BERLIN (TIP): Swiss police say they’ve formally identified two bodies found on an Alpine glacier as those of a couple missing for nearly 75 years. Valais canton (state) police said Wednesday that forensic experts using DNA analysis identified the two as Marcelin Dumoulin and his wife, Francine. They were 40 and 37, respectively, when they disappeared on Aug. 15, 1942. The couple’s daughter, now 79, has said her parents set off on foot to feed their animals but never returned. Police were alerted on Friday to the bodies on the Tsanfleuron glacier at 2,615 meters (8,580 feet) above sea level. Regional police have a list going back to 1925 of missing people. They note that, because of climate change, bodies of people missing for decades regularly emerge from receding glaciers. (PTI)
Year: 2017
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Earthquake damages buildings on Greek island 2 killed and 100 hurt
KOS (TIP): A powerful earthquake struck Greek islands early morning on july 20, damaging buildings and a port, killing at least two people and causing more than 100 injuries, authorities said.
The island of Kos was nearest to the epicentre and appeared to be the worst-hit, with two deaths and structural damage to older buildings. Minor damage — cracks in buildings, smashed windows and trashed shops — appeared widespread, according to city officials.
“The rest of the island has no problem. It’s only the main town that has a problem,” Kos Mayor Giorgos Kyritsis told state-run Greek media. “The buildings affected were mostly old, and were built before the earthquake building codes were introduced.”
Rescuers were checking for trapped people inside houses after the quake struck in the middle of the night. Kyritsis said the army was mobilised along with emergency services. The island’s port was among structures that sustained damaged and a ferry en route there was not docking, the coast guard said.Giorgos Halkidios, Kos regional government official, said the number of injured was more than 100.
“Two or three of them are in serious condition and are in surgery,” he said. He said the injured included people who were underneath a building that collapsed. Ferry services were suspended due to damage at Kos’s main port, where a 14th-century fortress also was damaged. A minaret from an old mosque also was damaged.
Greek officials said the quake was 6.5-magnitude. It was centred 10 kilometres south of Bodrum, Turkey, and 16 kilometres east-northeast of Kos with a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. According to Turkish disaster officials, the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, and more than 20 aftershocks have been recorded. Esengul Civelek, governor of Mugla province, said there were no casualties according to initial assessments. She said “there were minor injuries due to fear and panic.” In Bitez, a resort town about 6 kilometres west of Bodrum, the quake sent frightened residents running into the streets Hotel guests briefly returned to their rooms to pick up their belongings but chose to spend the rest of the night outside, with some using sheets and cushions borrowed from nearby lounge chairs to build makeshift beds, according to an AP reporter on the scene. Greece and Turkey lie in an especially earthquake-prone zone. (AP)
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Gifts to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II go on display
LONDON (TIP): Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is putting gifts received from world leaders on display at Buckingham Palace, with the eclectic collection including presents from the likes of Nelson Mandela and John F. Kennedy.
A remarkable array of over 200 gifts will go on display from Saturday, providing an intriguing reminder of the globetrotting lifestyle and international encounters of the 91-year-old sovereign.
“One of the most universal aspects of the Queen’s meetings with other heads of state, both at home and abroad, is the exchange of gifts,” said Sally Goodsir, assistant curator of the new “Royal Gifts” exhibition.
Since her accession to the throne in 1952, Elizabeth has travelled more than 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometres) around the world and taken part in 89 state visits abroad.
At the same time, she has welcomed more than 100 leaders to Britain for formal state visits.
“The exchange is a gesture of goodwill and these gifts are representative of traditional skills or of cultural significance and speak of a nation of culture’s history and traditions,” explains Goodsir.
Although hugely diverse, these symbols of friendship have often involved an exchange of signed photographs.
These include one from US President John F. Kennedy in 1961, who along with his wife Jackie was invited to dine at Buckingham Palace while on an unofficial visit to London.
The gifts on display also include a handwritten note of Kennedy’s “high esteem” for his royal host. Thirty-five years later, the queen met with another great figure of the 20th century when she welcomed Nelson Mandela for a state visit. The then South African president offered the monarch a silk scarf depicting bushmen hunting a herd of eland in his country’s Eastern Cape region.
Next to the scarf stands a surprising portrait of Elizabeth, created by weaving dyed banana leaves together, which was given by Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame in 2006.
Below the majestic chandeliers of Buckingham Palace’s ballroom gifts from Asia are on display, including a lacquer box with the image of a heron worked in silver on the lid.
It was a present from Japan’s Emperor Showa to Elizabeth for her coronation in 1953. (AP)
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Water thrown at Muslim women in fake acid attack hate crime outside mosque
SOUTHAMPTON (TIP): Water was thrown over two women standing outside a mosque in an apparent fake acid attack which police are treating as racially aggravated assault.
The women, who were wearing traditional head coverings, were attacked as they waited outside the Bashir Ahmed Masjid in Southampton on Tuesday. A CCTV footage showed a black car slowing down next to them before speeding away. The pair reacted in horror before realising they are unhurt.
