Donald Trump unlikely to accept PM Narendra Modi's Republic Day invitation

The sources said India has already shortlisted names of two-three heads of states for extending the invitation to be chief guest at the Republic Day parade.

Latest News: US President Donald Trump is unlikely to accept India's invitation to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, sources said Sunday.

The US is understood to have conveyed to New Delhi that Trump may not be able to honour the invitation as he will have pressing engagements, including his State of The Union (SOTU) address, around the time India will celebrate its Republic Day.

This comes at a time when Indo-US ties have witnessed some strain after India went ahead and sealed a deal with Russia to procure a batch of S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding US threat of punitive action under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act).

The sources said India has already shortlisted names of two-three heads of states for extending invitation to be chief guest at the Republic Day parade.

Earlier this year, the US announced sanctions against Russia under CAATSA for its alleged meddling in the American presidential election in 2016.

Read full story → Trump Republic Day Invitation

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News Source: BS & Business Standard

Chinese brands sold Rs 500 bn worth of smartphones in India in FY18

As per Counterpoint Research's latest analysis on the important Indian smartphone market, the premium smartphone segment (>Rs. 30,000) shipments reached an all-time third quarter peak

 

Business News: Chinese smartphone brands account for over Rs 500 billion worth of purchases in the Indian market in FY18 so far, double of the figure that they logged last year according to a Counterpoint report quoted by the Economic Times.

Indian smartphone market, the premium smartphone segment (>Rs. 30,000) shipments reached an all-time third-quarter peak during Q3 2018 as attractive offers pushed down the cost of ownership for a premium smartphone in India in the recent past.

Typical offers include trade-ins and buybacks, monthly 0% EMI (monthly instalment plans) and instant cashbacks.

These offers strongly appeal to large sections of the population, especially the youth, that are gaining their footing financially and growing into power smartphone users. Furthermore, the features in premium segment smartphones such as full-screen displays, biometric security, dual-cameras, faster processor and support for artificial intelligence have acted as a catalyst for consumers looking to upgrade from a mid-range smartphone.

Smartphone sales in India grew five per cent to an all-time high of 44 million units in the September quarter, driven by strong shipments by handset vendors ahead of the festive season, according to a report by Counterpoint Research.

In the reported quarter, smartphone segment contributed to half of the total handset market (88 million) with brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo and Oppo recording their individual highest-ever shipments in a single quarter, it said. The shipments grew 24 per cent on sequential basis.

↓↓↓ Read the full Report here ↓↓↓

Smartphone Sales in India

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News Source: BS & Business Standard

Scrabble dictionary adds 300 new slang words including 'Emoji' and 'Ew'

Scrabble dictionary adds 300 new slang words including 'Emoji' and 'Ew'

Multimedia News: The Merriam-Webster's Official Scrabble Players Dictionary is playing catch up by adding some of the new-age internet-influenced words to please the millennials.

A total of 300 new words have been added to the dictionary including words which the seniors won't consider as words but thanks to the social media, they are very much a part of a modern individual's daily vocabulary.

Some of the new entrants include 'bestie', 'bizjet', 'frowny', 'ew', 'twerk', 'zomboid', 'beatdown', 'botnet', 'bitcoin', 'emoji', and more.

Earlier this month, 850 words were added to the official play.

↓↓↓ Here is the Video Link ↓↓↓

Scrabble New Words List

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News Source: BS & Business Standard

Anushka Sharma applauds Virat Kohli as he receives Khel Ratna Award

Anushka Sharma applauds Virat Kohli as he receives Khel Ratna Award

Multimedia News: Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday presented with the country's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, by President of India Ram Nath Kovind.

During the award function, Virat was cheered by his wife Anushka Sharma.

In the video, Anushka can be seen cheering and clapping for the cricketer as he proudly walks to the president to receive his honor.

↓↓↓ Here is the Video Link ↓↓↓

National Sports Awards 2018

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News Source: BS & Business Standard

Decoding Rafale Jet Deal: Timeline, allegations and counter-allegations

India began the process to buy a fleet of 126 MMRCA in 2007 after the Defence Ministry, headed then by Congress leader A K Antony, cleared the proposal from the IAF.

Rafale Deal Controversy: As the controversy surrounding Rafale deal escalates, here is an explainer and a timeline relating to India's purchase of 36 combat jets from France for an estimated Rs 580 billion

What is Rafale?

