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Sat, 06 May 2017
Delhi gas leak: Kejriwal assures strict action
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21:34 Delhi gas leak: Kejriwal assures strict action
Strict action will be taken against those found guilty in the gas leakage incident that led to the hospitalisation of around 450 girl students in southeast Delhi's Tughlakabad area today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said most of the girls, who were hospitalised after they complained of irritation in eyes and breathlessness, were discharged, adding that a few of them were kept under observation.
"The Delhi government has asked the district magistrate to investigate the matter and find out how the gas leaked at the depot.
"We have asked the DM to take strict action against those found guilty of negligence," Kejriwal told reporters after meeting the students at one of the hospitals.
Sisodia said a team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences was carrying out a study on the medical impact of the gas leakage incident.
IMAGE: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with Dy CM Manish Sisodia visits victims of gas leak at a hospital in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo
20:41 South Asian Satellite: PM says dream & commitment fulfilled
The launching of South Asian satellite was "a dream and a commitment" which India has fulfilled, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today, a day after the country crafted history.
Touted as India's "priceless gift" to its South Asian neighbours, the GSAT-9 launched yesterday will provide communication and help in disaster management in Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan.
Pakistan refused to be a part of the project.
"..It was a dream and a commitment, which India has adhered to," tweeted Modi who had made a unilateral proposal of India launching such a regional satellite soon after he became the Prime Minister in 2014.
The prime minister tweeted in response to a message by a follower who congratulated him, saying that his dream had come true.
To another tweet, Modi said, "Through science, we can transform the lives of the poor and marginalised."
The Rs 235 crore satellite has been built by the Indian Space Research Organisation as part of a Rs 450 crore project.
The cuboid-shaped 2,230 kg satellite named SAS will enable a full range of services to the neighbours, including in telecommunication, television, direct-to-home, VSATs, tele-education and telemedicine. The South Asian Satellite mission life is 12 years.
19:58 Muslim women shouldn't be deprived of constitutional rights: Amit Shah
In India, every woman, irrespective of caste, creed and religion should enjoy constitutional rights, but triple talaq often takes away the right of Muslim women, Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah said on Saturday.
We are against talaq and the party's stand on the issue has already been conveyed to the Supreme Court," he said at a press conference in Agartala.
Shah is on a two-day visit to Marxist-ruled Tripura to strengthen the party base in the state.
Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as one of the most popular leaders in the country after Independence, the BJP chief said the party has been "registering emphatic poll victories in many states namely
Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttarkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Goa and Manipur."
"The poll success of the BJP indicates Modi's rising popularity and it will continue in the years to come," he said, adding there was no single allegation of corruption against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government during the past three years "while Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime had witnessed corruption amounting to Rs 12 lakh crore."
18:48 Deal with vigilantes effectively: UP top cop to officials
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Sulkhan Singh has directed police officials to effectively deal with vigilantes causing law and order problems in the name of cow protection and religious conversions.
The DGP has asked officials to identify the vigilantes through their intelligence networks and prepare dossiers on them, a police spokesman said on Saturday.
In a directive sent to district police chiefs, Singh has asked them to take "effective" action by lodging FIRs against people found taking the law into their own hands in the name of saving cows from slaughter, stopping illegal
trafficking of milch animals and in cases of religious conversions.
Officials have also been asked to make in-charges of police stations aware on trafficking of milch animals, the spokesman said.
It has come to the fore that in some incidents 'gau rakshaks' and organisations rushed to the spot on getting information on cow slaughter and disrupted traffic causing jams, assaulted people and indulged in arson, Singh said.
There have also been incidents in which vigilantes assaulted people and damaged vehicles that were allegedly ferrying milch animals illegally, the DGP said.
He said that in the name of morality couples sitting in public places have been assaulted on occasions like Valentines Day.
There have been reports that in cases of religious conversion, vigilantes act on their own, and beat and thrash people. This leads to law and order problems, the DGP said.
