Gali Nagaraja

A moderate intensity earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale shook the Kashmir valley in the early hours of Tuesday.

“A moderate intensity earthquake occurred at 3.40 a.m. today,” an official of the local MET department here told IANS.

“The magnitude of the earthquake was 5.5 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of the earthquake was in Hindukush mountain range of Afghanistan.”

The tremors were felt when Muslims had just finished their pre-dawn meal to begin the day’s fast on the 12th day of the holy month of Ramadan.

No loss of life or property was reported.

Smoking will be banned in Australian state Victoria’s prisons from Wednesday, in a push to make prison life healthier for inmates.

The Victorian government flagged the ban last year, and the Corrections Department has been working with Quit Victoria, the state’s anti-smoking body, to formulate programmes specifically for the prison population, reported Xinhua news agency.

More than 80 percent of inmates smoke, but only 20 percent had attended quit programmes up until the end of May this year.

JNTU resolved the issue of admissions in 220 engineering colleges by giving permission to fill up 76,635 seats. According to a press note issued by JNTU 245 colleges had submitted petitions for permitting them to admit candidates out of which 220 colleges have been given permission rejecting the plea of 25 colleges. The rejected colleges have the option to approach the court.

–Siasat News

Osmania University has released the results of entrance tests for admissions into various PG courses. Prof. E. Suresh Kumar, Registrar of OU released these results yesterday. Present on this occasion were Prof. Gopal Reddy, Director of PG admission of OU. These results could be seen on university’s website http://ouadmissions.com/oucet/Download.html .

–Siasat News

Senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao today questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on ‘Lalitgate’ issue during his ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme and on allegations against foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

“He (Modi) talked about yoga, environment, women and all in his ‘Mann ki Baat’. That is good. But, he did not remember Lalitgate,” Rao said.

During the UPA government, Congress leaders like Pawan Bansal, Ashwini Kumar and Shashi Tharoor had quit as Union ministers soon after allegations were made against them, he recalled.

Muslim minority is anxious about the difference in claims and actions of KCR in respect of its development. KCR is famous for his political acumen, revolutionary temperament and to respond in his own style to his opponents but the dual stand taken by him in respect of Muslim minority raises doubts about his intentions. He has applauded the Govt. of Nizam on various occasions but is he opposed to Nizam in writing is a question.

AAP MLA Alka Lamba, sought information from Govt. of Delhi about rape cases. It was revealed that in 96% rape cases, the victims knew the rapists. Till 31st May 1947 cases of molestation were reported by women. Delhi police claimed that it solve 80% cases within a fortnight. The police also reported that fast urbanization and expansion of sub-cities like Dwarka and Rohini with unplanned colonies are the major factors of rape cases.

An ITI aspirant who had a dog’s photo on his admit card was today detained for interrogation by the police as part of the inquiry into how the animal’s photo came into his admit card.

“Soumyadip Mahato (18) has been detained for interrogation as part of inquiry into the case that sparked a lot of controversy,” police said.

A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court challenging a recent public notice by Tamil Nadu Government that wearing of helmets by two-wheeler riders and pillion riders would be compulsory from July 1 and that bike’s registration document would be impounded in case of violation.

Petitioner D Gopalakrishnan, a clerk of an advocate in the high court, submitted that the notice issued on the basis of the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA), 1988 does not have any provision for impounding vehicle documents in case of violation.

At least 20 members of families living under Islamic State crossed from Syria into Turkey amidst the Kurdish advance on al-Raqqa, the main stronghold of the radical group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Monday.

The London-based NGO noted that the family members “included 13 women, one of them is a Tunisian doctor,” and that initial reports showed that five of those who fled across the border were arrested by Turkish authorities.

The relatives of IS militants entered the Turkish border from al-Raii area, in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo, SOHR added.

The concept of Islamic “caliphate” entered its second year last Monday. The activists of IS have occupied a large territory in Syria and Iraq. It is posing a threat to enter Tunisia and Kuwait.

The head of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made an announced on 29th June 2014 that he wants to revive Islamic caliphate.

During the last one year it occupied many territories in Syria and Iraq despite military support by a U.S.-led coalition air campaign.

It aims to expand its territory in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Pakistan and other countries and wants to project fear on universal scale.

World number one Serena Williams began her 2015 Wimbledon campaign with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Russian qualifier Margarita Gasparyan, recovering from a slow start to ease into the second round.

The five-time champions, who is looking for her fourth straight title, was not at her best during the match and was forced to save six break points before winning the match.

The top seeded player said she knew that Gasparyan would be a good competitor.

Stressing that former Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar’s fake degree issue had been brought out much earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Pankaj Pushkar on Monday said that compromises happen when there is a lack of courage.

