SP blames 'weak' foreign policy for Azam Khan's detention

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party on Saturday said the detention of UP minister Azam Khan at a US airport was fallout of a "weak" foreign policy of the country.

SP said the US should be told that such "discriminatory" actions would henceforth not be tolerated.

"The incident of misbehaviour with Khan is a fallout of weak foreign policy due to which India is emerging as a weak nation in the eyes of the entire world... Countries like Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal have also started browbeating India. China has entered Indian teritory..." SP spokesman and state cabinet minister Rajendra Chowdhury said.

"It should be made clear (to US) that such incidents with Indians will not be tolerated any more. Discrimination in the name of caste and colour should be immediately stopped by the US," Chowdhury said.

Supporting UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's stand of not going ahead with his scheduled lecture at Harvard University in the light of the incident, Chowdhury said that he had shown his political maturity by doing so.

"He has protected national self-respect by cancelling his lecture," Chowdhury said, comparing the UP CM with Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, who, according to him, too was arrested in US in a similar case.

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BJP leaders meet President, demand dismissal of Dikshit govt

NEW DELHI: Delhi BJP leaders on Saturday met President Pranab Mukherjee and demanded dismissal of Sheila Dikshit government on the grounds of "deteriorating" law and order situation in the national capital.

The delegation led by state BJP chief Vijay Goel and comprising leader of opposition in assembly V K Malhotra, BJP national secretary Aarti Mehra, former state BJP president Vijender Gupta and senior MLAs alleged that the Congress government in Delhi had failed to ensure security of its citizens.

"We have asked the President to consider dismissing the government under section 239 AA of the Constitution, where he can dismiss a government for non-performance," Goel said.

"The President has assured us that he will look into the matter and speak to Prime Minister and home minister on the issue," the Delhi BJP chief said.

He added that the chief minister herself has asked for the removal of Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar over deteriorating law and order situation and rise in incident of rapes, which makes it evident that her government has lost total control.

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Japan PM Abe escapes injury in five-car collision

TOKYO: A limousine carrying Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was involved in a five-car pile-up at a toll gate in Tokyo on Saturday but he escaped without any injuries, police said.

Two guards in a police car accompanying Abe's official vehicle suffered slight injuries to the face, a Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said.

The police car made a sudden stop at the toll gate, which led to Abe's vehicle bumping into it from behind.

Two other police cars and a saloon carrying reporters, which were trailing Abe's limousine, were also involved in the collision, said the official.

Abe, known for his nationalist views, was on his way to a park in central Tokyo to attend a rally calling on North Korea to return Japanese nationals kidnapped by the communist state during the Cold War, local media said.

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TRS chief vows not to rest till Telangana state is formed

HYDERABAD: Elected unopposed for the seventh consecutive term as the president of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), K Chandrasekhara Rao on Saturday vowed not to rest till separate Telangana state is achieved.

Addressing the TRS conclave at Armoor in Nizamabad district to mark 13th formation day of the party, he said he was re-dedicating himself to the cause and offered to continue his services to the party till it achieves its single-point agenda.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, also demanded the central government to table a bill in parliament to carve out separate Telangana state. "If the prime minister has any respect for the democracy and for the promise he made to parliament and to people, he should table the bill in the parliament," the MP from Mahabubnagar said.

The TRS chief said conspiracies could never stop Telangana. He declared that the TRS leaders would join the "Sansad yatra" in Delhi on Monday to demand separate state.

KCR said the selfish leaders of the region were the main hurdle in achieving the goal. He alleged that these leaders belonging to ruling Congress and main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ran away when asked to sacrifice their posts for the sake of Telangana.

Appealing to people to teach a lesson to anti-Telangana parties, he said Telangana society should emerge as a strong political force to fulfill its long-cherished demand of having its own state.

Welcoming TDP legislator Kamlakar Rao into the party fold, KCR claimed that many state legislators and MPs from other parties would soon join the TRS.

Earlier, TRS leader N Narasimha Rao announced that KCR was elected unopposed as the party president. He said no other leader had filed nomination for the post.

KCR announced that the party would hold training camps for its cadre in all the assembly constituencies, which would be followed by a brainstorming session to carry the movement forward.

KCR had quit TDP to float TRS in 2000. In 2004 elections, which it fought in alliance with Congress party, TRS won 26 assembly and five Lok Sabha seats. The sub-regional party joined hands with TDP and the Left parties in 2009 elections but its strength in the assembly and Lok Sabha came down to 10 and two respectively.

However, the developments later that year and the indefinite fast by KCR infused new life into the movement.

The central government on December 9, 2009 declared that the process for formation of separate Telangana state would be initiated. However, the mass resignations of MPs and MLAs and the protests in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions forced the central government to put the process on hold.

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Saradha scam: Several inquiries are going on, WB governor says

KOLKATA: West Bengal governor MK Narayanan on Friday sidestepped a question on whether a CBI inquiry was needed into the Saradha chit fund scam saying that inquiries were going on.

"Several inquiries are going on and the most important is how we can give some money back to the investors," Narayanan told reporters when asked whether a CBI probe was required into the scam, which has hit thousands of investors in the state.

Opposition parties have demanded a CBI inquiry into the Saradha Group alleging involvement of ruling Trinamool Congress MPs.

Asked whether he thought the Rs 500 crore relief package announced by the state government was enough to help investors, the governor said "Not enough, but it is a major effort."

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South Korea to pull all workers from industrial zone in North

SEOUL: South Korea will pull out all remaining workers from a jointly run industrial zone in North Korea, it said on Friday, after Pyongyang rejected a call for formal talks to end a standoff that led to operations being suspended.

The decision to remove about 170 people from the Kaesong factory park located just north of the armed border deepens a conflict between the two Koreas and puts at risk their last remaining channel of exchange that resulted from their breakthrough 2000 summit and a bid to improve ties.

The two Koreas remain technically at war under a mere truce that ended hostilities in their 1950-53 conflict and North Korea, angry at UN sanctions and joint South Korean-US military drills, has threatened both countries with nuclear attack in recent weeks.

"Because our nationals remaining in the Kaesong industrial zone are experiencing greater difficulties due to the North's unjust actions, the government has come to the unavoidable decision to bring back all remaining personnel in order to protect their safety," South Korean unification minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said.

The North withdrew its 53,000 workers from the complex this month amid spiralling tension between the two Koreas. The North has prevented South Korean workers and supplies from getting in to the zone since April 3.

