16:58 After UP, Akhilesh-Mayawati stitch alliance in MP, U’khand :
The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party on Monday announced they will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections together in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The two parties are already alliance partners in Uttar Pradesh for the general elections.
A statement signed jointly by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati here said, “Both have together decided to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in alliance in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.”
Under this alliance, the Samajwadi Party will contest three seats in Madhya Pradesh — Balaghat, Tikamgarh and Khajraho and one in Uttarakhand- Gadhwal (Pauri), while the BSP will contest on all the remaining seats, the statement released by the BSP said.
While Madhya Pradesh sends 29 members to the Lok Sabha, Uttarakhand accounts for 5 seats in the Lower House of Parliament.
Both the parties have joined hands for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh where the BSP will contest 38 seats while the SP will be vying for 37 seats. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 80 Lok Sabha seats. — PTI
16:02 Cong leader alleges sloganeering, stone pelting on Jammu people:
Jammu and Kashmir Congress leader Sham Lal Sharma on Monday alleged ‘anti-national’ sloganeering coupled with stone pelting on people from Jammu was being carried out at the behest of ‘Kashmir-centric’ politicians and secessionist forces.
The former minister also expressed concern over registration of cases against youths of Jammu who protested against such forces.
“Anti-national sloganeering followed by stone-throwing on Jammu people was done with the intent to flare up communal passions at the behest of Kashmir-centric politicians and secessionist forces,” Sharma, senior vice president of J&K Congress unit, said.
The Jammu and Kashmir police had registered a case on Thursday in connection with allegedly raising anti-national slogans by some stranded Kashmiri Muslim passengers here on February 11.
The Congress leader said those who committed the crime were moving scot-free. Sharma also urged upon the government to take strict action against ‘anti-national’ elements.
“During the previous BJP-PDP government, 10,000-12,000 stone pelters were released by the alliance government….which proved a suicidal step,” he said.
The Congress leader added that the decision led to the security forces paying a heavy price.
“Not only this, the security forces got demoralised by such wrong decisions…The BJP compromised on security for the lust of power,” he alleged. — PTI
Image only for representation.
15:55 Par panel asks Twitter to engage with EC; summons FB, WhatsApp : A parliamentary panel Monday asked Twitter to address issues in real-time and engage more with the Election Commission of India ahead of the general elections and also summoned senior officials of other social media platforms Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram on March 6.
This was informed by Anurag Thakur, chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, after a nearly three-and-a-half-hour meeting with Global Vice President of Public Policy for Twitter Colin Crowell and other officials of the micro-blogging platform.
Thakur said Twitter officials were asked to “engage more” with the ECI and address issues on a “real-time” basis. The Twitter officials were told that there should not be any “international interference” in the Lok Sabha polls.
Sources said the social media platform was categorically asked to ensure the forthcoming elections are not undermined and influenced by foreign entities. This message to the micro-blogging site was in an apparent reference to numerous complaints of interference by social media platforms in the US elections, they said.
Thakur said Twitter officials replied to most questions and would submit replies to remaining queries in writing in 10 days. The panel, which hear the views of the representatives of Twitter on ‘safeguarding citizens rights on social/online news media platforms’, has also summoned public policy heads of Facebook, WhatsApp and Platform, he said. Sources also revealed that Thakur read out a letter addressed to him by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey during the meeting. — PTI
Image: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey with PM Narendra Modi in November
14:54 In solidarity with Priya Ramani : Senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan tweets this image, writing, “This morning, after the court hearing. In complete solidarity with @priyaramani and others who spoke out against sexual harassment at the work place.”
Journalist Priya Ramani appeared before Delhi’s Patiala House Court this morning after the court had summoned her as an accused in connection with MJ Akbar’s criminal defamation complaint. Senior Advocate Rebecca John appeared for her. The court granted her bail on a personal bail bond of Rs 10,000 with the next hearing on March 8.
14:33 Army jawans still untraceable 5 days after Himachal avalanche:
Five Army jawans missing since Wednesday’s avalanche near Shipki La along the India-China border in Himachal Pradesh still remain untraced, officials said Monday. Six jawans of the Army’s 7 JAK Rifles — four from Himachal Pradesh, one each from Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir — were buried under the avalanche that occurred near the Shipki La border outpost in Kinnaur district around 11 am on Wednesday.
