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Congress bags 16 seats, BJP trailing in Nanded

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Nanded: The Congress on Thursday appeared set to retain the Nanded-Waghala City Municipal Corporation (NWCMC), a stronghold of state party chief Ashok Chavan, bagging 15 of the 16 results announced so far for the 81-seat civic body.

The Congress has also built strong leads in 33 seats in the NWCMC, which is now one of the last surviving bastions of the party in the state. Election to the civic body were held on Wednesday.

Its main rival, Bharatiya Janata Party trailed far behind – bagging just one seat and notching leads in another four.

The Shiv Sena was leading in two and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was ahead in one seat.

The Congress’ partner National Congress Party failed to secure any lead as per the ongoing vote count at 1 p.m., a State Election Commission (SEC) official said.

Both, the Congress and BJP had made it a battle of prestige to wrest control over the civic body in the city renowned for the Hazoor Sahib Gurudwara, which is one of the five holy Sikh Takhts and the resting place of the legendary Sikh spiritual leader, Guru Gobind Singh.

For the first time in the state, the SEC has deployed VVPAT (voter-verified paper audit trail) voting machines in 31 polling centres in Ward No. 2 as a pilot project in the elections which recorded a 65 per cent turnout on Wednesday.

(IANS)

Hamas, Fatah open reconciliation talks in Cairo

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by Al Jazeera

The talks come a week after PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited Gaza to kick-start the process of transferring administrative responsibility from Hamas to the national consensus government [Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images]

Representatives from the Palestinian political parties of Hamas and Fatah are meeting on Tuesday for reconciliation talks in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

The talks come a week after Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited the Gaza Strip to kick-start the process of transferring administrative responsibility for the besieged territory from Hamas to the national consensus government.

The meetings in Cairo are centred around implementing the 2011 Cairo Agreement between the two political parties, in hopes of ending a 10-year political schism.

Leading the delegations are the deputy head of Hamas’s political office, Saleh al-Arouri, and a member of the Fatah Central Committee, Azzam al-Ahmad.

A member of Hamas in the occupied West Bank, Hassan Yousef, said that Israel blocked a delegation from travelling to Cairo through Jordan to participate in the talks.

Khalil al-Haya, a member of the Hamas delegation, said the mission would discuss forming a national unity government with the participation of all Palestinian political parties and preparing for legislative, presidential and national council elections.

Haya said the negotiations would focus on ending Palestinian division “to confront intransigence and the Israeli project”.

The 2011 agreement stipulated that legislative, presidential and national council elections should be conducted within one year of its signing. The deal would see both Hamas and Fatah form a Palestinian government to appoint the prime minister and ministerial positions.

Fatah spokesman Osama al-Qawasmeh told the official PA radio that the Egyptian-brokered talks would stretch for three days and would focus on enabling the national consensus government to exercise its political, security and economic functions in Gaza.

Other issues on the agenda include Gaza’s electricity crisis, the salaries of PA employees in the coastal enclave, security and the administration of border crossings.

Over the last few months, Hamas has been under heavy pressure from PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ measures against Gaza, aimed at pressuring Hamas to relinquish control of the territory. Punitive measures included cutting the salaries of PA employees living in Gaza and requesting Israel to reduce the electricity supply to the territory.

If the reconciliation efforts are successful, they could temporarily ease Gaza’s dire humanitarian situation.

Sticking points
Despite the latest Egyptian initiative to end the divide between the West Bank-based PA, led by Fatah, and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, several potential obstacles could cause a national unity government to falter.

Hamas’ preferred method of armed resistance in facing Israel is among the main obstacles, analysts say.

Last week, Abbas called on Hamas to surrender its weapons. Speaking to Egyptian television, Abbas called for “one state, one regime, one law and one weapon”.

Hamas, on several occasions, has stressed that the issue of armed resistance is not up for discussion. “The resistance’s weapons are legal,” spokesperson Hazem Qassem told the local Maan News Agency. “They are here to protect Palestinians and free their lands [from Israeli occupation].”

Hamas has been Gaza’s de facto ruler since 2007, when the party defeated Abbas’ long-dominant Fatah party in parliamentary elections.

Hamas then pushed Fatah out of Gaza in a bloody conflict. Hamas and Fatah have ruled the Gaza Strip and the West Bank respectively ever since.

Hamas’ control over security and its nature as an armed resistance movement have constituted an obstacle for the PA, which cooperates with Israel on security-related matters as per the Oslo Accords.

Ibrahim Abrash, a political analyst and Gaza’s former culture minister, said some issues, such as Hamas’ recognition of Israel and the 1967 borders, “will take time to iron out … but the dire situation in Gaza cannot withhold waiting any longer”.

Abrash told Al Jazeera that, while he believes Fatah is serious about carrying out presidential elections, the fear is that Israel will get involved.