Impoverished North Korea rejected the proposal of talks, saying the South has acted in an "unpardonable" manner to jeopardize a "precious" legacy of the rivals' bid to seek peace.

The North's National Defence Commission, its supreme leadership body, repeated that what it saw as the reckless behaviour of the South had thrown into question the safety of the zone's operations.

The Kaesong project opened in 2004 as part of a so-called sunshine policy of engagement and optimism between the two Koreas, and 123 South Korean companies produced clothing, household goods and motorcycle helmets employing local workers.

The zone was a lucrative source of cash for the North, providing it with almost $90 million a year. South Korean manufacturers have been paying about $130 a month to North Korea for each of the workers they employed.

On Thursday, South Korea made the proposal for formal talks as the South Korean workers who remained at the zone were believed to be running out of food and other supplies. It had demanded an answer from the North by Friday.

The number of South Koreans in the zone has dwindled from the 700 or so normally needed to keep the factories running to about 170, seen as the minimum number needed to safeguard assets at the 1 trillion won ($894.73 million) park.

North Korea stepped up defiance of UN Security Council resolutions in December when it launched a rocket that it said had put a scientific satellite into orbit. Critics said the launch was aimed at developing technology to deliver a nuclear warhead mounted on a long-range missile.

The North followed that in February with its third test of a nuclear weapon. That brought new UN sanctions which in turn led to a dramatic intensification of North Korea's threats of nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States.

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Climate change may reduce crop output by 18% in 2020: Sharad Pawar

NEW DELHI: Climate change is likely to bring down the production of key foodgrain crops like wheat and rice in the country by up to 18 per cent in 2020, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said on Friday.

"Climate change is projected to reduce timely sown irrigated wheat production by about 6 per cent in 2020. In case of late sown wheat, the projected levels are to the extent of 18 per cent," Pawar said in the Rajya Sabha.

Further reduction by up to 25 per cent in crop yields are projected in 2080, he noted.

Similarly, a 4 per cent fall in crop yield of irrigated rice and 6 per cent in rain-fed rice is seen due to climate changes by 2020.

The forecast are made by the government's agricultural research body ICAR using crop simulation models incorporating future projections for 2020, 2050 and 2080, he added.

In case of maize and sorghum, Pawar said yields are projected to dip by about 18 per cent and 2.5 per cent in 2020.

To a separate query on development of quality seeds, the minister said, "A total of 157 varieties/hybrids of rice, wheat and pulses have been notified during last three years."

These varieties of seeds are developed by National Agricultural Research System comprising of centre and state agricultural research institutes, he added.

On the likely demand of foodgrains by the end of 12th Five-Year-Plan (2012-17), Pawar said a working group of the Planning Commission has pegged domestic demand of wheat and rice at 89 million tonnes and 110 million tonnes in 2016-17 fiscal.

Whereas production of rice is expected to be 98-106 million tonnes, wheat is expected to be at 93-104 million tonnes in 2016-17, he said.

At present, the production of rice and wheat is sufficient to meet the domestic demand, he added.

Rice output is estimated to be 101.80 million tonnes and wheat at 92.30 million tonnes in 2012-13 crop year (July- June), as per the government forecast.

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US economy grew at 2.5% rate in the first quarter: Commerce department

WASHINGTON: US economic growth regained speed in the first quarter, but not as much as expected, which could heighten fears the already weakening economy could struggle to handle deep government spending cuts and higher taxes.

Gross domestic product expanded at 2.5 percent annual rate, the commerce department said on Friday, after growth nearly stalled at 0.4 percent in the fourth quarter. The increase, however, missed economists' expectations for a 3.0 percent growth pace.

Part of the acceleration in activity reflected farmers' filling up silos after a drought last summer decimated crop output. Removing inventories, the growth rate was a tepid 1.5 percent.

Given the smaller-than-expected increase and signs the economy has weakened in recent weeks, the GDP data will probably weigh on US stocks. It could also give ammunition for the Federal Reserve to maintain its monetary stimulus.

The US central bank, which meets next week, is widely expected to keep purchasing bonds at a pace of $85 billion a month.

Data ranging from employment to retail sales and manufacturing weakened substantially in March after robust gains in the first two months of the year. There are indications the weakness persisted into April.

Broad-based gains

The GDP report showed contributions to growth from all areas of the economy, with the exception of government, trade and investment by businesses in offices and other commercial buildings.

Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of US economic activity, increased at a 3.2 percent pace - the fastest since the fourth quarter of 2010. It grew at a 1.8 percent rate in the fourth quarter of last year.

However, households cut back on saving to fund their purchases after incomes dropped at a 5.3 percent rate in the first quarter - a bad sign for future spending growth. The drop in income was the largest since the third quarter of 2009.

The saving rate - the percentage of disposable income households are socking away - fell to 2.6 percent, the lowest since the fourth quarter of 2007, from 4.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Much of the gains in first-quarter spending came from automobile purchases and outlays for utilities, which were boosted by unusually cold temperatures. Consumers managed to step up their spending despite the return of a 2 percent payroll tax and higher gasoline prices.

Despite the spike in gasoline prices, inflation pressures were benign in the first three months of the year.

An inflation gauge in the government's GDP report rose at a 0.9 percent rate, the smallest increase since the second quarter of 2012. The personal consumption expenditure index had increased at a 1.6 percent pace the fourth quarter.

A core measure that strips out food and energy costs rose at a 1.2 percent rate, still well below the Fed's 2 percent target.

Core PCE had increased at a 1.0 percent rate in the fourth quarter.

The lack of inflation should come as welcome relief for American households, but it could cause some nervousness at the US central bank, which may see it as a symptom of the economy's weakness.

Another big contributor to growth in the fourth quarter was inventory accumulation, which added a full percentage point to GDP growth after chopping off 1.5 points from output in the final three months of last year.

Business spending on equipment and software slowed sharply, growing at an only 3.0 percent rate after a brisk 11.8 percent pace in the fourth quarter.

Economists caution that it is too early to blame the cooling in business investment and other more recent signs of economic softness on the $85 billion in mandatory government spending cuts, known as the sequester, that began on March 1.

Homebuilding marked an eighth straight quarter of growth, though the pace moderated from the fourth quarter. Housing added to growth last year for the first time since 2005 and its recovery should help ensure the economy does not contract.

