Read MK Bhadrakumar’s column on Rediff.com.
12:42 Mohan Bhagwat good choice for President: Shiv Sena: The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat will be a good choice for the post of a President to make India a ‘Hindu Rashtra’.
“If his name is being discussed for the presidential post, the there is nothing more satisfying than this. It is a very good thing to make India a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. It is the highest post in the country. Somebody with a clean image should occupy it,” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI.
The Presidential elections will be held in July when President Pranab Mukherjee will complete his term.According to reports, the names of Sushma Swaraj, Sumitra Mahajan and L K Advani are also being considered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
President Mukherjee’s term comes to an end in July and there are speculations that the Narendra Modi government will look for a fresh face for the nation’s highest office.
12:35 Oz skipper apologises for ‘slip of emotions’ after India win : As the Border-Gavaskar Series 2016-17 drew to a close with India reclaiming the title, Australia captain Steven Smith sought apology for his slip of emotions in the series while talking to Ravi Shastri in the post match conference of the fourth Test at Dharamsala.
Smith’s apology referred to the time during the second Test at Bangalore when he looked up to the dressing room while in two minds to take the Decision Review System (DRS) for umpires decision declaring him out. Smith termed the incident as Brainfade while Indian skipper Virat Kohli accused Australia in the press conference of repeating the act.
Today Smith said in the post match conference, At times I have been in my own bubble and have let my emotions slip. I apologise for that. But I have really enjoyed playing in this series and it has been a great learning curve for me as a captain and [for] our team as well. Smith marked the series as one of the best he has played and praised Indian team for their efforts. [This has been] A magnificent series, probably one of the best I have been a part of so far. I thought we have played some very good cricket throughout the series, we probably had our opportunities at times. But credit to India, they are a fantastic cricket side, particularly here at their own backyard. If you give them a sniff they are probably going to take it. Congratulations to India for winning the series 2-1.
It was a fantastic learning curve. For Australians, coming to India is one of the toughest places to tour and I think the way the guys were able to adapt and challenged India in these conditions was fantastic. The guys came here with some really good plans. I am really proud the way the boys performed here in India, the Australian skipper opined about the young Australian side giving tough competition to the hosts.
12:15 Mass cheating: UP board’s class 10 English Exam postponed at two centres : English examinations of Class 10 of the UP board was postponed at two centres after an incident of mass cheating surfaced. Describing the incident as unfortunate, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that it reflected a downfall of the education system.
“This is unacceptable, compromising on merit and such thing prevailing is absolutely unacceptable. Country can’t make progress in such atmosphere, and therefore, we will take this issue up with the concerned government, as after all, it is there domain. We will definitely have some concrete action plan after discussing with the state,” Javadekar told ANI.
The government has issued helpline number to register cheating related complaints in order to check incidents of cheating in UP Board Exam. Complaints can be registered on WhatsApp number 945445724
12:10 Non-bailable warrant for Mamata Kulkarni: The district court in Thane on Monday issued non-bailable warrants against alleged international drug-lord Vicky Goswami and his partner and yesteryear Bollywood actor Mamta Kulkarni in an ephedrine haul case.
Both are believed to be outside India. The warrants were issued by District Judge H M Patwardhan.
Thane police raided Avon Lifesciences in Solapur last year and seized around 18.5 tonne of ephedrine worth Rs 2,000 crore.As per the police, ephedrine was being diverted from Avon Lifesciences to a Kenya-based drug cartel headed by Goswami where it was used to make party-drug Methamphetamine.The police have arrested more than 10 persons in the case.
11:46 Meat sellers urge UP Govt. to help legal shop owners : With the indefinite strike called by meat vendors affecting several establishments in the state, meat sellers on Tuesday urged the Uttar Pradesh Government to come up with provision so that legal shop owners can work without any problem.
“The time this matter was started, our business is suffering from loss. Nobody is selling meat in the market. We just want to request the government to come up with such provision so that we can work,” a meat shop owner told ANI.
He further said that they are facing heavy losses due to the strike and is not even able to pay their workers.
“The government didn’t even issue any notice before banning the slaughter houses. We are not getting meat from anywhere. What are we going to sell now? The government has asked us to renew the license. When we go to do so, the official says that they don’t have permission to renew the license,” said another meat shop owner Mohammad Riyaz.
As per the shop owners, the government is not renewing their license and when they open their shops the police ask them to close it.
