Junior Digest

Britain’s Serious Fraud Office has launched a criminal investigation into Indian giant Tata Steel, which is seeking to sell its UK operations, the Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

The newspaper, which cited well-placed sources, said police were probing allegations that Tata staff in Britain may have falsified certificates detailing the composition of its steel before sale.

The investigation centres on Tata Steel’s site in Yorkshire and the group referred itself to the SFO after an internal audit, the paper added.

The SFO declined to comment on the story when contacted by AFP. Tata did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

In a shock announcement last week, Tata Steel last week put its British business up for sale, sparking calls for the government to intervene and safeguard thousands of jobs in the crisis-hit industry.

Tata will meanwhile start the process of selling its British steel assets by Monday, the British government’s Business Secretary Sajid Javid said earlier this week after holding talks in Mumbai.

@ A gency report.

The Supreme Court today dismissed a PIL filed by an NGO challenging grant of 4G licences to Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL).

A bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur junked the petition of NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), which challenged the government’s decision to allow the company to offer voice services on its 4G spectrum.

The apex court, however, asked the government to look into the issue of spectrum usage charge (SUC) but did not pass any order on this.

The PIL, filed in 2014 through advocate Prashant Bhushan, had sought quashing of the permission granted by the Government to Reliance for providing voice telephony on Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum and pitched for a court-monitored CBI investigation in the alleged Rs. 40,000 crore scam.

@ Agency report.

New Delhi : Security agencies have expressed concern over the new encryption feature introduced by popular messaging giant WhatsApp saying it could be misused by anti- national elements for achieving their nefarious designs.

The just-introduced end-to-end encryption of WhatsApp will protect texts and voice calls and gives no access to the security agencies, making it much tougher for them to tackle any situation arising out of messages, videos being circulated through the messaging service.

WhatsApp has puts out a one-line advisory to its users: Messages you send to this chat and calls are now secured with end-to-end encryption.

“The move is a potential security threat,” said a security official.

WhatsApp’s action came close on the heels of a legal battle between Apple and FBI over the US agency’s demand that the iPhone maker help unlock its mobile phones.

The popular messenger was being used excessively in Jammu and Kashmir by separatists and anti-national elements for spreading rumours which have often led to violent clashes.

The security agencies will be taking up the matter with the Telecom ministry to ensure that proper safeguards are in place before the services could be allowed in the country, the sources said.

In past, the government had red-flagged BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS), BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and BlackBerry Enterprise Servers (BES) of smartphone maker Research-In-Motion (RIM) until the company installed a server within India for real-time information to the security agencies.

@ Agency report.

Yangon, Apr 6 ,2016 : Myanmar’s president today signed a bill giving Aung San Suu Kyi a new role of state adviser, shoring up her influence across all branches of government despite vehement opposition from the still-powerful military.

Suu Kyi is determined to rule the former junta-run nation regardless of an army-scripted constitution that bars her from becoming president, as she strives to meet the aspirations of millions of voters who gave her pro-democracy party a landslide election victory last November.

She is already foreign minister and met her Chinese counterpart for talks yesterday, prioritising Beijing in her first foray into international diplomacy since her National League for Democracy officially took power last week.

The bill outlining her advisory role, which mentions the Nobel laureate by name, enables Suu Kyi to wield influence over parliament as well as in the cabinet in a position officially called “state counsellor”.

It was signed into law by President Htin Kyaw, Suu Kyi’s longtime aide and effective proxy, following debates in both houses of parliament that have seen protests by the army’s legislative representatives.

“The president has signed the state counsellor bill today,” president office deputy director-general Zaw Htay told AFP.

He declined to give further details on the legislation, which sped through both houses of parliament thanks to the NLD’s huge majority.

In a dramatic lower house session yesterday, unelected military MPs — who make up a quarter of the legislature because the constitution reserves seats for them — stood up to register a protest that their suggested amendments were being ignored.

The bill was then sent straight to the president without a vote in the combined legislature because no clauses had been altered.

One army MP, Brigadier General Maung Maung, complained to reporters after Tuesday’s session that the passage of the bill was “democratic bullying by majority”.

Impoverished Myanmar has seen dramatic changes since 2011 as the military released its stranglehold on power after decades of repressive rule that saw Suu Kyi and many of her colleagues imprisoned or held under house arrest.

Foreign tourism and investment have begun to flood into the resource-rich nation of 51 million. But the new government faces stiff challenges, particularly smoothing relations with the army and tackling ongoing civil wars in ethnic minority border areas.

@ Agency report.

