Junior Digest

Spain’s industry minister became the latest casualty of the widening scandal triggered by the Panama Papers data leak when he resigned all his political offices after incorrectly denying any links to tax havens.

José Manuel Soria resigned both his parliamentary seat and his post as minister of industry, energy and tourism in the country’s caretaker government on Friday. He also gave up his role as regional president of the ruling centre-right Popular party in the Canary Islands, which he represented in parliament.

“No one who’s operated in tax havens can be in the government,” Spain’s acting finance minister, Cristóbal Montoro, said in a press conference several hours after Mr Soria’s resignation.

Spanish media revealed this week that Mr Soria had been named in the Panama Papers, the leak of more than 11m documents from Mossack Fonseca, a secretive law firm that specialises in setting up offshore companies in tax havens.

The data release, perhaps the biggest such leak in history, has already led to the departure from office of Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, Iceland’s prime minister, who has sought to depict his move as temporary.

It has also heaped political pressure on David Cameron, Britain’s premier, whose father was named in the papers, and has revealed that a member of the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin was connected to a network of companies that transferred at least $2bn.

In a resignation letter Mr Soria said he had taken his decision to quit “considering the obvious damage that this situation is causing the government of Spain, the Popular party, my fellow activists and voters”.

His name emerged as a director of a Panama-based shell company, albeit briefly and more than two decades ago.

Mr Soria denied the allegation, and went on to state that he had never had “any links with a company based in Panama or other tax havens”. Later in the week, the El Mundo daily published a document appearing to show Mr Soria had served as a director of a Jersey-based company as recently as 2002.

The minister’s resignation letter acknowledged what Mr Soria described as a “succession of errors made over the past few days regarding my explanations of my business activities” preceding his entry into politics in 1995.

He blamed those inaccuracies on “the lack of precise information about events that occurred more than 20 years ago”. He added that the business interests at issue were not “connected or linked in any way with the exercise of any political responsibilities”.

Mr Soria’s resignation comes at a particularly awkward time for Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s acting prime minister and the Popular party leader.

The country has been in political limbo since December, when an inconclusive general election left Spain with a deeply fragmented parliament and no obvious government majority.

Party leaders have struggled to form a workable coalition government this year, but have made little progress so far. If parliament fails to elect a new prime minister by May 2, the king will have to dissolve the chamber and call a repeat general election. Most officials and analyst believe a new vote is now all but certain — meaning Mr Rajoy will have to face an already disgruntled electorate with the additional baggage of the scandal whipped up by Mr Soria’s resignation.

@ Agency report.

New Delhi, Apr 15 ,2016: Fewer private cars were seen on roads as the second phase of the odd-even scheme was rolled out in Delhi today to combat spiralling air pollution with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealing to people to join hands to make the initiative a success.

Thousands of policemen and civil defence volunteers were deployed in various areas of the city to enforce the restriction which will run for 15 days, till April 30.

The actual impact of the scheme will be known only on Monday, the first full working day after the second phase roll out. Today is a holiday because of Ram Navami followed by Saturday and Sunday.

“Odd even starts today. Let’s all join hands and resolve to make it a success,” Kejriwal tweeted.

The Delhi government, which has projected the second phase of the road-rationing policy as the “decisive” one, said that 2,000 traffic personnel, 580 enforcement officials and over 5,000 civil defence volunteers are being deployed by it for smooth implementation of the scheme.

Violators will be fined Rs 2,000 in accordance with relevant section of the Motor Vehicles Act and the scheme will not be implemented on Sundays. Under the scheme, odd-numbered cars are allowed to run on odd dates while even-numbered cars are allowed on even dates.

The first phase of the policy, that was in force between January 1 and 15, did not have its intended affect as it could not lower pollution “as much as expected” but it significantly helped reduce traffic congestion in the city, Kejriwal has said.

However, Kejriwal has also stated that his government is seriously considering to enforce the measure for a period of fifteen days every month. Sources said any decision in this regard will be taken after analysing impact of the second phase of the odd-even scheme in reducing pollution.

The only change in the blueprint of the policy’s implementation from its first phase is the exemption given to cars carrying children in school uniform apart from those being driven by women, VIPs except Ministers in the AAP government and CNG vehicles with mandatory stickers.

The government has conceded that it has not been able to find a solution to the problem of cars going to pick up children after school hours during the scheme. Kejriwal has suggested car pooling to parents to avoid problems.