“Everyone knows that this issue was brought into notice much earlier. But at that time the party leadership was in a fix. And when there is a lack of courage, then compromises happen. We look for a winning candidate, that is why all this happened,” said Pushkar.

Pope Francis on Monday deplored the “atrocious, inhumane and inexplicable persecution” of Christians still taking place in many parts of the world and “often beneath the eyes and sealed lips of all”.

Pope Francis made the remarks during a sermon as he celebrated mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as it marks the feast day of its patron saints, Peter and Paul.

Actress Konkona Sen Sharma’s journey in the industry has been straightforward, largely displaying her tremendous acting skills in non-‘masala’ cinema nut shje terms it “convoluted”.

Attending a special initiative “Career Konnect: Power to Women” aimed at encouraging working mothers, Konkona said: “My journey has been a convoluted one till now. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was in college.”

“And acting was something I happened to stray into and subsequently made it my world though it was already my world because of my parents (mother and leading actress Aparna Sen).”

Following the ban on tight jeans, short tops and leggings by a north Kerala women’s college, Muslim cleric Mufti Shamoon Kazmi on Monday said that youngsters following a bit of fashion is not un-Islamic.

“I would like to say that they are youngsters and can do a little bit of fashion if they like to. It is nothing like un-Islamic that such a big decision, like a ban is required. But they should also know their limits,” Kazmi told ANI

The political group leaders of the European Parliament (EP) on Monday called Greece and the creditors to return to the negotiating table before the end of Tuesday.

As the Greek debt talks deadlocked again, EP President Martin Schulz and political group leaders gathered in Brussels to discuss the latest situation on Greece with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Xinhua reported.

The extraordinary meeting adopted a position on the immediate next step that should be taken, according to the EP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that he was “amazed” to see the response he got for his ‘SelfieWithDaughter’ call.

“Amazed by the fantastic response to SelfieWithDaughter. It’s remarkable how people across the world have chipped in,” he wrote on Twitter after getting a huge number of pictures from across the world.

The prime minister during his “Mann ki Baat”, an interactive radio programme, on Sunday had requested people to send in pictures clicked with their daughters to promote the cause of the girl child in India.

Former Pakistani captain Zaheer Abbas, who has recently assumed the role of International Cricket Council (ICC) president, has said that he would make strenuous efforts for the revival of bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan despite being in a ceremonial post.

“Being in a ceremonial post does not mean I can’t do anything. I love this game and in the next one year I want to contribute something to world cricket”, the Dawn quoted Abbas as saying.

Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday promised a “full spectrum response” to Islamist extremism, after British tourists were killed in attack on “Bloody Friday” on a Tunisian beach resort.

The killings were “absolutely horrific”, but the terror threat would be beaten. “This is, I think, going to be the struggle of our generation and we have to fight it with everything we can,” Cameron told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

A total of 38 people were killed on a beach near Sousse by a gunman with links to IS extremists.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Monday warned the BJP-led NDA not to target Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“Hosh mein rahein,” thundered Lalu Prasad after Arun Kumar, an MP from BJP ally RLSP, used harsh language against Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar.

Arun Kumar is state president of the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), whose national president Upendra Kushwaha is a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

Arun Kumar on Saturday hit out at Nitish Kumar, accusing him of targeting an upper caste community.

Middle order batsman Ajinkya Rahane was on Monday named captain of the 15-member Indian cricket team that will tour Zimbabwe in July as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli, among other seniors, were rested.

Batsmen Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav were also rested by the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) All-India Senior Selection Committee which met here. India will play three One-Day Internationals (ODI) and two Twenty20 Internationals from July 10 to 19 in Harare.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised continued military, political and economic support for Syria, a Syrian minister said on Monday.

“I have obtained a promise from President Putin on a Russian military, economic and political support to Syria,” Xinhua quoted Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem as saying in Moscow at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

Al-Moallem said the Russian leader stressed the need to found a regional alliance to fight terrorism.

India’s most successful women’s doubles shuttlers Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa were crowned champions in the $50,000 Canada Open Grand Prix following their 21-19, 21-16 victory over Dutch pair Eefje Muskens and Selena Piekof in the final here.

The 2011 World Championships bronze medal-winning pair took only 35 minutes on Sunday to get the better of Erfje-Selena at the Markin MacPhail Centre.

The Indian third seeds, who matched their career-best ranking at No.13 on Thursday, caught a very good start as they took a 6-2 lead even though Erfje-Selena fought back and equalised at 7-7.

The Indian cricket board on Monday gave “clean chit” to the three international cricketers whom former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi accused of accepting bribes, in cash and kind, from an Indian businessman.

“Since the three named are international players, they fall under the purview of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) jurisdiction. Thee ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has investigated the matter and it is up to them to answer on what came out,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur said here.