Students to use Jai Hind, Jai Bharat instead of yes sir, present sir in Guj

Copies of the notification were sent to the district education officials with instructions to implement it from January 1

Business Standard: Students of Gujarat schools will answer roll calls with ‘Jai Hind’ or ‘Jai Bharat’ instead of the current ‘yes sir’ and ‘present sir’ from January 1 in order to foster patriotism, a notification issued Monday stated.

The notification, issued by the Directorate of Primary Education and Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), lays down that students of Class 1-12 in government, grant-in-aid and self-financed schools will have to respond to the attendance call with “Jai Hind” or “Jai Bharat,” starting January 1.

The objective of the new practice is to “foster patriotism among students right from childhood,” it said. As per the notification, the decision was taken by the state Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama in a review meeting held Monday. Copies of the notification were sent to the district education officials with instructions to implement it from January 1.|Read Source: BS 

Modi govt falls short of target: 1 million homes continue to be in the dark

Ahead this year’s Lok Sabha elections, achieving full energy access has been one of Modi’s key reforms for outreach to rural communities, where BJP is challenged by dissatisfaction and joblessness

Business Standard: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government missed a self-imposed target to electrify every home, delaying the success of the marquee $2.3-billion development goal that his party plans to showcase before national elections early this year.

After bringing electricity connections to 23.9 million households across 25 states, about 1.05 million homes in four states still lack power, the government’s Press Information Bureau said in a statement Monday, the year-end deadline. Power Minister R K Singh reaffirmed as recently as late November that the government would meet its December 31 target, which had earlier been moved up by three months.

Achieving full energy access has been one of Modi’s key reforms amid his outreach to rural communities, where his Bharatiya Janata Party has been challenged by dissatisfaction and joblessness. Electrification success would be a political boon for Modi and the BJP as they face national elections in the coming months.

The central government has set several milestones for its rural electrification plan since Modi came to power in 2014 — bringing connections to all villages by May 1, then to all homes by the end 2018. After full electrification is achieved, the next goal will be to ensure reliable uninterrupted supplies by March 31.

Modi’s government in September 2017 set out to electrify nearly 40 million homes, a target that has been shrinking and shifting along the way…Read Source: BS 

No more VIP treatment to BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha at Patna airport

Lauhariya was replying to queries about facilities extended to the former Union Minister

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha will no more be treated as a ‘VIP’ at Patna Airport, informed Jay Prakash Narayan Airport’s Director Rajendra Singh Lahauriya on Monday.

Lahauriya said that Sinha will no more be exempted from security checks and regular frisking. Former Union Minister Shatrughan singh Sinha previously had the permission of bringing his vehicle to the tarmac apart from being exempted from the security frisking.

“The facilities were extended to Shatrughan singh Sinha for a period which ended in June this year. No orders have been received for extending the same”, informed Jay Prakash Narayan Airport’s Director Lauhariya. Lauhariya was replying to queries about facilities extended to the former Union Minister.

Pensioners in Rajasthan duped into buying SBI Life Insurance Policies

Officials assured them it’s a better plan than fixed deposits and misrepresented their annual income in order to fulfil the eligibility criteria

Business Standard: Pensioners from Udaipur have registered complaints against SBI Life Insurance Company Limited for fraudulently selling them life insurance policies worth lakhs of rupees. They allege company’s officials assured them the policies work like a fixed deposit schemes but ensure higher returns, concealing payment of the premiums.

Bhopal Singh Ranawat, a retired forest guard from Gajpura village of Udaipur in his complaint letter to SBI Life in October this year narrates how the officials converted his entire savings to manage the SBI lIfeinsurance policy. Just a month after Ranawat’s retirement benefits worth Rs 800,000 were transferred to Udaipur’s treasury bank in August this year, the company officials approached and convinced him to invest in the ‘SBI life – Retire Smart’ plan – promising it would be more profitable than a fixed deposit (FD) scheme.

