Islamic State claims first attack, killing Italian aid worker in Dhaka September 29, 2015 17:20
The Islamic State claimed the first attack in Bangladesh by taking responsibility for killing an Italian aid worker, Cesare Tavella, 50, in the high security diplomatic area in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On Monday evening the worker was shot three times from a close proximity in market Gulshan diplomatic zone. He was jogging then, said the police. As he fell on the ground, attackers fled away. Doctors declared Tavella dead, when he was rushed to a local hospital. According to a police spokesman, Tavella was working as manager of Profitable Opportunities for Food Security (PROOFS) project of the Netherlands-based ICCO Cooperation. Ohiduzzaman Mian, police commissioner of Dhaka, told reporters that, “We are not clear who killed him but we think it was a pre-planned murder.” It was confirmed by a fellow officer that no moneybag or cell phone were taken away by the kller. This indicates that the murder was not done by ordinary muggers. A statement that was issued in Arabic said that the Islamic State (IS) claimed to have killed Cesare, said SITE Intelligence Group. According to Security officials, this killing could be the first attack by the militant group in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Britain and the US cautioned their nationals staying in Bangladesh to be alert and cautious in their movements. Trials to calm down Cricket Australia are being made by Bangladesh as the board was seeking assurances regarding security concerns from its Bangladesh counterpart prior to its tour to Bangladesh. -Sumana
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RBI cut key interest rate to 6.75% by 50 basis points September 29, 2015 15:10
On Tuesday, Reserve Bank of India has cut its key interest rate to 6.75% by 50 basis points. This is the lowest since May 2011. It also cut repo rate to 6.75% by 50 basis points. The current and the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan, made an announcement on the downward revision in the growth projection of RBI for the year to 7.4% compared to 7.6% earlier. The downward revision announced in the fourth bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for 2015-16 is the second in 2015. According to the Governor, that underlying economic activity remains weak due to rainfall deficiency, sustained decline in exports and weaker momentum than expected in industrial production besides investments. He also said that in recent quarters, there is a fall in business sentiment as per surveys. “In India, a tentative economic recovery is underway, but it is still far from robust,” Rajan added. Dr. Rajan said that the inflation target set in the Monetary Policy Agreement will be achievable. The inflation target of 6% was set in the Monetary Policy Agreement for January 2016, between the Modi Government and the RBI. In January, Inflation would be a shade lower at 5.8%, said Dr. Rajan. -Sumana
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Mumbai on high alert due to Bomb threats at airport and Taj hotel September 29, 2015 12:49
Threatening calls of bomb threats at Mumbai airport and Taj hotel prompted the city to be on high alert with security stepping up immediately. This morning a call threatening to strike Mumbai airport was made by a caller who also threatened to blow up the Taj hotel, that was attacked by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists during the 26/11 strikes. Police teams, which were dispatched to the airport and the Taj hotel, are carrying out security checks. Even dog squads stepped into the service. Police advised that people need not panic as this could also be a prank. However, police said that they are not taking any chances at the same time enhance security at the threatened places. Moreover, there will not be any flight service disruption in the wake of bomb threats. A CISF official said, "Around 11.30 pm, an unknown person called a landline number of the airport and spoke to an airport staffer. He said he was near Andheri railway station when he heard five people talking about attack at Mumbai airport and hotel Taj with explosive laden 16 hired vehicles." The call, which was declared as "specific" in nature, made the police and the CISF moan up at security outside airport terminals. As per airport sources, the caller who specified the time of attack had even identified himself as Vishesh Kumar."Five vehicles will be blown up between 9 am and 10 am on Tuesday near domestic terminal, international terminal and the Taj Hotel. The impact might be bigger than the 26/11 terror strike," the caller, who identified himself as Vishesh Kumar, said. Also read: India Executes Mumbai Bomb Plotter Yakub Memon -Sumana
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CBI Says No Evidence Against Manmohan Singh In Coal Scam September 28, 2015 18:27