Rafale is a French twin-engine multi-role fighter jet designed and built by Dassault Aviation. The Rafale jets are considered one of the most potent combat jets globally.

What was the UPA deal?

India began the process to buy a fleet of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) in 2007 after the Defence Ministry, headed then by Congress leader A K Antony, cleared the proposal from the Indian Air Force.

The contenders for the mega deal were Lockheed Martin's F-16s, Eurofighter Typhoon, Russia's MiG-35, Sweden's Gripen, Boeing's F/A-18s and Dassault Aviation's Rafale.

After a long-drawn process, bids were opened in December 2012 and Dassault Aviation emerged as L-1 (lowest bidder). In the original proposal, 18 planes were to be manufactured in France and 108 in India in collaboration with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
There were lengthy negotiations between the then UPA government and Dassault on prices and transfer of technology. The final negotiations continued till early 2014 but the deal could not go through.

Details of the negotiatied price per Rafale were not officially announced, but it was suggested by the then UPA government that the size of the deal would be USD 10.2 billion. The Congress claimed per aircraft rate including avionics and weapons was zeroed in at Rs 5.26 billion (As per Euro exchange rates prevailing then).

Read all about → Rafale Jet Deal

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News Source: BS

Accident Pics: NTR's son, TDP leader Nandamuri Harikrishna dies in road accident in Telangana

NTR's son Nandamuri Harikrishna, the son of former Andhra Pradesh CM NT Rama Rao (NTR), was driving an Toyota Fortuner in high speed.

Nandamuri Harikrishna, the son of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister NT Rama Rao, died today in a road accident in Telangana. N Harikrishna, 61, was a former parliamentarian and an actor.

The accident took place around 6:30 am in Nalgonda, 100 km from Hyderabad.

Harikrishna was the fourth son of late former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP founder NT Rama Rao and brother-in-law of incumbent state Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Harikrishna had received multiple injuries. He died while undergoing treatment at the Kamineni hospital in Narkeptally.

According to the police, the accident took place at the Anaparthy highway, 100 km away from Hyderabad, when the former's parliamentarian's car turned turtle after the person on the driving seat lost control over the vehicle.

Political Background:

• N Harikrishna, 61, was the son of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. He was also the brother-in-law of present Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. In the early 90s, when TDP was going through internal fluctuation, Harikrishna played a crucial road in getting the party back on track. He was also a Minister in Naidu's cabinet and later also served as a Member of Parliament.

Nandamuri Harikrishna is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter. From his first wife, he had two sons, Janaki Ram and Kalyan Ram, and a daughter Suhasini. From his second wife, he had a son Taraka Ram who was later renamed by his father Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) as Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr (NTR Jr). Both Kalyan Ram and NTR Jr are successful actors in the Telugu film fraternity.

Full updates → Nandamuri Harikrishna

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RCom completes sale of fibre assets to Reliance Jio for Rs 30 billion

Last year, Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications signed a pact with Reliance Jio for sale of wireless spectrum, tower, fibre and MCN assets.

Reliance Communications said it has completed sale of its fibre assets and related infrastructure assets, worth Rs 30 billion, to Mukesh Ambani-backed Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIO).

"With successful completion of the fibre monetisation transaction, 1,78,000 kilometers fibre stand transferred to RJIO," Reliance Communications said in a BSE filing.

Last week, Reliance Communications had completed the planned sale of its media convergence nodes (MCNs) and related infrastructure assets, worth Rs 20 billion, Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Earlier this month, Reliance Communications had reinstated bank guarantees worth Rs 7.74 billion with the telecom department ahead of the timeline set by the telecom tribunal, and had said that its Rs 250 billion asset sale plans were "on track".

Last year, Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications signed a pact with Reliance Jio for sale of wireless spectrum, tower, fibre and MCN assets - the proceeds of which were to be used to reduce debt.

The deal announced in December 2017, packed in 122.4 MHz of 4G spectrum in the 800/900/1800/2100 MHz bands, over 43,000 towers, 1,78,000 kilometres of fibre and 248 media convergence nodes. The nodes' sale concluded today represents the initial tranche of the planned, larger deal.

