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Siddaramaiah want to be CM again

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Former chief minister Siddaramaiah has, on several occasions previously, stated that he would not want to contest in any future elections. But, from his recent speech during the inaugural function of a temple at Holenarasipura town on August 24, it can be gleaned that the former chief minister is having second thoughts about this stance.

During his speech at the function, Siddaramaiah expressed that he wanted to be chief minister of the state for one more term and added that he has confidence that the people would support him and bring him to power once more.

Commenting on the Assembly elections that were held a few months ago, Siddaramaiah said that he was sure that he would be chief minister once again and that when he was chief minister, he had instituted several schemes to help people of all classes but, the people did not support him. “Elections now are being fought on the basis of caste and money. This is dangerous in a democracy,” he stated.

He then criticised the Central government for not providing relief funds to the district of Kodagu that until recently, had been battling heavy rains and horrific landslides. He also took a dig at the Prime Minister for not personally visiting the district and taking stock of the situation.

Responding to Siddaramaiah’s wish to become chief minister again, CM HD Kumaraswamy said that he would be delighted if Siddaramaiah’s wish were to come true. State minister for water resources DK Shivakumar, however, said that Siddaramaiah’s statement was probably made to encourage the party workers and that this was not the way the former chief minister usually speaks. “The interests of the party come first. All of us have our own aspirations but, we will stick to our promise that Kumaraswamy will remain the chief minister for the entire five-year term,” he explained.

Modi government lacks coherent strategy for Pakistan: Rahul

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that the Narendra Modi government lacks a “coherent strategy” towards Pakistan and attacked Modi for his foreign policy based on “hugs”.

Speaking at an event at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) of London, Gandhi said that Pakistan promotes terrorism in India and it is not possible to talk in such a situation.

“The Modi government lack a coherent strategy towards Pakistan, it’s episodic. The Prime Minister flies there for a wedding. There’s no deeply thought out strategy,” he said.

Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, Gandhi said: “I’ve also been trapped in the hug politics but I don’t think you can run foreign policy based on hugs. It doesn’t work. We have tremendous structures in our country, institutional structures that understand these things, one has to use those structures to develop strategy.”

“The question with Pakistan is who do you talk to in Pakistan. Pakistan, from our perspective, has a number of institutions. So the difficulty from an Indian perspective is which institution do you talk to?” Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said some of the institutions in Pakistan are hostile towards India and some are attacking India. “So we don’t want to talk to them.”

He said: “You wait till the time Pakistan is able to resolve some of these issues, you wait till the time Pakistan is able to have a coherent structure you can talk to, but it’s very difficult to sign something if you don’t know what’s going to happen the next day.”

“It’s a huge commitment of political will…and if you sign something and the next dayelike that happened for example with Mr. Vajpayee and that is a classic example,” he added.

On India’s relationship with South Asian countries, Gandhi said: “What is important is that you develop a strategy based on your foundational strengths.”

“I don’t see a coherent strategy based on India’s strength, I see tactical responses, I see knee-jerk reactions but I don’t see a strategic vision that says this is how India is going to chart its course through 21st century,” he added.

He also attacked the Prime Minister for what he temed “centralisation of power” and said: “What is being going on in the last four years is a massive centralisation of power, in the CM on one hand and the PM on the other.”

Karnataka seeks Rs 2,000 cr aid from Centre for flood victims

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Karnataka on Friday sought Rs 2,000 crore interim relief from the central government for relief and rehabilitation of flood victims in the southern state’s Kodagu district.

“I appeal to you to release an interim relief of Rs 2,000 crore to enable the state government rehabilitate Kodagu’s flood-hit victims,” said state Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

The Chief Minister’s office released the letter to the media on Friday night.

As per initial estimates, the huge loss caused by heavy rains, floods and landslides to the infrastructure, public property and crops is feared to be Rs 3,000 crore.

