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Men in car try to abduct girl, rob her brother in north Delhi

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rape

New Delhi: Three men allegedly tried to abduct a 19-year-old girl today and robbed her brother of his mobile phone and wallet before pushing him off a moving car, in which they had offered lift to the siblings in north Delhi’s Geeta Ghat area, police said.

The girl was rescued after a six-km-long chase by a police team and the accused were arrested, police said.

According to police, the incident took place around 7.30 PM when the siblings, were heading towards their home in Wazirabad area, and a car stopped nearby, with its driver asking for directions.

Once the girl’s brother helped him with that, they were offered a lift to which they agreed.

Two other persons were sitting inside the car and soon after the siblings stepped in, the group allegedly started assaulting the girl’s brother. They robbed him of his mobile phone and wallet before pushing him off the vehicle near Geeta Ghat, and fled with his sister.

The boy then approached a PCR which chased the car. Other PCR teams deployed in the district were informed and the Santro car of the accused was intercepted after a nearly 6 km chase.

The accused, identified as Sachin Choudhary (32), Shiv kumar (32) and Saurabh (34), were arrested and a case under charges of abduction, robbery and criminal assault was registered in connection with the matter, a senior official said.

It is yet to be ascertained what their motive was and whether the act was planned. The three are being interrogated, the official said.

(PTI)

Pak fails to seal F-16 deal after financing row with US: report

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A Pakistani F-16 fighter jet performs in-flight maneuvers. (AFP/File)

A Pakistani F-16 fighter jet performs in-flight maneuvers. (AFP/File)

Islamabad: Pakistan seems to have failed to seal the USD 700 million deal for the purchase of eight F-16 fighter jets from the US following a row between the two countries over their financing, a media report said today.

 

The Pakistani government was required to provide the Letter of Acceptance for purchase of the jets by May 24, but Dawn News reported that the document was not issued leading to expiry of the offer.

“Pakistan decided not to fully fund the case with national funds, so the terms of sale have now expired,” a diplomatic source was quoted as saying by the daily.

However, Pakistan’s Ambassador to US Jalil Abbas Jilani, told the daily that “a dead-end has not been reached as yet”.

Initially, the USD 700 million deal for eight F-16C/D Block-52 multi-role fighters, was to be partially financed through the US Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme but the Congress disallowed subsidising the sale.

The subsidising was disallowed over concern that Pakistan had not done enough to end the dreaded Haqqani network’s terror sanctuaries on its soil as well as fears over Islamabad’s nuclear programme.

Pakistan, which expected to get the fighters at the subsidised rate of USD 270 million, was subsequently asked by the US administration to make the full payment for the eight aircraft from its national resources.

This was not acceptable to Pakistani authorities, who remained adamant that the offer must come without any preconditions.

The aircraft were required by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) for counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations, the report said.

The jets would have come with “all-weather, non-daylight environments and self-defence/area suppression capability”.

It was unclear why Pakistan missed the opportunity despite pressing requirement for the jets, although it had originally desired to acquire 18 F-16s, the daily said.

Some quarters believe that providing the Letter of Acceptance would have kept the window open for re-negotiating the financing arrangement at a later stage, it said.

Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said last month that Pakistan could look to buy the aircraft from some other country if the deal did not go ahead.

He also said earlier this month that Pakistan’s ties with the US had witnessed a “downward slide” amid the row over the Congress’ decision to block the sale of the jets.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said last week that Pakistan will explore other options to meet its defence needs if the deal for F-16s did not materialise with the US.

Analysts believe Islamabad could consider Russian or Chinese fighters to meet its defence requirements.

(Agencies)

Mamata sworn in Bengal CM for second term, 41 ministers take oath

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Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee was on Friday sworn in for a second consecutive term as West Bengal chief minister at a grand public ceremony witnessed by thousands of supporters as well as eminent personalities.

Attired in a simple white sari and white stole, Banerjee was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi in a ceremony held at the city’s historic Indira Gandhi Sarani (Red Road), a wide boulevard that bisects the Maidan.

Banerjee, the state’s eighth chief minister and the first woman to occupy the post, took her oath in Bengali, and in the name of “Ishwar and Allah”.

She dedicated the event to “Ma, Mati, Manush” (Mother, land and people”, Banerjee’s pet slogan.

Along with the chief minister, 41 other ministers were also sworn in. The ministerial council has 18 fresh faces, including former Indian cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla, city mayor Sovan Chatterjee, noted Bengali singer Indranil Sen, veteran Trinamool leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, and Marxist-turned Trinamool lawmaker Abdur Rezzak Mollah.

Twenty-eight of the ministers were of cabinet rank, five ministers of state (independent charge) and eight ministers of state.

Chatterjee, Chattopadhyay and Mollah got cabinet berths, while Shukla and Sen were made ministers of state.

