning, employees at a station in the city were attacked by Karnataka policemen posted for security.

About 35 metro staff allegedly retaliated, after which six employees were arrested. Four of them have been released but the metro staff is demanding that the remaining two be let off. Two constables of the Karnataka State Industrial Security Forces were also arrested on the complaint of a Metro staffer.

Officials say negotiations are on to get the staff to resume service.

Around three lakh people use the Bengaluru Metro in a day.

The final stretch of the first phase was recently inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Extra police security was provided at metro stations recently because of strident protests over the three-language rule and the use of Hindi in metro signboards and announcements.

A #NammaMetroHindiBeda – “Our Metro, We don’t want Hindi” – campaign on social media escalated when pro-Kannada groups threatened to blacken signs and vandalise stations if Hindi was not dropped.

Earlier this week, signs at some stations were masked to cover up the Hindi portions.

Officials said the Bengaluru Metro, jointly funded by the state and centre, followed a central government order to enforce the three-language rule. Pro-Kannada groups call it an imposition and an attempt to promote Hindi at the cost of regional languages.

(Agencies)

by Nakhiya Farheen. N

“The country’s demographic dividend might turn into a demographic liability if action is not taken to improve skills and employability of the youth”, said President Orange Mukherjee, addressing the graduates and faculty of the Indian Institute of science (IISc)during the convocation of the premier institution on Wednesday.

Making constant references to the importance of quality education, he said, “Advanced infrastructure facilities and conducive atmosphere for learning are important for the development of our scientists and economists”. He was “deeply satisfied with his last
visit to a central institute as the president.

The annual IISC convocation this year saw 625 students receiving their degrees in various PhD, under graduate and postgraduate programmes. 52 academic awards were also presented during the function.

Beijing: China today said the “atmosphere” was “not right” for a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, amidst a standoff between the armies of the two countries in the Sikkim section.

“The atmosphere is not right for a bilateral meeting between President Xi and Prime Minister Modi,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said ahead of the G20 Summit in the German city of Hamburg from tomorrow.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for past 19 days after a Chinese Army’s construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

There were reports that Modi and Xi may meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit to resolve the standoff.

China’s state-run media yesterday had quoted Chinese analysts as saying that Beijing would be forced to use a “military way” to end the standoff in the Sikkim sector if India refuses to listen to the “historical lessons” being offered by it.

(Agencies)

Foundation commits USD 1 mn in India for community well-being projects.

India & Hong Kong: Hong Kong-based RYTHM Foundation which has been associated with the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) has further decided to strengthen its support to the fight against cancer in India among other worthy causes.

RYTHM Foundation, the corporate social responsibilityarm of direct selling company QNet, and CPAA came together in late 2016 thanks to the awareness created by Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi, who has been a patron of CPAA for over a decade. CPAA is a non profit organisation dedicated to the total management of cancer as a disease for last 48 years.

In September last year, Vivek Oberoi announced a partnership between the CPAA and RYTHM Foundation for the Adopt-a-Patient Scheme to fund the treatment of 20 children with cancer, from low income families. Since the launch of the project, children chosen by the CPAA between the ages of 2 and 16 have been undergoing treatment at leading hospitals in Mumbai.

In May this year, the CPAA announced that 19 of the children were now on the road to recovery and undergoing maintanence therapy. Recently, the CPAA was invited to QNet’s annual global convention in Malaysia to speak about their work and they brought with them three brave young warriors, Divyanshu, Lahu, and Aakanksha, who are now cancer free.

Vivek Oberoi accompanied CPAA and the children and thanked RYTHM Foundation for its support. Vivek Oberoi said “Because of RYTHM Foundation’s support, the CPAA was able to help these children and their families through the toughest period of their lives. And now, they are here in Malaysia, on their very first international trip to thanks to the generosity of RYTHM.”

“Thank you Vivek Bhaiya, RYTHM and CPAA for helping us,” chorused the kids to the thunderous applause of 20,000 people from around the world who had gathered at the 5-day convention.

RYTHM Foundation is currently in discussions with CPAA to fund a project for early detection of cancer, as part of its commitment to support community well being initiatives in India.