The mosque, in the southern city’s Portswood district, has been forced to issue a safety warning to worshippers. Police described the women as “understandably shaken”, while on Facebook the mosque shared their fears that a subsequent attack could involve acid. It follows a string of acid attacks, including five committed inside 90 minutes in London last week.
A message, the mosque said, came from one of the women read, “Sisters just to warn you to be careful when u are out and about, you all know about the recent acid attacks in London.
“Today my friend and I were standing outside Bashir Masjid in Portswood, waiting to be picked up when a group of men in a black car drove past us and threw water at us. We are both OK because it was only water, but if they get away with doing stuff like this then it could embolden them to next time use bleach or acid.”
The footage suggested the assault took place at about 2pm. A Hampshire Constabulary spokeswoman said, “We received a report yesterday regarding a racially aggravated assault in Portswood Road, Southampton.”
“A woman reported that she stood outside a mosque in Portswood Road, with her friend, when they had water thrown over them by someone in a passing car.”
“Our investigations are continuing today and we are in contact with the victims who were understandably shaken by this incident. The vehicle is described as a black estate car.”
Recent acid attacks have led to calls for tougher controls on corrosive substances, while Home Secretary Amber Rudd has suggested acid attack convictions could soon carry life sentences. A Home Office review will examine the law enforcement and criminal justice response, existing laws, access to harmful products and the support available for victims.
Anyone with information about the Southampton assault should call Hampshire Constabulary on 101, and quote reference 44170276157. (PTI)
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Mosul’s Christians face dilemma after Islamic State
ARBIL (IRAQ) (TIP): The jihadists may have been ousted from their Iraqi hometown of Mosul but many Christians like Haitham Behnam refuse to go back and trade in the stability of their new lives.
“There’s no security, no protection for Christians back there,” said the former resident of the largest city in northern Iraq.
“It’s better for us to stay here and keep our mouths shut,” said the man in his 40s who resettled in the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Arbil in 2014 after the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group seized control of Mosul.
“They came to see us in our shops. They told us: ‘We have nothing against you. If we’re bothering you, tell us.’ A week later, it was ‘Christians out!’” recalled Behnam, who used to deal in ready-to-wear clothing.
Under the brutal rule of IS, Mosul’s Christian community of around 35,000 was handed an ultimatum: convert to Islam, pay a special tax imposed on non-Muslims, or risk being executed unless they leave town.
Since the Iraqi authorities on July 10 announced their recapture of Mosul after a battle that raged for several months, tens of thousands of Christians who have rebuilt their lives in the past three years face a dilemma.
“We couldn’t go back even if we wanted to,” said Behnam, who fondly remembers “a paradise-like life” before Mosul fell under jihadist control.
His polo shirt and trousers are smeared with grease from his new life as a mechanic working in an Arbil suburb, a change he has had to undergo in order to put food on the table for his wife and two children.
“There’s no security (in Mosul). People were brainwashed over the past three years,” said Behnam, a Catholic. “Even the children have become Daesh, they’ve been taught to slit throats,” he said using a pejorative Arabic name for IS.
A customer at the small workshop that Behnam rents was quick to agree. “If I was a Christian, I wouldn’t go back to Mosul until its residents prove to me that they’re ready to accept me,” said Omar Fawaz, a Muslim from the east of the city. Once the battle for Mosul was over, his parents had returned, only to find their home occupied by the victorious security forces.
“Neighbours told us to take the house of a Christian who used to live four doors down,” said the 29-year engineer. “The mentality hasn’t changed. The imams in the mosques preach against IS… but the Salafists (radical Muslims) believe Christians have no place there.”
Another Christian Maslawi (resident of Mosul), Essam Boutros, a father of four, had to restart from scratch after having abandoned five shops and two houses in the city in 2014.
He had to sell his car to pay the first three months of rent for a shop in Arbil and used his business contacts and reputation to open credit lines with suppliers in neighbouring Turkey.
Now his impressive two-floor store displays counters loaded with perfumes and cosmetics as well as racks of brightly coloured clothes for young girls. (AFP)
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FRENCH MILITARY CHIEF RESIGNS AFTER ROW WITH MACRON
PARIS: France’s top military chief resigned after a war of words with Emmanuel Macron over budget cuts that tested the new president’s authority.
The row between Macron and General Pierre de Villiers erupted last week when the chief of staff told a parliamentary committee he would not allow the armed forces to be “screwed” by the government’s plans to slash 850 million ($980 million) from this year’s defence budget.
Macron, 39, slapped down the 60-yearold 5-star general in front of army chiefs at their annual summer party last week, saying “I am the boss” and that he deeply regretted the budget dispute had been dragged into the “public sphere”. De Villiers, a widely respected figure who had been in the job for three years and was popular with the rank and file, said he had no choice but to stand down.
“I no longer feel able to ensure the sustainability of the model of the armed forces that I think is necessary to guarantee the protection of France and the French people,” he said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Macron stood by his handling of the disagreement, telling France 2 television that de Villiers was a “fine soldier” it was “not the role” of the chief of staff to question the budget.
The president also reiterated his promise to raise the defence budget again in 2018. “I’m behind our troops,” he assured.