New Delhi : Kamla Advani, the wife of BJP veteran L K Advani, died today at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) due to heart failure.

Sources close to the family said she complained of uneasiness and breathlessness and was rushed to the AIIMS where doctors tried to revive her but in vain. “She suffered cardiac arrest,” they told PTI.

Kamla Advani (83) leaves behind, besides her husband, a son and a daughter.

She had been suffering from age-related problems for some time and was on wheelchair for the last few months.

Family sources said she was also suffering from memory loss.

@Agency report.

Beijing, Apr 6 ,2016 : Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will visit China later this month to strengthen military ties despite strains in bilateral relations over Beijing’s move to block India’s attempts in the UN to clamp a ban on Pakistan- based terror group JeM chief Masood Azhar.

Parrikar, the first Indian defence minister to visit China since 2013, will pay a three-day visit starting from April 18 during which he is expected to hold talks with top Chinese political and defence leaders, official sources here said.

His predecessor A K Antony visited China in 2013.

No agreements were expected during Parrikar’s visit which is being regarded as bilateral visit aimed at firming up ties, officials said.

His trip follows high-level visits by top Chinese defence officials including Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman General Fan Changlong to India last year.

CMC headed by President Xi Jinping is the highest commanding authority of the 2.3-million strong People’s Liberation Army.

While the two sides had set up a dialogue mechanism under Special Representatives of both the countries to find a solution to the vexed boundary dispute spanning 3,488 kms, they also operationalised a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination to address tensions arising out of aggressive patrolling of the disputed boundary.

The Special Representatives have held 18 rounds of talks so far. The two sides also opened more border points for regular interactions between their officers and men to build friendly rapport between them.

Chinese officials say the border situation is generally stable and the two militaries should take concrete actions to implement the consensus reached by their leaders on the issue.

Parrikar’s visit also comes as concerns were rising in India about China’s move to block its bid to have JeM chief Azhar designated as terrorist by the UN in the aftermath of the terror attack on an air base in Pathankot in January.

While Indian officials say that strains resulting out of this controversy will not affect Parrikar’s visit as both sides attached importance to improving military ties, reports say India mulled to re-clamp security checks on Chinese firms investing in India to show its concern over the issue.

India is also concerned by reports of presence of Chinese troops in the forward positions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

China has termed such reports as baseless.

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2016 : Criticising the “disturbing and hateful” poll rhetoric, First Lady Michelle Obama has asserted that America is a “nation of immigrants” and diversity will always be its greatest strength.

“We think America is strongest when we recognise our many traditions, when we celebrate our diversity, and when we lift each other up,” Ms. Obama said during Nowruz celebrations at the White House on Wednesday.

‘Cherish the beautiful traditions and cultures’

“In times like these, when we think all — that’s more important than ever before, right now and today with what’s going on. Right now, when we’re hearing so much disturbing and hateful rhetoric, it is so important to remember that our diversity has been — and will always be — our greatest source of strength and pride here in the United States,” she said.

“We are a nation of immigrants. And we should cherish the talent and energy and the beautiful traditions and cultures that come with that heritage, not just today but every day,” she said.

Various festivals of various cultures at White House

In her remarks, she underscored the number of festivals of various cultures now the White House has been celebrating.

“I’m proud that here at the White House, we host special events to mark the holidays but we celebrate St Patrick’s Day, Diwali, Cinco de Mayo. And with your help, today, we’re celebrating Nowruz, which is one of our newest White House traditions,” Ms. Obama said.

On Nowruz

Nowruz, she has said, is a time to visit loved ones. It’s a time to reflect on the past year, and to renew hopes for the New Year to come.

Nowruz is a traditional Iranian festival of spring and considered as the beginning of the New Year among Iranians.

@ Agency report.

Washington, Apr 8,2016 : The World Bank has unveiled an ambitious climate action plan that will help developing countries add 30 gigawatts of renewable energy, bring early warning systems to 100 million people and develop climate- smart agriculture investment plans for at least 40 nations.

The World Bank has set the target for achieving this by 2020, officials said as they released details of the Climate Change Action Plan, which comes just two weeks before world leaders officially sign the landmark Paris Agreement in New York.

“Following the Paris climate agreement, we must now take bold action to protect our planet for future generations,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said.

“We are moving urgently to help countries make major transitions to increase sources of renewable energy, decrease high-carbon energy sources, develop green transport systems, and build sustainable, livable cities for growing urban populations. Developing countries want our help to implement their national climate plans and we’ll do all we can to help them,” he said.