While export growth rebounded, it was outpaced by imports, resulting in a trade deficit that cut off half a percentage point from output.

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Punjab and Haryana HC summons singer Honey Singh over vulgar songs

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday ordered Punjabi rap singer Honey Singh to present himself before the court on May 14 to respond to the allegations levelled against him for singing a song "Main Hoon Balatkari".

HC has passed these orders while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by NGO HELP of Nawanshar in Punjab. The petitioner NGO had sought directions to set up some effective mechanism for curbing the menace of obscene/vulgar/lewd songs from the state of Punjab, such as setting up a censor board or framing some other policy.

The petitioner had referred to a news report published in " The Times of India" for bringing home the fact as to how vulgar/ obscene songs are being recorded and played by certain Punjabi singers. A specific reference was made to a song "Main Hoon Balatkari" sung by Honey Singh. The petitioner stated that all limits of decency are being violated by such songs. The petitioner referred to provisions of section 294 of Indian Penal code (IPC), according to which singing of lewd/ obscene songs at public places is an offence. It was further stated that women have the right to protect their dignity, as a facet of their fundamental right of "right to life", and thee fundamental right to dignity of a human being cannot be violated under the garb of "right to freedom of speech".

According to the petitioner, there is a spurt in the quantum of such obscene songs being recorded and played these days, but the Punjab government has not taken any steps to curb this growing menace. Earlier on March 1, the Punjab government had informed the HC that they are in the process of finalizing a policy to ban vulgar, misogynist and sexist songs in the state.

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US jobless claims fall, labor market recovery advances

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000 the Labor Department said on Thursday.

The author has posted comments on this articleReuters | Apr 25, 2013, 06.29PM IST

WASHINGTON: The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, offering reassurance that the bottom is not falling out of the labor market despite signs of slower growth.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000 the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's number was revised to show 3,000 more applications than previously reported.

Analysts had expected 351,000 new claims last week. A Labor Department analyst said there was nothing unusual in the data and no states had estimated their claims.

The report runs counter to several weeks of signals that economic activity has softened over the last two months, a phenomena economists have dubbed the spring swoon because it also happened in the previous two years.

The four-week moving average for new claims, a less volatile measure of labor market trends, fell 4,500 to 357,500.

That could help to further ease concerns of a deterioration in labor market conditions after nonfarm payrolls posted their smallest increase in nine months in March. However, claims around this time of the year are difficult to adjust for seasonal swings, so analysts will be cautious about extrapolating too much from today's data.

Economists expect the government next week will report that employers hired 145,000 people in April. Employers added 88,000 workers to their payrolls last month after a solid 268,000 increase in February.

Economic data for January and February suggested that growth accelerated in the first quarter after activity almost stalled in the final three months of 2012.

But in a replay of the prior two years, the economy appeared to have hit a speed bump at the end of the quarter, with data ranging from employment to retail sales and manufacturing weakening significantly in March.

The slowdown has been largely blamed on belt-tightening in Washington as the government tries to slash its bloated budget deficit.

It was unclear whether there was any impact in the claims data from a brief shutdown of offices in Boston area last week as police hunted for a man suspected of helping plant bombs at the Boston Marathon. State authorities asked hundreds of thousands of Boston-area workers to stay in their homes on April 19.

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Karnataka polls: Narendra Modi to make only guest appearance in BJP's campaign

BANGALORE: Gujarat strongman NarendraModi appears to be reluctant to conduct a full-fledged poll campaign in Karnataka.

Contrary to claims by state BJP leaders that Modi would conduct an extensive campaign tour ahead of the May 5 assembly elections, only one date has been fixed for him to canvass. The Gujarat chief minister is scheduled to address public only in Bangalore on April 28.

"Modi would address a public rally in the city on Sunday," said state BJP chief Prahalad Joshi. The buzz in political circles is that Modi is not keen because BJP is seen to be in not-so-strong-wicket, saddled as it is with anti-incumbency factor and a five-year-rule marked by scams, scandals and intra-party fights.

Asked by reporters why the party is not fully utilizing the services of Modi for campaigning, Joshi said he would discuss with him regarding the remaining dates. But a party source said barring the rally slated to be held on the sprawling National College grounds here on Sunday, Modi is unlikely to spend more time in Karnataka for campaigning.

BJP president Rajnath Singh, party stalwart L K Advani and leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj have already started campaigning in the state. At a campaign-kick-off rally here earlier this month, state BJP leaders, including Joshi, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and senior party functionary H N Ananth Kumar, insisted Modi has expressed willingness to tour extensively and be at the party's disposal as far as election canvassing is concerned.

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Maharashtra to take stern action against striking resident doctors, minister says

MUMBAI: The state government is contemplating to invoke Maharashtra essential services act against the resident doctors who are on strike. The resident doctors are demanding rise in the existing stipend given to them.

Speaking to media persons on Thursday medical education minister Dr Vijaykumar Gavit said, "If doctors continue their strike it would be contempt of the Bombay high court. If doctors continue their strike, the state can even think of invoking essential service act."

According to the medical education department officials over 4000 medicos are on strike and they are demanding a rise of nearly Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 hike in the exiting stipend. However the state government is willing to increase the amount by Rs 5,000, but doctors have refused the offer and decided to continue with their strike.

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Spain joblessness hits new high, above 6 million for first time

The author has posted comments on this articleAP | Apr 25, 2013, 08.18PM IST

MADRID: With over 6 million unemployed for the first time ever, Spain's jobless rate shot up to a record 27.2 percent in the first quarter of 2013, the National Statistics Institute said on Thursday, in another grim picture of the recession-wracked country.

The agency said the number of people unemployed rose by 237,400 people in the first three months of the year, a 1.1 percent increase from the previous quarter. The total out of work stood at 6.2 million people, the first time the number has breached the 6-million mark.

Unsurprisingly, the details of the report make for grim reading.

The number of people considered long-term unemployed — out of a job for more than a year — increased to 3.5 million while the unemployment rate for those aged under 25 was a staggering 57 percent. The government body also said its survey found the number of households without any one working had risen by 72,400 to a 1.91 million.

"The situation is really bad, with all the cuts that there have been, there are families that are going through a bad time because a lot of families have all the members unemployed and they don't have any income," said shop assistant Rodrigo Limpias , 30.