Abbas’ term expired in 2009, and presidential elections have not been held since.

“The last time Hamas joined elections in 2006, Israel carried out a campaign of arrests against Hamas parliamentarians. There needs to be some Arab and international guarantees that things would go smoothly,” said Abrash.

On the issue of armed resistance, Abrash said Israel would make it “very difficult” for the unity government to carry out its duties. “This would mean that the political system would be faulty, with some factions carrying weapons and others not. I think these issues will not be opened now, but in the end, this issue will explode if the root of it is not solved.”

Obesity-related diseases to cost India $13 bn by 2025: Report

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New Delhi: The annual cost of treating the consequences of obesity such as heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, depression and many types of cancer will reach a staggering $13 billion in India by 2025, according to a new experts estimate.

The global annual medical cost of treating these serious consequences of obesity is expected to reach $1.2 trillion per year by 2025, data from the World Obesity Federation released on Tuesday showed.

In India, the annual cost of treating these consequences is estimated to reach $13 billion or cumulative costs of $90 billion between now and 2025.

The percentage of Indian adults living with obesity is set to jump to around 10 per cent (3.1 per cent male and 6.9 per cent female) by 2025 from 7.5 per cent (2.3 per cent male and 5.2 per cent female) in 2014, the new analysis, ahead of World Obesity Day on Wednesday, revealed.

The data demonstrated how investing in the prevention, early intervention and treatment of obesity is a cost-effective action for governments and health services.

Investment can also help to achieve the 2025 targets set by the World Health Organisation to halt the rise in obesity and to achieve a 25 per cent relative reduction in mortality from noncommunicable diseases. “Obesity is now a worldwide epidemic which absorbs a vast amount of our healthcare resources.

The annual medical costs of treating the consequences of obesity such as diabetes and heart disease is truly alarming,” said Ian Caterson, President of World Obesity Federation.

“With an estimated 177 million adults suffering severe obesity by 2025, it is clear that governments need to act now to reduce this burden on their national economies,” Caterson added.

(IANS)

How many women are there in RSS, asks Rahul Gandhi

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Vadodara: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today targeted the RSS and BJP alleging that they did not give any importance to women and asked how many of them were seen attending the Sangh’s ‘shakhas’. He said in contrast, women work at every level in the Congress.

“The BJP’s thinking is that till women are silent they are good, when they start speaking up they try to shut them (women) up,” Gandhi said at a gathering of students here on the second day of his election campaign in Gujarat. “Their organisation is the RSS. How many women are there in the RSS… Have you ever seen any woman in shakhas wearing shorts?” he said in a sarcastic tone.

“In the Congress you will see women at every level in the organisation,” he said. Khakhi shorts were a trademark of RSS volunteers which they used to wear during their drills in the past, before they changed to full pants over an year back.

Gandhi also said that if his party’s government comes to power in Gujarat, it will give importance to women and try to resolve their issues. The Congress leader began his second day of ‘Navsarjan Yatra’ in central Gujarat region from Vadodara by addressing the students.

He addressed 10 meetings yesterday and offered prayers at the famous Santram Temple in Nadiad. In the first leg of the Navsarjan Yatra last month, Gandhi had travelled in the Saurashtra.

(Agencies)

Weapons seized from BJP office in Kannur

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Kannur/Kasargod: The Police conducted a raid to a Bharatiya Janata Party office here today and seized weapons.

Weapons including machetes, cycle chains and steel bombs were found. The raids were conducted after a tip-off from the local residents living in the area around the office.

The police said that the weapons were first found by workers of the Kannur Corporation in morning.

The district BJP president P. Sathyaprakash said that the weapons could have been planted to malign the party. “There is no need for the BJP to keep those weapons at its district committee office,” he said.

(Agencies)

Priest held for sexually abusing minor girl inside church

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Thiruvananthapuram: A priest was arrested Monday for allegedly sexually abusing a 10-year-old school girl inside a church, police said.

The crime took place Sunday when the victim had gone to the church for taking Bible lessons, they said.

The accused, Fr Devaraj (65), of Kandanthitta CSI church will be produced before a magistrate later in the evening.

A case under POCSO (Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and section 376 of IPC (rape) has been registered against the priest, police said.

The girl’s father alleged that he saw his daughter being abused by the accused when he came to pick her up, and immediately informed the police.

The accused has been functioning as the priest in the church since the past one year, police added.

(PTI)

UP: 300 children taken ill after inhaling toxic gas from sugar factory, probe ordered

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Lucknow: Around 300 students were taken ill on Tuesday after inhaling toxic gas emitted by a sugar mill near their school in Shamli district, the police said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a probe into the matter by Commissioner Saharanpur.

The students of a private school in Shamli started complaining of stomach ache, nausea and burning sensation in their eyes after gas leakage from a neighbouring sugar mill.

