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Nitish brings in stricker Liquor law in Bihar

  The Nitish Kumar government is bringing in several amendments to tighten the prohibition law in Bihar, including one that will make culpable all adults of a family if any member is found drinking, possessing or selling liquor from the premises they occupy. The bill also puts toddy in the category of country liquor and makes tapping of toddy as serious an office as preparation of country liquor. The amendments to the bill were tabled in the assembly on Friday and will be taken up for discussion on Monday. Other stringent changes being made to the law include provisions to confiscate property and impose collective penalty on a village or town.   The government’s bid to reach out to the opposition assumes considerable significance as the BJP has decided to boycott the bill over its “draconian nature”. Sushil Kumar Modi said the BJP was never opposed to prohibition, but it did not like the stringent measures the proposed act envisages.  A team of parliamentary affairs minister Shravan Kumar, excise minister Abdul Jalil Mastan and art and culture minister Shiv Chandra Ram called on senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and ex-CM and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi.

After 100 water trains to Latur, Tap water arrives!

  Last weekend saw Latur, in Maharastra breath a sigh of relief as there was a severe drought last summer in the district. The downpour is set to revive tap water supply in the parched city , which was depending on the water trains from Miraj for its daily supply. Up to 110 mm rainfall was recorded over the next four hours. At some places, it was up to 70 mm rain. Following the heavy rain, key Sai and Nagzari barrages had copious amount of water. At a joint meeting of the local district administration and the Latur civic body on Sunday, it was decided to restart the water supply through taps, which had rundry for more than six months now.   Latur city, which has a population of nearly 4 lakh, last received drinking water through taps in the second week of February. Latur district received around 68.2mm rain in the 24 hours from 8.30am on Saturday , the highest for this season. “You can say that Latur’s water problem is almost over,” Latur Municipal Commissioner Sudhakar Telang said. The administrations have decided to lift 20 millions litres of water daily from Nagzari barrage and Sai barrage for drinking water supply through pipelines.

Chances of Finding AN-32 were always remote

  With hope of finding the missing IAF AN-32 fading, new pieces of information are coming to light. Those involved in the search for the missing Antonov 32 aircraft are beginning to raise a fundamental point - does AN-32 have systems on board to help rescuers locate and salvage if it were to crash at sea. "There is no device on AN-32 which can emit such acoustic signals," said a senior planner deployed in the search. When asked why, he explained that AN-32 was not an aircraft which primarily flew over the sea for operations.   The absence of this beacon raises serious questions like why the Indian Air Force was operating an aircraft over maritime areas without installing systems which would have allowed wreckage to have been located underwater in the event of such a crash. The locator devices on board AN-32 can emit electromagnetic signals/transmission using devices like the fixed Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) or Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) on rubber boats and vests. The ill-fated flight had 50 life vests and 10 boats. Unfortunately, these signals won't travel in water to be picked up by a sensor or submarine. "They are designed to function at the surface, say if they float, come in touch with water, but not underwater especially at a depth like 3500m where we suspect the plane has crashed," he explained.

Chorus from parties grows for AP special status

  The chorus for the special status for the state of Andhra Pradesh is growing and it is evening uniting the ruling and opposition parties as well. Members from NDA partner TDP and opposition YSR Congress today virtually joined hands in Lok Sabha to demand special category status for Andhra Pradesh. TDP is unhappy at the Narendra Modi government for not providing the desired funds to the state after Telangana was carved out of it. members of the YSR Congress trooped into the Well holding placards and raising slogans seeking special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Members of BJP-led ruling alliance partner TDP also stood in the aisles with larger placards and raising similar slogans.    Despite repeated reminders by the Speaker that placards are not allowed, members of the two parties continued to show banners and raise slogans throughout the Question Hour, which continued in the din. Just a couple of days ago, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has summoned party MPs for an emergency meeting to decide whether or not to continue in the NDA government. Amid the standoff between the centre and its key ally, at least two MPs of Telugu Desam Party today indicated that they were ready to resign (as Members of Parliament) to safeguard the interests of the state.

SC says no need to re-investigate Amit Shah

  In a big relief to the BJP party chief, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to permit social activist Harsh Mander to challenge Amit Shah's discharge in the Sohrabuddin encounter case. A bench of Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice Ashok Bhushan rejected the plea by Mander, who had challenged the Bombay High Court order rejecting his plea against the discharge of Amit Shah on the grounds of the former bureaucrat's locus standi to do so. In 2014, Mr Shah was found innocent of charges that he ordered the "fake encounter" that led to Sheikh being shot dead in 2005 by the police which reported to him as Home Minister of Gujarat.   A court in Mumbai ruled that there was no evidence against Mr Shah and that he had been included in the inquiry of Sheikh's death for political reasons. Former bureaucrat Harsh Mander had asked the Supreme Court to order that the 51-year-old politician's role be examined again. Judges today said that Mr Mander is "not even remotely connected with the case." They also stressed "Once he (Mr Shah) has been discharged, can he be continuously prosecuted?".

