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US court issues summons against Manmohan Singh

September 26, 2013

Manmohan_Singh_copyWashington, Sep 26: As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives here on a four-day visit, a Sikh rights group has secured summons against him from a US court in connection with the alleged human rights violations in the counter-insurgency operations in Punjab in the 1990s.

The Sikh for Justice (SFJ), the New York-based rights body, is now planning to file an urgent leave "to effect alternative means of service" that would allow it to deliver the summons to the White House staff and members of Singh's security team when he is here.

Prime Minister Singh arrives here on Thursday for a meeting with President Barack Obama.

Knowledgeable sources said it would be very tough for the SFJ to serve summons to Singh given the tight security around him. There are also procedural difficulties for the SFJ to get the necessary court directions issued for the White House and the Secret Service.

Ravi Batra, the New York-based attorney who represents the Congress Party in a similar case filed against it by the SFJ, termed it as a publicity gimmicks.

"SFJ's 'red carpet' welcome, a lawsuit against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the leader of a free, independent and sovereign nation, is headline grabbing while insulting law, decency and common sense," Batra said.

"American courts have tools to handle an out-of-control litigant, whose main goal is to use the court's ministerial act of accepting a complaint, with the USD 350 filing fee paid and then automatically issuing a summons, to falsely imply in pre-made press releases that a court had acted on some merits - when it did no such thing," Batra said.

The 24-page complaint alleges that Singh as the Finance Minister in early 1990s approved and financed the practice of "cash rewards" to members of security forces for allegedly killing Sikhs through extra judicial means to curb militancy.

The complaint also alleges that during his tenure as the Prime Minister beginning 2004, Singh actively shielded and protected the members of his political party who were allegedly involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Sikh groups have announced to hold a "Justice Rally" on Friday in front of White House during Obama-Singh meeting.

Justifying the filing of lawsuit, SFJ's legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said the human rights violation law suit against Singh has been filed under Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Victim Protection Act for funding several counter insurgency operations in Punjab.

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Agencies
August 9,2020

Pathanamthitta, Aug 9 : An orange alert has been issued in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district as the water level in Pamba dam is now flowing at 983.05 metres and it is likely to reach 983.50 metres within an hour.

A red alert will be declared at 984.5 metres and dam will open when the water level reaches 985 metres.

"The water level in Pamba dam is 983.05 metres now and is likely to reach 983.50 metres within an hour. So, the second alert- orange alert has been issued. A red alert will be declared at 984.5 metres and dam will open when it reaches 985 metres," said Pathanamthitta District Collector.

Meanwhile, a portion of the Shiva Temple in Aluva continues to remain submerged. However, the water level in the Periyar River is receding gradually and more part of the temple is above the water level now. 

As Kerala has been receiving heavy rain for the past few days, severe waterlogging affects traffic movement at Mannuthy bypass in Thrissur on Saturday.

On Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert in Kozhikode district. It had also predicted rainfall in different parts of the state.

Due to heavy downpour, a massive landslide had occurred in Idukki district recently. The death toll in Idukki landslide has risen to 26, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday.

The Chief Minister said that monsoon fury continues to be severe in the state.

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News Network
April 11,2020

New Delhi, Apr 11: With 40 deaths and 1,035 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India on Saturday witnessed a sharpest ever increase in coronavirus cases, taking the tally of the infected people in the country to 7,447, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

According to the official data, among 7447 COVID-19 positive cases, 6,565 are active cases and 643 are cured, discharged and migrated and 239 patients who have succumbed to the virus.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases in the country which stands at 1,574, including 188 cured and discharged and 110 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu with 911 corona positive cases.

On the other hand, the national capital has reported 903 cases, which include 25 recovered cases and 13 deaths.

While 553 have detected positive for the infection in Rajasthan, Telangana has 473 corona cases and Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh have reported 18 cases each.

Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, that borders the national capital, has 431 and 177 cases, respectively.
Kerala, which reported India's first coronavirus case, has 364 confirmed cases.

The newly carved union territories -- Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir--- have 15 and 207 cases, respectively.

The least number of COVID-19 cases have reported from the northeast region of the country. While Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Tripura have only 1 corona positive case, Assam has 29 people infected with the virus, which is the highest in the region.

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News Network
April 3,2020

New Delhi, April 3: The Government on Thursday launched a mobile app developed in public-private partnership as part of efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"The app, called 'AarogyaSetu' will enable people to assess themselves the risk for their catching the coronavirus infection," an official release said.

It said that the app will calculate this based on their interaction with others, using cutting edge Bluetooth technology, algorithms and artificial intelligence.

"Once installed in a smartphone through an easy and user-friendly process, the app detects other devices with AarogyaSetu installed that come in the proximity of that phone. The app can then calculate the risk of infection based on sophisticated parameters," the release said.

It said that the app will help the government take necessary timely steps for assessing risk of spread of COVID-19 infection and ensuring isolation where required.

"The app's design ensures privacy. The personal data collected by the app is encrypted using state-of-the-art technology and stays secure on the phone till it is needed for facilitating medical intervention," the release said.

It said the app is available in 11 languages and has highly scalable architecture.

"This app is a unique example of the nation's young talent coming together and pooling resources and efforts to respond to a global crisis. It is at once a bridge between public and private sectors, digital technology and health services delivery," the release said.

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