Immolation bid: TRS activist succumbs

Ayub Khan was hurt over not being nominated for any post

Ayub Khan, the 60-year-old TRS party functionary, who set himself ablaze last month, succumbed to his injuries on Friday. His death created an atmosphere of tension in Tandur, his home town.

Khan set himself afire, after reportedly being angry over the government not nominating him to a post. The incident had happened on August 30 at a gathering addressed by Transport Minister P. Mahender Reddy in Tandur. Khan had reportedly lit himself in the midst of a gathering, prompting frantic attempts to douse the flames. He was later rushed to Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad for treatment. He succumbed at the hospital in the wee hours of Friday.

Tense atmosphere

The body was taken to Osmania General Hospital for autopsy later in the morning, following which it was taken to Tandur for the final rites in Mr. Reddy’s convoy.

The word of the death had created an atmosphere of tension in Tandur, prompting police to deploy hundreds of personnel near the minister’s residence. Security was also beefed up at Mr. Reddy’s residence in the city.

To mourn the death, Mr. Reddy, whose birthday falls on Saturday, urged his followers to not celebrate the day. He also announced Rs. 20 lakh compensation from his side and Rs. 10 lakh from the TRS party to Khan’s family, besides a two-bedroom flat.

Police can now respond within 10 minutes

A caller from Urwa dialled 100 around 12.13 p.m. on Monday last to report a problem caused by a fallen tree near her house here.

The policeman, who received the call, passed on the information to the nearest Sagar patrolling vehicle that reached the spot by 12.20 p.m. The personnel cleared the blockade and reported back to the control room at 12.25 p.m.

For the last two weeks, the Mangaluru Police have been handling calls on Dial 100, a faster response system to complaints, where the calls are immediately attended to by the newly requisitioned 21 GPS-fitted Sagar patrolling vehicles.

Following the success of Dial 100 after its relaunch in Benglauru, the Police Department is working on extending the system across the State starting with Mangaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad and Belagavi Police Commissionerates. The Police Department is planning to have a command centre in Bengaluru to handle the calls.

Police Commissioner T.R. Suresh told The Hindu that for the last few weeks the police have been using the Dial 100 facility, which is set up on the ground floor of his office. While three policemen act as call receivers, one works as the call dispatcher.

The audio of the call received is forwarded to the call dispatcher, who makes an entry of the complaint into the system.

He goes though the system to find the nearby Sagar patrolling vehicle and assigns it the complaint. The recipient patrolling vehicle acknowledges information through the tablet fixed in the vehicle and sends text as well as audio message after the task is completed.

The complainant receives SMSs about registration of the complaint and also the action taken by the police.

Mr. Suresh said that the whole process starting from registration of the complaint to the action taken is monitored on a real-time basis.

Mr. Suresh said that call receivers, call dispatchers and personnel in the 21 new patrolling vehicles are getting used to the system. Modifications are being made in the working to make the system work better.

Mr. Suresh said that the personnel in patrolling vehicles underwent an orientation programme recently.

Going gets tough for Thomas Chandy

Collector’s report confirms allegations of encroachment

Transport Minister Thomas Chandy appears to be getting enmeshed deeper in the row over his alleged encroachment of public land and backwaters for his Lake Palace resort in Alappuzha with the District Collector reportedly confirming the allegations and the Alappuzha municipality initiating action against a few of its officials for disappearance of the related files.

Satellite images

Alappuzha Collector T.V. Anupama submitted her preliminary report, with inferences based on satellite images showing changes in the land use pattern in the area over the past several years, to Revenue Miniser E. Chandrasekharan in the State capital on Friday evening.

Detailed examination

The Collector briefed Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) P.H. Kurian about her findings.

Confirming receipt of the Collector’s report, the Revenue Minister told reporters that it was of a preliminary nature and there would have to be a detailed examination of the issue.

In Alappuzha, amidst noisy scenes, municipal chairman Thomas Joseph told the council that four officials of the civic body had been suspended pending inquiry in connection with the disappearance of files pertaining to the resort.

The tax rebate granted to the resort was also being withdrawn.

The rebate was given based on a special order of the government issued more than a decade ago and approved by the then municipal council, he said.

Disappearance of files

The disappearance of files had come into focus when the District Collector asked the municipality to submit all the documents related to the rebate granted to the resort and permissions given for construction of several structures in the resort as part of her investigation into alleged encroachments and misutilisation of MPLAD funds.

The municipal authorities had, initially, taken the stand that several files were missing.

However, some of these were found later.

The Revenue Minister asked the Land Board to examine the issue on the basis of the District Collector’s findings.

On her part, the District Collector had summoned representatives of Mr. Chandy’s resort to explain the findings against them.

Strident Pakistan presses for UN envoy on Kashmir

Addressing the General Assembly, Abbasi accuses India of rights violations

Pakistan on Thursday blamed India and Afghanistan for the volatile security situation in the region, while denying charges that it is harbouring terrorists who target both the countries.