“If the government wants to close anything, they should have first closed liquor, tobacco shop. They should first restrict these things. Whatever is illegal should be banned but what is the use of banning the legal slaughterhouse,” said a meat buyer. The meat shop owners are facing huge loss.
A number of shops are closed as they are not able to get meat due to its scarcity.
After coming to power, the Adityanath-led government has ordered the closure of illegal slaughterhouses and strict enforcement of the ban on cow smuggling to fulfill a key electoral promise.
Adityanath earlier on Saturday said abattoirs operating legally will not be touched but action will be taken against those being run illegally.
Meat sellers across Uttar Pradesh are on an indefinite strike from Monday against the crackdown on illegal and mechanised slaughterhouses.
11:10 SC to hear plea against ban of liquour shops near highways tomorrow : The Supreme Court to hear tomorrow, pleas seeking a modification of an earlier order banning liquor vendors within 500 metres of national and state highways. States like Kerala, Punjab and Telangana have sought modification of the order which is scheduled to be operational from April 1.
The Supreme Court in December had ordered a ban on all liquor shops on national as well as state highways across the country and made it clear that licences of existing shops will not be renewed after March 31, 2017.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur also directed that all signages indicating presence of liquor vendors will be prohibited on national and state highways.
The bench also comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao said the existing licences of liquor shops across the highways will not be renewed after March 31, 2017.
The apex court had expressed concern over 1.5 lakh fatalities every year in road mishaps, saying it may direct closure of liquor vends on national and state highways across the nation, besides removal of the signages indicating their location.
Reminding the state government of its constitutional obligation to prohibit liquor sale, the bench had asked the state to do something for general public considering that nearly 1.5 lakh people were dying every year.
The bench had also expressed unhappiness over alleged inaction by various states in removing liquor shops alongside roads which give rise to drunken driving and consequential fatalities.
It had said that revenue generation cannot be a valid reason for a state or a Union territory to give licence for liquor shops on highways and the authorities should adopt a positive attitude to remove the menace.
The bench had also rapped the Centre for not doing anything concrete for the last 10 years forcing the court to step in.
Several pleas have been filed on the issue including the one which referred to the 2015 report of the ministry of road transport and highways and said almost five lakh accidents occurred last year in India, killing 1,46,000 people and leaving thrice the number injured.
It was alleged that despite recommendation of a committee to ban of sale of alcohol on state and national highways, states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were sticking to their prevailing excise policies under which licences were being issued to liquor shops along the highways.
An analysis of road accident data 2015 reveals that around 1,374 accidents and 400 deaths take place every day on Indian roads, resulting in 57 accidents and loss of 17 lives on an average every hour,” the court had said.
11:02 One person has been injured after a low-intensity explosion near a railway track in Sant Kabir Nagar, UP. Police have seized three crude bombs. Forensic team at spot.
“The search operation turned into a gun battle after militants opened fire on security forces,” the official said, adding that the exchange of firing was going on till last reports came in. No casualties have been reported so far, he added.
10:16 To promote FIFA-U17 World Cup, Sports Minister Vijay Goel comes to BJP Parliamentary party meet with a football. The PM has already arrived.
10:06 7-hour debate on PM’s pet GST Bill in Lok Sabha tomorrow, prep today : Tomorrow, the Lok Sabha will hold a 7-hour debate on the GST Bill.
Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting of his council of ministers today to brief them.
Four bills crucial to the implementation of GST will be passed at the end the debate; they were introduced in the lower house yesterday by union finance minister Arun Jaitley.
The governments needs to ensure that these bills are approved by Parliament in the current Budget session to be able to meet a July 1 deadline for the launch of GST, a unified tax regime that subsumed a slew of indirect taxes at the centre and in states.
File pic.
However, there’s already talk of sorting out the row through talks and allowing Ravindra Gaikwad to fly again, reflecting the challenge before the CISF, which manages airport security across India. Read more
09:42 Gaikwad reveals ‘real reason’ behind altercation with Air India staff: Asserting that Air India was trying to misguide everyone as to what actually caused the altercation on board the aircraft, Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad stated that he had never demanded a Business Class seat, but had instead requested a complaint book to address his grievance about ‘substandard service’.
Issuing a fresh statement, the MP said that while travelling in the flight, he noticed “carelessness and substandard” service of Air India and requested for a complaint book, but despite his frequent requests he was not provided the complaint book, instead the staffer misbehaved with him.
“I was demanding proper facilities not the business class seat. But just to hide their carless attitude and cheating towards lakh of Air India passengers, they tried to create a picture that I was continuously demanding for business class seat. This is completely baseless,” he said.