The body of Havaldar Rakesh Kumar was recovered the same day, while the others are still missing. An operation to trace the personnel was underway, a district official said. The weather is clear in Pooh town but it is cloudy near the spot of the incident, Kinnaur district public relations officer Mamta Negi said, adding that the rescue operation was restarted at 7 am on Monday.
The last rites of Havaldar Rakesh Kumar were performed with full military honours at his native Ghumarpur village in Bilaspur district on Friday. — PTI
Image: Six jawans of the Army’s 7 JAK Rifles were buried under the avalanche that occurred near the Shipki La border outpost in Kinnaur district on Wednesday. Pic: ANI
14:19 ‘War cannot, as they say, be won on the battlefield’: “I believe that a limited military operation is inevitable for two reasons.
First, PM Modi is under considerable domestic pressure in this pre-election period.
Second, from a strategic perspective, PM Modi has made a point of attempting to set new ‘red lines’ with Pakistan and to demonstrate that any attack of this sort will be met with a muscular response, all as a means to establish a more effective deterrent.”
Daniel S Markey — senior research professor in international relations and academic director, master of arts in global policy at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University — is an authoritative American voice on events in South Asia.
“Look for other versions of cross-border strikes that Indian leaders can describe as strong and punitive, but Pakistan can absorb without escalating dramatically,” Professor Markey tells Rediff.com’s Nikhil Lakshman.
14:06 When Rami Malek fell off stage after Best Actor Oscar win: The newly crowned Best Actor at the Oscars, Rami Malek tumbled off the stage into the audience after the 91st Academy Awards ceremony concluded. Malek, who won the honour for his performance as Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”, looked surprised with the sudden fall and was helped up by people around him.
Paramedics appeared to rush to the actor’s aide, who was photographed seated in the front row with his Oscars statuette still in hand. According to People magazine, Malek was then moved to a private area backstage. The outlet also said Malek was unable to pose with Mahershala Ali, Regina King and Olivia Colman, who also won big at the Academy Awards.
The actor, however, did not sustain any injury and he celebrated his win by popping open a bottle of champagne and showering onlookers backstage. “Being on that stage, I don’t know how I looked on that stage, but I never thought this would happen in my life. As an actor, and there are so many of us, who only dream of one thing, perhaps it’s not this, it’s getting a job,” Malek told reporters.
“So the fact I have got this in my hand right now is beyond expectation that myself or perhaps my family could have had. It’s been a tough battle. The fact I am here celebrating with you is proof a lot of things can be overcome and that anything is possible,” he added. At the Oscars, the 37-year-old actor beat the likes of Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Viggo Mortensen and William Dafoe for the Best Actor prize. PTI
13:47 ‘Martyrdom is a part of our lives’: “We know what we are signing up for. There is nothing greater than that.” What Archana Masih/Rediff.com learnt from a chance encounter with an Indian Army officer. Read the story here.
13:40 In Rahul-Priyanka circus, entry of joker obvious: Naqvi: Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday called businessman Robert Vadra a “Joker”. Mocking the possibility of Vardra joining active politics, Naqvi told ANI, “In this circus-led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, entry of a joker was obvious. Now the Joker is about to make an entry.”
Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, has hinted at joining politics, a month after his wife Priyanka Gandhi made her debut into active politics and was appointed a general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East in the party.
Following the reports of Vadra joining politics,posters welcoming him to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls appeared in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad city.
“Robert VadraJi, you are welcome to contest the election from the Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency,” the posters read.
The 49-year-old businessman is currently under the Enforcement Directorate’s scanner for his alleged involvement in various land scams and money laundering cases. — ANI
13:07 SC refuses to hear plea seeking judicial inquiry into Uri, Pulwama attacks: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition seeking a judicial inquiry into alleged administrative lapses in the Uri and Pulwama terror attacks.
The petition, filed by advocate Vineet Dhanda, also sought stern legal actions against those who attacked the armed forces in any form in Jammu and Kashmir.
A bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said, “We are not inclined to entertain this plea.In his plea filed on February 18, Dhanda sought direction from the central government to constitute a commission headed by a retired Supreme Court judge along with Army, intelligence and local administration to conduct an inquiry in the two terror attacks.
