Press Trust of India The Delhi government would soon set up fast-track courts and implement the recommendations of the Justice J.S. Verma Committee for ensuring speedy justice to the victims of sexual assault, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said here on Sunday.
Talking on the International Women’s Day, Sisodia said the Delhi legislators and state government officials would be trained about the issues concerning women’s safety.
On the fourth day of auctions here for schedule III category mines whose earlier allotments were cancelled by the apex court, Jaiprakash Cement Corp and Gujarat Ambuja Cement emerged as successful bidders for the Mandla South and Gare Palma coal fields, respectively.
“Gare Palma 4/8 closes at 2291. Gujrat Ambuja Cement highest bidder,” Coal Secretary Anil Swarup tweeted.
Bidding for the Ganeshpur block in Jharkhand was underway.
“Mandla-South closes at (Rs.) 1,852 (a tonne). Bidding on in other two blocks,” tweeted Swarup earlier on Sunday.
The Taj Mahal on Sunday had special visitors — widows from Vrindavan and Varanasi.
As the women, dressed in white sarees, walked on the red sandstone pathways in twos and threes, foreign tourists stopped and got themselves photographed with them.
The visit on the International Women’s Day was sponsored by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The widows, who live in shelter homes run by Sulabh International, visited Agra Fort as well and were accorded a reception.
“I am humbled to have welcomed these women neglected by society,” said N.K. Pathak, ASI chief in Agra.
The first India-Nepal friendship motor rally has “significantly contributed in strengthening the friendship” and the “already existing cultural ties” between the two countries, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.
In a major heartbreak, Saina Nehwal lost the women’s singles final of the $500,000 All England Open Badminton Championships to Spain’s Carolina Marin here on Sunday.
In her attempt to become the first Indian woman to win the prestigious Super Series Premier event, she took off well to win the opening game and lead in the second. However, a major turnaround saw the reigning World Champion demonstrate pure skill and class to earn a come-from-behind 16-21, 21-14, 21-7 win in an hour and two minutes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and the pension scheme announced in the union budget could help women in a “big way”.
Interacting with the recipients of the ‘Stree Shakti Puraskar’ and ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’ for the year 2014 on the occasion of International Women’s Day, he said: “These schemes could help women in a big way, and civil society could play a key role in communicating their benefits to the people who needed them most.”
The awardees shared their experiences and sources of inspiration with Modi.
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Sunday urged Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to restore part of the budgetary allocations slashed in the union budget for certain schemes.
At an interaction with women journalists at the Indian Women’s Press Corps here, the minister, however, said there has been no cut in budgetary allocations for her ministry as such.
“It is not a cut in the budget but just a reappropriation. A large part has gone to the states as per the recommendations of the finance commission,” she said replying to a question.
The Trinamool Congress on Sunday announced its candidates’ list for Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls, and declared that incumbent mayor Sovan Chatterjee would be the party’s nominee for the post again if it returned to power.
Declaring the list for the forthcoming KMC polls, veteran party leader and West Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee said 66 of the candidates were women while 20 belonged to the minority communities.
“If we return to power, Sovan Chatterjee will be made mayor again,” he added.
Protests by BJP, a ruling coalition partner in Jammu and Kashmir, and the opposition Congress continued here on Sunday against the release of separatist leader Masrat Alam by Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s government.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers staged a protest here and in the border district of Poonch against Alam’s release.
Protesting BJP workers demanded immediate re-arrest of the released separatist, impressing on its central leadership of the party that such a move by the state government would erode the BJP’s base and credibility among people.
Despite objections from a parliamentary committee, the government is going ahead with amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act which will provide for 16-18 year olds, involved in heinous crimes, to be tried as adults.
Clarifying the government’s stand, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Sunday said that not all children aged 16-18 involved in criminal activities would be tried as adults.
“Belt and Road” initiatives, enhancing communication with other countries, expanding the convergence of shared interests and exploring possible areas for further win-win cooperation will be among the key focus areas of Chinese diplomacy in 2015, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.
China will improve cultural and people-to-people exchanges and speed up talks of free trade areas with relevant countries.
Two main themes will be peace and development, state-run People’s Daily quoted the minister as saying on the sideline of the annual session of the 12th National People’s Congress.
Congress leader Ajay Maken, under whose leadership the party failed to win even a single seat in last month’s Delhi assembly polls, Sunday took charge of the party’s state unit. He said the party faced “unprecedented challenge”.
Maken, who succeeds Arvinder Singh Lovely, assured party workers of adequate representation and participation in the decision making process. Besides, he announced a major party membership drive.
As many as 14 wickets fell on the first day of the Ranji Trophy final being played between holders Karnataka and Tamil Nadu at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.
Put in to bat, Tamil Nadu were bowled out for a paltry 134 with Karnataka captain and pacer Vinay Kumar picking up 5/34.
