As Pinarayi govt completes 100 days, focus on public health, education: Thomas Isaac

Thiruvananthapuram: On the eve of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in Kerala completing 100 days in office, State finance minister Thomas Isaac on Wednesday said the government was planning to take the public health and education sectors to greater heights.

However, the Congress-led opposition and the BJP have termed the performance as a lack lustre one.

"The foundation has been laid and we are planning to take public health and education to newer heights. Even while the state is facing a financial crisis, we have been able to raise the minimum pension to Rs 1,000 and the total outgo including arrears has started to be paid out. A total of Rs 20,000 crore will be set aside for investment in infrastructure every year for the next five years," said Isaac.

On May 25, Vijayan was sworn in after registering a stunning victory, winning 91 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly.

Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala said even though it's early days yet to make an assessment, there is nothing much in what the LDF government has done in the past 100 days.

"There have been more misses than achievements. The head of the police force has apologized on more than one occasion. As things stand now, things are in slumber and files are piling up as nothing appears to be moving," said Chennithala.

Vijayan faced flak over the appointment of his legal counsel M.K. Damodaran as his advisor and following the criticism, Damodaran did not take up the post.

Also Vijayan has been ducking the media and has canceled the custom of briefing the media every Wednesday after the weekly cabinet meeting.

In the past 100 days he has met the media just twice. Thursday's meeting with the media here has been canceled following the death of a senior party colleague V.V. Dakshinamoorthy.

State BJP president Kummanam Rajashekeran said that he cannot give even 10 marks out of 100 for the first 100 days of the new government.

For each monkey killed in Himachal, you can get Rs 300 as incentive

Shimla: In an effort to tackle the increasing monkey menace in towns and villages, the Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday announced a cash incentive of Rs 300 for each monkey killed.

The Forest Department would provide an incentive of Rs 300 on killing of each monkey in areas outside the forests where they have been declared vermin by the central government, forests minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said in a statement.

He said the decision has been taken to control the population of monkeys in areas outside the forests.

A notification was issued on March 14 by the central government, declaring monkeys vermin in Shimla for a period of six months. Another notification was issued in May to treat monkeys as vermin for a period of one year in 38 tehsils of the state including Chamba, Kangra, Una, Bilaspur, Sirmaur, Kullu, Hamirpur, Solan and Mandi.

The minister said a committee has been formed consisting of a divisional forest officer, an assistant conservator of forest and a range forest officer to determine and authenticate the claims for disbursement of incentives.

The number of monkeys in Himachal Pradesh increased five-fold from 61,000 to 317,000 between 1990 and 2004, according to the state wildlife department.

Their number has since declined, presumably due to the state government's sterilization program. The state is currently home to 207,614 monkeys, still a very high number, according to Bharmouri.

The notifications allow mass killing or culling of monkeys in the state.

Quoting the agriculture department report of 2014, Bharmouri told IANS that monkeys and other wild animals damaged agricultural crops worth Rs 184 crore annually.

He said the loss to horticulture crops was estimated at Rs 150 crore between 2006 and 2014.

German official calls for UN sanctions against Syria

An inquiry by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, unanimously authorized by the 15-member Security Council, also found that Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas.

Gernot Erler, the German government’s point man on Russia, urged the United Nations on September 1 to seek sanctions against Syria for two chlorine gas attacks on civilians, despite Moscow’s threat to veto such a measure.

Gernot Erler, the German government’s point man on Russia, urged the United Nations on September 1 to seek sanctions against Syria for two chlorine gas attacks on civilians, despite Moscow’s threat to veto such a measure. “The United Nations should prepare clear sanctions, despite the Russian veto threat,” Erler told Germany’s Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung in an interview.

“Moscow is obviously more concerned about being seen as a friend of the criminal Assad regime than in taking joint action and sanctions against this provocative treaty violation,” Erler, a member of the Social Democrats, the junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition, told the newspaper.

An inquiry by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), unanimously authorized by the 15-member Security Council, also found that Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas.