Three of the ministers are women, seven belong to the Muslim community, while the Scheduled Caste and tribe communities also got several representatives.

Amit Mitra, Partha Chatterjee, Subrata Mukherjee, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay and Joardar were the first group of ministers to be administered the oath by the governor after the chief minister. The other ministers were then sworn in in batches. A number of them were seen touching Banerjee’s feet after taking oath.

All the ministers took their oath in Bengali, except Golam Rabbani, who preferred Hindi.

Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was among the guests who graced the occasion as well as Bangladesh Industry Minister Amir Hossain Amu. Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Babul Supriyo were present as well as chief ministers — Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi, Akhilesh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar’s Nitish Kumar. Former chief ministers — Jammu and Kashmir’s Farooq Abdullah and Bihar’s Lalu Prasad were also present.

Ex Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, leading figures from the Bengali film industry, frontline industrialists of the state, members of the diplomatic corps also attended the function.

Thousands of people braving the intense heat assembled under the open sky to watch Didi (elder sister – as Banerjee is fondly called) begin her second innings at the helm of the eastern state.

The state’s opposition Left Front and state units of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) boycotted the function in protest against the attack on their activists, allegedly by ruling Trinamool Congress, during the polls.

Banerjee had taken over as chief minister for the first time on May 20, 2011 when she led an alliance of Trinamool Congress, Congress and Socialist Unity Centre of India- Communist to a huge win in the state assembly polls, ending 34 years of Left Front rule.

In the recent assembly elections, Banerjee led the Trinamool to a landslide, with the party winning 211 seats – well above the two-thirds majority mark of 196 – to retain power. The Congress-Left Front alliance won 77 seats in the 294-member house. The BJP and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha got three seats each.

(IANS)

Columbia Asia Hospitals along with Bangalore Traffic Police launches Good Samaritan Awards

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Columbia Asia Hospitals

Bangalore: India sees at least one death due to road traffic accident (RTA) every four minutes. Many precious lives can be saved if RTA victims can be given medical attention in time. In a one of its kind initiative, Columbia Asia Hospitals, in association with the Bangalore Traffic Police, today announced the launch of Good Samaritan Award, to encourage the Good Samaritans, who have helped accident victims, get medical attention and saved their lives.

Speaking on the occasion, R Hitendra, Addl. Commissioner of Police, said, “It is a good initiative to recognize the Good Samaritans who have helped people during accidents. These people inspire millions. Moreover events like this will motivate many more people to come forward and extend a helping hand to accident victims.”

Now, we have a law in place, to help people who save lives in RTAs. Going forward, these Good Samaritans would not have to bear any civil or criminal liability for helping accident victims, added Hitendra.

Last year, 740 people lost their lives to road accidents and another 714 people incurred fatal injuries, in Bangalore alone. This year is no better. Within the first four months, already 248 victims have fallen prey to accidents and lost their lives. That apart, 237 people have suffered from fatal accidents. With more people falling prey to RTA with every passing year, it is high time that people come forward to help the accident victims get medical attention at the earliest.

Highlighting the importance of receiving medical attention within the golden hour for any fatal accident victim, Dr. Nanda Kumar Jairam, Chairman and Group Medical Director, Columbia Asia Hospitals, India, said, “It has been established that 50 % of fatalities from road traffic accidents can be avoided through intervention during the golden hour, as chances of survival are high with medical aid within this time. However, the fear of getting involved in a police investigation and being subjected to rigorous legal procedures often stops bystanders from helping road traffic accident victims. Now, the Good Samaritan guidelines are encouraging people to come forward and help the victims without any fear of being subjected to any criminal or civil liability.”

Stressing on the importance of knowing Basic Life Support (BLS) techniques, Dr. Jairam, added, “BLS goes a long way in saving lives during emergency situations. The steps that we take while attending an emergency can have a deep-rooted impact in saving the life of a patient. Considering the road traffic accidents and other medical emergencies, ideally every citizen should be trained in BLS.”

Addressing the media, Dr Sunil Rao, Vice President, Operations (South), Columbia Asia Hospitals, India, said, “Caught amidst busy traffic, how many of us would make an attempt to help the road traffic accident victim, get him the required medical attention, and try to save his life? Mostly, as passers-by, we will halt for a minute to glare at the situation before driving by to our destinations. However in Columbia Asia Hospital, we have got several cases, where life of RTA victims were saved due to timely intervention of a Good Samaritan.”