Two hundred metro trains will make around 3,248 trips daily during the next fortnight, a rise of about 56 trips over the existing arrangements, DMRC has said.

The city Government has formed 120 teams comprising officials of the transport department to punish errant car drivers.

The traffic police has identified 200 intersections across the city where their personnel will be deployed in teams.

Also, a 20-member Special Task Force has been set up to look into matters reported by the mobile teams.

@ Agency report.

New Delhi:  More than half of people in rural areas still go for open defecation though things seems to be changing after construction of community toilets as part of Swachh Bharat Mission, a survey has found.

“In rural areas, the percentage of persons going for open defecation was estimated to be 52.1 per cent,” said a Rapid Survey on ‘Swachhta’ Status conducted by the NSSO during May-June 2015 covering 3,788 villages and 2,907 urban blocks.

The study further found that in rural areas, 55.4 per cent households contributed to open defecation.

The situation, however, is better in urban areas where the percentage of persons going for open defecation was estimated to be 7.5 per cent, as per the study.

It stated that out of 3,788 villages surveyed, 13.1 per cent villages in India were found to have community toilets.

“Out of the sample villages, at all India level, 1.7 per cent villages were found to be having the community toilets but not using them. 82.1 per cent of all the community toilets available in the villages were being used for defecation or washing purpose,” it said.

From the 2,907 city sample surveyed at all India level, 42 per cent wards were found to have community/public toilets. At all India level, 1.6 per cent wards were found to be having the community/public toilets but not using them, it said.

In rural areas, 45.3 per cent families reported to have toilets while in cities, 88.8 per cent households have the facility.

In villages, 95.6 per cent of persons from families having access to toilet at home or common facility was using it. Similarly the proportion of such persons was 98.7 per cent in cities. “36.7 per cent villages had pakki nali and 19.0 per cent villages had katchi nali as drainage arrangement for waste water coming out of the rural households. 44.4 per cent villages had no drainage arrangement,” it said.

In 54.9 per cent of villages having community toilets, cleaning was being done by the persons employed by the panchayat or on contract payment. In 17 per cent villages, it was being done by the residents themselves. However, 22.6 per cent villages were such where the community toilets were not being cleaned.

In cities, cleaning of community/public toilets was being done by the persons employed by the local municipal body in 73.1 per cent wards having these toilets. 12.2 per cent wards were such where the cleaning was being done by the persons employed by the residents’ welfare association.

However, community/public toilets in 8.6 per cent wards were not being cleaned by anybody, it added.

@ Agency report.

Mumbai/Pune, Apr 14 ,2016: Two petitions have been filed in Bombay High Court seeking liberty to people who practise “atheism” to take oath in the name of Constitution in the courts, instead of swearing in the name of God.

Currently, as per Oath Act, 1969, a witness or any person who deposes in the court, can swear in the name of God or by placing hands on a religious book.
In a PIL, a Pune-based couple, Sunil Mane and his wife Laxmikanta, cited a couple of cases in Maharashtra at Bhivandi Magistrate Court and Pune District Court wherein senior government officials have told the court that they do not believe in God and expressed their willingness to take oath in the name of Constitution but unfortunately they have not been permitted, the PIL said.

In another petition, an officer of Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation has made a similar plea.

Both the petitions are slated to come up for hearing in due course, High Court sources said.

“The Oaths Act, 1969, needs to be declared as violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution,” the Pune-based couple said in the PIL.

They urged the court to issue directions to the Union and state governments that persons who are not willing to take oath in the name of God or by putting their hands on any religious book should be allowed to take oath in the name of Indian Constitution.

“People who are not believers of God but have full faith in the Indian Constitution are getting denial during judicial proceedings at various levels in Maharashtra when they request that they be administered oath in the name of Indian Constitution,” the PIL said.

“It is high time to make the oath system suitable to democracy and in accordance with the spirit of Indian Constitution,” the PIL states.

Advocate Asim Sarode, through whom the PIL has been filed, said, “People, who are non-believers of God, are not allowed to swear in the name of Indian Constitution or placing hands on the rule book.”

He said that a person of any religion would not have objection to taking oath in the name of Constitution as it is his or her duty to abide by the Constitution.

“This will help avoid flaring of communal thoughts and feelings and it will also not create problems for people who are atheists,” Sarode added.

@ Agency report.