In a special court on Monday, the CBI opposed the plea of Madhu Koda, ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister, seeking summons as additional accused to Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister, and two others in a coal scam case. CBI says that the application was “devoid of any merits”. After hearing the submissions, the special court reserved its order on the plea of Mr. Koda for 16 October 2015. R.S. Cheema, Special Public Prosecutor, told the court that records, not even prima facie, suggest the involvement of the then Prime Minister who was also the Coal Minister in the coal block cvto Jindal Group firms. Cheema said to Bharat Parashar, the Special CBI Judge, that, “The present application is a device worked out by accused person so as to not only delay the present trial but also deviate the court from the case.” According to Cheema, CBI has conducted comprehensive and complete probe in the case and found no reason leading to summoning of Manmohan Singh, who was the PM then, as the accused. “The records not even prima facie show anything to summon the then Prime Minister as accused in the case. The evidence does not show any complicity on the part of the then Prime Minister in allocation of coal block,” Mr. Cheema added. CBI also said that the other two persons to who summons were sought by Mr. Koda as additional accused in the coal scam case are just vital prosecution witnesses. The agency also said that they both were not shown by any evidence to be involved anywhere in the entire process. -Sumana
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Death Toll Of Indian Pilgrims At Horrific Haj Stampede Rose To 35 September 28, 2015 13:25
The Indian government indentified 13 more bodies belonging to Indians among those killed at the worst tragedy ever happened at the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. With this the death toll rose to 35 at the horrific Haj stampede that happened last week. The updated toll was tweeted by Sushma Swaraj, the external Affairs Minister saying: ‘Earlier, seven more Indians were identified among the dead raising last night's death toll from 22 to 29.’ The Haj Consulate in Jeddah indentified 13 Indian pilgrims among the dead as Mansurul Haque from Jharkhand; Anvar Janha from UP; Amina Beevi, F A Muneer Veetil, P V Kunhimon, Moiuddin Abdul Kader, and Abdul Rahiman Asarithodi from Kerala; Jaibun Nisha from Bihar; Nashima Khatoon from Jharkhand; Mohamed Younus Rahimbhai Mansuri, Bibi Ismail, Mehrunnisha Hanif and Yusuf Sikandarmiyan Malik from Gujarat. Also read: Stampede Takes At Least 200 Lives, Injures 450 During Hajj Pilgrimage Total death toll put up by Saudi authorities during Haj was 769 and 934 injured. Among those injured were at least 13 Indians. The formation of a committee was ordered by King Salman to probe the deadly incident that happened at the five-day pilgrimage. Two million people took part in Haj pilgrimage from more than 180 countries. Around 1.5 lakh India pilgrims performed Haj. The stampede that broke out after huge number of pilgrims from many directions converged on each other at a point close to Jamarat Bridge in Mina for the ‘symbolic stoning of the devil’, was the second major accident for pilgrims in 2015. On 11 September 2015, a construction crane collapse killed more than 100 people, of which 11 of them were Indians, at Mecca's Grand Mosque. Also read: Towering Construction Crane Crashes Into Grand Mecca Mosque, 107 Killed -Sumana
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CBI Raids On Chief Minister Of Himachal Pradesh September 26, 2015 14:55
A case was filed by the CBI against Virbhadra Singh, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh. Even raids were conducted at 11 places, which include his Delhi residence and Himachal, on the day of his daughter’s marriage. A preliminary enquiry was being carried out by the agency against Singh, Pratibha Singh – his wife, Vikramaditya Singh – his son, Aparajita Singh- his daughter and Anand Chauhan, an LIC agent. The enquiry was to probe assets acquired disproportionately by the family. On Saturday, the enquiry was turned into an FIR and the raids were carried out. As per the CBI, allegation on Singh and his family members were over the acquisition of illegal income/assets, which were worth Rs 6.1 crore, during his tenure as steel minister from 2009 to 2011. According to officials, when Virbhadra Singh was in charge of union steel minister, he invested his suspected illegal income through the LIC agent by taking LIC policies on his name besides his family member’s names. The income was shown as that has come from agriculture. Allegations were that IT returns were filed by Singh for assessment year 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 by showing income from agriculture as Rs 735,000, Rs 1,500,000 and Rs 2,500,000 respectively. The income was exempted under the Income Tax Act. Prashant Bhushan who wrote to the CBI Director besides filing a petition in the High Court of Delhi said, "In 2012, in order to explain the unaccounted money, Singh filed revised IT returns for assessment year 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 showing revised agricultural income, showing an 18 to 30-fold increase of income in the three years. The total increase in agricultural income amounted to Rs 6.10 crore.” -Sumana