“The findings are clear,” Erler said. He added that Russia needed to decide if it wanted to risk international isolation in this case. Russia, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war with rebels fighting to topple him, and China have previously protected the Damascus government from Council action by blocking several resolutions, including a bid to refer the conflict in Syria to the International Criminal Court.

The Security Council on Tuesday began to discuss whether to impose sanctions on people or entities linked to two chlorine gas attacks on civilians that the United Nations and the global chemical weapons watchdog blamed on the Syrian government. The report’s results have set the stage for a Security Council showdown between the five veto-wielding powers, likely pitting Russia and China against the United States, Britain and France over how to respond.

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he is prepared to work with the United States on a response, but that first the council members must exchange analyses of the report, which he described as very complicated.

Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a deal brokered by Moscow and Washington. The Security Council passed a resolution that said in the event of non-compliance, including “the use of chemical weapons by anyone” in Syria, it would impose measures under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which deals with sanctions.

The Security Council would need to adopt another resolution to impose targeted sanctions – a travel ban and asset freeze – on people or entities linked to the attacks.

13 Indians test positive for Zika virus in Singapor

India's foreign ministry confirmed on Thursday that 13 of its nationals had tested positive for the Zika virus in Singapore, after an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease that at first affected three dozen workers on a construction site.

"According to our mission in Singapore 13 Indian nationals have tested positive for Zika in Singapore," Vikas Swarup, spokesman for the ministry of external affairs, said in response to a Reuters inquiry.

US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.

Comment | Pinarayi’s 100-day message: eat my dust

In my humble opinion, 100 days is too short a time frame to judge a government. Especially when it has taken over from a political coalition with a different political ideology and view on development, and one which had created entrenched interests in the administrative machinery.

Those factors linger on despite the old government having been discredited and thrown out by the people and act as hidden brakes for the new government's functioning.

But in today's world of fast food and tweets, 100 days -- a milestone originally invented by editors who were trying to create a buzz around nothing-to-be-excited situations -- has taken on a new aura.

Pinarayi's 100-day report card: did he meet people's expectations? I will attribute part of that excitement to the fact that today's online editors mostly come from print backgrounds and fall back to the tricks they once practiced as they grapple with the preferences of their new audiences.

Pinarayi came to power riding on the hopes of a people tired of the corruption and appeasement politics of the UDF. On the way up he had to fight an equally bruising battle within his own party -- over several years -- against the destructive politics of Achuthanandan.

He has emerged victorious but the rearguard action is still continuing, on both fronts.

But we should give credit to this man for having started on the right note. Onmanorama recently collated a few steps Pinarayi Vijayan has taken that will endear him to the masses.

6 reasons that prove Pinarayi Vijayan is a people's chief minister

Critics will always call these things gimmicks. But people, the everyman who has long been forgotten by our politicos except when it comes to looting, say things have changed on the ground.

A colleague recently mentioned that there is fear in the hearts of lower level officials in revenue offices which are known as thriving dens of corruption.

On the other hand, government staffers and Congressmen say nothing has changed after the new government came to power, that files are not moving.

But let us not forget that these are people with an ax to grind, and 100 days is too short a period to cut through the inertia created by the previous dispensation.

Onmanorama also was the first to spot a similarity in the way Pinarayi and prime minister Narendra Modi function.

Pinarayi and Modi: early days but inescapable similarities If you throw out the ideological shades that have come to define all analyses and assessments of governments in this country, that is good sign. Both the leaders mean well and both are strongmen who can get things done.

And both are fighting against similar entrenched interests -- lazy government employees, a corrupt system, high hopes from the people, to name a few.

And there is a similarity in the way the Congress at the centre and the Congress in Kerala, both now in the opposition, have reacted to the two rulers.

My encounter with the curse of God’s own country Rahul Gandhi & co went into attack mode against Modi right from day one. Some who support that campaign have even questioned the people's judgment in electing Modi, forgetting that we live in a democracy.

But all that has petered out, in the manner that anything Rahul Gandhi spearheads can be expected to end up. I see the same fate for the virulent fightback spearheaded by Ramesh Chennithala and V.M. Sudheeran post-elections in Kerala.