Labor Ministry employment secretary Engracia Hidalgo described the figures as "dramatic" but said the government was working non-stop to try make Spain a job creator once again.

Spain has been in recession for much of the past four years as it struggles to deal with the collapse of its once-booming real estate sector in 2008. In the previous decade its economy was thriving, generating millions of jobs.

In just over a year in office, the conservative government has launched a series of financial and labor reforms and pursued a raft of spending cuts and tax increases that have managed to reduce a swollen deficit. Even so, the country had the highest budget deficit among the 17 European Union countries that use the euro in 2012.

"This is getting worse every day. (The government) has no solution, there are more and more people unemployed and we don't have enough to eat," said Maria Carmen Huerta, 55, an unemployed IT worker.

The government's handling of the crisis has sparked almost daily protests.

On Thursday, 1,400 police were to be deployed around Parliament and the building was totally cordoned off ahead of an evening demonstration. Parliament cancelled its session for the day but blamed reasons other than the rally.

Several previous rallies close to Parliament have ended in clashes with police. The Interior Ministry said police arrested four people and confiscated material they believe was to be used to start fires at bank offices in the city. The ministry claims violent, anti-establishment groups are behind the rally.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has acknowledged that 2013 will be a bad year but insists that it would have been worse without the reforms. The International Monetary Fund indicated last week that Spain's economy will contract by 1.6 percent this year.

The government is predicting that Spain will return to growth, which should help the labor market. Rajoy has promised reforms to be presented Friday that will "make the economy more flexible, more competitive and will turn those predictions around."

Opposition parties said the unemployment figures highlight how Rajoy's austerity policies are damaging the economy.

"6 million people unemployed is 6 million reasons for the government to withdraw the labor reform and change its economic policy," said Oscar Lopez of the leading opposition Socialist party.

But the EU's top economic official, Commissioner Olli Rehn said "Spain should maintain the reform momentum by including comprehensive and concrete policy measures" in its programs.

He said that "despite significant progress in 2012, there are still excessive macroeconomic imbalances" with high domestic and external debt continuing to pose risks for growth and financial stability.

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Cong promises interest-free farm loan, laptops to preuniversity students in Karnataka

BANGALORE: The Congress on Wednesday promised interest-free loans to farmers, free laptops to pre-university students and rice at Re one per kg to BPL card holders if it came to power in Karnataka, where assembly elections will take place on May 5.

Interest-free loans up to Rs 2 lakh and on three per cent interest up to Rs 5 lakh, establishing of a Rs 1,500 crore natural calamity relief fund and supply of three-phase quality power for eight hours continuously per day were some of the highlights of farmer-friendly programmes in the manifesto, released by defence minister AK Antony.

The party promised to provide free laptops/digital notepads to all PUC students and making Kannada the medium of instructions compulsory and teaching English as a subject from the first standard.

It expressed commitment to total implementation of the Food Security Act and offering Re 1 per kg of rice up to 30 kgs for below-poverty-line ration card holders.

A one-time loan waiver to SC/ST/OBC/women/child/fisheries and minorities development corporation, and carrying forward unspent budgetary allocations of special component plans were some of the promises under the social welfare department.

The party government would establish fast-track courts to try terrorism-related cases and heinous crimes on women and children, and also constitute a state-level committee under the chairmanship of a retired high court judge to look into cases of detention implicating innocent individuals in terrorism related cases.

"We will establish statutory state agricultural prices commission and district committees, with members from among farmers, and give 75 per cent subsidy for solar energy-run irrigation pump sets up to 10 hp", president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee G Parameshwara said.

The party also promised to develop a greater Bangalore interconnecting second Tier cities around the state capital, and review existing structure of Bangalore city corporation and make it administratively viable.

Union ministers Mallikarjuna Kharge, M Veerappa Moily, Rahman Khan, K H Muniyappa and Jitendra Singh and senior Congress leaders Ambika Soni and Oscar Fernandes, former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, besides leader of opposition in the assembly, Siddaramaiah, were among those present.

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UP govt forms panel for implementation of Sachar committee recommendations

LUCKNOW: The Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh has constituted a six-member committee to prepare a draft resolution on the recommendations of Sachar committee. The proposal will be tabled in the next assembly session.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) had promised in its election manifesto last year that if voted to power, it will implement recommendations of Sachar committee which fall under state's jurisdiction. It had also promised to provide reservation to the Muslims in proportion to population and on the basis of their economic, social and educational backwardness. However, nothing was done after assuming office, drawing flak from the minority community which voted overwhelmingly for the party in 2012 assembly elections.

Now, the government has acted with an eye on Muslim votes for next Lok Sabha elections. Minorities welfare minister Mohd Azam Khan, who is also Muslim face of the party, has directed the committee to prepare the draft resolution to be tabled in next assembly session. The committee has been mandated to segregate state and central issues mentioned in the report for its implementation.

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Taiwan confirms first case of H7N9 bird flu outside China

TAIPEI: Taiwan on Wednesday reported the first case of the H7N9 bird flu outside of mainland China.

The 53-year-old man, who had been working in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, showed symptoms three days after returning to Taiwan via Shanghai, the Centers for Disease Control said, adding that he had been hospitalised since April 16 and was in a critical condition.

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Italian president names Enrico Letta as next prime minister

ROME: Italian centre-left politician Enrico Letta received a mandate to form a new government from President Giorgio Napolitano, an official at the Quirinale Palace announced on Wednesday.

Letta, the nephew of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's long-time chief of staff Gianni Letta and deputy leader of the Democratic Party, is considered a moderate acceptable to the centre-right.

His appointment was announced by Donato Marra, head of Napolitano's secretariat.

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No darshan at Tirumala shrine for 17 hours due to lunar eclipse on Thursday

TIRUPATI: Devotees will not be allowed entry into the shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tirumala for about 17 hours from 5pm tomorrow to 10am on Friday on account of lunar eclipse, temple sources said.

They said the shrine would be closed an hour before sunset tomorrow and opened early on Friday. The priests would then conduct 'cleansing' of the ancient shrine, followed by pre-dawn rituals, including recitation of Suprabatham and Archana rituals.

Pilgrims would be allowed to have a darshan of the Lord only after 10am on Friday, they said.

According to the TTD almanac, the lunar eclipse would take place from 1.22am to 1.55am (a few minutes in small hours) on Friday, they added.

