Under NDA govt, India giving befitting reply to Pakistan violations: Amit Shah

"There was firing at the border earlier as well. But there is a difference; earlier, Pakistan started the firing and ended it too from across the border, (but) under the BJP government now, Pakistan starts the firing but Indian forces silence it. They are being given a fitting reply," Shah told a rally here.

Targeting those criticising the new government, Shah said, "They cannot see this and so do not know what is the difference in security at the border. They cannot see the change in foreign policy. How the pride of the nation has improved across the world."

In one of the worst ceasefire violations by Pakistan, five villagers were killed and 34 injured today in heavy mortar shelling and firing from across the International Border and Line of Control in the Jammu and Poonch sectors of J-K.

Pakistani troops engaged in heavy and unprovoked firing and shelling on 10 border outposts and civilian areas along the IB in Arnia belt of Jammu district starting 10 P.M. Last night continuing into the morning today, a BSF spokesman said.

BSF troops retaliated effectively, he said, adding that intermittent firing exchanges were on in the area when reports last came in.

SSP (Jammu) Uttam Chand said that five persons were killed and 34 others injured as several hamlets were hit by the shelling.

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Shelling exposes Pakistan's frustration after failure to get response on Kashmir: Omar

"They (the Pakistani leadership) have nothing else to speak, but only Kashmir. Whenever they go abroad, they try to raise only Kashmir issue, but every time they miserably fail to get international attention. The cross-border shelling is an indication of their frustration," he told reporters after meeting civilians injured in the shelling at the Government Medical College Hospital here.
  
Omar strongly condemned the firing and said, "Either we are unable to understand Pakistan’s motive behind the increase in the incidents of ceasefire violations or the internal situation in Pakistan is so bad that by targeting Indian side they want to divert the attention of their own people from their internal turmoil."
  
The Chief Minister said that at a time when people of Jammu and Kashmir should be getting Eid greetings from the Pakistan side, the Pakistani army has gifted them with bombs.

"There was no reason to violate the ceasefire. It was a deliberate attempt from the Pakistani side to target the civilian areas. The death and injury to so many innocent civilians is a part of their nefarious designs," he said.
  
Omar said that so far he has not spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but if need arises he will brief him about the situation in the state following the frequent ceasefire violations.
  
Asked about the rehabilitation of the people affected by the cross-border firing, he said, "We have taken up the issue with the Centre. Our financial condition does not allow us to carry out the rehabilitation of our people. We want help from the Centre. The Centre must come forward to help the people of Kashmir."
  
Omar announced that the family members of the people who lost their lives will get ex-gratia payment and government jobs.
  
"The ex-gratia cheques have been signed and will be issued soon. The next of the kin of the deceased would also be given government jobs as per the rule applicable under death in harness cases," the Chief Minister said.
  
Earlier, after offering Eid prayers at Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Omar went to the state hospital in the city where he donated blood.
  
He later flew to Jammu, the winter capital of the state, to meet injured people who were undergoing treatment in various hospitals.
  
Meanwhile, BSF Director General D K Pathak has also left for Jammu from Delhi to take stock of the developing security situation in the area.
  
Five villagers were killed and 29 injured in heavy mortar shelling and firing by Pakistani troops targeting hamlets and outposts along the International Border in Jammu district in one of the worst ceasefire violations.

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SC panel comes out with guidelines on government advertisements

Holding that there had been "misuse and abuse" of public money on such advertisements, the three-member committee headed by eminent academician Professor N R Madhava Menon has framed guidelines to regulate expenditure and contents of such advertisements paid out of tax payers' money.
    
The report, submitted to the apex court, has emphasised that only pictures and names of the President, the Prime Minister, Governor and Chief Ministers be published to "keep politics away from such ads".
    
Sources said the Committee has also endorsed the suggestions of the Election Commission that there must be "severe" restrictions on such advertisements six months prior to elections.
    
It recommended that a deadline should be fixed for prohibiting their publication and the poll panel should be authorised for the purpose.
    
The committee, also comprising T K Viswanathan, former Secretary General of Lok Sabha and Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, recommended that there should only be a single advertisement, preferably by Information and Broadcasting Ministry, in respect of commemorative advertisements, which are given on birth and death anniversary of an important personality.
    
The Committee said that an amount or budget for the public advertisements should be declared by each ministry and public sector undertaking and it should be audited by CAG.
    
The Committee, which also suggested that there should be an implementation committee headed by either Ombudsman, or Cabinet Secretary or Secretary I&B Ministry, said government advertisements should not be allowed to the advantage of the ruling party and for assailing the opposition.
    
Further, sources said that the committee in its guidelines suggested that there should be a clear-cut differentiation between legitimate message of government from that of political message which can be done by enacting legislation.
  
The committee prepared its guidelines by consulting provision of various countries and having meeting with all state governments and political parties.
  
The apex court had on April 24 decided to frame guidelines to prevent misuse of public funds by the government and its authorities in giving advertisements in newspapers and television for political mileage and set up the committee.
   
It had said there is a need to distinguish between the advertisements that are part of government messaging and daily business and advertisements that are politically motivated.
    
"In these circumstances, conceding that the existing DAVP policy/guidelines do not govern the issues raised in these writ petitions and do not lay down any criteria for the advertisements to qualify for public purpose as opposed to partisan ends and political mileage, there is a need for substantive guidelines to be issued by this court until the legislature enacts a law in this regard," it said.

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Indian jailed for 14 months in Little India riots in Singapore

Chinnathambi Malesan was on his way to his dormitory on December 8 last year when he saw a crowd of rioters pelting projectiles near Race Course Road in the precinct of Little India.

Malesan joined the rioters and threw a palm-sized piece of concrete at the bus, the court heard. He then took photos of the bus with his mobile phone to show his friends back at the dormitory.