The petition also sought details of action taken against separatist leaders so far. While suggesting freezing of bank accounts of the separatists, the plea urged the top court to put a ban on the separatists from contesting elections. — ANI
12:36 Will start working on joining politics, contesting polls: Vadra : Robert Vadra on being asked if he wants to join politics and contest polls, tells news agency ANI: “First, I need to absolve from baseless accusations and allegations. But yes, I will start working on it. There is no hurry. People need to feel that I can make a change… All in time.”
Posters saying ‘Robert Vadra ji you are welcome to contest elections from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency’ were seen in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday.
Vadra had on Sunday hinted at joining politics, saying he may play ‘a larger role in serving the people’ after the ongoing cases against him are over.
A Delhi court Monday directed the Enforcement Directorate to provide Robert Vadra soft and hard copies of documents seized by it during raids conducted at his offices last year in a money laundering case.
Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar said it will take up at 2 pm Vadra’s separate application seeking directions to the ED to stay interrogation until documents are given to him.
Vadra, who is the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, had said in the application moved by him on Saturday that the ED has been interrogating him based on seized documents and, therefore, their copies should be provided to him.
Vadra has appeared before the ED for questioning on multiple occasions in Delhi and Jaipur. The court had on February 16 extended the interim bail granted to Vadra till March 2. Vadra had filed an anticipatory bail application in the case linked to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million pounds. The property is allegedly owned by him.
12:19 SC agrees to hear plea seeking protection of human rights of security forces: The Supreme Court Monday agreed to examine a plea seeking protection of human rights of security force personnel, who are being attacked by mobs while performing duties.
The plea sought formulation of a policy to curb human rights violations of security force personnel, who are being attacked by mobs while performing duties. — PTI
12:09 Women on whom docu film Period… is based celebrate Oscar win:
In Hapur, the family of Sneha, one of the women appearing in ‘Period. End of Sentence.’ which won an Oscar for the Best Documentary Short Subject celebrate in Kathikhera village. The film is based on a group of women, including her, which led a revolution against the taboo surrounding menstruation.
Period. End of Sentence, created history after winning the best documentary short subject at the 2019 Oscars. The film is helmed by Rayka Zehtabchi, who overjoyed by the win, expressed her happiness saying, “I cant believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar.”
The film has been produced by Guneet Monga, who has previously produced critically acclaimed films like Masaan and Lunchbox. Monga took to her Twitter handle to express joy over the big win.
She wrote, “WE WON!!! To every girl on this earth… know that you are a goddess… if heavens are listening… look MA we put @sikhya on the map.”
The film was competing with other films including Black Sheep, End Game, Lifeboat and A Night at the Garden. The documentary that tackles the stigma around menstruation in rural India, is currently available on Netflix.
‘Period. End of Sentence.’ is the second Oscar-winning documentary short set in India, along with Smile Pinki (2008).
The 2019 Oscars were held at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Centre in Hollywood. The ceremony was presented without a host for the first time in 30 years after Kevin Hart stepped down as the host following a controversy surrounding his old homophobic tweets. — ANI
11:43 Trump, Kim likely to hold joint press conference during Hanoi Summit: United States President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un are expected to address a joint press conference after the much-anticipated second summit between Washington and Pyongyang, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Notably, during the first summit in Singapore, the two leaders avoided the joint press conference instead Trump held a solo press conference.
Meanwhile, Kim, who is heading toward Hanoi on a train, has passed the Chinese central town of Wuhan.”Signs were detected that Kim’s special train was passing (Wuhan) early in the morning, such as the blocking of the Wuhan Changjiang Bridge,” YNA quoted an anonymous source as saying.
The route that Kim will take is still unclear, however, as per the agency, it will be the shortest way of moving from Pyongyang to Vietnam.
The North Korean leader is accompanied by several senior officials including his sister Kim Yo-jong and aide Kim Yong-chol, Yonhap News Agency quoted North Korea’s state media as saying.
The second summit, slated to be held in Hanoi on February 27 and 28, comes after the first landmark US-North Korea summit was held in Singapore in June last year.North Korea had agreed to completely denuclearise during the first meeting – a move which was hailed as a major stride by the international community.