He named General Francois Lecointre, a 55-year-old hero of the Balkans wars, as de Villiers’s replacement.
Seen as one of the finest officers of his generation, de Villiers’s departure triggered howls of indignation from the opposition.
The leader of the hard-left France Unbowed, Jean-Luc Melenchon, called it an “enormous mistake” on Macron’s part.
De Villiers’s leaked remarks about the budget were made behind closed doors to a committee that expected him to “respond frankly”, Melenchon argued. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whom Macron beat in the presidential run-off election, claimed de Villiers’s resignation showed “the very serious abuses and worrying limits” of Macron’s leadership.
Damien Abad, a lawmaker from the conservatives Republicans, also took issue with what he termed Macron’s “excessive authoritarianism”.
De Villiers had repeatedly complained that the military was overstretched and said he saw it as his duty to inform politicians.
In a Facebook “letter to a young recruit” last week, he wrote: “As everyone has their shortcomings, no one should be blindly followed.”
Macron’s defence cuts — part of a 4.5 billion reduction in spending aimed at reducing France’s budget deficit — were viewed by the military as a betrayal after his strong show of support for the armed forces during his first weeks in office. Hours after being inaugurated Macron visited a hospital treating injured soldiers and his maiden foreign trip as leader took him to Mali to meet French troops engaged in counterterrorism operations.
Today, he is set to visit an air base in the southwestern city of Istres, addressing the military for the first time since de Villiers’ departure, with Lecointre accompanying him.
The president, his office said, will “reiterate his support for the armed forces, reminding them of his campaign pledge to increase the defence budget as well as his ambitious plans for them in a difficult international environment”.
Retired general Dominique Trinquand, an adviser to Macron during his campaign, said the row had cast a pall over his otherwise “remarkable” debut.
“This is a hitch that will probably be a bit difficult to get past,” he said in an interview with AFP. Uniformed troops formed a guard of honour and applauded de Villiers as he left the defence ministry, according to a one-minute video posted with the message “Merci” (thank you) on the chiefs of staff Twitter account.
Macron says the belt-tightening is temporary and that he remains committed to boosting defence spending to 2.0 per cent of gross domestic product by 2025 (around 50 billion), in line with Nato targets. (AFP)
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China’s attempts to lobby against India suffer as US China talks hit hard rock
BEIJING (TIP): China’s hopes of getting western support for its stance against India dimmed as Chinese negotiators suffer a serious setback during annual US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue in Washington on Wednesday. Negotiations between the two sides got into a deadlock as American negotiators demanded an end to Chinese dumping of steel and a reduction in the adverse trade deficit created by Chinese exporters.
Chinese envoys are already facing an uphill task trying to convince western countries that the world’s biggest democracy was actually an aggressor on the border with the second biggest economy. It is much easy for China to persuade countries that depend on its largesse like Pakistan that it was a victim at the Doklam plateau where Indian troops have allegedly trespassed into Chinese territory.
A joint press conference that was to be held by officials of the two countries was abruptly cancelled. “The press conference was canceled because there was nothing to say. Nothing has been achieved in specific terms,” Sourabh Gupta, a senior specialist at the Institute of China America Studies in Washington told TNN. “The US came down very hard on China and I think China balked,” he said.
The economic dialogue has resulted in a setback in US-China relationship, which will make it more difficult for Chinese diplomats to get Washington to accept their point of view on the border standoff with India, sources said.
The Trump administration has repeatedly said that Chinese dumping of steel and other goods has led to huge loss of American jobs. During the negotiations, US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said that China’s $347 trade deficit with his country was not the result of natural market forces but the absence of “fair, equitable and reciprocal” relationship between the two countries.
“We must create more balance in our trade by increasing exports of made-in- America goods to China,” Ross said adding, “There are significant opportunities to do this if we can work together to remove the significant barriers that continue to exist”.
Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang, who participated in the talks, spoke about the importance of cooperation between the two countries in general terms but had nothing specific to report in terms of outcomes.
“Good cooperation between China and the US, the world’s two largest economies, will not only benefit the businesses and people of the two countries, but the entire world,” China’s state media quoted him as saying. (PTI)
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No sympathy for lynching in the name of cow says Govt
NEW DELHI (TIP): Facing attacks over lynching incidents, the government on Thursday asserted that killings in the name of cow “sentiments” was unacceptable and said the state governments should take stern action against those indulging in such violence.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley, who was replying to a debate on lynchings in the Rajya Sabha on behalf of ailing home minister Rajnath Singh, made it clear that the central government could not be blamed for violence by “some people” as it was the responsibility of the state governments to deal with such issues. “The government’s stand is clear.
Nobody is allowed to do that (lynching in the name of cow protection). There is no rationalisation, no arguments of sentiments being hurt can be an explanation for this.
And, the government is absolutely committed,” he said. He said “no amount of sympathy” will be shown for those who indulge in lynching and “law will certainly take its own course.”
Jaitley was replying to the debate on ‘situation arising out of the reported increase in the incidents of lynching.