18:37 Simultaneous poll to LS, assemblies 'impossible': Ex-LS speaker Meira Kumar
Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar today said it is "not possible" to hold parliamentary and assembly polls simultaneously as it would require deployment of a large number of security personnel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier made a strong pitch for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies and had urged all parties to consider the suggestion rising above political differences.
"It is not possible to hold assembly and the Lok Sabha elections simultaneously as it involves a large number of security personnel to organise it in a free and fair manner," she told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Kolkata.
Kumar regretted that "these days voting is taking place based on communal lines and not development".
"Earlier, voting took place on the basis of development. But, I am afraid, now it is being held on caste and communal lines. This is very unfortunate," she said.
18:05 Indigo plane collides with aerobridge at Jaipur airport
An Indigo aircraft suffered damage to one of its wings when it hit an aerobridge while being marshalled to the parking spot at Sanganer airport in Jaipur.
Officials said no one was injured in the incident.
Flight 6E-962 from Delhi with 174 passengers on board landed at the airport on Saturday morning.
One of the wings of the plane collided with the aerobridge when the pilot was parking it on the apron, M P Bansal, the acting director of the airport, told PTI.
The airline in a statement said, "The aircraft came in contact with the aerobridge while being marshalled to the parking spot at the airport."
"There was no injury reported to anyone. Indigo has voluntarily reported the matter to the regulator. It is also being investigated by our internal safety department."
17:35 Only Modi can resolve Kashmir problem: Mehbooba
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can resolve the Kashmir problem as he has a strong mandate and appealed to him to pull the valley out of morass.
Mufti, whose government is battling spiralling protests in the valley, said the situation is the result of pent up anger due to failure of the United Progressive Alliance government to continue with the policy started by the previous National Democratic Alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir during her father Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed's rule.
"I say today with authority and I will be criticised for it also. If anyone can find a solution to Jammu and Kashmir problem, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"He (PM) has a strong mandate. Whatever decision he takes, the country will support him," said Mufti, whose party is running a government in coalition with the BJP.
"If anyone can take us out of the sticky spot, it is Prime Minister Modi. The nation will support whatever he decides...it is may earnest appeal...," she said.
The CM was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a flyover in Jammu.
Hailing the prime minister's decision to visit Lahore on December 25, 2015, she said that it was a sign of strength not weakness.
"He has the mandate of the people. This is his biggest power. He went to Lahore and met the PM of that country. This is not a sign of weakness but an indication of strength and power," she said.
She took a dig at former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying he did not have the courage to visit Pakistan.
"Before him (Modi), a Prime Minister had also desired to go to Pakistan for over ten years. He wanted to see his home there," she said, without naming Singh.
16:52 Justice Leila Seth, 1st woman judge of Delhi HC, passes away
Justice Leila Seth, the first woman judge of the Delhi high court, died on Saturday, PTI reported.
Seth, mother of author Vikram Seth, breathed her last in her home in Noida, reports said.
Seth, who became the first woman to top the London bar exam in 1958, was also an IAS officer. She practised law in Patna high court for about ten years and handled a number of tax matters, civil and criminal cases, matrimonial suits and writ petitions.
In 1978, she became the first woman judge of the Delhi high court and in 1991, she was appointed the chief justice of Himachal Pradesh high court -- becoming the first woman to ever hold the position of chief justice of a state high court.
Seth, who was appointed on Law Commission of India in 2000, was also responsible for the amendments to the Hindu Succession Act which gave equal rights to daughters in joint family property.
16:37 Want to apply for US visa, be ready for social media checks
The Trump administration has proposed a rigorous vetting process for United States visa applicants, including investigating their social media profiles, to keep foreigners with connection to terror activities or other national security-related ineligibilities out of the country.
The state department on Thursday issued a notification publishing some of the questions that it wants to ask from US visa applicants.
The state department in the notice invited comments on the impending set of measures. It said an estimated 65,000 applicants annually, or 0.5 per cent of applicants worldwide, will be impacted.
"Regarding travel history, applicants may be requested to provide details of their international or domestic (within their country of nationality) travel, if it appears to the consular officer that the applicant has been in an area while the area was under the operational control of a terrorist organisation," the notification said.
