Tag: thesamikhsya

Congress President Rahul Gandhi to arrive in Bolangit  on Wednesday for the second time within a week time.Which reflects Congress’s focus on western Odisha and Rahul is obvious;y going to breath life into the party followers and the tribal in particular for whom Rahul had promised years back to remain their soldier in Delhi.

Prince Albert II of Monaco on Tuesday called on President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
Welcoming the Prince, the President said that although India and Monaco shared a relationship of trust, friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation, the current visit was an impetus to take the relationship to newer heights.
He said both the countries can do more on issues such as renewable energy, climate change and the environment.
‘We must prioritise these areas for bilateral cooperation,’’ he said.
He pointed out that India was the fastest growing major economy in the world and Monaco’s technology and investment companies could significantly benefit from the India growth story.
Later, the President hosted a lunch for the Prince and his delegation.

Welcoming the Supreme Court order on the CBI-Kolkata police fracas, the BJP on Tuesday said that the verdict makes it clear that there is no scope for ‘Dadagiri’ in West Bengal politics and the nation should be grateful to the apex court.

“Didi ki dadagiri par aaj Supreme Court ne ankoosh lagaya (The Supreme Court has put a halt to the politics of Dadagiri often pursued by Mamata Banerjee),” Union Minister and party leader Smriti Irani told reporters here.

“A grateful nation welcomed the verdict delivered today,” Ms Irani said.

She said taking cognizance of the plea from the CBI, the Supreme Court has directed Kolkata’s highly controversial police commissioner Rajeev Kumar to make himself available to the probe agency and cooperate in the investigation.

“The observation of the Supreme Court makes it clear that Mamata Banerjee’s false protest and drama enacted in Kolkata since last two days were only aimed at protecting those who have looted the money of poor people through the chit fund scams,” Ms Irani said.

After an unprecedented confrontation between the CBI and Kolkata police, West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Banerjee sat on a Dharna on Sunday late evening protesting ‘central government’s move to subvert the authorities of the states”.

The Minister maintained that after the Supreme Court verdict if Trinamool leaders are calling it a ‘victory’, it is only a case of dichotomy with the truth.

“The political histrionics has been brought to a halt,” Ms Irani said adding – ” With egg on her face, to celebrate it as a moral victory is only a dichotomy that is only available in the realms of Mamata Banerjee’s politics”.

Earlier in the day, other BJP leaders including Union Minister and Aansol MP from south Bengal – Babul Supriyo also took a dig at Mamata Banerjee for calling the court order a ‘victory’.

“Mamataji is delusional, claiming victory. When did CBI say that they went to arrest Rajeev Kumar,” tweeted Mr Supriyo within minutes the Chief Minister said in Kolkata that the apex court order was a victory for her.

BJP spokesman Sambit Patra also took to the micro blogging site and wrote: “Despite the huge loss of face for Mamata Banerjee in the Supreme Court today, she still continues to entertain the nation with her very evident Frustration..through a so called Press Conference. Confluence of The Confused”.

The Supreme Court ordered controversial Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar to make himself available before the CBI on the chit fund probe.

According to sources, after Attorney General K K Venugopal told the apex court that the law and order situation is not conducive in West Bengal for questioning of Rajeev Kumar, the bench said in its order that he can appear in Shillong in the north east.

The court order also said that no ‘coercive’ action can be taken against Rajeev Kumar and Trinamool Congress has called it as endorsement of the party stand.

Nine people including a baby have died in a fire at an eight-storey building in south-western Paris, fire service officials say.

More than 30 people – including six firefighters – were injured. One person is in a serious condition, said a BBC News report.

Fifty people were evacuated by ladders from the blaze in the upmarket 16th arrondissement.

The Paris prosecutor says it may have been deliberately started. Police have detained a female suspect.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the country “had woken up to tragedy”, and praised the fire services for their courage.

Rue Erlanger is a popular street close to the Parc des Princes soccer stadium.

The fire spread across the two floors of the 1970s building on Erlanger street shortly after 01:00 (00:00 GMT), forcing some residents to scramble on to nearby rooftops to escape the flames and smoke.

An eyewitness at the scene told France Télévision: “The fire alarm went off at 00:30am a little after midnight, and smoke was everywhere already. I live on the 8th floor, the top floor, so I tried to pass from balcony to balcony to get away, And then, we huddled up in a corner, other people climbed up to where I was to escape the flames.”