Gaikwad on Friday submitted a complaint against Air India before the Delhi Police alleging that he was pushed and yelled on.In his complaint, Gaikwad, who allegedly manhandled Air India staffer, said he was made to travel by Air India on economy class even as he had business class ticket.
The Shiv Sena is also likely to bring a privilege motion in the Parliament over the issue of Gaikwad being put in ‘no fly list’ of all airlines.
09:28 Attack on Nigerian students in UP: Sushma speaks to Adityanath: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj speaks to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the attack on African students in Noida.
‘I have spoken to Yogi Adityanath ji Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh about attack on African students in Greater Noida. He has assured that there will be a fair and impartial investigation into this unfortunate incident (sic),’ Swaraj said on Twitter.
The incident took place last evening, when local residents raised slogans demanding that all Africans living in residential colonies in Greater Noida be asked to vacate their rented houses immediately. — Agencies
09:14 Trump wants Clintons’ ‘ties with Moscow’ probed: Asserting that his linkage with the Russia story is a ‘hoax’, United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday questioned as to why the House Intelligence Committee is not investigating Bill and Hilary Clinton’s ‘various ties with Moscow’.
This came after Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner volunteered to speak to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
‘Why isn’t the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to Russia, Russian speech money to Bill, the Hillary Russian ‘reset’, praise of Russia by Hillary, or Podesta Russian Company. Trump Russia story is a hoax. #MAGA! (sic),’ Trump said in a series of tweets.
He also said that the Republican House Freedom Caucus ‘snatched defeat from the jaws of victory’, apparently referring to the failure of the House to pass a repeal and replace plan for Obamacare.
Earlier, it was reported that Kushner is ready to speak before the panel as part of its investigation into Russian meddling in the US Presidential election.
‘Throughout the campaign and transition, Jared Kushner served as the official primary point of contact with foreign governments and officials. Given this role, he has volunteered to speak with Chairman Burr’s Committee, but has not yet received confirmation,’ CNN quoted a White House spokesman as saying on Monday.
The Senate committee sought Kushner, who is a key adviser to the President, as part of its investigation, according to sources. The timing is still being determined, a Senate aide said.
Last week, FBI director James Comey confirmed that federal investigators are investigating ties between Trump’s top campaign aides and Russian officials. — ANI
08:42 Scottish lawmakers to hold independence vote on eve of Brexit: One day before Britain kick-starts Brexit proceedings, the Scottish parliament is likely to dismiss Prime Minister Theresa Mays overtures and back calls for a fresh independence referendum.
Lawmakers in Edinburgh are due to vote on Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeons bid for a new referendum, despite the prime ministers last-minute appeals.
The Scottish vote had been scheduled for last Wednesday but was postponed after the terror attack near the British parliament in London, the same day.
The Brexit vote last year has spurred the independence campaign of Sturgeon, head of the ruling Scottish National Party, who argues that Scotland is being forced out of the European bloc against its will.
Both Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU, but they were outnumbered by voters in England and Wales who backed Brexit. — Agencies
08:13 PM to hold meeting with full Council of Ministers today: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with full Council of Ministers on Tuesday.
During the meeting, progress of different flagship schemes and development initiatives taken by the government are expected to come up for discussion.
This would be the first meeting of the full council after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s massive victory in the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assembly elections. — ANI
08:03 Encounter breaks out in Budgam, 2 terrorists trapped: An encounter is underway between security forces and terrorists in Chadoora area of Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
Two terrorists are believed to be holed up in the area.
More details awaited. — Agencies
Representative image.
Also read
00:15 Nigerians attacked in Noida, Sushma Swaraj seeks report from UP govt:
Hours after four Nigerian students sustained severe injuries after being attacked by a group of local residents in Greater Noida’s Pari Chowk area in Uttar Pradesh, External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday has asked for a report from the state government.
The incident took place around 6 pm today, when local residents raised slogans demanding that all Africans living in residential colonies in Greater Noida be asked to vacate their rented houses immediately.
The protests come after a Class 12 student in Greater Noida’s NSG Black Cats Enclave died of a suspected drug overdose and five Nigerian students living in the neighbourhood were booked – and later detained – in connection with the case. The students were later released for lack of evidence.
The 19-year-old victim Manish Khari had gone missing on Friday evening, locals who claimed to have seen the boy last with a group of Nigerians, raided their houses and accused them of cannibalism.
The police have registered a case for attempt to murder in Monay’s violence and have arrested five people.
Source: Rediff