“They had repeatedly convinced me that I was investing in a better plan than a fixed deposit. Later, I found they had issued me an insurance policy worth Rs 200,000 without informing me the details,” his complaint letter, accessed by The Wire, reads. In an duplicitous manner, the officials also issued him three fixed deposits of the remaining Rs 600,000 – Rs 200,000 each – for a maturity period of one year, two years and three years respectively so that they could be used to arrange for the annual premiums..

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1984 anti-Sikh riot case: Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to surrender today

On December 22, the Congress leader filed an appeal in the Apex Court, after the High Court dismissed Kumar’s plea seeking more time to surrender

BS: Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has to surrender before Karkardooma Court or Tihar jail authorities here on Monday. In view of this, HS Phoolka, one of the petitioners in 1984 anti-Sikh riot case, has appealed to the victims of the riot to not go to the court on Monday.

In a statement, Phoolka said: “It is apprehended that Sajjan Kumar might try to create disturbances around the court tomorrow, to use as an excuse not to surrender and ask for an extension. I request 1984 Sikh genocide victims not to go to the court tomorrow. He has not got any relief from the Supreme Court. So, he has to surrender.” Speaking to ANI, Phoolka said: “He simply has to go to the court tomorrow and surrender. If he does not do that, then on January 1 the police will have to take him in custody and send him to Tihar Jail. This is a very big victory for the entire nation, as a mass murderer is going to be punished after years.”

On December 22, the Congress leader filed an appeal in the Apex Court, after the High Court dismissed Kumar’s plea seeking more time to surrender. The court, while awarding him a life sentence, had directed him to surrender by December 31 and also levied a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him. In his plea, he had sought 30 additional days to surrender, on account of settling family affairs with regard to property and inheritance…

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Congress to block passage of triple talaq bill in Rajya Sabha

Govt claimed that the bill will find support in Rajya Sabha, where the BJP-led NDA lacks numbers

Latest News: The contentious triple talaq bill seeking to criminalise instant divorce is set to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha even as the Congress said it will not allow the passage of the proposed legislation in its present form.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will table the bill in the Upper House after it was cleared by the Lok Sabha on Thursday amid a walkout by the Opposition. The bill was passed by the Lower House with 245 voting in favour and 11 opposing it.Prasad had on Friday claimed that the bill will find support in Rajya Sabha, where the BJP-led NDA lacks numbers. It is listed in the Rajya Sabha’s legislative agenda for Monday.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal told reporters in Kochi that the party would join hands with others to prevent the triple talaq bill from getting passed in the House, he told reporters in Kochi. He said 10 opposition parties had openly come out against the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 when it was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

Even the parties which support the government on various issues, including AIADMK, have opposed the bill, said Venugopal, who is also a Congress floor strategist.Condemning the bill, he said the stringent provisions like criminalisation of a civil wrong were there in the bill and it was not at all acceptable to the opposition parties, including the Congress. “…The bill will not help empower women,” the Congress leader said.

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Venugopal claimed there was no confusion in the Congress-led UPA or party-led UDF in Kerala regarding the bill. The Alappuzha MP said the government could not push the bill in its initial form in the Upper House due to stringent opposition from the Congress and other opposition parties. “That is the reason why the government brought the ordinance and re-introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha. But the Congress will oppose its passage in the present form in the Rajya Sabha,” Venugopal said.

PM Hasina’s Awami League registers landslide victory in Bangladesh polls

Main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party of jailed ex-premier Khaleda Zia won just three seats

International News: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cruised to victory for a third consecutive term in Bangladesh’s general election on Sunday, following a tense vote that saw at least 17 people killed in poll-related violence and demands of a fresh election by the opposition, according to media reports.

According to media reports, the ruling Awami League-led coalition won over 260 seats in the 300-member House.Private DBC TV aired results of 299 seats out of 300. The ruling Awami League-led grand alliance bagged 266 seats and its ally Jatiya Party secured 21, while the opposition National Unity Front (UNF) with BNP being its key partner got only seven seats, according to the channel.