Modi and Vijayan have won hard-fought victories; a political opposition just thrown out of power with memories of their misdeeds still fresh in people's memory will find it an uphill task to cut any ice with the public – the real people who want things to improve.

The best the opposition can do -- at this juncture -- is to be constructive and tone down the "noise" they belt out every day.

This piece will not be complete without a discussion on the seeming double-standards of Pinarayi.

I recently made a Facebook post welcoming the chief minister's order to government staff not to celebrate Onam during office hours and was immediately panned for that.

Those who questioned me raised one important point: why is the chief minister supporting a nationwide strike Friday? Isn't it about wasting taxpayer money too?

First up, the criticism against the Onam celebration order is misplaced. Government staff don't want to work, want more pay, and some want bribes to do their job in addition to their pay.

It is coming to a point many think it is their right to be this way. That has to change.

It is not about whether Onam is a secular or a communal festival (don't ask me what those arguments mean here; I am myself searching for the answer). It is about earning your pay. Pinarayi did absolutely the right thing here.

Now, on the strike. On the face of it, one cannot forgive the chief minister for asking government staffers to support a strike. But let us not forget that Pinarayi is also the leader of a party that is supporting the strike. From that perspective, it is easier to explain this seeming contradiction.

But could the chief minister have done it differently. Yes, he could. He could have asked the government staff to work, say, with protest banners, or double their productivity on that day like the Japanese used to do. Both sound a bit out of place in Kerala, right? That is probably what the CM would have thought too :)

And then, like I mentioned earlier, the detractors from the Achuthanandan camp are still around and are waiting for such opportunities to pounce on the chief minister. Could he have made a different decision? I think, no.

Like I said at the beginning, 100 days is too short a time period but this chief minister has shot off the starting blocks. Those who lost power, those who are forced to earn their pay, and many other vested interests are snapping at him, for errors of commission and omission. But unlike some editors would have us believe, they are not snapping at his heels. Like Usain Bolt, he has left them far behind. They are eating his dust.

Someone once said that if he got right 60 percent of the things he did, he considers it a great achievement. Hasn't Pinarayi done better -- much better -- than that?

Indo-US ties have evolved into very deep partnership: Singh

Washington, Sep 1 The Indo-US relationship has evolved into a very deep partnership which is more than what is generally acknowledged, outgoing Indian envoy Arun K Singh has said and voiced confidence that the bilateral ties would further advance under the next US President.

'I think in many ways there is a very deep partnership more than what is generally acknowledged and recognised,' Singh, who retired yesterday, told PTI.

'There is a deep linkage between India and the US,' Singh said, citing the example of people-to-people relationship in particularly those in the Silicon Valley.

'Indian-origin tech companies, Indian-origin tech entrepreneurs are an integral part of the effort in the US in the digital technology where US is in the lead,' he said, adding that there is 'a very very deep' connection developing in business and technology which will have a longer term impact.

'There is a tremendous potential going ahead. We see similarity of values, whether we are looking at democracy, human rights. So with all that there is a sense in both countries that this is a relationship from which we both benefit,' he said.

'This is a relationship which is important in today's global context where you see a lot of uncertainty, both economic, political; where you see violence, where you see terrorism; where you see approaches based on exclusion rather than multiculturalism and pluralism,' he said.

'So there is a lot of value in this relationship. So therefore as a diplomat between 2008-13 and since last year it has been fascinating being part of this process,' he added.

Firmly of the view that there is now a broad bi-partisan support to this relationship in the US, Singh said the ties should move forward irrespective of who is the next US president.

'When Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) was here in June, he had come here at the invitation of US President, but (House) Speaker Paul Ryan, who is a Republican, invited him to address Joint Session of the US Congress, which as anybody could see was a lot of energy, excitement and it went off very very well,' he said.

'I am confident that whoever is the next president and people around them would work to advance this relationship,' Singh said. A 1979 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Singh said it is generally recognised that Indian diplomacy over a period of time has gained 'more and more impact'.

