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LIVE! Army jawan killed in Pulwama, encounter underway

10:48  Porn behind rising child rape cases, molestation: MP Home Minister:  Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh on Tuesday blamed pornographic websites for the rising number of  child rape and molestations in India. Singh further noted that his government is considering banning porn in Madhya Pradesh.

“We think the reason for rising number of child rape and molestation cases are porn. We are contemplating banning porn in Madhya Pradesh, will approach Centre in the matter,” Singh told ANI.

According to media reports, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has blocked 25 porn sites.Singh’s statement comes after the horrific rape and murder of an infant baby girl in Indore on April 19. The infant was recovered from the basement of a building.

Reportedly, the police have identified the accused as Sunil Bheel, 21, claiming that he was seen in CCTV footage, around 4.45 am on Friday, carrying the infant on his shoulder. — ANI

10:46  Army jawan killed in Pulwama, encounter underway:  One army jawan succumbs to his injuries in an encounter with terrorists in Lam village of Tral in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Tuesday. Several gunshots were heard earlier in the day in Lam village.

Following the gunshots security forces have been deployed at the spot.

The encounter comes a day after Pakistan Army violated ceasefire along the Line of Control at Krishna Ghati sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.  — ANI

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10:40  POCSO Act: Death penalty will be futile, says Justice Shah :  Former Delhi High Court Chief Justice AP Shah, along with other child rights activists and lawyers expressed their dissatisfaction over the recent ordinance to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Addressing the media at the Press Club of India on Monday, Justice Shah urged everyone to reject the ordinance and focus on reforming the criminal justice system.

“Not only is the enhancement of punishment to include death penalty futile, but it will also have disastrous consequences for children. I urge everyone to reject the ordinance and focus on reforming the criminal justice system,” Justice Shah said.

“Mostly there are pressures of settling the matter within the family. The death penalty diverts attention from other problems in the criminal justice system such as poor investigation, crime prevention,” he added.

The issues were raised by a six-member bench headed by Justice AP Shah, advocate Vrinda Grover, Anuja Gupta from RAHI Foundation, Bharti Ali of HAQ and including child rights activists.

The Centre on April 21 cleared the amendment in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to award death sentence to the rapists of children below the age of 12. — ANI

10:16  At least 18 dead in China karaoke lounge fire: Reports :  

At least 18 people died in a fire that broke out at a karaoke lounge in southern China on Tuesday, local media reported.

The blaze took place in a three-storey building in Qingyuan City, Guangdong province, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported, quoting the local police.

A preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by arson, the Qingyuan public security department said on its Weibo social media account.

“The public security authorities are stepping up their investigation,” it said.

10:09  After howlers, umpires told to be more vigilant in IPL:  

Taking strong exception to a few umpiring howlers in the ongoing Indian Premier League, the league’s chairman Rajiv Shukla is learnt to have told match referees to speak to umpires about staying more vigilant during matches.

“These things do happen sometimes but still the IPL chairman has spoken to match referees and asked them to speak to the umpires,” a source close to Shukla said on the sidelines of the match between Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils on Monday. 

The match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad saw a seven-ball over two weeks ago. 

There was a clear no ball bowled during the game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, but it escaped the umpire’s attention. 

To minimise errors, the umpires have apparently been advised to take the help of technology, if needed. 

Another official involved with the Indian Premier League said nobody is “infallible”. — PTI 

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09:38  Opinion polls predict hung assembly in Karnataka :  

Two opinion polls have indicated a hung assembly in the May 12 assembly elections in Karnataka, with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress neck-and-neck.

According to a survey conducted by the Times Now-VMR, in the 224 member House, the Congress is likely to get 91 seats, and the BJP just two seats fewer. 

The Janata Dal-Secular could emerge as the kingmaker with 40 seats, the survey, conducted between April 4 and April 16, stated.

“If polls were held now neither Chief Minister Siddaramaiah nor B S Yeddyurappa (of the BJP) is in a position to form the government as they are both well short of the 112 mark,” it said.

As far as the choice for the chief ministerial post is concerned, Siddaramaiah leads the race with more than 46 per cent respondents voting for him. Yeddyurappa was the choice for the top post in the state for 32 per cent respondents, the survey stated.

The survey conducted by VMR for Times Now channel was had more than 4,000 respondents surveyed through stratified random sampling spread across all regions of the state.

The Karnataka assembly election will be held on May 12 and the counting of votes will be done on May 15. 

According to the ABP-CSDS survey, the Congress will improve its vote share to 37% but still finish second with 85-91 seats. 

The BJP will also improve its vote share to 35% and become the largest party in the assembly with a projected tally of 89-95 seats, the survey said. 

According to this survey, the JD-S is projected to get 32-38 seats. 

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09:24  Key US panel narrowly recommends Pompeo as secretary of state:  

United States President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state Mike Pompeo has narrowly won approval from a key Congressional panel after a leading Republican supported him at the last minute, paving the way for the CIA director to become America’s top diplomat.

The nomination of 54-year-old Pompeo now heads to the Senate for a vote on his confirmation.

Pompeo, if confirmed by the Senate, would replace Rex Tillerson as the Secretary of State. 

Tillerson was fired by Trump last month.