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Independent candidates won in two seats, according to the local media. The election was postponed in one seat due to the natural death of a candidate.The Election Commission confirmed the complete result of the constituency in southwestern Gopalganj from where Hasina won bagging 2,29,539 votes, while her BNP opponent got only 123 votes.
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Bangladesh’s opposition NUF alliance, with BNP as its key partner, rejected the outcome of the general election and demanded fresh polls under a neutral caretaker government.
The National Unity Front (NUF) is a coalition of parties, including BNP, Gono Forum, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD, Nagorik Oikya and Krishak Sramik Janata League.

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Rafale deal How purchase of 126 jets from France became a controversy

By one estimate, the India-specific enhancements took the actual price to double what the Congress claimed to have negotiated

Latest News: The first deal to buy 126 Rafale fighter jet from France’s Dassault Aviation was negotiated in 2012, but never finalised. In 2016, the decisive Narendra Modi signed a smaller deal, this time with the French government, for 36 aircraft in “flyaway condition”, to be delivered between end-2019 and early 2022.

By 2017, questions were being asked. How much was the deal involving far fewer aircraft worth? Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman declined to specify, citing a confidentiality clause. Then came a Parliamentary reply: Each Rafale cost Rs 67 million. From here, the problem escalated into 2018. By one estimate, the India-specific enhancements took the actual price to double what the Congress claimed to have negotiated.|Click Here: Business Standard 

Whiffs of corruption swirled, fanned by Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Cabinet, it seemed, had been bypassed by Modi. An offset deal with Hindustan Aeronautics was scrapped in favour of an Anil Ambani-owned subsidiary, allegedly following a sweetheart movie deal with the then French president Francois Hollande’s girlfriend (denied by both parties).

Bulandhshahr violence: Police arrests accused who shot cop Subodh Kumar

So far, 25 accused have been arrested in connection with the violence that took place in the town earlier this month

Business Standard: Prashant Nat, who allegedly shot Inspector Subodh Kumar in Bulandhshahr violence case has been arrested on Thursday, confirmed police.

SP of Bulandhshahr, Atul Kumar Srivastava, said, “The accused Prashant Nat has accepted during interrogation that he was the one who fired at Inspector Subodh Kumar. Further investigation is underway.”One more accused in Bulandshahr violence case surrendered in a local court here on December 20. According to police, he has been identified as Lokendra.

So far, 25 accused have been arrested in connection with the violence that took place in the town earlier this month. Two people including Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh were killed in the raging violence. Earlier, Police had claimed to have arrested 17 people for their alleged role in fomenting the violence. The accused were arrested under Sections 147, 148, 149, 124 A, 332, 333, 353, 341, 336, 307, 302, 427, 436, 395 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

On December 3, Singh and a youth identified as Sumit were killed in the violence which erupted after the carcasses of 25 cattle were found in forests close to a police post. Locals had alleged that the carcasses found were of cows which were slaughtered illegally.

Onion prices fall 86%; poor farmers say they’ll make Modi pay in 2019 polls

Steep drops in recent weeks in the prices of onions and potatoes, both staple foods for India’s 1.3 billion people, have badly hit the rural economy in large states

Latest News: A spike in the price of onions has led to the ouster of governments in Indian elections in the past. Now, prices of the staple have collapsed, and many impoverished farmers are saying they will make Prime Minister Narendra Modi pay in next year’s general election.

Steep drops in recent weeks in the prices of onions and potatoes, both staple foods for India’s 1.3 billion people, have badly hit the rural economy in large states. In interviews with dozens of farmers last week, Reuters reporters found resentment welling against Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not helping support incomes in the countryside, where a majority of the population lives.

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“Whatever they do in the coming months, I will vote against the BJP. I won’t repeat the 2014 mistake,” said Madhukar Nagare, an onion grower from Nashik in Maharashtra state, referring to his backing the BJP at the last general election.