The letter also highlighted the large-scale destruction the natural calamity caused to crops, coffee plantations, spices and arecanut (beetle nuts) across the hilly district, about 270 km southwest of Bengaluru.

Thanking Modi for enquiring about the situation in Kodagu on August 19 and providing help in the rescue operations through the Indian Army, Navy and air force, the chief minister said the landslides changed the geomorphology and river course in the region.

“As the arterial roads connecting Kodagu have been battered, relief operations and the movement of essentials like food, drinking water and medicines were hampered,” recalled Kumaraswamy.

The torrential rains, landslips and floods during the southwest monsoon from August 14-22, claimed 17 lives and damaged over 2,200 houses.

“Undeterred by the devastation, the state machinery and the district administration rescued over 4,500 people and provided shelter to 7,500 people in 53 relief camps, served 50,000 food packets and supplied rice, oil, pulses, salt and sugar,” added the letter.

BJP to suffer major losses in 2019: Kejriwal

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said people are unhappy with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which will cause it to suffer major losses in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) head also said the common man is angry with the BJP for “creating hurdles” in the works of the Delhi government under him.

“The public is not very happy with the BJP MPs. They are all the more angry with the party as it has created hurdles in the works of the Delhi government. The BJP will suffer major losses in 2019,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

J&K Police devises strategy for cops visiting families

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The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday said they were devising a strategy for policemen wanting to visit their families during occasions and emergencies.

Concerned over the targeting of policemen by militants especially in south Kashmir areas, the state police have listed three districts — Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama — as “hypersensitive” with regard to security of the personnel.

On the occasion of Eid on Wednesday, the militants killed three policemen including an officer.

“An advisory had already existed that directed policemen not to visit their families on Eid without security and without the knowledge of their police stations,” a senior officer said here.

In future, policemen including constables, would be provided security.

“Such visits would be allowed for only two hours and without any disclosure,” the officer added.

Kerala government’s glaring omission led to flood tragedy: Ex-CM

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Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that the tragedy caused due to heavy rains and floods in the state was due to the present state government’s glaring omission of not being able to foresee things.

Chandy told IANS that even though this was not the time to politicise the tragedy, he was forced to say what Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself pointed out.

“Since the monsoon season began in the end of May, Kerala received heavy rains in three parts and since being in segments there should have been a basic planning process. But for some reason it did not happen and hence tragedy struck the state very hard,” said Chandy.

Monsoon began in the last week of May and heavy rains came in three segments till the second week of August.

“The glaring omission came when the government failed to act according to the pattern of rains. In hindsight, it’s easy to say that it should have been done this way and not that way, but it’s here where the calculations went haywire,” the former leader said.

For the first time in the history of the state, on account of the heavy rains during the past three months had to open the sluice gates of 33 dams including the Idukki dam which was opened after 26 years.

“The authorities misfired when it came to handling the Idukki dam as it was not opened earlier and instead waited till the last minute which caused a huge damage to life and properties. The weather forecasts were right in front of the authorities. To substantiate what I said, you can just look into the manner in which state Power Minister M.M. Mani handled the Idukki dam and then correlate it with what Vijayan said,” added Chandy.

The number of dead in the rains and floods now stands at 417. Hundreds have started returning home from relief camps, but still leaving 8.69 lakh people in 2,787 shelters. The total damages is estimated to be over Rs 35,000 crores.

Indian-origin pathologist in UK accused of mishandling post-mortems

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London An Indian-origin pathologist in the UK has been accused of mishandling post-mortems and the police were investigating if any criminal charges needed to be brought against him.

Khalid Ahmed, who qualified as a doctor in 1989 in Bengaluru, worked as a consultant histopathologist at the Royal Oldham Hospital in Manchester and carried out an undisclosed number of post-mortem tests for the north Manchester coroner’s office, the Telegraph reported on Thursday.

Ahmed repeatedly recorded the wrong cause of death for patients, misidentified organs and potentially mixed up bodies, the report said.