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News Source: BS

Rahul Gandhi slams mob lynchings and attacks on Dalits; BJP hits back

Rahul Gandhi said the Modi government believed that tribals, poor farmers, Dalits, minorities and people from other lower castes should not get the same benefits that the elite of India does.

Latest News: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said mob lynchings and attacks on Dalits and minorities reflected the anger that currently pervaded India’s society because of growing joblessness and the Narendra Modi government taking away protections provided to the country’s poor. He said the Modi government’s demonetisation and poorly implemented goods and services tax (GST) have destroyed the informal economy and killed jobs in the small and medium businesses, which contributed to this anger.

Addressing a gathering at the Bucerius Summer School at Hamburg in Germany, of which Rahul Gandhi is an alumnus, the Congress president pointed to the example of the rise of the Islamic State, in Iraq and Syria to caution that excluding a large number of people from the development process could lead to creation of insurgent groups anywhere in the world.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi Germany Speech

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) picked on Rahul Gandhi’s comments to allege the Congress chief was not only belittling and insulting India abroad, but also justifying terrorism. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Rahul “lied through his teeth” in his criticism of the Modi government. Patra asked whether Gandhi's submission was that minorities in India would “sell their soul” to IS if jobs are not available for them, and this amounted to “denigrating” the community. The BJP spokesperson said he wondered whether the data on job growth was “made in 10, Janpath”.

Rahul Gandhi said the Modi government believed that tribals, poor farmers, Dalits, minorities and people from other lower castes should not get the same benefits that the elite of India does. He said unleashing of demonetisation and faulty implementation of GST killed jobs that the poor used to get, and the accompanying weakening of "protections" has “made India angry”, and...continue reading

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News Source: BS

Rahul Gandhi's Germany speech not broadcast live due to tech glitch

Gandhi's address was to be aired via a YouTube link, starting 9:30 pm IST, which was later rescheduled to start from 10:30 pm IST.

 

Latest News: Congress president Rahul Gandhi's address to the Indian Overseas Congress in Berlin in Germany Thursday could not be aired 'live' due to a technical glitch, the party said.

Gandhi's address was to be aired via a YouTube link, starting 9:30 pm IST, which was later rescheduled to start from 10:30 pm IST.

The address, however, could not be aired 'live' and the Congress party cited a technical glitch as the reason for it.

Gandhi is on a five-day tour to Germany and the UK.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi slams mob lynchings and attacks on Dalits

On Thursday night, he had addressed a gathering at the Bucerius Summer School in Hamburg, Germany.

He was to address the Indian Overseas Congress Friday night during his two-day stay in Germany.

He heads to London Saturday.

In London, he will address students of London School of Economic tomorrow. And on Saturday, he will address a gathering of the Indian National Overseas Congress.

Rahul Gandhi Germany Speech

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News Source: BS

Banks on 2-day nation-wide strike from today: Here’s how it will affect you

The two-day nationwide bank strike on May 30 and 31 will hit banking operations and might lead to cash-crunch across the country.

Business News : Employees and officers of various public sector banks across the country are on a two-day strike starting today to protest a nominal 2 per cent wage hike offered by the Indian Bank’s Association (IBA).

The strike is expected to hit bank customers hard as it may disrupt month-end salary credit operation. Further, the strike could trigger a country-wide cash crunch as ATMs of most banks would not be replenished in the next two-days. Several ATMs might even remain closed during the strike as security guards employed in these ATMs are also likely to participate in the protest.

Owing to the strike, operations such as clearing of cheques, money transfer, cash remittances, and deposit and withdrawals at branches will not be possible in the next two days.

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Also Read : Salary withdrawal, ATM transactions may take a hit due to 2-day bank strike

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Why are Bank Unions Protesting:

The United Forum of Banking Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions, has demanded early wage review settlement, sufficient increase in salary and improvement in other service conditions and wage revision settlement for all officers up to scale VII.

In the last wage revision in 2012, which was for the period between November 1, 2012, and October 31, 2017, bank employees got a 15 per cent wage hike and AIBOC Joint General Secretary Ravinder Gupta said the unions were expecting a better salary increase this time.

“We had requested the IBA to come up with a better offer than the mere two per cent hike offer made earlier,” said C H Venkatachalam, General Secretary of AIBEA, one of the bank union participating in the strike.

