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Jharkhand elections: 14.2 per cent voter turn out till 10 am in third phase of voting

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In 12 seats polling will end at 3 pm, while voters in the remaining constituencies will be able to exercise their franchise till 5 pm.

RANCHI: An estimated 14.2 per cent of the over 56 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise till 10 am on Thursday in the third of the five-phase Jharkhand assembly elections in 17 constituencies.

Though polling began on a sluggish note long queues, with women outnumbering men, were seen in several polling stations.

Senior Congress leader and former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay was among the early voters.

The voting began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements, officials said.

In 12 seats polling will end at 3 pm, while voters in the remaining constituencies will be able to exercise their franchise till 5 pm.

Altogether 56,18,267 voters, including 26,80,205 women and 86 third gender voters, are eligible to vote to decide the fate of 309 candidates, including 32 women nominees.

The seats going to polls in the third phase are Kodarma, Barkatha, Barhi, Barkagaon, Ramgarh, Mandu, Hazaribag, Simaria (SC), Dhanwar, Gomia, Bermo, Ichagarh, Silli, Khijri (ST), Ranchi, Hatia and Kanke (SC), an EC release said.

Two of the constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates and one for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate.

Notable candidates in the fray are former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi, Urban Development Minister C P Singh and Education Minister Neera Yadav.

Babulal Marandi, president of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), is contesting from Dhanwar seat, while Singh and Yadav are contesting from Ranchi and Kodarma constituencies respectively.

Former deputy chief minister and AJSU party president Sudesh Mahto is trying his luck to regain Silli seat after he lost the 2014 assembly polls and the subsequent bypoll to JMM candidates Amit Mahato and his wife Seema Mahato.

The JMM has re-nominated Seema Mahato from the seat.

The BJP has not fielded candidates from Silli.

About 40,000 polling personnel have been deputed to conduct smooth and peaceful voting, Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer Vinay Kumar Choubey said.

Adequate security personnel have been deployed in the seats spread across eight districts, he said.

Of the total 7,016 polling stations set up for the third-phase, 1,008 are marked as critical and 543 sensitive in Naxal-affected areas.

The first of the five-phase polling for 13 constituencies had concluded on November 30 and the second phase polling for 20 seats was held on December 7.

The rest of the phases will be held on December 16 and 20. Counting will take place on December 23.

PV Sindhu loses to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in BWF World Tour opener

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Sindhu was the better player in the first game and for the most part of the second and looked set to record a relatively easy opening win against the fourth-ranked Yamaguchi.

GUANGZHOU: Defending champion P.V. Sindhu lost her first match of Group A to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-18, 18-21, 8-21 at the BWF World Tour Finals here on Wednesday.

Yamaguchi fought back from a four-point deficit in the second game to take the match into the decider in which she blew away the reigning world champion.

Sindhu was the better player in the first game and for the most part of the second and looked set to record a relatively easy opening win against the fourth-ranked Yamguchi.

However, the Japanese took five points on the trot in the second game to level the scores from being 10-15 down. Sindhu then made four errors at the net to allow Yamaguchi reach game point, which she converted with a cross-court smash.

In the decider, Sindhu looked to be completely out of her depth as Yamaguchi raced to a 5-0 lead. Sindhu managed to get just three points before the interval and was thus trailing 3-11 at the break. The rest of the match was more of the same and Yamaguchi ensured that Sindhu did not reach double digits.

Sindhu will now have to win both of her next two games to stay in contention for a place in the next round. She faces China’s Chen Yu Fei and He Bingjiao in her next two contests.

Continuing her good form this season, Yu Fei beat Bingjiao 21-9, 21-18 to win her first match. In what was a story of two very different games, Bingiao improved on her dismal show in the first game to match her compatriot toe to toe until it was 18-18. Yu Fei then won three successive points to win the match.

‘Special’ knock a gift for Anushka Sharma on second anniversary: Virat Kohli

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Someone who is more of a boundary-hitter, Kohli had seven sixes in his 29-ball-70 as India beat West Indies by 67 runs to win the three-match T20 series 2-1.

India's captain Virat Kohli. (Photo | AP)

MUMBAI: Virat Kohli wanted to show a different facet of his batting and couldn’t have chosen a better day than his second wedding anniversary with a series win was a “special gift” to his wife Anushka Sharma.

“It was a pretty special innings and also being our second wedding anniversary, it was a special gift. It was a special night and one of the best innings I have played,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Someone who is more of a boundary-hitter, Kohli had seven sixes in his 29-ball-70 as India beat West Indies by 67 runs to win the three-match T20 series 2-1.

The best part was about putting up a big score while batting first and the skipper was pleased as punch.

“We had spoken a lot. It was about going out on the field and executing. I had the opportunity to do something different, which I don’t usually do. I told KL to stay on till the end, and said I’ll try and smash a few,” he said.

