india

Updated: Oct 18, 2017 07:12 IST

1- Diesel gensets banned, Badarpur thermal power plant shut as Delhi air turns ‘very poor’

The Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) on Tuesday implemented a series of measures, such as imposing a ban on diesel generator sets and temporarily shutting down the Badarpur thermal power plant, to curb pollution levels in the national capital region during the winter. The Supreme Court-mandated panel warned that further steps, including effecting a fourfold hike in parking fees and shutting down polluting industries, will be implemented if the air quality degrades from ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ in the coming days.

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2- 11-year-old ‘starving’ Simdega girl died of malaria, says deputy commissioner

Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das sought a detailed inquiry report from Simdega deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri on Tuesday in the alleged starvation death of 11-year-old Santoshi Kumari in the district on September 28. Failure in Aadhaar seeding of ration card allegedly debarred the impoverished family of free ration since February, which led to the girl’s death. The Simdega administration, however, maintained that Santoshi was suffering from malaria and died due to her ailment.

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3- Kerala high court restores life ban on S Sreesanth; ‘worst decision ever,’ says angry cricketer

The life ban imposed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on former Team India pacer S Sreesanth will stay. A division bench of the Kerala high court in Kochi on Tuesday said Sreesanth will have to stay away from all cricket activity conducted by the BCCI. S. Sreesanth was slapped a life ban by the BCCI in 2015 after the Kerala pacer was charged with corruption during the 2013 Indian Premier League. In August this year, the Kerala High Court revoked the BCCI’s decision to impose a life ban on S. Sreesanth. Last year a special court in Delhi had acquitted him in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case. The Delhi Police continues to pursue the matter.

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4- Can’t give directions to treat Vande Mataram at par with Jana Gana Mana: Delhi HC

The Delhi high court dismissed on Tuesday a petition seeking direction to treat the national song Vande Mataram at par with the national anthem Jana Gana Mana. The high court said that though it agreed with the petitioner’s view, it cannot grant the relief sought. “Though we agree with the petitioner that Vande Mataram be recognised by the respondent as equal to Jana Gana Mana, we are of the view that we are unable to grant the relief sought in the petition,” the court said. The Centre opposed the plea saying Vande Mataram occupies a “unique and special place” in the psyche of Indians but it cannot be treated at par with Jana Gana Mana.

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5- PM Modi inaugurates AIIMS-like institute for ayurveda in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the first ever 200-bed ayurveda hospital on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi and said his government plans to establish such traditional medical institutes in every district of the country. “There is a strong need to integrate traditional and modern systems of medicines. This ayurveda hospital, which is like AIIMS, is equipped with most advanced technologies needed to treat patients,” Modi said as he launched the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) on the National Ayurveda Day.

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6- Haryana: Singer Harshita Dahiya shot dead in Panipat village

Ragini Singer Harshita Dahiya was shot dead by unidentified miscreants at Chamrara village of Haryana’s Panipat district on Tuesday evening. As per the information, the incident took place at around 4pm when she was returning in her car, along with three others, from a programme at Chamrara village when the accused stopped the car and opened fire. It is learnt that she was shot dead by two youth who came in a car and fired bullets at her before fleeing the spot. Preliminary investigation found that Harshita was a resident of Narela of Delhi and she had filed a complaint of rape against her brother-in-law, who is in jail now. She was also a witness in the murder case of her mother, who was killed few months ago in Delhi.

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7- Himachal polls-2017: Of Rajput rulers and Brahmin kingmakers

Though caste does not make or break poll prospects of politicians in Himachal Pradesh, it plays a crucial role in the hill state’s polity. A breakup of caste demography shows that among the 50.72% upper castes, 32.72% are Rajputs and 18% Brahmins. The Rajput community has been dominating Himachal Pradesh politics since Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar, who was also a Rajput, became the first chief minister of the state in 1952 and ruled for four consecutive terms. Virbhadra Singh, who has served six terms and 22 years, is a Rajput. Thakur Ram Lal and Prem Kuma Dhumal too belong to this community. BJP’s Shanta Kumar, who led the state twice from 1977 to 1980 and 1990 to 1992, was the only Brahmin to reach this post.

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8- Analysis: An electoral understanding with the Congress is a necessity for the Left

The CPI(M) is lurching from one misstep to another in getting the party electorally relevant. The raging yet unsettled debate in the party whether it should have an electoral understanding with the Congress is just another sign of this. The party wants to rally all secular and like-minded parties together to take on the BJP. But CPI(M)’s apathy to the Congress is more selective than ideological. The party had no qualms in supporting Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee as president. Most leaders in West Bengal continue to root for an electoral understanding with the Congress. Down but not out, the Congress remains the largest Opposition party in the country and the Left would do well to understand that mounting a united Opposition is not possible without it.

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9- France arrests 10 over suspected plot targeting politicians, mosques

Ten people were arrested in France on Tuesday over a suspected plot to target mosques and politicians, including a government spokesman, a source close to the investigation told AFP. The arrests by anti-terror police of suspects aged 17-25 were part of an investigation into far-right activists, the source said. The nine men and one woman are suspected of links to Logan Alexandre Nisin, a former militant of the far-right group Action Francaise Provence who was arrested in June, the source said. Another source named the targeted politicians as government spokesman Christophe Castaner and radical left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.

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10- Secret Superstar movie review: Over dramatic but Aamir Khan, Zaira Wasim will make you laugh and cry

Secret Superstar proceeds at leisure. Running over 150 minutes, it has the luxury of establishing the disturbing circumstances existing in Insiya’s household. While the family tries to support each other, the patriarchal father beats them, taunts them for being failures in life, and shows love only to the son. He seems straight out of a ‘70s movie, but can we really deny the existence of such people? Aamir Khan’s arrival in the film that adds charm to Secret Superstar. His traits of superficiality and self-obsession evoke smiles. He controls the flow of Secret Superstar before it becomes a public service message on domestic violence.

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