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French embassy in Tripoli bombed, two injured

TRIPOLI: A car bomb hit France's embassy in Libya on Tuesday, wounding two French guards and causing extensive damage in the first attack on a foreign mission since militants stormed the US consulate in Benghazi in September.

Libyan foreign minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz branded the bombing a "terrorist act", and French President Francois Hollande said Tripoli must act quickly to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

The attack comes as Libya is plagued by a lack of security following the 2011 ouster of long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi and as French forces are engaged in a battle against Islamist extremists in Mali.

The explosion occurred around 7:10 am (0510 GMT), Tripoli security chief Mahmud al-Sherif said, after an explosives-laden car was parked outside the mission's front door.

Sherif said "this was not a suicide bombing," adding that "we face several threats and enemies, and it is too early to point to any party in particular."

An AFP correspondent said the wall surrounding the property was destroyed and the embassy building extensively damaged, with one French employee saying "there's nothing left of my office".

The explosion, which created a deep crater in the street, destroyed two cars parked nearby, damaged two neighbouring villas and blew out the windows of a shop 200 metres (yards) away.

A French source said one guard was seriously wounded and another lightly hurt in the attack on the mission, housed in a two-storey villa in the upmarket Gargaresh area.

Libyan state news agency Lana added that a girl living in the neighbourhood was also hurt, but gave no details.

"It was a big mistake to site the French embassy in our neighbourhood," said a local resident.

Jamal Omar, who lives across the street and whose face was slightly injured, said the car must have been parked only minutes before the explosion.

"I was sweeping outside my house, and there wasn't any car in front of the embassy. The explosion happened less than five minutes after I went back inside."

France condemned the "odious" attack.

"In liaison with the Libyan authorities, the services of the state will do everything to establish the circumstances of this odious act and rapidly identify the perpetrators," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement.

A diplomat in Paris said Fabius would fly to Tripoli later in the day.

"This attack could have been absolute carnage. It was a matter of minutes: if the staff had been there this would have been a terrible tragedy," Fabius told BFM Television.

"This attack was meant to kill. France will not surrender," he said. "This attack targeted not only France but all of the countries who are fighting against terrorist groups."

Hollande said in a statement that "France expects the Libyan authorities to ensure that all possible light is shed on this unacceptable act so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice."

The anti-terrorism branch of the Paris prosecutors' office has opened an investigation into the attack. The gendarmerie is sending 10 officers to the scene to boost security and to study the possibility of moving the embassy.

Libya's foreign minister condemned the bombing as a "terrorist act," but declined to speculate on who carried it out or what the motive was.

"We strongly condemn this act, which we regard as a terrorist act against a brother nation that supported Libya during the revolution" of 2011 that ousted Kadhafi, Abdel Aziz said.

"We regret this act and express our solidarity with the French government and people," he added, announcing that a joint commission had been formed to investigate the attack.

The French primary and high schools, both located in the same neighbourhood as the embassy, closed on Tuesday for an indefinite time, parents told AFP.

France, under then president Nicolas Sarkozy, led NATO air raids against Kadhafi's forces under a UN resolution aimed at protecting civilians.

Since Kadhafi's fall, Libya has been hit by persistent insecurity, especially in the region of Benghazi, which has been hit by bombings and assassinations that have forced many Westerners to leave the eastern city.

Four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed when heavily armed men overran the Benghazi mission on September 11, setting fire to much of the compound and then attacking a nearby annex.

The violence in Libya is often blamed on radical Islamists persecuted under Kadhafi and who now want to settle old scores, while security remains the prerogative of militias in a number of important areas.

Armed jihadist groups hurt by the French intervention in northern Mali had threatened retaliation by attacking French interests across the world.

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'Hindu terror' remark: Court to pronounce order on May 16 on summoning Shinde

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday deferred to May 16 its order on whether to summon Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in connection with a defamation case filed against him for his 'Hindu terror' remark.

Metropolitan magistrate Amitabh Rawat, who had called the complainant to deliver the order after the counsel completed the arguments, postponed the date to May 16 saying the order was not ready.

The court had already recorded the pre-summoning evidence of petitioner V P Kumar after it heard his counsel Monika Arora who had alleged that the home minister had "wilfully" made the "derogatory" remarks to cause "ill will and hatred among communities".

Kumar, in his petition, alleged that Shinde's remarks were aimed at "polarising minority votes" in the 2014 general elections.

"The impugned statement is not only defamatory in its natural meaning but also contains the imputation and insinuation that Hindu religion is involved in anti-national and terrorist activities," the petition said, adding the minister "has used the word saffron as synonym of terrorism, which is totally absurd, wrong, mischievous and defamatory".

According to the petition, Shinde while addressing an AICC meeting at Jaipur earlier this year, had said "...We have got an investigation report that be it RSS or BJP, their training camps are promoting Hindu terrorism. We are keeping a strict vigil on all this.

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SC to consider draft rules on sexual harassment at apex court

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to constitute a committee headed by an eminent jurist to finalise the draft rules for dealing with sexual harassment complaints of women, including lady lawyers, working at the apex court.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, said the name of the chairman of the committee, which will also go into various other issues raised in the report prepared on its order, would be decided on Thursday.

A report placed on Tuesday before the bench said the sexual harassment complaint committees at various high courts and district courts across the country existed only on paper without much power or guidelines and there is a lack of space for their working.

The report was prepared by Asha Menon, member secretary, National Legal Services Authority, who was asked by the apex court on March 21 to provide data on the establishment of committees constituted in different courts across the country as per the Vishaka judgement dealing with the issues of sexual harassment of women at workplace.

"The picture that emerges from this report is that the committees are only on paper," advocate Binu Tamta told the bench, also comprising justices A R Dave and Ranjana Prakash Desai.

Tamta, who filed the petition on the issue along with another lady advocate Vibha Dutta Makhija, said the report is clear that "there is a need to have rules to empower the committee".

Makhija said they have prepared the draft rules which can be considered by the committee to be appointed by the apex court.

She submitted that there was a need for two separate committees which could go into the complaints of the employees of the court and another can look into the complaints of women lawyers working in the Supreme Court and other courts.

Attorney general G E Vahanvati told the bench that the apex court had on October 19, 2012 considered the 1997 Vishaka verdict and addressed the issue by directing all regulatory bodies like Bar Council of India (BCI) and Medical Council of India (MCI), which regulate different professions, to set up a committee to deal with all cases of sexual harassment at the workplace.