Tamil Nadu kept losing wickets at regular intervals before being bowled out. Apart from 35 runs from captain and opener Abhinav Mukund, there were only small contributions from Baba Indrajith (27) and Aswin Crist (21) lower down the order.
Contradicting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s claims, sidelined Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy on Sunday said the state government has failed to fulfill the expectations of the minorities.
Roy, while visiting Furfura Sharifi — a much-respected shrine for Bengali Muslims — credited the minorities for bringing the Trinamool to power in the state in 2011.
An Indian woman IT consultant, employed with Bengaluru-based tech firm MindTree, was stabbed to death while she was walking home from work in the Australian city of Sydney, police said on Sunday.
Prabha Arun, in her 40s, was attacked at Amos Street in the western part of the city about 9.30 p.m. on Saturday. She was on the phone with her husband Arun Kumar, who lives in Bengaluru with their 10-year-old daughter, when she was stabbed. She was around 300 metres from her Westmead home when she was attacked.
The central government on Sunday sought a report from Jammu and Kashmir on the release of separatist leader Masrat Alam from preventive detention.
“The Centre has asked the state government to send a report on the issue,” a home ministry official told IANS.
Alam, who was arrested during the 2010 unrest in the Kashmir Valley for allegedly inciting youth, was released by the newly-installed PDP-BJP coalition government on Saturday.
At least 112 people were killed in bloody clashes between unruly mobs and security forces during the unrest in the valley.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday condoled the death of prominent journalist and writer Vinod Mehta.
In his condolence message, Gandhi said he was “extremely saddened” at the passing away of Mehta.
“A fearless and independent voice, he will be remembered for his courage of conviction… his demise will leave a vacuum in Indian journalism that will be hard to fill. My condolences to his family and loved ones,” he said.
Russia clinched a convincing 7-0 win over Singapore on the opening day of the Hockey World League Round 2 (Women) at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Saturday.
In the first quarter, Russia outplayed Singapore with their spirited performance and attacking moves. Nine minutes into the game, Russia struck their first goal through captain Irina Osipova. With just four minutes to go in the first quarter, Ksenia Shamina netted another field goal to double the lead.
The Nagaland government is yet to make any arrest in connection with Thursday’s lynching of a rape accused in Dimapur, as the central government on Saturday asked the state to take strict action against those behind the incident.
A Nagaland Police official in Dimapur said efforts were on to identify those involved in the killing of Syed Farid Khan and that they would be brought to book soon.
Swine flu has claimed two more lives in Himachal Pradesh, taking the toll to 13, an official said on Saturday.
A man died at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH) here on Friday, while another died on Saturday, state surveillance officer Rajesh Guleri told reporters.
He said 63 samples have tested positive till date.
Eight people have died in the IGMCH, while five deaths have been reported in the Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Tanda town in Kangra district.
(IANS)
At least six people were killed and five others wounded when two gunmen attacked a mosque here in the Afghan capital on Saturday, police said.
“Two men armed with handguns opened fire on worshipers in Bahadur Aaq monastery, a local mosque in western Kabul. As a result six people were killed and five others wounded,” a police source told Xinhua.
The attackers fled the scene shortly after the firing which occurred around 6 p.m., according to the source.
The Iraqi government on Saturday said the Islamic State (IS) militants destroyed the ancient remains of Hatra city in the northern province of Nineveh.
“The terrorist Daash (IS militant group) has stolen and destroyed the city of Hatra,” which dates back to 2,000 years and is located some 110 km southwest of Nineveh’s provincial capital city of Mosul, a statement by the tourism and antiquities ministry said, Xinhua reported.
The festering India-Sri Lanka fishermen issue got a further impetus on Saturday with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe stirring a controversy, when he referred to intruding Indian fishermen and said his country’s law has a provision to “shoot” anyone trying to “break into my house”.
The statement, made to a television channel, came as India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was in Colombo to lay the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral visit next week, the first by an Indian prime minister since 1987.
In a setback to the Congress, two of its Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillors including prominent leader Mala Roy – a known critic of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – joined the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress on Saturday.
Roy, who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls from South Kolkata constituency last year, met Trinamool supremo Banerjee before her formal induction.
“I have quit the Congress. I want to work for the people and I was not getting the chance. I’m happy to return to my old party,” Roy said after her meeting with Banerjee.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday that the US and France have agreed that the current nuclear deal being discussed with Iran needs to be strengthened.
Kerry said this after a meeting with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius at Quai d’Orsay in Paris, Xinhua reported.
The US secretary of state added that he was in no hurry to conclude an agreement with Iran, adding “we have to get the right deal”.
He said it is up to Iran to prove that it has a peaceful nuclear programme.
Fabius said there has been progress in some areas but there are also differences.