To maximise impact, the World Bank Action Plan is focused on helping countries shape national policies and leverage private sector investment.

International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, aims to expand its climate investments from the current USD 2.2 billion a year to a goal of USD 3.5 billion a year and lead on leveraging an additional USD 13 billion a year in private sector financing by 2020.

Apart from its own financing, the World Bank also intends to mobilise USD 25 billion in commercial financing for clean energy over the next five years.

The Bank Group will also continue to deepen its work to help countries to put a price on carbon pollution to create incentives for public and private sector decision makers to make the right climate choices, a statement said.

This is a plan that primarily aims supporting countries that the Bank works with, to turn their ambitious commitments that they made in December in Paris, into a reality, John Roome, Bank’s Senior Director for Climate Change told reporters during a conference call.

“It’s a plan that aims at swinging the pendulum away from investments in fossil fuels towards investment in clean energy and to put new resources to critical areas like green transport and climate smart agriculture,” he said.

Under the plan, the World Bank would be working on expanding universal access to early-warning systems in the case of disasters, for the goal to provide 100 million more people, in 15 developing countries, with access to these early-warning systems by the year 2020.

@ Agency report.

Kozhikode, Apr 7 ,2016 : Hindu dharma has been accepted worldwide as a way of life and not as a religion, Union Minister Rajeev Pratap Rudy has said.

“Hindu dharma followed by crores of people in India is not a religion. It is accepted as a way of living worldwide,” he said at a meet of Hindu spiritual organisations held at the beach here last night.

Delivering the key-note address at the ‘Mahabharatham Dharmarakshana Sangamam,’ he said Hindu dharma meant showing compassion to all irrespective of caste, religion or status.

Earlier, inaugurating the sangamam, Yoga guru Ramdev said dividing the society in the name of caste and religion should be stopped.

“The need of the hour is unity of the people and the nation. The madness of dividing people and the nation on the basis of caste and religion should be stopped,” he said.

He urged people to avoid products by multi-national companies saying that people of the country should be equipped with products and techniques made in India.

He assured to start a higher education centre named after the Adi Sankara in Kerala, which is the sage’s birth place.

Thousands of people from Kozhikode and nearby districts participated in the meet organised by various Hindu spiritual outfits like the Chinmaya Mission, Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Matha Amritanandamayi Math, Kolathur Advaitha Ashram.

More than a hundred sadhus and spiritual leaders from across the state participated in the meet.

Head of the Sivagiri math, Swami Prakashananda conducted a puja of holy waters brought from the rivers of Kerala.

@ Agency report.

The United States Senate has unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the Maldives to rectify the “injustice” meted out to its former president Mohamed Nasheed and all other “political prisoners.”

The bipartisan resolution, adopted on Thursday, expressed “profound concern over the prosecution and conviction of former President Mohamed Nasheed without due process” and urged the government to “take all necessary steps” to “redress this injustice” and “to release all political prisoners.”

The resolution was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy, who is Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programmes, and Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Increasing civil rights resolution

In its resolution, the Senate noted that increasing civil rights violations in Maldives fuel instability and pose a threat to regional security. “President Abdulla Yameen of the Maldives has increasingly cracked down on dissent within his own party and the political opposition, presided over the erosion of judicial impartiality, and put increasing pressure on civil society,” it said.

Mr. Nasheed was allowed to travel to the United Kingdom for medical leave in January under intense international pressure.

“Leave extension, if he requests”

At the time, Minister for Legal Affairs Aishath Azima Shakoor told reporters that he would be able to stay abroad for necessary medical treatment and “[i]f he requests extension of medical leave, he will certainly get it.”

Yet on Thursday, the government of Maldives wrote to President Nasheed rejecting his request for an extension based on medical reports stating he required further treatment for his serious spinal cord issues, said a media release.

Get the message

“The government of Maldives should see this unanimous Senate resolution for what it is — a direct rebuke not only to their wrongful prosecution, conviction and sentencing of President Nasheed but also to their arbitrary request for him to return to the country against medical advice,” said Jared Genser, international counsel to Mr. Nasheed and founder of Freedom Now.

@ Agency report.

 

Imphal : A local court today appointed a free legal aid counsel for rights activist Irom Sharmila Chanu.

Sharmila had submitted an affidavit at the chief judicial magistrate court, Imphal West, stating that she wanted to fight her case against the state government without a counsel.

The hunger striker, who was present in the court, talking to media appealed to the people to support her demand for repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 from Manipur.