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Madhya Pradesh government to reopen all closed rape cases

BHOPAL: The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government on Tuesday morning took a major decision to reopen all past cases of alleged rapes which were closed in police files. The revelation was made by state minister for home affairs Uma Shankar Gupta, who said: The state will reopen all closed rape cases and reinvestigate them.'' This means that thousands of cases where investigation proceedings were closed will be reopened for fresh probe.

Madhya Pradesh has repeatedly figured as the state with maximum rape cases registered for more than a decade. Speaking to reporters, home minister Uma Shankar Gupta claimed that during investigations of recent cases of crimes against women, it was found that many of the accused were habitual offenders. They figured in police files for previous cases of atrocities against women and minor girls. According to NCRB reports, between 2001 and 2011 the state registered 9,465 cases of child rapes.

We will first investigate why these cases were closed. What were the circumstances under which the police decided to close the files instead of taking the case towards prosecution,'' the Home minister argued. If the cases have been closed under pressure from any quarter or for other reasons including lapses on the part of the police and administration. Because in the past few months of investigations, it was found that accused who get away with committing the crime once, get encouraged and do it again.'' Gupta argued that this exercise would be an attempt to bring to justice those rapists who walked away free.

We will look at each case from the beginning and if there is even a small hope of bringing them to justice, we will,'' he added.

On Monday evening, the chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh R. Parasuram also called a special meeting to find ways of controlling increasing crimes against women. The administration has planned prompt formation of neighbourhood police in urban areas and 'gram raksha samities' in the rural areas for protection of women. The home department is working on the details of the neighbourhood police and gram samiti cells and the groundwork will be ready by the end of the week, the state government said.

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President Pranab Mukherjee confident of 7-8% growth rate in 2-3 years

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Apr 23, 2013, 08.15PM IST

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday expressed confidence that the economy will return to higher growth path of 7-8 per cent in next two to three years and pitched for revitalising investments in the country.

"We are confident that we will return to 7-8 per cent growth bracket in the next two to three years.

"We need to revitalise investment in the country for this purpose," Mukherjee said at the inaugural session of IFTDO's World Conference and Exhibition here.

India economic growth was over 8 per cent in 2009-10 and 2010-11 fiscals, but it declined to 6.5 per cent in the following financial year.

Further, India's economic growth slowed to a decade low of around 5 per cent in 2012-13 mainly due to global slowdown.

"Though our GDP growth in 2012-13 at 5 per cent is the lowest in ten years, it is much higher than that of G-7 countries," he said.

"International projection point out that our growth will continue to be better that that of these economies for the next two years," the President said.

Mukherjee further said that while Indian economy cannot remain immune to a prolonged global financial crisis, "we are working hard to reverse the deceleration in growth."

He said the government is making systems responsive to the industries' need for facilitation and timely clearances.

On FDI, the President said: "We welcome foreign investment which has a critical role in bringing in modern technology and globalising our economy."

Investment rate is estimated to be 35.8 per cent of GDP in 2012-13. As per the economic review presented by Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC), investment capital accumulated in projects is not yielding commensurate output. PMEAC has pegged the GDP growth at 6.4 per cent in the current fiscal.

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Take exemplary action against erring officials: Delhi LG to top cop

NEW DELHI: Amid public outrage over the brutal rape of a five-year-old girl, Delhi's lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna on Monday asked police commissioner Neeraj Kumar to take "exemplary" action against police officials accused of showing laxity in tracing the missing child and offering money to the family for hushing up the case.

At a meeting here, Khanna expressed anguish over the gruesome incident and directed Kumar to speed up the investigation into the case which has sparked an outcry.

"The lieutenant governor has issued a clear cut instruction to the police commissioner not to spare any police personnel who allegedly showed laxity in handling the case. Khanna asked Kumar to take strict and exemplary action against the erring officials," sources said.

They said Khanna asked the police chief to handle the case in the best possible professional way and told him to direct his force to take cases of violence against women very seriously.

The lieutenant governor also asked the top cop to brief the media regularly about investigation into the case.

On Friday, Kumar had suspended ACP B S Ahlawat for slapping a girl inside the Swami Dayanand Hospital when she and others were on protest. The five-year-old victim was admitted in the Swami Dayanand Hospital.

SHO Dharampal Singh and sub-inspector Mahavir Singh, who was the first investigating officer, were placed under suspension for alleged dereliction of duty pending an inquiry.

A vigilance inquiry was also ordered into allegations that some policeman offered Rs 2,000 to the rape victim's family for hushing up the case.

The horrific incident took place in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar. The girl, who was missing from April 15 evening, was rescued on April 17 from the ground floor of the building where her family was staying.

A second man allegedly involved in the crime was arrested in Bihar early this morning.

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Take exemplary action against erring officials: Delhi LG to top cop

NEW DELHI: Amid public outrage over the brutal rape of a five-year-old girl, Delhi's lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna on Monday asked police commissioner Neeraj Kumar to take "exemplary" action against police officials accused of showing laxity in tracing the missing child and offering money to the family for hushing up the case.

At a meeting here, Khanna expressed anguish over the gruesome incident and directed Kumar to speed up the investigation into the case which has sparked an outcry.

"The lieutenant governor has issued a clear cut instruction to the police commissioner not to spare any police personnel who allegedly showed laxity in handling the case. Khanna asked Kumar to take strict and exemplary action against the erring officials," sources said.

They said Khanna asked the police chief to handle the case in the best possible professional way and told him to direct his force to take cases of violence against women very seriously.

The lieutenant governor also asked the top cop to brief the media regularly about investigation into the case.

On Friday, Kumar had suspended ACP B S Ahlawat for slapping a girl inside the Swami Dayanand Hospital when she and others were on protest. The five-year-old victim was admitted in the Swami Dayanand Hospital.

SHO Dharampal Singh and sub-inspector Mahavir Singh, who was the first investigating officer, were placed under suspension for alleged dereliction of duty pending an inquiry.

A vigilance inquiry was also ordered into allegations that some policeman offered Rs 2,000 to the rape victim's family for hushing up the case.

The horrific incident took place in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar. The girl, who was missing from April 15 evening, was rescued on April 17 from the ground floor of the building where her family was staying.

A second man allegedly involved in the crime was arrested in Bihar early this morning.