“We also asked the IBA not to delink the wage negotiations for bank officers in the Scales 4-7. The IBA did not do anything,” he added.

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Read More on → Bank Strike

Around 1 million bank employees to go on 2-day strike from May 30 and May 31

About 1 million bank officers are expected to participate in the strike on May 30 and May 31.

Breaking News India : Around 1 million bank employees will go on a two-day strike this Wednesday as the conciliation efforts by the Union government failed to convince bank unions to call off protests against the proposed low wage hike. Additional Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) Rajan Verma met the bank unions, under the banner of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), finance ministry officials and bank management, represented by the Indian Banks Association (IBA) in an effort to avert the strike.

“The CLC tried his best to sort out the strike-related issues but there is no positive development. Though the bankers, through the IBA, said they are willing to reconsider the proposed wage hike, there was no concrete proposal.

Hence, the strike stands,” All India Bank Employees Association General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said.

D T Franco, general secretary, All India Bank Officers’ Confederation said about 1 million bank officers are expected to participate in the strike on May 30 and May 31. During the conciliation proceedings, the bank unions told the CLC that a 2 per cent wage hike was proposed in a meeting held between bankers (IBA) and unions (UFBU) on May 5 “which was not at all acceptable, considering the rise in cost of living.”

“The officials from the IBA stated that they have had several rounds of discussions in respect of wage negotiations…in view of the huge non-performing assets or bad loans in the banks, only 2 per cent of wage increase was offered.

Strike Alert

Trade unions oppose…

• Bank management’s proposal for a 2 per cent wage hike
• Decision to negotiate wages for up to senior manager-level officers, thereby excluding general managers
• Centre’s ‘casual approach’ to wage revision of bank employees

Unions demand…

• Early wage revision settlement
• Wage revision should include all bank officers
• Adequate increase in salary and improvement in other service conditions

Labour Commissioner tells banks to…

• Cover all officers in wage negotiation
• Revise wage hike proposal

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Read More on → Nationwide Bank Strike

Asaram Rape Case Verdict Today : Centre learns Ram Rahim lesson; 10 points

With the Asaram rape case verdict due in Jodhpur today, the Centre has asked Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana to beef up security and maintain law and order. 

Breaking News : A Jodhpur court will on Wednesday pronounce its verdict in the Asaram rape case, inside the premises of the Central Jail in Jodhpur, amid tight security to avoid a repeat of the violent protests and arson seen when another self-styled godman, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, had earlier been sent to jail in a rape case. The case relates to the alleged rape of a teenager by the self-styled godman in 2013.

The Jodhpur Court has dismissed a petition seeking the entry of media persons into the Central Jail of Jodhpur to cover the Asaram rape case judgment. Security has also been beefed up outside the victim's residence. And, apprehending trouble, the Union home ministry has issued an advisory to Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana to step up security, directing them to ensure no violence takes place after the judgment.

The three states were also told to deploy additional forces at sensitive places. Apart from these states, the police in Delhi are also on a high. A senior police official said the department was keeping a close watch on Delhi's boundaries and inside the city areas.

At that time the alleged rape took place, the girl had been studying at Asaram’s ashram in Chhindwara, in Madhya Pradesh. She had alleged that Asaram called her to his ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur and raped her on the night of August 15, 2013. Asaram has denied the rape charges.
Final arguments in the Asaram case had been completed by the special court for SC/ST cases on April 7 and the court had kept the order reserved for April 25. Asaram has been under judicial custody since September 2, 2013. Apart from him, the charge-sheet in the case names four other co-accused -- Shiva, Shilpi, Sharad, and Prakash. In another rape case involving Asaram in Surat, Gujarat, the Supreme Court earlier this month, gave five weeks' time to the prosecution to complete the trial.

Catch live updates from the Asaram Case Verdict

 

Supreme Court issues directives to safeguard govt officials under SC/ST Act

The Apex Court also added that a public servant can be arrested after grant of approval by some senior officer.

 

Breaking News : To curb misuse of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled out automatic registration of first information reports and arrests in complaints under the Act.
Stressing that the law should not result in hatred towards a caste, a bench of justices Adarsh K Goel and Uday U Lalit held that there was a need for safeguards against the registration of FIRs and arrests under the Act in view of instances of misuse, as observed in the last three decades, and to protect the liberty of others.