However, ties between the United States and Pyongyang hit a roadblock over ease of sanctions, where North Korea sought relief in economic sanctions as recognition of the steps taken towards denuclearisation.
The United States has, until now, reinforced that relief in sanctions would only be given after North Korea carries out complete denuclearisation. Both the sides aim at working towards the concretisation of steps for a peaceful Korean Peninsula, including complete denuclearisation, when Kim sits down with Trump in Hanoi this week. — ANI
11:09 Delhi court directs ED to provide copies of seized documents to Vadra:
A Delhi court Monday directed the Enforcement Directorate to provide Robert Vadra soft and hard copies of documents seized by it during raids conducted at his offices last year in a money laundering case. The court to hear at 2 pm Vadra’s second application seeking stay in interrogation until the documents relating to the case are provided to him.
Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed the Enforcement Directorate to provide documents to Vadra, facing a probe in cases relating to the purchase of alleged illegal assets abroad and an alleged land scam in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
Vadra, who is the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, had said in the application moved by him on Saturday that the ED has been interrogating him based on seized documents and, therefore, their copies should be provided to him. On December 7 last year, the agency had carried out raids at Vadra’s offices at Delhi. — PTI
10:53 Truth is my defence: Priya Ramani on Akbar’s defamation suit:
First reactions: Journalist Priya Ramani after being granted bail by Patiala House Court in connection with criminal defamation complaint by MJ Akbar said, “The next date when they will frame the charges against me is April 10. After that it will be my turn to tell my story. The truth is my defence.”
Ramani appeared before Delhi’s Patiala House Court this morning. The court had summoned her as an accused in connection with MJ Akbar’s criminal defamation complaint. Senior Advocate Rebecca John appeared for her. The court granted her bail on a personal bail bond of Rs 10,000 with the next hearing on March 8.
Image: Priya Ramani at the Patiala House Court with senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan. Pic: ANI
10:15 Priya Ramani appears in court in defamation case filed by Akbar :
Journalist Priya Ramani appears before Delhi’s Patiala House Court. The court had summoned her as an accused in connection with MJ Akbar’s criminal defamation complaint. Senior Advocate Rebecca John appears for Ramani. The court grants bail to Ramani on a personal bail bond of Rs 10,000. Next date of hearing is 8 March.
Ramani was among a number of women who accused Akbar, a former union minister, of misconduct. Akbar had to step down in the wake of a spate of sexual harassment charges against him.
The MP filed a defamation case against Ramani, following which Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal summoned her. The journalist had tweeted with a smiley, “Time to tell our side of the story.”
The Editors Guild of India had earlier suspended Akbar from membership until the defamation case he had filed against Ramani came to its logical conclusion. “A majority of our executive committee members suggested that the membership of Mr Akbar be suspended,” a statement issued by the media body read.
Image: Journalist Priya Ramani. Pic courtesy: @priyaramani
09:52 Parrikar stable, under observation: Goa health minister:
The condition of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, admitted to the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Panaji, is stable, a senior minister said on Sunday evening.
Parrikar was examined by doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane told reporters outside the hospital.
Two doctors from the AIIMS arrived here Sunday afternoon.
Parrikar, 63, was admitted to the hospital Saturday night.
The chief minister has been suffering from a pancreatic ailment for the last one year and has undergone treatment in the United States as well as at the AIIMS Delhi and a private hospital in Mumbai.
Rane, who visited Parrikar twice during the day, said MLAs and other leaders were not being allowed to meet Parrikar to avoid the risk of infection from outsiders.
Parrikar faced ‘some discomfort’ during the day but it was very minor, he said.
“I spoke to him just now, he is absolutely stable and fine but doctors suggest that he be kept under observation for two days,” Rane added.
All health parameters of Parrikar were ‘good and under control’, the minister said.
No endoscopy or surgery was carried out on Parrikar and the two AIIMS doctors, who had treated him in Delhi, were called to advise on change of medication, Rane said.
He appealed to people not to believe rumours.
Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar wished speedy recovery to Parrikar, while the party’s spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar appealed to people to desist from rumour-mongering.
