Junior Digest

Chaos in Rajya Sabha over special status of Andhra Pradesh

The Congress derailed the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha on Monday afternoon as it demanded that the House takes up a private member bill on special status for Andhra Pradesh.

The House could not carry out regular business as Congress members trooped into the Well of the House to press their demand.

The Bill which was to be moved by Congress member KVP Ramchandra Rao on July 22 during Private Member Business, could not be taken up on that day as the House was adjourned due to ruckus over Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Bhagwant Mann’s controversial video, which the BJP said had compromised the security of the Parliament.

80 dead, 231 injured in Kabul suicide attack

Islamic State group jihadists claimed responsibility for twin explosions on Saturday that ripped through crowds of Shiite Hazaras in Kabul, killing at least 80 people and wounding 231 others in their first major attack in the Afghan capital.
The bombings, apparently aimed at sowing sectarian discord in a country well known for Shia-Sunni harmony, came as thousands of Hazaras gathered to protest over a multi-million-dollar power line.

Charred bodies and dismembered limbs littered the scene of the attack, with ambulances struggling to reach the site as authorities had overnight blocked key intersections with stacked shipping containers to control movement of the protesters.
“As a result of the attack 80 people were martyred and 231 others were wounded,” the interior ministry said in a statement.

Islamic State group’s Aamaq news agency has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing.

President Ashraf Ghani released a statement condemning the blast.
“Peaceful demonstrations are the right of every citizen of Afghanistan and the government will do everything it can to provide them with security,” Ghani said.

“Based on initial information, the attack was carried out by three suicide bombers… The third attacker was gunned down by security forces.”
The wounded overwhelmed city hospitals, officials said, with reports emerging of blood shortages and urgent appeals for donors circulating on social media.
The Islamic State claimed the bombings in a statement carried by its affiliated Amaq news agency, calling it an attack on Shiites.

“Two fighters of the Islamic State detonated their explosive belts in a gathering of Shiites in… Kabul,” Amaq said.

The attack came as thousands of demonstrators gathered to demand that a multi-million-dollar power line pass through their electricity-starved province of Bamiyan, one of the most deprived areas of Afghanistan with a large Hazara population.

In a statement, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he was “deeply saddened” by the carnage, adding that the casualties included security officials.

“Holding protests is the right of every citizen of Afghanistan… but terrorists entered the protests, and carried out explosions that martyred and wounded a number of citizens including members of security forces,” the presidential palace said.The protest march was largely peaceful before the explosions struck as the demonstrators sought to march on the presidential palace, waving flags and chanting slogans such as “death to discrimination”.

“The horrific attack on a group of peaceful protestors in Kabul demonstrates the utter disregard that armed groups have for human life,” Amnesty International said in a statement.

“Such attacks are a reminder that the conflict in Afghanistan is not winding down, as some believe, but escalating, with consequences for the human rights situation in the country that should alarm us all.”

AGENCIES

India becomes first country to contribute to UN Trust Fund

India has contributed $100,000 to a trust fund set up for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers, becoming the first country to make a contribution to the fund.

The United Nations Department of Field Support (DFS) announced that India provided $100,000 for the Trust Fund in Support of Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

This is the first contribution to the Trust Fund the Secretariat has received, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters here yesterday.

India has historically been one of the largest troop-contributing countries in peacekeeping operations and is currently ranked as the second largest contributor of military and police personnel.

“With this contribution, the Government of India has illustrated its strong commitment to our victim-centred approach in addressing sexual exploitation and abuse by UN civilian and uniformed personnel. We are extremely grateful for this contribution,” Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Atul Khare said in a statement.

The UN Secretariat requested voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund when it was established at the end of March and continues to seek funds to support services for victims and address gaps in services.

In the most recent cross-cutting resolution of the General Assembly, member states also approved the transfer of withheld payments to the Trust Fund in substantiated cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by civilian, military and police personnel.

Norway and Cyprus have pledged resources to the Trust Fund over the last few months. The Department of Field Support acts as the Programme Manager of the Trust Fund.

The contribution of India, the transfer of withheld payments and commitments from Norway and Cyprus will be utilized to develop a plan for use of the funds in this first year of the Trust Fund’s establishment.

The UN had faced severe backlash over allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by its peacekeepers, particularly those in Central African Republic.

No Indian peacekeeper faced any allegations of misconduct as the UN received 44 allegations of sexual abuse in all peacekeeping and special political missions so far in 2016.

In 2015 also, when 69 allegations were recorded against peacekeepers, no Indian was accused of any wrongdoing.

India has strongly maintained that instances of sexual abuse and exploitation by UN peacekeepers are “abhorrent and repugnant” and has underscored that it has a zero tolerance policy on such cases.

