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Aurangabad : Two minors were killed in a stampede that occurred during Chhath puja celebrations in the Suryanagari Dev area of the district on Saturday evening. Family members of the deceased in Aurangabad. ANI The deceased include a six-year-old boy from Patna's Bihta and a one and a half year-old-girl, resident of Sahar in Bhojpur. Some other devotees also sustained injuries in the incident during the stampede. Officials and security personnel deployed at the area immediately sprung to action to control the mob and prevent any further escalation of the unfortunate situation. District magistrate Rahul Ranjan Mahiwal and superintendent of police (SP) Deepak Barnwal also met with the kin of the deceased and expressed condolences. The officers said they will ensure an ex-gratia to the family members and will make necessary arrangements to ensure that the incident does not recure. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2NBedCj Asian News International

New Delhi:  Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday said that women help desks will be set up in police stations across the country and more anti-human trafficking units established in all districts using the Nirbhaya fund. The Nirbhaya Fund was announced by the Centre in 2013 after the sensational 16 December 2012 gangrape and murder case in the national capital. Its aim was to support initiatives of the government and the NGOs working towards the safety of women. Irani announced on Twitter that anti-human trafficking units would be established in all districts and women help desks set up in police stations across the country using the non-lapsable corpus fund. She said the move aims to strengthen women safety and instil a greater sense of security among them. NIRBHAYA Fund will help set-up Women Help Desks in all Police Stations & Anti-Human Trafficking Units in all districts across the Nation. Initiative is an example of interdepartmental cooperation l

Bangkok : India has stopped working in a routine, bureaucratic manner as it is undergoing "transformative changes", Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a group of influential business leaders on Sunday, hard-selling the country as one of the most attractive investment destinations globally. The prime minister particularly talked about initiatives to reform India's tax regime and said his government is now starting face-less tax assessment procedure so that there is no scope for discretion or harassment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event in Bangkok on Saturday. PTI The prime minister was speaking at an event to mark golden jubilee of the Aditya Birla Group's presence in Thailand. “In today's India, the contribution of the hard working tax payer is cherished. One area where we have done significant work is taxation. I am happy that India is one of the most people friendly tax regimes. We are committed to further improving it even more,” he said. The prime

Modi to attend ASEAN-India, RCEP summits in Thailand Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a business event and attend the ASEAN-India summit with the Thailand prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The India-ASEAN Summit will begin at 11.15 am and continue till 12.15 pm (IST). After the summit, Modi will hold a meeting with his Thailand counterpart. Modi is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Indonesia President Joko Widodo and Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the crowd during the 'Sawasdee PM Modi’ event in Bangkok. PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reached Bangkok to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India, East Asia and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summits. PM Modi will attend the 16th ASEAN-India Summit, the 14th East Asia Summit and the third summit meeting of RCEP. BJP announces candidates for Assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand, West Bengal The BJP announced

Hyderabad:  Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday set 5 November as the deadline for TRSTC employees, who have been on strike from 5 October over various demands, to give up their stir and join duty. He said the state cabinet decided to allot 5,100 of 10,400 routes to private operators, which is about 50 percent the state's bus services and warned that the other routes would also be given to them if those on strike don't join duty by the midnight of 5 November. Clarifying that only 'loss-making' routes would be given to private operators, Rao said the Centre would be informed about the state government's decision on allotting routes as was laid down in their new guidelines. File image K Chandrasekhar Rao. Twitter@TelanganaCMO "I appeal to the RTC employees to take this opportunity, keeping in view the welfare of their families. We want to give them (striking employees) one more chance," he said. "If the employees do not join d

New Delhi : According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), under the influence of Severe Cyclonic Storm Maha, heavy rainfall is likely over Gujarat and Saurashtra coasts on Sunday. Representational image. AP The weather forecast agency also predicted that under the influence of the low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea, heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 3 to 6 November. The Severe Cyclonic Storm Maha which was hovering over the east-central Arabian Sea has now moved towards northwestwards with a speed of 14 kmph in the past six hours. The cyclonic storm is about 520 km south-southwest of Veraval (Gujarat) and 540 km south-southwest of Diu. "It is very likely to move west-northwestwards till November 4 and recurve east-northeastwards towards south Gujarat and adjoining north Maharashtra coasts thereafter," the IMD stated in its All India Weather Forecast Bulletin. It is very likely to intensify