The applicants who come under the new stepped-up criteria, would be required to provide names and dates of birth of siblings and, for some applicants, children who are new.
They will also have to provide the details of their social media handles and other associated online platforms to the department of state. This is already being collected on a voluntary basis by the department of homeland security in case of certain individuals.
The applicants who come under the extreme vetting criteria will also have to show the details of their past international and domestic travel history if the consular officer finds the applicant stayed in a terrorist occupied
area. If this is the case, applicant will also have to recount or explain the details of their travel, and when possible, provide supporting documentation.
16:13
Just In: Justice (retired) Leila Seth, first woman judge of Delhi high court, dies at 86.
15:48 Stop saffron appeasement, Mayawati tells BJP
The BJP government's policy of "saffron appeasement" was impacting law and order in the state, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati said today while demanding stern action against those behind the caste clashes in Saharanpur on Friday.
"Murder, violence and playing with law and order has become a common sight in the name of saffron appeasement of the BJP government which has also caused fear and terror among the people," Mayawati said in a party release a day after the Saharanpur violence in which one person was killed and at least 15 injured.
Expressing concern over the incident, she asked the government to immediately work towards restoring peace and order. The people would lose their faith in the government machinery otherwise, she added.
The BSP chief asked the BJP government to shun saffron appeasement and do justice with the people of the state by following what they say.
"It has become a sort of fashion to set new traditions by taking out processions without permission and create violence ... the BJP government has totally failed to control such elements,' she said.
"After communal incidents, casteist clashes have rocked the state and this proves that better law and order and crime control is not something that BJP can manage," Mayawati said.
The Saharanpur clashes, that saw brickbats and arson, broke out following a dispute over loud music being played during a procession being taken out by 20-25 youths belonging to the upper caste Thakur community who were going to take part in a function to garland a statue of Rajput warrior king Maharana Pratap. Dalit locals objected to the loud music in the procession that was going from Shabbirpur village to Simlana village.
14:48 You will never be forgotten Nirbhaya, says Priyanka Chopra after SC verdict
Actress Priyanka Chopra has penned an emotional note in which she welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict in the Nirbhaya gangrape case and said finally justice, which the entire country demanded, has prevailed.
The SC upheld the death sentence to four men convicted in the December 16, 2012, gangrape and murder of a 23-year-old woman.
"Justice -- that was what the entire country demanded five years ago and never let the nation forget. Each voice that joined the battle was strident and clear -- the six must be punished. Finally, they will pay. The brutality of such crimes is something I refuse to accept!" Priyanka wrote in her post.
The 34-year-old "Bjairao Mastani" star said she fails to understand how such a heinous crime could ever happen in a 21st century society.
She said the past cannot be undone and so every citizen must make a promise that they will never stop protesting against such "brutal and demoniacal crimes" in the future.
"That we, as a modern 21st century society, allow such heinous things to happen to our women never ceases to trouble me. Unfortunately, the past can never be undone. So, we move on and make a promise to ourselves.
"That when an entire country is unified in wanting something, action is taken. This awakening, this unified voice to stop such brutal and demoniacal crimes, as our Supreme Court said, is what we must never let go onto mute mode. You will never be forgotten, Nirbhaya."
Priyanka said it may have taken five years but she is proud of the justice system of the country.
"The flame of this verdict should singe not just the dastardly four (of the other two, one is dead and one accused is a juvenile) but such perpetrators in India as well.
"I'm so Proud of the justice system for hearing her voice.. in her dying declaration she appealed that her perpetrators not be spared."
Image: Priyanka's letter
14:39 Clashes erupt in Kashmir after students protest
Clashes broke out on Saturday between protesting students and security forces in Handwara town in north and Pulwama in south Kashmir, the police said.
Several students have been injured in the clashes which were going on till last reports came in.
Dozens of students from the government higher secondary school in Newa area of Pulwama district staged a protest against the alleged high-handedness of security forces, a police official said.
He said the students were asked by security forces to disperse but they refused, leading to clashes.
