12:37 10% quota for economically weak: SC to hear matter on March 28: The Supreme Court on Monday said it is not in favour of passing an order at this stage to refer the issue of 10 per cent quota for economically weaker sections across all classes to a Constitution bench.
The bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, asked senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who was appearing for the petitioner, to file a short note of the points which they have raised in their application. — PTI
11:57 Swaraj assures help to families of Indians killed in Ethiopian Airlines plane crash: External Affairs Minister Swaraj Swaraj Monday assured all help to the families of the four Indians killed in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash and directed Indian missions in Ethiopia and Kenya to ensure assistance is provided to them.
Four Indians, including a UN consultant attached with the Environment Ministry, were among the 157 people killed when a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed after taking-off from Addis Ababa on Sunday.
The deceased Indian nationals were Shikha Garg, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) consultant attached with the Environment Ministry, Pannagesh Bhaskar Vaidya and Hansini Pannagesh Vaidya and Nukavarapu Manisha.
Responding to a relative from the Vaidya family, Swaraj said: “I have spoken to the son of Mr Vaidya in Toronto. I am shocked you have lost six members of your family in air crash. My heartfelt condolences. I hv asked Indiain Embaasy in Kenya and the India Embassy in Ethiopia to reach you immediately. They will provide help and assistance in respect of all your family members.”
Replying to a tweet from a relative of N Manisha, the minister said she has asked the Indian High Commissioner in Nairobi, Rahul Chhabra, to provide them all help and assistance. Swaraj said she is trying to reach the family of Shikha Garg. “I have tried her husband’s number many times. Please help me reach her family,” she said.
The Boeing 737 crashed minutes after an early-morning takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all eight crew and 149 passengers on board, including tourists, business travellers, and Garg, who was on her way to attend a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) meeting. — PTI
Image: The site of the the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash. Pic: Reuters
11:34 UN chief “deeply saddened” at loss of lives in Ethiopian Airlines plane crash: UN chief Antonio Guterres has condoled the death of over 150 passengers, including four Indians and 19 UN staff members, on board a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane which crashed minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa.
The Boeing 737 took-off from Bole International Airport on Sunday and “lost contact” six minutes later before coming down near Tulu Fara village outside the Ethiopian town of Bishoftu, killing all eight crew and 149 passengers on board, including tourists and business travellers. People from 35 countries were reportedly on board the flight ET 302 when it ploughed into a field, 60-kilometre southeast of Addis Ababa.
According to the Indian Embassy in Ethiopia, the four deceased Indian nationals are Vaidya Pannagesh Bhaskar, Vaidya Hansin Annagesh, Nukavarapu Manisha and Shikha Garg, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) consultant attached with the Environment Ministry.
Secretary-General Guterres said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened at the tragic loss of lives” as it emerged that UN staff were also among the dead. In a statement issued by his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Sunday, Guterres conveyed his “heartfelt sympathies and solidarity to the victims’ families and loved ones, including those of the United Nations staff members, as well as sincere condolences to the Government and people of Ethiopia”.
According to the UN Department of Safety and Security in Kenya, 19 UN staff members perished in the crash. — PTI
11:30 Ethiopian Airlines grounds Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet after crash : Ethiopian Airlines has grounded its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet after the air crash that killed 149 passengers, including four Indians, and eight crew. “Following the tragic accident of ET 302… Ethiopian Airlines has decided to ground all B-737-8 MAX fleet effective yesterday, March 10, until further notice,” the state-owned carrier said in a statement released on Twitter.
The airlines said that although it had idea about the cause of the accident, they had decided to ground the fleet as a precautionary measure.
All 157 people on board died when Nairobi-bound Flight ET 302 came down just six minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa.
China also grounded its fleet of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in the aftermath. Among the dead were tourists, business travellers, and UN staff headed for a conference.
The Ethiopian plane had been delivered to the company in November and was one of 30 meant for the airlines. The jet’s last maintenance was on February 4, and it had flown just 1,200 hours.
The jet showed unstable vertical speed after takeoff, reports say. The senior Ethiopian pilot, who joined the airline in 2010, sent out a distress call and was given clearance to return to the airport, the airline’s CEO told reporters.
