US Judge denies Devyani's request to extend Jan 13 hearing

January 9, 2014
New York, Jan 9: In a major setback to Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, a federal judge has denied her request to extend the January 13 deadline for a preliminary hearing, the date by which she has to be indicted.

Devyani

Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said adjournment of the date will not grant her the "relief she seeks" regarding plea negotiations between her and the government to resolve the visa fraud case.

An indictment or information charging the defendant with the commission of an offence must be filed within 30 days of the date of the defendant's arrest or service of a summons in connection with such charges, she said in her order.

Any adjournment of the preliminary hearing date will not have any impact on the filing of the indictment.

"The defendant has requested only that the preliminary date be adjourned for 30 days for good cause shown... Because a modification of the hearing date will not itself alter the time period for the filing of an indictment or information, the defendant's concerns regarding the pressures of an impending indictment on plea negotiations will not grant her the relief she seeks."

"Therefore, good cause has not been demonstrated, and the defendant's request for an adjournment of the preliminary hearing date is Denied," Netburn said in her three-page order issued late yesterday.

She said since Khobragade was arrested on December 12, 2013, she "must be indicted (or an information by the government must be filed against her)" by January 13.

"Therefore, an extension of the preliminary hearing date ...will not relieve the pressure identified by the defendant. Moreover, the defendant cannot extend Speedy Trial time limits merely by filing a waiver."

"The Speedy Trial Act is not solely a protection for the defendant," Netburn said in her judgement, " it is also designed to serve the public's interest in a speedy trial of those charged with federal criminal offences."

The order means the indictment against Khobragade will now have to filed before or on January 13.

Her lawyer Daniel Arshack had sought postponement of the preliminary hearing date and extension of the indictment deadline by 30 days "to and including February 12, 2014".

He had said that the extension is being sought in order to facilitate the plea discussions that have been ongoing between his office and Khobragade.

Netburn ruled that "an adjournment of the preliminary hearing date will not grant the defendant the relief she (Khobragade) seeks."

A 1999-batch IFS officer, Khobragade was arrested on charges of making false declarations in a visa application for her maid Sangeeta Richard. She was released on a USD 250,000 bond.

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Agencies
May 31,2020

New Delhi, May 31: A low pressure area formed over Arabian sea and Lakshadweep is likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm and reach coastal states of Maharashtra and Gujarat next week, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

Sunitha Devi, in charge of cyclones at IMD, said, "A low pressure area has formed over southeast and adjoining east central Arabian sea and Lakshadweep area. It is very likely to concentrate into a depression during the next 24 hours and intensify further into a cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours."

She added, "It is likely to move nearly northwards and reach near north Maharashtra and Gujarat coasts by 3rd June."

A low pressure area and a depression are the first two levels on the IMD's eight-category scale used to classify cyclones based on their intensity.

The weather bureau said that the sea condition will be very rough and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till June 4.

It has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over south coastal Maharashtra for June 2-4, on north coast on June 2-3 and in Gujarat, Daman and Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli on June 3-5.

IMD said that under the influence of likely formation of a low pressure system over Arabian Sea, conditions will become favourable from June 1 for onset of monsoon over Kerala.

The arrival date for monsoon in Kerala is around June 1 every year and in Maharashtra around June 10.

On Saturday, a private forecasting agency claimed that monsoon has already hit Kerala, but the assertions were quickly rebutted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

"The news about monsoon onset over Kerala in Social Media is not correct. Monsoon has not arrived over Kerala. The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge a"Stephen Hawking," saidAMadhavan Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of IMD's Regional Weather Forecasting Centre said that the formation of a low pressure system in Arabian sea and its movement towards Gujarat coast will bring moisture to Delhi-NCR and North West India from June 3.

Two storms are forming over the Arabian Sea, one lies off the African coast and is likely to move over Oman and Yemen, while the other is placed close to India.

The development comes almost ten days after 'Amphan' pummeled four districts of Bengal in the fiercest cyclone in the region in a century, that left 86 people dead and rendered ten million people homeless.