In the 1998 state elections, a sharp spike in onion prices led to the fall of the BJP government in the capital New Delhi.In the 1980 general election, sky-high onion prices helped former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dislodge a coalition government that had included politicians who later formed the BJP…

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Mumbai: Five Including Parents of Policeman Killed in Major Fire at High-Rise in Tilak Nagar

The fire brigade team rescued six people from the floor and admitted them to the nearby Rajawadi Hospital

Latest News: Five people, including four senior citizens, were killed and two others injured in a major fire that broke out in a high-rise residential building here Thursday evening, a civic official said.

The 16-storey building is located in suburban Tilak Nagar, where search and rescue operation by the Mumbai Fire Brigade is underway, said the official from the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

“Our fire brigade control room got information about the incident at 7.51 pm after which our fire-fighting team along with an ambulance rushed to the spot,” he added.”The blaze started on the 10th floor of the building, Sargam Society (G+16), located near Ganesh Garden in Tilak Nagar,” he said.The fire brigade team rescued six people from the floor and admitted them to the nearby Rajawadi Hospital, he said. According to a senior doctor at the civic-run hospital, five of them succumbed to burn injuries.

The two injured, including a fireman, were admitted to a hospital, where their condition is stable, the doctor said. The civic official identified the deceased as Sunita Joshi ,72, Bhalchandra Joshi ,72, Suman Shrinivas Joshi ,83, Sarla Suresh Gangar ,52, and Lakshmiben Premji Gangar, 83.

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PM Modi to rename Andaman & Nicobar islands on Dec 30: Kin of Netaji

Three islands in Andaman and Nicobar-Ross Island, Neil Island and Havelock Island-will be renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep

Latest News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be renaming three islands of Andaman and Nicobar on December 30 from Port Blair, said Chandra Kumar Bose, grand nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on Wednesday.

Bose also asserted that the Congress party should have renamed these islands way back in 1947 itself. In an exclusive interview to ANI, Bose revealed that PM Modi would be visiting Port Blair on December 30 to hoist the Indian flag, following which he will officially announce the new names of the islands.

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Explaining the historical significance of the date, Bose said, “Netaji, as the first Prime Minister of undivided India, visited Port Blair on 30th December 1943 and hoisted the tricolour at Port Blair and liberated these Islands from the clutches of British imperialism.”

“I am very happy to state that the NDA government has decided to rename three islands. I think it was the duty of the Congress government of that era to have done this on 30th of December in 1947 itself. But it took 72 long years to really honour the soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj, who fought the final battle for India’s freedom,” asserted Bose....

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Russia backs Prince Salman, warns US against meddling in Saudi succession

President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to the Middle East said Prince Mohammed has every right to inherit the throne when the ailing 82-year-old King Salman dies

International News: Russia warned the US against any effort to influence the royal succession in Saudi Arabia, offering its support to embattled Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who’s under continuing pressure over the killing of a government critic. President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to the Middle East said Prince Mohammed has every right to inherit the throne when the ailing 82-year-old King Salman dies.

“Of course we are against interference. The Saudi people and leadership must decide such questions themselves,” Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also deputy foreign minister, said in an interview in Moscow on Tuesday. “The Saudi Prince Salman  made a decision and I can’t even imagine on what grounds someone in America will interfere in such an issue and think about who should rule Saudi Arabia, now or in the future. This is a Saudi matter.”

Senior US lawmakers have blamed the crown prince the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, a conclusion they said was backed by the Central Intelligence Agency. The Saudi government has repeatedly denied the prince’s involvement and said he was killed by government agents in a botched plan to force his return home. Russia says it accepts the Saudi account.

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15 trapped in mine in Meghalaya for two weeks; kin hope for a miracle

The 15 went to work at the mine in Meghalaya on December 13 and have been underground ever since

Latest News: Rescue workers were trying to reach 15 coal miners trapped underground for 13 days on Wednesday as families prayed for their safe return, but chances of survival looked slim after floodwaters rushed through the illegal “rat-hole” pit.