Pleading for a lighter sentence, lawyer R Kalamohan, who is defending him pro bono, said Malesan had readily admitted to his involvement.

Kalamohan added Malesan had not consumed alcohol that night. He also pointed out that Malesan's employer had faith in Malesan's character and even offered to bail him out with SGD20,000 after he was detained following the riot.

The Little India Riot saw 23 emergency vehicles being damaged, five of which were completely gutted.

The damage to police vehicles amounted to more than SGD 630,000 and 54 responding officers were also injured in the riots.

Damage to the private buses was estimated to be more than SGD38,000.

The riot was sparked by a fatal accident involving a bus and an Indian national who was working in Singapore.

Some 400 migrant workers were at the scene of the riot. Fifty-two Indians were deported from Singapore for their alleged involvement in the riots.

Twenty-five Indian nationals, working in Singapore on permits, were charged for rioting.

Little India is a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where most of the construction workers from South Asia spend their weekend and day off.

Most of the rioters were reportedly drunk on the night of the riots.

Malesan became the 21st person to be sentenced. He could have received a maximum sentence of seven 

years.

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New York City Mayor, Modi discussed need for strong working relationship

The Mayor said he was honoured to have spent time with the visiting Indian leader last week.

"We talked about how the two greatest, strongest democracies of the world need a strong working relationship. The world hinges in so many ways on that natural, strong relationship between India and the United States," he said at the 27th Annual Deepavali Festival organised here by the New York Chapter of the Association of Indians in America.

"We think about India, we think about  United States of America, we think about what links us, which is the extraordinary Indian-American community. This community exemplifies the best of both cultures, the best of both countries. And the countries are united by a shared belief in democracy – India, the world’s largest democracy, an example to the whole world," he said.

Lauding the contributions of the Indian-Americans, he said community members are the ambassadors and a significant link to strengthening the bilateral relationship "for the good of all, for the good of democracy, for the good of security around the world."

The mayor was among a host of political and business leaders who had called on Modi during his visit to the city for  United Nations General Assembly session last week.

Extending his wishes to the community on the occasion of the festival of lights, he said the Indian-Americans have made significant contributions to t US as well as to New York.
  
The mayor said the strength of the city lies in the rich culture and vitality that immigrants have brought to it over the years.

He said the immigration debate in US has generated a lot of 'misunderstanding' about people from different cultures coming to the country and seeking to make it their new home.

"In too much of the debate in this country there is a misunderstanding. When the topic of immigration comes up, too many people treat it as a negative. In New York City, we understand that immigration is our life blood. Immigration makes us stronger and better," he said.

The mayor highlighted that from next year, a municipal identity card would be issued to all residents of the five NYC boroughs, regardless of their immigration status.

"We're not going to wait for a federal government that can’t come up with a comprehensive immigration reform. We’re going to issue our own municipal ID card," he said, adding that such a card would be for any New Yorker regardless of documentation status "because we are all New Yorkers. We are all equal. We are all appreciated. We are all respected."

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Japanese Muslim quizzed over plan to join IS: Reports

The man, a student at Hokkaido University, had reportedly planned to fly to the Middle East this week to fight with the Islamic extremist group, which has cut a swathe through Syria and Iraq.

The student told police he 'was planning to travel to Syria so as to join Islamic State to work as a fighter', the Mainichi Shimbun and other media reported.
  
He hatched the plan after spotting a job advertisement posted at a second-hand bookshop in Tokyo.
  
The poster directed people interested in working in Syria to the shop clerk.
  
It said a monthly wage of 15,000 RMB (around USD 2,400) was payable for people 'not afraid of violence' to work alongside Uighurs in Syria.
  
Uighurs are the mainly-Muslim inhabitants of China's northwest Xinjiang province. Beijing is facing mounting violence there, which it has blamed on separatists it says have been radicalized through contact with overseas-based terror groups.
  
Most scholars remain sceptical of China's claims, however, with some arguing that Beijing exaggerates the threat to justify its hardline measures in Xinjiang.
  
There have been no confirmed reports of Uighurs fighting alongside Islamic State in Syria or Iraq.
  
No Chinese language ability was necessary, the advert said. There was no explanation of what the work entailed, or why the wage would be paid in the Chinese currency.
  
Hundreds of young men have traveled from Europe and North America to join forces with the brutal group of jihadists, which has declared an Islamic 'caliphate'. However, this is believed to be the first attempt by a Japanese.

Japan has a tiny Muslim population, made up largely of relatively recent immigrants, and little history of home-grown religious extremism.

Detectives are also investigating the advertiser, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, without giving details of his or her identity.

An employee at the bookstore was quoted as saying: "I introduced several people to a former university professor of Islamic law". The academic denied advising anyone to join the jihadis, the Asahi Shimbun said, without identifying him or her.

The relationship between the bookstore and the advertiser was not immediately clear.

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Two more bodies found after Japan volcano eruption

One body was air-lifted by military helicopter, according to a crisis-management official at the Nagano prefectural government.

Public broadcaster NHK said another had been found, but there were no details on how far the recovery had got. It is unknown whether the bodies are those of some of the 12 people unaccounted for.
  
A search operation involving some 1,000 police, troops and firefighters resumed early on Tuesday after a two-day hiatus because of atrocious weather.
  
Aerial footage showed rescuers walking with difficulty through a knee-deep clay-like mixture of ash and water.

The 3,067 metre (10,121 feet) Mount Ontake erupted without warning on September 27, while it was packed with hikers.

Autopsies have revealed that walkers, many of whom had been enjoying lunch at the peak in the autumn sunshine, died largely from injuries caused by stones hurled out in the initial explosive eruption.

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