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kushal kumar
 - 
Monday, 1 Jun 2020

                      According  to  IMD  alert  appeared  in  some  newspapers  on  31  May  2020  ,  a  cyclonic  storm  is  brewing  in  the  Arabian  Sea  ,  which  is  likely  to  reach  coastal  districts  of  Gujarat  and  Maharashtra  by  3  June.  It  is  expected  that  the  these  States  would  take  more  care  and  appropriate  strategy  well  in  time  to  combat  the  likely  danger  to  the  coastal  districts  from  cyclonic  storm  designated  as   ‘Nisarga’.  In  this  context  ,  it  may  be  apt  to  refer  readers  to  this  Vedic  astrology  writer’s  predictive  alerts  in  article  -  “  Predictions  for  coming  year  2020  by  kushal  kumar”  -   published  last  year  2019   on  10 October   at   theindiapost.com/articles/predictions-for-coming-year-2020-by-kushal-kumar/.  The  related  text   of  the  predictive  alert   reads  as  follows  in  the  said  article  :-

“  The  next  three  months  from  April  to  June  2020  ,  appears  to  be  a  period  of  time  testing  ‘patience’   and  ‘ perseverance’   ,  introducing  several  parts  of  the  country  to  worrisome  concerns.  Coastal  States  of  India  ,  particularly  those  in  the  southern  part  ,  may  be  called  upon  to  take  more  care  and  appropriate  strategy  against  likely  cyclones  ,  storms  ,  floods  ,  coming  of  danger  via  sea  ,  landslide  and  damage  to  crops   during  April-June  in  2020.  Such  dates  of   month  of  May  as   6 , 7 ,  13 to 16  ,  25  and 26  may  be  watched  with  care.  Similarly  ,  the  dates  3 , 4 ,  11 to 13  ,  21 ,  22  and  26  in  June  2020  may  be  watched  with  care.  Coastal  States /UTs   such  as  Gujarat  ,  some  parts  of  Maharashtra  ……………………………………look  to  be  vulnerable.  It  may  be  apt  for  them  to  take  necessary  precautions  during  May-June ,  2020”. 

                    The  aforesaid  details  suggest  that  the  predictive  alert  of  this  writer   published  last  year  2019  on  10 October  ,  is  coinciding  with  the  alert  of  IMD  appeared  near  about  31 May  ,  2020. 

Kushal  kumar  ,

202- GH28 ,  Mansarovar  Apartments  ,

Sector 20  ,  Panchkula -134116  ,  Haryana.

1 June  ,  2020. 

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News Network
May 3,2020

New Delhi, May 3: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that India's COVID-19 mortality rate of 3.2 per cent is the lowest in the world and over 10,000 coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease so far.

"Today more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients have been discharged. Those still admitted at hospitals are on the road to recovery. If in last 14 days doubling rate was 10.5 days, then today it is around 12 days," the Minister told ANI after visiting Lady Hardinge Hospital.

"Our mortality rate of 3.2 per cent is the lowest in the world," he said.

With 2,644 more COVID-19 cases and 83 deaths in the last 24 hours, the number of people infected from coronavirus in the country has reached 39,980 including 1,301 deaths, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

Currently, there are 28,046 active cases while 10,633 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged.

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News Network
January 29,2020

Mumbai, Jan 29: Unfazed by his suspension from flying on Tuesday, stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Wednesday claimed that he once again approached television journalist Arnab Goswami, who he said was his co-passenger on a flight from Lucknow, for an "honest discussion" but was turned away.

Kamra tweeted in the morning that "Arnab Goswami was again travelling in his flight while returning from Lucknow". "I again asked him politely if he wants to have a honest discussion he with his verbal arrogant hand jester he asked me to move away & I did that (sic)," he tweeted.

The comedian was suspended from flying by IndiGo and Air India on Tuesday after he allegedly heckled Goswami aboard a Mumbai-Lucknow plane and posted a video clip on his Twitter handle.

While IndiGo suspended Kamra from flying with it for a period of six months, Air India banned him until further notice.

In a statement released on Twitter after he posted the video, Kamra said he did "exactly what Republic TV journalists do to people in their private/public spaces". Kamra stated he had not done anything criminal by allegedly heckling Goswami.

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