Sushma:Will ensure Indians in Jeddah get their dues

  Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, has said that she is personally monitoring the crisis in Jeddah and also that the  issue of food shortage faced by nearly 10,000 Indians rendered jobless in Saudi Arabia very seriously. The issue of food shortage faced by nearly 10,000 Indians rendered jobless in Saudi Arabia very seriously. She also told the house that the government is talking with Saudi authorities to ensure that those who haven't been paid their salaries by their employers for the last several months get the dues they deserve.   "I assure you that no Indian worker rendered unemployed in Saudi Arabia will go without food. I am monitoring the situation on hourly basis. I am satisfied to say this in the Parliament that ration (food packets) has been distributed to all the five camps for the next 10 days," said Sushma Swaraj. Low oil prices have forced the Saudi government to slash spending since last year, putting heavy pressure on the finances of local construction firms which rely on state contracts. As a result, some companies have been struggling to pay foreign workers and have laid off tens of thousands, including Indians, leaving many with no money for food let alone for tickets home.

BJP asks all its MPs to attend RS for GST bill

  The much in news Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill is to be tabled tomorrow in the parliament. And in view of this the BJP has askedall its Rajya Sabha MPs, asking them to be present in Parliament for the next three days. The ruling party which is in minority when it comes to numbers in Rajya Sabha, the numbers for the BJP are more favourable now than they were earlier, the GST is a Constitution amendment bill and requires the nod of at least 163 MPs in the 245-member Upper House. The crucial reform bill, India's biggest tax law since independence, has been listed for consideration and passage in the Upper House.   The NDA has 72 MPs; it also has the support of the SP with 19 MPs, BSP with six, JD(U)'s 10, NCP's five, RJD's three, TMC's 12, and the BJD's eight. The 60-memeber Congress and the AIADMK with 14 members are still hold the key. The government, including the finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been reaching out to opposition to support the bill and let it pass in the House when it is tabled tomorrow.

MP says she has threat to life;AIADMK sacks her

  After being given permission to speak in the Rajya Sabha after she raised the issue in the well of the House, Sasikala Pushpa, an AIADMKmember, was permitted to speak. "There is a threat to my life. I am being pressured to resign from my Constitutional position. Sir, please help me," she said and broke down. She also alleged that she was under pressure to quit from the Upper House. Kurien then asked her to write to the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President,Hamid Ansari, about the alleged threat to her life and assured her the House's support.   Minutes after her assertion, the AIADMK announced that she was expelled from the party for 'bringing a bad name' to the party by slapping DMK MP Tiruchi Siva. In a brief statement, Jayalalithaa said that Pushpa was being expelled from all party posts, including primary membership, as she had acted in violation of the party principles and ethics. "Her behaviour has brought great disrepute to the party," she said. Jayalalithaa has also asked party supporters not to have any truck henceforth with the Thoothukudi based Rajya Sabha MP.

SC asks ex-CMs to vacate Govt houses

  While sending a strong message to the former Chief Ministers of the states, the Supreme court today asked the former CMs to vacate the government accommodation. "Any such possession of government accommodation should be vacated within two months," the SC said in an order on Monday ruling on a petition filed by NGO Lok Prahari. A dead line of two months has been issued to 6 ex-CMs of Uttar Pradesh including Samajwadi party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP Chief Mayawati to empty the Government owned bungalows under their procession.   Six former chief ministers NDTiwari, Kalyan Singh, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh, Rajnath Singh and Ram Naresh Yadav- have been given government accommodation in UP. This comes as a significant ruling on VVIP encroachment on government properties. A Lucknow-based NGO had filed this petition and it had been pending with the Supreme Court. The court had reserved its order for 20 months. But now, with the Supreme Court cracking its whip, this ruling that is specific to Uttar Pradesh as of now, can also be invoked for other states.

