Kolkata: Two dogs, including a puppy, were reportedly poisoned at Suri in Birbhum on Tuesday.The animals were found sick inside a police housing complex in Suri. According to local residents, on Tuesday morning, a few people found the sick dogs inside the police housing complex. They immediately informed a local animal lover’s organisation. Two members of the organisation rushed the dogs to a nearby animal hospital. After a few hours both the dogs died. Doctors suspect that the animals were poisoned as when they were brought to the hospital they were in rabid condition. Also Read – City bids adieu to Goddess DurgaLocal residents suspect that the dogs were poisoned by the residents of the police housing complex. However, it is not clear whether the dogs were poisoned or they ate something poisonous accidentally. Till Tuesday night, no complaint was lodged in this connection. In January this year, 16 puppies were beaten to death by some students inside the nurses’ hostel at NRS Medical College and Hospital. The carcasses of the animals were found wrapped inside a polythene sheet. Animal lovers and various organisations protested against the brutal act. The incident came to light after a video, captured from the boys’ hostel on the hospital premises, went viral featuring the nurses killing the puppies. Later, two nursing students were arrested but they were eventually released on bail after a few days.
Detroit: The United Auto Workers union has suffered a fresh defeat at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee, with workers narrowly voting down a move to organize the factory for a second time. The UAW has never managed to fully organize a US plant owned by a foreign manufacturer and a win at the German carmaker’s Chattanooga facility would have been a significant victory. But the 1,700-strong workforce at the factory rejected the move by a margin of 833-776 in a ballot that concluded Friday. The organising effort was attacked by state Republicans and hampered by an ongoing federal corruption probe, with a former vice president of the auto union soon to be sentenced after pleading guilty to misappropriating funds. “Pending certification of the results by the National Labor Relations Board and a legal review of the election, Volkswagen will respect the decision of the majority,” said the carmaker’s Chattanooga plant chief Frank Fischer. “We look forward to continuing our close cooperation with elected officials and business leaders in Tennessee.” UAW organizing director Tracy Romero said the company had engineered a defeat in the vote through “fear and misinformation.” “Over a period of nine weeks — an unprecedented length of time due to legal gamesmanship —Volkswagen was able to break the will of enough workers to destroy their majority,” she added. A 2014 vote to organize the factory was defeated by a 53-47 percent margin after stiff opposition from local politicians, who warned that a UAW victory would make it harder to attract new jobs to Tennessee. A smaller ballot of 160 skilled workers at the plant passed by a wide margin the next year, but Volkswagen challenged the result. Political interference and the current state of US labor laws contributed to Friday’s defeat, UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg said.
Kolkata: Patients heaved a sigh of relief on Tuesday after junior doctors resumed work at all state-run hospitals following their week-long stir that had disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal. All the 14 medical college and hospitals in the state started functioning, with normal work resuming at outdoor facilities, pathological units and other departments. The patient turnout was high at all the hospitals, including the Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital, which was the epicentre of the junior doctors’ agitation. Also Read – City bids adieu to Goddess Durga “Most of our colleagues have resumed work and they are helping the seniors in delivering regular services in the outpatient departments (OPD) since Tuesday morning,” a spokesperson of a joint forum of junior doctors told PTI. Since many junior doctors were in Kolkata to take part in the agitation, they could not reach their workplaces in far-off areas on Tuesday morning, he said, adding, “They will resume work as soon as they reach the hospitals.” Also Read – Centuries-old Durga Pujas continue to be hit among revellers “It is a relief for us. We are poor and have no other option but to go to government hospitals. The stir had impacted our treatment. I am happy that it has been called off,” Ariful Haque from Malda district, who regularly visits the NRS hospital for the treatment of his brother’s cardiac ailments, said. Santanu Hazra, a thalassaemia patient undergoing treatment at the SSKM hospital in the city, was also happy with the doctors calling off their agitation and rejoining work. “It was a terrible experience last week when I had to go back home almost everyday due to the agitation. I am financially not that sound to visit private hospitals. I am happy that my treatment has resumed,” he said. Private hospitals, which witnessed a low patient turnout and most doctors taking leave on Monday owing to a strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), also saw a normal inflow of patients. The junior doctors called off their week-long strike on Monday night after meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who assured them of steps to scale up security at the government hospitals in the state. The medicos were on strike since last Tuesday, protesting against the assault on two of their colleagues by the kin of a patient who died at the NRS Hospital and Medical College. Principal of NRS hospital Prof (Dr) Saibal Mukherjee said, “Doctors are having a busy time at the OPDs. The patients had come here last week but could not be attended to due to the agitation. We are trying our best to treat most of them as it is our duty to serve them.” Senior police officials in the rank of assistant commissioners, along with adequate force, are stationed on the hospital premises to keep a check on the situation, as per the demands of the junior doctors. At an hour-long televised meeting with the representatives of the junior doctors on Monday, Banerjee announced a number of steps, including asking the police to appoint nodal officers for the security of doctors at all government hospitals in the state, following which the doctors agreed to call off the stir. They had received support from across the country. On the call of the IMA, medicos in Delhi and other states stayed away from providing non-emergency healthcare services on Monday.