In a career spanning 37 years, Singh served in various capacities in the Ministry of External Affairs both in India and overseas, including representing India as its top diplomat in three key nations of Israel, France and the US.

This was Singh's second stint at the Indian Embassy in Washington. He served as the Deputy Chief of Mission from October 2008 to 2013 after which he was appointed as the Indian Ambassador to France.

Singh assumed his new assignment as Ambassador of India to US on April 30, 2015 after being the country's top diplomat in France from April, 2013 to April, 2015.

He said as India has emerged more and more at the international scene, the impact of 'Indian diplomacy has clearly increased'.

Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump failed his first foreign policy test

Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said “It just absolutely bewilders me when I hear Donald Trump trying to talk about national security.”(Source: File)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has failed in his first foreign policy test, his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said as the real estate tycoon returned from Mexico City after meeting the Mexican president. “Trump just failed his first foreign test. Diplomacy isn’t as easy as it looks,” said 68-year-old Clinton in a tweet.

Trump, 70, has almost no experience in foreign policy as compared to Clinton who served as the US Secretary of State during the first term of the Obama Administration. Clinton’s critical comment came after a controversy erupted on building a wall along the Mexico border, a major election plank of Trump.

The Mexican President tweeted that during the meeting he told Trump that Mexico would not pay for the wall. However, Trump said that he never discussed this with the Mexican president. The Hillary Campaign slammed Trump for visiting Mexico to meet its president at his invitation.

“Donald Trump has made his outlandish policy of forcing Mexico to pay for his giant wall the centerpiece of his campaign. But at the first opportunity to make good on his offensive campaign promises, Trump choked,” said John Podesta from Hillary for America Chair.

“What we saw today from a man who claims to be the ultimate ‘deal maker’ is that he doesn’t have the courage to advocate for his campaign promises when he’s not in front of a friendly crowd. We know who he is,” he said. “After today’s trip, we still know where Trump stands: an immigration plan that would deport 16 million people, end birthright citizenship, repeal DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and build a USD 25 billion wall and stick the American taxpayers with the bill,” Podesta said.

However, the Trump campaign defended the decision to travel to Mexico. “Today was the first part of the discussion and a relationship builder between Trump and President Pena Nieto. It was not a negotiation, and that would have been inappropriate. It is unsurprising that they hold two different views on this issue, and we look forward to continuing the conversation,” said Jason Miller, senior communications advisor of the Trump campaign.

“Today in his Mexico press conference, Donald Trump lied about discussing how to pay for his wall with the Mexican president,” said Democratic National Committee national press secretary Mark Paustenbach. “Trump has boasted for months that he is going to get Mexico to pay for his ridiculous wall but when he came face to face with the Mexican President he got out maneuvered and then tried to cover it up on worldwide TV. Simply put, Donald got rolled,” he said.

Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump failed his first foreign policy test

Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said “It just absolutely bewilders me when I hear Donald Trump trying to talk about national security.”(Source: File)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has failed in his first foreign policy test, his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said as the real estate tycoon returned from Mexico City after meeting the Mexican president. “Trump just failed his first foreign test. Diplomacy isn’t as easy as it looks,” said 68-year-old Clinton in a tweet.

Trump, 70, has almost no experience in foreign policy as compared to Clinton who served as the US Secretary of State during the first term of the Obama Administration. Clinton’s critical comment came after a controversy erupted on building a wall along the Mexico border, a major election plank of Trump.

The Mexican President tweeted that during the meeting he told Trump that Mexico would not pay for the wall. However, Trump said that he never discussed this with the Mexican president. The Hillary Campaign slammed Trump for visiting Mexico to meet its president at his invitation.

“Donald Trump has made his outlandish policy of forcing Mexico to pay for his giant wall the centerpiece of his campaign. But at the first opportunity to make good on his offensive campaign promises, Trump choked,” said John Podesta from Hillary for America Chair.

“What we saw today from a man who claims to be the ultimate ‘deal maker’ is that he doesn’t have the courage to advocate for his campaign promises when he’s not in front of a friendly crowd. We know who he is,” he said. “After today’s trip, we still know where Trump stands: an immigration plan that would deport 16 million people, end birthright citizenship, repeal DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and build a USD 25 billion wall and stick the American taxpayers with the bill,” Podesta said.