Sharmila is on indefinite fast for the last 16 years in Manipur demanding repeal of AFSPA and is being force fed through a nasal tube. A Delhi trial court acquitted her on March 30 of charges of trying to commit suicide when she sat on a fast unto death at Jantar Mantar on October 4, 2006.

@ Agency report.

Mumbai, Apr 7 ,2016 : The Hrithik Roshan-Kangana Ranaut spat got murkier with the actress approaching the Commissioner of Police seeking the actor’s arrest for allegedly circulating her personal photographs and e-mails to the media and “wilfully outraging” her modesty.

Kangana’s advocate Rizwan Siddiqui sent a letter to the Commissioner of Police on April 6 requesting him to look into the matter and take appropriate action.

“My client Kangana Ranaut has been given to understand that her absolutely private and confidential e-mails as well as photographs which were collected by Hrithik Roshan during his association with her are being malafidely and mischievously misused by Hrithik Roshan with criminal intentions of damaging my client’s reputation and to wilfully impute in-chastity to her,” the letter signed by Siddiqui to the Police Commissioner (Dattatray Padsalgikar) read.

Kangana said that Hrithik had committed “cognizable offences” under sections 149 and 150 of CrPC and it was the duty of the police to arrest him under Section 151 of CrPC (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences).

“Please do note that Hrithik Roshan has even criminally threatened my client of these actions in his notice to my client. However, as his notice received a befitting reply from me and he was not in a position to reply to the same he is now indulging in these criminal acts to put fear in the mind of my client,” the letter said.

The letter further stated that while Kangana reserves her right to file FIR, she would request the police to immediately look into the matter and take appropriate action.

Hrithik’s advocate Dipesh Mehta, however, denied the allegations and said his client has not indulged in any such activities as alleged by the 29-year-old actress and her lawyer.

@ Agency report.

HANOI, Vietnam : Vietnam’s  parliament on Thursday elected Nguyen Xuan Phuc as prime minister, and he takes office at a time of soaring public debt, a worrying budget deficit and China’s growing assertiveness in nearby seas.

In a formal vote, 446 of the 490 members in the National Assembly voted to install Phuc, 61, as the head of government.

The appointment of Phuc, who rose from governor of the central province of Quang Nam to deputy prime minister five years ago, was a mere formality after he was picked at the Communist Party’s congress in January as the sole candidate to replace Nguyen Tan Dung, who was removed from office Wednesday.

Phuc took the oath of office and vowed “absolute loyalty to the country, people and the Constitution.”

In a televised inaugural speech, Phuc vowed to continue with reforms and fight corruption.

He raised his voice when pledged to “firmly defend the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Phuc takes office at a time when the country is crippled with soaring public debt, a serious budget deficit, China’s territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea, as well as an unprecedented drought and salt intrusion in the country’s main rice-growing region of the southern Mekong Delta.

“Mr. Phuc will begin his tenure when the economy has been in big trouble,” Le Hong Hiep, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said in an email.

“He will have to overcome major challenges to reform the state-owned sector and banking system, improve the country’s fiscal position, and strengthen the private sector to make the economy less dependent on foreign investments,” Hiep said.

Phuc’s appointment completes the triumvirate of power, which includes General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong who was re-elected at the party congress in January and President Tran Dai Quang who was elected by the assembly last week.

Nguyen Quang A, an economist and political analyst, said the trend of reforms and international integration in Vietnam will not be stopped regardless of who is in power.

“No one can delay or derail the international integration, that is the only way for the country’s survival.”

International rights groups and U.S. government have often criticized Vietnam for jailing people who peacefully express their views, by using vaguely worded security laws. Hanoi says that only law breakers are punished.

The sentencing of seven bloggers and activists in March for “abusing democratic freedoms” and “spreading anti-state propaganda” drew strong opposition from the U.S. government and international rights groups.

“I don’t think that Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc as the new prime minister will have a big role in improving Vietnam’s human rights record,” Quang A said, noting the country is ruled by collective leadership.

@ Agency report.

Mumbai, Apr 8 ,2016 : Mumbai Indians are all set to open the defense of their title against new outfit Rising Pune Supergiants, led by India’s World Cup winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, here tomorrow after decks were cleared to hold the opening IPL game by the Bombay High Court.

The court has declined to grant a stay on the IPL’s opening match tomorrow in Maharashtra, many parts of which are facing severe water crisis.

The IPL has temporarily been shorn of two successful teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, who have been suspended for two years as per the Lodha Committee recommendations.