Mumbai: Domestic equity benchmark BSE Sensex fell over 250 points in early trade Tuesday dragged by losses in HDFC twins and TCS as Budget tax proposals continued to spook investors. After dropping over 253 points in opening session, the 30-share index pared some losses to trade 152.50 points, or 0.39 per cent, lower at 38,568.07 at 0930 hours. Similarly, the broader Nifty shed 49.25 points, or 0.43 per cent, to 11,509.35. TCS was among the top losers in the Sensex pack, falling up to 1.79 per cent, ahead of its quarterly results, scheduled to ba announced later in the day. Also Read – Maruti cuts production for 8th straight month in Sep HDFC twins, Asian Paints, Kotak Bank, HUL, Bajaj Finance and Axis Bank too fell up to 2.19 per cent. On the other hand, Yes Bank, PowerGrid, Sun Pharma, NTPC, L&T, RIL and Vedanta were among the gainers, rising up to 2.90 per cent. In the previous session, the 30-share gauge saw its biggest single-day loss this year so far, settling at 38,720.57 points, showing a sharp loss of 792.82 points or 2.01 per cent. The Nifty too tanked 252.55 points, or 2.14 per cent, to close at 11,558.60 points. Also Read – Ensure strict implementation on ban of import of e-cigarettes: revenue to Customs On a net basis, foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 401.99 crore, while domestic institutional investors purchased shares to the tune of Rs 321.13 crore, provisional data available with stock exchanges showed Monday. The Union Budget proposal to raise the public shareholding threshold to 35 per cent from the current 25 per cent and higher tax incidence for foreign portfolio investors and high networth individuals kept investors jittery, traders said. “Fiscal prudence (in the Budget) was contrary to the market’s expectation which was hoping for a stimulus in the slowing economy,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services. Focus has shifted to the upcoming quarter result where expectation remain muted, volatility is likely to prevail, he added. Persistent weakness in global equities amid expectation of dovish US Federal Reserve policy too weighed on investor sentiment here, they added. Shanghai Composite Index, Hang Seng and Kospi were trading lower in their respective early sessions, while Nikkei was trading in the green. On the currency front, the Indian rupee depreciated 17 paise to 68.83 against the US dollar. Meanwhile, the global oil benchmark Brent crude futures were trading 0.22 per cent lower at 63.97 per barrel.
New Delhi: World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan has praised New Zealand and reckons the Kiwis had a decent run in the showpiece event as they also outclassed the hot favourites — India — in the first semifinal of the tournament. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Morgan said: “They’ve been actually through a better tournament than we have. The fact a trophy is sitting here is, you know, like I mentioned, we got the rub of the green today,” Morgan said during the post-match conference on Sunday. Also Read – Dhoni, Paes spotted playing football together”New Zealand, throughout the group stages, were absolutely outstanding, very consistent and in the semi-final were very ruthless in playing against India, India are an extremely strong team,” he added. When being quizzed if it was his luck in the mega clash as the contest went down to the wire, Morgan said: “We had Allah with us as well. I spoke to Adil (Rashid), he said Allah was definitely with us. I said we had the rub of the green (smiling).” Earlier on Sunday, England became the World Cup champions for the first time in cricket history after defeating New Zealand in a pulsating final which ended in a nail-biting Super Over at Lord’s.