The students pelted stones at security forces, who resorted to baton charge and tear smoke shelling, the official said, adding that clashes were going on till the reports last came in.
Similar protests took place in Handwara town of Kupwara district where students of the government degree college clashes with security forces, the official said.
He said the students indulged in stone pelting, prompting the law enforcing agencies to use force.
Representative image
13:23 Bilkis Bano case: Owaisi questions 'double standards' on capital punishment
Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi has questioned the "double standards" in awarding death penalty to rapists, especially when it came to communal cases.
Reacting to a Bombay high court judgment upholding life sentence to 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano case, he said the Modi government should appeal in the Supreme Court seeking death sentence.
Bano was gangraped and several members of her family were murdered during the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat.
"The judgement that came in the case of Bilkis Bano, I respect the high court, but I feel I should also ask as to why there are double standards in communal cases and the rape cases, particularly in awarding death sentences the All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen chief said.
The Supreme Court on Friday confirmed the death sentence of four convicts in the Delhi gangrape case. However, Owaisi didnt refer to it.
"I believe this (Bilkis Bano) is a fit case in which the culprits should have been awarded the death penalty. Here comes a chance (for Prime Minister Narendra Modi). File appeal in the Supreme court against the high court judgement and see to it that it is converted into death penalty," he added.
12:55
Bihar: 2 children dead, 6 others fall ill after being injected with wrong vaccine at a hospital in Muzaffarpur's Patori village, reports ANI.
12:50 Another road in Chennai caves in
Weeks after the arterial Anna Salai, another road in Chennai caved in on Saturday.
This time the Taylor's road-EVR junction in Kilpauk saw a massive cave in around 4 am.
After getting the news, corporation officials came on the spot and filled the crater in.
Chennai has been plagued by massive road cave-ins recently.
One of reasons for the cave-in could be the Metro work that is being done in the area.
On April 9, Anna Salai caved in near the Church Park school, and a bus and a car were stuck in the giant crater for several hours.
11:29 Look who is praising Centre's 'no-fly' list
Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad on Friday hailed the central government's announcement of new rules for a 'no-fly list' for unruly passengers which will include suspension for offences.
Gaikwad told ANI, "The guidelines were needed to address the issues pertaining to civil aviation safety."
Further commenting on Aviation secretary R N Choubey's announcement that every airline will form a standing committee with external members in it, Gaikwad demanded that the members of parliament should also be the part of the committee in order to keep a check on the conduct of the airline staff members.
Interestingly, the no-fly list has been amended by Air India from the day Gaikwad hit 62-year-old staffer R Sukumar with his slipper. -- ANI
10:12 Macron's campaign emails leaked; team allege hacking
French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron's campaign claimed to be victim of a 'massive and coordinated' hacking attack after a trove of emails appearing to be from his campaign reportedly leaked online a day before Sunday's final run-off.
Macron's campaign team said late on Friday it had been the victim of a 'massive and coordinated' hacking attack and that it was clearly designed to undermine democracy's interests, reports the DW.
The campaign team said in a statement that internal communications and financial documents had been hacked a few weeks ago and were now being circulated across social media.
It also said that false documents had been mixed with nine gigabytes of leaked campaign data documents.
The French Interior Ministry refused to comment as the official campaign had ended.
"Neither the ministry, nor any other ministry would be commenting on this because according to the law, campaigning has ended as of midnight," a ministry spokesman said. -- ANI
09:12 Gas leak at Delhi school; 60 students hospitalised
At least 60 students have been admitted to hospital after gas leakage from a container at a school in Delhi's Tughlakabad area, reports ANI.
Police and CATS (Centralised Ambulance Trauma Services) ambulances are on spot.
NDTV said that the cops are trying to find out the cause of the leak.
"Some students complained of irritation in eyes and throat due to gas leak; 50-60 students have been hospitalised," ANI quoted the vice principal of the Delhi school as saying.
More details are awaited. -- Agencies
Image for representation only.
09:02 Army apprehends 12-yr-old 'intruder' from PoK
A 12-year-old intruder from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was apprehended by the army near the Line of Control late on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.