However, the Trump campaign defended the decision to travel to Mexico. “Today was the first part of the discussion and a relationship builder between Trump and President Pena Nieto. It was not a negotiation, and that would have been inappropriate. It is unsurprising that they hold two different views on this issue, and we look forward to continuing the conversation,” said Jason Miller, senior communications advisor of the Trump campaign.

“Today in his Mexico press conference, Donald Trump lied about discussing how to pay for his wall with the Mexican president,” said Democratic National Committee national press secretary Mark Paustenbach. “Trump has boasted for months that he is going to get Mexico to pay for his ridiculous wall but when he came face to face with the Mexican President he got out maneuvered and then tried to cover it up on worldwide TV. Simply put, Donald got rolled,” he said.

Kolkata horror: 2 Ola drivers gang-rape minor girl in taxi, kill her later

Kolkata: Two drivers of a popular online cab aggregator service were arrested Wednesday for their alleged involvement in raping and killing a 12-year-old pavement dweller in the city.

The duo - Shankar Shaw and Guddu Singh - allegedly kidnapped the girl Tuesday night by forcing her into an Ola taxi and drove her to the Park Circus flyover where they took turns to rape the minor inside the vehicle, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.

After gang raping the minor all through the night, the duo killed her by strangulating at around 5 am and then tossed her body into a canal below the flyover in Topsia area, the officer said.

"A team from Hare Street Police station arrested both and they have confessed their crime," he said.

The drivers had consumed alcohol at Watgunge and then started going around the city looking for soft targets to 'have some fun' and it was then they spotted the girl on the pavement on Brabourne Road, the officer added.

The girl was living on the footpaths of Brabourne Road with her mother who washes utensils in a local shop.

"We got information that a girl was picked up in a private car. And from our traffic control, we got the number of the car and alerted every police stations," he said.

The naked body of the minor girl was recovered from the canal and has been sent for post-mortem, the officer added.

Jilted lovers terrorize TN: man hacks woman teacher to death at church, kills self

Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu: A 25-year old female teacher was allegedly hacked to death Wednesday at a church by a man, who later ended his own life, for spurning his love, police here said.

Francina had rejected the proposal made by 26-year old Jegan and was to get married to another man next month.

Enraged over this, Jegan fatally attacked her while she was offering prayers in the church.

The incident came a day after an engineering student was clubbed to death in a private college in Karur district by her senior on similar grounds.

Francina was rushed to a hospital where she died without responding to treatment, police said.

Jegan committed suicide by hanging himself in an abandoned building nearby, police said, adding that further investigation was on.

Investigation revealed that Jegan used to follow Francina to her school daily and even proposed to her which was rejected. He also came to know that she had got engaged to another person and decided to eliminate her.

This is the third such brutal killing in a public place by jilted lovers in the state in the last three months.

A 20-year-old engineering student was allegedly beaten to death in her classroom in a private college in Karur district by her senior Tuesday for spurning his love.

Woman techie Swathi was hacked to death by a young man at a railway station in Chennai on July 24 in full public view for the same reason.

KM Mani lands in 'chicken' soup as vigilance files fresh FIR in tax case

Kochi: In fresh trouble for Kerala Congress (M) chief K.M. Mani, the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (VACB) Wednesday filed an FIR in a court charging him with giving tax exemptions to poultry farmers and an ayurvedic medicine manufacturer abusing his position as the then finance minister in the previous UDF government.

The FIR was filed for granting tax relaxations to a poultry company and an Ayurvedic cosmetic company, resulting in alleged loss to the tune of Rs 200 crore to the state.

The FIR was filed at the Muvattupuzha vigilance court after recording Mani’s statement, based on a complaint by lawyer Noble Mathew, a former Kerala Congress leader and a BJP state panel member now.

In its report filed before the court, the probe agency said the quick verification 'revealed' Mani had abused his official position as a public servant in allegedly favouring one Thomson group in the matter of demand of penalty for tax evasion.