11:09 All of it is fake. All of it is news: There’s a teetar caught in the dogfight which is not really a fight between dogs. Wonder why they call it a dogfight when there are no dogs involved at all. Perhaps another way of giving a dog a bad name? Who can tell? But a dogfight it is and dogs are not involved. That much can be reliably said. Even Sources, those most reliable of all things, have affirmed to us that no dogs are involved in dogfights. Sources have told us so many reliable things these past days, we have been told there should be no room to question them.
Question Sources and you are questioning the Nation. Actually questioning many things is now deemed the same as questioning the Nation. If you ask a question you may be told you are questioning the Nation before you finish asking the question. Don’t question. Stop questioning. You are questioning the Nation. Your nationality is in question. And that’s not such a good thing.
10:56 Padma Shri for S Jaishankar : President Ram Nath Kovind confers the Padma Shri upon former foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
10:46 Election difficult for those observing Ramzan, BJP does not wants minorities to vote: Kolkata Mayor:
Trinamool Congress leader and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has said the lengthy schedule of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, will be arduous for those observing Ramzan in the states of Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
Ramzan, observed by Muslims as a month of fasting, will likely coincide with the seven-phase election schedule. The Kolkata Mayor also lambasted BJP on the issue and said, “BJP doesn’t want minorities to cast their votes.”
Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Hakim said, “Election Commission is a constitutional body and we respect them. We don’t want to say anything against them. But the 7-phase election will be tough for people in Bihar, UP and WB. It will be most difficult for those who will be observing Ramzan at that time.”
10:38 Ayodhya dispute: The mediation trap: “The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute has long been accompanied by a sense of foreboding. The dispute has been historically charged, politically divisive and communally violent, putting both the nation and the Constitution at risk.
“So putting the dispute into mediation under the aegis of the Supreme Court evokes a resigned weariness. For decades, the Court abdicated its role and is now openly admitting that conventional legal and constitutional tools are powerless in the face of faith. So it is placing its hopes for ‘reconciliation’ on mediation. The keenness to take this issue off the agenda is such that all parties hope India can move past the Ayodhya moment. It is hard to grudge an attempt at ‘reconciliation’.”
10:05 Cong wants Manmohan to contest from Amritsar, ex-Pm says he’s too old: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, state affairs in-charge Asha Kumari and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Kumar Jakhar on Sunday met former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at his residence in New Delhi and urged him to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar, The Indian Express reports.
Sources told newspaper that Dr Singh was “not very enthused’ by the idea and is learnt to have told the delegation that he was too old to contest. The three leaders went to him after the screening committee meeting organised to shortlist poll candidates from the state.
The Punjab CM said told Dr Singh that he would just need to come to Amritsar to fill the nomination papers and that he (the CM), would personally look after his campaign by staying put in Amritsar. Congress has a sitting MP from the holy city.
The leaders are learnt to have conveyed to Dr Singh that a number of MLAs had made an appeal to the party for his candidature from Punjab as it would galvanise the Congress campaign in the state.
10:00 Sensex soars 233 points in pre-poll rally: Equity benchmark Sensex surged over 233 points 36,904 in early trade on Monday, which is seen by experts as a pre-poll rally following the announcement of 2019 general election dates.
Similarly, the NSE gauge Nifty rose over 75 points to scale past 11,110 level. The BSE Sensex started off on positive note at 36,741.57 and furthered its gains to trade at 36,904.81, rising 233.38 points, or 0.64 per cent, in early trade.
The broader Nifty opened at 11,068.75 and extended its rise to 11,110.95, gaining 75.55 points, or 0.68 per cent. Experts said that prevailing geopolitical concerns in the wake of recent India-Pakistan military conflicts will be a key factor in the upcoming general elections that may help incumbent NDA government at the Centre.
With the Election Commission of India announcing dates for the much-awaited 2019 general elections, market analysts say a pre-poll rally is likely to continue, citing historical data which suggests a positive trend in the stock market in case the incumbent returns to power.
Last week, the 30-share Sensex settled 53.99 points, or 0.15 per cent, lower at 36,671.43, while the broader NSE Nifty slipped 22.80 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 11,035.40. During the week, the Sensex gained 607.62 points or 1.68 per cent; and the Nifty advanced 171.9 points or 1.58 per cent. — PTI
09:24 China grounds Boeing 737 MAX planes after Ethiopian air crash:
The Chinese government has grounded all Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets, after an Ethiopian Airlines plane of the same model crashed shortly after take-off killing everyone onboard.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement on Monday morning that all domestic Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets would be out of action until 6 pm local time, due to its principle of “zero tolerance for safety hazards.”