The 'intruder' is the son of a retired Baluch Regiment soldier and is resident of Village Dunger Pel, Tehsil Samani of Bhimber District in PoK.
He was found moving suspiciously near the LoC. After having been challenged by the patrol, the boy immediately surrendered.
It is suspected that the boy was sent by terrorists in connivance with the Pakistan Army to probe routes for infiltration across the LoC. The boy has been handed over to the police for further investigation. -- ANI
08:15 Yogi wields broom to sweep streets of Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wields a broom along with UP ministers to take part in Swachhta Abhyaan at Lucknow's Balu Adda Malin Basti.
Adityanath's move comes in the wake of Swachh Bharat Survey where most of the cities of UP ranked poorly and except Varanasi, no city is in top 100.
Capital Lucknow itself was ranked at 269 with an overall score of 860.
Photograph: ANI
00:30 In UP, woman gives husband 'triple talaq'
Amid the raging debate over triple talaq, a woman broke the proverbial glass ceiling by uttering the three words to divorce her husband and free herself from his atrocities over dowry.
Amreen Bano uttered the word 'talaq' thrice at the Inspector General of Police's office on Wednesday in the presence of media.
She asserted that if men can divorce their wives by saying 'talaq' thrice, why can't women do the same.
She termed her step as a revenge on her in-laws as her younger sister was given 'talaq' by her husband's brother.
She told the mediapersons that she and her sister Farheen were married to Sabir and his brother Shakir respectively on March 28, 2012.
Since their marriage, their husbands and in-laws harassed the two sisters for dowry.
Last September, Shakir divorced Farheen.
"As we raised our voices against the atrocities, my sister was divorced by her husband," Amreen said, adding physical and mental atrocities increased thereafter.
Amreen had even lodged a complaint in March against her husband, brother-in-law and four others of harassment. As no action was taken by the police in the matter, she on Wednesday reached the IG's office demanding her husband and in-laws be punished.
She then divorced her husband in front of mediapersons.
"I divorced my husband as a revenge on the family for the atrocities we had to face. It was also because my brother-in-law divorced my sister."
However, chief Qazi of Meerut, Jenur Rashideen, said there is no provision for women to divorce their husbands in Islam.
But he added that a woman has to give an application at a Shariat panchayat for divorce.
The panchayat will first try to resolve the issues between the couple but if it fails, then it can get the woman a divorce from her husband, he said.
IG Meerut zone Ajay Anand said Amreen met him with her complaint against her in-laws. He said he has asked the police station concerned to act on the complaint. -- PTI
Image for representation only
Amreen Bano uttered the word 'talaq' thrice at the Inspector General of Police's office on Wednesday in the presence of media.
She asserted that if men can divorce their wives by saying 'talaq' thrice, why can't women do the same.
She termed her step as a revenge on her in-laws as her younger sister was given 'talaq' by her husband's brother.
She told the mediapersons that she and her sister Farheen were married to Sabir and his brother Shakir respectively on March 28, 2012.
Since their marriage, their husbands and in-laws harassed the two sisters for dowry.
Last September, Shakir divorced Farheen.
"As we raised our voices against the atrocities, my sister was divorced by her husband," Amreen said, adding physical and mental atrocities increased thereafter.
Amreen had even lodged a complaint in March against her husband, brother-in-law and four others of harassment. As no action was taken by the police in the matter, she on Wednesday reached the IG's office demanding her husband and in-laws be punished.
She then divorced her husband in front of mediapersons.
"I divorced my husband as a revenge on the family for the atrocities we had to face. It was also because my brother-in-law divorced my sister."
However, chief Qazi of Meerut, Jenur Rashideen, said there is no provision for women to divorce their husbands in Islam.
But he added that a woman has to give an application at a Shariat panchayat for divorce.
The panchayat will first try to resolve the issues between the couple but if it fails, then it can get the woman a divorce from her husband, he said.
IG Meerut zone Ajay Anand said Amreen met him with her complaint against her in-laws. He said he has asked the police station concerned to act on the complaint. -- PTI
Image for representation only
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