Pollution levels in Delhi and neighbouring cities stood at an overall air quality index (AQI) of 466 on Sunday according to Central Pollution Control Board 's 7 am weather bulletin. The National Capital remained in the 'severe' category on Sunday morning despite Saturday seeing a marginal dip in pollution with an increase in wind speed. Weather experts told PTI  that there is a significant improvement in wind speed and these winds are likely to increase gradually from Sunday, which will help reduce pollution levels. AQI is likely to be recovering further by 3 November from 'severe' to 'very poor', and by 4 November further improvement to the very poor category  according to Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR . A few areas of Delhi-NCR received light rain on Sunday morning. However, even after the shower, there was no relief from pollution. Delhi: Bawana at 492, ITO crossing at 487 and Ashok Vihar at 482 on Air Quality Index. All th

Bangkok : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Bangkok on Sunday, after arriving in the Thai capital on Saturday for a three-day visit. Modi has said that India remains committed to a comprehensive and balanced outcome of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations and seeks balance across goods, services and investments and also within each pillar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the crowd during the 'Sawasdee PM Modi’ event in Bangkok. PTI In an interview to Bangkok Post , the Prime Minister also said that a mutually beneficial RCEP, in which all sides gain reasonably, is in the interest of India and of all partners in the negotiation. "India remains committed to a comprehensive and balanced outcome from the ongoing RCEP negotiations. Its successful conclusion is in the interest of everyone involved. Hence, India seeks balance across goods, services and investments and also withi

Pollution levels in Delhi and neighbouring cities stood at an overall air quality index (AQI) of 466 on Sunday according to Central Pollution Control Board 's 7 am weather bulletin. The National Capital remained in the 'severe' category on Sunday morning despite Saturday seeing a marginal dip in pollution with an increase in wind speed. Weather experts told PTI  that there is a significant improvement in wind speed and these winds are likely to increase gradually from Sunday, which will help reduce pollution levels. AQI is likely to be recovering further by 3 November from 'severe' to 'very poor', and by 4 November further improvement to the very poor category  according to Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, SAFAR . A few areas of Delhi-NCR received light rain on Sunday morning. However, even after the shower, there was no relief from pollution. Delhi: Bawana at 492, ITO crossing at 487 and Ashok Vihar at 482 on Air Quality Index. All th

Modi to attend ASEAN-India, RCEP summits in Thailand Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a business event and then co-chair the ASEAN-India summit with the Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The ASEAN-India meeting will take stock of the progress made in the relationship. The India-ASEAN Summit will begin at 11.15 am and continue till 12.15 pm (IST). After the summit,Modi will hold a meeting with PM General Prayut Chan-O-Chan of Thailand. Modi is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Indonesia President Joko Widodo and Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi is scheduled at 4.40 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the crowd during the 'Sawasdee PM Modi’ event in Bangkok. PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reached Bangkok to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India, East Asia and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summits. PM Modi will attend the 16th ASEAN-India S

Chandigarh: Criticising the "petty politics" being played on the issue of pollution in the NCR, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday requested Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to convene a meeting of CMs of Delhi and neighbouring states to prepare a joint strategy to address this problem. "No single person, organisation or government can improve the quality of air in the national capital region (NCR), playing politics on this serious situation is unfortunate and, in itself, a matter of concern," Khattar said in a letter to Javadekar. File image of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. PTI The focus should be on providing relief and succour to the people who are suffering due to the prevalent severe pollution in the NCR for the last couple of days. Without naming anyone, Khattar also criticised the "growing tendency" on the part of some stakeholders to "play petty politics" on the issue. Echoing similar

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the Centre should probe into WhatsApp admitting that Indian journalists and human rights activists were spied upon by unnamed entities used by Israeli spyware Pegasus. She reiterated the allegation that her phone was being regularly tapped by the Union government. She criticised the role of the central government in the snooping row and alleged it was totally aware of the security breach on the messaging platform. File image of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. PTI Banerjee described the issue as "very serious" and said she will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get the matter probed. "My phone is tapped, I know that because I have got the information and have the evidence with me. The government knows it because it is they who are doing it. This is happening at the behest of the central government and two- three state governments. I will not name the states but one is a BJP ruled