Mumbai, Apr 15,2816: The maiden Maritime Summit here has resulted in investment commitments of nearly Rs 83,000 crore (USD 13 billion) in the shipping, ports and allied sectors, Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

As many as 141 agreements entailing investment of Rs 82,900 crore was signed at the summit which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday.

Gadkari also said that for a five-year term, Shipping Ministry is targeting to get investments worth USD 60 billion for 240 projects for the success of the ambitious Sagarmala project of ports-led growth.

He singled out the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s announcement of entering into a pact with Shipping Ministry as one of the biggest achievements of the summit. The contract will ensure an order flow of nearly Rs 75,000 crore to the troubled private sector shipyards.

He said orders of Rs 50,000 crore will come on a nomination basis from the Cochin Shipyard, while another Rs 25,000 crore will come from other departments apart from the Defence Ministry orders.

“We will outsource work to private sector shipyards and help them financially. This will give them the oxygen for survival,” Gadkari said.

The Sagarmala project will bring down the cost of logistics to 10 per cent from the present 18 per cent, thus making Indian goods competitive, Gadkari said.

Inaugurating the summit, Modi had said his government would mobilise Rs 1 trillion investment in the ports sector over the next decade and promised to personally handhold investors for a “safe, secure and satisfactory” berthing so as to transform the country’s 7,500-km-long coastline as an “engine of growth”.

Modi also said the government would work towards more than doubling the port capacity to 3 billion tonnes by 2025 and “wants to mobilise an investment of Rs 1 trillion in the ports sector to enable this growth.

@ Agency report.

Manila : The US today disclosed for the first time that American ships have started conducting joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a somewhat rare move not done with many other partners in the region.

At the same time, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced at a joint news conference with Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmi that the United States will be keeping nearly 300 troops, including Air Force commandos armed with combat aircraft and helicopters, in the Philippines through the end of the month.

It’s part of a military build-up sure to inflame tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The US will also begin sending forces on increased rotations into the Philippines, it was disclosed, to beef up training and to support increased military operations in the region.

The increase in military support comes just days after a Philippine diplomat asked that the US help convince China not to build in the nearby Scarborough Shoal, which is viewed as important to Filipino fishermen.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr said the Philippines is not capable of stopping China from constructing there. China has built man-made islands in other contested spots in the South China Sea.

According to the Pentagon, the US forces that will remain here are already in the Philippines participating in the Balikatan or shoulder-to-shoulder combat exercises which will end tomorrow.

About 200 airmen, including special operations forces will remain at Clark Air Base, along with three of their Pave Hawk attack helicopters, an MC-130H Combat Talon II special mission aircraft and five A-10 combat aircraft.

This initial contingent will provide training to increase the two militaries’ ability to work together, laying the groundwork for forces to do joint air patrols as well as the ship movements.

Also, up to 75 Marines will stay at Camp Aguinaldo to support increased US and Philippine combined military operations in the region.

The troops and aircraft are expected to leave at the end of the month, but other US forces and aircraft would do similar rotations into the Philippines in the future.

A defence official would not say how frequently those rotations would happen, but said the size schedule and makeup would fluctuate. The official was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

@ Agency report.

Islamabad: Air forces of Pakistan and China today began their fifth joint exercise, signalling increasing military cooperation between the two all-weather allies.

Code-named as Shaheen-V, the exercise started at an operational base in Pakistan, which was not disclosed by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

“A contingent of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) comprising combat pilots, air defence controllers and technical ground crew besides a PAF contingent are participating in the exercises,” said a PAF spokesman.

He said the last such exercise called Shaheen- IV was conducted in Beijing in October 2015.

The ongoing exercise saw participation of three different types of frontline fighter aircraft belonging to various PAF squadrons for the first time.

It will enhance bilateral relationship and capability of the air forces of the two friendly neighbours, he said.

The PAF spokesman said Pakistan and China enjoy very close relationship spanning over six decades.

Their partnership has been strengthened through the USD 46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor linking China with a Pakistani deep seaport through a network of roads, railways and investment parks.

@ Agency report.

Dozens of aftershocks followed the quake, which had hit about 9:26 pm (1226 GMT) on Thursday evening, and officials warned the death toll could rise as rescuers scoured the collapsed structures.

@ Agency report.

Around 450 Vietnamese drug addicts have escaped from a rehabilitation centre where many were held for compulsory treatment, an official said Thursday.

The detainees attacked guards, climbed walls, and broke down the main gate at the centre in the Vietnam’s southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau late Wednesday.