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Mayawati’s resignation accepted
NEW DELHI (TIP): BSP supremo Mayawati’s resignation from the Rajya Sabha has been accepted by Chairman Hamid Ansari. Officials said Mayawati had submitted a fresh resignation letter as per the prescribed format, which was accepted by Ansari today Accusing the BJP and the Chair of not allowing her to raise the issue of anti-Dalit violence in Uttar Pradesh,Mayawati resigned from the House on Wednesday.
The three-page resignation letter she submitted was rejected as it was not in the requisite format. As per the format, the resignation letter should be brief and should not mention reasons. The resignation move is seen as an attempt by Mayawati to consolidate her core Dalit support base and re-establish herself as the community’s preeminent leader after facing a massive defeat in the UP Assembly poll earlier this year. There is also a speculation that she might tie up with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD to augment her falling political fortunes.
The BSP could win only 18 seats while the BJP came to power by winning more than 300 of the 403 seats in the Assembly poll.
The BJP had termed her resignation as a “drama” and pointed out that her tenure in the House was anyway coming to an end early next year.
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PM visited 49 countries in last 3 years says Govt
NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has has travelled 49 countries in the last three years during which India signed a number of agreements on a range of topics, the government today said.
In a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, V K Singh, the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, said the prime minister visited eight countries in the first second half of 2014, starting with Bhutan.
This year, the prime minister has visited 10 countries in the last seven months.
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ED summons Shah Rukh for FEMA violation
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued notices to actor Shah Rukh Khan and his wife, Gauri Khan, for alleged violations in Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to the tune of Rs 73.6 crore and asked them to appear before it on August 23.
Actor Juhi Chawla is also being probed in this case.
SRK had appeared before the law enforcement agency in 2011 and 2015 to record his statement. The ED had sent a show-cause notice to Khan, Gauri, and Chawla in March.
What is the forex case?
- ? SRK formed a start-up Knight Riders Sports Pvt. Ltd (KRSPL) in 2008 to acquire IPL franchise rights of cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders. He owned 10,000 shares initially.
- ? The entire shareholding of KRSPL was with Red Chillies and Gauri Khan. After the success of IPL, about two crore additional shares were issued by KRSPL, of which 50 lakh shares were issued to a Mauritius based company owned by actor Juhi Chawla’s husband Jay Mehta, The Sea Island Investment Ltd (TSIIL), at Rs 10 per share, and 40 lakh shares were issued to Chawla. Khan owns 1.1 crore shares.
- ? Chawla later transferred her 40 lakh shares to TSIIL at Rs 10 per share as against a much higher market value. Thus, TSIIL owns 90 lakh shares at par value while the actual cost of share at the time of issue/sale was between Rs 86 and Rs 99 per share.
- ? The ED alleged that Khan undervalued his shares, which cost a forex loss of Rs 73.6 crore to the government.
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DOKLAM CRISIS INDIA PUSHES FOR DIALOGUE WITH CHINA
Beijing ‘threatens security’ at tri-junction
- ? In the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said China intends to unilaterally change the status of the trijunction with Bhutan, posing a challenge to India’s security
- On the standoff at Doklam, she referred to the written agreement between India, China and Bhutan in 2012 that the three nations would together decide on the boundaries at the trijunction point
- ? She said China had been constructing roads earlier too, but now they had brought in bulldozers and excavators. “We are saying that the matter can be resolved through talks, but both sides have to first take back their armies,” she said
NEW DELHI (TIP): India on June 20 played cautious and maintained that talks were the way forward when it came to resolving the month-old Doklam standoff. China has maintained that Indian troops need to withdraw as a precondition for any ‘meaningful dialogue’ to begin.
Gopal Baglay, official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, today chose not to directly answer questions on the Chinese precondition for talks but emphasised that ‘diplomatic channels’ had not been impeded. India’s response to the situation so far has been mellow, in contrast to the Chinese posturing which has been overly aggressive.
The spokesperson said Bhutan wants China to go back to the status quo that existed on the ground before June 16 and in essence India also wants that status quo to be restored. Speculation has been rife that differences between India and Bhutan have arisen over the Doklam crisis.
“Differences between India and China should never become a dispute…We’ve said diplomatic channels are available and have been available. To the best of my understanding they have never stopped,” said Baglay when asked whether India will approach any international bodies such as the UN to intervene in the dispute.
Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a strong statement in the Rajya Sabha and demanded that China withdraw its troops for the talks to begin. “We are saying that if a dialogue is to be held, then both should withdraw (their troops),” she said. The Chinese action “is a challenge to our security”, Swaraj said, adding that India was not doing anything unreasonable.
She added that foreign countries are with India. “They feel that China is being aggressive with a small country like Bhutan. Bhutan has protested, including in writing. All the countries feel India’s stand is right and the law is with us,” Swaraj added.
Source: The Tribune
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Pak targeting kids, villagers near LoC, says DGMO
HIGHLIGHTS
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? Indian DGMO Lt-General A K Bhatt told his Pakistani counterpart to exercise “strict control” over his troops
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? Lt-Gen Bhatt said Pakistan army had deliberately targeted villages and also fired at kids in Nowshera sector
NEW DELHI: India on Thursday accused Pakistan of “deliberately targeting” villages and school children in ceasefire violations across the Line of Control, which remains volatile with the two armies exchanging heavy fire on a daily basis in Jammu & Kashmir.