‘We should pray for @manoharparrikar and his family. We definitely had and will have strong ideological and policy differences with him, but mocking his health and cursing him does not make us better human beings…Thus a request to all who are doing so to please refrain from doing it,’ he said on Twitter. — PTI
08:53 IndiGo bus hits Air India employee at Bengaluru airport:
Air India has demanded adequate compensation from IndiGo as its employee was hit by a bus belonging to the private airline at Bengaluru Airport on February 23.
According to Air India, Shiv Shankar, a young contractual employee of AI Engineering Services Ltd, was returning to the terminal after dispatching the national carrier’s Bangalore-Male flight AI 265 when the unfortunate incident took place.
Confirming the incident, IndiGo said in a press statement, “The staff escaped unhurt with minor injuries. Concerned authorities have been notified and an investigation is currently in progress with full cooperation from IndiGo.”
Meanwhile, a senior Air India official said: “The IndiGo bus hit him (Shiv Shankar) and he was dragged for some distance before the bus stopped. He has suffered serious injuries, including lumbar (vertebrae of the spine) fracture. He is in the hospital and we are all praying for his recovery. IndiGo must pay adequate compensation to this young contractual employee, apart from facing the legal consequences.’ — ANI
08:41 US to delay China tariff increase: Trump:
United States President Donald Trump on Sunday announced extension of the March 1 deadline for increasing tariff on import of Chinese products, saying there had been significant progress made in negotiations with a visiting trade delegation from the far-east nation.
Trump also announced that he will be hosting his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida soon, to ink an agreement. The exact date has not been decided yet.
‘I am pleased to report that the US has made substantial progress in our trade talks with China on important structural issues including intellectual property protection, technology transfer, agriculture, services, currency, and many other issues,’ Trump said in a tweet.
‘As a result of these very productive talks, I will be delaying the US increase in tariffs now scheduled for March 1,’ said the US President.
‘Assuming both sides make additional progress, we will be planning a summit for President Xi and myself, at Mar-a-Lago, to conclude an agreement. A very good weekend for the US and China!’ he said.
A high-level Chinese trade delegation led by its Vice Premier Liu He concluded its latest round of talks with a US team led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Following the meeting with Trump at the Oval Office, the Chinese delegation extended its stay in Washington DC by another two days.
Trump and Xi during their December 1 dinner meeting in Buenos Aires decided to pause their trade war and negotiate an agreement by March 1.
In the absence of such an agreement, Trump had warned that he would impose additional tariffs on import of Chinese products.
On Sunday, Trump praised Xi for his help in North Korea talks. Trump leaves for Vietnam Monday morning to have his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi on February 26 and 27. — PTI
08:26 Mahershala Ali wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 2nd time:
Mahershala Ali continued his winning spree as he took home the Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor at the 91st Academy Awards for his work in Peter Farrelly’s biographical comedy-drama Green Book, his career’s second in the category.
In the film, which also features Viggo Mortensen, Ali plays Dr Don Shirley, an African-American jazz pianist and composer, who embarks on a cross-country tour that necessitates his hiring of a white driver (Mortensen) to assist him as a bodyguard while he travels through America’s racially-divided Southern states.
This is the 45-year-old actor’s second Oscar trophy after receiving an award in 2016 for his role as Juan in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight.
The win made him the first actor in 24 years to receive multiple acting Oscars in two years or less in any category.
Tom Hanks won back-to-back best actor trophies for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994).
He was presented the trophy by James Bond star Daniel Craig and Charlize Theron.
Ali paid tribute to Dr Shirley, saying all he tried to do was to capture his essence. He also thanked co-star Mortensen and the director for giving him the space to ‘work it out’.
He dedicated the award to his grandmother. “She has been my ear my entire life, telling me that if first don’t succeed, try, try again, that I could do anything I put my mind to. Always, always pushing me to thinking positively. I would not be here without here,” he said in a speech.
Other nominees in the category were Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman), Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born), Richard E Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and Sam Rockwell (Vice).
Ali, who has been award season’s favourite, had also won best supporting actor Golden Globe, SAG award and the Critics’ Choice Award for his role in Green Book.
The actor’s close to two-decade-long career got a boost in 2016 with an Emmy nomination for his performance in the fourth season of House of Cards as Remy Denton.
This was followed by a successful run of Netflix’s Luke Cage, Oscar win for Moonlight and critically-acclaimed performance in Hidden Figures.
Ali currently stars in HBO’s True Detective. — PTI
Source: Rediff