The VACB FIR also charged Mani with abusing his official position and without any authority ordered a stay on proceedings to recover Rs 64 crore from poultry dealers favouring them by hatching a criminal conspiracy.

According to the FIR, Mani, when he was the finance minister, gave illegal tax concessions to Ayurvedic cosmetic companies and waived off a fine of Rs 64 crore imposed by the sales tax department on Thomson Group, a poultry import company in Thrissur, for evading tax.

"It is revealed that the Commissioner of Commercial Taxes as well as subject committee (Finance Matters) rejected the request of ayurvedic product manufacturers to give retrospective effect to tax reduction for cosmetic products. In spite of these objections, the (then) finance minister had considered their plea and gave retrospective effect to tax reduction as per Finance Bill, 2014," the FIR said.

The VACB said it was prima facie revealed that Mani had taken 'undue interest' in granting retrospective effect to tax reduction in favor of ayurvedic cosmetic manufacturers.

The allegation of corruption involved in this deal needs detailed investigation by registering the FIR, it said.

Vigilance director had ordered a quick verification against Mani in July on the complaint of Noble Mathew.

The tax on Ayurvedic cosmetic products was cut down to 4 percent from 12.5 percent in the budget in 2014. It is alleged that the massive slash in the tax was due to influence by the manufacturers.

Along with Mani, his former additional secretary Jayachandran and two companies have been made accused.

Mani rubbishes charges

Reacting to the development, Mani rubbished the allegations and said he was being framed in the case by Vigilance director Jacob Thomas. He alleged character assassination by the vigilance chief due to personal grudge.

He said the Thomson Group evaded tax during the tenure of the previous LDF government and it was the UDF government that ordered the company to pay Rs 64 crore, including fine.

The fresh FIR comes close on the heels of a Vigilance Courtin Thiruvananthapuram on August 27 ordering further probe against Mani in a bar bribery scam case on a petition by the investigating officer.

Mani, against whom first information report has been registered on the allegation that he was paid Rs 1 crore as bribe for reopening closed bars, had to resign as finance minister unceremoniously after an adverse remark by the Kerala High Court in November 2015.

Ensure the 'right to work' is not curbed on strike day, HRC tells govt

Thiruvananthapuram: The September 2 all-India strike by trade unions must not come in the way of those who want to work that day, the head of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission said on Wednesday.

J.B. Koshy, a former chief justice of the Bihar High Court, said the Kerala government should ensure that the fundamental right to work of any citizen was not taken away by such strikes.

"While the right to strike is legally right, the right to work is a fundamental right and none should stop that," Koshy told the media here.

"The responsibility of the state government is to see that they make necessary arrangements for people who wish to work to be able to reach their work place," he said.

Koshy's five-year term as chairperson of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission ends next week.

He said shutdowns cause innumerable miseries to the common man and the courts have done their duties to prevent them but now the governments need to act.

"In West Bengal, recently chief minister Mamata Banerjee took a strong stand against a bandh. It worked. It's only in West Bengal and Kerala that nothing happens during a shutdown," added Koshy.

He said he was leaving the Commission with a lot of happiness as he had been able to help numerous people, especially the weakest in the society.

"When I took over in 2011, the total number of cases that were handled was just 5,000. In 2015 it had touched 13,000, and this calendar year till now we have handled 8,800 cases," added Koshy.

India confirms 13 of its nationals test positive for Zika in Singapore

Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said that 13 Indian nationals have tested positive for Zika in Singapore.

A Zika outbreak at first affected three dozen workers on a construction site in Singapore. (Source AP Photo/File)

The External Affairs Ministry confirmed on Thursday that 13 of its nationals had tested positive for the Zika virus in Singapore, after an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease that at first affected three dozen workers on a construction site.

“According to our mission in Singapore 13 Indian nationals have tested positive for Zika in Singapore,” Vikas Swarup, spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, said in response to a Reuters inquiry. US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.