The department also announced the launch of a new mandatory e-learning programme for all uniformed and civilian personnel to strengthen training on the standards of conduct, as well as the expectations of accountability and individual responsibility in matters of conduct and discipline, with a special focus on sexual exploitation and abuse.

IIT-aspirant commits suicide in Kota, 12th death this year

Kota, Jul 23 : A 17-year-old IIT aspirant from Bihar allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling fan of his hostel room in Indira Vihar area of the city, police said today.

Prince Kumar Singh, a resident of Motihari district of Bihar who had arrived at Kota a month ago, is the twelfth student to have died in the coaching hub this year.

He was preparing for an engineering entrance exam at a coaching institute here, said Radha Kishan, ASI at Vigyannagar police station.

No suicide note was found in his room. The body has been sent for post-mortem, he said.

The deceased boy was also reported to have spoken on phone to his parents in Bihar just minutes before he took the extreme step last night, the ASI added.

Police have lodged a case under section 174 of CrPC in this connection.

His attendance record and performance in studies have been sought from the coaching institute’s management while his hostel mates are being questioned to ascertain the exact reason behind the step, Kishan said.

This is the second suicide by a coaching student from Bihar.

On July 5, a medical aspirant identified as Nikhil Kumar (20), from Bhagalpur, Bihar was found hanging in his hostel room in Kunhadi police station area of the city.

Himachal to plant one crore saplings in a year : CM

Shimla, Jul 23 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the state government was taking steps to preserve forest and maintain ecological balance and a target of planting one crore saplings has been set for 2016-17.

After planting a Chinar sapling on the campus of Industrial Training Institute (ITI) near Summerhill as part of an event, Singh said a target of planting one crore saplings, including 35 herbal plants, has been fixed for 2016-17 and Rs 150 crore has been earmarked for the purpose.

He said, “It is our duty not only to preserve forests but also plant more trees and ensure their survival as forests are vital for maintaining ecological balance.”

He also stressed the need for protection of animals, birds and wildlife.

The Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh was the first in Asia to earn carbon credit. Accordingly, a sum of Rs 1.93 crore has been received from the central government as the first installment, which was distributed to self-help groups associated with plantation drives and allied activities.

He said forest and agricultural lands have been infested with weeds, especially ‘lantana, affecting the livelihood of farmers.

Part of unused TV spectrum to be utilised for mobile services

New Delhi : Communications ministry on Friday said that a portion of spectrum from a chunk of over 200 MHz airwaves will be utilised for mobile telephony services, after co-ordination with ministry of information and broadcasting.

“There exists unused TV spectrum in the 470-698 MHz frequency band currently used by Doordarshan for terrestrial television broadcast in the country,” telecom minister Manoj Sinha said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. He said that it has been decided that part of the spectrum in the band will be put to use for International Mobile Telephony (IMT) services, when ecosystem for it is developed.

On whether the government has entered into agreement with private organisations or has plans to do so for utilisation of this spectrum, the minister said, “No”. In March this year, the government said it has allocated a total of 127 Mhz spectrum to eight entities for testing TV white-space technology which can ensure hassle-free reception of mobile signals inside buildings and basements.

The then telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had informed the Rajya Sabha that 60 Mhz spectrum had been allocated to ERNET—an autonomous body under the telecom ministry, 20 Mhz to power equipment maker BHEL, 10 Mhz or less each to IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIIT Bangalore, Tata Advanced Systems and 10 Mhz to collector and magistrate at Amrawati.

TV white-space technology utilises part of spectrum that remains unused while transmitting broadcast signals. Mobile consumers often complain of not receiving signals when they are inside buildings or basements. However, TV white-space is considered efficient to reach deep inside buildings.

Oli, 64, was forced to quit after allies of his multi-party coalition deserted the government accusing him of not honouring power sharing deals that helped install him as prime minister in October.

“I have already submitted my resignation to the President when I met her before coming to the house,” said Oli in a speech in parliament just ahead of the scheduled no confidence vote.

In order to pave the way for the formation of new government, the meeting of Cabinet decided to recommended President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to use the power to remove difficulties as per the Article 305 of Nepal’s Constitution, reports the Himalayan Times.

Article 305 confers power on the President, on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, to remove any obstacles that might arise in course of implementing the Constitution.

Although the parties that filed no confidence motion in the Parliament had stressed that there was no constitutional hurdle barring the formation of the new government, Oli-led government had argued otherwise. The recommendation has cleared the path for Oli to step down.

The Parliament had elected Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Chairman Oli as the Prime Minister on October 11, 2015. Deliberations on the no-confidence motion is underway in the Parliament which was brought in by Oli’s former trusted ally Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist Centre and the main opposition Nepali Congress.