One could have been surprised by his modesty when the skipper said that he feels he can contribute across formats.

“I know that I can contribute in all formats, it’s about putting your mind to it. My role becomes crucial, because I have to play two roles. I’m trying to be able to play like this as well,” he added.

He praised KL Rahul for his 91 off 56 balls and Rohit Sharma for his 71 off 34.

The duo added 135 for the opening stand.

“You have to do it out there in the middle to gain confidence from it. I think two guys in the middle with clarity, the way Rahul and Rohit played today, that is key. Batting first [earlier], we’ve been too tight and hesitant, should we go for it, should we not.”

12-year-old raped repeatedly by four persons, including minor in Haryana

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The Haryana Assembly had in March 2018 unanimously passed a bill which provided for death penalty to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 years or less.

stop rape

CHANDIGARH: A 12-year-old girl has alleged that she was raped repeatedly by four persons, including a minor, on several occasions in Haryana’s Karnal district, police said on Thursday.

In her compliant, the girl has alleged that the accused, who live near her house in Karnal, committed the crime at her home when her parents used to be away for work, they said.

“We received a complaint from the victim, who approached us with her parents on Tuesday and on the same day we registered the case under relevant provisions of law including under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,” Station House Officer, Karnal (City) Police Station, Inspector Harjinder Singh said over the phone.

The girl has alleged that she was raped by the accused over a period in September, he said.

While three accused are aged between 18-20 years, the minor boy is aged around 15 years, Singh said.

“We have detained the accused and further investigations are on,” Singh added.

“The medical examination of the girl was conducted and she was counselled by the Child Welfare Committee,” the SHO said.

Police said they are verifying who among the four accused was known to the victim and took advantage to gain entry into her house and committed the crime and later how others too sexually exploited her.

The Haryana Assembly had in March 2018 unanimously passed a bill which provided for death penalty to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 years or less.

Citizenship Amendment Bill Opposition loses vote, wins debate

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MPs question in the Rajya Sabha how the government will ascertain whether the person applying for citizenship actually faced ‘religious persecution’.

NEW DELHI:  While the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019,  has become a reality for all practical purposes, work will be cut out for the Union Home Ministry in sketching out the finer points before 
implementing the law. The most important part of which may be identifying whether those who apply for Indian citizenship under the criteria laid out in the CAB really were persecuted due to their faith. It is unclear at the moment whether the Home Ministry will accept self-attested affidavits to this end or will work in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to verify the claims of the refugees who apply for Indian citizenship.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said it would be difficult to prove “religious persecution”, which the government has made the ground for granting citizenship.  While opposing the Bill in the Upper House, Congress MP from Assam Ripun Bora cited a statement made by the Intelligence Bureau director while deposing before a joint parliamentary committee that it was “not possible to verify that persons have come to the country due to religious persecution”. 

Bora also said that the CAB may pose serious security concerns for the country. He quoted a statement of a senior R&AW official made before the expert committee which scrutinised the Bill. There are no official figures other than records furnished by the Intelligence Bureau before the JPC saying there are 31,313 people belonging to the six minority minority communities living in India on Long Term Visa. 

Bora also questioned lack of any official statistics to substantiate the purpose of the Bill. “In his speech, the home minister said crores and of people who were religiously persecuted have come and they have not been able to get citizenship.

Where are the crores of people? When did I ask the government how many such religiously persecuted people have applied for citizenship? The reply I got was 4,044 applications. When I asked for countrywide break, I was told from Aghanistan 687, from Bangladesh 84 and from Pakistan 2,508. When I asked for religious wise-break up, they said record not maintained. If you do not have data, on what basis are you going to give citizenship to these people?” the MP questioned. 

Here’s what Congress leaders said

Anand Sharma: If Sardar Patel meets your prime minister, then he would be very angry…Gandhi ji would also be sad saying, ‘you are celebrating my 150th birth anniversary and then you do this’

P Chidambaram: This (bill) is a slap in the face of Parliament. …I am afraid this government is ramming through (with) this bill in order to advance its Hindutva agenda…This is a sad day.

Sonia Gandhi: Today marks a dark day in the constitutional history of India. The passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill marks the victory of narrow-minded and bigoted forces over India’s pluralism

Assam anti-CAB protests: BJP and RSS under fire, houses of CM Sonowal, other top leaders attacked

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Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s house which is located at Dibrugarh in Upper Assam came under attack yesterday night as protestors pelted stones at his house.

Citizenship Bill protests

GUWAHATI: As Assam burns with anti CAB protests, RSS and BJP leaders from the state including Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal are being rigorously criticised.

The protesters attacked the house of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union minister Rameswar Teli and several other BJP leaders.

Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal’s house which is located at Dibrugarh in Upper Assam came under attack yesterday night as protestors pelted stones at his house.

While Union Minister Rameshwar Teli’s residence in Dulijan also came under rage of protestors.

A BJP MLA Prashanta Phukan’s house in the Upper Assam was vandalised by the protestors.

There are also reports that in many places RSS office has also been attacked.

Thousands of people hit the streets in Assam opposing the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill or CAB, that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to illegal non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Bill was cleared by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and will become law after getting nod from the President.

However, people of northeastern states, especially Assam and Tripura are demanding its revocation as they fear being “overrun” by non-Muslims from neighbouring Bangladesh.

The protesters clashed with the police and set afire several government vehicles. They also pelted stones at the houses of several BJP leaders.

It is being said that the magnitude of the protests is similar to the violent six-year movement that resulted in the signing of the Assam accord in 1985.

Was a mistake, hoping for light punishment: shooter Ravi Kumar on doping violation

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Was a mistake, hoping for light punishment: shooter Ravi Kumar on doping violation

World Cup medal-winning rifle shooter Ravi Kumar, who has failed a dope test, says his is a case of inadvertent intake, an explanation he hopes would fetch him a lighter-than-expected punishment from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).

The 29-year-old Kumar, who has not been with the national team since the World Cup in Munich last May, is a bronze-winner from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Asian Games in the 10m air rifle competitions.

He tested positive for propranolol during a domestic competition here. The substance is used to treat high blood pressure and is on the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

“I had taken the medicine to treat migraine inadvertently. It was after being prescribed by my doctor at home days before I was tested during the Kumar Surendra Nath Memorial Meet in May-June,” Kumar told PTI.

“I explained everything to NADA and they understood but told me that my only mistake was that I did not disclose while being tested that I had taken the medicine, which contains a substance that is banned in shooting. It is used for migraine and high blood pressure,” he added.

Kumar is not going to seek a ‘B’ sample test and has accepted the findings. The maximum punishment after accepting the A sample findings is two years but Kumar is hoping for a lighter ban. The NADA disciplinary panel will be deciding on the quantum of punishment in the next few days.

“I am hopeful of the result coming in my favour since I had taken the specified substance without knowing it. I also clearly told my doctor that I am a sportsperson,” he said.

“While the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) has allowed me to compete in domestic events after getting clearance from NADA, I was not entitled for India selection, and hence, missed out tournaments such as the Asian Championships (which was an Olympic quota event),” he added.

Kumar said although his Olympic dream is now over, he would fight to ensure that he can be back in reckoning as soon as possible.

“My last World Cup was in Munich and I feel four years of my hard work for Olympics is going down the drain. But I hope the result will come quickly, this month, and I will fight till the last moment” he said.

Opposition speaking Pak’s language on Citizenship Bill: PM Modi at BJP meet

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Opposition speaking Pak's language on Citizenship Bill: PM Modi at BJP meet

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused the opposition of speaking Pakistan’s language on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and asserted that the legislation will be written in “golden letters” in history.

Addressing BJP parliamentary party meeting, Modi likened the bill to the government’s decision to nullify Article 370 and said it will provide permanent relief to minorities of neighbouring countries who arrived in India fleeing religious persecution.

He also asked party MPs to gather feedback from all sections of society from farmers to the poor and industrialists on the coming Union budget and share the inputs with the Finance Minister.

Indian banks back in UK court over Vijay Mallya’s non-payment of debt

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Indian banks back in UK court over  Vijay Mallya's non-payment of debt

London: A consortium of Indian public sector banks led by State Bank of India (SBI) are back in the UK high court to seek a bankruptcy order against liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya over the alleged unpaid debt of around 1.145 billion pounds.

Judge Michael Briggs is presiding over a hearing in the insolvency division of the court in London this week in relation to a bankruptcy petition filed by the banks back in 2018 in their attempt to recoup unpaid debt accrued by the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

A previous UK High Court ruling had refused to overturn a worldwide order freezing Mallya’s assets and upheld an Indian court’s ruling that the consortium of 13 Indian banks were entitled to recover funds amounting to nearly 1.145 billion pounds.

The banks then launched efforts to recover dues as part of the freezing order, with the bankruptcy petition aimed at seizing UK-based Mallya’s assets to recover the dues.

Besides SBI, the 13 Indian banks include Bank of Baroda, Corporation bank, Federal Bank Ltd, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of Mysore, UCO Bank, United Bank of India and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co. Pvt Ltd.

They have secured follow-on High Court orders to recover some of the funds owed to them as a result of Kingfisher Airlines’ unpaid loans.

In July, the banks had won a High Court battle to access documents they were after to establish the true ownership of assets they believed were linked with the embattled liquor tycoon.