The Supergiants, owned by RPSG Group, has thus been granted an opportunity to carve out a niche – guided by the previously successful combine of captain Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming for CSK.

However, with a more settled look and familiar with the conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, described by both MI captain Rohit Sharma and coach Ricky Ponting yesterday as the team’s fortress, Supergiants will need to pull out all stops to stop the home side.

The hosts, who turned around a disastrous start last year after losing the opening four games, have the right personnel on paper to diffuse the challenge from RPS.

Lendl Simmons, who orchestrated the bounce-back of MI last season, has shown his penchant for the Wankhede track with a blistering knock for eventual champions West Indies that knocked pre-tournament favourites India out of the World T20 at the semifinal stage on March 31.

Simmons and Sharma, who has decided to open the innings, are expected to pair up at the top with people like Ambati Rayudu, new buy and England’s hard-hitting wicketkeeper batsman Jos Buttler, Corey Anderson, the big-hitting Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya to follow up later.

MI would be hard-pressed to fill in the void left by the absence of the injured pace spearhead Lasith Malinga who is unlikely to be fit at least for the first half of their league campaign, as informed yesterday by Ponting at his media conference.

@ Agency report.

Macau, Apr 7,2016 : Personal computers and printing major HP Inc today launched eight new personal products including the world’s thinnest laptop at 10.4 mm thickness, a calling device and a business notebook.

“At HP, we are constantly pushing the envelope in design, productivity, security and entertainment to build innovative products for ‘One Life’,” HP Asia Pacific and Japan General Manager and Vice President of Personal Systems Business Anneliese Olson told reporters.

According to the company ‘Spectre’ is the world’s thinnest laptop and has a battery life of up to nine and a half hours.

The new calling device, HP Elite x3, is built-for-business mobile device and runs on Windows 10.

HP Elite x3 bridges phablet, laptop and desktop to enable users to run key productivity apps across these different experiences seamlessly.

The third product launched by the company HP EliteBook Folio is the thinnest and lightest business notebook with 12.4 mm thickness and weighs under 1 kg. It will come with a starting price of Rs 1.30 lakh.

Pricing of Elite x3 and Spectre were announced today.

Other products launched are additions to HP’s existing series notebook Envy, hybrid Elite X2 and EliteBook G3 Notebooks series.

Hybrid Elite x2 1012 is priced starting Rs 84,599.

HP Envy notebook comes with a 15.6 inch display and a sleek, metal design and is 0.36 kg lighter than the previous generation, weighing from 1.93 kg and 17.95 mm thin. Pricing of Envy has not been announced yet.

All products, except Spectre, Envy and Elite x3, are available to order starting today.

New Delhi, Apr 8,2016 : Over 2,000 delegates from 25 countries will participate in a two-day international convention on integrating homeopathy in health-care beginning tomorrow.

The convention which is being organsied to mark “World Homeopathy day” by Liga Medicorum Homeopatica Internationalis (LMHI), an international body of homeopaths, and AYUSH ministry will be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukjherjee at Vigyan Bhawan.

“World Homeopathy day is celebrated every year on April 10 to mark the birth anniversary of Dr Samual Hahnemann, the German doctor who is the founder of homeopathy,” an official statement said.

“The theme of the convention is integrating homeopathy in healthcare and over 2000 delegates from 25 countries will be participating in it. An MoU between the Central Council of Research in Homeopathy (CCRH, Armenia State Medical University and College of homeopaths, Canada, will also be signed,” it added.

@ Agency report.

Only sender and receiver will be able to access messages, photos, videos and voice calls besides text messages.

WhatsApp has reinforced the default encryption settings for users so that all messages will now be accessible only to the sender and recipient.

The popular service owned by Facebook, the social-media company, began applying “end-to-end” encryption to standard messages sent on Android smartphones in 2014.

The company says it is now using a powerful form of encryption to protect the security of photos, videos, group chats and voice calls in addition to the text messages sent by more than a billion users around the globe.

After gradually expanding to other formats, WhatsApp confirmed on Tuesday that the encryption now works with all forms of communication on its app for Android phones, Apple’s iPhones and other devices.

Encryption has become a hotly debated subject, with some US authorities warning that criminals and armed groups can use it to hide their tracks.

“WhatsApp has always prioritised making your data and communication as secure as possible,” a blog post by WhatsApp co-founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton said, announcing the change.

“And today, we’re proud to announce that we’ve completed a technological development that makes WhatsApp a leader in protecting your private communication: full end-to-end encryption.”

This means that “when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to,” the statement said.

“No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us.”