The 15 went to work at the mine in Meghalaya on December 13 and have been underground ever since. “Only God’s grace and some miracle can help them to be alive,” Kyrmen Shylla, Meghalaya’s disaster management minister, told Reuters by telephone from capital Shillong.

The rescue operations was suspended on Sunday following flash floods from a nearby river, officials said. A team of about 100 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) experts have been camping at the mine site but their operations have been hampered by lack of sophisticated equipment, S K Shastri, NDRF commandant leading the operations, said.

The mine is an old, illegal so-called rat-hole mine, common in Meghalaya but dangerous as the coal is pulled out from narrow, horizontal seams. Workers, including children, descend hundreds of feet on bamboo ladders to dig out the coal, often leading to accidents at such mines.

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India vs Australia: Rahane, Rohit dig in after hosts remove Kohli, Pujara

At tea on Day 2 of the 3rd test between India and Australia, Rahane was 30 not out and Rohit on 13, the pair digging in with a 47-run stand to maintain India’s advantage

Sports: Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma held firm in a steadying partnership to nudge India to 346 for four at tea after Australia fought back with two wickets in the heat of day two of the third test on Thursday. Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc denied Virat Kohli a second century for the series, having the India captain caught on the rope for 82, before seamer Pat Cummins bowled Cheteshwar Pujara for 106 on a scorching afternoon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

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Rahane was 30 not out and Rohit on 13, the pair digging in with a 47-run stand to maintain India’s advantage on a pitch offering little assistance for the bowlers. India had managed only 52 runs in the first session as the home side bowled grudging lines, so Kohli returned keen to accelerate the innings after resuming with Pujara on 277 for two after lunch.

Toiling under a blazing sun, Australia’s seamers seemed resigned to banging the ball in short with the hope of coaxing the batsmen into a mistake. Kohli rose to the bait in Starc’s third over after lunch, pulling the seamer twice over mid-on, the first for a scratchy three and the second for a more commanding four three balls later. He was out on the next delivery, trying to ramp a third short ball over third man only to be caught by Aaron Finch on the rope.

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Strike hurts state-owned banks, cheques for clearance held up: Unions

In the afternoon, over 5,000 bank staffers staged a rally at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan and raised slogans opposing the proposed merger

Latest News: Work at state-owned banks across India was affected on Wednesday after unions struck work to protest against the proposed merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda (BoB).

Work in state-owned banks was paralysed in Mumbai, said union officials. The United Forum of Bank Unions (UBFU), an umbrella organisation of nine unions, claimed “100 per cent participation” by employees and officers of public sector, old generation private sector and some foreign banks in the strike.

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In the afternoon, over 5,000 bank staffers staged a rally at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan and raised slogans opposing the proposed merger. At least 3 million cheques, worth around Rs 23 billion, will not be cleared because of the strike, said the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), which is part of UFBU.

Each public sector bank has its own history, geography and culture in the background. If the government bulldozes the decision of the merger, it will put their customers to great hardships, said UBFU leaders who addressed the rally. Most state lenders had informed customers about the strike. Private banks were unaffected by the strike…

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India vs Aus: Mayank Agarwal, Pujara power visitors to 123 for 2 at Tea

India vs Australia 3rd test: Pujara was 33 not out, with India captain Virat Kohli next in after winning the toss and electing to bat at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Sports: Opener Mayank Agarwal scored a half-century on debut in a patient stand with Cheteshwar Pujara as India pushed to 123 for two at tea on day one of the third test on Wednesday as Australia’s bowlers laboured on a docile pitch.

After a frustrating session for the home side, seamer Pat Cummins had Agarwal caught down the leg-side for 76 off 161 balls, the wicket ending an 83-run partnership and bringing tea. Pujara was 33 not out, with India captain Virat Kohli next in after winning the toss and electing to bat on a Melbourne Cricket Ground wicket that offered little for the bowlers.|Click here: India vs Australia

Cummins earlier captured the first wicket before lunch, removing promoted opener Hanuma Vihari for eight, but Australia’s formidable pace battery was largely blunted by the lifeless pitch.India had resumed on 57 for one after lunch, with Agarwal having impressed in a chanceless opening session.

