New Delhi, Mar 26 :External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said that both the abducted Hindu girls in Pakistan should be ‘restored’ to their families.
“Forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan : The age of the girls is not disputed. Raveena is only 13 and Reena is 15 years old…..Justice demands that both these girls should be restored to their family immediately,” Ms Swaraj tweeted.
In another missive, the External Affairs Minister said even Pakistan Prime Minister “in Naya Pakistan” will not believe that girls of this tender age can voluntarily decide about their conversion to another religion and marriage.

[Nasheman news] New Delhi Petrol prices declined by 7 paise across the metropolitan cities on Thursday after remaining unchanged for the last two days, data from the Indian Oil Corp’s website showed.

In the national capital, petrol was priced at Rs 72.71 per litre, down from Rs 72.78 on Wednesday. In Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, price of the fuel was at Rs 74.79, Rs 78.33 and Rs 75.52 per litre respectively, against the previous levels of Rs 74.86, Rs 78.40 and Rs 75.59 per litre.

Although domestic fuel prices declined on Thursday, largely, the price trend has been on an upward movement during the first three months of 2019, except a few days of price drop. In Delhi, petrol prices have risen around Rs 4 per litre since January 1, 2019.

The uptrend in domestic prices is largely attributed to the recent bullish global crude oil prices. The benchmark Brent crude oil is currently trading around $68 per barrel. 

Under the dynamic pricing policy, the retail fuel prices in the country are based on the a 15-day average of global crude prices along with the rupee-US dollar exchange rate.

In tandem with petrol prices, the cost of diesel also declined on Thursday. In Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, diesel was sold for Rs 66.72, Rs 68.51, Rs 69.89 and Rs 70.50 per litre, down from Rs 66.80, Rs 68.59, Rs 69.97 and Rs 70.59 per litre on Wednesday.

[Nasheman news] Kolkata  Alleging that 34 debt-stressed farmers and agricultural labourers have committed suicide in West Bengal in the recent past, state Congress president Somen Mitra on Sunday ridiculed the Trinamool Congress government’s claims that peasants’ income has tripled since it came to power in 2011.

Joining issue with senior Trinamool leader and state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim, Mitra said: “The situation in the state is such that 34 farmers and agricultural workers have taken their own lives over the past eight months as they were debt-stressed.

“But the problem is the state government is in a denial mode. The minister claims that farmers’ income has tripled. Why would the farmers commit suicide then?”

Assailing the state government, Mitra said when distressed farmers throw their produce like potato, chillies and vegetables on the highway, then the state ministers remain mum.

“Due to the inefficiency of this government, the famers do not get the minimum support price and are forced to sell their produce at a very low price to middlemen backed by the Trinamol.”

Regarding unemployment, Mitra accused the state government of resorting to statistical jugglery to downplay the number of jobless people in the state.

“But any discerning observer would find the real situation diametrically opposite to the government’s projections. School Service Commission candidates are on indefinite hunger strike. Our youths are getting killed in other states where they had gone in search of jobs. If there are adequate job opportunities in Bengal, then why are they being forced to move to other states?” he asked.

Referring to Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s speech at an election rally in Malda district’s Chanchal, Mitra said he has highlighted the true picture of the state.

On Hakim’s criticism that Gandhi was ignorant about the state due to the state Congress’ss failure in feeding him the proper data, Mitra said “Firhad has also commented that Gandhi’s allegations will strengthen the hands of the BJP.

“Nothing can be further from truth. The leader who is giving sleepless nights to BJP across the country, and under whose leadership the Congress has defeated the BJP in three key states, is now being given a bad name. Nothing can be more unfortunate.” 

Shivamogga, Karnataka, Mar 23 : Three people were killed on the spot when two trucks collided head on at Aiginabilu village near Sagar in the District today.
Police said on Saturday that the victims have been identified as Sachin and Malakappa, Driver and Cleaner respectively of a truck carrying construction materials and Lokesh driver of another truck loaded with LPG cylinders.
The incident occurred when the truck carrying Tar, bound for Shivamogga collided with the truck carrying gas cylinders.
Both the trucks were completely damaged but fortunaly none of the gas cylinders damaged.
Sagar police visited the spot and registered a case.

We talk to Arundhati Roy about Kashmir and Modi and debate US intervention in Venezuela.