About 250 firefighters were deployed to the scene not far from the Bois de Boulogne park, helping to rescue those trapped on the roofs. Pictures showed flames coming from the top floor windows and firefighters in breathing apparatus scaling ladders to reach residents.

“When we arrived, we were faced with an apocalyptic situation. Lots of people were calling for help from the windows”, the spokesman said.

Six firefighters are among the injured, reports French broadcaster BFMTV.

The fire was brought under control after a five-hour operation, but the death toll could still increase, a fire service spokesman told the AFP news agency.

Nothing of the fire is visible from the end of the street, which has been sealed off, the BBC’s Hugh Schofield reports from Paris.

Firefighters says this complicated their task because they could not use their vehicles. The courtyard also acted as a funnel, helping the flames to spread from the lower to upper floors. Neighbours are being quizzed by journalists.

Surrounding buildings in the area have been evacuated as a precaution. Town hall officials have been tasked with finding alternative accommodation, reports Le Parisien newspaper.

An investigation has been opened into the criminal charge of causing death by arson.

French media say the woman is suspected of trying to set fire to a car parked near the building after a row with a neighbour.

Paris Prosecutor Rémy Heitz said the suspect had been known to psychiatric services.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has sent her condolences to the victims, and is on her way to the site, along with Interior Minister Christophe Castaner.

Just a few weeks earlier, four people were killed after a huge blast at a bakery in the centre of the city.

Punjab National Bank on Tuesday said the Bank has done 100 per cent provisioning till the third quarter results against the accounts affected by the fraud carried out by Nirav Modi and now the lender has completely provided for the fraud .

The Bank’s provisions fell 38.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs 2,753 crore. Of this, Rs 2,014 crore has gone for making provisions against the accounts affected by the Rs 14,357-crore Nirav Modi fraud.
“Nothing left to provide for the fraud now,” PNB chairman Sunil Mehta said on the sidelines of an event for release of its Quarter 3 results here.
The PNB Fraud Case is related to fraudulent letter of undertaking worth Rs 14,356.84 crore issued by the Punjab National Bank at its Brady House branch in Fort, Mumbai; making the Bank liable for the amount.
The fraud was allegedly orchaestrated by jeweller and designer Nirav Modi. Nirav, his wife Ami Modi, brother Nishal Modi and uncle Mehul Choksi, all partners of the firms, M/s Diamond R US, M/s Solar Exports and M/s Stellar Diamonds; along with PNB officials and employees, and directors of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi’s firms have all been named in a chargesheet by the CBI.
Nirav and his family absconded in early 2018, days before the news of the scam broke in India.
On liquor baron Vijay Mallya, Mr Mehta said the lendor would recover his assets after following proper legal procedure.

 (UNI) India on Tuesday floated a proposal, expressing its willingness to host the next World Cup Hockey, scheduled to start on January 13, 2023, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced.
India has hosted the men’s World Cup thrice, the latest being last year in Bhubaneswar.
Spain, Malaysia and Germany have proposed organising the event in the July 1 to 17, 2022 window.
”Bidding countries had to indicate until the deadline of 31 January 2019 also their preferred time window, either 1-17 July 2022 or 13-29 January 2023,” FIH said in a statement.
FIH will now start the evaluation process of the bids. The Executive Board will make the final decision on both hosts in June 2019.
FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “FIH is glad to have received such strong bids. This confirms how appealing our events are. We’re looking forward to two great FIH World Cups, both Men’s and Women’s, and a lot of excitement for players and fans!”

Congratulating the party workers for the success of the ‘Jan Akanksha Rally’ in Bihar on February 3, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the rally has strengthened voice of change in the country. In a post on social media, Mr Gandhi said, ‘I am touched by the love and affection shown by people of Bihar . The Jan Akanksha rally held in Bihar’s Gandhi maidan has strengthened the voice of change in the country. Congratulation to all party colleagues in Bihar for the successful rally.’’

Should one of the world’s most recognised buildings, Britain’s houses of Parliament, be converted into a luxury hotel and tourist attraction?

That was the idea put forward Monday by MP Ed Vaizey, a former minister for digital and the creative industries, as the iconic Palace of Westminster will undergo a massive 5.22 billion US dollar facelift.

Britain’s second biggest city, Birmingham, 200 kilometers north of London, could be the home of the brand-new parliament building, Vaizey said in an interview with journal Building Design.

“This country should close this building. It should become a heritage site and luxury hotel owned by Historic Royal Palaces. Then we should build an entirely new Parliamentary complex that reflects modern Britain,” he said.