Johannesburg: Former South African president Jacob Zuma on Friday withdrew from testifying to an inquiry into corruption during his rule, complaining of bias, before later agreeing to return at a future date. In the corruption scandal popularly referred to as “state capture”, Zuma is alleged to have overseen mass looting of state assets during his nine-year tenure. Zuma on Friday morning pulled out of the inquiry, with his legal team saying their client would no longer participate as he had been “treated as someone who was accused”. Also Read – US blacklists 28 Chinese entities over abuses in XinjiangBut after behind-the-scenes discussions, deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, who is chairing the investigation, announced an agreement had been reached between parties. “The former president will come back at another time that will be arranged,” Zondo announced. “The discussions have resulted in an agreement.” Zuma said he was “happy” that a compromise had been reached. “No one should have a wrong impression that the raising of the concerns was just done in order to disrupt the processes, these were genuine concerns,” he added. Also Read – Want to bring back US forces engaged in endless wars: TrumpThe ex-president was due to give the last of his evidence on Friday but had complained that earlier questioning was effectively a court cross-examination. Zuma had dismissed all accusations made against him by previous witnesses to the inquiry. He replied to many questions at the inquiry by saying he did not remember or was unaware of meetings and conversations that other witnesses had mentioned. On Monday, the first day of his testimony, Zuma gave a rambling address saying he was the victim of conspiracies and years of “character assassination”, and accusing foreign intelligence agencies and spies of working against him. He also said he had received multiple death threats and attempts on his life. Zuma, 77, was ousted by the ruling ANC party in 2018 and replaced by his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, who has vowed to clean up the government. He was not legally summonsed to attend the inquiry, but was invited to reply after being implicated in graft by several previous witnesses. The inquiry is investigating a web of deals involving government officials, the wealthy Gupta business family and state-owned companies. The Indian-born Gupta brothers – Ajay, Atul and Rajesh — have left South Africa and are now based in Dubai. One witness, former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene testified that Zuma pushed policies on nuclear power and aviation that were designed to benefit the Gupta family. “Mr Zuma and his legal team are in effect asking to be excused from the application of the rules,” the inquiry’s lead lawyer Paul Pretorius said. “If the questions are detailed and if the questions are difficult… so be it. “We are not only entitled, but obliged to ask those questions.” Zuma was forced to set up the commission in January 2018, shortly before he left office, after failing in a legal battle to overturn the instructions of the country’s ethics ombudsman. It has been holding hearings since last year and is due to complete a report next year that may lead to criminal prosecutions. Zuma has also been charged with 16 counts of graft linked to a 1990s arms deal made before he became president.
Born in the Dadar Parsi Colony, in Mumbai, Jehan Daruvala scripted history as he became the first ever Indian to go atop the FIA F3 Championship leaderboard momentarily after clinching the second position in an action packed feature race at the famous Silverstone Circuit.He moved to London when he was 13 and completed his secondary education. During his stint in London, he transformed his passion for speed by opting for go-karting, just like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso did. He quickly mastered the sport, winning several karting titles. He was then chosen as one of the three winners of the Sahara Force India Formula One Team Academy’s ‘One From A Billion’ Hunt’. Also Read – Andy Murray to make Grand Slam return at Australian OpenIn December 2018, he hit a career milestone by signing with one of the most successful racing teams in F3, the Italy-based Prema Racing. This gave him the opportunity to drive much more powerful cars than what he was used to (a bigger 3.4-liter engine, compared to the 2-liter engine from his last season). After hitting a few technical hitches, he won the inaugural round of the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship in Barcelona, making India proud. Jehan Daruvala created history during the Spanish F3 Grand Prix, scoring a dramatic victory in the inaugural round of the all-new FIA Formula 3 Championship. The Indian national anthem was played probably for the first time at a Grand Prix in front of a full crowd. Also Read – Fast bowler Behrendorff to undergo spinal surgeryDaruvala continued his amazing streak of podiums, with a second place finish in Round 3 of the FIA Formula 3 Championship in Austria. Once again, he proved his mettle in the sprint event of the championship, a support race for the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the 4.318km long Redbull Ring Circuit. At Silverstone, Jehan’s clinched his fifth podium in seven races and points for fastest lap propelled the Indian star to the top of the championship standings, after the feature race. Unfortunately, the championship lead did not last long, as things fell apart on the last lap of sprint race for Jehan. With 8 races to go this season, the Indian sensation has accumulated 102 points – only behind Russian Robert Shwartzman by 12 points. Given the form he is in now, a F1 berth isn’t far away. With Narain Karthikeyan’s memories fading away, this kid has raised the bars of motorsports in India and is on the verge of a major break at the elite level. In the team standings, Prema Racing comfortably sits at the top with 293 points. Jehan began his career in karting at the age of 10. Since then he has won the Indian National Karting Championship, the Malaysian Junior Yamaha Karting Championship, the FIA CIK Asia Pacific KF3 Championship and the British Superone National Karting Championship. His next race will be at the Hungaroring circuit during the Hungarian GP on August 3-4.