However, while many advocates for more privacy welcomed the move, some still maintained that the meta-data – which records who is speaking to whom, as well as the date and time of the messages – can still be accessed.

WhatsApp’s use of encryption has already caused friction in Brazil, where authorities recently arrested and then released a Facebook Inc executive after the company said it was unable to unscramble a user’s encrypted messages.

Google, Facebook and Yahoo use less extensive encryption to protect emails and messages while they are in transit, to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping.

Apple uses end-to-end encryption for its iMessage service, but some experts say WhatsApp’s method may be more secure because it provides a security code that senders and recipients can use to verify a message came from someone they know – and not from a hacker posing as a friend.

WhatsApp is reportedly involved in a court battle similar to the one involving Apple, which fought a federal effort to provide assistance in unlocking an iPhone used by one of the shooters in last year’s San Bernardino killing spree.

@Agency report.

A study conducted by a Bengaluru-based non-government organisation (NGO) has shown that a judge in a high court spends less than five minutes hearing a case, on an average.

“The most relaxed high court judges in the country have 15-16 minutes to hear a case, while the busiest have just about 2.5 minutes to hear a case and, on average, they have approximately five-six minutes to decide a case,” The Times of India quoted the study as saying.

The study was conducted by Daksh, an NGO which studies and analyses performance of the judiciary.

The report also said that judges in high courts of Kolkata, Patna, Hyderabad, Jharkhand and Rajasthan got two to three minutes on each case per day whereas judges in high courts of Allahabad, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha spent four to six minutes over each case.

According to another report by IndiaSpend, there are more than 20 million cases pending in the Indian districts courts; two-thirds are criminal cases and one in 10 have been pending for more than 10 years.

The report also said that there is one judge for every 73,000 people in India, seven times worse than in the United States.

On average, 1,350 cases are pending with each judge, who clears 43 cases per month. At the rate cases are handled at the district courts, civil cases will never get cleared, and it will take more than 30 years to clear criminal cases.

States that build a backlog will never be able to clear their pending cases at the current rate of clearance. The 10 states with the fastest-growing backlog are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Orissa.

Among the states clearing the case backlog, the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu are the best. They will clear all pending cases within six years. UP, which has the highest number of pending cases per judge, will also clear pending cases within 10 years due to its high case-disposal rate.

@ Agency reports.

The Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) has been cut off from the remaining country due to several landslides triggered by massive rains that has killed over 100 people so far.

The heavy rains which started at the weekend were still battering the northern mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and PoK, triggering several landslides and blocking Pakistan’s vital land-link with China.

The strategic Karakoram Highway (KKH), which links Kashghar in Xinjiang with Gilgit and Abbottabad through the Khunjerab Pass, has been damaged at more than 50 places from Gojal to Besham, leaving hundreds of commuters and over 50 foreign tourists stranded.

The roads leading to Skardu, Astore and Ghizer are also blocked, resulting in shortage of food items and fuel.

Over 70 people have died so far in the Gilgit-Baltistan region and more than 30 in the neighbouring KP province due to rains which lasted for over 48 hours and damaged hydro-power projects that supply electricity to Gilgit town and elsewhere.

According to army’s Frontier Works Organisation’s (FWO) Colonel Amjad Wali, a main bridge on the KKH has also got damaged and efforts are underway to make it fit for travel.

He said some 200 metres of roads in Kohistan in KP have been completely washed away by landslides and over 20 people are still trapped under the rubble.

As many as 25 people, including 13 women, have died in the Kandia area of Kohistan because of a giant boulder falling on a house. Hundreds of houses have been washed away and communication have been knocked out across much of the region.

Reports suggest that the stranded passengers in Kohistan, Diamer, Nagar and Hunza, and over a dozen foreign tourists in scenic Nelum valley, have not been able to get food as shops have run out of supplies.

Many passengers are crossing over huge boulders and mud on foot, risking their lives to reach their destinations.

“I am stuck in Hunza as roads are blocked,” said Amin Beg, a resident of Gojal.

“There is no light and also no signs of immediate restoration of roads. Children and women are also among the stranded people,” he told the paper.

“The situation is getting worse with every passing day but authorities and political administration are nowhere to be seen. We are waiting for government to come forward but so far there is a complete silence,” said another local.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the Gilgit-Baltistan Minister for Works Muhammad Iqbal said the floods and landslides have damaged the power houses, causing suspension of power supply.

“The government has sent a request to army for helicopters so that patients and foreigners can be flown out,” he added.

@ Agency report.