“I would be open to it being built somewhere like Birmingham. It would be quite exciting to move Parliament to Birmingham. It would help get HS2 (Britain’s new London to Birmingham high-speed link) built. All the opposition would fade away,” he added.

Legislators in the Houses of Parliament have voted for politicians from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, as well as parliamentary staff, to be moved to temporary homes while the work is carried out.

The journal said discussions remain ongoing but the most likely contender for a temporary House of Commons chamber would be Richmond House in Whitehall, while the House of Lords would move to the QEII Center on the far side of Parliament Square.

One U.S. architect came up with a novel solution to build a floating Houses of Parliament that would sit in the River Thames, a few meters away from the existing historic building.

The restoration work will be the biggest facelift the Houses of Parliament undergoes in its history. The oldest part of the palace, Westminster Hall, dates back 900 years, with the rest of the complex built in the 1830s after the old medieval parliament buildings were destroyed by a fire.

The Shiv Sena once again slammed the Modi government over the issue between the West Bengal government and the CBI, alleging that it was ‘orchestrated’ for political gains in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
In an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the party said what was happening in Kolkata, was a ‘threat to democracy’.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been on a sit-in protest since Sunday, against the CBI’s bid to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in chit fund scam cases, declaring that her agitation to save the ‘Constitution and the country’ will go on and she was ready to face the consequences.

The Centre could have acted against the Kolkata Police chief two months back and the CBI should have carried proper summons before visiting his house to question him, said the edit.
Narendra Modi should look into the crisis in West Bengal as a Prime Minister of the country and not as a leader of BJP, it added.
The Sena claimed that BJP was going to fall short of 100 Lok Sabha seats from north India to Maharashtra (in the west), in the Lok Sabha polls.

To fill the gap, BJP has laid its hopes on states like West Bengal to win 10 to 15 seats. All this (the all-out war between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government) is being orchestrated with an eye on the Lok Sabha polls, said the Sena, which is an ally of BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

”No doubt, we have our differences with Mamata Banerjee and her party, but she is, indeed, hitting back at the Centre with equal force,” the edit added.(UNI)

Renowned film director Govind Nihalani and film editor Abhijeet Deshpande, have been selected for this year’s ‘Kalamaharshi Baburao Painter’ and ‘Chitramaharshi Anandrao Painter’ awards respectively.

These awards will be given away during 7th Kolhapur International Film (KIF) festival, to be held from February 7 to 14 at INOX Multiplex Reliance Mall, which will be inaugurated by veteran actress Rohini Hattangadi.

Chandrakant Joshi, president of Kalamaharshi Baburao Painter Film society (KBPFS), organiser of the film festival said that the names were selected, considering their contribution in Hindi-Marathi film sector.

Mr Joshi said that about 60 foreign films from different countries including “I, Daniel Blake” (Belgium), Loveless (Russia), Redoubtable (France), Bad Poetry (Japan), Leaf of life (Iran), Mothering (Iran), Line (Afghan-India), Erica printe dead (Japan), Fury dance (Korea), Komolo Racket (Bangladesh), Tasfiya (Tajikistan),Trampoline (Croatia) and Russian Ark, Father and Son, Mother and son Faust (Russia) directed by Alexander Sokurov, will participate in this eight-day long film festival.

Mr Joshi said that in “Mai-Marathi” section, seven unreleased new Marathi films including ‘Dithi’, Imago, Mhorkya (Leader),” Ashlil Udhyog Mitra Mandal”, Ili Ili Lama…’, Maharaja’ will also screen for the first time in the festival, while six language films as “Andarkahini: Self-exile (Bengali), Walking with the wind (Ladakhi), Too late (Tamil), Ayvkto (Bengali), Pattai (Tulu), Hebatt Ramakka (Kannada) will show in ‘Vividh Bharati’ section.(UNI)

With two more patients succumbing to the deadly H1N1 influenza in Himachal Pradesh, the toll in the state mounted to 16.
Two swine flu patients died at IGMC on Monday night and 113 cases have surfaced.
The two deceased include a nonagenarian who was suffering from cardiac ailments while other was a diabetic.
After Question hour in the Assembly, Health Minister Vipin Parmar on Tuesday said Kangra and Shimla districts recorded 36 and 33 cases respectively.

Twenty H1N1 patients are hospitalised at IGMC and eight at Dr Rajnder Prasad Medical College, Tanda.
The state had recorded only two deaths due to swine flu in 2018, 15 in 2017, five in 2016 and seven in 2015.