New Delhi: The constitutional validity of contentious Article 370 has been put to test again! Legal experts believe that the Article is temporary in nature, and avenues have not been explored yet to change its status via Amendment Act to the Constitution. Therefore, it is contestable on the floor of the Parliament and exposed to the scrutiny of law. Constitution expert and former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha Subhash Kashyap, said this Article is not barred from a debate on the floor of the Parliament. Also Read – India gets first tranche of Swiss bank a/c details “A Member of Parliament can give notice on motion and contest its validity. Amendments to the Constitution are necessary to keep it contemporary and relevant,” Kashyap added while speaking to IANS but refrained from commenting on the petition filed before the Supreme Court. The petition filed by BJP leader and advocate Ashwani Upadhyay has questioned the constitutional validity of the provision that grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Also Read – Tourists to be allowed in J&K from Thursday “The Article 370 under the Constitution has been ascribed as a temporary provision, and not a special provision. There are provisions in the Constitution – temporary, transitional and special. Temporary is the weakest. The question is – how can be it ended and when shall be ended.” Kashyap said. The hearing on a plea challenging the constitutional validity of Article 370 is pending in the Supreme Court since the beginning of this year, although the matter came up for early hearing on July 10, but it is yet to list for a detailed hearing. “The temporary status of Article 370 has been there for more than 50 years. The Supreme Court has held that Constitution is Supreme and India is a sovereign Country, not the state of J&K. So, the Supreme Court can declare Article 370 manifestly arbitrary,” said Upadhyay. On February 18 this year as well, Upadhyay had mentioned the PIL for urgent listing for the hearing. He had filed it in September last year. He contended it was not introduced as a permanent measure at the time of the framing of the Constitution, and Article 370(3) lapsed with the dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly on January 26, 1957. During an earlier hearing, the Jammu and Kashmir counsel had contended the issue can be deferred till an elected government was in place. The Chief Justice had rejected this plea stating that the case cannot remain pending. The state’s counsel had sought adjournments citing polls, and apparently claimed that ground situation was very sensitive during the PDP-BJP government is in power. On July 10, the apex court said it would consider the plea seeking urgent hearing on a PIL filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, contesting the Article 370, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir and limits Parliament’s power to make laws for the state. “File a memo, we will see”, said the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, after taking note of the submissions by the BJP leader. “Article 370 was introduced as a temporary measure and it is about time it is removed. There is an option to challenge its validity in courts. But there are practical problems in this. There are a number of presidential orders issued under Article 370 extending a number of statutes and other provisions applicable in other parts of the country to J & K. If 370 go without any alternative, it will create practical difficulties”, said Kumar Mihir, Advocate on Record in Supreme Court. In his plea, Upadhyay has contended that the Article empowered the state legislature laws which cannot be challenged, especially on the grounds of violation of the right to equality of people hailing from different parts of the country or any other right under the Constitution. The plea also seeks a declaration from the top court that the formulation of separate Constitution the state was “arbitrary” and “unconstitutional” on various grounds, including that it was against the “supremacy of the Constitution of India and contrary to dictum of ‘One Nation, One Constitution, One National Anthem and One National Flag.” The plea contends that the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir is invalid as it is yet to get the assent of the President, which is mandatory according to the Constitution.
New Delhi: Former England opener and noted pundit Geoffrey Boycott was back commentating on the opening day of the first Ashes Test between England and Australia at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground and he took to Twitter to announce that it was fantastic to be back on the cricket ground. Taking to Twitter, Boycott wrote: “Fantastic to be back! Hope you’ve missed me!” It was England all the way in the opening session on Thursday. After an inspired show by the duo of Stuart Broad (2/17) and James Anderson in the opening hour, it took some defiant batting from former skipper Steve Smith (23*) to take the visitors to lunch at 83/3 in 27 overs. Also Read – Puducherry on top after 8-wkt win over Chandigarh Having won the toss and decided to bat first in overcast conditions, Australia got off to the worst possible start as they lost David Warner for just 2 in the fourth over, trapped in front by Broad. Interestingly, replays showed that the ball was missing the stumps but Warner didn’t review the decision. The pacer then removed Cameron Bancroft for 8 as Joe Root picked up a smart catch. It was a typical Broad dismissal as he got the ball to pitch just outside off in the corridor of uncertainty and the ball nipped in enough to take the edge and fly off to first slip. Also Read – Vijender’s next fight on Nov 22, opponent to be announced later Usman Khawaja’s dismissal was another case of the bowler being repaid for delivering it in the channel. Chris Woakes pitched it just outside off and Khawaja edged it for Jonny Bairstow to complete a regulation catch. While Bairstow didn’t seem too confident, skipper Root got the decision reviewed and it went in England’s favour. Having lost three wickets inside the first 15 overs, it was all about putting the head down and batting till stumps for Smith and Travis Head and that is exactly what the duo did as they went to lunch batting out 12 overs without handing England another wicket. While Head looked to mix caution with a bit of aggression, Head was happy to take a couple of chances. In fact, Head looked to take on the second line of attack in Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes and did end up hitting a few boundaries during his 43-ball knock of 26*.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will introduce Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Rajya Sabha on Monday for implementation of the 10 percent Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Agency news reported that government had taken up the issue on Friday’s business advisory committee meeting with the opposition leaders and that in pursuance to that the copy of the Bill has been circulated among the members. Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM’The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 was approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday. It seeks to extend the 10 percent quota to economically weaker sections to the state which has special constitutional provisions. Jammu and Kashmir is under President’s Rule at present. After the bill is passed by the Parliament, all residents of the state with income below Rs 8 lakh per annum would benefit from 10 percent quota. “People should get the benefit of it. I don’t think anybody would oppose it. We are bringing the bill with good intentions,” a BJP leader said. Also Read – Farooq demands unconditional release of all detainees in J&KThe 10 percent reservation for EWS was introduced in the country through the 103rd Constitution amendment in January this year. Several state governments have implemented the reservation since then. The proposed legislation could not be brought before the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly which has been dissolved. The Parliament has earlier passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which provides people living near the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir to get the benefit of reservation in jobs, promotion, and educational institutions on par with those living along the Actual Line of Control (ALoC). Meanwhile, Union ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari will be in Goa this month to interact with BJP workers in connection with the party’s membership drive, a functionary said on Sunday. BJP Goa general secretary Sadanand Tanavade said the two senior BJP leaders would be in the state on official trips and would spare time to meet party workers. He added that the BJP had managed to add 1.8 lakh new members during its drive so far in the state’s 40 Assembly constituencies, the target being four lakh.