Striking a strident note against the neighbours and portraying Pakistan as a victim of terrorism, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also sought the appointment of a special UN envoy on Kashmir, and accused India of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr. Abbasi’s claims and allegations were refuted by both India and Afghanistan at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In a strongly worded reaction, India said Pakistan had become a “terroristan,” and Jammu and Kashmir would remain an integral part of India.

Eenam Gambhir, First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India, said, “In its short history, Pakistan has become a geography synonymous with terror. The quest for a land of pure has actually produced “the land of pure terror.” Pakistan is now ‘terroristan,’ with a flourishing industry producing and exporting global terrorism,” she said.

A representative of Pakistan responded to India’s reply, naming National Security Adviser Ajit Doval for allegedly pursuing a strategy of aggression against Pakistan.

The Pakistan PM told the UNGA that another strike by India on territory under its control would invite a matching retaliation. “…if India does venture across the LoC or acts upon its doctrine of “limited” war against Pakistan, it will evoke a strong and matching response,” he said, adding that his country had “faced unremitting hostility” from India.

He said India was trying to “divert the world’s attention from its brutalities,” by ceasefire violations on the LoC. “The Kashmir dispute should be resolved justly, peacefully and expeditiously. Terming the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir the “most intense foreign military occupation in recent history,” Mr. Abbasi sought an international investigation into “India’s crimes in Kashmir.”

The Pakistan PM said India has responded to Kashmiris’ demand for self-determination “with massive and indiscriminate force…shooting indiscriminately at children, women and youth,” adding that this “constitute war crimes.”

Ms. Gambhir said Pakistan has been trying to dupe the rest of the world on the question of fighting terror. Islamabad has diverted international military and development aid towards creating “a dangerous infrastructure of terror on its own territory,” she said. “Pakistan is now speaking of the high cost of its terror industry. The polluter, in this case, is paying the price,” she said, adding that Pakistan’s “globalisation of terror is unparalleled.” “Pakistan can only be counseled to abandon a destructive worldview that has caused grief to the entire world. If it could be persuaded to demonstrate any commitment to civilization, order, and to peace, it may still find some acceptance in the comity of nations,” the Indian diplomat said. Mr. Abbasi had said in his speech that Pakistan’s counter-terrorism credentials cannot be questioned. “After 9/11 it was Pakistani efforts that enabled the decimation of Al-Qaeda,” he said. Mr. Abbasi said 27,000 Pakistanis have died in its fight against terrorism. “We took the war to the terrorists. We have paid a heavy price,” Mr. Abbasi said.

Mr, Abbasi blamed Afghanistan for the security situation in the country, denying any role for Pakistan in supporting the Taliban. On the contrary, terrorists based in Afghanistan were launching attacks on Pakistan, its PM claimed. Urging Pakistan to adopt a “constructive approach” in tackling terrorism in the region, Afghanistan said facts disprove Pakistan’s claim.

RBI Intervenes to Back Re, but Takes the Futures Route

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India sprang a surprise in the currency market as it tweaked its usual way to stem the rupee's sharp intra-day dip against the dollar on Friday.

The central bank sold about $200-250 million in the exchange traded futures market, four people familiar with the matter told ET. The RBI was relatively less active in the spot and forwards markets — where it usually intervened more to stem currency volatility — despite having a record high $400 billion in its foreign currency reserves. Analysts see this as the central bank’s strategy to protect its dollar war chest amid increasing currency volatility globally. The RBI didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

The rupee on Friday slid to 65.16 to the dollar, a level not seen after May 4. The local unit, though, erased its losses later as some state-owned banks were seen selling dollar aggressively on behalf of the central bank, dealers said. It closed at 64.80, little changed from Thursday.

“The rupee is likely to be volatile with a depreciating bias in coming days amid domestic fiscal concerns,” said Gopikrishnan MS, head of foreign exchange, rates and credit for South Asia at Standard Chartered. 'Also, the dollar may gain strength with unwinding of US Fed balance sheet. We are advising our clients to hedge their exposures.”

Volatility would continue for the next few weeks as global in- (Inverted scale) vestors struggle to chart out a future path amid uncertainties, said KN Dey, managing partner at United Financial Consultant, a forex advisory firm. “The latest fall will encourage exporters, while prompting complacent importers to cover their short-term liability,” he said.

Two days ago, the US Fed said it would start cutting down the monetary largesse, known as quantitative easing in market parlance, amid renewed rate increase hopes. That means, global investors would exit emerging markets like India to invest in US securities, perceived as the safest in the world. Back home, foreign portfolio investors fretted over the prospect of the government loosening fiscal policy and slipping on its fiscal deficit, in its efforts to boost economic growth. The government’s expenditure over revenues is targeted at 3.2% of GDP for this fiscal year.