Indian director general of military operations Lt-General A K Bhatt told his Pakistani counterpart Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza over the hotline to exercise “strict control” over his troops and instruct them to refrain from any “nefarious activities”.
During the telephonic conversation at about 3.30pm on Thursday, Lt-Gen Bhatt said Pakistan army troops had deliberately targeted villages and also fired at school children in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district when they were being evacuated from the area on Tuesday.
“The Pak army DGMO was told such activities did not behove any professional army. The Indian Army, as a professional force, takes due care to avoid targeting of civilians and the Pak Army was expected to do the same,” said Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand.
The Pakistan DGMO was also informed about “the spate in ceasefire violations which also included “calibre escalation (use of heavy weapons), coupled with incidents of sniping and attempted infiltration” by terrorists backed by his force. Over 240 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC have been recorded this year.
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Israel to partner DRDO for developing missile defence system for India
NEW DELHI (TIP): In a major upgrade to its defences, the Indian Army has signed a MoU with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to raise one regiment of the advanced Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles (MRSAM). The army plans to have a total of five regiments of this air defence system, which will be deployed opposite to China and Pakistan.
The MRSAM marks a paradigm shift in the capabilities of the Indian Army. The system can shoot down enemy ballistic missiles, aircraft, helicopters, drones, surveillance aircraft and Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Meant for the Army Air Defence, the MRSAM is an advanced, all weather, mobile, land-based air defence system.
It is capable of engaging multiple aerial targets at ranges of more than 50 km. Each MRSAM system comprises a commandand- control system, a tracking radar, missiles, and mobile launchers.
Each regiment consists of four launchers with three missiles each. So five regiments will have 60 missiles.
A MOU has been signed between the army and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for one regiment.
“The MOU marks the beginning of the development of the MRSAM in the configuration required by the army,” said a defence ministry official, adding that the entire project is worth Rs 17,000 cr.
Earlier this year, the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by PM Narendra Modi approved a proposal for procuring the MRSAM system for the army. According to the proposal, the army will induct five regiments of the system.
The system will be jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and DRDO with the involvement of private sectors and DPSUs. “The system will have majority indigenous content, giving boost to the Make-in-India initiative.
The participation of Indian companies in producing MRSAM will empower them in the field of hightech weapon technology.
Last July, the IAI and DRDO conducted three flight tests of the MRSAM at the integrated test range off the Odisha Coast.
The missile successfully intercepted moving aerial targets in all three tests. The MRSAM is a land-based variant of the long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) or Barak-8 naval air defence system, which is designed to operate from naval vessels.
Source: TOI
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Will decide on early hearing in Babri Masjid dispute case says SC
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court on Friday, July 21, said it would take a decision to list for early hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid land dispute case.
“We will take a decision on it,” a bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said when BJP leader Subramanian Swamy mentioned the matter for urgent listing and hearing.
Swamy said the main appeals against the Allahabad High Court order were pending for the last seven years in the apex court and they required urgent hearing.
He also said that a separate petition had earlier been filed by him seeking enforcement of his right to worship without much hassle at the site.
He also said that he had been allowed by the apex court to intervene in the matter and is seeking expeditious disposal of the cases.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had in 2010 ruled a three-way division of the disputed 2.77 acres area at the disputed site in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
The three-judge bench, by a 2:1 majority, had said the land be partitioned equally among three parties, the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and ‘Ram Lalla’.
Source: PTI
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Pranab’s farewell will span 3 days
NEW DELHI (TIP): With Ram Nath Kovind winning the presidential elections on Thursday, it is time to bid farewell to outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee, who will move out of the Rashtrapati Bhawan officially on July 25, making way for Kovind to take his place in the highest constitutional office of the country the same day.
After new President Kovind is sworn in on July 25 morning, and the Mukherjee and he have switched chairs, both of them will come down to the Central Hall of Parliament together where Kovind will make his acceptance speech.
After that, accompanied by a cabinet minister Mukherjee will drive down to his new home in Lutyens’ Delhi at 10, Rajaji Marg, and Kovind will head for Rashtrapati Bhawan.
There are at least three farewell gatherings planned for President Mukherjee. PM Narendra Modi will host a dinner at the Hyderabad House with his full council of ministers to bid adieu to Mukherjee.
The next day, MPs will give Mukherjee a send-off over high tea at the Central Hall, hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
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India Japan civil nuclear deal finally comes into force
NEW DELHI (TIP): India completed the process of its civil nuclear agreements, as the landmark India- Japan civil nuclear agreement entered into force on Thursday, July 20.
Foreign secretary S Jaishankar and Japanese ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu exchanged diplomatic notes, marking operationalisation of the pact, the external affairs ministry said.
The civil nuclear cooperation agreement was signed last November during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tokyo after over six years of negotiations.
The entry into force comes a few months before Shinzo Abe’s scheduled visit to India in September this year.