In May 2017, the office’s senior coroner raised concerns about Ahmed’s examinations and a recent review found “significant concerns” with his “inadequate” reports.

Professor Simon Kim Suvarna, a consultant histopathologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, carried out the review of Ahmed and found some reports to have an “incorrect” cause of death.

Suvarna was also reported to have noted that Ahmed’s tests “did not even meet the standards expected for pathology students to pass the autopsy component of the final exam”, the daily reported.

A subsequent police referral was made by the coroner and a police investigation was ongoing.

“The Greater Manchester Police is assessing what, if any, criminal offences may have been committed in relation to findings presented to the coroner,” an official said.

Ahmed joined Pennine Acute NHS Trust in January 2007, but he no longer works there. In a statement, the trust said after they were told of the coroner’s concerns an “in-depth internal review” into Ahmed’s practice was carried out, which concluded in February this year.

The trust added that a “thorough and extensive investigation” of Ahmed’s NHS work “provided assurance” his practice was “within the range of a reasonable pathologist”.

The General Medical Council said Ahmed was still licensed to practise as a histopathologist. He was not available for comment.

Rohingyas continue to battle uncertain future in Bangladesh camp

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Dhaka Hafez Ullah had fled Myanmar in early September last year, following the torching of his village near the Maungdaw township in northern Rakhine by the Army.

On Friday, it will be a day shy of one year when the Rohingya exodus to neighbouring Bangladesh had begun after the Myanmar Army launched an offensive in response to rebel attacks on government outposts. But the situation facing the refugees in Bangladesh has changed little.

Ullah was one of the 700,000 Rohingyas, who had fled to Bangladesh following the offensive that was launched on August 25.

The 38-year-old, whose mother went missing and his brother was shot dead during the perilous six-day journey to Bangladesh, now lives in the Kutupalang refugee camp in Bangladesh, completely dependent on charity handouts, Efe news reported.

However, despite the dire situation in the camps, he is loathe to go back yet.

“I don’t want to live here for long because I am really concerned about the future of my children. I want to go back, but only if I am assured I will not have to come back again and I will be given my rights as a citizen,” he said.

International pressure had led Myanmar — which does not recognize Rohingyas as its citizens — and Bangladesh to ink a deal on November 23 to repatriate members of the mostly-Muslim Rohingya minority.

According to the deal between Myanmar and Bangladesh, the repatriation process should have started on January 23.

However, nine months down the line, the process is still in limbo, with UNHCR and other aid agencies alleging that the condition in Myanmar was not conducive to the return of the Rohingyas.

“We do not believe that circumstances at present are conducive for return and any return has to be in safety, with dignity and on a voluntary basis,” said Firas Al-Khateeb, the UN refugee agency’s spokesman in Cox’s Bazar.

And while the exodus was contained in recent months, the refugee camps continue to be overcrowded and a health hazard, especially for children.

The World Health Organization in its latest health bulletin on Rohingya camp in June reported 7,682 diphtheria case-patients as on June 2, with a total of 42 deaths till April 9.

“The number of suspected diphtheria cases reached almost 8,000 now. Though we don’t have any death since April in the disease, every week we are getting 25-30 suspected case. We could not control it yet,” said Abdus Salam, the chief government health official in Cox’s Bazar district.

Delhi to issue more licences to sweets shops

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New Delhi To keep a check on the sweet quality in the national capital, the Delhi government will encourage more number of sweets sellers for registration and will also issue more licences ahead of the festive season.

“As the festive season is coming, a number of sweets shops will come up and the chances of selling of substandard sweets will also go up. To keep a check, we will be issuing more licences,” an official from the Delhi Food and Safety Department’s Licencing unit told IANS.

The Food Department will also run a special campaign under which teams will be formed to raid and collect samples from shops across the city.

To create awareness among the people, the Department will publish advertisements regarding food safety.