“The Act cannot be converted into a charter for exploitation or oppression by any unscrupulous person or by the police for extraneous reasons against other citizens,” the bench said. The court also made it mandatory for the police to conduct a preliminary investigation to decide whether an FIR deserves to be registered under the parameters of the Atrocities Act.

“We are of the view that cases under the Atrocities Act also fall in exceptional category where preliminary inquiry must be held,” the court ruled, adding that even if an FIR is lodged, the accused will not be arrested automatically. “There is need to safeguard innocent citizens against false implication and unnecessary arrest,” the bench said.

For a public servant, the court said, permission of the appointing authority would be a must to make an arrest, whereas for others, written permission of the Senior Superintendent of Police or DSP would be necessary.The court also interpreted Section 18 of the Act, and ruled there cannot be an absolute bar on granting anticipatory bail in such cases.

→ Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ←

39 missing Indians killed by ISIS in Iraq; DNA tests confirm

Exhumed bodies of the victims will be brought back to India on a special plane, Swaraj said. MoS External Affairs V K Singh will travel to Iraq to bring back the bodies.

Breaking News : India said on Tuesday that 39 Indians, who were believed to have been kidnapped by militants in Iraq in 2014, had been confirmed dead after their bodies were found.

The bodies were recovered from a mass grave and DNA tests had confirmed them to be the construction workers who went missing from the Iraqi city of Mosul, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament.

70 per cent DNA matching of the 39th body has been done, Swaraj added.

“With full proof I can say these 39 are dead,” the minister said.

The government had for years said it would only declare the men dead once it had full evidence.

Exhumed bodies of the victims will be brought back to India on a special plane, Swaraj said. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh will travel to Iraq to bring back the bodies.

22 of the 39 Indians killed by ISIS were from Punjab

It has been over four years that 39 Indians went missing in Iraq’s Mosul town when it was overrun by the Islamic State.

Among them, 22 were from Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar in Punjab.

Their families continued to swing between the hope of the men being found alive and fear that they will hear the worst.

After Mosul was freed from the clutches of the Islamic State in July, there was hope that the missing Indians will be found. However, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, during his India visit in July, said he was not sure if the men were alive or not.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier assured the families, who have met her several times, that all efforts were being made to trace the missing men, who had been held hostage in Iraq’s Mosul town by terror outfit ISIS in June 2014.

The affected families, who are all from poor backgrounds mostly from rural areas of Punjab, say they can do nothing else but pin hope on the government’s and the minister’s assurances.
A man from Punjab, Harjit Masih, who escaped from the clutches of ISIS in June 2014 had claimed that all 39 Indians had been killed.

However, Sushma Swaraj has maintained that there was no information confirming that the Indians were dead.

→ 39 Indians ←

Lingayat Row: Congress one-up on BJP with Karnataka poll gambit? 10 points

Living mostly in North Karnataka, Lingayats constitute 17% of state population. Since their vote is seen as decisive in 110 of the 224 Assembly seats, Lingayats are considered politically powerful.

Breaking News : After Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday granted a separate religious status to the Lingayat community, the Congress party rubbished the claims that the decision was a “political move”.

The clarification came after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the Opposition camp in the state, accused the Congress of striving to garner the votes of Lingayats, a dominant community in the state, ahead of the Assembly elections likely in April-May.

The suggestion, which has been accepted under section 2D of the state Minorities Commission Act, has been sent to the Centre for its final approval.

The Congress even dared BJP President Amit Shah and the party’s Karnataka chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyuruppa to clarify their position on Lingayats. “It is inappropriate to link the decision of the Karnataka government vis-a-vis declaration of Lingayat Samaj as a minority community to the political processes,” said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Hours after the Karnataka government accepted the suggestions of the Nagamohan Das committee yesterday to form a separate religion status for the Lingayat community, clashes broke out between the followers of Lingayat and Veerashaiva communities in Kalaburagi – when the former were celebrating the decision and the latter protesting the same.

Who are Lingayats ?

The Lingayats, who belong to the Other Backward Classes in Karnataka, are the worshippers of Lord Shiva and have distanced themselves from traditional Hinduism, especially from the Vedic version of it and the caste system. Ironically, in spite of its origin among the followers of the 12th-century social reformer Basavanna, the Lingayat community is now recognised as a caste.