Out of that out of total 113 H1N1 cases, 36 were detected in Kangra and 33 in Shimla, 11 in Bilaspur, eight in Mandi, six in Solan five each in Chamba and Hamirpur, two in Una and one in Kullu.
He said that government is providing free of cost treatment to swine flue patients at IGMC, Tanda Medical college and Central Research Kendra in Kasouli.

At least 28 Afghan security forces personnel were killed as a result of a Taliban attack in northern province of Kunduz, Afghanistan, media reported on Tuesday. No further details have been provided so far.

“Fresh clashes erupted in Talawla, an area on northern outskirts of provincial capital Kunduz city at midnight after Taliban militants stormed security checkpoints. The clashes also caused five soldiers and several militants injured.”

Rescuers were ready to rescue villagers near Mount Karangetan volcano in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province through sea if the volcano spewed more hot lava, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Head of Search and Rescue Office for Manado, the provincial capital, Amirruddin said that over 110 villagers from five villages have been evacuated so far as hot lava and volcanic rocks slid downward to the villages and a road.

“Now about 30 of our personnel are at the scene, helping evacuate the people. We have deployed two rubber boats and two other boats,” he told Xinhua.

Amiruddin said his office was monitoring the situation, including the spread of hot lava.

“When the level of danger is declared emergency, we immediately move with the ships, and with all of our strength rescue the people through sea,” he said referring to the coastal villages.

Five villages in Siau Barat sub-district of Sitaro district are vulnerable to the flows of hot lava and rains of volcanic ash, according to him.

The National Disaster Management Agency said hot lava and volcanic rocks have slid down from Mount Karangetan volcano, only 300 meters away from villages, and 200 meters from a road, spokesman of the agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

On Dec. 21, volcanologists raised the alert status of Mount Karangetan to the second highest after the volcano erupted.

Mount Karangetan is one of the 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a vast archipelagic nation home to over 17,500 islands.(UNI)

West Bengal chief Minister Mamat Banerjee on Tuesday said, ” Nobody is the big boss of this country, democracy is the big boss of this country. ” “I think it’s our moral victory. We have respect for the judiciary and This order was passed earlier also that they can call mutually. Rajeev Kumar never said I will not be available. If you need any clarification, you can come,”   Banerjee said welcoming Supreme Court’s order on Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar.

“They came to arrest. The court said no arrest. We are grateful for the order. We welcome the verdict,” she said.

“Just calling them and arresting them. People cannot go to court. CBI has its own court. How will people get justice. I am fighting for millions of people not just Rajeev Kumar,” Banerjee pointed out.

The chief minister said, ” Today is the victory for the people,victory of democracy, victory of Save India. ”

“Our case is strong. We never said we will never cooperate. We have sent five letters.” said Banerjee after the SC order on Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar,” she stated. “I am not pleading for Rajeev Kumar, I am pleading for millions of people,” the chief minister said.

Banerjee said , “Chandrababu Naidu is coming today (at the dharna stage). I am not alone. I shall discuss with Naveen Patnaikji also. He also gave me support. I will consult them and let you know (our next step).” “We respect the central forces,” she said.

“Our movement is a people’s movement. Modi will not return to power. They are putting in trouble everybody — common people, farmers, artists. They alleged tampering of evidence — it was turned down,” Ms Banerjee iterated.

The chief minister said, ” Rajeev Kumar cannot be arrested, the court has said. They are arresting people from Bengal and putting them in jails of Odisha. They are taking some to Delhi, while some to Odisha. ”

They arrested Lalu Prasad Yadav and took him to Jharkhand. It’s (the SC order) a victory of democracy, she alleged.

“It’s a six year-old case (Saradha chit fund case). It happened in the era of the CPI(M).

We arrested Sudipta Sen. We set up the judicial commission which returned Rs 300 crore. And they allege that we are responsible,” said  Banerjee.

Continuing its strong run at the box office, the kangana ranaut-starrer ‘Mannikarnika-The Queen of Jhansi’ collected Rs. 115 crores gross worldwide at the end of second weekend, officials at Zee studios said.

The film collected Rs 76.65 crores NBOC in 10 days, Rs 94 crores gross in India at the end of second weekend and crossed 2.85 million US Dollars in overseas markets.

The film was released in over 3000 screens in India and over 700 screens in overseas markets.

Speaking on the response to the film, Shariq Patel, CEO, Zee Studios said, “We at Zee Studios are proud to bring Rani Lakshmi Bai’s extraordinary story and are humbled with the overwhelming response from audiences worldwide”.