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Govt rejects demand for law minister Ashwani Kumar's resignation

NEW DELHI: Government on Monday rejected opposition demand for resignation of law minister Ashwani Kumar in the wake of allegations that he tried to influence CBI's status report on the coal block scam investigation, submitted to the Supreme Court.

"I don't think that is a relevant demand," parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath said, adding that CBI had made it clear that it had not been pressurised.

"If CBI says they were not pressurised...there has been a statement by CBI. And somebody stands up and says they were pressurised, the person supposed to be pressurised is not saying that. So, how can you move on that," Nath told reporters outside Parliament House while replying to a query on the opposition demand.

Soon after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day at 2pm on various issues including alleged coal scam and rape of a five-year-old girl in Delhi, the minister appealed to the opposition to cooperate with the government for smooth functioning of Parliament. He said the government was open to discussing all issues on the floor of the House.

The coal block allocation issue figured in the Rajya Sabha too where opposition parties were adamant on calling the law minister in the House and seeking suo motu statements from both Prime Minister Manmohan Sngh and Ashwani Kumar. Congress has already rejected demands for the resignation of Kumar.

Nath also rejected a senior opposition leader's reported remarks that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was talking in the the language used by the opposition to influence the functioning of the government.

"No way is Mrs Gandhi interfering in the functioning of the government," he said.

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Ex-convict shoots five dead at Russia hunting shop

MOSCOW: An armed former convict on Monday killed five people, including a 14-year-old girl, in a broad daylight shooting at a hunting shop in the Russian city of Belgorod, police said.

The man killed three salespeople at the shop and two passers-by outside the premises in the southern city close to the border with Ukraine, regional police spokesman Yevgeny Kamalov told AFP from Belgorod.

One other person was wounded in the incident. The assailant fled in a BMW which he then abandoned, Kamalov said.

The Moscow-based Investigative Committee said in a statement that the suspect had been identified, adding the assailant was a resident of Belgorod, had a criminal record and was released from prison in 2012.

The area around the shooting scene has been cordoned off by police.

"Currently, an active search is going on to detain the suspect," regional police said in a statement.

Another regional police spokesman, Alexei Pomorov, said a group of investigators had been dispatched to the city from Moscow to assist with the investigation.

Police refused to speculate about the possible reasons for the shooting.

"We do not know whether it was a conflict because there's no-one we can ask: everyone's dead," Pomorov told AFP.

Unlike in the United States, access to firearms is restricted in Russia and mass shootings are relatively rare.

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Aarushi murder: Seniors officers stopped chargesheet against Talwars, court told

GHAZIABAD: The CBI investigating team wanted to chargesheet Nupur and Rajesh Talwar and two others in Aarushi-Hemraj murder case but was directed by seniors to file closure report as they felt there wasn't enough material, the officer who led the probe told a court here on Monday.

Additional superintendent of police AGL Kaul who is being cross examined by the defence counsel said he had enough circumstantial evidence against Rajesh's brother Dinesh Talwar and family friend Sunil Choudhary to file chargesheet against them.

When asked by court, he said, "In the case diary, I had recommended filing chargesheet against accused persons (Nupur and Rajesh Talwar), Dr Dinesh Talwar and Dr Sushil Choudhary but my senior officers Neelabh Kishore and Javeed Ahmed felt that there is not enough material to file the chargesheet, hence I filed final report (closure)."

"It is wrong to say that accused persons had neither killed Aarushi and Hemraj nor they took Hemraj's body to terrace and dragged his body on the roof. It is also wrong to say that both the accused kept sleeping on the entire intervening night of May 15-16, 2008 and came to know about the murder of Aarushi in the morning only," he said.

Kaul also said that it was wrong to say that Aarushi and Hemraj were not hit by golf sticks.

The officer also said that Talwars did not cooperate in the investigation.

Kaul, who has been credited with solving many complex cases including the Shehla Masood murder, told the court that it was not correct to say that he had deliberately not mentioned the evidence in his closure report which went in favour of Talwars.

Kaul refuted allegations that forensic expert Dr Mohinder Singh Dahiya who was asked to prepare a report in the case in 2009 never visited the crime site but added that he did not ask anyone to become witness to the visit.

He said he had accompanied Dr Dahiya, who is director of the Institute of Forensic Science, Gujarat Forensic Sciences University, to the crime site which was earlier inspected by CFSL expert Dr Rajendra Singh.

Kaul said he has mentioned the visit of Dr Dahiya in his case diary. However, the officer also made it clear that memo of his visit to the crime site was not prepared by him.

He also said that it was wrong to say that his inference of dressing up of crime scene as mentioned in the closure report was false or against the available evidence.

During cross examination, Kaul said he did not mention it wrongly that Rajesh Talwar did not go to Noida Golf Club regularly but it was clear that he was the member of the club.

He said previous investigators had not issued any notice to Talwars for producing gold sticks.

Kaul told the defence counsel that he did not attach call detail records of servants Krishna and Rajkumar along with the closure report because, according to him, they were not accused in the case.

He claimed that call details records of the basic telephone installed at Talwars residence in Jalvayu Vihar were not taken because there is no such records for basic phones.

Kaul also told the court that during investigation he came to know that Hemraj's mobile phone was found active in Punjab circle of Tata Telecom and an SMS was received on it after the crime was committed and these details have been mentioned in the closure report.

14-year old Aarushi was found dead with her throat slit in her bedroom on May 16, 2008. The initial suspicion went on Hemraj whose body was later found in their terrace at Jalvayu Vihar in Noida on the outskirts of Delhi.

The allegations of involvement in the murder have been refuted by Talwars who have claimed innocence in the matter.

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Israel, US see 'exactly same' Iran threat, Hagel says

TEL AVIV: A major US arms deal with Israel sends a "very clear signal" to Tehran that military action remains an option to stop it from going nuclear, US defence secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters on Sunday.

Asked if a multi-billion dollar arms package with Israel was designed to convey a message that a military strike remains an option, he said: "I don't think there's any question that's another very clear signal to Iran."

Hagel was speaking just before his plane touched down in Tel Aviv at the start of a six-day tour of the region focused on plans to sell $10 billion worth of advanced missiles and aircraft to Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in a bid to counter the threat posed by Iran.

