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Rajapaksa orders release of Indian fishermen after UN vote

March 28, 2014

Indian_fishermenColombo, Mar 28: President Mahinda Rajapaksa ordered the release of all Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody, hours after India abstained from backing a resolution against Colombo at the UN.

Just over 100 Indian fishermen remain in Sri Lankan custody after some 170 others were freed last week, reports Xinhua.

The President's Office said on Friday that Rajapaksa ordered all remaining Indian fishermen to be set free as a goodwill gesture.

The Indian government on Thursday made a surprise decision to abstain from voting at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and criticized the US sponsored draft resolution saying it was inconsistent and impractical.

There was strong speculation that India would back the resolution, especially with political parties in Tamil Nadu raising the pitch against the Sri Lankan government.

But India's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Dilip Sinha, said it was New Delhi's firm belief that adopting an intrusive approach that undermined national sovereignty and institutions was counter-productive.

The resolution was, however, passed by a majority vote with 23 countries in the 47-member council voting for it and 12 against. A total of 12 countries abstained.

China, Russia, Pakistan and Cuba were among the countries that voted against the resolution. Japan also abstained.

The resolution calls for an international investigation over alleged human rights abuses during the war in Sri Lanka. Colombo says it will not agree to an international probe.

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News Network
March 31,2020

New Delhi, Mar 31: The total number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 1,397 after 146 new patients were reported in the last 24-hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday.

Of this little less than 1,400 cases, there are 1,238 active while 124 cured. The total figure also includes 35 fatalities.

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News Network
March 11,2020

Mar 11: In a bid to keep its flock together, the crisis-hit Madhya Pradesh Congress has decided to shift its 92 MLAs either to Jaipur or some other place.

The move comes after 22 Congress MLAs loyal to former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned on Tuesday, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse.

"We are going to take our 92 MLAs and those supporting our Madhya Pradesh government to a hotel," a senior Congress leader said on Wednesday.

The legislators would be taken either to Jaipur or some other Congress-ruled state like Chhattisgarh, a party source said.

Apart from its own MLAs, the Congress is also keeping a close watch on four Independents who are supporting the party-led state government.

On Tuesday, 22 Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh resigned soon after Scindia quit the party.

The development reduced the Congress government in the state to minority.

The state Congress unit is now making all efforts to save the Kamal Nath-led government.

The BJP on Tuesday night shifted its MLAs to Manesar at Gurugram in Haryana, sources in the saffron party said.

The Congress, whose tally before the rebellion was 114, has a wafer-thin majority in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly whose current effective strength is 228.

It also has the support of four Independents, two BSP legislators and one SP MLA, but some of them are now likely to switch sides to the BJP.

The BJP has 107 seats in the state Assembly.

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Agencies
February 10,2020

New Delhi, Feb 10: After an hour-long standoff between the security forces and the students on Monday, the police resorted to a lathi-charge on the protesters near Holy Family hospital which is within walking distance of Jamia Millia Islamia.

A scuffle ensued when police confronted the protesters who tried to push forward towards Parliament. The lathi-charge was made to push back the protesters.

In the melee that ensued, many from both sides fainted.

Some security forces personnel resorted to the lathi-charge while others pushed back the protesters when they threw water pouches at the security forces and abused them.

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