Live! Nepal quake: '1,000 EU citizens still unaccounted for'

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Fri, 01 May 2015

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21:00 California Senate condemns 1984 anti-Sikh riot as 'genocide'

The California State Senate has passed a resolution condemning the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as "genocide" and said the then government and law enforcement officials "organised, participated in and failed to intervene to prevent the killings of innocent Sikhs". With this, both the legislative chambers of the California Assembly have passed similar resolutions.

Officials are struggling to locate 1,000 EU citizens who remain unaccounted for in Nepal, nearly a week after an earthquake that killed more than 6,000 people.

An EU official said most are thought to have been trekking near Mount Everest or in the remote Langtang mountains.

Many are hoped to be alive in isolated areas cut off by the quake.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS), has been incapacitated due to suspected spinal damage and he may never again lead the dreaded radical group, a media report said today.

The world's most wanted terrorist, in his mid-40's, is being treated by two doctors who travel to his hideout from the group's stronghold of Mosul, the Guardian reported.

"More than two months after being injured in a US air strike in north-western Iraq, the self-proclaimed caliph is yet to resume command of the terror group that has been rampaging through Iraq and Syria since June last year.

19:59 Pak flags waved at Geelani rally in J-K

Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani stoked controversy on Friday after numerous Pakistani flags were waved during his rally in Tral.

"It is being said that our Pandit brothers, who left, have to be resettled. We have never opposed their settling in Kashmir. We have been saying for years that they should be brought back, but they should be allowed to live amongst us. The creation of separate neighbourhoods for them is not acceptable to us," Geelani said, while addressing the rally.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today visited the Nepal embassy here to pay condolences to those who died in the killer earthquake in the neighbouring country.

He signed on the visitor's register and had a word with the officials in the embassy. The Himalayan country was devastated by a powerful earthquake last week which has left over 6,000 people dead and at least 11,000 injured.

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Friday called on Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala during their visit to the quake-hit Himalayan nation.

During their visit, the duo also reviewed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescue and relief operations in the areas affected by the earthquake.

Doval also said that they took an aerial survey of the Gorkha district and met locals who were appreciative of the work done by the Indian and Nepal armies.

The Maharashtra's Food and Drugs Administration on Friday ordered filing FIR against e-commerce major Snapdeal's CEO Kunal Bahl, directors in case of selling prescription drugs online.

Maharashtra FDA had raided the premises Snapdeal few days ago for allegedly selling medicines, including prescription drugs.

Meanwhile, the company had delisted the drugs on its portal and is assisting the FDA in the investigation.

15:46 Baltimore police enforce third night of curfew

Baltimore police have enforced a curfew for a third night, as new reports emerged over how the black man at the center of the latest US racial unrest sustained fatal injuries while in police custody.

Fresh protests had broken out in Baltimore and Philadelphia earlier over the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray - the latest household name in the national debate over whether American police are too quick to use violence against blacks, especially young men.

A correspondent in New Delhi reports:

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has called a dinner meeting on May 6, where Congress MPs and members of the Congress Working Committee will be present.

It is a customary dinner after the budget session but what is of significance is that the party vice president Rahul Gandhi will be elevated to the post of All India Congress Committee president.

The National Green Tribunal today extended till May 18 a stay on its order banning plying of diesel vehicles which are over 10 years old in Delhi-NCR, bringing relief to public utility services and private owners.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar extended the stay after Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, requested the Tribunal to grant more time to file Centre's suggestion on methods to reduce vehicular pollution.

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit off Papua New Guinea today, 110 kilometres south-southwest of the town of Kokopo, the US Geological Survey said, just a day after a 6.7 magnitude tremor in the region.

The quake hit at 1336 IST, 689 kilometres northeast of the Pacific nation's capital Port Moresby, in the New Britain region at a depth of 53 kilometres.

15:28 Minor earthquake in Andaman

The US Geological Survey has reported a minor earthquake measuring 5.1 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. No tsunami warning has been put out.

More details awaited

14:41 Modi government slams US report on minorities

In a sharp rejoinder to the US government panel report on religious freedom, the Ministry of External Affairs has brushed aside the concerns raised over the plight of the country's minority communities, saying the report was based on "limited understanding of India'.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report for 2015 on Thursday, placing India under its Tier 2 list of countries for the seventh consecutive year.

Uttarakhand Government has asked the intelligence wing of the state police to keep an eye on possible mass exodus from Nepal to the state following the massive earthquake that hit the Himalayan country on April 25.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government will next week take up for consideration the new black money bill in the Lok Sabha to effectively deal with the menace of unaccounted wealth stashed abroad.

"Next week, I intend to take up before Parliament the law with regard to taxation of undisclosed assets and incomes abroad," Jaitley said at the 'Enforcement Day' function organised by the Directorate of Enforcement.

A 22-year-old girl was allegedly gang raped by an acquaintance and his two friends in a moving car before being dumped in the forest near Ajrada village , police said today.

The girl, a resident of Nagina in Bijnor district was found unconscious yesterday in the forests near Ajrada village after being raped by three youths, Station Incharge of Mundali police station, Wasim Khan said.

People are trying to mislead people of the nation and spreading rumors to malign my image in order to defame Modi ji, says Ramdev.

The yoga guru's Divya Pharmacy that sold products promising a male child had come under attack in Parliament on Thursday.