Prime Minister Modi and Abe had a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 8, where they reviewed the state of bilateral relations. Abe is expected to formally begin the ground breaking for the high speed train project to run from Ahmedabad to Mumbai.
“This agreement is a reflection of the strategic partnership between India and Japan and will pave the way for enhanced cooperation in energy security and clean energy.”
“The landmark agreement seeks to promote full cooperation between the two countries in the development and uses of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes on a stable, reliable and predictable basis,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay told reporters.
The deal allows Japan to export nuclear technology to India, making it the first non-NPT signatory to have such a deal with Tokyo.
Source: TOI
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SUKHPAL KHAIRA IS LEADER OF OPPN IN PUNJAB ASSEMBLY
CHANDIGARH (TIP): Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira was chosen as the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly today, with majority of the 19 other Aam Aadmi Party MLAs recommending his name in a one-on-one meeting with national party convener Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi.
HS Phoolka, who had resigned as the Leader of Opposition to focus on fighting cases of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims, also backed Khaira. Khaira got preference over other contenders after about 15 MLAs met in Chandigarh on July 17 where they agreed to support him on the ground that he was the only experienced legislator. One of the main contenders, Nazar Singh Mansahia, withdrew his name in Khaira’s favour in the meeting itself.
Three MLAs, it is learnt, expressed strong reservation against Khaira’s name today, arguing that he would nurture his personal agenda more than toeing the party’s line and ideals. However, when Kejriwal and MP Bhagwant Mann announced that majority of the MLAs were in favour of Khaira, all MLAs gave their consent. The Leader of Opposition gets a Cabinet Minister rank and status. Talwandi Sabo MLA Baljinder Kaur was another contender for the post.
Party sources said the Delhi leadership felt that the party may get divided if Khaira was not given a chance. Khaira, at present the Chief Whip of the party, had openly protested against the selection of Bhagwant Mann as state party president.
Khaira faces a daunting task as he has to keep the party flag high in the Assembly, besides ensuring discipline. His first challenge would be to find a way out of privilege action against him by the Speaker. Khaira had during the Budget Session last month gone live on Facebook from the Assembly, against the rules. He was suspended for the session. A privilege committee will hear the allegation against him. Meanwhile, commenting on his election, Khaira said it was a moral victory of hard work and truth against sycophancy and money power. Khaira had remained a Congress MLA from 2007 to 2012. His father Sukhjinder Singh was an Akali leader who remained Education Minister twice.
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Convictions in major Thai human trafficking trial
BANGKOK (TIP): A Thai court found dozens of people guilty of human trafficking offences today in a mass trial exploring links between corrupt officials, including a senior army general, and the grim but lucrative trade in Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants.
Thailand’s junta launched a crackdown in May 2015 on a network funnelling desperate migrants through southern Thailand and onto Malaysia, holding some for ransom in jungle camps.
It unspooled a crisis across Southeast Asia as gang masters abandoned their human cargo in the camps where hundreds died from starvation and malaria, and at sea in overcrowded boats which were then “ping ponged” between Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian waters.
Rights groups long accused officials of ignoring – and even orchestrating – the trade in humans through Thailand’s southern provinces. The area was the crucial link in a criminal trail that stretched from Myanmar to Malaysia. The crackdown revealed a lattice of military, police, local political and mafia figures acting as traffickers, agents and logistics men, all soaking up cash from some of Asia’s poorest and most vulnerable migrants.
On Wednesday judges at Bangkok Criminal Court began delivering a stream of verdicts for the 102 defendants. One other accused died while on remand.
The offences include human trafficking, ransom and murder. All deny the charges. Media were barred from the court itself, relying instead on an audio relay of the complex proceedings. Judges placed heavy reporting restrictions on much of the testimony, citing national security concerns. But the case has still lifted the lid on the power networks dominating southern Thailand.
Army Lieutenant-General Manas Kongpan, a top figure in the security apparatus covering the south, is the highest ranking official on trial. In 2013 he was promoted to head the Internal Security Command (ISOC) for the south. Current junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha was army chief at the time.
Another well-connected alleged kingpin is Pajjuban Aungkachotephan, better known as Ko Tong or ‘Big Brother Tong’. Police accused him of using private Andaman Sea islands, close to tourist spots such as Koh Lipe, to shift boatloads of migrants to the mainland, where they were packed into lorries and taken to the fetid camps straddling the Malaysia border.
An army captain, four ranking police officers, a nurse and several officials, including the mayor of Pedang Besar in Satun province, are also among the accused. By the lunch break a drip feed of 38 defendants had been convicted for a range of offences including human trafficking and slavery. Among them were guards at the jungle camps where migrants were held, including a Rohingya man who acted as an interpreter, and a string of local officials. (AFP)
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Myanmar insists no North Korea links as US envoy visits
YANGON (TIP): Myanmar has no military ties with North Korea, a Myanmar official said on July 17, as a US diplomat responsible for North Korea arrived for talks in which he is likely to seek assurances on efforts to isolate it.
Ambassador Joseph Yun was set to meet Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the military’s commander in chief in the capital, Naypyitaw, on Monday, according to the U.S. Embassy in Yangon.