“The demand for sweets products go up tremendously during this time of the year as the festivals are approaching. To meet the demands, sweetmeat shops will be mushrooming in the city,” he said.

In the past three years, the Department has also done various raids to check the food qualities.

“In the past three years, 884 samples were collected from different parts of the city, of which 148 samples failed to match the standards. Actions were taken against those found guilty under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” the official said.

The registration and licensing of the street food vendors is also being done, he said.

“We are encouraging more street food vendors for licensing. The Department also checks sample of these foods from time to time,” he added.

Onam festivities washed away by Kerala floods

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Thiruvananthapuram, With the state government cancelling the Onam celebrations, it is unlikely that Kerala households within the country or overseas will witness any festivities this year ignoring the huge loss of life and property in the devastating floods.

The Kerala government has already diverted the Rs 30 crore earmarked for state-sponsored celebrations to extend relief to the survivors of the worst floods in the state in nearly a century.

Similarly, reports of cancellation of the Onam celebrations by Kerala expatriates have come from the Middle East and even Canada.

Around 370 persons have lost their lives since the monsoon rains began on May 29, with widespread destruction to public and private property, which the state has pegged at more than Rs 20,000 crore. More than one million people have taken shelter in relief camps in Kerala.

Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was overseeing the Onam festivities, said that he too failed to recollect any instance when the celebrations were called off.

“This tragedy has damaged our state immensely as lakhs of people continue to suffer. Many people have lost their life-long savings… thus, the celebration of Onam by the state is out of the question.”

Cardinal Moran Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, head of the city-headquartered Syro Malankara Catholic Church, told IANS that this could be the first Onam with no festivities in the state.

“Onam provides a sense of unity as everyone celebrates the festival. However, this time too there is ‘unity’ but it is about people coming out in huge numbers to help those affected by floods,” he remarked.

Celebrations of Onam start on ‘Atham’ day, 10 days before ‘Thiruvonam’ (which falls on August 25). However, on that day, the state was grappling with torrential rains and their aftermath as a red alert was issued in several areas after dams overflowed and rivers were swollen.

Onam, the harvest festival, is marked by three important days — First Onam that falls on Friday (today), followed by Thiruonam on Saturday, and third Onam on Sunday.

According to a legend, the state witnessed its golden period during the reign of King Mahabali. Onam is celebrated to mark King Mahabali’s annual visit to see his subjects.

A traditional 26-dish ‘Onam Sadya’, often dubbed the ‘mother of all vegetarian meals’, is served in every household on the three Onam days.

Onam falls in the month of ‘Chingam’, the first month according to the Malayalee calendar. On that day (August 17), thousands of Kerala residents in several districts were fleeing their homes to find shelter in relief camps.

As many as 12 of the 14 districts in the state have been devastated by floods, with Kasargode and Thiruvananthapuram the exception on this count.

“I am 93… I cannot recall any year when the Onam festivities were called off. I also cannot recall any tragedy of this magnitude ever hitting Kerala in my lifetime,” a retired teacher told IANS.

However, a few old-timers recall the Vypeen hooch tragedy in 1982, in which 77 persons were killed near Kochi on Onam day. The victims were mostly fisherfolk and labourers.

Sarala Devi, a retired government official residing near Thiruvalla, which was badly affected, also sounded gloomy over Onam celebrations this year.

“I don’t think anyone will be able to savour a sumptuous Onam Sadya, as one or the other you know has been affected by floods. Besides, one has been witnessing on TV channels the huge loss of lives and destruction caused by floods. I doubt if anyone will be able to enjoy the Onam lunch after all this,” she said.

The business of sellers of flowers in various places on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, has been clearly affected. “Even in the state capital, which has not been much affected by floods, people are not coming out to buy flowers,” a retailer in the city pointed out.

However, amid the gloom, there are many trying to cheer up the survivors. Those managing the relief camps plan to serve at least a decent Onam lunch to nearly a million persons still lodged in relief camps.

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