Living mostly in North Karnataka, the Lingayats are believed to constitute 17 per cent of the population. Since their vote is widely acknowledged to be decisive in 110 of the 224 Assembly constituencies, Lingayats are considered politically powerful.

→ Lingayat Row ←

UP Bypoll Results 2018 LIVE: BJP leads in Gorakhpur, SP in Phulpur; Adityanath sure of win

Lok Sabha by-elections in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Bihar’s Araria, being viewed as yet another test for BJP ahead of 2019 general elections.

Breaking News : The counting of votes for the Lok Sabha by-election 2018 for the two constituencies of Uttar Pradesh — Gorakhpur and Phulpur and Bihar’s Araria will begin on Wednesday amid tight security arrangements. The results are expected to be declared by Thursday afternoon, according to an Election Commission official.

Uttar Pradesh by-elections 2018

The voter turnout was 47.45 per cent in Gorakhpur and 37.39 per cent in Phulpur in Sunday’s polling. Ten candidates were in the fray from Gorakhpur, while 22 candidates contested from Phulpur. According to the Election Commission, there are 1.96 million (19.61 lakh) voters in Phulpur parliamentary constituency, while the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat has a 1.95 million (19.49 lakh) electorate.

Uttar Pradesh by-polls 2018 were necessitated after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, respectively, following their election to the state legislative council.

Bihar by-elections 2018

Fifty-seven per cent polling was registered in Araria, Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer Ajay V Nayak said. In the Bhabua and Jehanabad Assembly constituencies in Bihar, where by-polls were also held, the voter turnout was 54.03 per cent and 50.06 per cent respectively, he said.

Bihar by-polls 2018 for the Araria seat was necessitated by the death of RJD MP Mohd Taslimuddin.

→ Bihar Bypoll Results 2018 , UP Bypoll Results 2018 ←

IndiGo, GoAir cancel 70 flights today over DGCA’s aircraft grounding order

Aviation regulator had grounded 8 IndiGo planes, 3 of GoAir yesterday due to a recurring engine malfunction.

Breaking News : IndiGo and GoAir cancelled around 70 flights on Tuesday as the two airlines grapple with aircraft grounding by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). IndiGo cancelled around 50 flights, whereas Go Air cancelled 20 flights. The airlines said the affected passengers will be accommodated in other aircraft but there will be a change in their schedule.

The flights that have been cancelled are from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Patna, Srinagar, Bhubaneswar, Amritsar, Srinagar and Guwahati, among others, according to news agency PTI.

Yesterday, DGCA had grounded 11 planes (eight of IndiGo and three of Go Air) due to a recurring malfunction in their engines. The malfunction had occurred with certain sub-population of engines manufactured by Pratt and Whitney (PW). The problem stems from a component in the engine that can show early signs of wear and is located in an area that must withstand high pressure. Due to this, hundreds of passengers were stranded across the country yesterday.

ALSO READ: Grounding of 11 IndiGo, GoAir planes leaves hundreds of passengers stranded

A senior airline official explained that the grounding is taking a toll because the airlines have little scope in alteration of their network as they had taken the planes into consideration while making the schedule. “There will be cancellations till the start of new schedule on 25 March. We have a large network and multiple flights from one point to other, so we can accommodate the passengers in other planes. Necessary information is being shared with affected flyers,” a senior IndiGo official said.

PW said the issue will be resolved only by the end of June. “The corrective action has been approved and we have already begun to deliver production engines with the upgraded configuration.

We are working to mitigate the AOG situation by the end of the second quarter,” the engine manufacturer said in a statement.

→  IndiGo , GoAir  ←

Arun Jaitley silent on PNB fraud to protect daughter, says Rahul Gandhi

Gandhi in his tweet about “other law firms” was referring to the searches carried out by the CBI at the Mumbai offices of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

Breaking News : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was silent on the Rs 127 billion PNB fraud case to “protect his lawyer daughter” and asked why her firm was not “raided”.

“It’s now revealed that our Finance Minister’s silence on the PNB (Punjab National Bank) scam was to protect his lawyer daughter, who was paid a large retainer by the accused just a month before the scam became public. When other law firms of the accused have been raided by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), why not hers?” Gandhi said in a tweet.