Sensex up 66 points, Nifty above 8,800 in early trade

Indian economy grew at the slowest pace in last six quarters at 7.1 per cent in the April-June period of current fiscal mainly on subdued performance of mining, construction and farm sectors.

The benchmark BSE Sensex spurted over 66 points to 28,518.53 and NSE Nifty reclaimed the 8,800-mark in early trade today on continued buying by foreign funds and retail investors even as economic growth slowed to 7.1 per cent in the April-June quarter.

The benchmark BSE Sensex spurted over 66 points to 28,518.53 and NSE Nifty reclaimed the 8,800-mark in early trade today on continued buying by foreign funds and retail investors even as economic growth slowed to 7.1 per cent in the April-June quarter.

The 30-share index, which had gained 669.92 points in the previous three sessions, was up by 66.36 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 28,518.53 with the sectoral indices led by auto, FMCG and banking were trading in positive zone.

On similar lines, the NSE Nifty crossed the 8,800-mark by gaining 25.55 points or 0.29 per cent to 8,811.75.

Indian economy grew at the slowest pace in last six quarters at 7.1 per cent in the April-June period of current fiscal mainly on subdued performance of mining, construction and farm sectors.

Brokers said widening of positions by retail investors, triggered by sustained foreign fund inflows and significant purchases by domestic financial institutions in the past few sessions buoyed sentiments here.

Besides, a mixed trend overseas too influenced trading, they said.

Among other Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei was up 0.13 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.27 per cent, while Shanghai Composite index fell 0.16 per cent in early trade.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.29 per cent lower in yesterday’s trade.

Kerry in India: People should be allowed to protest without fear

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday stressed on the need for upholding rights of all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, language or creed, saying people should be allowed to protest in peace without fear of being jailed.

His remarks come just days after the US spoke out in support of freedom of expression after Amnesty International was slapped with a sedition charge in Bengaluru.

"The US and India will have to keep faith in our democratic values and uphold the freedom that defines our countries," Kerry said a gathering at the IIT here.

He said one has to respect rights of all our citizens, regardless of ethnicity, language or creed.

"In order to express their views and allow them to protest in peace without fear of reprisal or retribution, without fear of being jailed for something you say," he said while speaking on the need to strike at the root cause of terrorism, which he said differed from country to country.

He, however, singled out corruption and bad governance as one of the main reason for leaving youngsters frustrated.

"We have to work cooperatively and in good faith that terrorists have no place to run, no place to hide and no place to plan and prepare the future," he said.

Kerry said one must not allow terrorists to succeed and it was important to strike at the root cause.

He said a society which does not give equal opportunities to its citizens makes them a potential extremist or terrorist.

"So it also means that we have to build bridges of tolerance and acceptance, compassion, mutual understanding among every religion and sect," he said.

Reliance Jio 4G launch live: Mukesh Ambani to speak about new service today

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani will address the Annual General Meeting of RIL at 11 am. Stay tuned for live updates.

As Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani takes the state at 11 am on Wednesday, most of India will be expecting him to speak about Reliance Jio4G services. The much-anticipated 4G VoLTE service rollout has been generating a lot of user interest across the country and millions of people have already bought the Reliance Jio SIM for the free data during the trial period. They would now be hoping to hear more about the launch date and tariffs of the service.

Reliance Jio services have been on a trial run for a few months now, initially being limited to employees and then to those buying a Lyf smartphone from the company. However, over the past week or so, Reliance Jio has opened service up to people owning devices from most brands selling in India. The services are free for the first 90 days and that has been a huge driver for the adoption along with the high Internet speeds in the relatively new network.

We will bring you live updates from the RIL AGM at Birla Matushri Sabhagar in Mumbai from 11 am on September 1.