In this week’s UpFront, we ask award-winning author and activist Arundhati Roy about the disputed region of Kashmir and her criticisms of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.And in the Arena, we debate the implications of a US intervention in Venezuela.

Arundhati Roy: Modi ‘reckless’ in Kashmir

The military escalation between India and Pakistan may have abated, but tensions remain high following the latest series of aggressions triggered by a February 14 suicide bomb attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 42 paramilitary personnel.

When asked about the Indian media’s role in perpetuating the conflict, Roy says journalists are “more than complicit”. She added that “sometimes they are literally calling for war”.

Roy, who has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Modi, says there are elements of fascism in his politics.

“If you look at the games that have been played, the false flag attacks, the trail of deaths, of murders, of lynchings, you see fascism,” said Roy, who is also the author of the book The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.

On the issue of independence for Kashmir, Roy believes Kashmiris should be given opportunities to express their opinions, adding, “The whole world needs to turn its attention to Kashmir because we are in a very, very dangerous situation there.”

This week’s headliner, award-winning author and political activist, Arundhati Roy talks to UpFront.

Who is Venezuela’s legitimate leader?

As Venezuela’s political and economic crisis deepens under Nicolas Maduro, many nations around the world, including the US, are demanding the president stand aside and make way for opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Maduro won a new six-year term in May 2018 in what has been viewed as a controversial vote. In January, following mass protests, Guaido declared himself interim president.

US President Donald Trump has said all options are on the table, but would a US-backed change of government in Caracas constitute a coup?

Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer and journalist who served as an adviser to the late President Hugo Chavez, says there is support for Maduro.

“He has the support, up until now, of the armed forces in, at least, at the higher levels. And he has control of the state institutions,” says Golinger. “There are millions of Venezuelans who have supported him and may not be content with the current situation in the country, but don’t support, the kind of coup-like situation that is taking place”.

“I think that regime changes should be de-stigmatised,” says Eli Lake, an American national security and foreign policy columnist for Bloomberg. “The means by which I support regime change in Venezuela is to have a new election under an interim government, and for there to be, you know, a vote and whoever wins should do that,” he added.

In this week’s Arena Eva Golinger and Eli Lake debate the political crisis in Venezuela.

Aljazeera

[Nasheman news]New Delhi  BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday said that Congress President Rahul Gandhi should apologise for his chief advisor Sam Pitroda’s statement on the February 14 Pulwama attack.

“I demand from the Congress President that he must apologise to the families of the slain troopers,” Shah told the media here.

Shah’s statement came in response to Pitroda’s comments that incidents like the Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF troopers, “happen all the time” and that the UPA government also could have sent planes to Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack but “that is not the right approach”.

Shah questioned whether the Congress considered heinous attacks as a normal phenomenon. 

“At a time when the country is growing rapidly towards the general election and the issue of national security is important for the voters, the statement of Sam Pitroda is very unfortunate,” he said. 

He slammed the Congress saying that doubting the Indian Air Force was not right for any party’s national president. 

He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre has adopted a zero tolerance policy towards terrorism.

[Nasheman news] Kolkata  West Bengal’s ruling All India Trinamool Congress has dropped the ‘Congress’ from its new logo earlier this month and added dollops of blue, white and green colour to it besides giving it a catchy slogan in a bid to make the party one with the people of the eastern state.

Observers said it could also be Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s way of distancing her party completely from the Indian National Congress.

The Trinamool was formed on January 1, 1998, by Banerjee who came out of the Congress complaining that it was “hand-in-glove with the CPI-M-led Left Front” then in power in Bengal.

Thereafter, Banerjee and her new party went hammer and tongs at the CPI-M for over a decade and finally managed to ride to power by allying with the Congress and defeating the Left Front in the 2011 Assembly polls.

All these years, Banerjee never shied away from harping on her Congress past, and instead repeatedly projected her party as the “real Congress”.

Despite tying up with the Congress twice — briefly before the 2001 Assembly polls and also between 2009 and 2011 — Banerjee aggressively expanded her party’s base across the state, mainly at the cost of her old party.

Many of the one-time heavyweights of the Congress are now with the Trinamool and occupy important positions.

Banerjee’s close associates point out that no other leaders in the past were able to decimate the Congress in their respective states the way she has done in Bengal.

“The name Trinamool is enough. It resonates in the hearts of all our workers and supporters,” said a Trinamool Lok Sabha member.