Kolkata: Jaime Santos Colado and Vidyasagar Singh struck a brace each as East Bengal thrashed Jamshedpur FC 6-0 to brighten their semifinal hopes at the 129th Durand Cup here on Tuesday. Colado doubled East Bengal’s lead within one minute of scoring from a spotkick in the sixth minute, while substitute Singh completed a double in the 75th and 77th minutes. East Bengal’s recruit from rival Mohun Bagan, Pintu Mahata struck in the 31st minute, while Boithang Haokip (90+2) completed the rout in the stoppage time to register their second successive victory in the tournament. East Bengal now have six points from two matches, as they just need a draw against Bengaluru FC (one point) on August 14 to confirm their last-four berth. Colado suffered from an injury in the 12th minute and was substituted by Haokip but East Bengal did not stop scoring as they led 3-0 at the break. Jamshedpur FC saw two yellow cards — Amrit Gope in the fifth minute and Baset Hansdah in the 62nd minute while the sole card for East Bengal came at the 88th minute in the form of Prakash Sarkar.
Satna/Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Police has arrested three persons in connection with an alleged terror funding racket operated from Satna that had links with Pakistan, an official said on Thursday. The arrested persons were in contact with Pakistani handlers with whom they use to share “strategic information” and details of bank accounts of some people, he said. The racket was spread across several states in the country, the official said, adding the police have also detained two of their associates for interrogation. Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM’The accused made several calls to foreign countries and executed a number of suspicious transactions using different bank accounts, Satna Superintendent of Police Riyaz Iqbal told PTI. “Three persons – Balram Singh, Sunil Singh and Shubham Mishra – were arrested and two of their associates detained on Wednesday night in this connection,” he said. The official did not reveal the names of those detained. All five have been handed over to the state’s Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS) for further probe, Iqbal said. Also Read – Farooq demands unconditional release of all detainees in J&K”The accused were making calls to foreign countries. They were also using various social networking sites and applications for communication. “Besides, they had carried out several transactions using different bank accounts,” he said. The SP said the racket was spread across several states, including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, and added that the ATS would further investigate the case. Balram Singh and one of those detained were arrested by the ATS in February 2017 in connection with an espionage and terror funding racket, Iqbal said. According to police sources, Balram Singh is currently out on bail in the 2017 case. Meanwhile, in Bhopal, state police headquarters spokesman A P Singh said, “These three accused, who were working in an organised manner, have been booked and arrested under IPC section 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war). In February 2017, 15 people, including Balram Singh, were arrested by the ATS for their alleged links to an espionage racket being run from Pakistan to collect strategic information. They were sharing details of bank accounts and ATMs with the same Pakistani handlers via phone numbers which were were also found to have been used during the previous investigation (of 2017 case), the spokesman said.