He hammered Josh Hazlewood through the covers for four on the first ball of the second session, then danced down the pitch to smash spinner Nathan Lyon for another two boundaries. The second, a glorious straight drive, brought up the 27-year-old’s maiden test fifty off 95 balls.|Business Standard  

Nationwide bank strike today on BoB-Dena-Vijaya merger; services to be hit

Private sector banks will continue to function as usual

Latest News: Services of state-owned banks are expected to be impacted Wednesday due to a nation-wide strike call given by unions to protest against the proposed amalgamation of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda.

This will be the second bank strike in less than a week.Last Friday (December 21), an officers’ union of state-run banks observed a day-long strike to protest against the merger and also demanded immediate settlement of wage negotiationsMost of the banks have already informed customers about the strike.|Click Here: Business Standard  

Private sector banks will continue to function as usual. The strike is being organised by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella organisation of nine unions, including the All India (BS)Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC), the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) and the National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW). The UFBU claims membership of 10 lakh officers and staffers.

According to AIBEA General Secretary C H Vekatachalam, the conciliation meeting called by Additional Chief Labour Commissioner did not lead to any assurance and so the unions are going ahead with the strike. During the meeting, neither the government nor the concerned banks came forward to assure that they will not go ahead with the merger, he added…

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BJP approaches SC seeking permission to hold Rath Yatra in West Bengal

The apex court has received an appeal from the BJP against the high court division bench’s order, an official of the Supreme Court Registry said

Latest News:The BJP on Monday approached the Supreme Court against a Calcutta High Court order not allowing its Rath Yatra in West Bengal. The party, which sought an urgent hearing, has planned to launch the yatra from three districts of the state.

The BJP has challenged the Friday order of the division bench of the high court which had set aside the order of a single judge allowing the yatra. The party approached the Supreme Court seeking permission to hold the campaign ‘Save Democracy Rally’, which would cover 42 parliamentary constituencies in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The apex court has received an appeal from the BJP against the high court division bench’s order, an official of the Supreme Court Registry said. The official said the petition is under scrutiny. Later, advocate Mahesh Aggarwal, who has filed the petition on behalf of the BJP, said effort is being made so that the plea is heard in a day or two. The apex court, at present, is on vacation till January 1.

The BJP has sought an urgent hearing of its special leave petition. The high court’s division bench, comprising Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar, Friday send the case back to the single bench to consider intelligence inputs by state agencies. The two judges’ bench order came after hearing an appeal moved by the West Bengal government, challenging the Thursday order of the single judge….

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Death toll in Indonesian tsunami tops 280, experts warn of more tidal waves

Experts have said that Saturday’s rare volcano-sparked tsunami could have been caused by an underwater collapse of part of the volcano

 BS: Indonesian rescuers battled heavy rains Monday in a desperate search for survivors after a volcano-triggered tsunami killed at least 281 people, with experts warning the devastated region could be slammed by more tidal waves. The national disaster agency said casualty figures were set to rise as it issued the fresh death toll — up from a previous 222 — and said more than 50 people were still missing.Over 1,000 were injured in the disaster on Saturday evening, the agency added.”The number of victims and damage will continue to rise,” said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Rescue teams used diggers and other heavy equipment to haul debris from the stricken area around the Sunda Strait on Monday, as thousands were evacuated from the affected region. “The military and police are searching the ruins to see if we can find more victims,” said Dody Ruswandi, a senior official at the disaster agency, adding that the rescue effort was likely to last a week.|Also read: Business Standard 

Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave, which hit the coast of southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java around 9:30 pm (1430 GMT) on Saturday after a volcano known as the “child” of the legendary Krakatoa erupted. The destructive wave left a trail of uprooted trees and debris strewn across beaches.A tangled mess of corrugated steel roofing, timber and rubble was dragged inland at Carita beach, a popular spot for day-trippers on the west coast of Java. Dramatic video posted on social media showed a wall of water suddenly crashing into a concert by pop group “Seventeen” — hurling band members off the stage and then flooding into the audience…