“We have brought 150 patients back, while search efforts are underway for nearly 300 others,” Le Thi Trang Dai, director of the provincial labour department, told AFP.

Vietnam’s government enforces a compulsory treatment programme for the country’s estimated 140,000 drug addicts.

Addicts can also voluntarily enter the centres to undergo rehabilitation treatments.

The escapees were a mix of compulsory and volunteer admissions, Dai said.

Local authorities are urging families to bring back runaway patients so they can complete their treatment, she added.

“Police are also investigating the reasons behind the escape, trying to understand if there is a leader behind the incident,” she said.

The escapees have been begging for clothes from local residents and trying to hitchhike out of the area, the VnExpress newspaper said.

“Others have escaped into (a) nearby deep forest,” the report added.

Addicts undergo two-year spells of treatment at the centres aimed at curbing rising drug use rates, especially among young people.

@ Agency report.

Ipoh (Malaysia): India produced an inspiring performance to outplay hosts Malaysia 6-1 in a must-win match and secure their seventh appearance in the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, here today.

Needing a victory in their last round-robin league fixture to qualify for tomorrow’s title clash, five-time winners India stamped their authority on the hosts to finish ahead of defending champions New Zealand in the standings.

India’s opponents in the title encounter tomorrow will be reigning world champions Australia, who today prevailed 3-0 over Canada to complete an all-win record in the preliminary league.

Australia finished with the maximum 18 points from six outings, followed by India on 12 points and New Zealand on 11 points.

Australia have won this title a record eight times and were losing finalists to the Black Sticks last year, when India earned a bronze.

S V Sunil (2nd minute), Harjeet Singh (7th), Ramandeep Singh (25th and 39th), Danish Mujtaba (27th) and Talwinder Singh (50th) scored for India, while Shahril Saabah (46th) scored a consolation goal for Malaysia.

India’s last appearance in the final of the Azlan Shah Cup was in 2010, when they shared the title with South Korea after torrential showers flooded the ground.

Watching the India-Malaysia contest from the sideslines were New Zealand, who will now face hosts Malaysia for the bronze medal tomorrow. Malaysia finished fourth after failing to add to their eight points today.

Malaysia needed a seven-goal victory to edge ahead of New Zealand in the standings, but they went out seeking to avenge their loss to India in the Hockey World League Semifinals that cost them qualifications for the Olympic Games.

Malaysia’s last victory over India was in last year’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here, when the home side posted a 3-2 victory in a league match.

New Delhi; Heat wave has so far claimed 35 lives in Telangana, according to an official report on Wednesday, while in Odisha, 30 people reportedly died of sunstroke.

Most parts of the country sweltered under a blazing sun on Thursday with heat wave claiming dozens of lives in Telangana and Odisha this season even as the weatherman predicted further increase in temperature .

Heatwave has started to grip parts of peninsular India including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Marathwada, Vidarbha and isolated pockets of Karnataka. “Temperatures have been above the 40 degrees mark at several places. For instance, Titlagarh in Odisha recorded its maximum at 45 degrees Celsius, and Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh sizzled at 44 degrees Celsius. Also, Hyderabad observed its maximum at 43 degrees Celsius which is the highest in 43 years,” said private weather forecasting agency Skymet. Heat wave continued to sweep across Odisha with the mercury crossing the 45 degrees mark in some places.

Though the mercury level declined in the coastal belt including Bhubaneswar which recorded 40.2 degrees Celsius, the entire western region of the state was on the boil. Though the unofficial death toll due to sunstroke remained at 30, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Mohapatra said, “Of the total 30 alleged heat wave related death reports received by the government, five were examined by the district collectors and none of them died of sunstroke.”

Heat wave condition also prevailed in the districts of south Bengal as the Met Department forecast a similar condition for the next two days. Bankura district recorded 43.6 degrees Celsius, the day’s highest temperature in West Bengal, while Kolkata was a notch lower than yesterday at 40.0 degrees. Heat wave is likely to prevail at most places in Telangana for the next two days including in districts like Hyderabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Rangareddy and Khammam. “Dry weather is likely to prevail over the state with most places likely to record maximum temperature between 42 and 45 degrees Celsius,” India Meteorological Department said in a statement. In Telangana, the state government has issued alerts in all districts to take precautionary measures to minimise the impact of the prevailing weather conditions.

@ Agency report.