The deal will see Israel obtaining anti-radiation missiles designed to take out enemy air defences, radar for fighter jets, aerial refuelling tankers and Osprey V-22 tilt-rotor transport aircraft.

It will also see the sale of US F-16 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates and sophisticated missiles to Saudi Arabia.

Details were unveiled on the eve of Hagel's departure on a trip which will focus heavily on tensions over Iran's nuclear programme and the civil war raging in Syria.

American and Israeli leaders have been at odds over Iran, with President Barack Obama's administration arguing that tough sanctions and diplomacy need to be given more time to work.

But Israel, believed to be the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, has repeatedly warned that time is running out and has refused to rule out a pre-emptive military strike to prevent Iran from obtaining an atomic weapons capability.

Hagel plans to discuss with his counterparts in the region the final details of the arms deal, and US officials have said it would be months or more for the new weapons and aircraft to be delivered.

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Direct cash transfer to curb wastages, leakages: Prime Minister

NEW DELHI: Centre's ambitious direct cash transfer scheme will help in better targeting of subsidies and reducing delay in delivery of benefits besides curbing wastages and leakages, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday.

Addressing the 8th Civil Services Day, Singh said his government has made sustained efforts to curb corruption and enhance transparency and accountability in public works.

He also said the government needs to make full use of new and modern technology not only in delivery of public services but in governance in general.

"A good example of such use is the Aadhar programme for providing all the residents of our country a unique identity, and also the Direct Benefits Transfer scheme based on Aadhar numbers that our government launched a few months back....

"It will lead to better targeting of subsidies and reducing delays in the delivery of benefits such as scholarships and pensions to the intended beneficiaries. It will also help in curbing wastages and leakages, and result in greater financial inclusion," Singh said.

The Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme now covers 121 districts of the country.

"I think it is also important to recognise the fact that the programmes like the Direct Benefits Scheme also give a sense of empowerment to the people, increase their faith in the processes of governance and therefore have a far larger positive effect than can be measured by the direct advantages they give," he said asking the bureaucrats, involved directly or indirectly in its implementation, to ensure the scheme is a success. The DBT scheme provides for cash transfer of subsidy from the government directly to an Aadhar-linked beneficiary's bank account. "Our government has also made sustained efforts to curb corruption and enhance transparency and accountability in the work of public authorities. There are several legislative initiatives that we have taken in this regard, for example the Right to Information Act, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill and the Whistleblowers Protection Bill. "These are intended to also help in improving the standards of delivery of public services in our country," the PM said.

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Swami Kriyananda passes away in Italy at 86

NEW DELHI: Swami Kriyananda, among the last of direct disciples of the iconic Paramhansa Yogananda, passed away Sunday in Italy, his organization Ananda Sangha announced. He was 86.

A great admirer of India and its spiritual legacy, Kriyananda, who was born J Donald Walters, breathed his last at 12 noon India time at his home in Asissi, a spokesperson for Ananda Sangha said here.

"He had been unwell for a few days. He left (passed away) peacefully," a brief statement said.

In the over 60 years that he devoted to spirituality, Kriyananda, an American, wrote around 140 books and 400 pieces of poetry which together sold more than three million copies in 90 countries.

During this period, he preached Sanatan Dharma, Kriya Yoga and meditation, earning a large number of followers in numerous countries including India.

His last public discourse was in Chennai Jan 20 this year when more than 2,000 people packed the Music Academy hall in the heart of the city.

Born in Romania, Kriyananda met Yogananda at the age of 22 after reading his "Autobiography of a Yogi", regarded as one of the greatest spiritual works to be ever written.

Kriyananda spent nearly four years with Yogananda until the latter passed away in 1952.

After being with Yogananda's Self Realization Fellowship, Kriyananda founded the Ananda Sangha in 1969.

He first came to India in 1958 and visited the country later many times, eventually opening an Ananda Sangha centre at Gurgaon near Delhi in 1993. Other centres followed in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore.

Kriyananda met several spiritual masters in India. He also had interactions former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He spoke nine languages including Bengali and Hindi.

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A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hits off Japan's coast: US Geological Survey

TOKYO: A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the south coast of Japan's main Honshu island on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake hit at 12:22 pm (0322 GMT), 644 kilometres (400 miles) south of Tokyo, at a depth of 424 kilometres, the USGS said.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said there was no risk of a tsunami.

Tokyo and its suburban Kanto region were rocked by minor tremors but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, the agency said.

"We have received no reports of damage to properties nor reports of injuries so far," a spokesman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said.

The area is prone to earthquakes.

Another, weaker 4.2-magnitude quake struck at 7:27 pm in Fukushima prefecture in the northeast at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres and was felt throughout the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

It had no impact on the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, its operator Tokyo Electric Power Company said.

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Taliban attacks kill 9 people in Afghanistan

KABUL: Insurgents shot six police officers dead at a checkpoint and a suicide bomber killed three civilians at a shopping bazaar in two attacks in eastern Afghanistan today.

The attacks came during a surge in hostilities as Afghanistan's spring fighting season begins. This year is being closely watched because Afghan forces must operate with less support from the international military coalition.

With foreign forces due to hand over combat responsibilities to the local forces next year, the current fighting is a test of their ability to take on the country's insurgency.

Reflecting the surge in violence, the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office reported today that insurgent-initiated attacks increased by 47 per cent during the first quarter of 2013, compared to the same period last year.

The US-led NATO coalition has stopped releasing statistics on insurgent attacks in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's Defence Ministry said the Afghan army carried out 2,209 military operations during a month long period ending today. During that time, 467 insurgents and 107 soldiers were killed, and 362 militants were arrested, the ministry said in a report issued today.

April has been the deadliest month this year for security forces and Afghan and foreign civilians. According to an Associated Press tally, 222 people have been killed in violence around the nation this month, including today's nine fatalities.

The Taliban assault on the checkpoint came early today in the Dayak district of Ghazni province, killing six police officers, wounding one and leaving one missing, said Col. Mohammad Hussain, Ghazni's deputy police chief.

The second attack today hit Paktika province, which borders Ghazni. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a shopping bazaar around midday, killing three people and wounding five civilians and two police officers, said Mokhlis Afghan, the spokesman for the provincial governor.

Among the dead was Asanullah Sadat, who stepped down as the district's governor two years ago.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Taliban, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. In an email to reporters, he said Taliban used the bomber to target Sadat because of his close relations with the Afghan government and the US.

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