Opposition members termed it illegal and unconstitutional, and sought stringent action against the manufacturers.

12:26 SC show cause notice to Advocate ML Sharma

The top court has issued a show cause notice to Advocate ML Sharma for using defamatory language against MPs in his petition challenging NJAC act.

Israel is blaming its Arab neighbors for the failure of progress toward achieving a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, saying that "if a serious regional effort has not emerged in the Middle East during the last five years, it is not because of Israel."

Israel's statement, distributed today to a global conference on a landmark disarmament treaty, is the country's first public comment since it showed up as a surprise observer. Israel has never publicly declared its nuclear weapons, and it is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

11:34 Woman gang-raped in Punjab's Moga

In Punjab's Moga, where a 14-year-old died after being molested and thrown off a moving bus, a young woman has alleged that she was gang-raped by 11 men, including the husband of her friend.

The woman has alleged that she was visiting a friend on Wednesday when the latter's husband and some men abducted her and took her to a deserted room in the village fields, where they took turns to rape her.

The woman told the police that her friend's husband called other men who raped her too.

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived here on Friday to oversee the relief operations being carried out in earthquake-hit Nepal by India.

The duo will assess the rescue and relief efforts launched under 'Operation Maitri' to aid Nepal.

Saudi Arabia's ageing King Salman merged the royal court with that of his new heir, further streamlining administration a day after a shake-up in the line of succession.

Based on a proposal from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was appointed on Wednesday, Salman, 79, issued an order yesterday "joining the crown prince's court with the royal court," the official Saudi Press Agency said.

North Korean diplomats stormed out of a UN conference on human rights after lashing out at the United States for inviting three defectors to speak at the event.

Pyongyang envoy Ri Song Chol interrupted the conference yesterday when he tried to deliver a statement following the poignant testimony of Joseph Kim who fled North Korea as an orphaned, homeless and hungry teenager.

11:14 JK Highway reopens for one-way traffic

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was closed due to landslides, was reopened for one-way traffic today.

The highway, the only all-weather surface link connecting Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country, was closed due to massive landslides triggered by heavy rain at Peerah in Ramban district yesterday.

Nigerian troops rescued an additional 160 women and children from Boko Haramwithin days after they found hundreds of other hostages, the military said Thursday.

Read this story HERE

02:55 Are coup fears keeping Kim Jong Un home?

In a surprising turn, Kim Jong Un cancelled a trip to celebrate with Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. After months of high-level executions, it's leaving some to wonder if he'll ever take a trip and return as the Supreme Leader again.

Read this story HERE

02:40 Slight intensity quake in Assam

An earthquake of slight intensity measuring 4.7 on the Richter Scale was felt in Assam post midnight.

The earthquake, which was felt at 12.51 am, had its epicenter in Jorhat area with its latitude 26.5 degree North and longitude 94.3 degree East, according to a MeT report. No loss of life or property was immediately reported.

02:03 Car bombings kill 16 people in Baghdad

The head of the European Union's humanitarian aid department warned on Thursday that the situation in Iraq is deteriorating rapidly while the world is preoccupied with crises elsewhere.

Shortly after Jean-Louis de Brouwer sounded the stark warning, a wave of car bombs targeting public places after nightfall in Baghdad and in a town just south of the Iraqi capital killed a total of 21 people and wounded scores of others.

Read the story HERE

Dr Prannoy Roy, the executive co-chairman of NDTV, was conferred the RedInk Award for lifetime achievement at a function here tonight. The award, comprising a trophy and a citation, has been instituted by the Mumbai Press Club.

Speaking on the occasion, Roy said TV channels should go beyond the "tabloid news culture", and focus on well-researched quality journalism. He also suggested that an effective law should be brought in to punish wrongful and defamatory reporting.

He, however, added that the judiciary should control this initiative and not the government. Sreenivasan Jain of NDTV was presented 'Journalist of the Year' award. Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Times Now, was honoured with 'Impact Editor of the Year' award. News website Scroll.in was given 'the news start-up of the year' award.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon when, 25 months after the last U.S. military forces left then-South Vietnam as part of a negotiated settlement, the government collapsed and the last remaining Americans and selected Vietnamese escaped by sea and air.

Read this story HERE

Railways has made free transportation of relief materials for earthquake affected people in Nepal.

Transportation of relief materials by various government organisations or NGOs shall be booked free of cost to Raxaul station in Bihar from May 1 to 14, according to the notification issued by Railway Ministry today.

The Raxaul District Magistrate will make arrangements for transportation of relief materials from Raxaul station to quake-affected areas in Nepal.

Earlier, Railways have made train travel free for evacuees coming from Nepal besides arranging special trains.

According to the notification, no political party or individual can take credit in the states where elections are due for the free transportation facility.

A special railway reservation counter has also been set up at Delhi's T-3 International Airport for evacuees to reach their destination within India.

00:04 Top headlines of the last 24 hours

After quake, Nepal grapples with post-disaster diseases
Our desire for good ties with India not reciprocated, says Pak PM
'We just fled; we didn't even have time to take any money'
Called Pakistan to ensure Lakhvi doesn't roam free: US reacts to 26/11 planner's release
Concept of marital rape can't be applied in India, says government
Foul-smelling froth bubbles out of lake in Bengaluru
Angry suvivors heckle Nepal PM over shortage of aid

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