During a tense Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting, Pompeo was voted 11-9. In addition to all the Republican Senators, Senator Chris Coons was the only Democratic Senator to have voted in support of Pompeo.

Coons displayed a “statesmanship that I’m not accustomed to seeing in the Senate,” said Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Earlier in the day, Republican Senator Rand Paul, who had earlier announced to oppose Pompeo, said that he has now changed his mind and would support the nomination.

“Having received assurances from President Trump and Director Pompeo that he agrees with the President on these important issues, I have decided to support his nomination to be our next Secretary of State,” Paul said.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio welcomed the development.

“CIA Director Mike Pompeo has the full confidence of the President, an outstanding record of service to our country, and is more than qualified to serve as Secretary of State. As Director Pompeo’s nomination now moves to the Senate Floor, I strongly urge my colleagues to put country over party and confirm him without further delay,” he said.

Senator Johnny Isakson, a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, who voted by proxy said that Pompeo is prepared to lead the State Department. — PTI

09:07  Police arrest blast convict after conversation to ‘eliminate’ PM goes viral:  

The Coimbatore Police on Monday arrested a 1998 serial blast convict after a recorded telephonic conversation went viral on social media in which he is purportedly heard saying he is planning to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi, police said.

They said the eight-minute long conversation, which is being circulated on social media, was between a man, who has completed a jail term in the blast case and lives in Kuniyamuthur in the city, and a transport contractor.

“The conversation was mainly related to finances about vehicles. But suddenly the blast convict was heard saying ‘we have decided to eliminate (Prime Minister) Modi, as we were the ones who had planted bombs when (former deputy prime minster L K) Advani visited the city in 1998,” the police said.

The city was rocked by a series of bomb blasts in February 1998 in which 58 people were killed and property worth crores was destroyed.

“I have many cases against me and have damaged more than 100 vehicles,” the man can be heard telling the contractor during the conversation, the police said.

The city police formed special teams to investigate the recorded conversation and verify the genuineness of the persons in it, the police said in a press release. 

The man has been arrested based on the conversation, it said. — PTI 

09:05  Ex-US Prez George HW Bush hospitalised a day after his wife’s funeral:  

Former United States president George HW Bush has been hospitalised in Houston after contracting an infection, a day after his wife’s funeral, a family spokesperson said.

Bush, 93, was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital yesterday after contracting an infection that spread to his blood, the day after funeral was held for his wife, Barbara Bush, according to a statement  from his office.

The statement from family spokesman Jim McGrath read, “He is responding to treatments and appears to be recovering. We will issue additional updates as events warrant.”

Barbara, the only woman to see both her husband and her son sworn in as US president, died last Tuesday and was laid to rest on Saturday.

The couple were married for 73 years.

Former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W Bush and their spouses attended the ceremony along with current First Lady Melania Trump.

Bush, 41st US president, was born June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts. He served as command in chief from 1989 to 1993, served as a congressman, CIA director and Ronald Reagan’s vice president.

Bush attended his wife’s funeral wearing socks decorated in blue, read and yellow books — a tribute to her legacy of promoting literacy.

During Friday’s public viewing of Barbara’s casket, he greeted and shook hands with several people who walked through the church to pay their respects.

On Saturday morning, former president Bush also hosted a reception for the visiting dignitaries before the private service. — PTI 

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09:04  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ministerial meeting.

08:49  A tragic and senseless attack: Trudeau :  

Offering condolences to the victims, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attack “tragic and senseless”.

“It was with great sadness that I heard about the tragic and senseless attack that took place in Toronto this afternoon. On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed, and my thoughts for a fast and full recovery to those injured,” he said in a statement. 

“I thank the first responders at the scene who managed this extremely difficult situation with courage and professionalism. They faced danger without hesitation, and their efforts no doubt saved lives and prevented further injuries,” the statement said. 

“We should all feel safe walking in our cities and communities. We are monitoring this situation closely, and will continue working with our law enforcement partners around the country to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians,” Trudeau said.

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08:30  10 killed as van ploughs into pedestrians in Toronto, suspect arrested:  

Ten people were killed and 15 others injured after a man plowed a white van into a crowd of pedestrians in Canada’s biggest city Toronto on Monday.

The incident took place on Yonge Street at the corner with Finch Avenue in broad daylight around 16 kilometers  from a conference center hosting a meeting of G7 ministers, but officials said they had no evidence of a link to the event.

“The actions definitely looked deliberate,” Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said.

Police arrested a suspect at the scene — who police identified later as 25-year-old Alex Minassian from a northern Toronto suburb — of the attack.

“Were working collaboratively not just on a local level but on a federal and provincial level,” Saunders said

“We are looking strongly at the exact motive,” he added. 

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00:06  Van runs over pedestrians in Toronto, local media says 4 dead:  A van ran over pedestrians in central Toronto on Monday, injuring as many as 10 people, police said.

‘Update: unknown of extent of injuries, possible 8 – 10 pedestrians struck,’ Toronto police wrote on Twitter.

Another tweet said it was ‘too early to confirm the number of pedestrians struck or their injuries’.

Police did not specify whether or not the incident was deliberate.

According to local media, at least four people were killed in the incident and the river had fled the scene.   — Agencies

Source: Rediff