Yun attended a conference in Singapore over the weekend focusing on tension on the Korean peninsula over the North’s unrelenting nuclear and missile programmes. Ambassador Joseph Yun’s trip to Asia was announced after North Korea’s test on July 4 of on intercontinental ballistic missile that it says can carry a large nuclear warhead and some experts believe has the range to reach Alaska.
Myanmar is the only other stop on his trip, pointing to concern in Washington that Myanmar’s army, which used to have ties with North Korea, continues to give succour to Kim Jong Il’s regime.
The United States did not inform Myanmar what Yun would discuss, said Kyaw Zeya, permanent secretary at Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “They are not very specific from the very beginning but we understand he is the special envoy on North Korea,” Kyaw Zeya told Reuters.
Myanmar was complying with UN resolutions on North Korea, he said. “It’s normal relations between the two countries,” said Kyaw Zeya. “As I understand, there’s no such relations between military to military. Definitely not.”
The United States in May asked Southeast Asian countries to do more to isolate North Korea, and efforts have increased after its July 4 ballistic missile test.
RESIDUAL POCKETS?: Myanmar’s former ruling junta, which, like North Korea, was also widely shunned by the outside world over its suppression of human rights, was known to have ties to North Korea, which included sending missile experts and material for arms production to Myanmar. Myanmar insists that arms deals and other military relations with North Korea stopped before its transition to a nominally civilian government in 2011.
Nobel laureate Suu Kyi took power last year amid a transition from full military rule. But the military could still have “a few residual pockets” with links to North Korea, the then top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Russel, told a congressional hearing in September.
In March, the US Treasury levelled new sanctions against the Myanmar army’s procurement body, the Directorate of Defence Industries (DDI), under the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act Sanctions.
The DDI was previously sanctioned in 2012 and accused of materially assisting North Korea’s regime, but had fallen off the sanctions list in October after the Obama administration dropped most measures against Myanmar in recognition of a successful political transition.
But despite Suu Kyi leading the civilian administration, Myanmar’s military remains free from civilian oversight. A 2008 constitution drafted by then-ruling generals keeps the army central to politics. (Reuters)
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Pakistan SC warns Sharif’s children of 7yr jail if papers found forged
ISLAMABAD (TIP): The children of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could face up to seven years in jail if it was proved that they had submitted fake documents to the Panama panel probing the money laundering allegations against the family, the Supreme Court warned on July 20.
The apex court heard the Panamagate scandal case for the fourth consecutive day since the hearing began on Monday, following submission of a report by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on July 10, which was tasked by the court to probe allegation of corruption against Sharif and his family.
“The punishment for submitting forged documents in the court is seven years in jail,” warned the three-member panel of judges.
The JIT among other things has observed that some of the documents submitted by the children of Sharif, 67, were tampered with.
A trust deed provided by the prime minister’s daughter Maryam Nawaz and executed in 2006 was written in Calibri font which was not commercially available till 2007. It was also notarised from an office in London on Saturday which is officially an off day, raising concern about the authenticity of the document.
Similarly, Government of Dubai has revealed that the documents of Gulf Steel Mills provided by the prime minister’s son Hussian Nawaz were forged as there was no record of those documents.
Justice Ejaz Afzal is heading the probe panel comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan. They also warned Salman Akram Raja, the lawyer of Sharif’s children, against a media trial in the case after some of the documents presented by him were leaked to media and were discussed in talk shows yesterday.
“You have been conducting a trial in the media and the documents (submitted to the court) have already been discussed in the media,” said Justice Saeed. “There is a media dais outside, you should give your arguments there as well,” he told Raja, who assured the court that he had not released any documents to media.
Meanwhile, Raja presented his arguments in details. The arguments were still going on when the court adjourned the proceedings till tomorrow.
The judges today again asked the Sharif family to provide the money trail of its various businesses in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UK. “The main question is where did the money for these businesses came,” asked the panel.
Later, Fawad Chaudhry, member of a legal team representing Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), told media outside the court after the hearing that the hearing might be completed by tomorrow.
“For us the case is over. Sharif would have to go home and then jail for corruption. His children would also land in jail for forgery,” he said.
Minister of State for Information Marriyam Aurangzeb said that the prime minister has been vindicated as there is no proof of any corruption against him.
“The prime minister was accused of money laundering and corruption but none of the allegations have been proved,” she said.
The scandal surfaced when the Panama Papers leaks last year revealed that Sharif’s sons — Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz — and his daughter Maryam — owned offshore companies which managed their family’s properties. The assets in question include four expensive flats in Park Lane, London.
Opposition parties allege that the London flats were purchased through illegal money which Sharif and his family have rejected. However, they have been unable to satisfy the court about the source of money used to purchase these properties.(PTI)
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Pakistan man thanks India for son’s successful cardiac surgery
HYDERABAD (TIP): Lahore-bound 34-year-old Kamal Siddiqui is getting home but with good memories, floored by the generosity and kindness of the Indian people. His infant son Rohaan underwent a complex heart surgery in India, thanks to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who heard his plea and granted a visa to the Pakistan family to visit India for treatment.