The High Court of Punjab and Haryana has issued a notice to the Government of Haryana in response to a PIL which claims that the state government put at risk the lives of over 6,000 students by forcing them to attend classes in dilapidated school buildings declared "dangerous" by government agencies. The high court Friday ordered the state government to file its reply by 18 November. Social Jurist, an NGO and the petitioner in the case, said that 6,543 students of Classes 1 to 12 are forced to study in eight government-run school buildings which were declared dangerous by the Public Works Department in the year 2013. All the eight schools are based in Faridabad district of Haryana. Representational image. Reuters The petition demands that all these dysfunctional buildings be demolished and a new state of the art school buildings along with all required amenities be built in their place. It further appeals that a survey should be conducted in all the government schools o

Shahjahanpur: A special investigation team (SIT) probing the sexual assault case against former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand has recovered a purse of the complainant from a drain, sources said on Saturday. File image of Swami Chinmayanand. News18 The investigators were now looking for the spy camera-fitted spectacles of the law student which she had used to record evidence of sexual exploitation by the 72-year-old former parliamentarian, they said. The purse was found in the drain near Mumukshu Ashram of Chinmayanand. The SIT had deployed labourers to search for the articles in the drain, after detailed interrogation of the student's mother and father on Friday, they said. Chinmayanand has been booked under section 376C of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which is usually applied in cases where a person abuses his position to "induce or seduce" a woman under his charge to have "sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape". He also faces charg

Nashik: Incessant rains have led to a flood-like situation in several areas in Nashik district, severely affecting normal life. Heavy rains led to flood-like situation in Nashik. ANI "The torrential rains continue in Manmad town of Nashik district. It is reported that 350 people have migrated due to heavy rainfall. People of Idgah, Tucker Mohalla and Ambedkar Chowk in Manmad have been hit hard by the floods," said Suraj Mandra, District Magistrate, Nashik. "Arrangements were made for these citizens to stay at gurdwara, HAK High School, Marathi School, etc. The fire station of the municipality and Ganesh Kund were six to seven feet underwater," he added. On Friday night, the water flowing into the Panjhan river increased due to rise in floodwater. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Nashik is likely to receive one or two spells of rain with a thunderstorm in the next week. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2C1VmuX Asian N

Bangkok: North East India is being developed as a gateway to Southeast Asia under Central government's Act East Policy (AEP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, and added that the plans are on cards to establish seamless connectivity between Thailand, Myanmar and North East India in the years to come. "Our focus is to connect India's North East with Thailand. North East is being developed as a gateway to Southeast Asia. This initiative will immensely strengthen India's Act East Policy and Thailand's Act West Policy," Modi said in his address at the 'Sawasdee PM Modi' event. Modi will participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), East Asia, and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summits in Bangkok. Recounting his government's achievements in the past 5 years, Modi said that as many as eight crore homes in India were provided free LPG connections in just three years. "This number is bigger tha

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday launched a blistering attack on the government on the state of the economy, saying signing the RCEP agreement will result in "untold hardship" for farmers, shopkeepers and small enterprises. Addressing a meeting at the AICC headquarters here, she alleged that instead of acknowledging the "severe slowdown" and looking for a comprehensive resolution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is too busy "managing headlines and events". FIle image of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. News18 "As a citizen and as a member of the responsible Opposition, it pains me to see the Indian economy under siege. What is even more worrying is that the government is in complete denial," Gandhi said. "As economic decisions have not damaged the economy enough, it is now ready to deal a body blow to it by signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) - the regional free trade agreement o

Aizawl: A two-year-old boy and a woman died in a Bru relief camp in Tripura even as the refugees continued to stage blockade for the third consecutive day on Saturday, demanding the resumption of free ration and cash-dole to them, officials said. Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) alleged that the two died of "starvation" after the Centre "stopped providing free ration and cash-dole" to the inmates of the relief camps from last month as the ninth repatriation process has been commenced from 3 October. Kanchanpur Sub-divisional Magistrate Abhedananda Baidya said that "an infant and a 60-year-old woman" died in the Naisingpara relief camp but the "cause of death has not been ascertained" as an inquiry is being conducted. Representational image. Reuters He refused to comment further on the allegation of the Bru leaders. MBDPF's vice president R Laldawngliana told PTI over the phone that two-year-old boy, John Chongprengh,