Mumbai: Grounded Jet Airways, which is undergoing insolvency proceedings, failed to attract any new bidders during the extended deadline period for submission of initial bids, according to a source. The third deadline for submission of Expression of Interest (EoI) ended on August 31. With no new bidders emerging during this period, there are only three entities that had put in their initial bids earlier. Russian Fund Treasury RA Partners, Panama-based investment firm Avantulo Group and South American conglomerate Synergy Group Corp had submitted the EoIs. Also Read – Thermal coal import may surpass 200 MT this fiscal”No new EoIs have been received,” a source close to the development told PTI. “Now, the deadline is unlikely to be extended further. The plan will be to go ahead with the three entities that had submitted their EoIs,” another source said. On August 26, Jet Airways’ Committee of Creditors (CoC) extended the deadline for submission of EoIs. It was the third time that lenders extended the deadline after the ones on August 3 and 10. In the second round of submission of EoIs, which closed on August 10, the lenders received interest from energy baron Anil Agarwal’s family trust-backed Volcan Investments, Russian Fund Treasury RA Partners and Avantulo Group. However, Volcan opted out of the race a day after publicly announcing its interest in Jet Airways. After the August 10 deadline, Synergy Group Corp reportedly evinced interest in the airline. Also Read – Food grain output seen at 140.57 mt in current fiscal on monsoon boostThe Synergy Group owns a majority in Colombian carrier Avianca Holdings, which has a codeshare partnership with Air India. Etihad Airways, which owns 24 percent stake in Jet Airways, did not submit any bid. In June, Ashish Chhawchharia was appointed as the resolution professional to manage the affairs of Jet Airways, which shuttered operations in April. The airline has liabilities worth over Rs 26,000 crore.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Wednesday said there have been no reports of any fresh recruitment of local youth joining militant ranks in the state, where life is returning to normal.The DGP also said there are some incidents of terrorists threatening fruit dealers in south Kashmir against collecting fruits but police is aware about the situation and “our job is to facilitate the process and ensure that no one is able to harass them”. Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM'”There have been no reports of any fresh local recruitment among the militant ranks. Some youth had been misled (in the past) and in a fit of anger gone astray, and we have been able to bring many of them back,” Singh told reporters here. He said there are some reports of infiltration and “we recently saw two Pakistani terrorists apprehended by the Army in Gulmarg sector”. “There have been many reports of infiltration. The militants tried infiltrating through certain areas including Rajouri, Poonch, Gurez, Karnah. In Gulmarg sector, two militants were recently held who were produced before the media. Now, we are trying to verify whether any successful infiltration has taken place,” he said. Also Read – Farooq demands unconditional release of all detainees in J&KThe DGP said Pakistani agencies are “very desperate to push in militants to Kashmir but we are very active to respond them and foil their attempts”. On September 4, the Army said Pakistan is pushing infiltrators into Kashmir to carry out terrorist activities and create disturbance while playing video clips showing two Pakistani nationals associated with the Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group — Mohammad Khalil and Mohammad Nazim of Rawalpindi — who were arrested in Gulmarg sector on August 21. On the prevailing situation in the Valley, the police chief said, “Life is returning towards normalcy and people are going about their activities with school and offices open.” However, Singh said there were some incidents of terrorists threatening fruit dealers in south Kashmir, telling them not to collect fruit but people are doing it. “Our job is to facilitate the process and we want to ensure that no one is able to harass people…We do not tell people what to do or what not to do,” the DGP said. He said even on Wednesday more than 230 truck-loads of fruits were dispatched to markets outside the valley from a particular south Kashmir district. On the incidents of stone-pelting in the Valley, the DGP said there have been were very minor incidents in most of the places. “Till yesterday, we have had 184 stone-pelting incidents. Very minimal force has been exercised and that is why casualty on civilian side has been absolutely nil barring an incident in which a stone-pelter was injured and later succumbed,” he said, adding that of these incidents, heavy violence was only reported in half-a-dozen cases. Asked whether the restrictions imposed since August 5 would be lifted, he said they are considering giving more relaxation in the coming days. “I am happy to say that our people in the state in all the three regions have been very-very cooperative and maintenance of law and order in Jammu and Kashmir has been very good. We are considering more relaxation as people have been very cooperative. “Pak-based elements have been using this (social media) for very malicious propaganda and certain restrictions were imposed because of that. We are equally conscious that people face difficulties, but we have been able to avoid any loss of life and any major law and order problem,” he said. “We are thinking of relaxing them gradually. Voice calls were gradually restored in Jammu and two (police) districts of Kashmir. We are considering easing out restrictions on voice calls without compromising on the security aspects,” the DGP added.
HALIFAX – For a second consecutive day, Nova Scotia’s Liberals were only too happy Friday to take swipes at a Progressive Conservative platform they say is short on costing and poses questions around how the Tories will balance the books.Answering questions following a labour announcement in Halifax, Premier Stephen McNeil said Tory Leader Jamie Baillie has been critical of his party’s budget, which was tabled last month with a $25 million operating surplus.McNeil said that’s an issue because the Tories are now basing their spending commitments off the fiscal document, which was not passed into law before the legislature was dissolved when he called the May 30 election.“He (Baillie) wouldn’t say what parts of that budget he wasn’t going to do, and was unable to actually fully cost out his program,” he told reporters.McNeil questioned Baillie’s assertion that savings would be found “in the millions” by trimming administrative fat in health care. Baillie also said he would potentially save millions in legal costs by repealing a Liberal bill imposing a wage settlement on teachers.