“Columbia Asia has been actively promoting the cause for Good Samaritans for the last one year by reaching out to the community. The hospitals in Bangalore have trained over 1000 people in BLS techniques across communities including traffic police, teachers, students, journalists and corporates in the past six months. BLS training is also being imparted by other Columbia Asia Hospitals in cities including Mysore, Pune, Ahmedabad, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Patiala,” said Dr. Rao

To encourage many more such Good Samaritans, we at Columbia Asia Hospitals, conceptualized the Good Samaritan Awards. We will be having our first ever Good Samaritan Awards in a month’s time. Going forward, every year, we will be awarding Good Samaritans who have played a vital role in saving life of any accident victim, he added.

“Good Samaritans can nominate themselves, or can be nominated by their friends and family, neighbors and colleagues for this award. One can logon to www.goodsamaritanindia.com to submit their details for nomination. Also people can approach the help desks of any of the Columbia Asia Hospitals to submit entries. The last date for submitting entries will be July 15 2016, explained Mr. Vinay Kaul, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Columbia Asia Hospitals, India.

Ernst Young is our knowledge partner for this initiative. Based on the framework created by them, a panel of elite judges will vet each of the entries and give scores. The candidate with the combined maximum points will be the winner. There are 15 awards to be won in the Individual and organization categories and the winners will be felicitated at the Good Samaritan Awards ceremony to be held in Bangalore in August, Kaul added.

The hospital authorities are hopeful that this Good Samaritan Awards will motivate citizens to take a step forward and help RTA victims get medical attention.

Nigerian student assaulted over car parking dispute

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Nigerian student assaulted

Hyderabad: A 23-year-old Nigerian student received head injuries after a man in his neighbourhood hit him with a rod following a dispute over car parking in Banjara Hills area here, police said today.

According to police, on Wednesday night an argument broke out between Nigerian national Ghazeem, a third-year degree student in a city college and a resident of Singadabasti locality in Banjara Hills area, and Mohd Gafoor after the former parked his car in front of Gafoor’s building, despite he being told to park it in his own apartment complex.

However, Ghazeem apparently refused to remove his car after which the scuffle broke out. Gafoor took out a rod and hit him on his head resulting in injuries, a senior police officer said.

“The incident occurred on Wednesday night after a dispute over car parking. Following a complaint by the Nigerian student, a case was registered against Gafoor and he has been taken into custody. We have started investigations into the matter,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (Banjara Hills Division) Uday Kumar Reddy told PTI.

A counter complaint was lodged by Gafoor, however, no case has been registered, the ACP added.

(PTI)

Bajrang Dal is not BJP, listen only to govt: Amit Shah on Ram Temple

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(AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

(AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah steered clear of controversial issues like Ram temple and uniform civil code on Friday as he indicated that the party will fight the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls on development plank which, he insisted, has been the Modi government’s agenda.

With RSS affiliates Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal raising the pitch for Ram temple construction, an issue which fuelled the party’s rise in 90s, Shah asserted that such outfits cannot be equated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He also wondered on what basis the opposition was accusing his party of causing communal polarisation ahead of the state polls early next year. Political rivals and several public intellectuals say cases of religious and political intolerance have gone up since the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power in 2014.

At a press conference to publicise the “achievements” of the Modi government, Shah chose to stick to the narrative of the central government’s “pro-poor” and “pro-farmers” work as he faced a volley of questions on BJP’s stand on controversial but core party issues in the light of crucial UP polls.

“These are part of our manifesto and if you read it you will find that it is mentioned there as to how we intend to work on them,” he said.

The BJP has maintained in its manifesto that it supports Ram temple construction but it should be done either with consensus or as per judicial decision.

“Bajrang Dal is not BJP,” he shot back when asked on its and VHP’s pitch for temple construction.

“You should only listen to the government,” he said on issues raised by these outfits, seen as BJP’s sister organisations.

To a question about armed training being given by Bajrang Dal to its activists in parts of UP, he said the state government should take action if there is anything unlawful.

Shah, who is credited with the party’s landslide win in the state during the Lok Sabha polls, was tight-lipped over whether it will name a chief ministerial candidate in the state, saying the issue is yet to be discussed in the party.

Home minister Rajnath Singh had on Thursday appealed to people at a rally in Saharanpur to end BJP’s 14-year-long exile and Shah was on Friday asked “who will be its Ram?”

“Ram will be decided. Public will decide it,” the BJP chief said.

He also asserted that BJP will form the next government in the state, adding that he saw Samajwadi Party as the main challenger.

Shah had said on Wednesday that the Samajwadi Party government’s “corruption and misgovernance” will be his party’s main issues besides development.

(Agencies)

PepsiCo, Biocon to set up facilities in Karnataka

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pepsi

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday approved three projects, including that of PepsiCo India and Biocon, committing total investment of Rs 2,211 crore.

Biotechnology major Biocon has proposed an investment of Rs 1,060 crore for the manufacture of injectables, monoclonal and anti-bodies vaccine at Anekal taluk. It is expected to employ about 750 people, an official release said.

PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt Ltd proposes to set up beverages and snacks manufacturing unit with an investment of Rs 590 crore, employing 900 people, at Nanjangud taluk in Mysuru district.

The 44th state high level clearance committee meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also approved one expansion project proposal of Manyata Promoters Pvt Ltd, with an additional investment of Rs 561 crore, which generates additional employment to about 7,170 people.

With an investment of Rs 561 crore Manyata will develop Information Technology Park and allied infrastructure; hotel, convention centre, retail and commercial space at Nagavara, Rachenahalli and Thannisandra villages in Bengaluru.

(Agencies)

Faizabad Bajrang Dal chief held over holding weapons training camp

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Bajrang Dal

Faizabad: The convenor of Faizabad and Ayodhya unit of Bajrang Dal Mahesh Mishra was arrested today for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims and spreading communal hatred, days after the right-wing Hindu outfit held a weapons training programme, police said.

The Hindu right organisation had on May 14 held a training camp where Bajrang Dal activists executed a mock drill of eliminating “rioters and terrorists” wearing scull caps and checked scarves, traditionally worn by Muslims.

After police registered a case against office bearers and activists of the saffron outfit at Kotwali police station in Ayodhya late Tuesday night, Mishra was arrested this evening, Faizabad Senior Superintendent of Police Mohit Gupta said.

Police said Mishra and others were booked for spreading communal hatred and breach of peace as they projected Muslim youths as rioters and terrorists at the training programme.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik had yesterday defended holding of weapons training camp by the hardline organisation, which faced criticism by the state’s ruling Samajwadi Party.

“This arms training is for the purpose of self defence. There should not be any objection from any quarter. The intention behind this exercise is what counts,” Naik had told reporters.

However, Samajwadi party had slammed the training sessions and termed it as a “terrorist training”.

“Such kind of mock drills can be conducted only by government agencies. Now organisations are conducting these in their own way, like we see ISIS, Hizbul Mujahideen and naxals doing it. I see this as a terrorist training,” Syed Asim Waqar,” SP spokeperson said.

Photographs of Bajrang Dal cadres brandishing rifles, swords and even sticks in the camps had gone viral on social media and news channels.

(PTI)

SC allows Italian Marine to return home

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Salvatore Girone Massimilliano Latorre

Bengaluru: The Supreme Court today allowed Salvatore Girone’s plea seeking relaxation of bail conditions, to enable him to return to Italy. His request was supported by the Government on humanitarian grounds.

Two Italian marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone are facing charges of murdering two fishermen in 2012 off the Kerala coast. Latorre was allowed to return to Italy after a stroke in 2014 while Girone is staying at the Italian embassy in New Delhi.

Italy asserts that the incident took place in international waters and, therefore, the Marines should be tried in Italy or in an international court. India, however, maintains that it can try them because it says the killings happened in coastal waters under Indian jurisdiction and the victims were Indians.

A UN arbitration tribunal had earlier ruled in favour of Girone, held in India on murder charges, by allowing him to return home pending the arbitration proceedings at the Hague.

The Supreme Court last year suspended all court proceedings against the duo in pursuance of an interim order of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) asking India to maintain “status quo” in the case.

(Agencies)

Modi’s rule ‘most disappointing’ for country: Congress

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bjp-congress

New Delhi: Terming the performance of two- year-old Modi Government as the “most disappointing” for any dispensation since independence, Congress today said there is little to celebrate for the country,as it fielded a battery of senior leaders to counter government’s claims of development and delivery.

“Modi ji why are you celebrating. Is there prosperity all around in the nation,” party spokesperson Kapil Sibal said adding, these were “two years of hollow promises”.

Attacking the NDA government on a wide range of issues from economy and employment to foreign policy, the Congress leaders also contrasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s performance vis a vis his predecessor Manmohan Singh under UPA rule.

The opposition party alleged that the NDA government is “surviving just on advertisements” and challenged it for a debate.

“Singh did not talk much but his work was bespeaking. Modi ji keeps on talking but his work speaks of nothing…. I challenge Modi government, any of its minister to come and debate with us,” Sibal said.

“Modi ji why are you celebrating….Is Varanasi (Modi’s Parliamentary constituency) clean now? Have the youths got employment? Did the farmers’ suicide stop. What has happened in last two years that you are celebrating?”

The AICC also released a short film titled “pragati ki tham gai chaal, do saal, desh ka bura haal (The pace of progress is halted, the country in a bad shape in two years)”, slamming the government on 10 issues, besides making a power-point presentation which projected the government’s performance as “abysmal”.

Addressing the joint press conference, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC Communication Department Chairman Randeep Surjewala and Sibal alleged that the two-year tenure of the government is full of “hollow promises”.

(PTI)

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