New Delhi:   Lawyers and police personnel clashed at Tis Hazari Court complex in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon during which nine police vehicles were vandalised, officials said.  Lawyers alleged that two of their colleagues were injured, including one in police firing, but the police denied that it had opened fire. Bar Associations condemned the incident and called a one-day strike across all district courts in the national capital on 4 November. Secretary of Tis Hazari Bar Association Jaiveer Singh Chauhan told PTI that a lawyer's car allegedly hit a police jail van following which an argument broke out between him and the police. Delhi: A scuffle has broken out between Delhi Police and lawyers at Tis Hazari court. One lawyer injured and admitted to hospital. A vehicle has been set ablaze at the premises. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/8wrvNXuLLT — ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2019 "He was then taken inside a lockup and beaten up badly. The SHO came but was not a

Bangkok: As negotiations to finalise the long-overdue Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) enter final stages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India has put forward “reasonable proposals” in a clear manner and is engaged in the talks with “sincerity” for the free trade deal. Modi said India is “clear” that a mutually beneficial RCEP, in which all sides gain reasonably, is in interests of the country and of all nations involved in the negotiation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by Indian community in Bangkok, Thailand. PTI The prime minister's comments came as negotiators from 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and six other countries — India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are engaged in intense negotiations to seal the deal at a summit of the bloc in Bangkok on Monday. If finalized, the RCEP deal will facilitate creation of the biggest free-trade region in the world as the 16-nation grouping is home to

Although the decades-old Naga insurgency problem is yet to come to a close, there was some glimmer of hope when Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio asserted a "breakthrough" in the ongoing negotiations between the Centre and the rebel groups through a series of tweets to clinch the matter within the framework of the Constitution of India. "It is a historic moment and an occasion of great joy for all Nagas and the nation as a whole. Peace will now pave the way for genuine progress and true nation-building," Rio said in a tweet. Lauding the Centre's interlocutor, Governor RN Ravi, for bringing the biggest Naga insurgent outfit, National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) or NSCN (I-M) on board for talks, the Nagaland chief minister said, "Congratulations to Shri RN Ravi, NSCN (IM) and NNPGs for the efforts and sacrifices. Also, appreciation to the civil societies, mass-based organisations, NGOs, churches and the Naga people for the support and pray

Kolkata: The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state will take out a candlelight march in Kolkata on Monday to protest against the killing of five labourers of West Bengal in Kashmir early this week. The party would also press for an "impartial inquiry" into Tuesday's incident during the march, which would begin around 5 pm from Birla Planetarium and conclude at the Gandhi statue in Maidan area, a senior TMC leader said. Representational Image. PTI Five labourers - all residents of Bahalnagar village in Murshidabad district - were shot dead by terrorists in Kulgam district of Kashmir on Tuesday. They had gone to the Valley to work at apple orchards. State education minister and general secretary of the TMC, Partha Chatterjee, said, "We will take out a candlelight march to protest the dastardly killing of the five labourers in Kashmir. We will also press for an impartial inquiry." The party would stand by the family members of the five victims and ext

Chandigarh:  Former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday sought permission from the Union External Affairs Ministry to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan. The cricketer-turned-politician also wrote a letter to Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh in this regard. In a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Sidhu said that he had been invited by the Pakistan government for the opening ceremony of Kartarpur Sahib corridor on 9 November. "As a humble Sikh, it shall be a great honour to pay obeisance to our great Guru Baba Nanak on this historic occasion and connect to our roots," wrote Sidhu, who is a legislator from Amritsar East. Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu also writes to Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh seeking permission to visit Pakistan, for the inauguration of #KartarpurCorridor https://t.co/wU8nk5A2I4 pic.twitter.com/y0lkv7NoaE — ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2019 "Therefore, I ma

Jammu: Work at the high court and lower courts was affected in most parts of Jammu region on Saturday, following an indefinite strike by lawyers against the recent decision to divest the judicial courts of its powers to register various documents and vest the same with the revenue department. The strike call was given by Jammu chapter of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association (JKHCBA) on Friday, also opposing the proposal to shift the high court from its present location at Janipur to the outskirts of the city. The indefinite strike by the lawyers is seen as a major challenge for G C Murmu who took over as the first Lt Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which came into being on 31 October. File image of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Image courtesy: jkhighcourt.nic.in On 23 October, the State Administrative Council (SAC) headed by the then Governor Satya Pal Malik accorded sanction to the creation of a new department, which will function under the over