Frankly, the answer needs to be known as to which assets are that of Mr Mallya, both for the purpose of the worldwide freezing order and enforcement of the judgment, Justice Robin Knowles had ruled.

Two superyachts, a game reserve in South Africa, numerous undeclared high-value and vintage cars, valuable paintings and a piano previously owned by famous British singer-songwriter Elton John were among some of the assets on their target list.

The true ownership of a plush home overlooking Regent’s Park in the heart of London also remains in contention.

Mallya’s legal team has argued that the petition for bankruptcy in the UK should be dismissed because the banks are pursuing the same debt through the Indian courts.

The lawyers have also sought a stay on proceedings until Mallya’s appeal against his extradition order, scheduled in the Royal Courts of Justice in London, is heard in February next year.

Meanwhile, Mallya remains on bail pending the appeal hearing in the extradition proceedings brought by India in relation to charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crores.

He had been arrested on an extradition warrant back in April 2017 and has been fighting his extradition in the UK courts since then.

6 killed in New Jersey gunbattle, including police

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6 killed in New Jersey gunbattle, including police

Jersey City: Six people, including a police officer and three bystanders, were killed in a furious gun battle that filled the streets of Jersey City with the sound of heavy fire for hours, authorities said.

The dead included the two gunmen, Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly said.

The slain officer, Detective Joseph Seals, 40, was credited by his superiors with having led the department in the number of illegal guns removed from the streets in recent years, and might have been trying to stop an incident involving such weapons when he was cut down by gunfire that erupted near a cemetery, authorities said.

The shooting then continued at a kosher supermarket about a mile away, where five more bodies were found, Kelly said.

Authorities believe the Jewish market was targeted by the gunmen, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop tweeted Tuesday night. Fulop, whose public safety director said earlier in the day that terrorism wasn’t suspected, did not elaborate on why authorities now believe the market was targeted.

Messages were left Tuesday night seeking comment on Fulop’s tweet. It’s a really tough day for the city of Jersey City, Fulop said.

Seals was one of the best officers for getting the most guns off the streets. He was a good cop. Two other officers were wounded but were later released from the hospital, authorities said.

The bullets started flying early in the afternoon in the city of about 270,000 people, situated across the Hudson River from New York City.

Seals, who worked for a unit called Cease Fire, was shot around 12:30 pm. The gunmen then drove a stolen rental van to another part of the city and engaged police in a lengthy shootout.

Kelly said when police responded to the area of the kosher store, officers were immediately engaged by high-power rifle fire. A video shot by a witness shows a police officer on the ground by a car, apparently wounded. Another officer goes to him, helps him up and the two run around a corner as gunshots ring out. Seconds later, as a police cruiser pulls up in front of the store, about a dozen shots are heard in rapid succession.

“Our officers were under fire for hours,” the chief said.

Inside the grocery store, police found the bodies of who they believed were the two gunmen and three other people who apparently happened to be there when the assailants rushed in, authorities said. Police said they were confident the bystanders were shot by the gunmen and not by police.

The kosher grocery is a central fixture in a growing community of Orthodox Jews who have been moving to Jersey City in recent years.

Chabad Rabbi Moshe Schapiro, who shops at the kosher store and attends a synagogue next door, said he spoke with the store owner, Moishe Ferencz.

He told me he had just walked out of the store into the synagogue not five feet away just before this happened, and then he couldn’t get back for hours, Schapiro said.

His wife was inside the store. He said, ‘I hope my wife is safe.'” The names of the victims inside the store were not immediately released, pending notification of relatives.

City Public Safety Director James Shea said earlier Tuesday that authorities believe the bloodshed was not an act of terrorism but that it was still under investigation.

The shooting spread fear through the neighborhood, and the nearby Sacred Heart School was put on lockdown as a precaution.

SWAT teams, state police and federal agents converged on the scene, and police blocked off the area, which in addition to the school and supermarket included a hair salon and other shops. Dozens of bystanders pressed against the police barrier to capture the action on their cellphones, some whooping when bursts of fire could be heard.

Video shot by residents recorded loud volleys of gunfire reverberating along one of the city’s main streets and showed a long line of law enforcement officers pointing guns as they advanced, yelling to bystanders, Clear the street! Get out of the way! It’s like firecrackers going off,” said Andy Patel, who works at a liquor store about three blocks away.

“They were shooting like crazy. … The cops were clearing everyone off the streets. Police also removed what they described as a possible incendiary device from the rental vehicle and sent it for examination by a bomb squad. The results of that examination were not available Tuesday evening.

Seals had been on the Jersey City Police Department since 2006. In addition to his work with the illegal guns unit, he was cited for heroism in a Christmas Eve 2008 incident in which he and another officer burst through the window of a home and stopped a sexual assault that was being carried out against a 41-year-old woman.

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