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State-Wide Bandh Hits Transport In Karnataka September 26, 2015 13:53
On Saturday, the day of the 12-hour Karnataka bandh, Autorickshaws will not get on roads till 6 p.m, while BMTC buses are also not plying in due to the state-wide bandh. Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union General Secretary Rudramurthy said, “We will stay off the streets till 6 p.m. Our members have been asked to support the bandh by not plying.” Conductors and drivers of BMTC even said that buses also remained in the depots. An official said, “There are no instances of violence, but they are not letting us operate the buses for now. We will check in the afternoon and mostly buses will start by then.” However, cab aggregators like TaxiForSure, Uber and Ola continued their operations. Several cancellations and surge in prices were in effect. Additional Commissioner of Police West Pratap Reddy tweeted asking public to stay away between 11 AM and 2 PM from Freedom Park, Majestic and Mysore Bank Circle. Health services Quite a number of patients have been waiting at hospitals across the city. Pick and drop arrangements were made by some hospitals for their patients. Most staff of the hospitals seemed to have reported to their duties and business was as usual during the bandh. -Sumana
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At Least 14 Indians Lost Lives During Haj Stampede Tragedy September 25, 2015 11:52
Among hundreds killed during the Haj stampede, fourteen Indians lost their lives. The Haj stampede that took place on Thursday is one of the worst tragedies ever happened at the annual Haj pilgrimage. K.C. Joseph, Kerala's Minister for Non-Resident Keralites' Affairs, said in Thiruvananthapuram that, a Keralite was among the killed Indians named, Mohammed who belonged to Kodungaloor in Thrissur district. Bibi Jaan, a woman pilgrim belonging to Hyderabad was also killed during the tragedy, revealed special officer of Telangana State Haj Committee, S.A. Shukoor. The lady who went along with her husband and two other relatives to the pilgrimage on 2 September, died in hospital in Mina, Shukoor said. Two Assamese were also among those injured and are getting treated in a local hospital. Also read: Stampede Takes At Least 200 Lives, Injures 450 During Hajj Pilgrimage According to Munis Ahmed Ansari of the Haj Committee of India, over 1.5 lakh Indian pilgrims left to Haj for pilgrimage this time. He also said that as per tradition, India reserved huge number of seats for elder citizens, compared to other countries. This became the major worry for the organizers. “This year too, almost 80,000 of the 1.5-lakh pilgrims are above 70. So naturally a lot of people back home are worried about the condition of the pilgrims from India,” Ansari said. Emergency numbers in Makkah Emergency numbers were provided by the External Affairs Ministry in Makkah for the family members. The numbers are 00966125458000 and 00966125496000. A toll-free number for pilgrims in UAE is +8002477786. -Sumana
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Stampede Takes At Least 200 Lives, Injures 450 During Hajj Pilgrimage September 24, 2015 15:12
A stampede killed at least 200 people and injured 450 others during Hajj pilgrimage rituals outside Mecca. The ritual that was being performed when the stampede occurred is known as "stoning the devil" in the tent city of Mina, which is nearly two miles from Mecca. Even in past years, hundreds were killed during the same ritual or ceremony. Brig. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, interior ministry spokesman, said, "We have a stampede accident in Mina and civil defense is dealing with it." Nearly 220 ambulances, 4,000 workers and other vehicles were deployed by officials to Mina to help with the tragedy. As per Muslim traditions, stones are thrown at three pillars in the ritual. This is a re-enactment of an event when the devil was stoned by Prophet Abraham and rejected temptations. During the ceremony, pilgrims pass crowded bottleneck area to go to the small pillars on the ground. Hence, in the 1980s and 1990s, the ritual was the scene of stampedes besides hundreds of deaths. At least 363 people were killed in a stampede in 2006. The incident resulted in erection of three massive pillars by the Saudi government. Also a 1.2 billion, five-story Bridge was completed nearby where stones can be tossed by pilgrims. It was believed to be a roomier atmosphere besides efficient way to lodge the faithful. -Sumana
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Gujarat Police Arrests Nilesh Patel, Hardik’s Key Aide September 23, 2015 15:21