The Congress President also attached a tweet of the news website “The Wire” reading “You know you’re doing something right when the ruling dispensation tries to rebut a story that has not even been published yet”.

The Wire said on its site that it was investigating a lead and had sent a questionnaire to the law firm owned by Jaitley’s daughter and son-in-law, Jaiyesh Bakhshi.
In his reply, Bakhshi confirmed that the retainership had been received in December 2017 but this was returned in January 2018.

“We state that in December 2017, Chambers of Jaitley & Bakhshi were approached by M/s Geetanjali Gems Limited with a request for a retainer to represent them in their litigation and advisory matters… However, before any legal work could be sent to us, a news item appeared in the media with regard to their involvement in a banking scam. We therefore felt it appropriate to unilaterally cancel their engagement and return their retainer,” Bakhshi told The Wire.

The Wire, according to its Founder-Editor M K Venu, did not find the story worth publishing. But, he said a “BJP-leaning website,” wrote about this claiming The Wire was planning to do such a story to “ensnare” Jaitley.

Gandhi in his tweet about “other law firms” was referring to the searches carried out by the CBI at the Mumbai offices of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas — a leading law firm which was reportedly hired by the key accused Nirav Modi around a month before the scam broke in mid-February.

→ Rahul Gandhi on PNB Fraud ←

Vasco Da Gama-Patna express accident leaves 3 dead: All we know so far

At least three people were dead and nine left injured after thirteen coaches of the Vasco Da Gama-Patna express jumped the rails

Breaking News : The Indian Railways and the common Indian commuter have been hit by another accident after thirteen coaches of the Vasco Da Gama-Patna express jumped the rails near Manikpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

At the time of publishing, no comments or details had come from the Ministry of Railways or Railways Minister Piyush Goyal’s twitter handles.

Here’s all we know about the accident so far:

1) At least three people were dead and nine left injured after thirteen coaches of the Vasco Da Gama-Patna express jumped the rails.

2) Confirming the casualties, Chitrakoot SP Pratap Gopendra Singh said a father-son duo from Bettiah district of Bihar died on the spot while the third person died at a hospital.

3) “Of those injured, two were serious and admitted to district hospital, Chitrakoot. Seven with minor injuries are being treated at Manikpur,” Singh said.

4) According to news agency ANI, Indian Railways PRO Anil Saxena said that helpline numbers have been set up and that rescue and relief operations are underway.

5) The Patna-bound Vasco Da Gama Express (12741) derailed at 4:18 am, soon after leaving platform number 2 of the Manikpur railway station in Chitrakoot district, about 250 km from Lucknow, he said.

6) According to ADG (Law and Order), Anand Kumar, prima facie it appears that fractured railway track is the cause of the accident as per local assessment.

Click to Read → Vasco da Gama Patna Express Accident

Rs 18 lakh for 15 days: 7-year-old’s death in Gurgaon hospital sparks row

Union health ministry to take action against hospital

 

Breaking News : The death of a 7-year-old girl in the paediatric ward of Fortis Memorial Hospital in Gurugram has resulted in heated discussions on social media on the quality of health care provided by private hospitals.

The government has also stepped in, with the Union health minister saying action will be taken against the hospital. In a tweet, Health Minister J P Nadda stated, “We will take all the necessary action.”

The girl was admitted on August 31 with severe dengue, which progressed to dengue shock syndrome. There was a progressive fall in platelet count. As her condition deteriorated, she was put on ventilator within 48 hours of admission.

Her relatives asked the hospital to take a CT or MRI scan to find out if the child was alive, before putting her on ventilator. But the hospital apparently refused. The relatives claimed the child, who was admitted in the paediatric ICU, was given 660 injections over a span of 15 days.

The patient’s family was billed Rs 18 lakh for the 15 days.

In an e-mail response, Fortis said, “The family was kept informed of the critical condition of the child and the poor prognosis in these situations. As a process, we counselled the family daily on the condition of the child. On 14th September, her family decided to take her away from the hospital against medical advice (LAMA – leave against medical advice) and she succumbed the same day.”

The patient’s family claimed that they were forced to sign the LAMA form.

Another allegation was related to the high cost. The family claimed the hospital did not provide a break-up of the costs. To this, Fortis said the family was provided an itemised bill.

Click to Read → Gurgaon Hospital 7 year old Death