Man jumps from 25,000 feet without parachute

  Luke Aikins, 42, a daredevil skydiver just made history. He has become the first person to jump 25,000 feet without a parachute. During the two-minute free fall that was aired live on television, he reached the speed of as extreme as 193km/h. A veteran of 18,000 jumps, completed the stunt without mishap, landing almost in the middle of the 100ft by 100ft net. Takingonly a few moments to regain his composure, Mr Aikins came out ofthe net and immediately jumped into the arms of his very relieved wife, Monica.  Members of the family and a crowd of well-wishers watched it into from an improvised spectator stand in the California desert.     He almost had to cancel his epic jump because he was ordered to wear a parachute for safety and this would have made his landing more dangerous because of the extra weight. However, the ban was lifted by the organisers just minutes before the jump. It took him 18 months of preparation to make the jump, Mr Aikins said the need to wear a parachute would have made the jump more dangerous because of the need to adjust his position as he approached the net.

Parrikar says Aamir Khan's remarks arrogant

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday that those who speak ill of India need to be taught a lesson. Manohar Parrikar took a jibe at Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan as he raked up his remark about leaving the country and described it as "arrogant". "One actor had said that his wife wants to live out of India. It was an arrogant statement. If I am poor and my house is small, I will still love my house and always dream to make a bungalow out of it," he said, without naming Khan. Parrikar was speaking in Pune after releasing the Marathi version journalist-author Nitin Gokhale's book on Siachen. Last year in November Aamir raked up the intolerence debate when he said, "When I sit at home and talkto Kiran, she says 'Should we move out of India?' That's a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day".  "How can anyone dare to talk ill about our country? If anyone speaks like this, they need to be taught a lesson," Parrikar said.

Rahul Gandhi gives Parrikar a 'lesson'

Earlier in the day it was reported that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that those who speak ill of India need to be taught a lesson. And Congress Vice President is at it again in an attempt to give it back to him. Tweeting from his account OfficeOfRG, Rahul said that the RSS and Manohar Parrikar who wanted to teach everyone a lesson, should have a lesson for them too. He said that hate was the preserve of the coward and that it never won. He said, “RSS & Parrikarji want to teach everyone a lesson. Here’s a lesson for you: hate is the preserve of the coward and it never wins.” This comes a day after the Defense Minister, Manohar Parrkiar took a dig at Bollywood actor Aamir Khan on his remark about 'leaving the country'. A few months later, e-commerce giant, for which Khan was brand ambassador, did not renew his contract. It had earlier faced a strong backlash on social media, including a reported loss of customers. “I am only trying to point out… if anyone speaks like this, he has to be taught a lesson of his life,” Parrikar said at a ceremony to launch the Marathi edition of a book by journalist Nitin Gokhale.

Modi gives Rakshabandhan gift ideas for brothers!

In today's address to the nation on Maan Ki Baat, Prime Minister had a unique but a powerful message sent out to the brothers in the country. In view of the upcoming festival of Rakshabandhan Modi suggested a gidft that brothers could give their sisters on the auspicious day. He said, “Since Raksha Bandhan is approaching, can’t brothers gift Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana or Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana to their sisters?” Modi also expressed his concern about the health of pregnant women. "We have started the Prime Minister's Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, under which a free check-up will be given to pregnant women on the 9th of every month in government health centres," Modi said, adding that while the Maternal Mortality Rate has come down in the last couple of decades, it is still a big problem in India. "Thousands of doctors have agreed to my request for this, but in a big country like India, lakhs of doctors should join this campaign," the PM urged. Modi also spoke about issues ranging from the benefits of technology to better healthcare to his visit to African nations earlier this month

Even after you delete texts, WhatsApp still has it

For all those who feared for the security and safety of personal messages being sent on the messaging App, WhatsApp, need to think twice now before sending out any such messages. According to an iOS researcher, WhatsApp retains and stores chat logs even after those chats have been deleted. He examined disk images taken from the most recent version of the app, and found that the software retains and stores a forensic trace of the chat logs even after a user has deleted them. This supposedly creates an aggregation of information for anyone with physical access to the device. According to the research, the same data can also be recovered through a remote backup system. "Forensic trace is common among any application that uses SQLite, because SQLite by default does not vacuum databases on iOS (likely in an effort to prevent wear). When a record is deleted, it is simply added to a 'free list', but free records do not get overwritten until later on," said the researcher. The problem is also somewhat similar to what PC users face when they delete an app. On a computer when you delete a file, it is not actually deleted. Only its attributes change and unless the sector where the data related to the file is stored on hard disk is overwritten or wiped clean, the "deleted" file could be retrieved.  