“The central bank looks protective about its forex reserves it built when the rupee was trending to rise,” said Anindya Banerjee, currency analyst at Kotak Securities. “A futures market intervention would not deplete its dollar stock as the rupee keeps whipsawing amid domestic and global uncertainties. “It is always better to have a strong cushion amid expectation of dollar outflows from the country,” he said. In the past two trading sessions, FPIs sold about .₹ 2,400 crore worth of equities. Debt investments, too, showed sign of stress as the benchmark yield remained elevated at 6.66%, eight basis points higher than the level two days ago.

Mistry Cos’ Plea Can’t be Termed Frivolous: NCLAT

Mumbai: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal said a plain reading of the petition filed by Cyrus Mistry’s family firms against Tata Sons showed allegations relating to oppression and mismanagement, and that it could not be termed as a frivolous application. Mistry, who was removed as Tata Sons chairman last year, had a small victory on Thursday as NCLAT granted a legal waiver to his family firms to file a case against Tata Sons. The National Company Law Tribunal had earlier rejected the petition as their shareholding was less than what was needed under law to move against the company. The NCLAT judgement, delivered by Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya, noted that there were several exceptional facts and circumstances that necessitated allowing the waiver appeal. The appellate body sent the case back to NCLT for hearing on merits.

Tata Sons declined to comment on the matter.

The family firms of Mistry — Cyrus Investments and Sterling Investments — are trying to press allegations of mismanagement and oppression of minority shareholder interests at Tata Sons.

The legal battle followed an ugly public spat between Mistry and the Tata Group after he was sacked in October last year.

Rocket Men Face Off

Escalating insults on Korea could lead to mushroom clouds over the Pacific

President Donald Trump heightened fears of a nuclear confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, which had been building for weeks, up a few notches with his blunt threat to “totally destroy” North Korea. Ironically, his concurrent threat to abandon the Iranian nuclear deal helped to remove any incentive for Kim Jong-un to come to the negotiating table. Defence secretary Jim Mattis hinted that Trump’s threat may not be mere bluster when he refused to deny reports that the Pentagon was considering using tactical nuclear weapons against Pyongyang. Other sources have hinted about an unspecified “sharp, short warning shot” at North Korea – a limited application of military force that would ideally not trigger a devastating response.

Trump may be trying to scare the North Korean leader, whom he mocks as a “Rocket Man” on a suicide mission, into joining talks aimed at compelling him to abandon his nuclear weapons. But the salutary example of Muammar Gaddafi – who had voluntarily surrendered his nuclear weapons programme – is a chilling reminder to Kim that denuclearisation is the surest path to an ignominious demise. And, as Trump’s current hostility to the Iran nuclear deal vividly illustrates, there are no guarantees that disarmament would preclude further demands from the US and its perfidious allies.

Having defied countless unanimous UN Security Council resolutions, Kim is unlikely to give up the only weapon that ensures his survival. He also knows that his closest neighbours China and South Korea oppose a US-led military solution that would engulf the entire region. As such, the net result of Trump’s threat might well be to encourage Kim to speed up building his nuclear-tipped ICBM and force Washington to accept the reality of a nuclear-capable North Korea. It was acceptance of the unpalatable reality of Iran’s nuclear capability that led the Obama administration, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany to enter into negotiations with Tehran. The 2015 agreement essentially stopped development of Tehran’s bomb and sharply constrained its nuclear programme for 15 years in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. The agreement was premised in part on the hope that, by the time the agreement terminates, Iran would have discovered that the benefits of global engagement were more attractive than being a nuclear-armed international pariah.

Many Western and South Korean analysts believe that North Korea is so far ahead of Iran in its nuclear and missile development that it is well past time for an Iran-like deal. At this stage, Kim would not likely be satisfied with anything short of a grand bargain in which Washington and the international community recognise North Korea and offer economic aid in exchange for a freeze on its weapons and missile programmes.

Trump has at times hinted that he is impressed by the young dictator, stating that “If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, i would absolutely, i would be honoured to do it.” This was a course suggested to him by Chinese President Xi Jinping during their first meeting. To assure Kim, Washington has stated that it does not seek regime change – only abandonment of the nuclear programme. But North Korea’s series of missile tests and apparent testing of a hydrogen bomb provoked Trump to increase his own insults and threats. With Kim returning the favour it is increasingly difficult for either side to de-escalate without losing face.

With a majority of Americans favouring military action against Pyongyang, a diplomatic grand bargain could come as a major disappointment to Trump’s fired-up base. China and Russia, conversely, would support negotiations, which would inevitably weaken US-South Korea military ties and reduce American influence in the region. South Korea’s left-of-centre new administration too would warmly welcome a move towards peace and stability.

But with relations between two nuclear powers descending into a schoolyard brawl between bullies, the time for grand bargains is fast disappearing against the gathering threat of mushroom clouds over the Pacific.