The Ethiopian Airlines incident was the second time in less than six months that a new Boeing aircraft has crashed just minutes into a flight. A Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight went down over the Java Sea in late October, killing all 189 people on board.
“Given in both air crashes, the aircrafts were newly delivered Boeing 737 MAX 8, and both accidents occurred during the take-off, they share certain similarities,” the administration said in a statement.
China has one of the world largest fleets of Boeing 737 MAX 8, operating 97 of the planes, according to Chinese state-run media.
09:04 Candidate photos on EVMs, VVPATs at all booths among firsts this election:
Voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will find, for the first time, the faces of the candidates along with their respective party symbols in the electronic voting machines, the Election Commission announced as it released the seven-phase schedule of the worlds largest democratic exercise.
The commission has introducing a slew of new or improved measures as it aims to make the elections free, fair and transparent – with a dash of eco-friendliness thrown in for good measure. The poll panel announced that for the first time Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail will be used in all EVMs.
In a bid to dissuade leaders with proven criminal records, chief election commissioner Sunil Arora said that contestants with criminal antecedents would be required to publish information in this regard in newspapers and through television channels on three occasions during the campaign period.The political party to which the candidate with criminal antecedents belongs is also required to publish such information about the candidate, both on its website and also in newspapers and television channel on three occasions, Arora added.
Arora also explained at length how the poll panel has integrated use of smart technology in different election processes such as the cVIGIL app, which helps people record any violations of poll norms on their Android smartphones and report them to the EC.
Another app, Samadhan, has been made available during both the election and non-election period to help lodge a grievances.
08:38 Pompeo to meet Foreign Secretary Gokhale on Monday:
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Monday, during which the two officials are likely to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of common interest.
Gokhale arrived in the US on Sunday in connection with the bilateral Foreign Office Consultation and Strategic Security Dialogue with his American counterparts, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson.
While his US trip was scheduled much before the February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack, Gokhale’s meeting with Pompeo and his counterparts here this week is expected to gain media spotlight in view of the escalated tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the air strike at a terrorist camp deep inside Pakistan and subsequent developments.
Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot on February 26. The next day, Pakistan air force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was handed over to India on Friday.
US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino, during his bi-weekly news conference last Tuesday, said Pompeo played an “essential role” in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
“Secretary Pompeo led diplomatic engagement directly, and that played an essential role in de-escalating the tensions between the two sides,” he had then said.
According to Pompeo’s schedule for Monday released to the media, the State Department said the meeting between the US Secretary of State and Gokhale is scheduled at 9 am local time or 6.30 pm IST.
Protocol-wise, it is quite unusual for Pompeo to meet Gokhale, but over the last few years, the US Secretary of State has met the Foreign Secretary, including his predecessor S Jaishankar.
— PTI
07:56 J-K poll delay: Omar calls it abject surrender, Mehbooba says sinister design:
The mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have questioned the Election Commissions decision to not hold simultaneous assembly elections in the state.
PM Modi has surrendered to Pakistan, to the militants & to the Hurriyat. Well done Modi Sahib. 56 inch chest failed, tweeted former Chief Minister and NC vice-president Omar Abdullah. First time since 1996, assembly elections in J&K are not being held on time. Remember this the next time you are praising PM Modi for his strong leadership, he tweeted.
In a series of tweets, he blamed the central government for mishandling the situation in the state. In 2014, we had Lok Sabha elections on time & assembly elections on schedule even after the most devastating floods. Shows how badly the BJP & earlier the BJP-PDP mishandled J&K, he said. Balakote & Uri are not symbols of PM Modis handling of national security; J&K is and look at the mess he has made there. The abject surrender to anti-India forces is a crying shame. With the amount of international attention elections in J&K attract, I never thought PM Modi would be willing to confess his failure on a global stage
PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti tweeted: Decision to hold only parliamentary elections in J-K confirms sinister designs of GoI. Not letting people elect a government is antithetical to the very idea of democracy. Also a tactic of buying time to dis-empower people by pushing an agenda that suits their ulterior motives.
Source: Rediff