Continuing the attack on the Patel community leader Hardik Patel, the Gujarat police have arrested another key aid of Hardik, Nilesh Patel from Morbi in Saurashtra. Nilesh Patel was arrested on the charge of sedition for the usage of indecent language in messages against the PM and CM, sent through social media all through the agitation. Already Hardik’s aides in Surat and Ahmedabad were detained by the police. Cyber crime charges were also laid on Nilesh Patel on allegations for sending messages inciting violence and generating enmity among communities in the society. Also read: Hardik Patel detained for taking out Ekta Yatra without permission In the meantime, the State government was asked by the High Court of Gujarat to find Hardik Patel and to produce him in the court by Thursday. The order was passed on the habeas corpus writ filed at 1:30 am. The case was heard at 2:30 am by Justice MR Shah at his residence. However, lawyer of Mr. Hardik submitted that the Patel community leader is already in the police custody. Police categorically denied the charge maintaining that Hardik escaped from a village in North Gujarat and is “on the run after he escaped the police.” The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) key member said, “The police claim that he escaped the police and disappeared but we are apprehending that the police have arrested him and is not disclosing.” PAAS was the outfit to which Mr. Hardik floated to launch the Patel community agitation seeking reservation benefits for the Patel community in Gujarat. Earlier, Chirag Patel and two other were detained by the Ahmedabad police just before their schedule to conduct a press conference on Tuesday night at 8:30 pm. Reports also suggested that Alpesh Patel and others were arrested by the police in Surat previous Saturday for getting involved in arranging Ekta Yatra. Hardik Patel is a criminal Hardik Patel was described as a criminal by a top Gujarat police officer saying that he is being searched by the police. Hardik dramatically escaped while attending a function of Patel community in a village located in North Gujarat. Hasmukh Patel, Gandhinagar range IG, said, “He was holding the meeting without police permission and when the police reached at the venue, he disappeared. We are looking for him.” “He is a criminal, not a leader of any community or any agitation. He is trying to instigate people to turn violent in the name of agitation,” the officer added. -Sumana
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Bomb Recovered From Falaknuma Express At Howrah Railway Station September 23, 2015 12:21
Earlier today morning, a bomb was recovered in West Bengal from the Falaknuma Express at the Howrah Railway Station. The bomb was identified by the Railway Protection Force (RPF). To deactivate the bomb or explosive, Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) reached the station. Bomb Disposal Squad placed the explosive in a cylinder for a controlled explosion and then the spot has been cleared. Reports suggest that the cylinder in which the bomb was identified has been taken by the BDS to an isolated spot so as to defuse it. More details are awaited. Bomb scare at Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknama Express On Tuesday night, a bomb scare was triggered when unclaimed packet with pipe-like objects are found in a vacant compartment of Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknama Express at Howrah station. The railway staff identified the packet while cleaning the coach when the Falaknuma Express reached the 17 number platform at Howrah station, said a senior GRP official. He added that the bomb disposal squad took away and examined the explosive at platform number one. No trains, including those of long distance or local, were affected due to the incident. Falaknama Express is the train belonging to South Central Railway. The superfast train links Howrah and Secunderabad. -Sumana
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Telecom Minister Announces Withdrawal Of National Encryption Policy By Government September 22, 2015 13:48
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Telecom minister, has made an announcement that Government has withdrawn draft of "encryption policy" on Tuesday, adding that the National Encryption Policy raised several apprehensions, when kept online. "In view of the concerns raised over the encryption policy, I have asked the draft to be withdrawn, made changes to and then re-released," the minister said. It was clarified by the minister that National Encryption Policy is not a government policy rather it is just a draft. He also made it clear that ordinary consumers would not be affected by the encryption policy and the purpose behind the encryption is not concerned with Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media messaging platforms commonly used by people. As there is a huge rise in cyberspace transactions, there is a need for the government to bring a new policy to make then safer. The social media freedom would be supported by the Union government, said Prasad. The telecom minister said, "We are very proud of the initiatives taken by the government under leadership of PM Narendra Modi for promotion of social media.” -Sumana
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