“We’ve made the tough decisions that had to be made … what we are going to continue to do is lay out a thoughtful plan that’s moving this province forward,” said McNeil.Earlier, a Liberal news release also highlighted confusion over the Tories’ total spending over four years, which was initially pegged at $648.9 million by officials during a platform briefing. The figure was later revised to $168.9 million.When asked directly about the total cost of the platform promises during an announcement on Friday, Baillie said: “The new investments we’re making are around $158 million over a four-year period.”A member of Baillie’s campaign staff later clarified the cost was actually $168.9 million over four years.When asked about Liberal criticisms about the lack of detail, Baillie went on the offensive.“The Liberals haven’t said what’s going to happen to pharmacare after the election this spring,” he said. “The Liberals haven’t said what their carbon tax plan is, they put that off until after the election this spring.“Stephen McNeil is the one with a whole bunch of unanswered questions about what he’s going to do with our pocketbooks once the election’s over if he stays in office.”Baillie defended his platform as “fully costed” and characterized Liberal criticisms as “feeble attempts” that prove they haven’t actually read it.Both the Liberals and NDP are expected to unveil their platforms next week.Meanwhile, McNeil announced Friday the Liberals would spend $8 million to expand his party’s apprenticeship program.He said the fund would increase support for women, aboriginals, African Nova Scotians, people with disabilities and immigrants by increasing incentives from $10,000 to $30,000 for employers who make diversity hires.In addition, McNeil said a four-year, $5.2 million commitment would help eliminate tuition for apprentices taking technical training, saving individuals up to $900 a year.Also Friday, the New Democrats highlighted a previous pledge to eliminate tuition fees at Nova Scotia Community College.Leader Gary Burrill said the plan would eliminate tuition for 11,000 full-time and more than 11,000 part-time students, including international students and students from out of province.He said the NDP would also work with universities and student organizations to reduce university tuition by 10 per cent over four years.Party figures show the NSCC pledge would cost about $136 million over the first four years, while the tuition promise would be phased in at a cost of nearly $68 million over four years.Burrill said the cost is justifiable in a province with some of the country’s highest tuitions.“I think it’s probably the single most important investment that the government of Nova Scotia can make,” he said. “We can’t go on with young people starting out unable to get their sea legs under them in their lives because the first thing they’ve got is a $50,000 debt coming out of school.”Also Friday, Baillie promised to spend $1.75 million a year on a unique medical centre for veterans that would be led by former military members.He said the clinic would be set up in the Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Building in Halifax and provide physical and mental health care on a 24-hour basis.– With files from Alison Auld in Halifax
The majority of Quebecers who list their properties on Airbnb and other home rental websites are not registering with the province, just over a year since it implemented a law regulating them, new data suggests.The province’s Tourism Department says it issued 967 permits for rental hosts out of 2,244 applications in the year since the law took effect on April 15, 2016.There were 19,400 Airbnb hosts in Quebec in 2016, according to the company’s data, and that doesn’t include people who rent out their homes on other websites such as VRBO and Kijiji. That would suggest a compliance rate of less than five per cent among Airbnb hosts alone.The law, the only one of its kind in Canada, requires people who rent out accommodations for no more than 31 consecutive days to have a permit and pay a hotel tax.Individuals who violate the law can be fined between $2,500 and $25,000 daily, while corporations face penalties of between $5,000 and $50,000 a day.“The provincial law is pretty onerous and overly complicated,” said Alex Dagg, Airbnb’s director of Canadian public policy.Airbnb and the provincial government have been in discussions about changing the law. As an example, company spokesman Christopher Nulty pointed to Philadelphia, where hosts who rent a dwelling for 90 to 180 days must pay for a permit but those who host for fewer days are exempt.Jean-Pierre D’Auteuil, a spokesman for Quebec’s Tourism Department, said there are already exemptions. People who rent accommodations out during a specific festival or tourist event are allowed to do so once a year without registering, as are people who rent out their homes when they are away at a cottage.Many Airbnb hosts don’t require certification because their activities fall within those exemptions, D’Auteuil said.But according to data from Airbnb, the median number of nights Quebec hosts rented their listings was 30 last year, indicating more frequent activity.The hotel industry has often complained that Airbnb and other similar companies eat into their business and have an unfair leg up because their hosts don’t face the same strict regulatory requirements, like taxes and safety measures.Nulty says Airbnb doesn’t take issue with its hosts having to pay taxes. He says Airbnb would support more stringent registration and regulatory requirements for people who rent a second home or vacation property, adding that such hosts account for a small part of its business.D’Auteuil said the Tourism Department is continuing discussions with various groups and examining potential improvements to the law, but he declined to say whether the government would be open to setting different regulations for hosts based on how often they rent spaces.Follow @AleksSagan on Twitter.
FREDERICTON – Drivers in New Brunswick will have to abide by a new law that comes into effect Thursday in honour of a competitive cyclist killed while biking in the province.The amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act known as “Ellen’s Law” means drivers must leave at least one metre of open space between their vehicle and a bicycle when passing a bike travelling in the same direction.If there’s not enough room in the lane, drivers are allowed to cross the centre line while passing bikes, when it is safe to do so.The amendment is named in memory of prominent cyclist Ellen Watters, who died in December after being hit by a vehicle while on a training ride near Sussex.Police have said no charges would be laid in the death of the 28-year-old after finding there was not sufficient evidence to support any charges in the case.Drivers who violate the law could face a fine of $172.50 and three demerit points.