“My experience in India has been very nice. The reception we got was more warm than expected,” Kamal Siddiqui told TOI. “Rohaan is fine,” he said after the infant got operated upon at a hospital at Noida.
In May this year, Kamal Siddiqui had made a fervent plea to the minister to grant his family a visa so that his son Rohaan could be brought for medical treatment to India. Sushma responded to Siddiqui and a visa was granted to the family.
On July 21, Rohaan underwent a successful cardiac surgery. “Today Rohan underwent a complex but successful cardiac surgery. Thankful to Jaypee Hospital and people of India for their support and care,” Kamal had said.
“Had a great day today. Rohaan was discharged from hospital,” Siddiqui said on Tuesday thanking Sushma Swaraj, Dr Rajesh and Jaypee. “Thank you India. God bless all,” he added. (PTI)
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July 21 New York & Dallas Print Editions
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Mice caught on tape at a Dallas Chipotle
DALLAS (TIP): CNN Money says Chipotle’s stock fell on Thursday, July 20, as the company suffered another public setback: Customers complained that they saw rodents in a Dallas location.
“A few mice did get inside one restaurant from the outside due to a small structural gap in the building,” Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) spokeswoman Quinn Kelsey said Thursday. “Management immediately removed them, and the gap has been repaired.”
Diners took video of the mice skittering through the restaurant on Tuesday.
The stock was down 4.5% on Thursday and Chipotle (CMG)’s share price has dropped about 10% over the last five trading days.
“We’ve been in touch with our guests to offer our sincere apologies,” Kelsey said. “This is an extremely isolated incident, but of course it’s not anything we’d ever want our guests to encounter.”
The chain has more than 2,200 restaurants in the United States.
The company on Wednesday said it had reopened and thoroughly sanitized a location in Sterling, Virginia, that had to be temporarily shuttered after people contracted norovirus or a similar illness after eating at the restaurant.
Hundreds of Chipotle customers were sickened by E. coli and norovirus in 2015 at about a dozen restaurants, prompting the chain’s first quarterly loss and a nationwide four-hour shutdown for a companywide cleaning course.
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At NBA summer league, Satnam Singh is still fighting for his chance
DALLAS (TIP): With the first quarter of the Dallas–Phoenix matchup dwindling down to a close, Mavericks guard Josh Adams dribbled up the floor, received a screen from Ding Yanyuhang and drove left. The Suns’ Mike James and Dragan Bender, charged with protecting the pick-and-pop attack, trapped Adams, leaving Ding wide open from beyond the arc. Adams swung the ball over, and the 2017 Chinese Basketball Association MVP swished a straight-on 3 to the tune of hundreds of elated Asian-American fans busting out in applause.
All the while, Satnam Singh — a 7-foot-2 center and the first Indian-born player drafted into the NBA — stared on from the end of the Mavericks bench. Challenged with igniting hoops enthusiasm halfway across the world, he must climb a steep ladder to catch the attention of his home country.
While Ding merits his own acclaim, it is hard to imagine that an arena full of fans would have trekked to Las Vegas in the dead of July for NBA summer league had Yao Ming not come before him. But what happens when you’re not a bona fide All Star such as Yao?
The truth is, two years after being selected by the Mavs in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft, Singh — the face of Indian basketball — is still toiling away, fighting for minutes in the NBA’s development league with the Texas Legends.
However, Singh’s resolve remains steadfast. And even if he hasn’t increased his minutes or on-court opportunities, observation alone has proved an invaluable experience. He spent two anxiety-ridden years champing at the bit, watching the clock and wondering when his name would be called. He now has learned not to focus on what he can’t control.
“I was stressing my mind,” Singh said. “Always thinking, ‘I need time. I need time.’ Whereas now, nothing is happening. If I waste my time like that, I get too much pressure on my mind. I lost everything.”
It helped that the Mavs were a wrecking squad en route to the summer league championship in Orlando this year, providing the garbage-time minutes Singh so desperately craves to hone his abilities.
“If I get a couple minutes, I just rebound and finish the shot,” he said. “Focus on running, keep running up and down the court.”
In that game against Phoenix, which Dallas won 88-77 on Sunday, Singh played in the final two minutes, boxing out and putting the hurt on any Sun who dared venture near the rim.
Toiling away in the background and hustling up and down the court in the hopes of maybe one day becoming the fourth big man in an NBA rotation isn’t exactly the easiest sell. But to understand Singh’s potential, you also must understand how far Singh has come in such a short period of time — and against what odds.
Born in Ballo Ke, a tiny village in the state of Punjab, he was destined to a life of wheat farming, until his father took a life-defining chance at the suggestion of a friend and sent Singh to Ludhiana, a nearby city, to play basketball. It was there that the IMG Academy in Florida granted him a three-month scholarship that eventually stretched out to the day he declared for the draft. Starting at 14 years old, Singh not only was tasked with perfecting a new sport among lifelong prospects but also learning to speak English, a language with which he had no familiarity. In many ways, it is remarkable that he is even here at all.