Modi asks citizens for ideas for Aug 15 speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the people of the nation to pitch in with ideas for his speech which he would deliver to the country on the occasion of Independence day on August 15th this year. Modi urged citizens to share ideas with him for his 15 August Independence Day speech."I am the first Prime Minister of the country born after Independence...I will address the nation on 15th August. I seek your ideas for my address. Please share them on the Mobile App or MyGov". In his address of Mann Ki Baat this Sunday, PM Modi also wished athletes participating in the Rio Olympics 2016 all the best and promised to act as a postman, to share the wishes of citizens with the Olympic delegation. " Winning or losing is important, sure, but to even get to this point (of being in the Olympics squad) is a huge accomplishment. Therefore we must give our best wishes to all the sportspersons in the squad, and for that, the country's PM is willing to be your postman", the PM said. Modi also spoke about issues ranging from the benefits of technology to better healthcare to his visit to African nations earlier this month. In order to reach out to as many Indians as possible, Mann Ki Baat is telecasted in several regional languages.

8 dead as building collapses in Mumbai

Mumbai woke up to the news of yet another building collapse in the city.  Eight people have died and fifteen to twenty others are feared trapped under the debris after the three storey building collapsed.  Twelve people have been rescued. Heavy rains were affecting the rescue operation, officials said. The incident took place at 5 am in JB Nagar in Bhiwandi. Four fire engines have been rushed to the spot and the NDRF or National Disaster Response Force team has also called in for rescue operations. About 7-8 families were residing in the building. Bhiwandi Nizampura municipal corporation officials said the building was on the 'dangerous' list and a notice had also been issued to the concerned authorities.  Following the heavy rainfall since early this morning, many low lying areas were waterlogged in Thane city andsurrounding areas. Thane Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal, after visiting the disaster control cell, issued a warning to residents of the city not to step out of their houses unless it was absolutely essential. 

India's longest rail tunnel work commences

The work for the construction of the longest railway tunnel in India has commenced. The 111-km-long line comprises 37 tunnels and the tunnel no 12 will be the longest in the Indian Railway at 11.55 km. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday announced the commencement of works of the longest tunnel in the Indian Railway - on the Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new broad gauge railway line in Manipur. "Connectivity is the prime driver of development and the Railway Ministry would not spare any resources for bringing in speedy development of rail connectivity in the region. Indian Railways have taken a holistic approach towards development and the 111-km-long new broad gauge railway line from Jiribam to Imphal. This will not only connect Imphal to the rest of the country but also open up new vistas for economic development of the region," said Mr Prabhu in his address on the occasion. Announcing the commencement of the works for the Tunel No. 12, Mr Prabhu said the tunnel would not only connect two parts of Manipur by rail but it would also be a symbolic representation of the state getting connected to the Indian mainland. "We are proud of our cultural heritage and therefore the proposed Imphal station had been designed incorporating the architectural elements of Kangla Fort Gate and Shri Govindji Temple -two historical monuments of Manipur," he said

Modi says Athletes to get Indian food at Rio Olympics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured all possible help to the Indian contingent at the Rio Olympic Games 2016, scheduled to begin on August 5, the Prime Minister hoped that Indian sports persons will be able to win hearts of people from across the world when he flagged off the "Run for Rio" event in Delhi from Major Dhyanchand National Stadium near India Gate, where he made a strong pitch to promote sports in the country. Modi said, "Previously, the government officials sent along with the team of athletes used to get paid more than the athletes. We have removed the disparity. Everybody will get same amount of money,". this time around, the Indian contingent will also get to eat 'desi' food if they so wish, the PM said. And, the squad is being sent inadvance of the Rio Olympics - that start August 5 - so that players become familiar with local conditions. "Every player has worked hard to get here. The Centre will ensure that Indian athletes get Indian food according to their choice and requirement," the PM said. The PM gave a strong boost to the Indian Olympic contingent - at 119, the largest ever - and said that for these Games the government has spent as much as Rs 125 crore.

Mother,daughter raped on Highway in UP

A 35-year-old Noida woman and her 14-year-old daughter were raped by a gang of robbers for close to three hours near Bulandshahr on Friday night. The rape survivors and four of their family members were headed to Shahjahanpur from Noida when their car was ambushed after Friday midnigt near the village of Dostpur. Police said the women were raped for three hours at gunpoint while other family members were thrashed. "15 suspects have been detained. Main accused has been identified and he belongs to a nomadic tribe. Special teams have been formed and the ones being detained are being inquired for more details," said Vaibhav Krishan SSP Bulandshahr. Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Javeed has said that the police has mobilised all resources to nab the culprits. He tweeted, "Horrible Bulandshahr incident a challenge. Going all out to nab the culprits. All resources being deployed. Useful leads being pursued." The family had started from their home after midnight and were going to attend the rituals held 13 days after a death of a relative. As they neared Dostpur village, the robbers who were hiding in the bushes along the road flung an iron rod at their car that hit it with a clang. The driver slammed the brakes and got down to check for damages. This was when the attackers emerged and took the family at gunpoint.