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Between ‘too Muslim’ and ‘not Muslim enough’, a lonely Naseeruddin Shah

In India’s religiously polarised politics, the space for Nasseruddin Shahs of the world is ever shrinking

Latest News: The script is now nauseatingly familiar. A prominent public figure expresses his disquiet about the growing intolerance in India. All hell immediately breaks loose. Polite commentary labels him a Congress stooge or challenges him to prove his patriotism equating Modi with the idea of Indian nationhood; the excitable immediately warn of that well trodden threat of shipping him across the western borders.

True to form, India’s cacophony of news channels organised platitudinous debates where all extremist voices were amplified. One particularly enterprising network even managed to assemble members of Naseeruddin Shah’s extended family as they have some special insight on his comments!

Lost amidst this din is the actual import of the original comments. There is nothing which Mr. Shah said which was particularly exceptional or surprising. Let’s look at the extant case. A mob assembled and led by local Bajrang Dal sympathisers—euphemistically known as the sword arm of the ruling BJP—-ambushed a police officer in Bulandshahar. Three weeks later, under the watch of a chief minister touted by BJP sympathisers as ‘no nonsense’ and tough on crime, the prime accused have still managed to evade arrest. The UP police which has been accused of stage managing encounters appears helpless in catching those credibly accused of killing one of their own…

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222 dead, hundreds hurt as volcano-triggered tsunami hits Indonesia again

Search and rescue teams were scouring rubble for survivors, with 843 people injured and 28 missing

International news: A volcano-triggered tsunami has left at least 222 people dead and hundreds more injured after slamming without warning into beaches around Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, officials said on Sunday, voicing fears that the toll would rise further.

Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave, which hit the coast of southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java about 9:30 pm (2000 IST) on Saturday after a volcano known as the “child” of Krakatoa erupted, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Search and rescue teams were scouring rubble for survivors, with 843 people injured and 28 missing, Nugroho said.

Also Read :Volcano-triggered tsunami kills 168, injures hundreds in Indonesia

In September an earthquake hit the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, triggering a tsunami. The two natural disasters devastated the region and had killed 2,000 people. Tsunamis triggered by volcanic eruptions are relatively rare, caused by the sudden displacement of water or “slope failure”, according to the International Tsunami Information Centre.

Unlike those caused by earthquakes, which trigger alert systems, they give authorities very little time to warn residents of the impending threat. Kathy Mueller from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the toll was likely to rise.

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Volcano-triggered tsunami kills 168, injures hundreds in Indonesia

More than 700 people have been reported injured since the tsunami hit

(International news)During a busy holiday weekend, a tsunami apparently caused by the eruption of an island volcano killed more than 160 people around Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, sending a wall of water crashing ashore and sweeping away people attending a beach concert along with hundreds of houses including hotels, the government and witnesses said.

More than 700 people have been reported injured since the tsunami hit at 9:27 p.m. Saturday, the Disaster Management Agency said. At least 30 others are unaccounted for. The disaster could have been caused by undersea landslides from the eruption of Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island formed over years from the nearby Krakatau volcano, scientists from Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said. They also cited tidal waves caused by the full moon.

Footage posted on social media showed a pop band named “Seventeen” performing for employees from a local electric company under a tent on a beach as dozens of people sat listening at tables covered in white cloths. As bright strobe lights flashed on stage, a child could be seen wandering through the crowd. Then, as (BS) the second song was about to begin with the drummer pounding, the stage suddenly heaved forward, throwing the band and all their equipment into the audience.The band released a statement saying their bass player and road manager were found dead, while three other band members and the wife of one of the performers remained missing.

“The tide rose to the surface and dragged all the people on site,” it said. “Unfortunately, when the current receded our members are unable to save themselves while some did not find a place to hold on.” Tourists were also affected during the long holiday weekend ahead of Christmas.

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