Vibha Chopra, Head, Zee Studios International (Distribution, Marketing and Acquisitions) added on the film’s overseas performance, “Manikarnika’s epic story of valour and bravery has resonated with audiences across age groups around the world. The film has done really well especially in UAE, Australia and USA markets and continues to hold strong in other important overseas markets”.

Produced by Zee Studios and Kamal Jain, ‘Manikarnika -The Queen of Jhansi’ is running successfully in theatres worldwide. The film also stars Jisshu Sengupta, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni among others.(UNI)

Amid the political storm of ‘CBI-Kolkata police’ row and Mamata Banerjee taking a rather unusual but aggressive stance, BJP leader and Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said by doing so, Trinamool Congress chief has only tried to project herself as the ‘nucleus’ of India’s opposition.

“It would be a gross error to assume that she did this (Dharna) because of a routine investigation involving a Police Officer. She did it to defocus from other opposition aspirants for the highest office and to project herself as the nucleus of India’s opposition,” Mr Jaitley wrote in a blog posted on Facebook.

Lambasting the Congress President Rahul Gandhi for taking a u-turn on the issue of chit fund scam in West Bengal, he further said: “Curiously, the AICC President somersaulted his position from Saradha being a scam to “shoulder-to-shoulder”support to scamster”.

Mr Jaitley, who is undergoing treatment abroad, also pointed out that – “Interestingly, the first family of Congress where most members are on bail”.

“A non-ideological short-lived coalition of opposition is disaster for India,” he said referring to the efforts being made for unity among various regional parties.

“When Mamata Banerjee decided to sit on a Dharna she received support of many opposition parties who aspire to be in power. Most of them, or their affiliates are today being investigated, prosecuted and in some cases have also been convicted for crimes of corruption,” he wrote.

“Mamata Banerjee’s disproportionate over-reaction to the CBI wanting to interrogate the Kolkata Police Chief has flagged several issues for a public discourse. The most important being that a Kleptocrat’s Club now aspires to capture the reigns of India,” he said.

Mr Jaitley said: “Today the CBI is being brutally prevented by physical force and detention of its officer from investigating a crime legally within its jurisdiction, in the State of West Bengal. It is a textbook illustration of a State Government assaulting Federalism”.

The Union Minister also lashed out at all other opposition leaders trying to back Mamata Banerjee: “More importantly those who have lent support to the West Bengal Dharna are those who are battling serious allegations of economic improprieties, criminal misconduct and even corruption. Can “New India” be ever run by this Kleptocrat’s Club?”

The ensuing elections “will be either Modi Vs. Chaos or Modi Vs. Anarchy” – he said, “Mamata Banerjee’s latest acrobatics are the best evidence of the kind of governance India’s opposition can provide”.(UNI)

A former trusted police officer of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee- Bharati Ghosh has joined BJP and is now likely to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Ghosh, who is said to have been close also to BJP leader Mukul Roy, joined the saffron party on Monday in presence of BJP leaders Kailash Vijaywargiya and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Taking to Twitter, BJP’s in charge for West Bengal Mr Vijaywargiya said, “The BJP family continues to grow in West Bengal. I welcome former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh to the party.”

Posted as West Midnapore Superintendent of Police,  Ghosh was once credited for her battle against Maoists but she later fell from Chief Minister’s grace and is at present under state CID scanner in an alleged ‘extortion case’.

For her part,   Ghosh, has, however, denied the charge.

The BJP on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court order directing Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar to appear before the CBI in chit fund case probe and said the court directives reflect the moral defeat of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

‘Mamata Banerjee ki naitik haar (It is moral defeat of Mamata Banerjee),’ tweeted BJP incharge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya.

He also said the court order marks ‘victory of democracy’.

Party leader Nalin Kohli also welcomed the verdict of the three-judge bench of the court and said,

‘It has been made clear by the Supreme Court in its order that personal appearance, after filing of replies, of officers concerned may be required.’

Mr Kohli also said that it will be communicated by Secretary General of Supreme Court on February 19, if such appearance is required on February 20.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi ordered that the controversial police officer Kumar will have to make himself available before the CBI.

On Sunday, a big fracas surfaced in Kolkata after a CBI team landed at Kumar’s house to question him but was disallowed by the Kolkata Police and the Chief minister sat on a Dharna registering her protest against ‘central government’s move to subvert the authorities of the state government’.(UNI)