Another party leader pointed out that it was only Indira Gandhi who was successful in splitting the Congress and ensuring that her party emerges as the real Congress.

“As such, Banerjee does not need the Congress background any more. She is very much a leader in her own right and the Trinamool has its own identity,” he said.

Banerjee has time and again spoken about a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front over the past two years, stressing on a greater role for the regional parties after the Lok Sabha polls.

The logo has used a blue-white colour combination in a big way surrounding the party’s twin flower symbol. There is also a very careful use of green colour in composing the font of the word ‘Trinamool’.

“Blue-white is Banerjee’s favourite colour. All government buildings, police stations and bus stands have this colour combination. The use of the same combination in the logo makes it an extension of the theme Bengal,” said the leader.

“Trinamool is a vibrant party, a party of the future, of the youth. The colour green signifies that. Blue-white is now Bengal’s theme colour,” the MP said.

The slogan “Amar, Apnar, Banglar” (mine, yours, Bengal’s) is said to be an effort to project the party as the representative of Bengal, and the only political outfit capable of fulfilling the wishes and desires of all sections of people in the state.

Trinamool leaders said the party would continue to be registered as the All India Trinamool Congress with the Election Commission.

[Nasheman news] Chennai Maintaining silence over its candidate for Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress on Saturday declared eight names for the April 18 polls.

The names featured in the party’s list of 34 Lok Sabha seats that was released earlier in the day.

The Tamil Nadu candidates include two former state party heads, Su. Thirunavukkarasar and E.V.K.S. Elangovan.

The obvious miss in the list was it candidate from the Sivaganga constituency.

In 2014, Karti Chidambaram, the son of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, fought and lost in Sivaganga.

In the 2009 and 2004 elections. P. Chidambaram represented the constituency.

There were speculations that someone from the Chidambaram family was likely to be given a Congress ticket.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded its National Secretary H. Raja for Sivaganga.

The Congress has also fielded one woman candidate, Jothimani for the Karur constituency.

The other candidates are: K. Jayakumar (Tiruvallur), A. Chellakumar (Krishnagiri), Manickam Tagore (Virudhunagar), H. Vasanthakumar (Kanniyakumari).

V. Vaithilingam will represent the lone Puducherry seat.

As part of of the DMK-led alliance, Congress got a total of 10 Lok Sabha seats — nine in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry seat.

Bengaluru, March 22 (Nasheman News) The death toll in the building collapse in Karnataka’s Dharwad on Tuesday rose to 14, whereas 60 people have been rescued so far, officials said on Friday.

A man was rescued on Friday morning after being trapped for nearly 60 hours. 

“A total of 14 people have died. Two people were rescued on Thursday,” Dharwad Deputy Commissioner M. Deepa told the media at the accident site, about 400 km northwest of here.

Three people were still suspected to be trapped in the debris, Assistant Commissioner of Police A.S. Bhoomareddy said.

“Oxygen and oral rehydration solutions were given to those still trapped,” Bhoomareddy told IANS from Dharwad.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy announced Rs 2 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased. 

All four owners of the building under construction surrendered before the police on Thursday night after a case was registered against them. The building’s engineer was also taken into police custody.

A magisterial inquiry, to be headed by a Deputy Commissioner, was ordered into the accident.

Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force and fire and emergency services are conducting the rescue work.

Karnataka government has appealed to the neighboring Maharashtra State to release about 4 tmc of water from its two reservoirs to mitigate the drinking water crisis faced in many Districts in the Northern Karnataka.
In a letter addressed to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Phadnivas, Karnataka Minister for Water Resources D K Shiakumar on Thursday stated that several Districts in Northern Karnataka, including Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Koppal, Bhagalkot, Raichur, Yadagir and Raichur disricts, are reeling under severe water scarcity and people of the region are facing acute drinking water problem.
Seeking to release 2 tmc of water each from Koyna and Ujini reservoirs, the Minister recalled his meeting with Mr Devendra Phadnavis, and discussed about facing the challenge of the drinking water crisis in both the States.
Mr Shivakumar has also recalled the Maharashtra government’s gesture, in releasing water to Karnataka, which had helped to solve the drinking water problem faced by the people of several Districts.
The Minister in his letter had also conveyed that the early dry-spell being witnessed in the region, had also badly affected the live stocks, birds and Wild life in the region.