“RYTHM stands for Raise Yourself To Help Mankind, which is the underlying principle of the Foundation that believes in helping people become self-empowered, in order to have a positive impact in society. We could not have found a better partner for our first major venture into India than CPAA which has been working passionately and relentlessly towardscancer treatment and awareness, especially for patients and families from the lower economic strata.”Said Richard E Zinkiewicz, Trustee of RYTHM Foundation.

Anita Peter, Executive Director of CPAAsaid, “It gives us immense pleasure to be associated RYTHM Foundation who has not only given a new life and hope to our cancer stricken kids but will also join hands with CPAA to eradicate cancer.”

In the past, the Foundation has partnered with Avalokiteswara Trust to build 15 libraries in rural schools in the remote villages of Ladakh region and has also donated USD 40,000 to the Akshaya Trust in Madurai to build a shelter for the homeless. Earlier in 2008, the foundation donated USD 30,000 towards UNICEF’s water and sanitation programme in the flood affected districts of Bihar. The partnership with CPAAis amongstthe first major long term partnershipsRYTHM Foundation will be entering into in India.

“We are committing to allocate $1 mllion over the next 3-5 years towards community well being projects in India in line with the government’s health initiatives through active participation in the Swastha Bharat Abhiyaanprogram,”Zinkiewicz added.

A series of community well-being initiatives have already been implemented through QNet in Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Telangana.

About RYTHM (Raise Yourself To Help Mankind)Foundation

RYTHM Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of the QI Group of Companies, registered in Hong Kong. The Foundation serves as the enabler of the Group’s charitable endeavours and represents QI’s spirit, compassion and dedication in serving the communities in which it operates around the world. The Foundation realises its vision through 3 priority areas: Children with Special Needs, Community Development and Community Wellbeing. A significant number of projects under RYTHM Foundation are driven by the group’s flagship subsidiary QNet.

The Foundation works in alliance with a number of international institutions, foundations and socio-civic groups to accelerate the momentum, scale and sustainability of change. In critical situations, the Foundation acts as a catalyst between generous partners and the underprivileged.

About Cancer Patients Aid Associatin (CPAA)

Established in 1969, CPAA has a tradition of untiring service to needy cancer patients from all over India, and even neighbouring Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan. CPAA is an empathetic, reassuring, non-medical presence that has supported the treatment and overall needs of more than 3,00,000 cancer patients. It believes that every cancer patient has a right to the full range of treatment, and its team of over 75 employees and over 60 associated doctors make sure that they get it.

An extensive network of influential well-wishers supports the organisations endeavours. From a well-meaning group of individuals who had laudable intentions but could only afford the distribution of fruits and newspapers, to a multi-faceted organization helping patients cope with every aspect of cancer, CPAA has grown exponentially in scope, size and influence. It has a presence in Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. Through the medium of its website, it is in touch with readers on five continents and has extended material assistance to patients from Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

For Further Information please contact:
• RYTHM Foundation: Ms. Jayamalar | jayamalar.s@rythmfoundation.org
• CPAA: Ms. Anita Peter | +91 22 24924000 / 24926928 | anita.peter@cancer.org.in

Bengaluru: In the history of Bengaluru, the city witnessed a same-sex marriage recently at a temple here in Koramangala where two girls married to start a new life. 25-year-old lady, call centre employee Sahana (who plays the role of husband) married to 21-year-old B.Com student Shilpa. Parents of Shilpa have filed a police complaint on the incident and the couple are being counselled at a Women Help Centre as directed by the police. The police are reportedly confident that the duo would return to normal life leaving their present relation.

According to legal experts, the parents can legally move against the couple if any one or both suffer from any mental or physical health issue. Both ladies reportedly fled from their respective home in May 2017 and started living together in the state capital before their marriage function.

Shilpa belongs to a traditional family and in the early stage of friendship with Sahana, Shilpa was reluctant to share intimacy with her. However, Sahana managed to attract her by giving her luxury items including dress, electronic items and others. Parents of Shilpa have registered a police complaint after their marriage function. However, the couple met a lawyer and decided to not to return to their home even if their parents pressurised them to leave the present relation and return to home.

(Agencies)