“We have come to know that similar incidents had taken place in the past. A probe is on and strict action will be taken against those responsible,” ADG, Meerut zone, Prashant Kumar said.

He said all the children are safe and are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.

Principal Secretary, Information, Awanish Awasthi said, “The CM has ordered a probe into the Shamli incident by Commissioner Shaharanpur and directed the DM and all local officers to provide all possible help to the affected children.”

Locals alleged that sugar mill employees used to discharge chemicals in waste dumps leading to emission of harmful gas inhaling which children took ill, with some of them falling unconscious.

(PTI)

Kerala CM hits back at Amit Shah

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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday hit back at BJP President Amit Shah, accusing him of “spreading canards” about the CPI-M and political violence in the state.

Writing on his Facebook page, Vijayan pointed out that there was no space in Kerala for the kind of politics Shah preached — built on caste, creed, hatred and money power.

“After realizing that this agenda of his is not going to sell in Kerala, he started spreading canards and baseless lies. His feeling of dejection is understandable and that’s the reason he is speaking like this,” the CPI-M leader said.

Shah had on October 3 launched a blistering attack on Vijayan, holding him responsible for the killings of RSS and BJP activists in Kerala.

“I pity the failed efforts of Shah, who is the President of a party that rules the country and who tried his best to impose the RSS agenda on Kerala and has failed,” Vijayan said.

He said it was “most unfortunate” that he led a march to the office of another national party (CPI-M). He called this nothing but a blatant violation of democratic principles.

On Monday, the Communist Party of India-Marxist protested against the Bharatiya Janata Party all across the country.

(IANS)

India look to seal T20I series against Australia

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Guwahati: Coming from a nine-wicket win, in-form India will look to continuing their domination of Australia and seal the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.

India, who are ranked fifth, started the T20I series on a winning note outclassing the visitors in every department to register a nine-wicket victory via the Duckworth/Lewis method in a rain-marred match in Ranchi on Saturday.

The hosts, who produced a brilliant all-round show in the previous match, will hope to deliver a similar performance here.

The batting department will largely be dependent on hard hitting batsmen Rohit Sharma, skipper Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Hardik Pandya.

Batsmen Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav will only look to adding depth to the formidable India batting.

Kohli might also fancy including veteran pacer Ashish Nehra in the team.

Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will spearhead the bowling department for the hosts. Wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will look to provide brakes on the Australian batting which failed to look lethal in the previous match.

However, the seventh ranked Australian side will look to re-work on their strategies to get back to winning ways in the T20I series.

Skipper David Warner along with Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell will be the key batsmen for the visitors to get them off to a flying start.

The bowling will largely depend on pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile and spinner Adam Zampa, who failed to click in the last T20I.

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (captain), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ashish Nehra, Lokesh Rahul, Axar Patel.

Australia: David Warner (captain), Moises Henriques, Aaron Finch, Tim Paine (wicket-keeper), Daniel Christian, Glenn Maxwell, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Travis Head, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson.

(IANS)

Dozen die, scores missing as Rohingya boat capsizes

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Rescue operation under way after boat overcrowded with people fleeing Myanmar violence sinks on its way to Bangladesh.

More than 500,000 ethnic Muslim-majority Rohingya have fled Myanmar since August 25 [File: Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]

by Al Jazeera

At least 12 Rohingya refugees, mostly children, drowned when their boat capsized on the way to Bangladesh, police said on Monday, the latest victims of violence in Myanmar that has forced more than half a million people from their homes.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) official Abdul Jalil told AFP news agency at least 12 bodies had been recovered after an all-night rescue operation, saying “they include 10 children, an elderly woman and a man”.

At least 13 Rohingya, including three women and two children, were rescued after scouring the estuary of the Naf river, Jalil said.

Area coastguard commander Alauddin Nayan said the boat sank in the mouth of the Naf river near Shah Porir Dwip, on the southern tip of Bangladesh, with nearly 100 people on board.

“It capsized near Galachar (a coastal village in Bangladesh) with nearly 100 people,” Nayan told AFP.

More than half a million Rohingya have emptied out of northern Rakhine and into Bangladesh since August 25, carrying stories of mass killings, gang rapes, and razing of whole villages.

Myanmar has denied allegations of ethnic cleansing, saying the military offensive was a “clearance operation” to flush out Rohingya fighters who had staged attacks on border posts in August.

More than six weeks after the violence erupted, Rohingya continue to arrive in Bangladesh.

Sunday’s incident is the latest in a series of deadly boat disasters involving Rohingya refugees.

Most recently, on September 28, a boat carrying about 80 refugees overturned. Seventeen survived, while 23 were confirmed dead and the remainder declared missing.

Myanmar considers the Rohingya illegal immigrants from Bangladesh despite the ethnic minority living there for generations.

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