History made in air: US resumes passenger flights to Cuba after 50 years

Santa Clara (Cuba): The first scheduled commercial passenger flight from the United States to Cuba in more than half a century landed on Wednesday, opening another chapter in the Obama administration's efforts to improve ties and increase trade and travel with the former Cold War foe.
A JetBlue Airways Corp passenger jet arrived from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara. The route may be a commercial challenge, at least initially, but it is the first of a plethora of new flights by various US airlines to destinations on the Communist-ruled island.
US transportation secretary Anthony Foxx, JetBlue Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes, other officials and journalists were aboard the 150-seat plane. Regular travelers, including some of Cuban descent, occupied nearly half the seats on the flight to Santa Clara, a city with a population of about 200,000 that is known for its monument to revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
While opening travel to cities like Santa Clara is seen as a foot in the door to expanding travel to the Cuban provinces, the market's big prize is routes to Havana, which Foxx awarded on Wednesday. American Airlines Group Inc was awarded the biggest portion.
"The Havana competition was one of the most over-subscribed competitions that I've been a part of," Foxx said in an interview before the plane took off. "I think that speaks to the interest on the part of the American people, and it also speaks to the level of commercial interest in the U.S. that exists."
US secretary of state John Kerry noted in a Twitter message that the flight took place just over a year after the flag was raised at the reopened U.S. embassy in Havana. He called it "another step forward."

Rupee weakens 10 paise against dollar in early trade

The benchmark BSE Sensex advanced by 66.36 points or 0.23 per cent to 28,518.53 in early trade today.

The rupee depreciated 10 paise to 67.06 against the US dollar in early trade today.

The rupee depreciated 10 paise to 67.06 against the US dollar in early trade today on fresh demand for the American currency from importers amid weak growth data for April-June quarter.

Indian economy grew at the slowest pace in last six quarters at 7.1 per cent in the April-June period of current fiscal mainly on subdued performance of mining, construction and farm sectors.

Dealers attributed the rupee’s fall to fresh demand for the US currency from importers but a higher opening in the domestic equity markets and dollar’s weakness against some currencies overseas capped the losses.

The rupee had gained 6 paise to close at 66.96 per dollar yesterday due to sustained dollar selling from exporters amid weak overseas tone.

The benchmark BSE Sensex advanced by 66.36 points or 0.23 per cent to 28,518.53 in early trade today.

Reliance Jio 4G launch, petrochems could be Mukesh Ambani’s focus at RIL AGM today

At the previous AGM, Ambani had stated that 2016-17 would be the first full year of operation of the company's telecom arm, Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani is likely to give an update on Thursday on Jio’s 4G launch and signal culmination of the $42-billion capex cycle it had earmarked for its other businesses three years ago.

Ambani may devote a large part of his speech at RIL’s 42th shareholder meeting in Mumbai Thursday to the update and a road map for the company’s telecom venture in terms of network roll-out and the customer base during the test launch.

But he may stop short of announcing a date for commercial launch, industry watchers and sources said.

According to the sources, Ambani is likely to provide a status update on the Rs 2 lakh-crore spending on building telecom network as well as growing subscriber numbers, which at the last count stood at 1.5 million test users.

The AGM on Thursday comes at a time when the new entrant is locked in a dispute with the existing cellular operators on the points of interconnect.

Reliance Jio has accused incumbent players of not releasing sufficient interconnection ports during its test run of services while the existing operators (under the aegis of COAI) have dubbed its testing of network as an effort to bypass regulations.

At the previous AGM in June 2015, Ambani had stated that 2016-17 would be the first full year of operation of the company’s telecom arm, Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Besides shedding light on the telecom venture, he may spell out completion details of the $30 billion worth of petrochemical and downstream projects.

Even as it is engaged in a spat with incumbent operators over points of inter-connection, Reliance Jio has been expanding its free 90-day unlimited calls and high-speed mobile broadband trial offer to 4G smartphone users of brands such as HTC, Intex, Vivo, Gionee, Karbonn and Lava.

Jio service is already available on Sony, Sansui, Videocon, LG, Samsung, Micromax, Panasonic, Asus, TCL, Alcatel 4G smartphones, and the industry estimates that its reach may now extend to about potentially 75-80 per cent 4G phone users.

Under the offer, the owner of a 4G-compliant handset from any of these brands can carry it to Reliance Digital stores, including Digital Xpress and Digital Xpress Mini, and other retail stores for a free Reliance Jio SIM.