MONTREAL – The softwood lumber dispute with the United States could be resolved before the NAFTA renegotiation gets underway in mid-August, says Quebec’s softwood lumber envoy.Raymond Chretien, former Canadian ambassador to the U.S., said Friday he’s optimistic because of recent comments by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that he would like to conclude a deal before discussing the North American Free Trade Agreement.“I think there is an opening for negotiations,” said Chretien, adding that he believes there have been “informal exchanges” between the two governments.“I have always said that there cannot be an adequate modernization of NAFTA if the softwood lumber conflict is not resolved,” he said.“It will be interesting to see if the Americans have the same view.”The former diplomat acknowledged, however, that the softwood lumber dispute could last for years if a deal isn’t reached before NAFTA talks begin with Canada, the United States and Mexico.Noting his long experience, Chretien said it would be “difficult to carry out two sensitive negotiations simultaneously.”Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland didn’t respond to questions about Chretien’s comments.Despite the U.S. softwood lumber coalition’s claims that the federal government’s nearly $900 million support package for the Canadian industry is a subsidy, Chretien said it won’t add fuel to the fire in discussions between Ottawa and Washington.“What’s important to remember is that Ottawa has conducted a thorough analysis to ensure that these measures do not contravene rule of NAFTA or the World Trade Organization.”While Ottawa’s assistance has been generally welcomed by the forest industry and the provinces, some analysts and experts question whether this plan doesn’t give ammunition to the U.S. lobby.“We believe that (the Canadian plan) validates the U.S. thesis and could result in higher quotas and tariffs in the short term,” analyst Paul Quinn of RBC Capital Markets wrote in a report.On April 28, the U.S. Department of Commerce slapped countervailing import duties as high as 24 per cent on Canadian softwood, arguing Canada unfairly subsidizes its industry by keeping the price of logging artificially low.A decision on anti-dumping duties is set to be announced June 23 that is expected to add as much as another 10 per cent tariff.
VANCOUVER – Air quality across southern British Columbia remains poor as smoke from wildfires and a heat wave affect the region.The province is reporting a high health risk rating for air quality in the Fraser Valley, Kamloops, Williams Lake, eastern Metro Vancouver, Squamish, the West Shore, Whistler and Victoria.Environment Canada has expanded its air quality advisory to cover the southern portion of the province spanning from eastern Vancouver Island to Elk Valley on the Alberta boundary.A special weather statement also remains in effect after Wednesday’s record-breaking temperatures.White Rock broke a 1939 record by hitting 29.5 C, while the Squamish Airport broke a 1993 record with temperatures reaching 33.2 C.The hottest temperature in the province Wednesday was recorded in Hope at 37.4 C.
CALGARY – A woman who treated her seven-year-old boy with holistic remedies before he died of a strep infection says every day is a painful reminder that an error in judgment led to her son’s death.Tamara Lovett, 48, was found guilty in January of criminal negligence causing death by a judge who said Lovett “gambled away” the life of her son Ryan by treating him without seeking medical help in 2013.“Every day I punish myself. I think about Ryan and I blame myself for not knowing better and for holding limiting beliefs that ultimately led to the death of my child,” Lovett told her sentencing hearing Thursday as she wiped tears. “At the time, I thought I was doing the best for my child.“I hope others learn from my ignorance, because these beliefs are no longer entrenched in my psyche and this has been a painful lesson.”Lovett gave her son dandelion tea and oil of oregano when he developed the infection that kept him bedridden in their Calgary home for 10 days in March 2013.She testified at her trial that she thought Ryan had a cold or the flu, and she didn’t think his swollen lymph nodes, an oozing ear infection and jaundiced eyes were anything she couldn’t handle.Alberta’s chief medical examiner testified that the boy’s body was full of group A streptococcus bacteria, which caused most of his major organs to fail.“I now know better. Forgive me for my ignorance. It has cost me a loving son and there is a pain which will last forever,” Lovett said Thursday.“How do I get over losing my child because of an error in my judgment? Every moment of every day is a reminder of what I’ve lost.”Prosecutor Jonathan Hak asked Justice Kristine Eidsvik to impose a sentence of four to five years.“The defendant ignored obvious warning signs. In doing so, her son suffered unnecessarily,” Hak said.He noted that Lovett ignored a friend’s advice to seek help for Ryan hours before his death and that she isn’t likely to change her mind about holistic medicine.Defence lawyer Alain Hepner, who is calling for a sentence of one year plus probation, said his client has already suffered “pain and torment” for causing Ryan’s death.He told court Lovett was not a mean or abusive mother, but someone who made a mistake.“Tamara Lovett has suffered the ultimate penalty for her actions —the death of her son,” Hepner said. “She realizes her belief system caused the death of her son.”Hepner has filed an application on behalf of his client arguing the guilty verdict should be overturned because the case was not dealt with in a reasonable time. Those arguments are scheduled for Oct. 24.— Follow @BillGraveland on Twitter